Blogs, Blogging and SnoIsle 20 for 2.0

20 for 2.0

I think I have had a slight attitude adjustment from my initial views on blogging and Sno-Isle's 20 for 2.0 training.

It will come as no surprise to those who work with me my first impression was a negative one! 8^)

I must admit that I initially thought this training was not very grounded in what I do day-to-day in the library.

As I will address later on, I think in many ways the world is obsessesed with communication, sharing, and all the new whiz-bang ways we can do it. This training seemed to be unnecesarily feeding that frenzy.

However, after getting into it and visiting other peoples blogs I realized this training has a number of benefits.

• With a minimal investment of time (that staff can fit in around other activities) Sno-Isle is exposing a large number of staff members to a variety of technologies and internet features.
• Even if these are not tools that will help us do our jobs, they are tools that we should at least have a conceptual understanding of, so we can help our patrons who are involved in using these tools.
• I have often thought Sno-Isle should have a virtual photo album that contains every employee. The system has gotten large enough that it would be nice to have a anonymous tool for putting faces to names and vice versa. This photo album would be on the Intranet and organized by department/branch. Individuals could be given the option of giving biographical information about themselves, reading interests, special skills, etc.
  These blogs provide some of that functionality. Although, I still think we need the photo album!

So all in all, kudos to the 20 for 2.0 team and to Sno-Isle for this training!

Blogs and Blogging

I am often struck by the people who seem to be constantly on their cell-phone, texting, or checking email. Is all that communication actually necessary? Is it possible they suffering from some kind of ADD where being disconnected and alone is an uncomfortable to them?

I recently read a book about the United Nations which for me was a peak into my own personal version of hell. It portrayed the UN as a massive self feeding feedback loop of meetings and focus groups that created memos to be sent to other committees, who then create a final document that had no bearing or impact on the world outside of the UN. Only to be read and argued over by others within the UN. As if the greatest virtue was good intentions and not actually improving something in the world.

Is it possible that blogging is the "common man's" version of the UN hell? Only self inflicted? I update my blog, check yours, make comments, you respond to my comments, check my blog, make comments, I respond to your comments. I add a link to the news story of the day. And pretty soon it is time for me to update my blog again..and the cycle continues.

All this massive amount of communication but to what purpose? What is scary is the communication becomes the work and nothing ever gets done.

The author Robin Hobb has an interesting article on this topic.
She writes much better than I do. Imagine that!
http://robinhobb.com/rant.html

In my first blog I made the statement that if a blog is a diary then it is exhibitionism and if it is an opinion column than it is egotism.

I have never had the desire to keep a diary so I think I am free from calling myself an exhibitionist.

On the other hand, I have never caught myself without an opinion on something and humility is a virtue that I am constantly reminding myself that i need to adopt.

So I freely adopt the label as egotist.

My great hope is that if i can use this blog as an outlet for those comments that I find so clever, (but for some reason nobody else does) perhaps I wont feel the need to express them out loud.