5. Web 2.0... web applications which facilitate interactive information sharing , interoperability, user-centered design, and collaboration on the World Wide Web. A Web 2.0 site allows its users to interact with other users or to change website content , in contrast to non-interactive websites where users are limited to the passive viewing of information that is provided to them. -wikipedia.com (22 October 2009)
7. Social media ... are disseminated through social interaction .... support the human need for social interaction... transform broadcast media monologues (one to many) into social media dialogues (many to many) .... support the democratization of knowledge and information... transform people from content consumers into content producers . -wikipedia.com (21 October 2009)
10. http://librarianinblack.net/librarianinblack/2005/12/library_20_disc.html "Library 2.0 simply means making your library's space (virtual and physical) more interactive, collaborative, and driven by community needs. Examples of where to start include blogs, gaming nights for teens, and collaborative photo sites. The basic drive is to get people back into the library by making the library relevant to what they want and need in their daily lives... to make the library a destination and not an afterthought."
EAC Adam and I have been charged with kicking off the 23 Things training program for Frisco Public Library staff. AJL You probably have a lot of questions. Maybe you are thinking... EAC "What the heck is a 23 Things program?" or AJL "Why 23? I don't even like prime numbers." EAC + AJL And, of course, "Do I have to?" AJL We'll try to answer all of the questions and more this morning. Let's get started.
EAC The 23 Things training will expose you to Web 2.0 technologies that might play a role in Library 2.0. AJL This is more than buzz words. This program asks you to look at new tools and think about how ...or if.... each can be used to do the same basic task our library does: meet the informational needs of the citizens.
EAC The 23 Things program is all about understanding, evaluating, and using social media... which is at the core of what is meant by Web 2.0. Why is that important?
[Before the video] EAC Let's watch a video to get some background so we have a context to work in. AJL Before we start, though, let me mention that some of the videos we're going to watch today throw out a lot of information very quickly. Don't try to analyze everything - simply try to get a sense the big picture. We'll let you know where you can see the videos again, if you're interested in going back and watching them again on your own. EAC This first video is about how text changed when it moved from being printed on paper to being typed online. But the changes didn't stop there. Early programming was designed to integrate form and content. But when those two elements were broken apart, the web quickly became accessible to everyone - not just geeks. [After the video] AJL The main idea of the video is that Web 2.0 is about separating form and content to allow users to interact with 1. the content and 2. each other Without knowing HOW the stuff works. EAC In short, you can do geeky things without being a geek. AJL This is also a great foreshadowing of what is happening with digital readers for books. Format (book, audiobook, e-reader) is being separated from content (for example, a mystery novel).
AJL So, the internet has changed from somewhere you go to get information to somwhere you go to interact with content and people. "Web 2.0" is the term for the technologies that allow this to happen. Web 2.0 refers to web applications which facilitate interactive information sharing. They are not tied to a particular platform, but are user-centered in design, and make use of colloboration. A Web 2.0 site allows its users to interact with other users or to change website content, in contrast to non-interactive websites where users are limited to the passive viewing of information.
[Before the video] AJL This next video brings home the impact of Web 2.0 on our communities and organizations. The information is presented fast. In fact, I believe intentionally fast to drive home the idea that the pace at which the social media driven change moves. Try not focus on the indvidual stats, but the cummaltive message of the stats and pace. [After the video] EAC Did you get all that? NO?! Don't worry. It took me about three viewing for all the stats to really sink in. Let me summarize: Web 2.0 technologies enable new ways of interacting - and have already changed how we receive our news, how we entertain ourselves, how we earn and spend money, how political processes play out, how we work, how we communicate.... and yes, how libraries work, too. We're almost to libraries, we just need to cover one more concept.
AJL Web 2.0 technologies give rise to the related concept of "social media." Social media (as the term implies) is all about social interactions online. Social media are disseminated through social interaction, support the human need for social interaction, transform broadcast media monologues (one to many) into social media dialogues (many to many), support the democratization of knowledge and information, and transform people from content consumers to content producers.
[Before the video] EAC The quickest and most fun way to understand the concept of social media is to watch the Common Craft video about it, so let's do that. [After the video] EAC So, social media is about discussion: sharing ideas and getting feedback from interested people.
