connect with your users: communicate using social software tools
DESCRIPTION
NELA presentation delivered at the 113th Vermont Library Conference, May 15, 2007. The presentation explores how libraries are using Blogs, Wikis, and RSS.TRANSCRIPT
Connect With Your Users:Communicate Using Social Software Tools
113th Vermont Library Conference
May 15, 2007
Rob Favini NELINET, Inc
An Hour and 15 WITH Questions??!!!
• Blogs• Wikis• RSS
The Blog Defined
A blog (short for web log) is a website where entries are made and displayed in a reverse chronological order. Blogs provide commentary or news on a particular subject, such as food, politics, or local news; some function as more personal online diaries. A typical blog combines text, images, and links to other blogs, web pages, and other media related to its topic. The ability for readers to leave comments in an interactive format is an important part of most early blogs.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blog viewed 5/9/07
What’s Blog-y?
• Text• Images• Links• Comments in response to a posting• Subscription• Audio (podcasts)• Video (vlogs or vodcasts)• No code skills needed
Blog v Static Web site
• Blog– easy to add content– no FTP required– Ability to subscribe
(content goes to users automatically)
• Web site– go through
gatekeeper to add content
– need special software or skills (Dreamwever, FrontPage, or hand-code)
– users have to come to site
State of the Blogosphere Technorati, April 2007
• Over 70 million blogs• 1.4 blogs per second• 100 times bigger than 3 years ago• 1.4 million postings per day; 17 posts
per second• 100 most popular sites: 22 are blogs
http://technorati.com/weblog/blogosphere/
The Library Big Picture
• Large number of our users look to blogs for information
• Blogs are, in practice, communities of interest
• Blogging helps to change the perception of the library
How Are Libraries Using Blogs?
• Links and commentary about subject resources
• Links to articles/announcements: newspapers, journals, publications, reviews, Web sites…
• Communicate library/community news
• Access the OPAC!
Library Blog Examples
• Darien Library– www.darienlibrary.org/
• HPER Librarian, Springfield College– www.babsonlibrary.org/hper
• Plymouth State Univ., NH– http://www.plymouth.edu/library/opac/
• Uthink: Blogs at the University of Minnesota– http://blog.lib.umn.edu/
Independent Librarian Voices(One Day @ ALA Seattle)
• Tame The Web (Michael Stephens)– http://tametheweb.com/
• David Lee King– http://www.davidleeking.com/
• Shifted Librarian (Jenny Levine)– http://www.theshiftedlibrarian.com/
• Library Man (Michael Porter)– http://www.libraryman.com/blog
Blog Software: Youth Oriented
• LiveJournal – http://www.livejournal.com– Free!
• MySpace– http://myspace.com– Free!
• Bebo– http://www.bebo.com– Free!
Blog Software: In Between
• Vox– http://www.vox.com/– Free!
• Blogger– http://www.blogger.com– Free!
Blog Software: Professional
• WordPress– http://wordpress.org/– http://wordpress.com/
• MovableType– http://www.movabletype.com/
• TypePad– http://www.typepad.com/
What is a Wiki?
• Collaborative Web publishing• Collection of never-finished documents• Uses simplified hypertext markup
– Requires no knowledge of Web languages– Users have to learn a handful of software-
specific codes
• Anyone can add/delete/modify– Can be restricted (login required)
What’s Wiki-y?• Wiki is…
– collaborative– Community oriented– A way to create documents– a knowledge base– always in flux– infinitely editable– internally linked– a bit chaotic
If it walks like a wiki…
• Articles• Edit• Talk/Discussion• History• Search• Categories
The Most Famous Wiki of All
Wikipedia (http://www.wikipedia.org)
Goal: “…to put the sum of all human knowledge in the form of an encyclopedia in the hands of every single person on the planet for free.”
— Jimmy Wales, cofounder and chief executive; http://www.bizreport.com/print/7945
The Wiki Philosophy
• Trust always works• One has to trust to
collaborate• People trust works
produced by people they don’t know
• Neighbors on the stoop
• Soft security—rely on the community
Objections
• Perception that anyone can edit anything• No copyright, no control, no authoritative
guidance– Soft security—community values– History revision– Require users to log in
• It’s a disorganized mess– Recent changes– Search– Categories– RSS feeds
Wikipedia Put to the Test
Stephen Colbert And Wikiality
Problems Solved by Wikis!
• Internal communication (intranet)• Subject guides/pathfinders• Reference how-to guides• Local topic guides• Project management• Policies and procedures• Meeting minutes repository• Library Web site – multiple authors
Library Applications
• Subject/research guides• Project planning• Policy manuals• Resource listings• Training resources• Web content management system• Professional development• To-do lists
Partial listing from Library Technology Reports, Vol 42, No. 4 (July/August 2006)
Examples: Staff Wiki
• University of Minnesota Libraries– http://wiki.lib.umn.edu/Staff/HomePage
• Antioch University Staff Training & Support– http://www.seedwiki.com/wiki/
antioch_university_new_england_library_staff_training_and_support_wiki/
• UConn Libraries’ Staff Wiki– http://wiki.lib.uconn.edu/wiki/Main_Page
Examples: Subject Specific
• Princeton Public Library Summer Reading Club– http://booklovers.pbwiki.com/
• Oregon Libraries Library Instruction – http://instructionwiki.org/Main_Page
• New England Music Libraries Association (NEMLA)– http://www.seedwiki.com/wiki/nemla_directory_of_music
_libraries_draft/
• Ohio University Library Business Subject Guide– http://www.library.ohiou.edu/subjects/bizwiki/index.php/
Main_Page
Examples: Fun
• Nancy Pearl’s Book Lust Wiki– http://booklust.wetpaint.com/
• Tupperwiki– http://tupperwiki.pbwiki.com
Wiki Software
• There’s A LOT of wiki software available…A LOT!
Compare different software packages
http://www.wikimatrix.org/
Wiki Software• PMWiki http://www.pmwiki.org/
• MediaWiki http://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/MediaWiki
• EditMe http://www.editme.com/
• Seedwiki http://www.seedwiki.com/wiki/seed_wiki/seed_wiki
• PBWiki http://pbwiki.com/
RSS: A Simple Definition
A way to feed content to a large number of people from an online publisher, i.e. the Wall Street Journal, a blog, library acquisition department
RSS Terminology
• RSS feed• RSS aggregator
– Centralized aggregator
– Personal aggregator– Readers
• RSS syndication
XML Makes it Possible
• XML – Extensible Markup Language• Describes what content is, not what
it looks like (HTML)• Enables RSS aggregators to
categorize and deliver content
The Basic Concept
Web-basedContent
Aggregator/Reader
Desktop:Email or Browser
Producer and Consumer
Getting Library Information Out to Users
Managing PersonalInformation Intake
What are People Doing With this in Library Land?
• University of Reno, Nevada– www.library.unr.edu/new/newbooks.html
• Innovative Announces New RSS Feed Capabilities for Millennium– www.iii.com/news/pr_template.php?id=256
• ExLibris: ALEPH 500 create custom RSS feeds – www.exlibrisgroup.com/newsdetails.htm?
nid=456)
• NELINET– www.nelinet.net/edserv/index.htm
RSS Readers
• Bloglines– http://bloglines.com/
• Google Reader– Need a gmail account– http://www.google.com/reader
• FireFox LiveBookmarks– http://www.mozilla.com/
firefox/livebookmarks.html
Like We Have Time for Questions!
Contact Information
Rob FaviniProgram Director
Educational Services NELINET, Inc
508.597.1938800.635.4638 x1938