What is this Library 2.0, anyway?

So here we are with step #15 and we finally get around to answering what is Library 2.0. Well, as I understand it, it is taking the technology available on the Internet and putting it into the hands of the masses. Kinda like a digital Prometheus.

So, did you click on word "Prometheus" and get transported to Wikipedia? Wikipedia is an example of Web 2.0; instead of a bunch of experts writing an encyclopedia and we read it, Wikipedia is an encyclopedia created by contributors like you or me. Web 2.0 is a more hands-on, cooperative approach to utilities and features found on the internet.

A good article regarding the future of libraries with Web 2.0 is John J. Riemer's OCLC newsletter article, To Better Bibliographic Services. He describes utilizing and combining features to help patrons/users locate information more effectively and to focus in on their needs and interests with utilities like RSS. For instance, RSS feeds can be made to deliver specific content to a user like information on Italian Greyhounds.

Interestingly, Reimer discusses how metadata creation should be streamlined and how duplication can be avoided with "advocacy and coordination of a bibliographic utility, such as OCLC." But he also says how libraries should be open to features found on Amazon and Google including tagging from anyone, not just those people who are recognized as authorities on a subject. But, as I have said in a previous post, I do not like tags and I believe there needs to be something akin to a "bibliographic utility" or a central location like OCLC or Del.icio.us to verify tags, to add synonym rings, and to create a hierarchy or taxonomy.

I should point out that I am not against the idea of tagging, but I would like to see better structure before we allow the untrained masses to haphazardly assign tags.

Let me give you an example of a tagging problem that I mistakenly made. On my post about a technology item, I discussed an online game created to help label or tag images on the web so that visually impaired users can identify what the images are. Because the game is timed, there is no real way to research the images. Therefore, during a game, the image of Justin Timberlake came up and I began adding tags such as "gay" and "homosexual." This was in no way meant to be a homophobic attack or commentary on Mr. Timberlake. I simply confused him with his 'N Sync bandmate, Lance Bass who had recently announced his homosexuality.

So, as I said before, is there anyone verifying these tags? If so, how well known is the utility or website/instituition? These are questions that need to be answered before we have to go back and clean years of messy tagging.

Testing Testy Technorati

For step #14, I am looking at Technorati, a blog search website I reviewed in my post More RSS. For starters, I have created a Technorati Profile. So far, whatever I search, even starting to search this blog's URL specifically has resulted in, well, no results.

There are three ways to get Technorati to recognize a blog, so I hope I did it right. I followed the instructions, so it is a wait and see. There was probably another step (there is always another step) and I missed it.

I like Technorati, but I would like to see more descriptions as to where I am going. For instance, on the Popular page, one of the Top Blogs is listed as ?? ??? ??BLOG with 14,417 blogs linking to it--probably to find out what the heck it is.

The Discovery page isn't much better. There are too few topics here. We have five main areas with tabs for about five more in each. But, I don't see tabs for pets, cars, hockey, etc. and no place to add these.

What I do like is the results page. Here we have sections for finding results by blog, photos, video, podcast, music, and/or people.

What I don't like are tags. As I ranted--I mean, explained, in my previous post, there are too many variables with tags and Technorati proved this to be true. Using my default search phrase, Italian Greyhound, I got 13 results. However, if I searched the plural form, I get no results and it is not as if there are no tags for Italian Greyhounds. The photo search goes from 2,408 for the singular form to 194 for the plural. If the two tags were amalgamated, then I would get the same number of search results.

Another nice site hampered by these awful tags.

Del.icio.us leaves me with a bad taste

*DANGER* RANTING ALERT *DANGER* RANTING ALERT *DANGER* RANTING ALERT

Appropriately, Step #13 is about tagging. Here is my thoughts about tagging (aka bookmarking): I don't like them.

Sure, I use them, but I find tagging to be too unstructured for my taste. I mean, when I enter a tag, I don't know if I need to make it singular or plural, does it even matter? What about English spelling versus American standard? Is someone checking spelling? Am I using the most effective term possible? Do I need synonyms? Or a hierarchy? If I use initials or an acronym, is there someway others will know what it means?

I think tagging needs to be rethought. Why not create a central website with links from Blogs, Flickr, etc. that will be like wikipedia, moreover dmoz (an open directory project) where everyone can contribute and edit existing entries, create and edit hierarchies or taxonomies, and/or create a controlled vocabulary. This way we can avoid the issues I mentioned in the previous paragraph.

For step #13 we focused on Del.icio.us, a popular social bookmarking website. The good news about Del.icio.us is that it is popular so we have a good start for a site we can use to make a standardized tagging protocol. Plus, it is easy to use. Once you have an account, you can link a website to Del.icio.us and start making tags. Most importantly, Del.icio.us will help you choose tags and allow you to make your own.

A good start, but it still does not answer all of my questions. Furthermore, would someone explain why there is all this emphasis on blogger names? Am I supposed to know and/or recognize people by their user name and somehow realize he or she is an authority?

Okay, breathe. Hopefully, step #14 and/or #15 will be of some help.

This thing called LibraryThing

LibraryThing lets you create your own catalog of books. It is easy to use. Simply enter the title, or author, or ISBN and LibraryThing will search Amazon or over 75 libraries including the Library of Congress to find the book. You can choose the amount of information that is entered including tags, reviews, and ratings.

I really liked this site. I especially enjoyed the Fun Statistics about myself and the Tag Cloud, Author Cloud, and Author Gallery. But I am not totally convinced on the free-form tags. I would think a good controlled vocabulary would work nicely here. After all, they are pulling from Amazon and libraries. I would think they could take the information from one of these sources. Plus, you cannot search a book by the ISBN, which seems quite odd to me. All well, maybe sometime down the line they can do something about this.

Click here for the first of my entries.

Unfortunately for bibliophiles, you can only add 200 books without paying for an account.

When I entered the first book I used the Tags to Add option, but when I checked my list after I finished, the tags were not there. Plus, the icons on the Recently Added list do not tell you what they are, not even with a mouse rollover.

I can see myself using this site and I hope others will too.

The ESP Game (it's not what you think)

In an article in the Washington Post, I learned of a fun and addictive game called the ESP Game. The purpose of the game is give short descriptions to random images. You have an anonymous partner who is doing the same. When the two of you match a description, you get another picture. The game is timed so you will be partnered with different people each game.

So, why is this game important? Well, the article explains that there are programs that can read aloud words from the internet for people who are visually impaired, but these programs cannot recognize images unless they are tagged or labeled. Because there are so many images on the web that are without tags, Luis Von Ahn of the Carnegie Mellon University created the ESP Game to get the masses (that's us) to tag a lot of those images.

Here is the link for the Washington Post article: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/20/AR2006112001200_pf.html

And the link for the game: http://www.espgame.org

Check out their other game Phetch where players are given a description and they hunt down a picture from the internet.

Have fun!