Setting The Stage For
Extending Our Reach:
An Overview of Web 2.0 Tools
and Resources
Kenn Bicknell
Los Angeles County Metropolitan
Transportation Authority
March 24, 2009

SIX WORKSHOP OUTCOMES
Discussion: What
is everyone
Overview of Web
already doing and
2.0 tools
what do we want
to do?
Determining which
Questions and
tools are right for
Discussion
you
Marketing and
How to “Keep Up” Publicity
Opportunities

WEB 2.0 CHARACTERISTICS
The
“egocentric”
web
Enhancing
User-
creativity
sharing, collabor
created
ation and
content
functionality of
the web
Low Social and
barriers to social-
participate networking
Intercon-
nectivity
and viral in
nature

Web 1.0 vs. Web 2.0
Passive Reading Active Writing
Focus On Companies Focus On Communities
Imparting Information Fostering Conversation
Traditional Services Word-Of-Mouth
Marketing
Items Sold On The Web Web Services

The Information Ecosystem:
Then vs. Now
Information Is Scarce Information Is Abundant
Information is Expensive Information Is Cheap
Institutionally-Oriented Personally-Oriented
Design For Consumption Design For Participation
Dedicated Attention “Continuous Partial
Attention”

What Are We Doing Here?

Overview of Web 2.0 Tools
Overview of Web
Discussion: What
2.0 tools
is everyone
already doing and
what do we want
to do?
Determining which
Questions and
tools are right for
Discussion
you
Marketing and
How to “Keep Up” Publicity
Opportunities

Six Things To Know About Each Tool
1. What Is It?
2. Who’s Doing It?
3. How Does It Work?
4. Why Is It Significant?
5. What Are The Downsides?
6. Where Is It Going And What Are The
Implications?

Web 2.0 Categorization
Conversation
Social
Collaborating
Networking
Aggregating, Organizing
and Sharing

Web 2.0 Groundswell
Inactives (doing nothing, or off the radar)
Spectators (readers)
Joiners (subscribers)
Collectors (searchers)
Critics (commenters)
Creators (active participants)

Stories From The Groundswell

PEOPLE CREATING: BLOGS,
USER-CREATED CONTENT, PODCASTS
ACTIVITIES OUTCOMES
•Reading / Listening •Dissemination
•Commenting •Virtual Networks
•Subscribing •Increased
•Reposting “Webification”
•Cross-Linking •Grassroots Activity
•Copyright Issues
•Cultural Shifts

Blogs: What Is It?
Online “weblog”
Usually chronological collection of commentary and links
Personal diaries
Editorial Topics
Alternative Media
Blogosphere

Blogs: Who’s Doing It?
Individuals
Groups
Families
Communities
Corporations
Political Candidates

Blogs: Why Are They Significant?
Engagement In The Sharing Of Knowledge, Reflection, Debate
Important Feature In “Internet Landscape”
Outlet For Unedited Expression, Reaction, Connection
Greatly Reduced Censorship
Lacking Editorial Hallmarks Of Formal Media Outlets
Compressed Timeline For Publication And Digestion
Instant Gratification

Blogs: What Are The Downsides?
Bias And Inaccuracy
Fast And Easy Perpetuation Of Inaccuracy
Conflict With Host Or Institutional Values
Intellectual Property Considerations
Ease Of Deletion Or Changing Information

Blogs: Where Is It Going And
What Are The Implications?
Exponential Creation:
12 Million Americans Now Blogging (6% of Adult Americans)
Exponential Consumption:
57 Million Americans Now Reading Blogs
Exponential Business Opportunity:
1.7 Million Americans Making Money From Blogging
Exponential Worldwide Growth:
120,000 New Blogs Created Every Day

Podcasting

Podcasting: What Is It?
Name Inspired by iPod
Automatic Downloading Of Audio Files (MP3)
Unlike radio, listener has control
Instead Of A Central Audio Stream, Podcasting Sends
Content Directly To Device

Podcasting: Who Is Doing It?
Similar To Blogging: Practically Anyone
With Internet Connection Wishing To
Use Or Share Audio Content
Traditional Broadcasting And
Syndicated Radio Converting Content
To Podcasts

Podcasting: How Does It Work?
Connect Portable Device (e.g. MP3 Player) To Computer
Log On To Podcast Subscription Service
Subscribe To Feed
Audio Content Is Pushed To Device
Portability Allows Listening And Learning During Other Mobile Activities
(exercise, transportation, etc.)

