Web 2.0 Exploration

Exploring Web 2.0

2009-01-29T12:42:00.000-08:00

Welcome to AACPL's Exploration of Web 2.0. The goal of this program is to introduce librarians to the different resources and services available on the Internet right now so that they can have have a better understanding of these tools and how they can use them in a professional capacity.

Participants will have a year to complete the different explorations. To receive CEUs for your work, you will need to e-mail your blog URL to the head of the Staff Development Committee.

Below you will find links to the different activities in this program. It is suggested you do the first three activities in order, but after that you can skip around and do whatever interests you.

We've tried to label each activity with a note about how much time it will take to complete and whether it will be possible to complete on the desk or if you should save it for your backroom time.

Note: Highlighted items must be completed to earn CEU's.

Exploration 1 – Intro to Web 2.0

Will Require: Reading websites and viewing one video (sound not required).
Time: @ 30 minutes

Exploration 2: Blogging

Will Require: Reading websites and setting up a personal blog
Time: @ 30 of reading; @ 1 hour to create a personal blog

Exploration 3: Flickr and Photo Sharing Communities

Will Require: Reading and Searching the Flickr site. (Optional to set up your own Flickr page).
Time: @30 minutes

Exploration 4: RSS Feeds, Readers, and Keeping Track of Web 2.0

Will Require: Reading about RSS and signing up for your own Feeder plus adding feeds of AACPL staff to the list.
Time@ 20 minutes of reading, @45 minutes to create Feeder and add Feeds

Exploration 5: It's a LibraryThing

Will Require: Reading an article, browsing of LibraryThing page, create personal LibraryThing
Time: @20 minutes of reading, @15 minutes of browsing, @30 minutes of LibraryThing

Exploration (Optional): YouTube and User Created Content
Will Require: Browsing sites, watching videos
Time: @45 minutes

Exploration (Optional): – Twitter and Widgets
Will Require: Browsing websites, optional creation of account and adding account to Blog
Time: @ 45 minutes

Exploration (Optional): Social Networking Sites
Will Require: Reading articles, exploring links, optional creation of account
Time: @1 hour

Exploration 6: Online Office Tools

Will Require: Reading and exploring the website. Optional account creation.
Time: @30 minutes

Exploration 7: Wikis

Will Require: Reading and exploring websites.
Time: @30 minutes

Exploration 8: Social Bookmarking Sites & Folksonomies

Will Require: Reading articles, exploring links
Time: @40 minutes

Exploration 9 (This Part Last!): What's Next and Looking Back

Will Require: Browsing sites that have information about libraries and Web 2.0 technology
Time: @30 minutes (though you could easily spend more if you're having fun!)

Exploration 1 - Intro to Web 2.0

2008-01-30T06:21:00.000-08:00

Will Require: Reading websites and viewing one video.
Time: @ 20 minutes of reading; 5 minute video (sound optional)

Welcome to AACPL’s Exploration of Web 2.0. This is your chance to have fun and explore some of the emerging technologies and trends that are populating the internet today. There will NOT be a test, or a quiz; we are just here to have fun!

So, what is Web 2.0? The topic is still up for debate when it comes to a solid definition, but everyone can agree on one thing: Web 2.0 is about participation. The end-user is not just an observer, but an active participant in the sites.

For example, in “Web 1.0”, users that understood HTML could access free web space through sites like Yahoo.com and create their own websites. These web pages were hand coded with HTML then put on display for people to view.

With a “Web 2.0” website, users create pages that have areas for other users to leave comments on. The sites are updated on daily, sometimes multiple times in the same day! These sites can be created by anyone since most are in a template format – no HTML knowledge is required. Interaction is not just encouraged, it is necessary to make the site successful; the more people that use the site, the better it will be.

Chances are you are already familiar with a few aspects of Web 2.0. Most websites have updated to include more and more aspects of the phenomena. Have you read an article on WashingtonPost.com? Notice how you can leave a comment about the article? Take a glance at CNN.com and you’ll see RSS Feeds, Blogs, Podcasts, and more! They even have a section devoted to reader submitted articles.

Why should we, as librarians, care about this online culture? Because these new technologies are changing the way people communicate, which means they are changing the way they ask questions and find the information to answer these questions. Because the user does not need to know any kind of coding to create a functional, personalized page, it is changing their perception of how to interact with others online.

But enough talk, let’s get out on the web! We’ll start with a video: The Machine Is Us/ing Us. This was created by University of Kansas Professor Michael Wesch. Prof. Wesch is “a cultural anthropologist and media ecologist exploring the impacts of new media on human interaction.” Don’t be worried if it moves a bit fast for you. Many of the things you see in this video we will discuss in more depth in other sections of this exploration. At the last step of the exploration, we’ll return to this video and you’ll be amazed by how much more sense it all makes!

Next, check out OCLC’s site “Next Space” on Web 2.0 and libraries and Michael Stephen’s article on Librarian 2.0. Feel free to explore the rest of the articles but you do not need to read them all right now! We will return to them through-out the exploration!

Exploration 2 - Blogging

2008-01-29T06:29:00.000-08:00

Will Require: Reading websites and setting up an individual blog
Time: @ 30 of reading; @ 1 hour to create a personal blog

A blog (short for “Web Log”) can have many shapes, forms, and functions. Some keep blogs like online diaries, typing up personal stories to share with family and friends. Other blogs provide news and information. There are blogs that exist solely to link to other blogs! Think of a topic and there is probably someone out there with a blog about it!

