Book review assignment---Everything is Miscellaneous

Below is the link to my review of "Everything is Miscellaneous: The Power of the New Digital Disorder" by David Weinberger.  I enjoyed the book especially for its ability to enhance my knowledge of digital information and the advantages of Web 2.0 tools for the opportunity it gives all of us to contribute knowledge that may be relevant to information seekers throughout the world at any given time. 

I decided to try Voicethread for my presentation tool and am pleased with the final project.  Voicethread is an interactive platform that allows people to navigate and leave comments in 5 ways.  It is easy to share, users can doodle while commenting, and voicethreads can be embedded (as here) or exported to MP3 players or archival movies.  Since this is my 3rd attempt at a final production, I suggest that users view the Wiki attached to it (something I should have done but was unaware of)..it would have saved me valuable time and some frustation.  Here is the link for it:  Voicethread Wiki

http://voicethread.com/share/2129519/

Toward a Twenty-First Century Library Catalog

This article was written in 2006, so I'm guessing this upgrade was completed and implemented sometime in the previous few years.  Being very interested cataloging and its processes, I appreciated the article because I have been often frustrated by the inability to search information I know can be found in the MARC record but that is unsearchable.  It is important that the new "version" of search capabilities be launched in tandem with the established version. I was sort of anxious when the HELIN consortium instituted the Encore search mode...but relieved when the previous search screen remained intact! 

I was impressed that Antelman, Lynema & Pace realized that their project was able to go forward because of the philosophical and financial backing of their institution.  In addition, their library staff understands "that calculated risks are opportunities to improve the library as well as to open up new challenges in their own jobs."  It seems that to be successful in many innovations factors such as the above must be present.

I went to the NCSU website to try it out for myself...I intentionally misspelled a word to see what would happen and just like on Google a "Did you mean" suggestion appeared..this type of upgrade for our middle school library catalog would be an immense help..we have many academically low students who could be more successful in searching if this were added.  I also liked the idea that I could actually enter no specific search term and "browse" the entire catalog...sometimes I just need to wander.  This feature is especially helpful when you can't actually get to the physical library to browse the shelves, but know the call number for a specific subject and want to "see" what else is there.  I also liked the "New Titles" and the "more titles like this" (as Amazon has)..I think next generation searchers will appreciate these new features, many of which they are accustomed to in the searchable world outside of libraries.

Loraine

voicethread test

learning how to use this software...trying to embed a link
voicethread.com/share/2124398/

Wichowski-Folksonomies

Informative article by Wichowski, of particular interest is how folksonomies will be accepted and used by worldwide users.  Which poses a question....are folksonomies being used in other cultures...if so, will there be a disconnect due to language barriers?

Important mention by Wichowski about the difference between finding tags posted by the mainstream media and how those posted by the non-mainstream users "may represent an aggregate total amount far greater than that produced by the mainstream."  By providing an increasingly higher amount of information there comes a better chance of a wider variety of people finding just what they wanted.

I also agree that the use of natural language increases the chance of easily finding relevant information for those who may not grasp the intellectual discourse.

Twitter for non-profits

From looking at Miller's tips for non-profit tweeting, I think they relate very well to the idea of social capital.  Who can argue with the benefits that result when people are being genuine, generous, and grateful whether in person or online?

What comes to mind for me is the idea of "goodwill."  Social capital is built on creating a trust with communities of people and using tweets can do just that by helping to create a bond among people with similar interests, and to create a bridge with diverse people who may not be aware of the organization's mission.  Creating tweets and interacting with others help them and you stay relevant, enthusiastic, and a way include links to other important resources that enhance your mission.

Loraine

Twitters I Follow

As soon as I opened my Twitter account I easily found 2 organizations to follow; but when I found out that we needed to find 5 total I felt I needed to focus on some key areas of interest. Here are my decisions:

1. To assist in my understanding of Web 2.0 and social networking tools, I chose ReadWriteWeb who delivers the latest news, analysis, and conversations in all things web especially technology and social media. 

2.  Because I enjoy reading (not much time for pleasure reading lately), I am always looking for recommendations and reader reviews of new titles and up-and-coming authors.  I happened on a site called Goodreads.com which deems itself the largest community of readers in the world, I had visited several times in the past and was excited that they joined Twitter.  On this site you can find new books, read or make recommendations, track your reading, and join book clubs. 

3.  Being almost finished with my MLIS and interested in public librarianship, I felt that the Public Library Assocation (PLA), a division of ALA would be a good fit for locating the latest news, current library issues, and free Webinars that I could access to improve my knowledge base.

4.  I did a Google search for "Libraries and Twitter" and found an extensive list both national and international--I was really looking for libraries in my community on Aquidneck Island (Newport, Middletown, Portsmouth) and was saddened when none of them were included.  Wanting to find at least a library in Rhode Island, I chose the Providence Public Library because it is an extremely active library community that always offers a wide variety of quality programs throughout the year; guest speakers, cultural programs, health topics, local authors, lifelong learning topics, and some that they hope will attract a myriad of ages and talents.  For example, in May they offered Laughletics - a competitive improv comedy show with local entertainers as judges.