Podcasting: Why Is It Significant?
Allows Information Consumption And
Knowledge To Be More Portable Than Ever
Compliments Other Internet-Based Tools And
Resources Which Are Primarily Text Based
Simple And Affordable

Podcasting: What Are The Downsides?
Similar Downsides To Blogs
Users Must Have Sufficient Bandwidth
Format Limitations And Standardization
Limited Usefulness For The Hearing Impaired
Not Designed For Two-Way Interaction
Sound Quality

Podcasting: Where Is It Going And
What Are The Implications?
Predicted To Be Mainstream Application (Similar To Tivo)
Educational Applications
Growth In Aggregation
New Applications With Video
New Layers Of Richness On Top Of Simple Audio Files

PEOPLE CONNECTING:
SOCIAL NETWORKS & VIRTUAL WORLDS
ACTIVITIES OUTCOMES
Creating Profiles: Individuals, Socializing Takes Place
Organizations, Events, Increasingly Online
Activities, Alternate Identities
Networking and Friending Expanding Personal,
Professional, And Social
Relationships
Providing Status Updates Mass Alerts Of Current Activity
Meeting Virtually And Visiting Facilitates Collaboration And
Alternative Worlds Inspires Creativity

Adult Use Of
Social Networking Sites
29
30
16
25 13
Feb-05
20
9
11 Sep-05
15
Aug-06
Dec-08
8
10 3 Dec-08
Aug-06
5 Sep-05
2
0 Feb-05
Ever
Yesterday
Pew/Internet “Adults And Social Network Websites,” January, 2009

Facebook: What Is It?
User Profiles, Social Networking, and More
Not Just For Individuals
Now The Most Important Social Networking Site In The U.S.
Open To Anyone
Web-Based Applications
User-Determined Privacy Policy

Facebook: Who’s Doing It?
Everybody (Almost)

Facebook: How Does It Work?
Friending, Network Membership, Groups
Photo Uploads
External Apps linked and shared
Email Search
Permissions Control
Recent Formatting And Privacy Changes

Facebook: Why Is It Significant?
Popularity Makes Social Networking Unavoidable
Social Networking As Portal
Mobile Applications
User Control

Facebook: What Are The Downsides?
Lack Of Substance
Adoption Without Cost-Benefit Assessment
Profile Access Not Always Understood Or Exercised
Questionable Social Repercussions
Control Over Personal Information

Facebook: Where Is It Going And
What Are The Implications?
Social Networking Is Here To Stay
Increasing Integration With Other Web Tools
“Always On” Mobility
Expansion Is Not Necessarily More Substantive
New Relationships And Communication
Changing Views Of Socialization

Niche Social networks

Niche Social Networks: Ning

Meeting Online:
Free Web-Hosted Software

Meeting Online: Virtual Reality

PEOPLE COLLABORATING:
WIKIS AND OPEN SOURCE
ACTIVITIES OUTCOMES
Online Collaboration Dynamic Knowledge Base
Open Editing Democratic Participation
Maximizing Participation Crowdsourcing
Centralized Knowledge Repositories

Wikipedia

PEOPLE REACTING:
FORUMS, RATINGS, REVIEWS
ACTIVITIES OUTCOMES
Forums (Electronic Answers, Discussion,
Bulletin Boards) Virtual Communities
Ratings (Amazon, Crowdsourcing
Rotten Tomatoes)
Reviews (Amazon, Disintermediation
TripAdvisor)

PEOPLE ORGANIZING CONTENT:
TAGS AND FOLKSONOMIES
Document
Photo Sharing Video Sharing
Sharing
Groundswell
Social
Impact On
Bookmarking
Information

Flickr: What Is It?
Popular Photo Sharing Website Owned By Yahoo
Tagging, Comments, Notations, Ratings
Visual Communities
Crowdsourcing

Flickr: Who’s Doing It?
Those Wishing To Share, Critique, Analyze Visual
Information
2 Billion Images
20 Million Unique Tags
Flickr Commons

Flickr: How Does It Work?
Free Accounts And Paid Accounts
Accessibility And Use Settings
Links To User’s Profiles, Similar
Photos, etc.

Flickr: Why Is It Significant?
Low Barrier To Entry For Sharing and Accessing Visual Work
Vast Collections Not Available Anywhere Else
Range Of Images On Specific Topic Is Enormous
Ability To Compare Images Quickly
Access Builds Shared Experiences And Relationships
Mirrors Penetration Of Digital Camera Market
Support For Creative Commons Licensing

Flickr: What Are The Downsides?
Reliability And Stability Of Online Venture
Commercial Service For Academic And Research
Endeavors
Errors And Inconsistencies In Folksonomy
Value Of Nonprofessional Comments

Flickr: Where Is It Going And
What Are The Implications?
Comfortable Platform For Early Engagement
Geolocation Tools
Mobile Upload Methods
Publishing Partnerships
New Data Regarding Use
Expanding Flickr Commons
Applications For New Learning Models

