I'm very much looking forward to Bodleian Libraries' Oxford Social Media Day tomorrow! Two streams of events - one focussing on case studies and the theory behind use of 'Web 2.0' technologies in libraries, one where people get a chance to mess about with social media tools and get chance to ask people for advice on how to set them up etc.
http://23thingsoxford.blogspot.com/2011/08/oxford-social-media-2011-developments.html
I'm facilitating for blogs and facebook, and going to sessions on social media policy in public libraries and marketing academic libraries! Should be fun, if busy...
Showing posts with label facebook. Show all posts
Showing posts with label facebook. Show all posts
Wednesday, 7 September 2011
Thursday, 25 November 2010
Web 2.0 Untangled: Peter Godwin, Web 2.0 and Information Literacy
“Web 2.0 Untangled” was a day-long conference organised by CILIP’s UC&R BBO and CoFHE MidWest Circle, held at Wolfson College on the 24th November 2010. It featured 7 speakers on a variety of topics. I attended thanks to Oxford staff development funding. A condition of this funding is to write-up your experience of the session to pass around your colleagues in Oxford- which is what I'm doing here!
The first speaker was Peter Godwin (http://infolitlib20.blogspot.com/, http://twitter.com/touchthecloud), talking about the impact of Web 2.0 and the information literacy issues it raised. This talk was exciting and enthusiastic, looking at the possibilities Web 2.0 raises. He begun by wowing us with stats- did you know there are 50 million tweets a day, 500 million Facebook accounts and over half of US students have a handheld device that can access the internet? Web 2.0 is mobile and social, focussed on user participation.
To be a librarian in 2010, according to Peter, means focussing not on books but on people and technology. But how far have we actually changed? Is the change just superficial? The early adopters of Web 2.0 in libraries went over the top claiming it was the solution to all our problems, now is the time to reflect.
Web 2.0 means more and more information is flooding towards our readers- we can help teach them search skills, information literacy, scoping the topic and the importance in seeing both sides of the argument.
Peter also introduced us to lots of interesting Web 2.0 tools I hadn’t seen before- the ones I’m planning on investigating are Netvibes http://www.netvibes.com/en, Screenr http://screenr.com/ (for making short video tutorials- “how to use the online catalogue” etc) and Quick Response Codes http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QR_Code (these little box barcodes that people with smart phones can use as URLs that then immediately load on their phones).
The first speaker was Peter Godwin (http://infolitlib20.blogspot.com/, http://twitter.com/touchthecloud), talking about the impact of Web 2.0 and the information literacy issues it raised. This talk was exciting and enthusiastic, looking at the possibilities Web 2.0 raises. He begun by wowing us with stats- did you know there are 50 million tweets a day, 500 million Facebook accounts and over half of US students have a handheld device that can access the internet? Web 2.0 is mobile and social, focussed on user participation.
To be a librarian in 2010, according to Peter, means focussing not on books but on people and technology. But how far have we actually changed? Is the change just superficial? The early adopters of Web 2.0 in libraries went over the top claiming it was the solution to all our problems, now is the time to reflect.
Web 2.0 means more and more information is flooding towards our readers- we can help teach them search skills, information literacy, scoping the topic and the importance in seeing both sides of the argument.
Peter also introduced us to lots of interesting Web 2.0 tools I hadn’t seen before- the ones I’m planning on investigating are Netvibes http://www.netvibes.com/en, Screenr http://screenr.com/ (for making short video tutorials- “how to use the online catalogue” etc) and Quick Response Codes http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QR_Code (these little box barcodes that people with smart phones can use as URLs that then immediately load on their phones).
Monday, 1 March 2010
Social Networking
Social Networking is fascinating, and the different feel of the various sites always interests me. http://royal.pingdom.com/2010/02/16/study-ages-of-social-network-users/ talks about the ages of people using different social networking sites, whilst http://royal.pingdom.com/2009/11/27/study-males-vs-females-in-social-networks/ talks about the male vs female ratios. I must admit, the sheer number of social networking sites is rather overwhelming! I hadn't even heard of some of them...
Anyway. How can Facebook be used by libraries?
I run the Oriental Institute Library fan page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Oxford-United-Kingdom/Oriental-Institute-Library/137472003754
In theory it's a great extra way to get in touch with readers, to keep them informed about on-going projects, and so on. In pratice, the big issue is getting enough readers signed up to your Facebook page. If you don't get enough then there's really no point, it's like giving a lecture to an empty room. So I think Facebook can be great, but it needs lots and lots of advertising.
