[Web4lib] Next new thing?

[Elizabeth Thomsen]

On Fri, 15 Jul 2005, D.H. Mattison wrote:
> My suggestion is to pay attention to the literature, especially from the
> folks I write for at Information Today (http://www.infotoday.com) who have
> inside sources and get all kinds of PR buzz from the information industry.
> Searcher magazine under Barbara Quint seems to have a pretty good track
> record at covering trends that turn into information commodities. 

With all due respect for Barbara Quint and others at Information Today-- 
while I agree that paying attention to the literature is important, I 
think the original question was about the "next new thing" along the lines 
of blogging and podcasting.  These are essentially grass-roots 
technologies, not things that came from the information industry, and 
we're not likely to learn about these trends from PR buzz or the 
professional media.  

Podcasting as a concept and technology was developing as early as 2001,
thanks in large part to the ideas and efforts of people like Dave Winer
and Adam Curry.  By February, 2004, the term "podcasting" was used in a
Guardian article, which you can read here.
http://tinyurl.com/davw6

I just did a search on several EBSCO databases looking for other articles 
using the term podcasting in 2004, and found some in Time, Newsweek, 
Business Week and several newspapers, but nothing in professional or 
academic journals.  New technologies don't usually get our professional 
attention until they're right about at the tipping point.  

I read the professional literature for many reasons, one of which is to
see how trends and new technologies are being implemented by libraries.  
But to find out about those trends and technologies in the first place,
when they're still new, you're actually better off reading the newspaper,
Wired and Technology Review.  Better yet, read the blogs, e-mail lists,
etc. (and not just the library ones) to see trends develop right before
your eyes.

-- 
Elizabeth Thomsen, Member Services Manager
NOBLE: North of Boston Library Exchange
Danvers MA 01923
et at noblenet.org