Librarians are out there in full force. Here are just a few library related blogs so you can get a feel for how “our people” are taking advantage of this new technology:

Maryland’s Essential Resource for Library Information Networks (MERLIN) administrator’s blog – maintained by a group of bloggers, including AACPL’s very own Matthew Aaron. (Also, check out the Library News Blogs linked on the right side of the screen.)

Montgomery County Public Library uses a blog to highlight library services and local events.

YALSA Blog - run by the good folks over at the Young Adult Library Services Association, this blog attempts to help librarians up-to-date on new resources for teens. (The American Library Association has many blogs connected to its different groups, a simple Google search can help you find a group you might be interested in).

No Flying No Tights – a graphic novel review website run by several librarians from Massachussets.

Never Ending Search – This blog, run by Joyce Valenza, is hosted by the School Library Journal website. Mrs. Valenza posts about online resources, educational tools, and library happenings in the country.

Library Lover’s community on Livejournal has many contributing members that post links to articles, blogs, videos and more.

And much much more!

Now it’s your turn. Don’t be scared, it’s easy. According to a report released by Technorati back in October 2006, there is a blog born every half a second! If they can do it, you can do it!

There are many different blog providers out there. Feel free to browse a few of the free ones offered and take your pick. If you are familiar with our Shared Collections blog, you might want to use Blogger. If you want to try something different, check out Wordpress, Livejournal or Vox. You might discover that your email provider (MSN, Yahoo, etc) also has a blogging service that you could use. The choice is yours.

Whatever you pick, take the time to look at the customize area of the blog and really make it your own – pick out your favorite colors, give your blog a title, upload a user picture to your profile, etc. Have fun! Just remember - this blog is to keep track of your Web 2.0 Exploration and you will be sharing it with your co-workers. Make sure you pick an appropriate user name. I would recommend avoiding using your full name as your username. Try to pick something fun that expresses a part of your personality.

When you are satisfied with your set up, post your first blog discussing your thoughts on this project.

Drawing a blank? Try discussing:
- your thoughts on the Machine is Us/ing Us video
- your thoughts on picking out a blog and customizing it.
- an anecdote about a personal experience with Web 2.0 and the library
- interesting blogs that you read
- your initial thoughts on “Web 2.0”

After you have posted your first blog entry, leave a comment on this page with the URL of your new blog!

Exploration 3: Flickr and Photo Sharing Communities

2008-01-28T06:48:00.000-08:00

Will Require: Reading and Searching the Flickr site. (Optional to set up your own Flickr page). Time: @30 minutes to look at the sites; @15 minutes to post to your blog

From Maryland Libraries Learning 2.0:

"Photo sharing websites have been around since the 90s, but it took a small startup site called Flickr (and now owned by Yahoo) to catapult the idea of “sharing” into a full blown online community. Flickr uses "tags" or what we would call keywords to help identify and search for photos."

As we discussed in your first exploration, Web 2.0 is about participation and sharing. Flickr is a great example of Web 2.0 in action. The site allows users to create a place to upload their photos (up to 200 free), add caption to the photos, and think up personal labels or “tags” to organize their photos within a personal set and within the entire Flickr community. Flickr also allows other users to leave comments on your public photos and add "notes" to photos (as with most Web 2.0 sites, there are different privacy settings so viewing can be limited to a set few, if you so desire). Check out this photo of the BDN staff and see if you can find these features.

Just for fun: Go to the Flickr homepage and type in the search term “library” or “librarian” or some variation on that and take a look at what photos show up. The default search is a keyword search for photos and their captions or tags. After you’ve browsed that page, scroll to the top and click on “Groups”. This will give you specific Flickr communities that share photos on the specific topic of your search.

Recently, the Library of Congress has created their own Flickr account as part of their own experimentation with Web 2.0 applications. As LC's Matt Raymond explained in the LC Blog:

"many photos are missing key caption information, such as where the photo was taken and who is pictured. If such information is collected via Flickr members, it can potentially enhance the quality of the bibliographic records for the images."

You can read more about this endeavor and why they are doing it on the Library of Congress Photos on Flickr page. Take some time to browse the LC Flickr site and read the user comments/notes. You might find something interesting.

Optional Activity: Create a Flickr account of your very own and upload a couple photos (remember that you will be sharing these photos with co-workers, try to keep them generic or at least not too personal). Experiment with the captions and note features. Add some tags. Then post a link to your Flickr album in your blog. (FYI: If you have a Yahoo account, then you already have a Flickr account.)

Feeling really adventurous? Due to its enourmous popularity, Flickr has teamed up with several Blog sites to allow you to post your photos and write a blog while logged into Flickr and post it to your blog! Here are the instructions for setting this up.

A bit about tags from Maryland Libraries Learning 2.0:

Tagging is an open and informal method of categorizing that allows users to associate keywords with online content (webpages, pictures & posts). Unlike library subject cataloging, which follows a strict set of guidelines (i.e.Library of Congress Subject Headings), tagging is completely unstructured and freeform, allowing users to create connections between data anyway they want.

Flickr is not the only site to use tags. Several of the blogs available let users tag their entries (or if you use Blogger, you “label” them – same idea though.). We will discuss tags more in the Social Bookmarking section of this Exploration.

