23. Summarize your thoughts about this program. Copyright, Creative Commons, and CONGRATULATIONS!

23 things is a great introduction to Web 2.0.  Going into this en devour I thought I was a know it all when it came to blogging.  But I have learned more that I thought, and still trying to grasp some of the ideas.  I found great websites that you can personalize graphics.  The web is full of photos, but many hold copyrights, so if you are using them for profit, you may run into problems.  Contrary, there are many free high quality images.

I learned the importance of keywords and tags, and how they are key in directing users to your information.  Along with blogs which let's one stand on their soapbox or praise a celebrity, now there are ways to add audio and video.  You can be your own broadcaster, though keep your production values high.  Don't you hate bad lighting and shaky digital cameras.  Web 2.0 is multimedia that is sometimes organized well, sometimes a mess.

My greatest challenge so far is posting to blogger.com from other "share" buttons on from other websites.

22. Explore eBooks and Audio eBooks

In the old days, Audio e-books were the back section of a bookstore or library, where books were on audio tape and CD.  E-books are the beginnings of the digitalization of print.  The Gutenberg Project is amazing!  And it is free.  Part of the project is accessed at http://www.worldebookfair.com/

When a book loses its copyright, it becomes public domain, and therefore can be reprinted for free.  You can find most classic novel for download.  If you prefer not waiting 100 years for the free version, of course, you can purchase books to read on your kindle, if you luckily have one!

If you prefer your literature read to you, a menagerie of classics are freely available from "Peter Rabbit" to "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz."

Free Classics!

21. Podcasts (No iPod Needed)

A podcast is like talk radio.  Well, it could also be musical, but most podcasts seem to be spoken.  Now we have video podcasts.  So in effect, get your Hollywood cinematographer, podcast yourself and you may be the next Justin Bieber.  The best part of a podcast is that is it anyone can broadcast.  It's a great way to spread information quickly.  Again there is a popularity contest, with the most know brands ahead.  It's similar to posting a video on youtube but podcasts have a more professional sleekness, to in my opinion.  That is probably because many mainstream media outlets have podcast to view for free.

19. Take a look at LibraryThing and catalog some of your favorite books.

This was my first introduction to LibraryThing.com, which is a book lover's dream.  It reminds me slightly of the Interenet Movie Database, but for books of course.  You can search by title, author, or keywords.  You can connect with others whom have added the same books to their online"virtual bookshelf."  You also can read and post reviews of the books.

Everyones Favorite.

16. Learn about wikis and discover some innovative ways that libraries are using them.

The most well know wiki is Wikipedia,  a innovative world encyclopedia than anyone can edit.  Wiki is Hawaiian for hurry hurry, and adopted by the computer world, wiki being a webpage that anyone can edit, add to.  Simply it's a collaborative website, very much in tune with Web 2.0's interactivity.

Wiki's being a 2 way street of information have their pro's and con's.  The good part being that anyone with or information on a subject can add their knowledge to the "pool."   The con is that unverified or unaccredited information sometimes gets through.  The user therefore needs to use caution when searching for reference on a wiki.

15. Read a few perspectives on Web 2.0, Library 2.0 and the future of libraries and blog your thoughts.

Where will the next generation Web take libraries?

http://www.oclc.org/nextspace/002/1.htm

In this article by Tom Storey, Web 2.0 is described perfectly the "principles of simplicity, rich interactivity, user participation, collective intelligence, self-service, novel and remixed content—Flickr, MySpace, FaceBook, del.icio.us, YouTube, LibraryThing—to name a few."

Way back in the mid '90's, no not 1895, but around 1995 when one would use the internet, myself included, would just visit a few pages, find pictures, and check email.  In retrospect there was not much interactivity.  It was more a one way street of information flooding towards you.

Today, the internet is more dominant in our daily lives.  Major institutions, business, school, and political now offer services via the internet.  But more than that, such sites as Twitter and Facebook, we are uploading our own information.  And then others can add to them.  Now the information superhighway is 2 lanes.  Can't wait for Web 3.0?  

14. Explore Technorati and learn how tags work with blog posts.

This was my first visit to Technorati, and I was enthralled with it!  Just like your favorite TV shows are being rated for popularity, so are blogs.  Who knew!  Most of the top blogs are entertainment, political, or technology in nature.  "The Huffington Post" is currently the #1 blog.  (I do enjoy her blog).  With most types of information and media, there is always a popularity contest, mainly for money and advertising.  The blog is set apart from most other media that anyone with a computer and internet connection can publish one.  The "any-man" now has a greater chance of being heard.

Tags are important, because they lead users to your page.  Tags are basically keywords that one uses for the subject they seek.  The goal is to get a user to your blog with a tag, since they may be interested in your information.