Perhaps from eating a too-big breakfast yesterday morning, I found myself getting a little sleepy near the end of an excellent session on the use of Web 2.0 tools in a business setting. I thought about going back to my room for a nap, but I decided it was way too nice outside; so I rented a bicycle from the shop across the street and hit the seaside trail. It was a great decision: I got to smell the sea air and watch the surf, see lots of shore birds, and do some thinking about what I have been experiencing here at my first trip to Internet Librarian.

On my way back to town, I hit a point on the trail where a huge semi was blocking the path as it was struggling to turn up a narrow curving road. It didn’t look like it was going to get out of the way anytime soon, and another bicyclist in front of me was impatiently waiting. I was settling in for the wait as well, when something caught my eye and I turned to see another cyclist heading up the trail behind me. But instead of stopping, he veered off on a side path that I hadn’t noticed. It took him straight through the pedestrian crosswalk, he cruised across and landed on the other side of the truck–never skipping a beat. That was a great solution, so I followed his lead and was back in gear in no time.

As I cruised along the rest of the way, I thought about what a neat example of a social interaction that was. I am a newcomer to Monterey–a “newbie”–but because I went where I could observe the locals, I learned how to get from Point A to Point B more effectively. And, likewise, that confident bicyclist was riding on a path that tourists often frequent, and so he has put himself in a great position to teach by example.

Perhaps you can see where I’m headed with this. The frequently heard mantra here at Internet Librarian and elsewhere is that librarians must put themselves and their library where their patrons/community are. But can we extend this thinking to how we interact with our peers in the library community? Are those with expertise with a particular tool or who know a solution to an oft-faced problem putting themselves in the place where “newbies” can learn from them? And are those who are unfamiliar with a topic interacting and observing those who they think might have answers?

You may have heard the phrase that Burning Man made famous: No spectators, only participants. This is a powerful message for the social networking world, especially when we know that “lurkers” or consumers of information far outweigh the contributors. As I sat and listened to so many presenters this week, I was struck by their common passion for sharing knowledge. Many of these folks are presenting because they are excited by what they accomplished and they would love to see others have a similar experience. Because WebJunction is powered by its users who grow the site by contributing content, I would love to see everyone in Libraryland get involved on WebJunction in some way. But I had to get honest with myself: If I am going to encourage others to become participants, I must walk that walk as well. I kicked off my commitment to Participation by going to karaoke last night and singing in front of a large crowd of coworkers and strangers. And you know what? It was a blast.