Post to your blog about Flickr. Here are some questions to get you started:
- How could a library use Flickr with staff?
- How could a library use Flickr with patrons?
- Something cool you found on Flickr
- What are some other uses for Flickr?

Exploration 4 - RSS Feeds and Feed Readers

2008-01-25T11:12:00.000-08:00

Will Require: Reading about RSS and signing up for your own Feeder plus adding feeds of AACPL staff to the list.
Time@ 20 minutes of reading, @45 minutes to create Feeder and add Feeds

From Maryland Libraries Learning 2.0

Just think about the websites and news information sources you visit every day. It takes time to visit those sites and scour the ad-filled and image-heavy pages for just the text you want to read, doesn’t it? Now imagine if you could visit all those information sources and web pages in just one place and all at the same time … without being bombarded with advertising… without having to search for new information on the page you’d already seen or read before… and without having to consume a lot of time visiting each site individually. Would that be valuable to you? Well, it’s available now through a newsreader and RSS.

A feed reader (also called a newsreader or aggregator) is an application that automatically gathers updates to blogs, news sites and other Web sites so that you can view all this content in one place, rather than taking the time to visit each site individually. You determine what sources will be represented in your feed reader by choosing which ones to subscribe to. For example, staff could set up a reader page that gathers the latest news from Library Journal , recent posts from the ALA Editions blog, and the Top News from the Washington Post for use when there are slow times at the desk. A patron might use a feed reader for similar professional purposes, or for keeping up with entertainment events like blog posts by their favorite actors or communities that share recipes. The Feed Reader is designed to bring the information to you.

While there are some feed reading applications that are downloaded directly to a computer, there are also a number of free feed readers available on the web, which have the benefit of allowing you to log in to your feed reader from anywhere you go online. Bloglines is one of the more popular of these (though if you are using a Blogger, you now have a Google account and access to their web-based reader GoogleReader).

Most sites that provide ongoing updates, or “feeds”, to your feed reader do so by using a format called RSS (short for “Really Simple Syndication”). While a blog will likely have only one feed emanating from it, a larger site might have multiple feeds to choose from – a different feed for each of several columnists, for example. To see if a site you’re interested in offers an RSS feed, look for a link to the feed on the site, very often represented by an orange symbol like this:

Adding feeds to your feed reader is easy, and whatever feed reader you choose should provide simple instructions for how to do this.

Still a little confused? Watch this introduction to feed readers created by Palinet:
Feed Me: A gentle introduction to Internet feeds

Some library systems now provide RSS feeds on their websites:

Allegany County has an Events feed on their main page. Visitors to their site can read the scrolling text, but they can also have the feed of this text sent to their readers.

Kent County Public Library has a news blog that they offer via email or via RSS Feed.

Howard County Library offers a few pre-defined feeds but also allows patrons the ability to create their own feeds that send updates about specific areas of the catalog.

Now you try. Sign up for a feed reader, like Bloglines (you do not have to use Bloglines if you already have another reader you are familiar with). For easier browsing, you might want to open up a second browser window. Just go up to File -> New -> Window (or press Ctrl+N).

First, add the feed for the AACPL Exploration blog (not sure how? Here is a 5 step walkthrough).
Then add at least 3 RSS feeds from other AACPL Explorers so you can read about their adventures so far.

Take the time to read some of their posts and leave a comment on their blog (after all, Web 2.0 is all about interaction and participation.)

Then post to your own blog about this exploration. Not sure what to talk about? Think about:
- ways AACPL could use RSS Feeds
- the pros and cons of using RSS feeds
- How can RSS and Feed Readers be valuable to you in your personal web viewing? Professional web viewing? How about patrons?

Exploration 5 - It's a LibraryThing

2008-01-24T11:42:00.000-08:00

Will Require: Reading an article, browsing of LibraryThing page, create personal LibraryThing
Time: @20 minutes of reading, @20 minutes of browsing, @20 minutes of LibraryThing

Do you remember which titles you read for the Great Books for Children & Teens program last year? How about the book you heard about during one of our staff trainings that you attended in 2006? How about that book a patron asked you for twenty-minutes ago?

Don’t stress – everyone has trouble remembering what they have read – the good and the bad. Some people choose to collect note cards about each book, or keep a notebook full of thoughts on what they have read. Now there is another option – cataloging your books ONLINE!

LibraryThing is one of many free sites available for booklovers to catalog their own collection. From the website:

"LibraryThing is an online service to help people catalog their books easily. You can access your catalog from anywhere—even on your mobile phone. Because everyone catalogs together, LibraryThing also connects people with the same books, comes up with suggestions for what to read next, and so forth."

You can read more about LibraryThing here.

One of the fun things users get to do in LibraryThing is “tag” their books. But this is no place for a textbook cataloguer – users are encouraged to tag with as many subjects and associations as they can think of. For example, if we looked up Philip Pullman’s The Golden Compass in OCLC, the subject headings are fantasy, missing persons—experiments, kidnapping—juvenile fiction, arctic regions—juvenile fiction.

Now, take a look at the tag list created by all the members of LibraryThing for this particular title. (Click on “All Tags” to see the different ways people mark their books). There are a lot of different tags, but you can see how everyone has a different way of remembering the book.

