New Technology Philosophy

I am starting this blog as part of Sno-Isle Library System's "20 for 2.0" program, a program to get us to try new Library 2.0 (or Web 2.0 technologies). So my first thoughts are, I'm already using some technologies, I've heard of others but don't use, and still others may be completely new to me. Among all of these ideas, what criteria do I use in evaluating them? I need to articulate what I think about when deciding whether or not to adopt a particular technology, so here goes:

Does the new technology solve a problem? What are its advantages?

Is it a problem that needs a solution?

Is there a prior solution at all?

Is a new technology better than the non-techie or prior technical solution to a problem? In other words, does it offer a solution that is better than what I have currently? Does it make finding information faster, easier, more convenient, when and where I need it?

What are the disadvantages? What makes it annoying or difficult to use? In other words, do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages? If not, I won't bother using the new technology.

So, taking my evlauation criteria, what about this blogging idea? Well, I already read a number of blogs, both library and non-library related. The library blogs keep me up-to-date on what's going on in libraries around the US, and current issues librarians are talking about. They help me keep up on the profession. This is faster than the ALA magazine alternative. I also follow a favorite author's blog, which I like because it really becomes a two-way conversation with the author, rather than just reading her books, which is just one way communication. Does blogging make all this faster, easier and more convenient? Yes! The two-way communication with the author doesn't have much of a prior solution at all. The disadvantages are that it does take time every day to glance through the blogs, but this is out-weighed by the convenience: it's when I want to. The disadvantage of writing my own blog is that I would have to keep coming up with valuable ideas of what I want to say long-term. Will that happen? Will anybody besides me care? Will even I care enough to keep it up after this initial impetus? That isn't something I can predict.