Search Vs. Navigation

I really liked Hakia and think it would be ideal for starting research. I was familiar with the commercials for Bing and it was definitely the most visually appealing of the bunch. Quintura didn't seem especially useful to me though. It seemed a lot like Google.

Mobile Web 2.0

While I don't take advantage of my web capable mobile device, I can certainly see the appeal for many people. Just looking at a few of the websites it is easy to see positives and negatives about the technology. Using something like Weather Channel or Twitter would be ideal because the user is entering minimal information into the device. I don't think the device would be ideal for browsing or typing emails though. I can definitely see the potential for utilizing this technology with the library. Patrons can renew items and request materials on the go. However, many patrons won't use the service because of specific cell phone plans or cost issues. That is the reason I don't browse the web on my phone.

Social Networking 2.5

Facebook and Twitter could definitely help OCLS promote our services and share news. As a user of both social networking tools, I think each serves a different purpose. Some ideas for OCLS to engage Facebook users might include program specific pages--like book club pages or pages for specific age groups. I don't know that users would necessarily follow our page to keep up with news and events. However, they might prefer to participate in a more interactive experience. Facebook could provide library users a virtual environment to exchange ideas or suggest good reading titles. I think the Twitter pages are useful but would be challenging to get patrons involved. I think it is still too new to really see results right away...