Thing 23: Final Thoughts

23 Things On A Stick,
How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach
But maybe not as transcendently as Elizabeth Barrett Browning loved Robert Browning.

It was both harder and easier than I thought; harder because it was so time-consuming, easier in that most of the Things were pretty easy. It was often a slog to read each article and check out each link, listen to multiple webinars and podcasts, etc. when sometimes they didn't add that much to what I already knew. On the other hand, it was sometimes overwhelming, and I felt lit up and excited or overloaded and burned out by all the new information and ideas.

Bit by bit I've built a comprehensive beginner's knowledge of the possibilities inherent in web 2.0, an intimation of how much more there is to learn, and a feeling of deep satisfaction at finishing the most sustained intellectual work I've done since graduate school. Or at least the most sustained late-night work since leaving school!

I am now freed from the jealousy and curiosity I'd feel when looking at someone's blog: how did they get that cool book display (Library Thing, Shelfari.) Where did all those cool images on the 23 on a stick page come from? (Big Huge Labs, ImageChef) What's the big deal about Facebook? (The power of fun should never be underestimated!) The organization of the "Things" helped me build a framework of understanding, a place to sort the pieces of knowledge I already had, and see where they fit into the whole.

Thing 7 was a killer in that it took so much time. I thought of quitting. It turned out the rest weren't that monumental, but I was worried they would be.

Should you give us more time next time? I'll leave that for others to say. I think no matter when the deadline, I would be staying up late to do these.

The e-mail posts from "The Group of 23" were helpful, but for those of us who were behind, not timely. They did give a good indication of where you should be in the process, but maybe that could be more explicit. An assignment schedule calculator for 23T?

Also it was lonely at the end, when all the posting had been done on a topic and it felt that topic was "closed." I didn't know if you would still be looking at those for new questions or posts. And, me being me, I would have welcomed a communication just for social comfort.

Y'all rock, that's for sure. Thanks. For. Doing. This!!