web 2.0 session for library staff - 2008 version

© Imperial College London

Web 2.0 and it’s potential impact for information professionals

Jenny Evans

12th February 2008

del.icio.us URL: http://del.icio.us/imperiallibrary/2008presentation

What is web 2.0?• Web 2.0…a definition

• RSS

• Wikis

• Blogs

• Podcasts and webcasts

• Social bookmarking and tagging

• Social networking

• Instant messaging

• Mobile phones

• Other developments

Web 2.0…a definition

a perceived second generation of web-based communities and hosted services (such as social-networking sites, wikis, blogs, and folksonomies) which aim to facilitate creativity, collaboration, and sharing among users Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_2.0 (accessed 11 February 2008)

Term coined by Dale Dougherty (O’Reilly Media)http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/oreilly/tim/news/2005/09/30/what-is-web20.html

• “An alternative means of accessing the vast amount of information that now exists on the Internet. Instead of the user browsing websites for information of interest, the information is sent directly to the user” (http://www.whatisrss3w.com/)

• Allows you to customize the way information comes to you – you don’t have to go out and check websites/new pages

• You need an RSS Reader

RSS (Really simple syndication)

How does RSS work?

• Your RSS reader automatically checks feeds

• Web based Bloglines, Google Reader

• Browser based versions IE7, Firefox

• Standalone applications RSS Reader

Adding and searching for feeds

• Depends on your feed reader

• Very easy!

• Specific search engines (e.g. Google Blog search, Technorati) Search using ‘tags’ – terms added to describe a weblog entry or

news item

• Directly from a source, e.g. Google News, a database, an online journal, a library catalogue

Weblogs – why read/write them?

• Professional development & communication

• Learn of new developments and ideas

• Many students and academics now blogging

• Examples of well known library bloggers – Stephen Abram @ Sirsi Dynix, Lorcan Dempsey @ OCLC, Phil Bradley

• Marketing tool

• Reflective tool

• Flexible

Explanation of a weblog

• Main items usually appear down the centre of the screen

• ‘Feeds’ are created from the main posts

• Additional links, items and previous posts may appear to the sides of the screen

Wikis

• A website where everyone has full access to edit every page

• Allows people to work collaboratively

• Comes from the Hawaiian word for rapid or quick

• Starts as a blank page and people add to them

Wikis – what can they be used for?

• Group projects

• Subject guides

• Training guides

• Procedures manuals

Work in progress so can be updated regularly

Explanation of a wiki

• Navigation/menu

• History

• Links to other pages

• Attachments

Podcasts / Webcasts

• No need for MP3 player, podcasts can be played on any PC

• Often used by lecturers, some libraries arrange content – highly popular where available

• Conference speeches & discussions often available

• EveryZing makes audio content of podcasts searchable

• Webcasts tend to include video of presentation in addition to audio

• Can be used for people who cannot make it to a lecture/seminar – so they can see the person talking/their slides as well as hear the audio

Success with Podcasts

“Physics department lectures at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth made available online as podcasts have proved so successful that the library is now creating a

pool of recording devices to enable other departments to follow suit…it became clear that

almost all students on his course were downloading the files”

(http://web.archive.org/web/20060924000438/http://www.aber.ac.uk/physics/news/news.shtml)

Social bookmarking and ‘tagging’

• Sites let people easily share information

• Used with photos, news items, bookmarks, books on a library catalogue – simple form of classification

• Tagging uses ‘natural language’ theoretically making it easy to find things

• Well known sites include Flickr, del.icio.us & Connotea

Social networking

• Popular sites include Facebook MySpace Bebo

• Build a profile then link to friends (usually requires verification)

• Have a variety of features – photos, message boards, instant messaging facilities

• Other examples Youtube Second Life

• Imperial College participating with Second Health

Instant messaging

• Can be traditional ‘chat’ facility

• Skype

• Inserting chat facility into blog/web page e.g. Plugoo, Meebo

Mobile phones

• Broadband becoming more affordable and more mobile

• Every student / staff member has a mobile

• Redesigning content for mobile access

Other developments• Toolbars

“…often add additional functionality to browsers (additional search fields, form-fill, links back topopular sites. etc)”

Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toolbar (Accessed 12 February 2008)

Example: MyAthens toolbar

• Widgets

“…covers a multitude of new technologies based around JavaScript, HTML, and plugin architectures…typically work within some other application platform.”

Library Success wiki http://www.libsuccess.org/index.php?title=Widgets (Accessed 12 February 2008)

Example: Meebome

• Mashups

“a web application that combines data from more than one source into a single integrated tool”

Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mashup_%28web_application_hybrid%29 (Accessed 12 February 2008)

Example: Google Maps applications

Two perspectives

• How we can use these new technologies as staff?

• How can we use these new technologies to interact/better serve our users?

Why?

• Expecting users to come to us -> going to where our users are

• Many of our users are millennials, digital natives

Use their phones more than their pcs

• Don’t have to do everything/use everything – but be aware of all of it

• Just try it – some of it will work – some of it won’t

The down side…• Possibly short lived and difficult to predict

what will or won’t be popular• Relying on third party providers• Not controlled/branded

The up side…

• No technical ability needed• Flexible & quick• “Do it yourself”• Going to where the user is

Summary

• Benefits for us and users

• Increased awareness of trends and developments

• Possible new ways of promoting library services to users?

• Way of flexible/collaborative working?