Dan Sich CIL 2008

Virtual Reference: Endless Possibilities (Meebo, Skype & more) Dan Sich University of Western Ontario

Overview
Meebo, MeeboMe
Skype & Unyte
Issues
Statistics
Other options

UWaterloo Timeline
Past:
LSSI
Docutek (until April 2007)
MSN (since March 2006)
Present:
Meebo, MeeboMe (since January 2007)
Skype & Unyte (pilot since October 2007)

Meebo
Free web service for IM
Multiple accounts, one interface
Web-based: zero installs, zero updates
MeeboMe chat boxes

www.meebo.com

MeeboMe chat box
Easy to customize (size, title)
Includes status indicator (wording is hard-coded)
Embed code (references .swf) is automatically generated
Limited customizability

Transcripts
MeeboMe: no
Meebo: optional, but awkward recovery
Time for analysis?
Privacy concerns?

Patron won’t stand still

Avoiding missing messages
Firefox Meebo add-on https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/5700
Sidebar & pop-up previews, flashing tab & task bar

Anonymity, offline messages
Contact info?
Time stamp?
Still there?

Stats: Docutek vs. IM Number of questions No service Aug 2005 Started MSN Started Meebo Started evening hours pilot , Feb 26 MSN passes Docutek Ended evening hours pilot & stopped Docutek, mid-April

% questions by account type

Hab.la
A MeeboMe alternative, uses embed code
Can be monitored with Meebo, Pidgin, etc.
Transcripts not lost between pages
Uses cookies, shows patron’s URL
Floating / absolute positioning
Start collapsed / expanded
Vanish when offline (optional)
Max 5 simultaneous widgets/IPs

http://static.hab.la/js/html/url_handler.html?siteid=5334-379603-10-3528&wcsid=gjvUXqmevgDbufavbPVNFOieEiaSVQxg&url= http://www.lib.uwaterloo.ca

Hab.la + library resources

LibraryH3lp
http://libraryh3lp.blogspot.com/
open-source
Javascript
Customizable
Chat boxes

Endless Possibilities…

Skype
VOIP
Faster than chat
Has chat
Very intuitive
Free
Requires install
One more login
Super-nodes

Unyte
One-way screen-sharing
No co-browse
Any webpage, browser or program; no proxy issues
Requires (host-side) install
Dependent upon Skype
No patron plug-in
Free version available, but…
Functionality can vanish
Unyted, but interrupted
Web slow = Unyte slow

Have you tried our Skype a Librarian service yet? Add us: uwlibchat Call us (Voice-Over IP) Chat with us Part of the Library’s Ask a Librarian service www.lib.uwaterloo.ca/asklib When you need research help... Skype a Librarian! VOIP or chat MONDAY to FRIDAY 12 noon – 4pm

Publicity

Skype stats: total, VOIP & Unyte Number of questions

Low Skype & Unyte numbers
Skype not installed on public workstations
Do students prefer chat?
Where are the students?
Extend the trial
Staff need practice
Skype use during renovations?

References & links
Stephanie J. Graves, Christina M. Desai. (2006). Instruction via chat reference: Does co-browse help? Reference Services Review, 34 (3), 340.
http://www.libsuccess.org/ (see “Libraries Using MeeboMe for Embeeded Chat”)
http://solokay.blogspot.com/ (Solomon’s VoIP World)
www.meebo.com
www.meebome.com
www.pidgin.im
www.ceruleanstudios.com (Trillian)
www.hab.la (Hab.la widgets)
http://libraryh3lp.blogspot.com (LibraryH3lp widgets)
www.plugoo.com (Plugoo widgets)
www.skype.com
http://heartbeat.skype.com/
www.unyte.net
https://extras.skype.com/1101/view (Spontania)
http://www.convenos.com/
https://www.yugma.com/
http://www.lib.uwaterloo.ca/asklib (UWaterloo’s Ask a Librarian page)
http://www.lib.uwo.ca/taylor/imresearchhelp.shtml (UWO’s Research Help via IM)
www.shushers.ca/libraridan (my blog, LibrariDan)

Contact
[email_address] (including chat)
Skype: dansich (London/Waterloo)
www.shushers.ca/libraridan (see LibraryH3lp in action)

Dan Sich CIL 2008

by dansich on Apr 09, 2008

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Dan Sich CIL 2008 — Presentation Transcript