A Del.icio.us Time of Year

What a wonderful time of year to be exploring del.icio.us as our assignment for Project Play,Week 8. As my pies were baking in the oven and rosette irons anxiously awaiting their dip into the hot oil (ahem...lard), I was able to create a handly little list of delectable diners, elegant eateries, and mouthwatering markets that I would like to someday visit.

I found del.icio.us quite easy to use for adding my links; however, compared to the other tools we have been assigned to try this term I think it is a bit lacking in aesthetics. Blue, black, mostly text, minimal to absent graphics...perhaps simple is the key with this one. I really don't think I'd use del.icio.us as one big storehouse for all of the links I use, although I do see use for it in my life for specific subject links I would like to share. I have different "favorites" links on the two library PCs and two personal PCs that I use. These are tied to the type of work I am doing on each PC, at each desk or at home, and there really isn't a whole lot of crossover. I don't want to have to login to another site to get to those links when clicking on the "favorites" button works just fine (and bah humbug, too!) On the other hand I can definitely see using del.icio.us for things like my restaurant list, a craft supply list, birthday wish list, etc. Basically for lists of web links that I would like to be able to easily share with others. Obviously, this use would also be great for a library to share web resources/pathfinders with patrons as is being done by the Menasha Public Library.

Now on to the "tags and tagging" portion of this post. I love tags. Love the idea of tags and people using regular, day-to-day language to organize and share information. I wonder how many people go back and add to or change their tag terms as time goes on. I especially love tag clouds. I think they are pretty, and fun, and an intriguing way to visually show what users of any given site are most interested in/posting about. The problem I have found with tags and tagging is that, depending on my mood/frame of mind/amount of caffeine, I may easily tag the same item in different ways. Then when reviewing my list of book titles, links, or blog posts later, I think of altogether different tags. Or notice I have added some fitting tags to some of my items that would also describe other of my items. Or I start looking at the way other people have tagged a book or photo and want to use some of their tags. Then I have to go back and add in more tags and also try to remember those tags when I add future posts so I can include them. I do think the tagging feature on some of the sites we are exploring this semester have progressed since I first used the sites...or perhaps I am becoming more comfortable with using the sites and notice things I did not at first explore. For example, I don't remember seeing the "show all" link next to "Labels for this post" (tags) in Blogger but I now find it handy each time I am posting to click on this and refresh my memory about tags I've used in the past.

My Week 8 Questions:
Why do some sites call tags "tags" while others call them "labels" or something else?
My guess - this would be the folksonomy of the site creator.
Why do some sites require you to use commas between tag terms while others only require spaces?
My guess - another example of the site creator's thought pattern.
Is there a general rule of thumb for multi-word tags? For example, should the tag "project play" be two words separated with a space, or one word with no space, or capitalized, or some other format, or all of these?

LibraryThing, Take Two

I'm guessing my last post, errrr...poem, will not truly suffice for finishing my Project Play Week 7 assignment so here goes - a second stab at LibraryThing. I'm fairly certain the first I heard of LibraryThing was at either a WLA or WAPL conference a few years back and I was instantly intrigued. Then again, I could have just dreamed of a conference session and really LibraryThing insinuated itself into my subcontious via something I ingested or some mysterious futuristic surgery-type-thing. Somehow, I think option #2 may have been the dream due to my finishing Extras late, late last night. No matter the origin of LibraryThing catching my attention, I have found it useful both personally and at the reference desk.

I began adding titles read to my librarything library in January of 2007. My goal has been to add any books I enjoyed during the year so I have a complete list (or rather link to an online list) to send out for family and friends along with my winter solstice cards. In previous years, I tried to keep a journal style list of titles only to find soggy, inky fibrous blobs mixed in with my just-washed skirts as I transfer them to the dryer. All-in-all I am having better luck with adding to my LibraryThing list but it still requires me remembering to login and add the titles...so I am certain there are some that I've left out. Especially while on vacation and far, far, far away from a computer. Which is where I wish I were right now...but, I diverge.

I've recommended LibraryThing to a few patrons as a way to keep track of their reading and was "friended" by a YA patron who took me up on the suggestion. (Note to self: consider doing something related to LibraryThing as part of an upcoming Teen SLP.) I've also used librarything a couple of times when working with a well-read patron on readers advisory suggestions and when compiling suggestion lists for BookAlikes. Overall, I can see using LibraryThing sort of like using Wikipedia - as a jumping off point of ideas for Readers Advisory in combination with print RA lists and guides, Novelist, and my own little grey cells - but not as an end-all resource.

LibraryThing, how I love thee...

Let me count the ways...

you are so easy to use
i add books in a snap
no more pen and paper
jotting titles on scraps
i can send out my list
at the end of the year
of books i enjoyed
to those i hold dear

(ok, ok, I've never claimed to be a poet!)