Chad Fennell & Shane Nackerud University of Minnesota Libraries EQS 2007 May 2, 2007 Web 2.0 Hip or Hype

10 years later...

Semantic Web Proposal Enrich every piece of the data on the web with metadata conveying its meaning Added context will help computers and users find more meaningful data Berners-Lee Proposal from 2000 http://www.w3.org/2000/01/sw/DevelopmentProposal

Enrich every piece of the data on the web with metadata conveying its meaning

Added context will help computers and users find more meaningful data

Berners-Lee Proposal from 2000

http://www.w3.org/2000/01/sw/DevelopmentProposal

???

Web 2.0 Coined by Tim O’Reilly in September 2005 http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/oreilly/tim/news/2005/09/30/what-is-web-20.html Web based applications that allow for collaboration and sharing of information Web 2.0 applications change based on user expectations Perpetual beta Web 2.0 applications allow for the reuse of data Mashups Web 2.0 applications are easy to use Web 2.0 applications encourage users to help build the information environment User trust http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_2.0

Coined by Tim O’Reilly in September 2005

http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/oreilly/tim/news/2005/09/30/what-is-web-20.html

Web based applications that allow for collaboration and sharing of information

Web 2.0 applications change based on user expectations

Perpetual beta

Web 2.0 applications allow for the reuse of data

Mashups

Web 2.0 applications are easy to use

Web 2.0 applications encourage users to help build the information environment

User trust

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_2.0

What does Web 2.0 encompass? RSS Wikis Blogs User supplied reviews Podcasting Tags and Folksonomy AJAX New interfaces Social networking Social bookmarking Gaming Mashups Recommendation functionality How have libraries reacted?

RSS

Wikis

Blogs

User supplied reviews

Podcasting

Tags and Folksonomy

AJAX

New interfaces

Social networking

Social bookmarking

Gaming

Mashups

Recommendation functionality

Library 2.0 Library 2.0 is all about library users -- it's about participation -- involving users in service creation and evaluation. http://www.squidoo.com/library20/ Creating user friendly services that people expect, and encouraging participation Any service, physical or virtual, that successfully reaches users, is evaluated frequently, and makes use of customer input is a Library 2.0 service. http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6365200.html Areas of change: policy, programming, physical spaces, and technology

Library 2.0 is all about library users -- it's about participation -- involving users in service creation and evaluation.

http://www.squidoo.com/library20/

Creating user friendly services that people expect, and encouraging participation

Any service, physical or virtual, that successfully reaches users, is evaluated frequently, and makes use of customer input is a Library 2.0 service.

http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6365200.html

Areas of change: policy, programming, physical spaces, and technology

Focus Technology for technology’s sake is wrong What are you creating a blog for? A wiki? RSS feeds? Hopefully to meet a user need What are our goals with these technologies? How can we really “add value”? Improve the user experience Get in the flow of the user

Technology for technology’s sake is wrong

What are you creating a blog for? A wiki? RSS feeds?

Hopefully to meet a user need

What are our goals with these technologies?

How can we really “add value”?

Improve the user experience

Get in the flow of the user

Attention and Workflow Then Resources scarce, attention abundant Users built workflow around the library Now Attention scarce, resources abundant The library must build its services around user workflow Lorcan Dempsey – “Getting into the Flow” (2007) How does Web 2.0 fit in? Users expect it Users prefer it

Then

Resources scarce, attention abundant

Users built workflow around the library

Now

Attention scarce, resources abundant

The library must build its services around user workflow

Lorcan Dempsey – “Getting into the Flow” (2007)

How does Web 2.0 fit in?

Users expect it

Users prefer it

What can you do? Easy Stuff mashups, reuse of data, RSS feeds, using external 2.0 technology Challenging Stuff building your own 2.0 projects Hard Stuff meeting expectations in existing applications

Easy Stuff

mashups, reuse of data, RSS feeds, using external 2.0 technology

Challenging Stuff

building your own 2.0 projects

Hard Stuff

meeting expectations in existing applications

Catalog/Amazon Mashup Want to use it? http://www.lib.umn.edu/site/firecat.phtml

Add your catalog to search Add your catalog to Firefox 2.*, Internet Explorer 7 OpenSearch Technology http://www.opensearch.org/Home

Add your catalog to Firefox 2.*, Internet Explorer 7

OpenSearch Technology

Easy to build search box Blog RSS Feed Aleph X created RSS Feed LibData RSS Feed

Our home pages are widgets Universal Widget API from netvibes: http://dev.netvibes.com/

Challenging Stuff Building your own 2.0 applications

Wisdom of Crowds British scientist Francis Galton went to the fair Watched the crowd try to guess the weight of a fat ox The ox weighed 1,198 lbs. The crowd’s average guess (about 800 people) was 1,197 lbs. No one person got close, but the crowd collectively made the best guess Critical Mass

British scientist Francis Galton went to the fair

Watched the crowd try to guess the weight of a fat ox

The ox weighed 1,198 lbs.