5.  Last, but certainly not least, I am a huge Boston Celtics fan dating back to the Larry Bird era!  I actually was absent for my daughter's backyard christening celebration because my brother-in-law had tickets to a playoff game and offered to take me...my husband said one word "Go!"  Anyway, I like the idea of following the team, especially since they got ousted by the Miami Heat (who I hope loses to Dallas tonight).  On the site currently is a list of some players that may be draft picks this year..It is neat as they post player information....stats and schools/colleges/teams they have played for.

Oops!

I totally misconstrued the assignment for the week...I thought we were supposed to review the Blogs, Mashups, & Wikis article...instead of looking at the list of blogs Suellen suggested. Anyway here is my report on one of the blog posts that I found interesting from the list.

From the blog of Robert Scoble I viewed a YouTube video by Martin Seibert, creator and CEO of  Twenty Feet, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkKxgMigPGs. This German company is a statistical aggregating company that offers insight into how your Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube accounts are doing by connecting to each.  As your initial history grows, Twenty Feet will create statistics that describe to you in graphs and pie charts how your media is doing by the clicks on the links that are posted over a 3 month period.  Each result is given a particular icon on the activity screen that shows likes/dislikes, the number of people who are subscribing and unsubscribing on any given date; data that is extremely helpful to the business community.

Mr. Seibert mentioned that stats are updated once-a-day which is not always enough for people who want instant gratification...a situation that they are hoping to improve.  One advantage is that when something happens out of the ordinary (whether negative or positive), any spike will result in an email to you, which you can then investigate and perhaps connect the date with a specific activity.

Most of the funds for the company currently come from German web agencies, but with the increasing number of subscribers they hope to create some income on their own in the near future.

Blogs, mashups, & wikis

As Suellen noted, even though this article is a few years old much of the information relates to our class assignments.  I especially liked how the Dr. Dearstyne listed both a few examples of Web 2.0 applications at work and several sites for blogging guidelines.  The listing of 8 issues in the area of records and information management is comprehensive; the one I particularly am interested in is number 2 which discusses issues that deal with the creation, collection, storage, and dissemination of vast amounts of information that changes rapidly.

I wonder whether any of the blogging guidelines had been recently updated so I checked out two of them.  Electronic Frontier Foundation's Legal Guide for Bloggers was updated in Feb. 2009 and the website is presented as a guide that was "created to answer FAQ designed to help loggers understand their rights and their freedom of speech".  It simply means to inform bloggers of some legal issues that may arise when blogging.

I also looked at the IBM Blogging Guidelines, that were updated in 2010, and am impressed with the professionalism of the site and its design.  It seems that collaboration and a sense of community among all employees is important to the company and the ideas and comments of others are greatly welcomed.  As a result, every two years the company upgrades this site after hearing from its IBM'ers (as they are referred to).  The site has a short video that focuses on three important issues:  protecting confidential information or property, respecting the privacy of others (okay to discuss in generalities), and anonymity is not an option (should always include a disclaimer).  Trust and personal responsibility are at the forefront.

Adding blog lists

Hi all--It took a little while but I added links to most of your blogs on my blog...it seems an easier way to access them (and see all the visuals) than Google reader... and it tells me when something has been posted.  I am excited now about finding other blogs to link to...

Happy blogging everyone...Loraine

Pros and Cons review

Today I ventured into the "Experts weigh the Pros and Cons of Social Media" blog and connected with two of the bloggers.  I am somewhat in agreement that with so much information bouncing around that erroneously facts being accepted as fact.  In addition, in the quest to be "first" results in the sacrifice of being "right."  There is an underlying fear that news consumers will focus on "infotainment" and disregard serious coverage of critical issues.

However, I was optimistic when I looked at those who commented and found one by a "ntindall" that lead me to a blog by journalism teachers from colleges and universities around the country.  The blog is AEJMC: Social Media in the Classroom  http://aejmc.blogspot.com/ that discusses and shares best practices in the area of journalism studies.  Interesting blog by Terri Thornton who questioned a panel of experts as to "how will people know what is a journalistic story and what is a paid, biased, or fictitious post?"  One answer was to encourage journalistic literacy programs. 

If that is to be the case, in addition to IL and DL we will now include JL....

Loraine

Koltay review

Koltay's article brings up several key points that librarians/information specialists should keep in mind when working with 2.0 tools and services.

• One must evaluate the ability of the latest technology to meet user needs
• Mentions the lack of evaluative criticism necessary to reach a balanced view of the positives and negatives
• Readers of online information must become vigilant in their ability to distinguish the inherent differences between informal content and formal authoritative knowledge (Very important point)

Working with middle school students everyday, I witness the intense need to help students develop strong techniques for evaluating online information and web 2.0 tools.  It is a strategy that should be introduced to today's children as early in their educational training as possible.

I especially liked Koltay's discussion on information styles; the pragmatic and the analytic, and that librarians/information specialists much remember that user needs very often change over time. I wonder about Koltay's statement that "serving the amateurs is the closest possibility of using Web 2.0 properly."
Is he suggesting that these are not as useful in the academic setting? Or just that those seeking authoritative content would not necessarily be interested in as much user participation?

Loraine