My favorite mash-up is Social Scan, which allows you to see how your blog or other web site is doing on various social tools like del.icio.us and Furl. I typed in my blog--of course--and was amazed to discover various places that have linked to my posts. The most recent link was on Tame the Web, about a post I wrote in February proclaiming (prophetically or foolishly, depending on who you ask) that blogs should replace library science journals. The original post is solid, and all of the subsequent comments have real value. I would never have known about any of this except for Social Scan--it is cool.
I'm less enamored of Rollyo, or at least of the search for "privacy" among librarian bloggers. Seemed to pull up threads of debates we've all seen, in some form, many times before. Of course, there's no reason I couldn't have just done another search. The broader concept of Rollyo, creating one's own search engine (and not using a Google tool to do it!), is very powerful. But it does leave me wondering about "closed loops"; if all I search is what I want to search, how valuable is my blinkered viewpoint after a while?
That's a huge philosophical question, and I shouldn't take it out on poor Rollyo.
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Podcasts and YouTube in Libraries
From my standpoint, pretty much all the major Web 2.0 applications could have positive roles in libraries. Blogs, wikis, podcasts, online videos et. al can all enable more informal contact with patrons, and could become the hubs of research communities at campuses and health centers.
There are many practical barriers to this vision, especially in hospital libraries that face tough IT restrictions. But conceptually, Web 2 tools can be very good things in libraries.
YouTube, for example, is a very natural repository for online instructional videos. Even if the quality of the video is not production broadcast level, the likely viewers of a library YouTube video would understand this limitation from their other experiences with YouTube. If a tool with better production values comes along we should use it, but in the meantime there's no reason not to experiment with YouTube.
There's an interesting double standard with Web 2 vs. more traditional tools. If someone has a bad in-person class session they would regroup and do better next time; there would be no expectation of perfection because, after all, everyone is human. But sometimes the objections raised to Web 2 tools imply that they must be absolutely perfect to be useful at all.
After all this Web 2 cheerleading, let me close by acknowledging that some pacing is in order. For example, it might be too much for a library to start a blog service, wiki portal, and online video site in the same week. People need time to adjust and learn new ways of working. On the other hand, though, we also need to "just do it" and enjoy learning how to use all these new tools. That balance--between discretion and enthusiasm--will always be hard to find.
There are many practical barriers to this vision, especially in hospital libraries that face tough IT restrictions. But conceptually, Web 2 tools can be very good things in libraries.
YouTube, for example, is a very natural repository for online instructional videos. Even if the quality of the video is not production broadcast level, the likely viewers of a library YouTube video would understand this limitation from their other experiences with YouTube. If a tool with better production values comes along we should use it, but in the meantime there's no reason not to experiment with YouTube.
There's an interesting double standard with Web 2 vs. more traditional tools. If someone has a bad in-person class session they would regroup and do better next time; there would be no expectation of perfection because, after all, everyone is human. But sometimes the objections raised to Web 2 tools imply that they must be absolutely perfect to be useful at all.
After all this Web 2 cheerleading, let me close by acknowledging that some pacing is in order. For example, it might be too much for a library to start a blog service, wiki portal, and online video site in the same week. People need time to adjust and learn new ways of working. On the other hand, though, we also need to "just do it" and enjoy learning how to use all these new tools. That balance--between discretion and enthusiasm--will always be hard to find.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Photo Sharing Sites
For many years my wife and I shared our vacation photos with friends and family via Shutterfly, an easy-to-use service that provides free digital photos and inexpensive prints.
For our most recent vacation we uploaded the photos to Facebook for the first time--yet another sign of how Facebook is taking over our lives. Most of our friends are on Facebook by now, and we could still send the album to people who aren't. I'm a little sad about abandoning Shutterfly, but it just seemed to make sense by this point.
As to library usage of photo sharing sites: there are numerous possibilities. From a simple slide show of library images to a complex catalog of annotated radiology images, there are many ways librarians could use Flickr et. al to enhance appreciation of the visual aspects of health care.
