Thing #23 -- Final Thoughts

Blogging has been a bit of a revelation. I had not done it for a combination of 2 reasons. The first was my usual concern about content. Would I have anything to say? Or even: would I have anything to say that people would consider worth reading? What do I have to contribute that hasn't already been said better by others? Having the 23 Things to blog about gave me a starting point, and I may find from now on that coming up with posts isn't as hard as I thought. And they don't all have to be "great ideas."

The second reason I held back was for concerns about my privacy. In spite of all the Web 2.0 things happening around me I'm still not comfortable opening myself up too far online, at least not in any way that can be identified with my "real" self. So I set my blog up to be as anonymous as possible. I've struggled a bit with that choice as I worked through the Things. There were times when I could have illustrated a point better by mentioning or linking to a specific project or web page at my library. Since this program (and Web 2.0/Library 2.0 for that matter) isn't just about learning but also about sharing, was I breaking the rules so to speak? And how will I treat my identity if I continue my blog, as I plan to.

While, as I said at the very beginning, I've been doing some of the 23 Things for awhile, this program has been inspiring in its breadth of coverage. I found new uses for old Things, and was excited by the possibilities found in some new ones. And, to be honest, was completely unimpressed with a few...

In addition to blogging, some "new to me" Things that get applause are:
RSS feeds--not so much their use, but becoming aware of some new good ones, like LifeHacker and Librarian in Black.
Second Life--I was afraid to venture into virtual territory, but decided to take the leap for this Thing. I was impressed by what's there, and surprised at how often I could wander around and hardly see anyone else.
Library Thing--I want to play around with a couple applications using it.

One thing I've enjoyed is the way blogging about my experiences has made me slow down a bit to reflect on what I've learned. Instead of rushing through all the Things (especially as it got closer to the deadline) I had to take a break from willy-nilly clicking Resource links and think about what I was doing, whether or not it fit into my life and work, and if so, how.

Related to the mad dash toward the deadline: I'm glad the 23 Things blog will stay up for a bit. I'd like to go back to some of the Things and do more of the Challenges, or follow some of the links I left untouched on my first go-round. I also want to take some time to view other participants' blogs. I tried to read others at the beginning, but gave it up because 1) it was taking so much time I wasn't getting any of the Things done myself and 2) I didn't want their views to influence my own thinking too much while I was still exploring.