Final ruminations

I feel the urge to offer some final thoughts on the CPL 2.0 technologies assignment to provide a sense of closure for myself.

For one thing, this exercise gave me the motivation, structure and deadlines I required to overcome the procrastination that plagued my good intentions to embark on such explorations myself. And just as promised in the CPL 2.0 blog header, I certainly do feel more "tech-savvy and web-smart." I can see how many of these technologies are useful tools to recommend to library customers, and to utilize in order to get the library's message out there in less traditional ways.

I was already using some of these tools before this assignment began. But, the most exciting discovery for me is blogging! I love having a venue to write down my musings for anyone who cares to read them. And I think I might continue doing just that, on random topics of my own choosing. So check back here - you never know what I might be rambling on about!

I've thoroughly enjoyed following the journeys my colleagues have been on. Everyone had such different approaches to the exercise, and unique writing styles. I feel I know you all just a smidge better than I did before March 15, 2010.

I've come to a few conclusions about the role of technology in my life. In selective, controlled doses it can enrich my relationships, help me connect in a variety of ways with more people more often. It can provide access to a "wealth of information and ideas" - not unlike the library!

But technology can easily overwhelm me and consume my time in all sorts of unproductive ways. Part way through the exercise, I started feeling the weight of all the possibilities threatening to pull me under. More is not always better! I will intentionally remain a techno-peasant in certain areas, so as to preserve my sanity.

Now for the heavy stuff...

I'm concerned that the way we are inundated with such a plethora of information and entertainment options may distract us from what is really going on in the world around us. Maybe we think we're more closely in tune with things because we're following newsfeeds and friends on a minute-by-minute basis. But maybe we're so busy Facebooking, tweeting, and LibraryThing-ing, that we're not really paying attention to important issues in our families, our communities, our workplaces, our world. Just something to think about...

Bitter about Twitter

Twitter was the technology that I thought I was the most curious about at the beginning of this assignment. Turns out, I was wrong. Maybe it's CPL 2.0 blogging fatigue setting in. But I'm not curious enough to try to dissect the anatomy of a tweet. I'm not interested in acquiring a new vocabulary of hashtags, retweets and hovercards.

"Twitter asks “what’s happening” and makes the answer spread across the globe to millions, immediately" - according to the website.

I understand there are situations where this is fun, handy, maybe on rare occasions a necessity. But as a rule, I don't need to know the instant that Al and Tipper Gore have decided to separate. I can wait until I watch the "news" to find out about important, earth-shattering tidbits like that.

"Twitter is a rich source of instant information." - advertised on the website

Instant information = unreliable, gossip, not the full story. Reading tweets on Twitter is like getting your news from reading only the headlines in a newspaper or tabloid - it doesn't give you any context or background. So while I may have more information coming at me, I don't have more knowledge about what's going on in the world. I have the illusion that I'm well-informed, well-connected. Don't any of us have the time and patience, the desire to look beyond a 140-character micro-blog to get the whole story?

"Friends and industry peers you know. Celebrities you watch. Businesses you frequent. Find them all on Twitter." - from the website

Industry peers and businesses = advertising, doesn't it? Why would I voluntarily sign up for more of that? And celebrities! Why would I value Ashton Kutcher's opinion about something any more than I'd value the opinion of a complete stranger? I am unavoidably inundated with advertising and celebrity gossip in so many other places, I can't fathom why anyone would want more.

Surprise, surprise - I'm giving Twitter two thumbs down.