Web 2.0 Communication Tools (Thing 7)

Email: Been there, done that. Have several email accounts since HS. Do I need more? Nope.Use it everyday. Very useful at work. But then sometimes we don't have actual conversationswith people and I still truly value person-to-person contact. Sometimes communication is bestin person rather than print (email) where it can be miscontrued.

Funny comment on email--wetalked this weekend in my family that my little bro-in-law no longer emails. The only waywe can get a hold of him is to post on his Facebook wall...:) (Did you read that D?)

Instant Messaging: Been there, done that. That was more of a college thing. I still have an AOL AIM account. Not sure if I could remember the password right now, though. How else was I supposed to survived a summmer without college friends far far away?
To me IM seemsold, but in terms of library services, I like it a lot. IM reference services for publiclibraries is huge. I have tried it several times for very quick items and have been pleasedwith the fast response times and how easy it was to use. I like that it doesn't tie down a reference librarian to the phone. But then, I don't work in a public library--if you aredoing IM reference are you at the main ref desk? Do you get interupted? Do you stillwhere else so as not to be interruppted by others? What's the scoop there?

Text Messaging (Short Message Service): I am not part of the revolution. I can't text fast enough. I use it here and there with friends,but here is the great generational divide. I just can't get into it. I don't want to payextra for it and it's easier to call than to get the letters punched into my darn phone.(Note, I am a GenX/GenY someone. I think this makes the difference. If I were a Millenialwould I be into it?)

Web conferencing: I listened to the podcast about web conferencing. The author of the podcast states that it is, "Telephone conference calls on steriods." One has the ability to record them and then podcast them. It allows folks to meet online inleiu of a personal meeting and with gas prices rising perhaps this is a good way to beatthat problem. One of the possible problems that WebJunction offers about web conferencingis the distraction problem. I haven't done much with the Webinars offered by Minetex becausethe timing isn't right for me. They are often over the lunch hour for my assistant and it'swhen I need to be "more" available to my students at the drop of a hat. SO for me to join oneand then need to cut out doesn't seem very polite.
One of the surprises I had from reading the PDF from Webjunction was the number of resourcesavailable for web conferencing. Especailly the number that are available for FREE! WOW! Check them out here.

I also listened to an archived OPAL that is similar to the Webinars offered by Minetex.(All of the current OPAL were next week and I want to finish this "Thing" today.) I only listened to 5 minutes because it was just audio and I didn't have the patience to just do audio today.
Also tried the archived Webinar from Minetex on Del.icio.us. I enjoyed that and itwill come in handy in the future. (Didn't do a live one because of time constraints.)

I have been exploring options to create some of these tutorial settings for my own schoollibrary. I am contemplating getting SnapzPro to do some of this. There is a freebie outthere (name is failing me right now) and I might try that first. I think it only does videowithout the audio and I'd have to put that in at a later time in iMovie or something. I am thinking of these tutorials because we just switched circulation systems and I thinka help video might be good for my students. Similarly, I am contemplating doing something like this but more video for library orientationin the fall so I don't have to do the same speech 40 different times.