RSS

Were you able to successfully set up your RSS feed? If not, where did you run into problems? If you were successful, does this make information-gathering more convenient for you?

I was able to get feeds for a couple blogs through Bloglines. I really like that it pulls them together, but it had some workings that I found a little unfriendly (like the search tool). So I tried out some other RSS readers as well, like Google Reader, which carried its own likes and dislikes for me. I have become excited about the prospects of pulling my favorite information places on the Web together like this, so I think I'll keep experimenting to find a reader that suits my tastes. The problem is that the list of feeds that I want keeps growing, and will soon be out of control!

Google Universe

What do you like about the Google product? What do you dislike? Would you recommend the product to friends and colleagues?

I mostly find myself using Google Books when I can't for the life of me remember where a passage I am thinking of came from. It's so convenient to be able to throw a close approximation of a phrase into Google and, with luck, come up with the source and get to view the context. I also find the books easy to navigate. The downside is the spotiness of the collection; and that most books have sections that aren't included, which means it isn't a way to read entire books. I would recommend it as a place to start when looking for a portion of a book, because of its convenience and ease of use, but it is not complete enough to be a counted-on resource.

Social Networking

For you, is Facebook useful or a time-waster?

I find Facebook modestly useful. I don't have high expectations for the depth of relating that occurs there, but I do see it as a tool for communication and connection within my existing relationships. I find it particularly useful for staying in touch with old friends in different cities, and for coordinating social plans.

Wikipedia

How easy or difficult was it to find articles that needed editing? Were the errors that you found factual or grammar / spelling?

At first, it was difficult to find a page to edit, because interesting pages I looked at were very complete and seemed to have editors that were keeping right on top of them. But as soon as I went obscure - the small college I attended - I found that there was plenty that could be added. I added a short section and linked to the official website of the school as a citation.
I found myself worrying that my phrasing and formatting weren't going to conform to Wikipedia norms, and that an editing veteran would come along and be appalled that some amateur messed things up, but I got over that.

Delicious

How comfortable are you using Best Websites, after this practice? Do you have any tips for using Best Websites on Delicious?

A bit of playing around did make me a little more comfortable with this tool. The key for me was getting a handle on the difference between tags and tag bundles and how they interacted.

Tips for use:
I found it much easier to browse the links with the display sorted alphabetically instead of by date.
The 'Search Delicious' field in the top right corner can come in handy when looking for something just within our Best Website bookmarks as well; even though it searches all of Delicious, it lists results from within the user you are currently viewing first.

Blogs

Which aspect of Web 2.0 are you the most intrigued (or scared) by?

I am intrigued by how 'Web 2.0' could change the way we do education, particularly post-secondary education. Paperless distribution of readings and submitting of assignments is the start; I also see "the classroom" broadening to include online discussion and collaboration. This could mean students contributing to the learning process in new ways, and new levels of sharing and collaboration between students (for example, perhaps students give one another access to their research processes, rather than all those hours of notes and outlines sitting idle on pads and harddrives, never to see the light of day again). I wouldn't like to see education go completely online, because I believe in-person interaction continues to be an essential part of the learning process; but I can see how these new platforms make possible a virtual community to supplement the on-campus experience.