For our most recent vacation we uploaded the photos to Facebook for the first time--yet another sign of how Facebook is taking over our lives. Most of our friends are on Facebook by now, and we could still send the album to people who aren't. I'm a little sad about abandoning Shutterfly, but it just seemed to make sense by this point.
As to library usage of photo sharing sites: there are numerous possibilities. From a simple slide show of library images to a complex catalog of annotated radiology images, there are many ways librarians could use Flickr et. al to enhance appreciation of the visual aspects of health care.
Friday, April 11, 2008
Web Office Tools Are the Future
Yes, web office tools are the future--much more user friendly and portable than sending around attachments by email.
An example: Word 2007 is not compatible with older versions of Word, unless the user is savvy enough to download a "compatibility pack" (and, if they're on a work computer, they would need administrative rights to do this.) Alternatively, the sender has to know to make the attachment backward compatible. These are substantial barriers.
With all that said, habits die hard. When I start writing an essay, I automatically open a Word doc (just like I'm still pre-disposed to bookmark a web site on my own computer rather than tagging it in del.icio.us). But in the next few years, I anticipate a "sea change" towards more user-friendly Web office tools.
An example: Word 2007 is not compatible with older versions of Word, unless the user is savvy enough to download a "compatibility pack" (and, if they're on a work computer, they would need administrative rights to do this.) Alternatively, the sender has to know to make the attachment backward compatible. These are substantial barriers.
With all that said, habits die hard. When I start writing an essay, I automatically open a Word doc (just like I'm still pre-disposed to bookmark a web site on my own computer rather than tagging it in del.icio.us). But in the next few years, I anticipate a "sea change" towards more user-friendly Web office tools.
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Social Bookmarking on del.icio.us
I think del.icio.us is an amazing tool that has great application in libraries.
The obvious benefit is building a set of bookmarks that can be accessed from anywhere. Since my formative Internet years were in the "bookmark only on one computer" era, I'm still predisposed to do that type of bookmarking. That's not "wrong," just more limited. So recently, whenever I stop to bookmark I make a point of tagging it in del.icio.us instead. Our reference group at the library also has a shared del.icio.us account, which is a great way to share resources.
There are endless opportunities for research assistance with del.icio.us. We can show patrons what it is and send them on their merry tagging way; we could build del.icio.us tools that automatically propagate new sites that match pre-defined tags, and deliver the new sites via RSS tools; we could have a del.icio.us stream like on OMG Tuna is Kewl. The sky is the limit!
The obvious benefit is building a set of bookmarks that can be accessed from anywhere. Since my formative Internet years were in the "bookmark only on one computer" era, I'm still predisposed to do that type of bookmarking. That's not "wrong," just more limited. So recently, whenever I stop to bookmark I make a point of tagging it in del.icio.us instead. Our reference group at the library also has a shared del.icio.us account, which is a great way to share resources.
There are endless opportunities for research assistance with del.icio.us. We can show patrons what it is and send them on their merry tagging way; we could build del.icio.us tools that automatically propagate new sites that match pre-defined tags, and deliver the new sites via RSS tools; we could have a del.icio.us stream like on OMG Tuna is Kewl. The sky is the limit!
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Social Networking Tools--Impressions and Observations
I have varying impressions of MySpace, LinkedIn, and Facebook.
MySpace: I've always shied away from MySpace because it seems too unbounded and limitless. Any page can look like anything, which is disorienting. So I've never used it.
For a while I thought that Facebook would be a strong but distant second to MySpace, like Macs are to Windows machines. Lately, though, it seems that there is much more buzz about Facebook than MySpace.
LinkedIn: This feels like a site you must be on to be "professional." But it is the anti-MySpace, with too much of a snob quotient for its own good. So I accept whatever LinkedIn invitations come my way, but never do anything more with it.
