Flickr and me

With Flickr and related 2.0 photo and image sites, there is great potential for creative publicity materials, library publications, programs for kids (think: create your own comics), fun on library blogs and even customized e-cards for retiring staff! A workshop for the public on how to use these sites and tools would be appreciated as well.

Booky's on a blog

It is amazing how the Internet has developed to allow users to communicate in so many different ways. I have seen and read many comments on the Web, but this is the first time I have used a 2.0 tool myself.

At a recent library conference, a speaker asked how many people in attendance had read a book review online, read a blog entry, etc. Everyone had. Then she asked how many people had actually contributed a review, a comment on a blog, joined an online discussion. Very few. She then said that approximately only 3% of Internet users contribute content. This means that users read the opinions of only a tiny part of the online population. Which gives a few people a whole lot of influence. So the issue of how to empower people to participate online is an important one for all of us.

I look forward to using these tools to add more views to the Web and to gain ideas of how we can empower library users to get engaged online.