That was better...after reviewing my prior postings, I realize how resistant I've been to this 23 Things project. Usually I'm pretty upbeat and enjoy the challenge, but thus far grousing has been the predominant mode. After yet another hiatus, I am more positive and found the Wiki exercise interesting, and well...almost fun. The Princeton Book Lovers wiki introduced me to a yet-unheard-of genre: CHIC LIT! Sounds like a chewing gum brand. The concept is good on this and a couple other wikis I perused, that anyone can contribute a book review. I like the egalitarian aspect of them, and they offer libraries the opportunity make links available to patrons on many levels. For example, if a person looks up pets, there are local links on related subjects as well as world wide links.
But then I wonder, what if an enterprising dog groomer posts her business there? How does that fit with the library's neutral stance on advertising or promotion of specific businesses? Would there have to be a library wiki watchdog? That could get complicated.
Another thing I wonder about is making Wikis vibrant and interesting enough that people keep coming back. Humans are creatures of habit, and we generally take a while to get something into our everyday frame of reference. I don't think wikis have made it there yet, or at least not judging from the one at Princeton...not many reviews posted, and quite some time since the last update.
An elderly friend mentioned to me the other day that she'd like to restart a round robin letter she used to share with her sisters. Wikis seem like the perfect forum for this!
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