Social media is not the enemy of journalism, Pew report indicates

Definitely I have to agree that Social Media is not the enemy of journalism, what has happened is that it has taken much by surprise the journalism world. As we move towards a more virtual world where everything can be instantly found at a click of a mouse or finger tip tapping on your Android. Many people are opting going the fastest route of getting in touch with others, communicating and also getting instant information through a Virtual world of information. Not having to go somewhere to read a newspaper, not having to wait for the news to come up on tv. Not having to wait in line or wait for the mail to arrive. It is all now done instantly and rapidly. Just recently I went to the bank to retrieve a payment that I had made through bill pay. The problem that I was trying to get at was getting a copy of the bill pay which is an electronic check as proof to the vendor that I had pay for the item. It only took my bank officer 1 click a phone call and in less than 15 minutes the information was made available through fax. I did not have to wait by the mail box to get a copy or have to go directly to the company to get a copy it was all handle quickly and that is what we expect today with all of our transactions. Journalism is now the same way, we expect to learn about the news inmediately there are now apps that can be downloaded to your android or iPhone that allows for you to receive instant messaging regarding weather, last minute news, current events etc. and all of this technology has put a gap on traditional journalism. But this should not become a problem, if we look outside the box, this can become an added asset to journalism. trying to put together a formula that includes the traditional form of journalism of tranmitting on radio and tv and a new added service of news tracking through your computer, android, iPhone or any other format that allows for easy electronic access to information. It is important to meet the needs of all your audiences and it should not limit to one way of bringing the news to the public but providing many useful options.

The Death of Library 2.0

“Library 2.0 Five Years Later” Journal Article by Walter Crawford was quite a surprising article to read.  I was shock to learn through the article that Library 2.0 was just a concept that never took off and it is now dead. I have understood that the basic idea of Library 2.0 was to transform library services by making them more interactive and more web-based along with Web 2.0 lines. I know that there is a great difference between both principles.

Web 2.o services is modeled to share information in a particular way different from the definition of sharing information for libraries. Librarians have been in conflict with this notion of sharing information because of privacy laws. Privacy is central, core value of libraries.  So, I think that in part Library 2.0 has not taken off not only because is more of a technology based principle but also because of the fear that the use of technology as a form of contact, communicating or disseminating information to the public electronically or virtually may violate privacy laws that protect the information that patrons obtain from the library.

However, as a new generation of librarians’ rise, the views will change. Librarians of the future may define space as a virtual space not a physical space but the use of physical space will continue to exist, communication will continue to evolve into more virtual setting. In part this is due to the budget challenges that libraries have been facing for the past few years and an existing limited technology skills among older librarian colleagues. The growth of mobile devices and applications are driving forces for which change is necessary.

As more patrons demand that libraries understand and know how to deal with the demands and expectations of Web 2.0 (Facebook, blogs etc,) more libraries will have to understand that these days everything is about the use of online or virtual communication. As we move more into an open content process, the traditional approach of librarians to serve their patrons will gravitate towards more of Web 2.o platform.   Library 2.o maybe a term that is now considered obsolete but we must admit that Library 2.o has much to do with the changes as it is part of a movement of change; change in library services and change in librarians view but also requiring that librarians obtain the skills necessary to be able to move forward with technology.  So, whether it is Library 2.o or Web 2.o or any other new technology we must be ready and prepared to use it.