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2/18/2007

Interview with Michael Welsh

John Battelle interviews Michael Welsh on his thoughts on 2.0 and the video that he created that has been rocking the web for the last week and half. My favorite thought from the interview (and there are lots of good thoughts) is this quote, "The best tools are those that are flexible enough to be used beyond that for which they were intended. The more a web service can build this kind of flexibility in, the better, as it can tap into the collective intelligence of those using the service to extend its possibilities."

Just think about this in terms of our library catalogs and webspaces. Are they so controlled that they don't allow unintended uses? Do they provide the flexibility to allow users to make them "their own"? Are users empowered to contribute and connect into the "collective intellenge" of the community, users, or even librarians? I know we're making some headway (thanks to the excellent work of Casey Bisson, John Blyberg and others) in this area... but is enough. Think about it? I know I am.

Read the full interview here. BTW: If you've got a questions for Michael, John's opened up his comments section for questions. I've posted one. :)

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