Thing 2 --or Web 2.0 is Like Cereal

Five ways Web 2.0 is like cereal.

1. When it's time to buy cereal, it is possible to walk down the cereal aisle, never look left or right, choose what you have always chosen and leave the store with your purchase. No boat-rocking, no risk, and you get your cereal. When it's time to serve the patrons, you can do what you have always done and try nothing new and their is no boat-rocking, no risk, and you are still serving your patrons (or are you? more on that later.)

2. When you want to try a new cereal and you begin to pay attention to all the choices you have on the cereal aisle... it can be a little overwhelming. Web 2.0 has so many options and so many places to begin, it can feel a little overwhelming.

3. There are puffy, non-substantial sugar cereals, and there are fiber-rich, vitamin-enhanced, uber-cereals, just like there are quick and easy Web 2.0 applications and more complicated applications. You get what you give, and striking a balance is good. You do not want to eat fiber cereal everyday--bleeech. Have a little fun too!

4. Trying new cereal is fun, and can be addicting: you may eat the whole box in record time and have to go out and buy more. Trying new Web applications is fun and addicting too-- you may find yourself up till dawn fiddling with your new blog, or barraging your friends with your wiki, or tweets, or Facebook postings.

5. Cereal is just one part of a balanced breakfast, and Web 2.0 is just one part of your outreach.

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I have just left an environment very rich with technology and technology applications in the school and library. I am entering one a position with a district that wants very much to embrace technology even more than they are now. In a way, I'll be finding my way to do more with less, and I get to be the guide to many who are new to Web 2.0.

Web 2.0 is such a valuable tool in the library because it is a way to reach patrons where they “live” and to show those who don’t “live” there yet what is available to them. Web 2.0 tools are great marketing tools, wonderful interest grabbers, and practical applications in the library world—can’t wait to start anew!