Resource Review #1

http://sites.google.com/site/whytwitterstls/home

This small website was the first resource I found for my project, and thus far I would still say it is the most helpful. It apparently was compiled by librarian Bill Drew, and dates from October 1, 2009. Thus it's an extremely recent resource, unlike some of the others I've found so far; in a rapidly developing field like social networking, a blog post from 2007 could certainly be very dated by now.

Drew's site is geared specifically toward public libraries and offers a simple, straightforward explanation of what Twitter is and how libraries can use it. Each section of the site is kept quite short; thus, it would be helpful but not overwhelming for librarians (or others) who are just being introduced to Twitter for the first time. Most pages of the site consist of lists of ideas or of links to other resources. I find many of these lists very useful; again, they are extensive, but not exhaustive or overwhelming. They also seem to be chosen with the beginner in mind. For instance, "Twitter Vocabulary and Abbreviations" is crucial information for a beginning Twitter user. And the lists in several sections of public libraries, librarians, and other people and organizations currently on Twitter offer an excellent base of feeds for new users to begin following. "Twitter Resources" gave me some helpful leads to follow in terms of finding more resources for this project; it provides many links that would be of use to public libraries just starting out on Twitter.

The site also provides a few amusing features like comics and a YouTube video about the general, not library-specific, uses of Twitter. I do find that the video tries a little too hard to "sell" Twitter. Perhaps I'm still just uncomfortable with the obsessive need to keep the world updated about mundane details of one's everyday life.