Exploring Web 2.0 Tools

•  What is a blog?

A webpage that is created by one person and is updated on a regular bases with new information. It allows anyone to be a reporter and/or publisher who can share news about anything from your family to your business or profession. A blog is a two way street that helps you build relationships with readers and other bloggers. Bloggers work together, they read, “quote” , and even link each other posts. It provides a personal kind of news that appeals to small audiences.

• What is a wiki?

A webpage that is created by a community of people who are working on the same goal or interest. It allows visitors to easily add, remove, and otherwise edit and change the available content. It is a mass collaborative authoring.

• How are wikis and blogs different?

A blog is a permanent record that cannot be erased by other classmates. Only the author has the permission to delete a post. A wiki is a collaborative effort where everyone who views the site has the ability to edit, add, and/or remove.

• What is social bookmarking?

Network bookmarks that allow you to access your favorite links from any computer and anywhere. Sites like delicious and portaportal are more useful and can benefit other people. Your bookmarks are public so that others can access them as well as you have the ability to access theirs hence creating a network.

• What is a social network?

Social networks are personal learning networks discussing ideas with others. It is an open dialogue with people we respect allowing us to collect ideas, opinions, experiences, links to other websites, and books. It is a place to ask question and get answers. Social network is a webpage that allows a community of people who share an interest to communicate, work, and network with each other online.

• What is an RSS aggregator?

Really Simple Syndication (RSS) provides the latest headlines and very simple, basic information presented in order from newest to oldest. They bring us information to help us do our jobs. This technology has inspired a shift from a hunting-and-gathering information to the domestication of the information landscape. RSS aggregator will periodically check for new posts, retrieve them as they appear, and make them available for reading at your leisure.

• What is Twitter?

Twitter has many uses for both personal and business use. It's a great way to keep in touch with your friends and quickly broadcast information about where you are and what you're up to. For example, "I'm downtown and aching for some sushi. Anyone like to join me?"
For business, Twitter can be used to broadcast your company's latest news and blog posts, interact with your customers, or to enable easy internal collaboration and group communication.

On Twitter, anyone can read, write and share messages of up to 140 characters. These messages, or Tweets, are public and available to anyone interested in them. Twitter users subscribe to your messages by following your account.

There are a variety of Web 2.0 tools to explore and learn about.  Developing my own PLN is a work in process which will continue to change as my knowledge and skills develop.