The end (of the 23 things)

I’ve been behind schedule throughout the whole programme and am delighted to have met the deadline! I’ve spent more time on this project than I thought I would and not as much time as I would have liked.

I think my favourite task was setting up a blog (thing three). Getting started was easy. Learning bits of HTML to improve the layout of my entries has been fun! Collecting my thoughts together, thinking critically about what I've done and can do and expressing this, has helped me make the most of my experiences. My blog entries will hopefully remind me of available Web 2.0 tools should I need/want to use them in future. Also, seeing each entry add to my archive has emphasized my progress and motivated me to continue.

Every task has been valuable, although in some cases the value has come from simply learning of an application rather than benefiting from what the application does. Joining LinkedIn was once such example for me. I'm glad I joined predominantly because I now know what goes on here. I have returned to the site a couple of times. I have been admitted to the groups I asked to join but still lack the inspiration to really get involved with it. This said, I'm not going to discard LinkedIn immediately. I remember feeling the same way about Facebook a few years ago. Since then, I’ve seen its support increase dramatically, many friends and acquaintances have become members giving me a wider pool of people to network with, and I have become a firm devotee.

I’ve heard it said that Web 2.0 is about the democratization of the Internet. We now have an incredible, almost overwhelming, degree of choice over how and what we share online. New ways of delivering information are changing the way libraries operate. Keeping up with progress in Web 2.0 is a challenge, but has brought great advantages. Several of this programme’s 23 things have improved my work. Wikis have allowed me learn vicariously from the shared stories of fellow library staff in similar situations, Office 2.0 applications have aided collaboration when colleagues have been out of town and using social networking sites appears to be a successful way of engaging with library users. The 23 Things Programme has boosted my confidence for further exploration.