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<p align="center"><b><span style="font-size: 14pt;">OPLIN 4cast #30 -
November 15, 2006</span></b></p>
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<p>The <em><b>OPLIN 4cast</b></em> is a weekly compilation of
recent headlines, topics, and trends that could impact public
libraries. You can subscribe to it in a variety of ways, such as:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>RSS feed</strong>. You can receive the <em>OPLIN
4cast</em> via RSS feed by subscribing to the following URL: <a
href="http://www.oplin.org/4cast/index.php/?feed=rss2">http://www.oplin.org/4cast/index.php/?feed=rss2</a>.</li>
<li><strong>Live Bookmark</strong>. If you're using the <a
href="http://www.mozilla.com/">Firefox</a> web browser, you can go to
the <em>4cast</em> website (<a href="http://www.oplin.org/4cast/">http://www.oplin.org/4cast/</a>)
and click on the orange "radio wave" icon on the right side of the
address bar. </li>
<li><strong>E-mail</strong>. You can have the <em>OPLIN 4cast</em>
delivered via e-mail (a'la OPLINlist and OPLINtech) by subscribing to
the <em>4cast</em> mailing list at <a
href="http://mail.oplin.org/mailman/listinfo/OPLIN4cast">http://mail.oplin.org/mailman/listinfo/OPLIN4cast</a>.</li>
</ul>
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<p class="style4">This week’s <em>4cast</em><b>:</b></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">1.<b><strong> Head in the Tag Clouds </strong></b></span></p>
<blockquote>
<p>A <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tag_cloud" target="_blank">tag
cloud</a> is a visual way of identifying popular content on any given
website through the prevalence of keywords or tags (see <a
href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tags/" target="_blank">Flickr</a>, <a
href="http://www.technorati.com/tag/" target="_blank">Technorati</a>,
and <a href="http://del.icio.us/tag/" target="_blank">del.icio.us</a>
for well-known examples). <a
href="http://www.daveyp.com/blog/index.php/archives/46/"
target="_blank">A</a> <a href="http://tags.library.upenn.edu/"
target="_blank">few</a> <a href="http://www.lcls.org/tags/"
target="_blank">libraries</a> have experimented with tag clouds as a
way for patrons to navigate their catalogs, news, or other online
resources. </p>
<ul>
<li><a
href="http://blogaboutlibraries.com/2006/06/library-thing-tag-cloud.html"
target="_blank">Library Thing Tag Cloud</a> (Blog about Libraries)</li>
<li><a
href="http://blogs.lib.ncsu.edu/page/horselesslibrary?entry=search_terms_as_tag_clouds"
target="_blank">Search terms as tag clouds</a> (The Horseless Library)
</li>
<li><a href="http://chir.ag/phernalia/preztags/" target="_blank">US
Presidential Speeches Tag Cloud</a> (chir.ag)</li>
<li><a
href="http://blogs.fletcher.tufts.edu/rss4lib/archives/public-blogs/clever_use_of_t.html"
target="_blank">Clever Use of Tag Clouds</a> (RSS4Lib) </li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">2.<strong> Search Gets Personal </strong></span></p>
<blockquote>
<p>A variety of search engines are trying to give their results a
more human-like feel, whether that means offering live human guides to
assist searchers (see <a href="http://www.chacha.com/" target="_blank">ChaCha</a>)
or creating a saucy, virtual guide to egg you on (see <a
href="http://www.msdewey.com/" target="_blank">Ms. Dewey</a>). Actual
quality of search results may vary. </p>
<ul>
<li><a
href="http://stephenslighthouse.sirsidynix.com/archives/2006/11/chacha_leaves_a.html"
target="_blank">ChaCha leaves Alpha and goes to Beta</a> (Stephen's
Lighthouse)</li>
<li><a href="http://blog.searchenginewatch.com/blog/061106-091944"
target="_blank">ChaCha Search: Take Two</a> (SearchEngineWatch) </li>
<li><a
href="http://www.bibliotechweb.com/archives/2006/10/27/ms-dewey/"
target="_blank">Ms. Dewey</a> (BiblioTech Web) </li>
<li><a
href="http://www.librarything.com/thingology/2006/10/i-smell-cease-and-desist-letter.php"
target="_blank">I smell a cease-and-desist letter</a> (LibraryThing) </li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">3.<b><strong> To Library 2.0 or Not
To Library 2.0? </strong></b></span></p>
<blockquote>
<p>If you're still finding it difficult to grasp Library 2.0 (either
in principle or in practice), there are several gigantic lists of links
and examples to further enlighten and/or overwhelm you.</p>
<ul>
<li><a
href="http://scruffynerf.wordpress.com/2006/10/19/library-20-roundup/"
target="_blank">Library 2.0 Roundup</a> (Life as I Know It)</li>
<li><a
href="http://stephenslighthouse.sirsidynix.com/archives/2006/11/nov_14th_sirsid.html"
target="_blank">Nov. 14th SirsiDynix Institute Links</a> (Stephen's
Lighthouse)</li>
<li><a
href="http://philbradley.typepad.com/phil_bradleys_weblog/2006/09/i_want_to_a_pag.html"
target="_blank">I want to - a page of utilities that help you do stuff
you want to Web 2.0 applications</a> (Phil Bradley's weblog) </li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">4.<b><strong> Meanwhile, the World
Starts Talking About 3.0 </strong></b></span> </p>
<blockquote>
<p>While libraries are still waking up to the possibilities of Web
2.0 applications, other industries are already peering beyond. </p>
<ul>
<li><a
href="http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/12/business/12web.html?_r=1&oref=slogin"
target="_blank">Entrepreneurs See a Web Guided by Common Sense</a>
(New York Times)</li>
<li><a href="http://freegovinfo.info/node/742" target="_blank">Web
3.0!</a> (Free Government Information)</li>
<li><a
href="http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/semantic_web_road.php"
target="_blank">The Road to the Semantic Web</a> (Read/Write Web)</li>
<li><a
href="http://www.innovationcreators.com/2006/11/web_30_humanity_vs_the_machine.html"
target="_blank">Web 3.0 - Humanity Vs. the Machines</a> (Innovation
Creators) </li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
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<pre class="moz-signature" cols="72">--
Joel Husenits
Managing Editor
Ohio Public Library Information Network (OPLIN)
2323 W. 5th Avenue, Suite 130
Columbus, Ohio 43204
Phone: (614) 728-5252
Fax: (614) 728-5256
E-mail: <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:editor@oplin.org">editor@oplin.org</a>
Web: <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="http://www.oplin.org">www.oplin.org</a></pre>
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