Still, my Mum regularly reads the blog posts there to catch up on how my job's going- so maybe it is useful after all. Even if only for her.
Also, I've joined Linked In. Even if I'm over 17 years younger than the average age for it... http://uk.linkedin.com/in/jamesnfishwick is my profile, with lots of copy-and-pasting from my CV! Excitingly, I put my employer down as "Bodleian Libraries" and was the first person to do so-although I then realised Laura had said she worked at "Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford" so I changed to that instead. Doubt I'll ever visit Linked In again.
The big problem with Social Networking, in my view, is information overload. With Facebook, LiveJournal and now LinkedIn all clamouring for my attention on a daily basis, I generally find it easier to just ignore them all!
I guess Facebook gets a Meh, and LinkedIn gets a Nay?
Anyway. How can Facebook be used by libraries?
I run the Oriental Institute Library fan page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Oxford-United-Kingdom/Oriental-Institute-Library/137472003754
In theory it's a great extra way to get in touch with readers, to keep them informed about on-going projects, and so on. In pratice, the big issue is getting enough readers signed up to your Facebook page. If you don't get enough then there's really no point, it's like giving a lecture to an empty room. So I think Facebook can be great, but it needs lots and lots of advertising.
Still, my Mum regularly reads the blog posts there to catch up on how my job's going- so maybe it is useful after all. Even if only for her.
Also, I've joined Linked In. Even if I'm over 17 years younger than the average age for it... http://uk.linkedin.com/in/jamesnfishwick is my profile, with lots of copy-and-pasting from my CV! Excitingly, I put my employer down as "Bodleian Libraries" and was the first person to do so-although I then realised Laura had said she worked at "Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford" so I changed to that instead. Doubt I'll ever visit Linked In again.
The big problem with Social Networking, in my view, is information overload. With Facebook, LiveJournal and now LinkedIn all clamouring for my attention on a daily basis, I generally find it easier to just ignore them all!
I guess Facebook gets a Meh, and LinkedIn gets a Nay?
Friday, 26 February 2010
We're half way there...
So, thought I'd do a bit of a review. Which of the 23 Things have been useful and which do I think I will I keep up?
I was initially anti-iGoogle, not seeing the need for it and disliking it's clutter. But, having set it up so it just showed me things I'm really interested in, it's now proving invaluable and is my homepage both at work and at home. I've also embraced (because they work so well inside iGoogle) Google Reader for getting RSS feeds of blogs & podcasts and Google Bookmarks so I can access all my bookmarks wherever I go. If only there was a good Livejournal gadget!
I'm also a big fan of Flickr- being able to upload higher resolution versions of pictures is excellent, I've always hated Facebook for it's compression.
Picnik was fun, but I'd rather use Picture Publisher. Guess I may use it if I'm at a PC that doesn't have an image manipulation program? I didn't like Delicious for personal use- my bookmarks are for my personal reference, not for everyone else, and Google Bookmarks sits better in Google Reader. But still, I can see Delicious could be good for libraries to advertise online resources and so on.
So yes. Despite my initial cynicism and belief I'd already seen every Web 2.0 tool that mattered I've now become addicted to a whole bunch more. I'm not sure this is neccessarily a good thing, but oh well! There's another 6 weeks to go, and I dread to think what I'm going to get hooked on next...
I was initially anti-iGoogle, not seeing the need for it and disliking it's clutter. But, having set it up so it just showed me things I'm really interested in, it's now proving invaluable and is my homepage both at work and at home. I've also embraced (because they work so well inside iGoogle) Google Reader for getting RSS feeds of blogs & podcasts and Google Bookmarks so I can access all my bookmarks wherever I go. If only there was a good Livejournal gadget!
I'm also a big fan of Flickr- being able to upload higher resolution versions of pictures is excellent, I've always hated Facebook for it's compression.
Picnik was fun, but I'd rather use Picture Publisher. Guess I may use it if I'm at a PC that doesn't have an image manipulation program? I didn't like Delicious for personal use- my bookmarks are for my personal reference, not for everyone else, and Google Bookmarks sits better in Google Reader. But still, I can see Delicious could be good for libraries to advertise online resources and so on.
So yes. Despite my initial cynicism and belief I'd already seen every Web 2.0 tool that mattered I've now become addicted to a whole bunch more. I'm not sure this is neccessarily a good thing, but oh well! There's another 6 weeks to go, and I dread to think what I'm going to get hooked on next...
