I was going use Web 2.Ohhh No for the title of this post, but decided not to. No particular reason, but both seem to express my thought on the thousands of Web 2.0 tools that are out there.
The bottom line? There are simply too many to discover, too many to keep track of, and too many to learn. There are lot of tools that probably (maybe) can do some pretty neat things, some with great educational potential, but I'm not sure how we can all keep up.
In the past, I've heard about a few new tools that others suggested and used, with success. I signed up for a bunch, took a peek, and then forgot about them. Does that sound familiar to you? There are definitely some tools that intrigue me, more for personal use than professional. Jott and Don't Forget the Milk are two that I think I might actually use, but simply haven't taken the time to set things up properly and take advantage of what these tools might do. Today, I canceled my Jott account. There are probably several others that I signed up for but don't even remember.
This brings me to Plurk. I like Plurk - the threaded discussions are great, but have realized over the last several weeks, that I don't miss it. I haven't been using Plurk nearly as much as I used to and haven't felt the need to check. Twitter, which I've been using longer, is meeting my PLN needs. Twitter seems to be growing as well - I think there's more buzz about it and I'm often checking my email to find new followers. Sure, some of it is spam, but for the most part, more educators are on board. Twitter is not only keeping me connected with several hundred educators, but it's keeping my updated with non-educational news as well. I like how some of my local news stations and sports teams are using Twitter. I like how I can follow some national sites and even some of my favorite tv shows. Twitter is keeping me more connected than Plurk was. I've also recently discovered TweetDeck, which I really, really like. We all have to find what works for our needs, and as much as I enjoyed my time using Plurk, I'm sort of sad to say, that I'm done with it.......for now.
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I think these are the choices we all have to make as we focus on quality, productivity and creativity. It is challenging to learn about new technologies and ntools and not have as much time to try them out as we would like. Fortunately, there are thousands (millions) of others doing the same thing and we have many opportunities to network, share and learn togther,
I agree whole heartedly. I have similar fascination too--some is passing--some have stuck. I got into plurk for a while, but got to where I felt guilty when I saw how many new messages there were that I missed. At first I painstakingly spent time reading each and everyone, commenting where I felt inclined. But it became the ONLY thing I would do--dismissing my reader unfairly--and neglecting family members. Thank goodness I couldn't plurk at school. So one day I just decided to walk away from it. I returned to Twitter because I don't see a note pr remnder as to how much I missed. I don't feel guilty that I misssd a conversation. Self induced guilt--yes. But I can come and go with Twitter. I did not feel that way with Plurk. Oh and let's not forget the constant reminder with a karma rating. I know there are those that feed off that kind of stuff--it motivates them. But all it did to me was make me feel guilty for ignoring it. So I have enough issues in life that require constant attention--I did not need one more. I let Plurk go so I could enjoy the other tools I use guilt free. Funny that Plurk made me feel guilty. If my reader is overflowing, i don't feel guilty skimming my folders and marking some (or all if I need to) as "read." Plurk just made me feel guilty for it. I did not need it. So--I let it go. Your post reaffirms that I made the right choice.
I agree. I seem to use Twitter daily and Plurk when I remember. I hate looking at how much Karma I have lost on Plurk - as if I am punished for not using it. I do not need more guilt in my life!
I agree w/ Jeff - we all have choices to make. That said, I've found it just the opposite. Plurk seems to have a higher retention rate, and better interactions for educators who really need to work together. Twitter is the home of the "rock star" however. Its a great place to make announcements, and as I've stated on many times is akin to permission based stalking. Great for those of us who got in early and built up a network, but not so great for those who have come more recently who are bombarded by the newly commercial nature of Twitter, and the one sided conversations that are nearly impossible. So while it works for you, I wouldn't make broad assumptions that it is THE tool that will work well for most. I've left Twitter many times, but I always come back. But it is definitely a minor tool in my arsenal these days. Good luck on your adventures!
Thanks for the comments. I think what we're all finding out is that there are tools that work best for each one of us. Some like Twitter, some like Plurk - some like Delicious, some like Diigo. We latch on to what we like and what works. As long as it serves our purpose, it's all good.