Rather engaging...

As a frequent Twitter user I've engaged in quite a few "conversations" using the various options - @username, DM username, RT etc. I think it takes some practice to use these features well, and I'm not sure I've quite cracked it yet. Sometimes I find that when replying to someone I follow, my follow-up tweet is incomprehensible to my followers, who did not see the original tweet. Yet it would be cumbersome to provide the original tweet there too, and would go over 140 characters.

Sometimes I wonder about the optimal tweet volume. Periodically I begin following someone only to unfollow them the next day because they are tweeting too much, and filling up my stream. Maybe if you follow huge number of people this is less noticeable. Institutions seem particularly guilty of this, they may have multiple people tweeting on one account, and are probably under some pressure to promote items (like articles in a newspaper), and it can get tiresome.

Fun with Forms

Here is a silly little Google form.

Beating a hasty reTweet

I finally got to use my favourite Twitter joke for the title of this post. I have been "on the Twitter" for quite a while now - yes, at first I did wonder if it was a bit pointless, and did post too much about what I was about to eat and the current weather conditions. Over time, however, I've had fun using replies, retweets and direct messages, and following some well-known people who are living rather public lives via their Twitter feed, which I find quite generous and surprising of them. The author Neil Gaiman (@neilhimself) uses the medium really well, and has attracted so many followers that he often links to a site in a tweet only to have the server crash spectacularly (this phenomenon now has its own hashtag, #neilwebfail).

The missing LinkedIn

I'll admit it - I've had a LinkedIn account for some time but have not used it much. I had a general impression that it was quite corporate, and much more serious than Facebook. However, because of 23 Things, I've gone back to the site, and seen that it is not all grey pin-stripes. However, it still can't offer anything as diverting as Cafe World. But I digress...

Being connected to a large network of contacts has many advantages - especially, I imagine, for a freelancer who needs to find prospective clients and provide trusted recommendations. And of course if one were looking for a job it would be a real asset.

I keep having to remind myself that Web 2.0 sites don't stand still, but change over time, adding features and shifting focus. Something that was initially underwhelming can become incredibly useful. And vice versa, a once promising site can be taken over by celebrity gossip and advertising (yes Technorati, I am talking to you.)

Libraries on Facebook

I decided to have a look at how some other libraries are using Facebook, so searched facebook "Pages" for "libraries". I was attracted by the magnolia flower icon of the Smithsonian Libraries in Washington D.C., so decided to visit their page. Because the Smithsonian Libraries consist of 20 individual libraries, they have a wealth of varied material to draw upon, and it looks as if they are good at keeping their page active by frequent posts that link their collections to current events. OK they may stretch it a little at times - National Noodle Month? But a nice example of this was their wall post about the new octopus at the National Zoo (which is also part of the Smithsonian) illustrated by a beautiful print of mollusks, and with a link to the zoo's octopus cam. I have to say that I quickly got drawn into the the Smithsonian's photostream on Flickr by following links from their wall posts.

Such a large group of libraries has many public events, so the Events tab in Facebook is a great place to inform their readers/Fans about them.

The Info tab was used well, it had a very good clear description of what the Smithsonian Libraries are, a bit about their history and current endeavours.

I will be going back to visit more library Facebook pages; I was very impressed by this one.

YouTube if you want to...

I've been exploring Channels on YouTube, and have found one I quite like called Future Shorts. This is not, as you might think, about London Fashion Week, but rather a wide range of short films. There are many animated ones, and I can see that I will be spending some quality viewing time here.

P's in a Pod Cast

I'm a big consumer of podcasts, but early on I settled early on one way of subscribing to them (iTunes) and haven't really explored other options or sites. I had a look at PodCast Alley, and browsed the Technology section. In the end I decided to try a featured podcast, called Lab Rats. I had to cut and paste the URL into Google Reader to subscribe, but it worked first time. I never really thought of subscribing to a podcast in Google Reader, but why not? There is a better chance that I will see new episodes there, since I visit Google Reader daily, whereas I use iTunes less frequently.

I am now looking forward to watching a geeky episode about USB 3.0.

Networking

I've added some other libraries to my network on delicious, and in the process realized what went wrong when I tried this recently and had trouble. I had clicked on a little Add to your network link, but did not see that I had to click on OK to confirm the addition. Sorted.

I'm enjoying exploring the links in my new expanded network - I am sure I'll be bookmarking some of the sites to visit again. The Language Centre Library provided a link to a site of helpful phrases in a variety of languages, so I could now ask someone if they like bagpipes, in Breton. As you do...