[Before video] AJL Now that we know what social media is, let's think about another question: why it matters. [After video] AJL Social media allows people to communicate with each other instantly and easily - and provides everyone with a potentially huge audience for their commentary. At the core, what each of the videos we've watched have had in common is that they're talking about change. A change taking place on the WWW is creating changes in other aspects of life: the distribution of news, entertainment, communication. That's nothing new. But the relentless pace of technological change is increasing the pace of other change.
EAC And that affects libraries. At its core, the 23 Things program is a way to think about using the social media made possible by Web 2.0 in the library. Sarah Houghton's definition of Library 2.0 is a popular one: Library 2.0 simply means making your library's space (virtual and physical) more interactive, collaborative, and driven by community needs. Examples of where to start include blogs, gaming nights for teens, and collaborative photo sites. The basic drive is to get people back into the library by making the library relevant to what they want and need in their daily lives... to make the library a destination and not an afterthought.
AJL So Web 2.0 starts with the separation of form and content, which allows non-geeks to interact with digital content and real people through social media. EAC This leads to Library 2.0 - using social media to allow library staff and customers to interact with each other - and our collections - in new ways. AJL So we (as staff) are looking at and evauluating these 23 Things as tools, to determine whether they allow us to do our jobs in more efficient ways - or to reach new patrons.
EAC Alright, now that we've talked about where Library 2.0 comes from and what L ibrary 2.0 is, let's talk about why it's important.
AJL Why should this matter to us? We already have plenty of satisfied customers. We're already busier than we want to be. Why do we need to do more? Stephen Abram, VP of Innovation at SirsiDynix, EAC (which may be an oxymoron, but that's beside the point) AJL As I was saying, Abram sums it up nicely. In his blog post responding to an article from MarketWatch EAC (which is part of the Wall Street Journal digital network), AJL Abram concludes... Information professionals have a professional obligation to learn and evaluate all major new technologies and determine when and where these might be useful in the service of learning, community and the social good. If we don't, then who will?
AJL As we progress through the 23 Things we'll think about them in two ways. One, as tools we use; two, our users' expections. Is each Thing a useful tool for accomplishing the library's mission? Is this something our users expect us to know and use - and help them use? [AJL grabs his laptop and sits down. He opens up the laptop, browses to a website, and starts typing furiously.] EAC Some Things may fall into both categories. Or, you may think that other items don't fall into either. That's OK - the idea is to generate discussion first and action second.
[EAC gives AJL a "look."] EAC Now that we've covered why, let's take a quick look through the "whats." As in, "what are the 23 Things?" And a word of warning, don't get too comfortable in those seats! [Irritated] Adam, what are you doing? AJL [Looks up innocently.] Library 2.0 is awesome! It's so so cool I had to start blogging about it right away! EAC Adam, I'm really happy that you're so excited about this, but we are giving the presentation. Right now. So, you're going to have to wait and blog about it later . Especially since your next job is to tell everyone what blogs are.
AJL Blogs are "web logs," - essentially journals kept online. They can be personal or professional in nature. EAC Everyone who's written a blog post, please stand up for a second.
EAC Great. You can sit down, and everyone who has posted photos to a picture sharing site can stand up. Good. [Waves them back into their seats.] AJL Photo sharing websites like Flickr, Picasa, Shutterfly, and Snapfish let you upload your digital pictures and share them with friends. I see you're already teaching Simeon how to play Settlers of Catan. EAC Well, at the moment he's our only hope to beating you!
EAC Blog readers bring your favorite websites and blogs to one spot so it's easier to keep up with everything happening on the web. Blog Readers are my favorite Thing. Everyone else who uses a blog reader, please stand up for a second.
EAC Alright sit down, unless you know what RSS Feeds are. [Waves everyone down] AJL RSS, or Really Simple Syndication, is the technology that makes Blog Readers work. This is one of the coolest Things that you can use without understanding how it works! [Shelley ostentatiously pulls out her cellphone and begins texting.]
EAC Digg is a social news site, or as I think of it, the democratization of news. Stand up if you have an account with Digg.
