Lunge 21 Final thoughts

Where to begin? Initially I thought the program was a simple run-through of web technologies. Blogs, Podcasts, RSS feeds, and social networking with which I was already very familiar, and I was also aware of 'wikis' through Wikipedia. I found Delicious useful, and still use it, and have become enamoured with my Google account once I discovered the breadth it offered. The surprise for me was "Pipes" and "mashups" which I found useful and will continue to explore. I think pipes delivering snippets of content could well be incorporated into the library homepage. Wikis and podcasts are already being used, but I'm not sure how effective they are.

Much of my thought relates to how far one wishes to become involved with the online world of the web. Social networking can begin to absorb one's time to an unacceptable degree, and if one also pursues sites such as Diggit and 43 then the material world begins to fade into the background.

How can the library select and use the available technologies? Are YouTube videos are a good way of disseminating information, or does it simply encourage aimless browsing and a loss of focus on core principles?

As with any new technology there are both prizes and pitfalls. I suspect that the best technologies will find their way into everyday use through force of numbers using them. This has already happened with social networking, and will ultimately influence how organisations such as the library adopt web technology.