Learning 2.0 Activity #10 - Other Web 2.0 Tools

I participated in the optional Lync session that explored Google’s online applications, but I decided to look at the list of 2008’s Web 2.0 Awards in the Discovery Exercise for #10 anyways.  I would not consider myself technologically-inclined, yet I was pleasantly surprised to see that, after taking this class, I was familiar with many of the names on the list (27 to be exact).  I even found myself asking questions like “Where’s diigo on this list?  Or dropbox?”  (Then I remembered that it was from 2008, which, in computer years, is like the equivalent of 10 years ago).  One site that I have heard many classmates talk about is LibraryThing, “a cataloging and social networking site for book lovers.”  I already use Goodreads so decided not to join LibraryThing, especially since I see there is a fee to catalog your library if it is over 200 books (mine’s not yet, but I hope that one day it is).  From the tour and what I’ve googled about LibraryThing, however, it seems to offer more options for cataloging your collection and maybe a more “professional” atmosphere.  This does make me wonder how e-books are, and will be, cataloged.  I only own a few e-books that were free downloads, so I never bothered to enter them into Goodreads.  As more people read more e-books, will they bother with sites like LT and Goodreads when their e-book apps (or readers) start to build in the same features?

I have utilized Google tools both for school and personal use for the past few years.  Googledocs is great for collaborating with classmates.  Picasa offers the ability to share photos with selected people or groups (and has an easy uploader right from iPhoto). My husband and I share calendars through gcal, and it integrates seamlessly into the calendar on my iPod Touch, so anything that he or I add in gcal automatically shows up on my Touch, and anything I add into the Touch automatically shows up on the gcal.  The Touch also pulls in my and my husband’s work calendars from our Microsoft outlook calendars (exchange server) so I have all our calendars in one place.  It has come in so handy that I would probably be lost without it.  That is another great thing about Google – their products play well with others, across different operating systems, devices, etc.