Reflections

This class has opened a whole new world to me. I hadn’t used ANY of the tools we’ve covered or even heard of half of them. It will take me a while after this class is over to get more familiar with them all. Still, this class got me over a block of sorts in using these tools. I was a bit stressed over the first produsage project as it was all so new.

In addition to starting to get familiar with Web 2.0 tools, the Shirky and Bruns books have opened the world of the produsage concept and theories to me. I hadn’t really thought about the movement of Web 2.0 as a collective so much. I guess I wasn’t amazed by the breadth and scope of its reach as much as the formal thought and documentation of it. Even the most casual observer such as me can see the influence of social media tools on society. What was an eye-opener was the intelligent design that is going into it.

I imagine for the immediate term I will continue to educate myself on these tools in preparation for using them in some work setting. I do not see that I will use them any time soon in the places that I work. However, I am certain that eventually I will. On the personal side, I am still considering how I want to use them. I am concerned about issues of anonymity still, though don’t see a way around it, especially since the IS program is now using Twitter, Facebook, and other things. Just want to jump in with a bit of care.