The What, Why and How of Collaboration Tools Christina K. Pikas Maryland Technology Day October 4, 2007

Agenda Background Real goals, do you have them? Choosing among... Re-purpose existing software or buy new? Gaining participation Evaluating

Background

Real goals, do you have them?

Choosing among...

Re-purpose existing software or buy new?

Gaining participation

Evaluating

First - Who's Here? Special libraries? Government? Law firm? Corporate? Others? Academic? Public? MLS or MIM students? Independent Information Professionals? Vendors? Non-library folks?

Special libraries?

Government?

Law firm?

Corporate?

Others?

Academic?

Public?

MLS or MIM students?

Independent Information Professionals?

Vendors?

Non-library folks?

Background Lots of information on blogs, wikis, etc. May not be from your setting Less information on how they interact Complex information ecology Information sharing climate Existing infrastructure Types of information Access to funding, servers, IT staff Legal and security concerns

Lots of information on blogs, wikis, etc.

May not be from your setting

Less information on how they interact

Complex information ecology

Information sharing climate

Existing infrastructure

Types of information

Access to funding, servers, IT staff

Legal and security concerns

The bottom line: We are never starting from a blank slate!

Real Goals It is ok to have the goal of demonstrating a technology or learning a technology to build expertise in the library! (…then what?)

It is ok to have the goal of demonstrating a technology or learning a technology to build expertise in the library!

(…then what?)

Potential Goals Expand the role of the library as a catalyst for information sharing and stewardship Establish and maintain relationships and networks with customers Market library services and programs Library as online space Internal library tool to support staff work

Expand the role of the library as a catalyst for information sharing and stewardship

Establish and maintain relationships and networks with customers

Market library services and programs

Library as online space

Internal library tool to support staff work

Choosing among... Blogs Wikis Online bookmarking E-mail discussion lists Forums/message boards SharePoint Newsletters Or picking from?

Blogs

Wikis

Online bookmarking

E-mail discussion lists

Forums/message boards

SharePoint

Newsletters

How do blogs really work? In practice: Each contribution is individual and signed Posting is normally kept in a time line arrangement what information is best arranged this way? what information is better arranged by subject or geographically or... ? Blogs are reverse chronologically arranged collections of discrete posts...

In practice:

Each contribution is individual and signed

Posting is normally kept in a time line arrangement

what information is best arranged this way?

what information is better arranged by subject or geographically or... ?

Blogs +/- They do well at capturing comments for each post They are easy to keep up with using RSS* Easy to link to specific posts Collaborative at the macro level Sometimes difficult to chase conversations Need to post fairly regularly to maintain non-RSS readership Personal vs. corporate voice *note: many people use RSS readers that are web based - these won't be very useful for intranet feeds!

They do well at capturing comments for each post

They are easy to keep up with using RSS*

Easy to link to specific posts

Collaborative at the macro level

Sometimes difficult to chase conversations

Need to post fairly regularly to maintain non-RSS readership

Personal vs. corporate voice

How do wikis really work? It’s the read/write web, where users can edit without knowing HTML Typically Keep revisions so that you can see what has changed and revert to a previous version Have levels of access User contributions are generally merged into the whole without specific attribution Wikis are web pages that visitors can edit*... *note: a meaningless definition, but you'll know one when you see it!

It’s the read/write web, where users can edit without knowing HTML

Typically

Keep revisions so that you can see what has changed and revert to a previous version

Have levels of access

User contributions are generally merged into the whole without specific attribution

Wikis +/- Great for consensus documents Great for things that can change fast Great for things that have an end goal Not great for things that require voting or individual opinions Not great for settling arguments

Great for consensus documents

Great for things that can change fast

Great for things that have an end goal

Not great for things that require voting or individual opinions

Not great for settling arguments

Other 2.0 technologies

What older technologies? Forums and bulletin boards Really good for threaded conversations E-mail lists Reach the most people Are familiar and are the workhorse Newsletters Are great for less frequent, well thought-out content

Forums and bulletin boards

Really good for threaded conversations

E-mail lists

Reach the most people

Are familiar and are the workhorse

Newsletters

Are great for less frequent, well thought-out content

Newsletters

But… no money, no time, no IT? Maybe there’s something that has a new blog or wiki plugin? SharePoint new versions Confluence wikis also do blogs Is there a possibility of using a hosted service? Wordpress.com Pbwiki Google groups?

Maybe there’s something that has a new blog or wiki plugin?

SharePoint new versions

Confluence wikis also do blogs

Is there a possibility of using a hosted service?

Wordpress.com

Pbwiki

Google groups?

SharePoint Many different versions Many organizations have access to a lightweight version that came with Microsoft web server software Newest version has E-mail and RSS alerts Blogs and wikis Discussion boards Jack of all trades and integrates with Office

Many different versions

Many organizations have access to a lightweight version that came with Microsoft web server software

Newest version has

E-mail and RSS alerts

Blogs and wikis

Discussion boards

Jack of all trades and integrates with Office

Open Source Free Server and setup can be expensive But there are lots of choices and many books to help

Free

Server and setup can be expensive

But there are lots of choices and many books to help

Adoption If you build it, will they come? (short answer: no!) Assimilation gap: many IT products are purchased, then never deployed, or if deployed, are not widely adopted Fashions for corporate software come and go If 1-10-90 applies on the web, what if your total population is only 100-10,000? What does adoption look like for a library supported collaboration tool?