Libraries and librarians are using LibraryThing to experiment with online mini-collections. Recently, our own Deb Bancroft of the Annapolis Branch created a LibraryThing account to help keep track of what titles our county had used for Library Book Discussion groups (formerly known as "Book Banter").

"It seemed like a good idea to keep track of the books the library system used for their discussions. It could be a way to avoid duplication - a branch might reconsider a choice if they knew that another branch was discussing the same title. On the other hand, it's also a way to track popularity - the fact that several branches chose to read The Golden Compass is pretty interesting, given the controversial nature of the book.

By tagging each entry with the 3 letter branch code, we can sort our BookBanter library by branch code, or view the whole thing by an alphabetical list of titles. Entries can also be tagged by a subject descriptors, or by the audience focus. For example The Golden Compass was selected as a teen read by the Annapolis branch. So by tagging it for teens, we could access it that way should the need arise. I've also started tagging with a date - the year that we use a title for our library book discussion."

Many libraries are experimenting with using LibraryThing. Right now, most of them enjoy the “Widget” feature. The LibraryThing Widget takes books from your catalog and creates a small list which it can insert into your website. Shenandoah Public Library is a good example. The widget is the list on the far right labeled “Recent Books from My Library”. (We’ll take a closer look at Widgets in another exploration).

LibraryThing also offers RSS feeds from user accounts. Let’s say you find a user that has a similar taste in books as you, you might add their RSS feed to your reader to see what they add to their catalog next! Take a look at the Book Banter profile page. Scroll down and in the lower right corner you will see 3 RSS feeds you can choose from – recently added books, book reviews, and reviews of bookbanter books not including bookbanter’s.

Of course, LibaryThing is no longer the only online place to catalog your books. Other sites include GoodReads, Shelfari, and Books iRead (a Facebook Application). And knowing the Internet, there are many more in the works.

Still want to know more? Library Journal published an article called 2.0 for Readers in it's November 1, 2007 issue discussing the use of Web 2.0 tools like LibraryThing by librarians for Readers Advisory. You can access the full article through EBSCO MasterFILE Premier.

It’s your turn!

Create a LibraryThing account (or GoodReads or Shelfari, whatever you are most interested in) and add 5-10 titles to your virtual shelf. Don’t forget to tag those items!

Write up a blog entry about LibraryThing (or whichever site you went with) and talk about the ways you could use it in your library. How about system wide? How about personally? Post a link to your LibraryThing profile or catalog in your blog entry so everyone can see.

Now, log into your Bloglines account and see if any of your fellow Explorers have updated their blogs. Read about their experience with LibraryThing. Leave them a comment or two on their entries. Then subscribe to one of their LibraryThing RSS Feeds using your Bloglines reader.

Exploration 6: Online Office Tools

2008-01-23T07:05:00.000-08:00

Will Require @30 mins to 1 hour of hands-on time with Online Office Tools which will require account registration, an activity, and blogging your reactions.

Online office tools are websites that offer the same kind of features as you would find in desktop tools such as the Microsoft Office suite (e.g., word processing, spreadsheets, presentation software, email, calendar). The exciting part about them is that because they are online, it becomes much easier to share your documents with team members or coworkers – and, as you now know, Web 2.0 is all about participation and sharing!

The true strengths of these tools lie in both the collaboration options and convenience of use. Any document or file that you create (or upload to your account) may be shared with others or published online. Files are stored online and may be accessed by you anywhere with an Internet connection. No software needs to be downloaded; updates and bugs are taken care of without hassle. And you won’t have problems with different software versions or incompatibilities when you share the file.

On the other side of the coin, keep in mind that at the time of this writing, there are a few weaknesses to these programs as well. The editing tools tend to be fairly basic when compared with desktop tools. The speed with which the program will work is highly dependent on your Internet connection. And you should also consider the issue of data security, as all of your documents and files are stored on a remote server.

There are several websites that offer online office tools, each with slightly different features. A sample:

Microsoft Office Live Workspace: http://workspace.officelive.com/
Designed to work directly with the MS Office products installed on your work computer.
Online storage of approximately 1,000+ documents online.
Document sharing via email.

Google Docs: http://docs.google.com/
You can upload Word documents, HTML, OpenOffice, etc.; you can also create new documents from scratch.
Share your documents via email; real-time chat is also available for simultaneous editing of a single document.
Publish your work directly to your blog or website.

ThinkFree: http://www.thinkfree.com/common/main.tfo
You can create, view, and edit MS compatible files online.
You can share folders with others; any of the group may post files in the folder for the others to read or edit.

Zoho: http://www.zoho.com/
In addition to the online word processing, spreadsheet, and presentation functions, Zoho has project management software, a database application manager, a planner, and other features.
You can share documents or presentations via email, with real-time chat options for simultaneous editing and discussion of the same document.
Other things Zoho can do include web site monitoring, polls, and candidate evaluation.

Now it’s your turn! Follow the simple instructions below for writing a document in Zoho, then document your experiences in your blog. If you’re feeling adventurous, try the spreadsheet and presentation functions as well (instructions below).

Zoho Writer (equivalent to MS Word):
An online word processor could be a good alternative for a patron who needs to save his or her document but does not have a disk or flash drive. Creating an account is free and only requires an email address for verification.

Set up an account with Zoho: http://zoho.com/.

Read the "Welcome" document that automatically opens.

