Power to the People!

Within the web developer and library world there is a lot of talk about the Web 2.0 movement. (That's pronounced two point oh). I don't know if I would classify it as a movement, it is more a trend. Calling something a movement is a little too pretentious. Anyway, this new trend in web design is all about collaboration and community. Blogs, the Wikipedia and photosharing sites are examples of this new approach for the web. On some of these services, anyone can participate whether they are posting a personal diary (blog) or helping to create an encyclopedia.

I find these new tools exciting and fun to use. There are drawbacks to letting anyone use something --- copyright infringement or bad,bad encyclopedia entries in Wikipedia. After all, as my Dad said, "You get what you pay for". Perhaps the best things side of the 2.0 trend is the ability to publish comments on blogs or other services. Here you do get a sense of community, of shared interest or concern.

The warm fuzzy of community came to mind when I stumbled across a community I want to join. It's the cilantro haters --- I am not alone anymore. Here I can recount horrid run-ins with this all too common herb. I can view pie charts on which compare the taste of cilantro to stink bugs and soap. Yes, this is the type of life-affirming, community-building I need. I am not alone!