My thoughts -- Week Three

My thoughts this week revolve around access to information; and a major downside:  Privacy.  For all the wonders of social media, the number of times I hear someone regret putting something on a blog, Facebook, or any other social media, well, I've lost count.

There is a saying that 'the internet never forgets.' And I've found that to be very true.  Even if you delete a post, the internet still archives it.  Links might still reference it.  And whatever you posted slowly percolates onto the internet as a whole.  How far it goes depends on how many people find it interesting and in what fashion. But even if your post doesn't go 'viral', it will still be out there in some form.

What's the implication of this?  Well, even if we're not talking about personally identifiable information, it could be as simple as a post you make in anger on facebook that you later delete.  Since it's never really gone, someone viewing that could end up with a very negative image of you.    More specifically, for libraries, it means something like an embarrassing typo, a mis-typed date, time or location, can spread, even if you correct the original post.   It also means that library staff and patrons can accidentally find themselves embarrassed or worse, by something that was never really supposed to be public.

Experiences with my First Blog -- Week Two

As someone who usually didn't care about blogs and doesn't really follow any, being asked to create one was a huge jump for me, and more then a little intimidating.

First, it took me a bit to figure out how to set up new posts, and I know I still haven't experimented with most of what this site can do -- which is somewhat of a pity, considering there's a lot of functionality that I'm not using and/or cannot find.  I'm still playing with the basic functions.

I will say that finding the basic RSS feed was a lot more difficult then I expected.  I use RSS myself and usually the RSS links are clearer.  Maybe it's just how I think, but it took me quite a while to find it.

Also, I'd like to alter the design to something a bit more generally accessible -- I'm very aware of accessible web design due to my previous work and interest, which is something that if this site can do, I can't figure it out.

This to me is a serious problem, because someone who doesn't think about accessibility wouldn't even consider it, and then all the information posted to a blog would be unavailable to some people.  As someone in Library Studies, I dislike the idea of information being unavailable because of technological barriers. 

It does also mean on a personal level, that there are several friends who will be unable to access this.  So much for sharing my new shiny find with my friends, and that's also discouraging.


That's about it for week two, and thanks for reading!

Quick Introduction!

Hello everyone, my name is Sarah Adams, and I've been asked to keep this blog as part of a course requirement for my Library Studies Certificate program.

I have an interest specifically in Library Technology, with a focus on Disability, Accessible Hardware/Software and Access to Information, and the interactions surrounding those fields.

I hope that this blog will prove interesting and informative; and I welcome any questions people might have.