A Weeki Wachee Holiday--Thing #16

Trouble with aging is that your long-term memory really kicks in, and now I find it impossible to think of a wiki without thinking of that kitchy spot in Florida with the mermaids. I never actually went there but I used to see clips of it on tv and it seemed soooooo cool.

But back to the wiki at hand. I, like the rest of the Western World, am familiar with Wikipedia. I even use it from time to time when I want some quick background information (as in, Who the heck is so-and-so?). I agree with the collaborative benefits, and think the Library Instruction Wiki and the ALA New Orleans 2006 Wiki are perfect examples of wikis that work. However, I would never dream of citing Wikipedia as an authoritative source because it simply isn't one. User-directed can be overdone; think of where democracy has gotten us, administration-wise.

2.0, or Is the Emperor Wearing Anything?

I've spent the better part of yesterday afternoon trying to digest and assimilate a myriad of discussions about Library 2.0. My conclusion is that it's too soon to tell. Particularly since this is only Thing #15 and I've got a bunch left. Initial thoughts, though, are that new doesn't necessarily mean good. Or, more to the point, good for everyone. Folksonomies are fine for cataloging your private book stash but make little sense in the context of a library. Give me the taxonomy any day. I fear that this has become the new "grandstand" notion that we are all expected to jump on. For now, I'll reserve full judgment and post more on this at the end.

Technorati, Schmecknorati

Another website with a less than descriptive name. Frankly, I'd rather be part of the Literati, or even the Glitterati, buy hey, they weren't among the Things offered. So Technorati it is.
I did sign up, even "claimed" my blog and installed a cute little button on it. But will I use it? Chances aren't good. Besides, I don't have to go there to catch tmz and mollygood. I've already got them bookmarked.

It's delightful, it's del.icio.us

This I like. With my account set up, I can now attempt to transfer all the favorites that I have on any number of computers to one special place that I can access from anywhere. What a great idea! Except...hmm...this sounds familiar. Didn't I do this already with Backflip years ago? So why do I need del.icio.us now? Cuz I've completely forgotten my Backflip user name, password and the email account I used when I registered. Shoot, I had some really good stuff there, too.

I Been Searchin'

Got myself a rollyo account and created a searchroll. Well, to be perfectly honest, I actually modified three existing searchrolls. Nonetheless, here's the link: http://rollyo.com/mmarks/maxs_book_reviews/ . Cute idea, but again, who has the time?

12 down!

Not Swamp Thing, Not Wild Thing ...

LibraryThing! Argh! Another way to have hours, days, and perhaps even weeks vanish into the ether!

But I was a good little librarian and opened my account, added my five titles, and even stuck a widget on my blog. Here's the link to my catalog: http://www.librarything.com/catalog/maxinemarks

Whoops. I guess I just divulged my name. Ah, I could never keep a secret!

Lost in Translation

I played around with an image generator and here's my first name (Maxine) in Chinese:
If there are any Chinese staffers out there who would dispute this, please leave me a comment. I personally can neither confirm nor deny the validity of this.

To see your name in Chinese, go to http://www.chinesetools.eu/names/.

And that's Thing #10!