Before we proceed - a few suggestions

Choosing web 2.0 tools:
Over the next few pages, I'll suggest some tools you may want to consider using to build your PLE, but the choice is up to you. What I'll suggest are broad categories of sites with a few suggestions for each to get you started. I suggest any web 2.0 sites you select for your PLE should be like FRED:

• Free: Although some sites charge a small fee for "pro" users, most are free. Ask around before you pay any money.
• Redundant: At some point in the future, some of the sites you use for your PLE are going to cease to exist, or start charging fees. That's why you need a backup plan - if one site goes away, have a substitute lined up and ready to go.
• Easy to use: You shouldn't need to go on a training course to use the tools in your PLE. If you don't understand how something works, try a different site, or ask your social network - that's what it's for!
• Designed to make you smile. If you don't enjoy using your PLE, you haven't understood what this is all about ...

Argh! Not another password!
Signing up to web 2.0 sites means you'll need a username and password to get your free account.
The choice of username comes down to whether you want to be personally identifiable (i.e. all or part of your name), or remain anonymous (chunkylover69@aol.com). Being personally identifiable may help you build trust and give you more influence in social networks, but the choice is yours. The passwords you use should be secure (never a word in any dictionary, a combination of letters and numbers at least 8 characters long), easy to remember, and you should not use the same password for more than one site. Impossible? Try this: use a mnemonic (not this one!) which incorporates the name of the site:

My mnemonic password for Google is 1 2 beat      MmpfGi12b

Alternatively, you may want to use an online password manager such as Clipperz (read about Clipperz security here).

A map of your PLE >