Create a blog post about anything technology related that interests you this week.
Some Web 2.0 technologies that have taken off since these "23 Things" were first put forth are the social networking sites Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter.
A few years ago, Facebook was the purview of college students—you used to need a ".edu" e-mail address just to sign up. Now it's open to everyone, and even your grandma may have a Facebook page. I think one of the big attractions of Facebook is that it's an instant way to have a web page of your own without knowing anything about HTML or web publishing. Establishing your page is as simple as signing up for an e-mail account, and it is easy to share recent news with your friends and loved ones via status updates and straightforward photo or video uploads. You can also "talk" to others by posting comments on their pages. While it is possible to open your Facebook page for public viewing, most folks prefer to keep their information semi-private, by only permitting their "friends" (individuals they know and trust) access to it. It is each user's choice whether to confirm or ignore "Friend requests" from others, and you can remove specific friends at any time, for any reason.
MySpace, which I confess I haven't spent as much time looking into, is another social networking site that tends to attract a younger crowd. And Twitter, a site for sharing brief nuggets, or "tweets" of information (posts must be 140 characters or less in length), has rapidly attracted millions of users and followers.
Nowadays more people are accessing these social networking sites via mobile phones—instantly posting status updates and photos without being anywhere near a computer. The instantaneous nature of that communication among many individuals has reinforced our feeling of connectedness, by giving us a window into our acquaintances' real-time experiences. It has also enabled countless middle-aged fogeys like me to find out what the people they went to school with have been up to in the last few decades—without the bother of attending a class reunion.
Facebook, MySpace and Twitter have so revolutionized online communications that libraries have been compelled to get in on the act. MCPL has Facebook and Twitter accounts and used to have one on MySpace, though I believe they are less effective than in-person communication with patrons in the branches or on the telephone. But although the library's announcement of book awards and branch programs may be less compelling than video of your baby nephew taking his first steps or the career path of your high school girlfriend, it's still important for us to be in the mix, because social media is now one of the first places people check when they are looking for activities and information.