If you build it, will they come? (short answer: no!)

Assimilation gap: many IT products are purchased, then never deployed, or if deployed, are not widely adopted

Fashions for corporate software come and go

If 1-10-90 applies on the web, what if your total population is only 100-10,000?

What does adoption look like for a library supported collaboration tool?

Gaining Participation Talk to the potential users before building Invite these users first and take their suggestions Model the content you would like to see Provide a scaffold or template Give examples Nurture the content that does appear Encourage healthy Discourage unhealthy Make it easy and low risk

Talk to the potential users before building

Invite these users first and take their suggestions

Model the content you would like to see

Provide a scaffold or template

Give examples

Nurture the content that does appear

Encourage healthy

Discourage unhealthy

Make it easy and low risk

Participation (continued) Encourage the participants Make it part of their work process Market tirelessly (do try not to be too annoying!) in other media - by e-mail, by posters, by flyers, by handouts Appear in search results Drop in to casual conversation :)

Encourage the participants

Make it part of their work process

Market tirelessly (do try not to be too annoying!)

in other media - by e-mail, by posters, by flyers, by handouts

Appear in search results

Drop in to casual conversation :)

Legal and Security For intranets Good to have a disclaimer that information still must go through standard public release procedures Standard compliance rules apply Caretaking to ensure growth can also head off potential problems Use real names, link to identity

For intranets

Good to have a disclaimer that information still must go through standard public release procedures

Standard compliance rules apply

Caretaking to ensure growth can also head off potential problems

Use real names, link to identity

Legal (continued) For internet tools Consider requiring a password to edit Use spam filters and comment moderation to start or be ready to add fast Monitor for spam

For internet tools

Consider requiring a password to edit

Use spam filters and comment moderation to start or be ready to add fast

Monitor for spam

Other notes Be sure to brand the thing with your logo Be sure to link to the library web site Connect your work to the library Be committed!

Be sure to brand the thing with your logo

Be sure to link to the library web site

Connect your work to the library

Be committed!

Contact Information Christina K. Pikas, BS, MLS R.E. Gibson Library & Information Center The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory Voice 443.778.4812 (Baltimore) 240.228.4812 (Washington) E-mail [email_address] Blog http:// christinaslibraryrant.blogspot.com

Christina K. Pikas, BS, MLS R.E. Gibson Library & Information Center The Johns Hopkins University

Applied Physics Laboratory

Voice 443.778.4812 (Baltimore)

240.228.4812 (Washington)

E-mail [email_address]

Blog http:// christinaslibraryrant.blogspot.com

Resources Crawford, W. (2007). Balanced libraries: thoughts on continuity and change. [Morrisville, NC]: Lulu. Nielsen, Jakob (2006, October 9). Participation Inequality: Encouraging More Users to Contribute. Jakob Nielsen's Alertbox. Retrieved October 2, 2007 from http://www.useit.com/alertbox/participation_inequality.html Preece, J. (2000). Online communities: Designing usability, supporting sociability. New York: John Wiley & Sons. Wikipatterns. com (wonderful resource for wiki gardening!)

Crawford, W. (2007). Balanced libraries: thoughts on continuity and change. [Morrisville, NC]: Lulu.

Nielsen, Jakob (2006, October 9). Participation Inequality: Encouraging More Users to Contribute. Jakob Nielsen's Alertbox. Retrieved October 2, 2007 from http://www.useit.com/alertbox/participation_inequality.html

Preece, J. (2000). Online communities: Designing usability, supporting sociability. New York: John Wiley & Sons.

Wikipatterns. com (wonderful resource for wiki gardening!)

Sites Shown RecentArticles (APL internal only) The Gaming Zone: http://thegamingzone.wordpress.com/ Business Blog: http://www.library.ohiou.edu/subjects/businessblog/ Gibson wiki page (APL internal only) The Biz Wiki: http://www.library.ohiou.edu/subjects/bizwiki/index.php/Main_Page APL Scuttle (APL internal only) Lav Notes: online at http://www.library.jhu.edu/about/news/lavnotes/index.html SharePoint Services: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepointtechnology/default.aspx

RecentArticles (APL internal only)

The Gaming Zone: http://thegamingzone.wordpress.com/

Business Blog: http://www.library.ohiou.edu/subjects/businessblog/

Gibson wiki page (APL internal only)

The Biz Wiki: http://www.library.ohiou.edu/subjects/bizwiki/index.php/Main_Page

APL Scuttle (APL internal only)

Lav Notes: online at http://www.library.jhu.edu/about/news/lavnotes/index.html

SharePoint Services: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepointtechnology/default.aspx