Facebook: Here is where I bide my time, sometimes in excessive quantities. Compared to MySpace, Facebook is orderly. But compared to LinkedIn, it is accessible and friendly. My main uses of the site are to see the status of friends and to lose at games of Scrabulous. There are sometimes new pleasing features--just this weekend I encountered a "you might know" feature, based on the friends of my friends. And it was fun to get lots of birthday greetings a few weeks ago, because Facebook friends saw that it was my special day. While Facebook properly received ridicule for its Beacon campaign a few months ago--which would have alerted your friends about your recent online purchases--overall it is a well-designed site.
I think libraries should have pages on social networking sites, as should individual librarians. My only caution is that there should be some kind of purpose for this presence--not a tightly sketched, exhaustively vetted purpose, just a reason for being. A spirit of experimentation and playfulness is important in Web 2.o-land, but some old-fashioned introspection before leaping after every new tool is also vital.
MLA does not need to do anything in particular to support social networking among members. I have many MLA friends on Facebook, and we all found each other on our own. MLA provides the glue on which Facebook relationships can thrive, and that's a service in and of itself.
How you should present yourself on any social networking site, especially those that blend personal and professional aspects of one's life, is an open question. It's easy to become too cautious and present totally bland versions of yourself, just to make sure you don't shock or offend. The other extreme--of blatant shock and offense--is easy enough to pull off too, and just as troubling. I'm not sure where the proper balance lies.
MySpace: I've always shied away from MySpace because it seems too unbounded and limitless. Any page can look like anything, which is disorienting. So I've never used it.
For a while I thought that Facebook would be a strong but distant second to MySpace, like Macs are to Windows machines. Lately, though, it seems that there is much more buzz about Facebook than MySpace.
LinkedIn: This feels like a site you must be on to be "professional." But it is the anti-MySpace, with too much of a snob quotient for its own good. So I accept whatever LinkedIn invitations come my way, but never do anything more with it.
Facebook: Here is where I bide my time, sometimes in excessive quantities. Compared to MySpace, Facebook is orderly. But compared to LinkedIn, it is accessible and friendly. My main uses of the site are to see the status of friends and to lose at games of Scrabulous. There are sometimes new pleasing features--just this weekend I encountered a "you might know" feature, based on the friends of my friends. And it was fun to get lots of birthday greetings a few weeks ago, because Facebook friends saw that it was my special day. While Facebook properly received ridicule for its Beacon campaign a few months ago--which would have alerted your friends about your recent online purchases--overall it is a well-designed site.
I think libraries should have pages on social networking sites, as should individual librarians. My only caution is that there should be some kind of purpose for this presence--not a tightly sketched, exhaustively vetted purpose, just a reason for being. A spirit of experimentation and playfulness is important in Web 2.o-land, but some old-fashioned introspection before leaping after every new tool is also vital.
MLA does not need to do anything in particular to support social networking among members. I have many MLA friends on Facebook, and we all found each other on our own. MLA provides the glue on which Facebook relationships can thrive, and that's a service in and of itself.
How you should present yourself on any social networking site, especially those that blend personal and professional aspects of one's life, is an open question. It's easy to become too cautious and present totally bland versions of yourself, just to make sure you don't shock or offend. The other extreme--of blatant shock and offense--is easy enough to pull off too, and just as troubling. I'm not sure where the proper balance lies.
Friday, March 21, 2008
Differences Between Blogs and Wikis
Blogs are good for archiving content--whether the original posts or comments. Even if people don't make many comments (which often happens), blogs can facilitate such discussion.
Wikis are better for on-the-fly edits and can be useful in teaching. For example, rather than giving out a paper handout you can make a wiki page the "handout" and update it instantly based on feedback during a class. This does require the instructor to be more flexible than they might be used to.
Wikis are better for on-the-fly edits and can be useful in teaching. For example, rather than giving out a paper handout you can make a wiki page the "handout" and update it instantly based on feedback during a class. This does require the instructor to be more flexible than they might be used to.
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