EAC Down with Digg and up with Facebook users. AJL Facebook was created as an experiment to map people's real-life relationships in an online environment. Shelly, um.... I don't mean to be disrespectful, what with you being my boss and all, but what are you doing? This program was your idea, you could at least give us your attention for an hour. SH: [Looking embarrassed.] Sorry, I was just updating my Facebook status. [Sounding engraciating] After all I want everyone to know where I am and what I'm doing! [Hurriedly] I'll just add a note that you and Elizabeth are doing a great job and put my phone away. [AJL resumes.] Now Facebook is the most popular social networking site online--at least in the US.
EAC Linked In is another social networking site--but one specifically for forging and maintaining professional connections. AJL Anyone else with a LinkedIn account out there?
AJL How about tweeters? EAC Twitter is all about keeping in touch about the little things in life--things too small to make it into phone calls or emails. Twitter is so easy that even a baby can do it. Simeon started tweeting at 2 months. [Pauses, resumes to Adam.] I wonder what Simeon is doing this morning. I really miss him now that I'm at work all day. AJL I know, but we are in the middle of a presentation here. Our bosses are watching! EAC But I bet no one would mind if we took a quick peek at Sim's Twitter page. [turns to audience] Right? [no matter response] See? [Pull Simeon's Twitter page up and read latest tweet.] AJL Okay, let's get back to business, shall we?
AJL Instant Messaging or IM allows people to "chat" online in real time. How many of you have ever IMed?
AJL Or tagged something? EAC Tags are the democratic and unstructured equivalent of subject headings. You are all very lucky to work at a library where we catalogers allow such anarchy to reign. [GW not-so-stealthily pulls out his laptop, browses to a website, and starts typing.]
AJL Delicious is one of many social bookmarking websites - it allows users to "bookmark" websites, then tag and share their bookmarks. Bonus: the list of bookmarks is available from any internet-connected device. (Sounds useful for the computer-hoppers among us, huh?) Do any of you already use Delicious?
AJL And surely we have a number of LibraryThing or GoodReaders users among us! EAC GoodReads and LibraryThing are more social networking sites for book lovers. Tag, rate, review, and discuss your favorite books with friends and others who share your reading interests. [EAC looks at GW and sighs dramatically.] Gary, I thought your phone was your precious. What's up with the laptop? GW Well, that screenshot from the catalog reminded me that I didn't update my LibraryThing account with a rating and review of the last book I read. I wanted to do it before I forgot again. EAC [Firmly] Let me get this right. You have a LibraryThing account and [sounds upset] you've never made me a LibraryThing friend?! [Turning away from GW] I'm not sure I can be your employee anymore! AJL [Pats EAC's back consolingly.] Don't worry... we'll get you both counseling... [sternly] after we finish the presentation.
AJL Wikis are a dynamic webpages that allow several users to edit the same page. A wiki can be open to the world, like a certain encyclopedia, or accessible only to a few individuals - like our Library Programming wiki. How many of you have created, or added to, a wiki?
AJL Or done some creative work creating customized maps? EAC Sure we've all created a map with driving directions, but mashups allow us to do a lot more. A mashup is a web application that combines two or more existing applications from other sources to create a new service. For example, overlay sallelite images on your street map - all with the simple click of a button.
AJL Google Docs are pretty similar to Microsoft Office products. You can create documents, spreadsheets, and presentations just like this one EAC (which was, in fact, created with Google Docs). AJL But since the information is stored online, you can access them from anywhere--and share them without creating multiple copies! Do we have any other Google Docs users in the house?
AJL Stand up if "You've Sent It." EAC Have you ever tried to send an attachment in an email only to get an error message that the file exceeded the allowable limit? You Send It, and other peer to peer services, solve this problem.
AJL Tiny URL is a website that converts long, cumbersome, impossible to remember web addresses into short, memorable ones. Who has used this service?
AJL Anyone here listen to streamed music? EAC If you haven't heard , music distribution is changing. Music is now readily available streamed from online sources. But companies like Pandora, last.fm, and iLike do more - they allow you to share music with friends and provide music advisory services that introduce you to new performers based on your preferences.
AJL YouTube is a shining example of a Web 2.0 site on two fronts. One, it's all about users creating and sharing content, whether the videos are intended just for a few friends, for a particular community, or for the whole world. Two, it's all about streaming media. I think we have time for a short demonstration. [Play video.] EAC We won't make you stand for this one, because now you've all seen a YouTube video.
