Thing Seven!

7. Web 2.0. Communication Tools.

E-Mail

Some of the information in Thing Seven seems to me to be "common sense" or common knowledge. Example: The first video on What Not To Do With Spam E-mails. ("The system is already overloaded with spam, and we will not see the end in our lifetime.")

Of the five e-mail tips, I liked the one best that encouraged us to write less. We have so much e-mail to read at work and at home, that we are more likely to read brief messages than lengthy ones.

Our work e-mail recently changed so it was good to "start over" with no messages. This summer I attended a training session with helpful tips for using e-mail.

For awhile I had a hotmail account which is handy during travel. I have not used that for a few years, but access my regular e-mail accounts anywhere.

Instant Messaging

When some of my relatives had the same instant messaging, it was fun to use that for awhile, but now I think that we are more likely to use our cell phones to contact each other. The Library Journal article from 2005 had a key point of promotion for library instant messaging services. We have had a library online reference service available for several years, but I have not had many legitimate questions in the past year. I think students tend to call the Help Desk more. If the service is promoted during student orientation, new students may be more likely to use it. Although I do not do much texting, I find it a convenient feature available on my cell phone.

Webinars and Wikis

Webinars such as the ones MINITEX hosts are great for learning without traveling 160 miles to the Twin Cities. I have also taken some from GALE and other providers.

Wikis will probably see continued use by libraries. The MnPALS Office in Mankato has one now rather than so many mailing lists.