The crowd’s average guess (about 800 people) was 1,197 lbs.

No one person got close, but the crowd collectively made the best guess

Critical Mass

Benefits Promotes intellectual freedom Connects the library with the traditional academic enterprise Over 50% of the active blogs on the system are class based Helps the library retain the cultural memory of the U Google PageRank Changes perceptions Creates relationships

Promotes intellectual freedom

Connects the library with the traditional academic enterprise

Over 50% of the active blogs on the system are class based

Helps the library retain the cultural memory of the U

Google PageRank

Changes perceptions

Creates relationships

Benefits Allows for tagging in local systems and better control of data Ties better to UPenn link resolver Creates local communities / classroom communities Extending code to do more Image collection ala Flickr Does it contain the critical mass needed? Is that important?

Allows for tagging in local systems and better control of data

Ties better to UPenn link resolver

Creates local communities / classroom communities

Extending code to do more

Image collection ala Flickr

Does it contain the critical mass needed? Is that important?

Staff Wiki

Benefits Chance to learn technology in a non-threatening way Revolutionized staff pages Gives all our staff the chance to give a major 2.0 technology a try Encourages staff to consider new ways to use the technology Are wikis appropriate for public web pages? In a library setting? Do we have enough “radical trust”?

Chance to learn technology in a non-threatening way

Revolutionized staff pages

Gives all our staff the chance to give a major 2.0 technology a try

Encourages staff to consider new ways to use the technology

Are wikis appropriate for public web pages? In a library setting?

Do we have enough “radical trust”?

RugLinks http://alerts.ub.rug.nl/

Create RSS feeds

Benefits Mashup of two different technologies: SFX and Metalib RSS feeds are created to go through RUG proxy server Creates RSS feeds for journals that don’t have feeds (and some that do) Gives the user one interface to master Includes email option for people unfamiliar with RSS Is it perfect? No.

Mashup of two different technologies: SFX and Metalib

RSS feeds are created to go through RUG proxy server

Creates RSS feeds for journals that don’t have feeds (and some that do)

Gives the user one interface to master

Includes email option for people unfamiliar with RSS

Is it perfect? No.

Hard Stuff Meeting expectations with existing applications

Plymouth State University – WPOpac

North Carolina State University

In conclusion Web 2.0 / Library 2.0 memes have been valuable Forced libraries to reevaluate services and tools Re-focused library tools and services on users Ease of use User contribution and participation User needs and goals There is much more work to be done

Web 2.0 / Library 2.0 memes have been valuable

Forced libraries to reevaluate services and tools

Re-focused library tools and services on users

Ease of use

User contribution and participation

User needs and goals

There is much more work to be done

Web 2.0, Hype Alert!

Disclaimer Fear, uncertainty, and doubt ( FUD ) is a sales or marketing strategy of disseminating negative (and vague) information on a competitor's product. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fear%2C_uncertainty_and_doubt

What the Heck Does 2.0 Really Mean??? “ The term Web 2.0 particularly bugs me. It's not a real concept. It has no meaning. It's a big, vague, nebulous cloud of pure architectural nothingness.” http://www.joelonsoftware.com/items/2005/10/21.html

“ The term Web 2.0 particularly bugs me. It's not a real concept. It has no meaning. It's a big, vague, nebulous cloud of pure architectural nothingness.”

http://www.joelonsoftware.com/items/2005/10/21.html

(vague, nebulous cloud)

Tim Berners-Lee on Web 2.0 “… I think Web 2.0 is of course a piece of jargon, nobody even knows what it means. If Web 2.0 for you is blogs and wikis, then that is people to people. But that was what the Web was supposed to be all along. “ http://www-128.ibm.com/developerworks/podcast/dwi/cm-int082206.txt

“… I think Web 2.0 is of course a piece of jargon, nobody even knows what it means. If Web 2.0 for you is blogs and wikis, then that is people to people. But that was what the Web was supposed to be all along. “

http://www-128.ibm.com/developerworks/podcast/dwi/cm-int082206.txt

Looking at a 2.0 technology - Tagging folksonomy is a user generated taxonomy used to categorize and retrieve web content such as Web pages , photographs and Web links , using open ended labels called tags . http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Folksonomy#Origin

folksonomy is a user generated taxonomy used to categorize and retrieve web content such as Web pages , photographs and Web links , using open ended labels called tags .