Flickr

Library of Congress on Flickr

YouTube: What Is It?
Video Uploading And Sharing Service
Virtually Limitless Content
Tagging, Comments, Notations, Ratings
Create And Participate In Topical Groups and Channels

YouTube: Who Is Doing It?
Streaming Over 100 Million Videos Per
Day
Outlet for creativity, sharing, soliciting
feedback
Content not tied to the medium

YouTube: How Does It Work?
Free, Posting Requires Registration
Customized Access: Public vs. Restricted
Sharing Via Email, Favorites, Comments, Video Response
Tagging
Content Can Be Embedded Elsewhere

YouTube: Why Is It Significant?
Facilitates Sharing Information Via Visual
Media
Free Access Allows Contributors To Reach
Masses
Builds Community

YouTube: What Are The Downsides?
Evolution Of And Challenges To Copyright
Other Legal Questions
Privacy
Ongoing Availability Of Content

YouTube: Where Is It Going And
What Are The Implications?
Channel Development
“Narrowcasting” To Targeted, Self-Identified Populations
Active Learning Applications And Visual Literacy
Benefits Of Creating Content
Increasing Value Of Networks And Support Over Content

YouTube

DOCUMENT SHARING

Scribd

Slideshare

LibraryThing

Social Bookmarking: What Is It?
Saving Bookmarks On A Website
Keyword Tagging
Searching Features: Keyword, Popularity

Social Bookmarking: Who Is Doing It?
Anyone Who Wants The
Convenience And Safety Of
Storing Bookmarks In One
Place Always Accessible

Social Bookmarking:
How Does It Work?
Creator Assigns Tags To Each Resource
User-Directed Classification
Links From One To All Of User’s Other Bookmarks
Ascertain Popularity

Social Bookmarking:
Why Is It Significant?
User Determines Value Of Information Resources
User Determines Structure Of Information Resources
Ranking Serves As Collaborative Filter
Discovery Of New Resources On Topics Of Interest
Power Of Folksonomies
Integration With Other Web 2.0 Tools

Social Bookmarking:
What Are The Downsides?
Classification By Amateurs With No Oversight
Inconsistent Use Of Tags
Poor Use Of Tags
Biased Use Of Tags

Social Bookmarking: Where Is It Going
And What Are The Implications?
Tagging Extended To Other Applications
Shift From Taxonomies To Folksonomies
New Systems Of Classifying Materials
Influence On Design And Function Of Databases

Del.icio.us

Your Own Bookmarks,
Your Own Network

ACCELERATING CONSUMPTION:
RSS FEEDS AND WIDGETS
ACTIVITIES OUTCOMES
RSS FEEDS Speeds Up
Consumption
WIDGETS Facilitates Participation

RSS: Really Simple Syndication

RSS: What Is It?
Protocol Allowing Subscription To Content
Access New Information Pushed To You
Readers / Aggregators
Natural Compliment To Blogs, Content-Sharing Sites

RSS: Who’s Doing It?
Bloggers
Anyone Accessing Information From Too Many
Places To Track Regularly
Any Information Provider Who Wants To Easily
Share More Information With More People

RSS: How Does It Work?
Producer Adds Code And Icon To Website
User Clicks On Icon To Add Subscription
Code Checks Subscribed Webpages And
Automatically Downloads New Content

RSS: Why Is It Significant?
Filters And Organizes Vast Amounts Of
Web-Based Information
Varying Levels Of Granularity
Time Savings

RSS: What Are The Downsides?
Not All Valuable Sites Offer RSS
Not All Resources Appropriate For RSS
Time Involved In Managing Subscriptions
Reliance On Restrictions To Information Flow
Competition From Other Protocols (e.g. Atom)

RSS: Where Is It Going And What Are
The Implications?
Changing How People Interact With The Web
Alternatives To Email And Other More Traditional Services
Improved Tracking
Mashup Applications
Selective Dissemination Of Information

Google Alerts in Email

Sample Alert Email

PEOPLE LIFESTREAMING: STATUS
UPDATING AND MICROBLOGGING
ACTIVITIES OUTCOMES
“Always On” Micropublishing Saying Too Much?
Amplifying Your Unnecessary Distraction?
Online Presence
Ultimate Status Indicator Low Relevance Threshold?