Wednesday, 10 February 2010
What's the Buzz?
So, yet another Web 2.0 tool is released. This one, Google Buzz, seems to be a mix of Twitter and Facebook. I like the way it can pull in data from other sources - it'll tell everyone if I update Flickr, or share items in Google Reader, or if I update a blog. And it's nicely integrated with Googlemail.
Yeah, not a bad platform.
I must admit, I'm increasingly considering returning to blogging properly. I used to do it on Livejournal and stopped a few years ago, but this 23 Things has reminded me about it. It would be a good way to re-establish contact with old mates...
Yeah, not a bad platform.
I must admit, I'm increasingly considering returning to blogging properly. I used to do it on Livejournal and stopped a few years ago, but this 23 Things has reminded me about it. It would be a good way to re-establish contact with old mates...
Tuesday, 9 February 2010
Flickr
Well, it was fairly simple to sign up to Flickr. So that was good.
Uploading was relatively quick and simple, and then all the pictures showed up in a nice list. I liked the functions to batch add them to a set or to add tags to all of them, very neat.
I very soon hit the monthly limit of uploads. Which is annoying, now I have to either wait 3 weeks or pay them money before adding more pictures... At least Feb is a nice short month!
Joining the 23 Things flickr group was also easy, and they responded very quickly (thank you!)
The Creative Commons and Map View features are nice. I've changed my settings so all photos uploaded now have a very open Creative Commons license- changing them individually was a bit of a slog.
So... Overall thoughts? I like Flickr. It seems better than Facebook for some types of photosharing- it's more public and people can see photos at larger sizes. Facebook is probably still best for photos of parties with friends, but Flickr seems to be the place to share pretty images. Oxford in the snow, cute kittens, impressive sight-seeing, all those sorts of pictures would probably be best put in Flickr not Facebook. It seems I've been guilty of the Cardinal Sin of Web 2.0, using the Wrong Tool For The Task.
Yep, I'm converted! But I'm wavering between voting "yay!" and "meh?" because I do still have a major niggle with the monthly limit. Sooooo... Is it worth paying the $24.95 for the 1 year pro account?
Uploading was relatively quick and simple, and then all the pictures showed up in a nice list. I liked the functions to batch add them to a set or to add tags to all of them, very neat.
I very soon hit the monthly limit of uploads. Which is annoying, now I have to either wait 3 weeks or pay them money before adding more pictures... At least Feb is a nice short month!
Joining the 23 Things flickr group was also easy, and they responded very quickly (thank you!)
The Creative Commons and Map View features are nice. I've changed my settings so all photos uploaded now have a very open Creative Commons license- changing them individually was a bit of a slog.
So... Overall thoughts? I like Flickr. It seems better than Facebook for some types of photosharing- it's more public and people can see photos at larger sizes. Facebook is probably still best for photos of parties with friends, but Flickr seems to be the place to share pretty images. Oxford in the snow, cute kittens, impressive sight-seeing, all those sorts of pictures would probably be best put in Flickr not Facebook. It seems I've been guilty of the Cardinal Sin of Web 2.0, using the Wrong Tool For The Task.
Yep, I'm converted! But I'm wavering between voting "yay!" and "meh?" because I do still have a major niggle with the monthly limit. Sooooo... Is it worth paying the $24.95 for the 1 year pro account?
Monday, 25 January 2010
Blogs
Now I have to write my thoughts about blogs, apparently.
I got my first blog (on Livejournal) whilst at university. My second is the official OIL one, mainly used to update our news on Facebook via RSS. And then there's this one.
My overwhelming thought about blogs is: they're not really that great. There are a lot of problems with them, really. I especially dislike the way things are ordered chronologically starting with the most recent- it's like reading a book starting with reading the last chapter, then the penultimate, and so on. Or like watching Memento.
Of course, you can always start at the bottom, but that's a bit like reading a book by always starting at the beginning. It's fine, as long as you're reading the book in one sitting. But what about if you've already read half the book? Blogs just don't have a convenient way of putting a bookmark in. And for something that has new content added all the time, that's a huge problem.
So yes, in many ways I prefer forums or emails- the way they combine chronological ordering whilst automatically and easily showing you which are "unread posts" appeals to me.
On the other hand, blogs do have uses. On Livejournal I *love* the Friends Page. On one page I can have all the blog posts from all my friends, plus any RSS feeds I want (Unshelved comics alongside the latest news), plus any posts made to Livejournal Communities I'm a member of. Ideal. An excellent one-stop place to keep informed of the wider world- it's like a better version of Blogger's Reading List of Blogs I'm Following. Although, of course, it does still suffer the sorting-posts-chronologically problem.
I also really like blogs for short informative things, like the OIL blog. It tells readers what the current big projects are, changes to our opening hours, that sort of thing. It's useful! And most posts are self-contained, which means the chronological problem isn't an issue.
Finally, I love the newer developments in blogs- things like trackbacks, where you can see places that have linked to a post. That's neat. Or the RSS feeds can then be fed into Facebook or Livejournal or wherever. And tagging interests me, as a cataloguer.
So yes. I'm torn on the issue of blogs. I think they're overused and there are times that other tools (like forums) would be better. And the ordering of posts annoys me deeply. And yet I still keep several blogs, and watch a whole bunch by checking my Livejournal Friends regularly.
Blogs get a resounding "Meh" from me. I'm too torn to go one way or the other.
I got my first blog (on Livejournal) whilst at university. My second is the official OIL one, mainly used to update our news on Facebook via RSS. And then there's this one.
My overwhelming thought about blogs is: they're not really that great. There are a lot of problems with them, really. I especially dislike the way things are ordered chronologically starting with the most recent- it's like reading a book starting with reading the last chapter, then the penultimate, and so on. Or like watching Memento.
Of course, you can always start at the bottom, but that's a bit like reading a book by always starting at the beginning. It's fine, as long as you're reading the book in one sitting. But what about if you've already read half the book? Blogs just don't have a convenient way of putting a bookmark in. And for something that has new content added all the time, that's a huge problem.
So yes, in many ways I prefer forums or emails- the way they combine chronological ordering whilst automatically and easily showing you which are "unread posts" appeals to me.
On the other hand, blogs do have uses. On Livejournal I *love* the Friends Page. On one page I can have all the blog posts from all my friends, plus any RSS feeds I want (Unshelved comics alongside the latest news), plus any posts made to Livejournal Communities I'm a member of. Ideal. An excellent one-stop place to keep informed of the wider world- it's like a better version of Blogger's Reading List of Blogs I'm Following. Although, of course, it does still suffer the sorting-posts-chronologically problem.
I also really like blogs for short informative things, like the OIL blog. It tells readers what the current big projects are, changes to our opening hours, that sort of thing. It's useful! And most posts are self-contained, which means the chronological problem isn't an issue.
Finally, I love the newer developments in blogs- things like trackbacks, where you can see places that have linked to a post. That's neat. Or the RSS feeds can then be fed into Facebook or Livejournal or wherever. And tagging interests me, as a cataloguer.
So yes. I'm torn on the issue of blogs. I think they're overused and there are times that other tools (like forums) would be better. And the ordering of posts annoys me deeply. And yet I still keep several blogs, and watch a whole bunch by checking my Livejournal Friends regularly.
Blogs get a resounding "Meh" from me. I'm too torn to go one way or the other.
23 Things & Web 2.0
So, I'm making this blog as part of the 23 Things program run by Oxford University Library Services (or should that be Bodleian Libraries?) I'm James, and I work at the Oriental Institute Library.
Why am I doing 23 Things? Hmm. Difficult. I already know most Web 2.0 sites- I set up and run the blog and facebook page for OIL, for example. So I'm really looking just at filing in the gaps in my knowledge. I'm particularly looking forward to the photo ones- I've got a new camera recently, and have been planning to join flickr.
Plus the Amazon voucher is a good incentive!
I'm personally ambivalent about Web 2.0. I think that many sites have Web 2.0 features that just aren't neccessary, and jump onto the Web 2.0 bandwagon just for appearances & to try and keep up with the Kool Kidz. I also think that a lot of Web 2.0 features make webpages messy and cluttered. So yes. No doubt I'll need convincing on some of the 23 Things...
Why am I doing 23 Things? Hmm. Difficult. I already know most Web 2.0 sites- I set up and run the blog and facebook page for OIL, for example. So I'm really looking just at filing in the gaps in my knowledge. I'm particularly looking forward to the photo ones- I've got a new camera recently, and have been planning to join flickr.
Plus the Amazon voucher is a good incentive!
I'm personally ambivalent about Web 2.0. I think that many sites have Web 2.0 features that just aren't neccessary, and jump onto the Web 2.0 bandwagon just for appearances & to try and keep up with the Kool Kidz. I also think that a lot of Web 2.0 features make webpages messy and cluttered. So yes. No doubt I'll need convincing on some of the 23 Things...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