“ Organizing” Things End-User Style

“ Organizing” Things

End-User Style

Pay Me Now

Or…Pay Me Later http:// del.icio.us/mendel?settagview =cloud

Controlled Vocabularies Pros: Makes finding stuff easier for everyone Help users find “everything” – good recall Cons Hard to keep current High up-front cost Terminology issues - “Neoplasms,” not “Cancer” Relegated mostly to the realm of “Professionals”

Pros:

Makes finding stuff easier for everyone

Help users find “everything” – good recall

Cons

Hard to keep current

High up-front cost

Terminology issues - “Neoplasms,” not “Cancer”

Relegated mostly to the realm of “Professionals”

“ Folksonomies” Pros Low Up-Front Cost, Low Barrier Participatory Best for “Personal Refindability” Amateur friendly Cons Terrible for helping me find your stuff Deferred Cost Will Be High, Eventually

Pros

Low Up-Front Cost, Low Barrier

Participatory

Best for “Personal Refindability”

Amateur friendly

Cons

Terrible for helping me find your stuff

Deferred Cost Will Be High, Eventually

Build it and they will come? On Architectures of Participation

Build it and they will come?

On Architectures of Participation

Even High Volume Sites Fail at Tags “Tagging works well when people tag "their" stuff, but it fails when they're asked to do it to "someone else's" stuff.“ “If Amazon with its unsurpassed traffic is having trouble, can other ecommerce sites hope to make tagging work?” http://www.librarything.com/thingology/2007/02/when-tags-works-and-when-they-dont.php

“Tagging works well when people tag "their" stuff, but it fails when they're asked to do it to "someone else's" stuff.“

“If Amazon with its unsurpassed traffic is having trouble, can other ecommerce sites hope to make tagging work?”

http://www.librarything.com/thingology/2007/02/when-tags-works-and-when-they-dont.php

On the Subject of “Social” Is “Social” Synonymous With “Good”?

Is “Social” Synonymous With “Good”?

http://www.niallkennedy.com/blog/archives/2006/11/spam-farms-social-web.html

The “Digg Mafia” “ People have started to question the efficiency of its voting system; a system that lets a small minority i.e. ' The Digg Mafia ' decide what makes it onto the homepage or not; something that a wider user base should do. “ -Ajay D’Souza http://techtites.com/2007/02/17/why-the-digg-mafia-will-cost-kevin-rose-millions/

“ People have started to question the efficiency of its voting system; a system that lets a small minority i.e. ' The Digg Mafia ' decide what makes it onto the homepage or not; something that a wider user base should do. “ -Ajay D’Souza

http://techtites.com/2007/02/17/why-the-digg-mafia-will-cost-kevin-rose-millions/

http://digg.com/tech_news/Why_The_Digg_Mafia_Will_Cost_Kevin_Rose_Millions

“ One "games a system" (for example, the tax code) when one acts in such a way that one gains tax advantages by exploiting a tax rule that was intended for some other purpose.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unintended_consequence#Purposeful_gaming_to_achieve_unintended_consequences

“ One "games a system" (for example, the tax code) when one acts in such a way that one gains tax advantages by exploiting a tax rule that was intended for some other purpose.”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unintended_consequence#Purposeful_gaming_to_achieve_unintended_consequences

Extortion, Threats and Lies Buying and selling of feedback itself Feedback “extortion” –threats to leave negative feedback unless sellers lower prices Retaliatory negative feedback http://www.internetnews.com/ec-news/article.php/3587651

Buying and selling of feedback itself

Feedback “extortion” –threats to leave negative feedback unless sellers lower prices

Retaliatory negative feedback

So is Web 2.0 Hype? You decide. Hype is about someone else telling you what to think. Make your decision based on What the Technology IS/DOES What you or your users need Think Like a Designer Design: “to create, fashion, execute, or construct according to plan” –Merriam Webster’s Online Dictionary

You decide. Hype is about someone else telling you what to think.

Make your decision based on

What the Technology IS/DOES

What you or your users need

Think Like a Designer

Design: “to create, fashion, execute, or construct according to plan” –Merriam Webster’s Online Dictionary

Still, I Design for Web 2.0

Web 2.0 Contextualized Code Snippets Aimed at educational technologists, course designers and web geeks – unobtrusive and puts the user in control Puts library-generated course pages into users’s context EthicShare Scholarly needs drive the requirements Not social for the sake of being social – designed around scholarly activities and practices

Code Snippets

Aimed at educational technologists, course designers and web geeks – unobtrusive and puts the user in control

Puts library-generated course pages into users’s context

EthicShare

Scholarly needs drive the requirements

Not social for the sake of being social – designed around scholarly activities and practices

So, Hip or Hype? You tell us……………… Chad Fennell and Shane Nackerud University of Minnesota Libraries [email_address] [email_address]

You tell us………………

Chad Fennell and Shane Nackerud

University of Minnesota Libraries

[email_address]

[email_address]