Click the New button in the top left corner to start a new document. Move your mouse over the buttons at the top of the page to see what each one does.

Type your name and the date aligned to the right of the document. (The Justify Right, or align right, button is on the top right of the menu bar.) Drop down a couple spaces, align left, and type a paragraph.

You'll notice that the document automatically saves after you start typing, as "Untitled". Click on Save As (top left) and save this assignment as a New Document and give it a name. Look at the Document Saved box in the bottom right – what is the word count and character count for your document at this point?

Did you see that although you've given your document a new name, the document "Untitled" still remained on your document list on the left? Click on "Untitled" and then click the Delete button (at the top of that column) to remove the untitled document.

It should automatically return you to your named assignment page. If not, click on the name on the left column, under My Docs, to open your assignment back up.

The next step is to add a picture. Find a picture online that you like using GoogleImages; click through to "See full-size image." The address bar now lists the location of your image. Copy that address. Back in Zoho Writer, look for the Insert/Modify Image button (it looks like a picture of mountains and a sun; it is located under the Bold button and Style menu). Paste the url for the picture into the appropriate box. Add Alternate Text to briefly describe your picture. Click OK. Use the Justify Center button to center the image horizontally on the page.

You can adjust the size of the picture the same way as in MS Word: click on the picture and a frame will appear; grab a white box on the edge of the frame and move the mouse to resize.

Next, justify left again and choose either the numbers or bullets button (at the top right of the screen -- Ordered List and Bulleted List, respectively) and make an itemized list of 4-6 things. On each line, choose a different font from the font menu.

Insert a table. (It's the button to the left of the "Insert/Modify Image" button.) Use at least 3 rows and 3 columns. Type one or more words in each box; try different font sizes, different font color (the button just below the font menu), and font background color or highlighting the text (also below the font menu).

Not sure what to talk about afterward? How about the following:

What are the advantages or disadvantages to using online office tools (as opposed to desktop office tools) to you, working in a library?

Describe ways that you – or your patrons – could use this kind of program.

What personal experience have you had with online office tools? Will you continue to use them now that you’ve tried some of the features?

Try using Zoho’s “Publish” feature to directly publish your document on your blog!

Optional: Zoho Sheet (MS Excel):
Have you ever had to send patrons away because your branch didn’t have spreadsheet software available? Try this online spreadsheet as an alternative to MS Excel.

Read the "Welcome" document.

Start a new document.

Create a table with at least 3 columns and 4 rows. Start your column labels in the box B3, so there is room above for a title and room to the left for row labels.

Start your row labels in box A4. After your 4+ rows, skip a line and then include one more row named "TOTALS".

Once your rows and columns are labeled (and you can pick whatever topic you like), enter some fake data.

In the "TOTALS" line, instead of adding up the numbers in each column by hand, enter a formula (just like in Excel). For example, to add the cell contents of B4-B8, you type in, "=B4+B5+B6+B7+B8". You must include the equals sign (=) and use the plus signs (+) to add the contents of each named cell.

Now come up with a title for your table. Highlight all of the cells across row A of your table and click on the Merge Cells Across button, at the center top of your screen, just under the Export menu. Then hit the Align Center button to center your title.

Save your document.

Just to the right of the Save button is a button marked Preview. When you click it, it opens a new window with a Print Preview. Print the new window. (It will not print, at the time of this writing, from the regular window.)

Optional: Zoho Show (MS Powerpoint):
The absence of Powerpoint has been another reason patrons have been frustrated; have them try this instead!

Open and read the Zoho Show "Welcome" document. Watch it as a slide show (link to slide show is on the top right of the screen).

Start a new presentation by clicking New on the left side of the very top of the screen. Name your presentation and select a theme.

As in MS Powerpoint, click to select a text box and write in a title and your name as the subtitle.

Click New Slide to add a new page to your presentation. Select the blank slide and add a picture, using the Insert Image button on the top of the screen. (It's the same button that you used when you added a picture on Zoho Writer.) If you would like to add a caption to your picture, click on the T or the Add Text button next to the image button, which provides you with a new text box.

Add two more slides to your presentation, trying different kinds of slides. Your choices: "Title with Text", "Title with Points", "Title Two Textblocks".

Make sure to include at least one Shape or Symbol from the menus on the left hand side of the screen.

Under the Actions menu on the top right, select Share. Share as "People who can view this presentation" and type in your supervisor's email. They will receive your presentation in their inbox and be able to look at it (but not edit).

Congratulations, you're done!!
(Don't forget to log into your blog and write about your thoughts on this activity and also check your RSS Feeds to find out what your fellow Explorers have to say!)

Exploration 7: Wonderful World of Wikis

2008-01-19T07:32:00.000-08:00

Will Require: Reading, watching a video (needs sound) and browsing websites @30 minutes

From Maryland Libraries Learning:

A wiki is a collaborative website and authoring tool that allows users to easily add, remove and edit content. Wikipedia, the online open-community encyclopedia, is the largest and perhaps the most well known of these knowledge sharing tools. With the benefits that wikis provide, the use and popularity of these tools is exploding.

Some of the benefits that make wikis so attractive are:

Anyone (registered or unregistered, if unrestricted) can add, edit or delete content.

Tracking tools within wikis allow you to easily keep up on what has been changed and by whom.

Earlier versions of a page can be viewed and reinstated when needed.