EAC But do stand up if you've watched a show on Hulu. Many businesses have been impacted by Web 2.0 - and that includes the multi-billion dollar entertainment industry. Streaming media allows users to watch what they want when they want. AJL The question of whether we pay for content or access (or both, or neither) has major impacts on libraries.
AJL Podcasting, or webcasting, occurs when content providers make their shows downloadable so that audiences can not only access them when they want, but also take them where they want. You can think of Podcasting as: Personal On Demand EAC Last time: stand up if you listen to podcasts or watch webcasts.
EAC The Things we've talked about so far are by no means the only Things out there. So we're going to give you a week to find and play with a new Thing.
AJL Finally, we'll wrap up by giving you a chance to think about all the Things you've learned and share your thoughts on this program.
EAC We realize that seeing all 23 Things at once is overwhelming - like reading the full course syllabus on the first day of your first college class. It's very tempting to think, "I can't do all that." But you can! And by making social media users stand up throughout the presentation, hopefully you've discovered that you have a lot of friends and colleagues to go to for help if you have any questions or problems! AJL Remember: the basic premise of social media is that you do NOT have to be a geek, you do NOT have to know how to program a computer, and you do NOT have to start with some level of pre-existing knowledge. We love Helene Blower's "instructional philosophy," so we're co-opting it as our own for this program. We want you to remember it, so read it aloud with us: EAC + AJL + ALL "The very first step in learning is simply exposure."
EAC The program is pretty simple. Each week we'll introduce a new Thing on our blog. You'll read the entry, often watching a video for background or instructions. Then you'll spend time using the Thing. Finally, you'll write about the Thing on your own blog. Don't have a blog - don't worry! We'll help you set one up as part of the lab today. We don't expect that you'll become experts on every form of social media by going through this program. But we hope you'll gain confidence and skill in trying new things - and applying them to our work.
AJL Okay, time for a pop quiz! Hopefully you've noticed that we've been focusing on "why." As in "Why should you participate in the 23 Things program?" EAC So, here's your chance to tell us why you think you should. Let's see how many different reasons you can come up with. Social media are collaborative in nature - and so is this exercise, so help each other out! [Possible answers: learn new technologies apply new technologies to library mission discover new ways of interacting w/ customers discover new ways of interacting w/ information keep up with change promote dialogue support democratization of knowlege & information colloaborate more evaluate new tools keep up w/ what customers are doing it's a professional obligation (i.e. it's our job) get paid to play become comfortable playing w/ something new to learn how it works make information easier to access let customers access information how they prefer]
AJL Good job. As a reward, we have one more fun activity. Elizabeth and I will read through the "10 Best Things We'll Say to Our Grandkids." When you hear something to refers to an example of social media, call out the name of the technology. AJL + EAC alternate 1. Back in my day, we only needed 140 characters. 2. There used to be so much snow up here you could strap a board to your feet and slide all the way down. 3. Televised contests gave cash prizes to whoever could store the most data in their head. 4. Well, the screens were bigger, but they only showed the movies at certain times of day. 5. We all had one, but nobody actually used it. Come ot think of it, I bet my LinkedIn profile is still out there on the Web somewhere. 6. Translation: English used to be the dominate langugage. Crazy, huh? 7. Our bodies were made of meat and supported by little sticks of calcium. 8. You used to keep files right on your computer, and you had to go back to that same computer to access them! 9. Is that the new iPhone 27G? Got multitaksing yet? 10. I just can get used to this darn vat-grown steak. Texture ain't right.
EAC At this point we expect that some of you have questions. AJL Let's see how many we can answer before you ask them. EAC + AJL "Do I have to participate?" No. But we really hope that you will. Not only will you learn a lot, you'll have fun. AJL + EAC "How much time will it take?" I went through a 23 Things program and found that it took about two hours to read the blog entry with background and instructions, play with the Thing long enough to feel comfortable, and then write about the experience. The Management Team is aware of the time required to complete this program, and all supervisors are committed to supporting any staff member who wishs to participate. We hope that supervisors will participate, too. EAC + AJL "We've discussed about 23 reasons why we should do this, but I'm still not convinced. Do you have one more?" Everyone who completes the program will be entered in a drawing to win...
AJL some really cool prizes. We're not sure exactly what they'll be, but we know you'll like them!
