Thing #9: Useful Library-Related Blogs and News Feeds

Of all the search tools explored in this exercise, I liked Google Blog Search and Blogline's Search Tool for their ease of use. But Technorati was probably my favorite, because of its Blog Directory and Top 100 Blogs. There you can see links of blogs by subject and by popularity. The most unusual blog I found was on Technorati's Top 100, and it was called "Post Secret." It is described as "an ongoing community art project where people mail in their secrets anonymously on one side of a homemade postcard." It is very unique and worth taking a look.

Syndic8.com was my least favorite search tool. It seemed too busy and remote for my taste. I didn't find much there that I was interested in. For now I will stick with a few library blogs I already knew about.

Our district also subscribes to Atomic Learning, so I will be reviewing this subject throughout the summer using their tutorials.

Thing #8: RSS Feeds and Readers

I've used RSS a little but not enough to know much about it. For this Thing I subscribed to 5 library related blogs... two from our Library2Play group, two from well-known Texas librarians who create a lot of book trailers for YA, and Kathy Schrock's Kaffeklatsch. Then, since my interests include a little play from time to time, I had to include one for my machine embroidery hobby.

What I like most about RSS and readers is the basic idea. You don't have to go to each blog to see new posts. They are all in one place in the reader. And then, you don't have to read through all the posts to see what's new. Very helpful idea.

I will use this at school for following new YA books and promoting them with our students. It will also be a great way to keep up with some of the more innovative things the experts have to say about Web 2.0. Teachers and administrators can use RSS in the same way by choosing their own area of interest, locating relevant blogs, and subscribing. Easy!