Users do not need to know HTML in order to apply styles to text or to add and edit content. In most cases simple syntax structure is used.

For more information, watch Wikis in Plain English at http://www.commoncraft.com/video-wikis-plain-english. (turn on your computer’s sound first!)

As you can see, wikis can be used for many different purposes. Like much of 2.0, to keep a wiki relevant, it should be constantly updated and revised. The good news is, the responsibility does not lie on one webmaster’s shoulders, but is shared by all members of the wiki. And, as mentioned above, HTML knowledge is not required to edit a wiki page.

AACPL has been experimenting with wikis for a few years. The New Technology Committee has created the Technology in AACPL Wiki on pbworks. Click here to access : http://technologyinaacpl.pbworks.com/. Committee members are using the wiki to keep track of different ways the system and the branches use our current technology and also stay up to date on other tech trends. Feel free to click around and explore what is available so far. To log on to this AACPL wiki and all other AACPL system wikis login/user name = aacpl15@gmail.com and password = sneaks. Check out all the other system wikis at our staff intranet site, http://intranet.aacpl.net/.

WebJunction has some suggestions for how libraries and librarians can use wikis.

Last year, ALA created a wiki to help organize and coordinate the national conference in Washington D.C. – take a look at the finished product. Do you think this sort of resource was helpful to the visitors? Will this be a useful tool now that the conference is over?

The Library Success: A Best Practices Wiki attempts to collect information on every aspect of working in a library – from management to programming. Click around and see what sort of information you can find. Is this a useful tool for librarians?

Now log into your blog and post your thoughts and reactions to Wikis and the library.

Exploration 8: Social Bookmarking Sites and Folksonomies

2008-01-18T07:40:00.000-08:00

Will Require: Reading and exploring web pages. @30 minutes

“Folksonomies” – isn’t that just a fun word to say? But what is it all about? In Exploration 3 (Flickr), we touched upon the idea of tagging, the key component of creating a folksonomy. Folksonomies have no controlled vocabulary. Instead, users create keywords based on their own experience and interpretation of the item. We saw this in practice on the LibraryThing Exploration where the tag cloud ranged from your basic subject headings to very personal notations.

Thomas Vander Wal invented the term “folksonomy”. This is his definition and defense of the method taken from a blog post:

The value in this external tagging is derived from people using their own vocabulary and adding explicit meaning, which may come from inferred understanding of the information/object as well as. The people are not so much categorizing as providing a means to connect items and to provide their meaning in their own understanding.

There tremendous value that can be derived from this personal tagging when viewing it as a collective when you have the three needed data points in a folksonomy tool: 1) the person tagging; 2) the object being tagged as its own entity; and 3) the tag being used on that object. […] If you know the object (in del.icio.us it is the web page being tagged) and the tag you can find other individuals who use the same tag on that object, which may lead (if a little more investigation) to somebody who has the same interest and vocabulary as you do. That person can become a filter for items on which they use that tag. You then know an individual and a tag combination to follow. The key is knowing who and what specifically is being tagged.

This kind of organization plays a big part in social bookmarking sites, such as the popular del.icio.us. You know all those fabulous websites you found while doing a random search at the desk? How about that Friday night you ended up following links around the web until you found the best website for storytime crafts? You could just bookmark them on the computer, maybe email yourself the URL.

With a site like del.icio.us, you can bookmark the page to your own personal site. Then that site can be accessed from anywhere. It is the same idea as web-based email – instead of having to be at home on your personal computer, or logged in to a staff computer, you can save your favorite sites to a webpage and have access to them any time, any place, any where.

For example, let’s say you work Sundays at the Crofton library. You’re helping a student with a project and you remember a co-worker assisting a student on a similar project earlier that week and finding some wonderful websites that helped answer the questions. If your branch created a del.icio.us page for staff use, you could quickly access that page from the Crofton library. The staff member might have tagged the webpage with “Grade 9, Feb Homework, Elizabethan England” and you can quickly jump to a list of bookmarked pages.

That’s just one idea. What are some other uses for web-based bookmarking sites? How do tags help keep these sites organized (or do they)? How could libraries and librarians use these sites with staff? Could they use them with patrons?

Take a look at some of these other del.icio.us pages:
YALSA’s Favorites include ideas for teen programming and services
Lansing Public Library uses del.icio.us to keep track of items
San Mateo Library tags their favorites with subjects and dewey numbers.

A librarian blogger is working hard to maintain a list of libraries using del.icio.us. Check out the post and click around.

Time to blog! Log into your Exploration blog and post your thoughts on social bookmarking sites, tagging, and folksonomies. Share any ideas you had for using del.icio.us in your library.

Optional Exploration: Twitter, Badges and Widgets - Oh My!

2008-01-17T15:59:00.000-08:00

Will Require: Browsing websites, optional creation of account and adding account to Blog
Time: @ 45 minutes

Twitter (http://twitter.com//) is a micro-blogging site that combines the ease of instant messaging with social networking. Users have up to 140 characters to express themselves. The message is then posted to your Twitter page, sent to a Twitter RSS, and also sent to mobile devices registered to receive updates from your Twitter.

From Web Junction’s Twitter: A Beginner’s Guide:

Rather than a replacement for blogs as a publishing medium, Twitter offers an addition to the options available to you. While blog posts tend to be longer in form, Twitter posts are ideal for making single points or sharing a single piece of information, like a link, instantaneously. Think of the difference between an email and a SMS [form of text messaging on mobile phones] message, and you are in the right ballpark.