The First Tweet

Online Adults Who Have Twittered
20
18 - 24
25 - 34
15
35 - 44
65 +
55 - 64 45 - 54
10 45 - 54
55 - 64
35 - 44
5 65 +
25 - 34
18 - 24
0
Twitter
Pew/Internet “Twitter And Status Updating,” February, 2009

Microblogging & Lifestreaming

Twitter: What Is It?
Answers The Question: “What Are You
Doing?”
Application Combining Blog, Social
Networking, Cell Phone / Instant
Message Components

Twitter: Who’s Doing It?
Explosive Growth In Users
And Applications
Organizations and Events
As Well As Individuals

Twitter: How Does It Work?
Producers (Twitterati) Create Accounts
And Begin Tweeting
Users (Followers) Receive Tweets On
Cellphone or Computer
Integration With RSS And Facebook For
Cross-Platform Alerts

Twitter: Why Is It Significant?
Mass Audience
Instant Gratification

Twitter: What Are The Downsides?
Irrelevance
Non-interactive
Computer Time And SMS Text Charges

Twitter: Where Is It Going And What
Are The Implications?
New Applications Via API Platform
New Modes Of Communication
Research Into Metacognition Forcing
Clear And Concise Communication

Talkshoe: Group meeting +
Phone/Computer + Podcast

Determining Which Tools
Are Right For You
Discussion: What
is everyone
Overview of Web
already doing and
2.0 tools
what do we want
to do?
Determining which
Questions and
tools are right for
Discussion
you
Marketing and
How to “Keep Up” Publicity
Opportunities

Web 2.0 Foodchain
RSS
Subscription
Expanding
Email Alert
Network
Twitter Alert Blog Posting
Link To Other
Virtual Resources
Community
Technorati
Finding Other
Scan
Resources
Add To
Delicious

How Can
We
Measure:
Impact?
Progress?
Success?

Web 2.0 Metrics
Facebook
YouTube
Scribd

What Makes A New Web 2.0
Technology Successful?
Does It Connect People In New Ways?
Is It Almost Effortless To Join And Use?
Does It Shift Power From Institutions To People?
Does Community Generate Enough Content To Be Self-Sustaining?
Does It Have An Open Platform That Invites Partnerships?

Marketing And Publicity Opportunities
Discussion: What
is everyone
Overview of Web
already doing and
2.0 tools
what do we want
to do?
Determining which
Questions and
tools are right for
Discussion
you
How to “Keep Up”
Marketing and
Publicity
Opportunities

Unexpected Outcomes of Web 2.0
Crowdsourcing
Disintermediation
Radical Shifts In Social And Economic Landscape
Lower degrees of separation
Blurred distinction between work, home, and play
Asymmetrical and new definitions of relationships
Technology driving more processes and decisions
A mobile-driven life

“It Would Be Hard To Give Up”
80
60
40
2002
20
2006
2007
0
2007
2006
2002
Pew/Internet “Mobile Access To Data And Information,” March 2008

“It Would Be Hard To Give Up”
70
60
50
40
18 - 29
30
30 - 49
20 65 +
10 50 - 64
50 - 64
0 30 - 49 65 +
18 - 29
Pew/Internet “Mobile Access To Data And Information,” March 2008

Mobile Data and Communications:
Activities By Age
100
80
60
40
18 - 29
20
0 30 - 49
50 - 64
50 - 64
18 - 29
65 +
Pew/Internet “Mobile Access To Data And Information,” March 2008

ACTION PLAN
Assess
Experiment
Deploy
Watch / Learn / Grow
Measure / Reassess

Action Plan And Branding

How To “Keep Up”
Discussion: What
is everyone
Overview of Web
already doing and
2.0 tools
what do we want
to do?
Determining which
Questions and
tools are right for
Discussion
you
Marketing and
Publicity
Opportunities
How to “Keep Up”

RESOURCES FOR “KEEPING UP”
This presentation (Scribd)
Workshop resource guide (Scribd)
Common Craft
Pew Internet And American Life Project
Self-Study Courses
Blogs And Other Web Resources

Common Craft

BLOG ROLLS, AGGREGATION, ETC.
Google Reader
Bloglines
Google Alerts
Technorati

“23 Things”

Five Weeks To A Social Library

A Word About Copyright

Questions And Discussion
Discussion: What
is everyone
Overview of Web
already doing and
2.0 tools
what do we want
to do?
Determining which
Questions and
tools are right for
Discussion
you
Marketing and
How to “Keep Up” Publicity
Opportunities

Where Do We Go From Here As
Individuals And As A Group?
L.A. As Subject Web 2.0 Committee?
Network Members For Same Tools?
Google Map For LAAS website?
Google Custom Search For Member Websites?
Virtual Union Catalog via OCLC?
Tools For LAAS as a Group? (e.g. Facebook, Flickr)

The “V” Equation
Volume Variety Velocity
Vibrant
Venues Visibility
Voices