#20 Discovering Other Web 2.0 Tools

Throughout the course of this Learning 2.0 program we’ve explored just a small sampling of these new internet technologies and websites that are empowering users with the ability to create and share content. But, given time, there are so many more we could explore. There are currently hundreds of web 2.0 tools available with only a handful emerging as market dominators. And although time will only tell which of these new collaborative, social networking and information tools will remain on top, one thing is for sure, they're not going to go away (at least anytime soon).

For this discovery exercise, participants are asked to select any site from this list of Web 2.0 Awards nominees and explore it. With so many to choose from, it might be handy to first select a category that interests you (like Books or Personal Organization) and then simply select a tool/site to explore. Be careful to select a tool that is Free and that doesn't require a plug-in or download. The majority of these free, so this shouldn’t be a problem.


Discovery Exercise

1. Select any site/tool from the list of Web 2.0 Awards nominees. (If you prefer to select from just the winners, here’s a link to the short list.)
   
2. Explore the site you selected.
   
3. Create a post about your discovery. What did you like or dislike about the tool? What were the site’s useful features? Could you see any applications for its use in a library setting?

Web 2.0 – so much to explore! (Just start with ONE!)

#6 More Flickr Fun

Like many web 2.0 sites, Flickr has encouraged other people to build their own online applications using images found on the site.

Through the use of APIs (application programming interfaces), many people have created third party tools and mashups* that use Flickr images.

Here are a sampling of a few …

• Flickr Color Pickr - lets you find public photos in Flickr that match a specific color.
• Spell With Flickr – lets you make words with random images of letters (or numbers), as shown above.
• Retrievr– you sketch an image; it finds photos on Flickr that resemble your sketch.
  Discover more mashups, web apps, and Flickr tools.
  

Discovery Exercise
Your discovery exercise for this “thing” is to:

1. Explore some of the fun Flickr mashups and 3rd party tools that are out there.
2. Create a blog post about one that intrigues you.

FD’s Flickr Toys has a lot of mashups, including a make your own motivational poster, as shown here. They also offer a Trading Card Maker. And there’s a ton of librarians out there who have created their own Librarian Trading Card. So have some fun discovering and exploring some neat little apps. And if you're up to the challenge while you’re at it, why not create a trading card of your own.

*Mashup note: Wikipedia offers some great articles that explain mashups. Basically, they are hybrid web applications that take features from one application (like Flickr) and mash it up with another (like a map), getting you a new application (like Trippermap).