Thing #22: Nings

I've been somewhat confused about the difference between blogs, wikis, and nings, so I Googled the terms and found lots of discussion on the topic. The most humorous explanation I found was by John Maklary here: Blogs - one voice at head of table. Wikis - equal voices around the table. Ning - big honkin' party. He continues, So in ning, bounce/brainstorm ideas. Back & forth discussion. Actionable ideas/consensus get formed and articulated on wikis.

I think a blog would be my choice for keeping the school community apprised of what is happening in the library... what classes are doing research, promotions, book fairs, digital book reviews... just a general update to give the library a larger presence among teachers and students. But a ning would be useful for students, teachers, parents, or administrators to get involved in whatever way they wish, maybe by starting discussions, recommending good books, sharing ideas for improvement, suggesting programs, and then elaborating on those suggestions with examples, commentary, podcasts, or a number of other digital devices available in Web 2.0 format.

I explored and joined Texas School Librarians Ning. Could this possibly replace our TLC librarians' listserv?