Umbrella2007

Slide 1: Practical uses for Web 2.0 in a library environment Phil Bradley UMBRELLA 2007

Slide 2: What is Web 2.0? • Let’s just not go there shall we? • Definitions are less important than what you can do with it • Oh, if you really insist…

Slide 3: What is Web 2.0? • Web 2.0 is a term often applied to a perceived ongoing transition of the World Wide Web from a collection of websites to a full-fledged computing platform serving web applications to end users. Ultimately Web 2.0 services are expected to replace desktop computing applications for many purposes. – Wikipedia entry

Slide 4: Yes… and? • It’s a platform • It harnesses collective intelligence • Data can be used and re-used in many ways • Users are directly involved with development • It’s not limited to a single device • A rich user experience – Tim O’Reilly ‘What is Web 2.0?’

Slide 5: Yes… but? • “It’s vacuous marketing hype” • “Web 2.0 is totally silly” • “Meaningless” • “is made entirely of pretentious self serving morons.” • “a lot of thin but very hot air blown at you by those who are convinced that having nothing to say is by no means a good reason to shut up.”

Slide 6: So…? • The Web as a platform • Collective intelligence • The end of the software cycle • Major change in the way we look at things • Old wine and new bottles? • Generic term applied to a variety of resources • Web 2.0 is not a ‘thing’ – it’s a state of mind

Slide 7: Web 2.0 is not a thing – it’s a state of mind

Slide 8: OK… so how can I use it? • Weblogs – Create a library weblog – Additional or new library resources – Introduce members of staff – Use it as a repository of data and information by using categories and tags – Don’t regard a weblog as a diary – it’s an important website in its own right…

Slide 10: Weblogs continued… • Use the weblog RSS feed on the site home page as a news feed • Encourage people to add the feed to their start page or RSS reader • Create a different weblog for a different subject area – invite other authors • Use it in a different way, on a different page

Slide 13: News reports from the BBC

Slide 14: RSS and search

Slide 15: So, what else can I do with RSS? • Add to content to webpages • Add content to a news aggregator • Add content to a start page • Keep current with comments and updates • In conclusion therefore… RSS brings data to you, and allows you to send it out to other places.

Slide 16: Using news aggregators • Such as Bloglines or the Google Reader • Keep up to date • Up to the minute • Create your own searches • Use these to create your own news feeds • Combine these and publish them for users

Slide 18: Podcasts • Provide access to audio content • Guides/tours around a library

Slide 20: Podcasts 2 • Content that can’t easily be made available in other formats • Content that is accessible on the move • Not time or place dependent.

Slide 21: Start Pages • Pageflakes • Netvibes • Collate data into one place • Not machine dependent • Good for: – Links – Email – Search engines – RSS feeds – Weather – Etc…

Slide 22: Start Pages

Slide 23: Using start pages • Individually • As a group – Share tabbed pages – Alternative to email contact – To Do lists – Note pads – Always immediately available

Slide 25: Bookmarking • Limited to a specific machine • Not informative • Difficult to find what you wan • Inflexible • Cannot easily share bookmarks

Slide 27: What are the alternatives? • Del.icio.us • Diigo • Raw Sugar …

Slide 28: You can: • Share your bookmarks – Between computers – Between colleagues – Between users • Create bookmark sets – To supplement projects – To assist users • Annotate (or tag) bookmarks

Slide 29: Great for searching! • http://del.icio.us/tag/<search_term>

Slide 30: Search builders • Create your own search engines • Limit to trusted sites • As small as you want, as large as you need • Use the given URL or • Cut and paste onto your own site • Use them and then throw them

Slide 31: That would be: • Rollyo • Google Custom Search Builder • Eurekster swicki • Yahoo Search builder

Slide 32: Collaborate on knowledge • Provide content onto a webpage • Items, notes, articles • Links to news or blogs • Search functions • Video options • Let others collaborate

Slide 33: Creating communities • Zimbio • Flickr • Grou.ps • Plum • Squidoo • Pageflakes • Facebook

Slide 35: Flickr

Slide 36: Squidoo

Slide 37: Facebook

Slide 38: Wikis

Slide 39: Wikis • LIS wiki • Library success wiki • Wikipedia • Peanut butter wiki

Slide 40: Instant messaging • “Email is for old people” • Talk instantly back and forth • Share files (or not!) • Share webcam discussions • Group chat • IM from webpages • Create chatrooms

Slide 41: Instant Messenger Services

Slide 42: Using… • Plugoo • Gabbly Chat • Meebo rooms

Slide 43: Collaborate • On documents – Google docs • On spreadsheets - NumSum • With calendars - Planzo • With training - Jybe • With projects – MyWebDesktop • With To Do lists – TaDaList • With webpages – Conversate

Slide 44: Mashups • Mixing two or more resources together in interesting or unexpected ways to create an entirely new or different information resource. • US Tornado history project • Warsaw mashup • Exeter college campus

Slide 45: • Work with existing databases – Go-go Google gadget – Google books library look-up • Second Life library • Talis competition entrants • More examples from Wikipedia

Slide 46: Combine everything! • With RSS and other Web 2.0 resources anything can work with anything else • Content can be changed and manipulated into different formats that you control • Users can get involved • Geography doesn’t matter • Speed is easy • It’s not technical!

Slide 47: So why not… • Create search engines for subject groups • Get users involved with a Zimbio group on an aspect of <whatever>? • Create a Squidoo lens for a subject? • Start a library weblog? • Create a flickr group

Slide 48: Or… • A podcast or a radio station, both involving music students • A Pageflakes page that you can share with colleagues • Create del.icio.us or FURL accounts and share them • Start a wiki for all the librarians in the area

Slide 49: Or even • Use instant messaging to provide information in a different way • Create a book reading club using LibraryThing, Amazon and a weblog • Have a library tour on YouTube

Slide 50: Or even • Create trading cards from Flickr photographs • Create fun/interesting new posters • Set up a Facebook, Bebo, MySpace account for the library • Publish your own books with Lulu • Share presentations with Slideshare.net

Slide 51: BUT…

Slide 52: Expect… • “It can’t be done” • “We don’t have the resources” • “Bandwidth problems” • “Security issues” • “Write a proposal” • “Not your job” • “Not enough time”

Slide 53: AND…

Slide 54: Ignore it! Because Web 2 is changing: • The way we use the web • The way we use information • The way we find information • The way we do our jobs • The way we interact with people • The way that we look at everything

Slide 55: FOREVER

Slide 56: Want more?

Slide 57: Thank you! • Website: http://www.philb.com • “I want to”: http://www.philb.com/iwantto.htm • Weblog: http://philbradley.typepad.com/i_want_to/ • Presentations: http://www.slideshare.net/Philbradley/