#19 Weaving the web

Working my way through these Web 2.0 winners could take some time. Lucky it's a rainy Sunday. There are some wonderful tools for people and libraries to use, but gosh some people do just have too much time on their hands, leading innocent bystanders like me into temptation. I have resisted, yet again, the urge to sign up for an organization tool Backpack. Seriously though, does the world need sites that look for True Stories in one sentence or a tool for sending emails with all your corrections in it? And more self-publishing in Lulu? I am reminded of Martin Luther: The multitude of books is a great evil. There is no limit to this fever for writing; every one must be an author; some out of vanity, to acquire celebrity and raise up a name, others for the sake of mere gain. Table Talk, 1530s.
So thought I'd focus on some tools for libraries. Library Thing we already know about and love. I looked at Biblio which is a rare and second hand book finder that I wasn't aware of, and will use again. I like the fact that some of their profits are donated towards communities in need.
I thought I would look at some other searching tools and was sidetracked by Swicki. I couldn't resist adding my search for food and cooking videos widget on the left. Just enter a search term and it will locate relevant videos for you. I might even like it more than Rollyo but I will have to explore further. I definitely want to add some of these metasearch tools to our website.
I was most impressed by the tools that rely upon collaborative knowledge eg. Listdump, Craigslist, Yahoo Answers, all of which I have used. And I was very taken with Boxxset which is a tool for bringing together different media eg. blogs, videos, fan fiction etc all on one topic. Would be particularly useful for cult titles and TV shows.
Google Maps I already knew about and have used quite extensively. They can be added to library sites where appropriate and I have even annotated the maps using an image generator. (Thank you Thing #5)
I might just have to go and play with a few more tools now. But I will leave you with this link to the Top 87 Bad Predictions about the Future and a tip for those who still have time to live a real first life. Go and see Death at a funeral. It will have you laughing out loud.