LibraryJournal mentioned Twitter in an article in July 2007:

Though it seems simple, Twitter's possibilities are limitless. Twitter is a micro-blogging tool, an alerting system, a type of IM, a social network, a status updating tool like IM away messages, a conversation, and more. For librarians, it appears destined to be an essential conference tool as well as a personal productivity tool that can be used for creating to-do lists, tracking bug fixes, brainstorming with colleagues, and generally keeping in touch with friends.

The Missouri River Regional Library was one of the first libraries to experiment with Twitter. You can read about their venture here. MRRL uses their Twitter account to send out notices for when they update their system blog.

Several other libraries have followed suit and created Twitter accounts. Take a look:
Cleveland Public Library on Twitter
YALSA on Twitter
Ada Community Library on Twitter

One of the nice things about Twitter is the Twitter Badge, which allows your most current Twitter update to be displayed on another website. Tools like this, commonly referred to as widgets (short for “Window Gadget”), are popular features in Web 2.0 sites. Like RSS feeds and Feed Readers, widgets allow users to share information from another site on their web page. And, again, there is no fancy coding involved, the HTML is usually provided by the site so all a user must do is copy and paste. [EDIT: As of 7/15/08, Twitter has removed this feature while some updates are being made. Not sure when it will be back up. Ask fellow Explorers about other options for displaying Twitter]

When we looked at LibraryThing in one of our earlier explorations, we saw a few widgets in action. LibraryThing lets you display a booklist on your blog or webpage.

Flickr has a photo-sharing badge that you can build from your photos, contact’s photos, or group’s photos.

Optional Activity:
Create a widget or badge from LibraryThing, Flickr, Twitter (or another site) and insert it into your blog.

Log into your blog and post your thoughts on Twitter and widgets. Here are some things to think about:
What makes sites like Twitter so appealing?
What kind of patron would a site like Twitter appeal to?
What are some library (professional or with patron) applications for Twitter? How about the widgets available from other sites?

Don't forget to check up on your fellow explorers!

Exploration (Optional): YouTube and User Created Content

2008-01-16T07:37:00.000-08:00

Will Require: Browsing sites, watching videos Time: @1 hour

User generated content plays a big role in the culture of Web 2.0. The grand idea that anyone (with the right equipment) has the freedom to create a blog, podcast, or video and share it with the world has helped create many new communities.

Here is what Maryland Libraries Learning has to say about YouTube:

Within the past year online video hosting sites have exploded allowing users to easily upload and share videos on the web. Among all the web 2.0 players in this area, YouTube is currently top dog serving up over 100 million video views a day and allowing users not only to upload their own video content easily, but also embed clips into their own sites easily.

Again, Web 2.0 is about making things easier for the users. Not only can you upload clips but you can share clips, your own and others, but embedding them in your blog or other web page. YouTube makes it easy, providing the HTML code for you to copy and paste. No actual knowledge of HTML is required. You don’t even have to right-click, YouTube provides a “copy to clipboard” button which automatically stores the information into your computers clipboard so you can quickly paste it into your site.

Last year, YouTube was at the center of a lot of controversy, since users do not always upload content owned by them. You’ll find a wide variety of television show clips, movie footage, and other copyrighted material. Now, because of its popularity, many companies are creating official YouTube accounts so they can share videos, movie trailers, and so forth of content that they own (For example, music publisher BMG has created official accounts for their artists so they can post music videos. Have a little fun and check out the video for Brad Paisley’s song “Online”).

How can libraries and librarians use sites like YouTube to promote their library and its materials? Here are a few examples already online:

The Harper College Library filmed a video tour of the library for new students to view.

An attendee of the 2007 ALA Conference posted footage of the Book Cart Drill Team event.

While we’re having fun, take a look at the Library Ninja: Defender of Books.

Want to see more? Search “Libraries” in YouTube and browse the variety of videos you find.

Liking what they saw on YouTube but wanting their own private site, a group of educators got together and created TeacherTube. The site launched in March of 2007 and has videos on a wide variety of topics; from creating a picture frame out of a piece of cardboard to how to use Google Earth to investigate water flow.

Another form of user-generated content that is here to stay is the podcast. Podcasts can range from short audio commentaries to regularly filmed video programs. Anyone can create a podcast and share it online and you will find there seems to be a podcast for every interest. Podcasts have their own RSS feeds so that listeners/viewers can be automatically notified when a new one is uploaded.

You might think because it is a podcast, you would need an iPod or iTunes to listen to one, but that is not the case. Most podcasts are published in mp3 format and saved to the host’s website so that users can download the file right to their personal computer. Most video podcasters will upload their shows to YouTube or other free video hosting service (like the popular Ask A Ninja series – check out the Ninja’s explanation of Podcasting).

Libraries have begun to use podcasting for a variety of purposes. If you have iTunes, there is a searchable podcast directory that comes with the program. If you do not have iTunes, don’t worry – sites like Podcast Alley are a great starting point for finding podcasts (a quick search for “libraries” brings up over 28 intriguing results).

