Monday, October 27, 2008

Photos - Sharing Online

My favorite places to vacation are those locales which offer warmth, ready access to the ocean, and plenty of sunshine. As a result, I have become an avid snorkeler and over the years have developed a strong desire to pursue a hobby in underwater photography. Just look at this exquisite coral! With so many pictures readily available for me to sample, I now have a great source of inspiration to spur me on into making my dream a reality. These photo sharing sites with their useful indexing techniques provide a convenient avenue for me to find numerous snorkeling photos easily. I also get the benefit of viewing personal photos by everyday people whom I can relate to. I see their successful snapshots and think to myself, "Yeah, I think I can do this too!"
As far as the library patrons are concerned, I think one good use of this type of online service might be in the area of travel- always of popular interest. On our library web site we could include a section on "Places To Visit" with links from the various locales to a photo album or group on the web put together by BPL staff. We could even get the patrons involved by encouraging them to contribute their best photos and/or comments on their experiences visiting these places. I know already myself, after viewing all of those magnificant snorkeling photos, how one could easily get inspired to visit numerous new travel destinations!

No comments: