Welcome to BCIT Library Web 2.0.
This blog is meant to introduce and help explore some Web 2.0 tools and their library applications.
Thanks to the PLCMC Learning 2.0 blog and the MRRL Library Learning 2.0 blog which were big inspirations for this one.
So, what is Web 2.0? Web 2.0 generally refers to the interactive web. By using composing, tagging and social networking tools or entering virtual worlds, people are able to collectively participate in developing a body of knowledge or building online communities.
And, what is Library 2.0? In their book Library 2.0: A Guide to Participatory Library Service, Michael Casey and Laura Savastinuk list these elements as essential for Library 2.0: constant and purposeful change - constant evaluation, improvement and updating of services; library users participating in creating services, rapid response to user demands; reaching potential library users.
OK - back to the fun stuff.....
All of the tools we will look at and try are free but many of them do require users to set up an account. This allows your content to be stored and then accessed and updated from any internet connection.
There are 5 activities listed below for you to try:
- create a blog
- set up an aggregator account
- add content to a wiki
- taste a social bookmarking site
- join a social networking site
A. BLOGS AND RSS FEEDS
Blogs originated as personal text-based online diaries and evolved to encorporate various media and to serve a variety of purposes. Blog entries are most often displayed in reverse chronological order (newest entries at the top.) Although it is often possible to post comments on blog entries, blogs usually have one author or author group who has editorial control over the blog posts and the comments. Find out more about blogs in Wikipedia and How Stuff Works
CREATING BLOGS
ACTIVITY ONE
Create your own blog in three easy steps:
Go to blogger (you need to set up a google account to use blogger)
1. create an account by clicking on the orange arrow on the right side of the screen and filling in the form. Then, click on the continue arrow.
2. name your blog You need a blog title and address (make a note so you can remember these!) Fill out the form and click on the continue arrow.
3. select your template - now the fun bit begins. Choose a template, click on the continue arrow, wait for the message that your blog has been created, click on start posting and you are ready to create your first post! Use the Edit Html tab if you want to compose using html code and the Compose tab if you do not. This blog is created using just the compose tab which is a little limiting but very easy.
The trick is to remember that you edit your blog through blogger and your blog is viewed through a blogspot address: http://(name/of/your/blog).blogspot.com. The only way I have figured out how to log back in to get to my blog to edit or post is to click on create an account >sign in first> home (at the bottom of the page.) That brings you to Dashboard where you want to be to mange your blog(s.)
Check this Start a Blog wiki for more detail.
RSS FEED READERS
RSS usually stands for stands for Really Simple Syndication. A site which has an RSS feed allows you to subscribe to the content of that site using an RSS feed reader to gather updates from all of your choosen sites in one place. Rather than having to go from favorite site to favorite site, you can check new content from all the sites you subscribe to at one web location. Wikipedia can tell you more. RSS technology is also used to subscribe to podcasts.
ACTIVITY TWO Bloglines is an aggregator, or feed reader, which allows you to track favorite blogs, newsfeeds and other web content with added options like e-mailing posts.
Set up a bloglines account by filling out the form and clicking on register. Choose some blogs or newsfeeds to add to your list. Bloglines helps you get started by offering a list of popular feeds.
This What to do! Bloglines Screencast gives you more detail.
Technorati tracks the wide wide world of blogs providing an up to the minute look at new blog posts, favorites and topics of your choice. Technorati also allows for tagging (more about tagging later.) Do have a look at this facinating site and try a few searchs to see where your favorite topics are showing up.
In library world....
Libraries are using blogs to provide their users and staff with timely information. The Ann Arbor District Library has a very effective blog on their homepage. SFU Library has a Publishing Blog. There are also numerous blogs on the subject of libraries, The Shifted Librarian is just one of many.
Libraries like Tacoma Public Library are using RSS feeds to push library information out to users.
B. WIKIS
Wiki is a Hawaiian language word for fast. Wikis were designed to be an easy and fast online collaboration tool: a database which can be easily added to and easily edited by anyone who has access. The best know wiki is, of course, Wikipedia. Here is what Wikipedia and How Stuff Works has to say about wikis.
Find out more about wikis by visiting The World of Wikis. You can also check wikimatrix which compares different online tools for creating a wiki.
ACTIVITY THREE go to http://bcitweb20.wetpaint.com/ and have a look at the newly created Web 2.0 wiki. This was set up for you to practice adding to a wiki. Use the page toolbox on the right sidebar to edit and add to the content of the wiki. Wetpaint seems to respond better in Mozilla.
In library world...
Libraries are sharing information through wikis such as Library Success: A Best Practices Wiki. Library staff and library committees are using wikis to facilitate project collaboration; for instance, wikis can be used as a tool to build procedures manuals. UBC HealthLib-Wiki provides a database for health librarians. Ohio University Libraries has The Biz Wiki which acts as a collaborative subject guide.
C. COLLABORATIVE TAGGING
Collaborative tagging, also sometimes refered to by other terms such as folksonomy or social indexing, allows collaborative creation and management of metadata. That is, participants add the keywords or 'tags' that make sense to them. Users can see what others have listed under a particular keyword or can see what individuals who share their interests have listed. The photo sharing site flickr is a site which uses tagging allowing easy seaching (try a BCIT search.) Amazon is another classic example.
SOCIAL BOOKMARKING
A good example of collaborative tagging is the social bookmarking site del.icio.us. This site allows users to build up a web-based database of bookmarked sites which they can access from any internet connection. When you save a site, you tag it. Users can search by keyword to get a list of the sites under that tag. Any of these sites can then be added to the user's saved picks. This site is a great way to filter through the web to find interesting and relevant information on a particular subject quickly. Read more in Wikipedia.
ACTIVITY FOUR. Set up a del.icio.us account. Click on the register button in the top right corner, fill out the form and get tasting!
Another fun site is LibraryThing where you list your favorite books, add tags, read reviews, join in discussions and get reading recommendations. It is an interactive readers advisory site!
In library world...
Innovative Interfaces is testing its new catalogue interface called Encore which, among other things, allows users to tag catalogue records. In this kind of catalogue, users participate in creating the metadata used to search the database. Controlled vocabulary is mixed with popular terms to allow expanded searching capabilities. Encore is in beta testing mode at some libraries including Michigan State University.
The Library Journal article Tags Help Make Libraries Del.icio.us explains how some libraries are using social bookmarking.
D. SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES
Facebook and MySpace are probably the best known social networking sites. These sites allow users to build their own profiles and groups to stay in touch with people, plan activities and connect with others with whom they have something in common. Find out more about social networking at Wikipedia and How Stuff Works.
ACTIVITY FIVE Facebook started out as a site limited to post-secondary students but has gone far beyond that limited user group to include anyone who has an e-mail account.
Join Facebook by clicking on the sign up form and filling out the form. There is now a BCIT Library group that you can join.
In library world.....
Libraries are putting profiles of their institutions on sites such as MySpace - put 'library' into the search box to see some library profiles. Facebook recently disabled institutional profiles, including library profiles. Social networking sites could potentially be used for things such as liaison work with faculty.
YouTube is a tool that does not fit easily into any of the categories on this blog but is an important Web 2.0 tool that allows the building of a collective database via the net and allows people to do such things as post video messages to friends. Web 2.0...The Machine is Us/ing Us and Web 2.0 are a couple of clips on YouTube.
E. VIRTUAL WORLDS
Second Life is currently the most popular virtual world. This is not a game but rather a virtual world created and inhabited by its users. As a user, you create an avatar, which is your person in the virtual world. Creating an avatar and moving around Second Life is free; however, you can also choose to purchase real estate, belongings and services. To do this you use Linden dollars. Find out more.
In Library world....
On Second Life's Info Island volunteer librarians answer reference questions and there are interesting programs like author readings.
CONCLUSION Well, that is the end of this short introduction to some Web 2.0 concepts and tools but hopefully just the beginning of your exploration of the interactive web and the potential of some of these tools to enhance library services at BCIT.
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