Social software class

This class has been an excellent overview of the application of the Web 2.0 technologies in the libraries and a hands-on experience using some of these tools. I think this course should become a mandatory one for anybody enrolled in the MLIS program.

Due to Steve G.'s popularity, the enrollment in this class has been huge. I think ideally this class should be divided into two groups 10-15 students in each.

The curriculum was very condensed, covering a lot of stuff in six weeks. It was manageable after all, but it was difficult to digest all the information that we had to swallow.

There is so much more to learn about Web 2.0 and Library 2.0 that it would be wonderful to have another, sort of advanced class about
Libraries of the Future

My MMO experience

I was eager to plunge into the SL experience but unfortunately was unable to register from my computer. So I have chosen the first one that accepted my registration. It was "Dark Swords", an MMO with vaguely ancient themes.

I spent quite some time going through the manual, learning about the different avatars and the rules of the game that are pretty complex. I have never played this kind of games before so the whole experience felt strange. Little by little I became involved in the battles against the monsters, meeting friendly fighters and wizards, exchanging messages with exotic avatars. I played this game a few times during this week and although I didn't become a big fan, I now better understand why these games are so addictive.

Johnson, videos games and libraries

I was not convinced by Johnson's arguments that popular culture, e.g. TV shows, blockbusters and video games make us smarter. Having said that I have no doubt libraries should include video games in their repertoire as the libraries and the users can greatly benefit from it. However the libraries should play the role of filters by carefully evaluating which games are best suited for their community. I believe they should choose mostly strategy and simulation games that have some educational merit in addition to the recreational and entertaining value.

Each library should decide what kind of games it can and should offer. MMOs are more impressive and involve more players, but they are expensive and time-consuming. Sometimes smaller is better. I think libraries should find ways of offering games for circulation not only "in-house" play time to better promote library services through gaming.

Making gaming part of library life is a great way of reinforcing community bonding and marketing library services. However, paraphrasing Johnson, librarians should keep in mind that anything good (in excess) can turn out to be bad.

Simple games are still fun

I played a very popular and simple game, bejeweled 2. That was the only game my husband agreed to play and I had no time to find another gamer. I played the game for the first time, but he had played it multiple times before that experiment. We played timed version on two computers simultaneously trying to score the most points.

My husband bit me consistently although I have quicker reactions. My guess is he scored better because he practiced to play this game as his relaxation routine during long hours at the computer. We could see and hear each other and that was funny. We both were so much in the competition as if it was an Olympic experience.

Gaming in the libray

The goal of the games in the library is to attract new patrons, especially teens, and to reinforce community bonding. Having this in mind I would take the following steps in deciding which games would better serve the community needs.

As I am not a gamer myself I would first play different types of games, from simple ones and to complex MMOs. Then I would explore the demographical and other census data relating to the library community. I would conduct a formal or informal survey of the users, perhaps differentiated by age, to determine what games they would prefer to play. What kind of space the library can provide for gaming activities would be another consideration to take into account. Budget limitations would also greatly influence my decision.

All this assessed, I will evaluate the games themselves: their complexity, attractiveness to the users (based of the preliminary survey), price tag including cost of implementation and maintenance.

I would start small gradually increasing the complexity of the gaming experience. Dance Dance Revolution would be my first choice as it is simple and appealing to teens and adults alike.

What is bad, and what is good?

I don't agree with Will's elitist view on popular culture but I also have reservations toward Johnson's position.

I don't think we should expect popular culture to be extremely sophisticated or thought-provoking. Its primary goal is to entertain not to educate. Hence unlike George Will I don't believe popular culture is stupid nor do I think it is sophisticated.

On the other hand I think that we try to hypnotize ourselves by repeating that games and TV shows make us smarter. How do we measure smartness? Hand-eye coordination, multitasking, reaction speed? What do we do so much better than generations before us? When I look at the list of discoveries made in the twentieth century, when I read biographies of scientists, writers and artists of the nineteenth century, I can't help but marvel at how broad-minded they were, at their work ethics, and their strong will.

Ironically, the question I asked myself after reading "Everything Bad is Good for You" was not about what makes us smarter, but rather whether we are really smarter than our mothers, fathers, and grand-grand-parents? And if the answer is "yes", how do we prove it?

Ning in a work environment

Ning is a site hosting social networks that are deliberately formed around common interests. Consequently members of a definite community are better versed in the matter which leads to a more in-depth discussions and exchange of opinions than on MySpace or Facebook. The main group can be further fragmented by narrower activities while still being part of the same community. In addition, each member can create his/her own blog and link it to the group page.

Ning is an excellent tool for an informal sharing of ideas and opinions. While wikis are used to make the project development more orderly, Ning is well suited to an exploratory exchange of ideas, evaluation, and critique. Therefore, the combination of both tools can lead to a better coordinated and more fluid group work.

As in many other cases, the free version of Ning comes with ads, but they are not nearly as intrusive as those on MySpace.