Now it is time to blog. Here are some prompts to help you brainstorm:

What are your thoughts on video hosting sites like YouTube?
Share your thoughts on podcasting. Do you listen to any podcasts?
How can sites like this be useful to patrons?
How might libraries and librarians use these sites and services?
Why is it important for librarians to be aware of this technology?

Exploration (Optional): Social Networking Sites

2008-01-15T08:07:00.000-08:00

Will Require: Reading articles, exploring links, optional creation of account
Time: @1 hour

We’ve all heard the phrase “social networking site” but what does it really mean?

Social networking websites and services are creeping into more and more of the web. These sites encourage users to seek out old friends from their past, allows them to find other users with similar tastes and fosters a feeling of community in the virtual world.

Just as other web services are taking cues from social networking sites, many of the social sites incorporate features of other webs services, allowing users to send email to each other, create a personal blog, join a discussion group, import RSS feeds, bookmark and share outside webpages, allow users to upload their own content, and customize the look of their page all the while encouraging them to interact with other users on the site.

Facebook and MySpace are online social network sites that are more about having fun and staying in touch with friends and family. Sites like Linkedin focus on professional development and career advancement. Imbee is a social site created to be kid, parent, and teacher friendly. Because of their popularity, more and more social sites are popping up every day.

Read the article from April 2008 PCWorld The Right Social Network for You in EBSCOhost to learn a bit more on the variety of social sites popping up on the web.

For a chuckle, read Michelle Slatalla’s article from the New York Times ‘omg my mom joined facebook’ (though Slatalla’s daughter might be horrified to know that the average Facebook user is over the age of 25).

How can libraries and librarians use these free sites to promote their services?

Steve Campion of the Pierce County (WA) Library shares his advice on creating a social networking environment in your library using his recent experiences in setting one up in his system.

Here is the Pierce County Library MySpace, which is marketed towards teen users.

The South Carolina State Library created a Facebook page as another way to make their library blog available to patrons.

Maryland AskUsNow, the online chat reference service, has created both a Facebook and MySpace page to advertise its services.

In your blog, take a moment to discuss social networking sites. Here are some questions to help get you started:
Why are sites like this appealing to tween and teens? How about young adults? Adults?
What are some of the pros and cons of a library entering the realm of social networking sites?
How could a library or system use these sites to help their patrons? How about using these sites to communicate with staff?

Don’t forget to read your fellow explorers blog responses to this exploration.

Exploration 9 (This Part Last!): What's Next and Looking Back

2008-01-14T08:01:00.000-08:00

Will Require: Browsing sites that have information about libraries and Web 2.0 technologyTime: @30 minutes (though you could easily spend more if you're having fun!)

Well, it has been a long crazy trip through the world of Web 2.0 and the emerging land of Library 2.0. We’ve seen a lot of new things and discussed a variety of topics. Even though you might not use these tools in your library or in your personal life, your patrons might use these tools on a daily basis. Hopefully these explorations have made you feel more comfortable in discussing this new media.

Now, let’s take a moment and go back to the video from Exploration 1: The Machine is Us/ing Us. Does it make more sense now that you are a bit more familiar with Web 2.0?

You’ve learned a lot during these nine little explorations but Web 2.0 is evolving and changing every day. Just like pop stars on the Billboard music charts, new websites and web tools are released each week and some achieve their 15 minutes of fame and fade away while others stay on top again and again. Here is a list of Web 2.0 Award winners from 2007 (compiled by the SEOmoz consulting firm, which helps organizations utilize Web 2.0 resources). Take a look at the variety of tools released just last year. Do you recognize any of the sites mentioned? Do any of these new sites look useful to you?

It is hard to deny that the world of information service is becoming intertwined with the world of technology. With the new knowledge and skills you have gained from this project, you can continue to do what librarians do best - interpret information. Your understanding of this new technology gives you the power to not just show a website to a patron, but to understand what is on that site, where it is coming from, and help the patron understand the information they are receiving from the page.

According to Troy Swanson, a graduate student at Dominican University Graduate School of Library and Information Science, "They [technologists] are the DJs, we [librarians] are the rappers." Technologists "control the turntables" to create the technological environment (rhythm) in which librarians and other information specialists work. The librarians are the rappers, the ones "that provide content and meaning to the rhythm created by the technologists." (Troy Swanson, American Libraries, March 2000)

In your final official exploration blog, take a moment to reflect on the past 9 (or 12) explorations that you have completed. Feel free to discuss the program itself: what you liked and what could be improved upon. Once you have completed this final exploration, e-mail your blog URL to the head of Staff Development to receive your CEU credits.

Just because you’ve finished your official exploration of Web 2.0 is no reason to shut down your blog or abandon your RSS feeds. There are plenty of other information professionals out there working to keep the rest of us abreast of libraries and emerging technologies. (A simple Google search of “Librarians and Blogs” brings up several interesting lists). Make an effort to read at least one blog on a regular basis in an area that interests you so you can share that new information with your staff and the system. If you enjoyed blogging, create a personal blog and keep track of your…well, your whatever!

Don’t forget that new explorers will be starting this training program later in the year. Come back and read their blogs and take a look at their perspective on Web 2.0. (Remember how encouraging it was to see that first comment posted on your blog post?)

Congratulations on completing the Web 2.0 Exploration!

Example: Twitter Badge

2007-03-27T16:06:00.000-07:00

This is an example of what one Twitter Badge looks like (colors are customizable):

You can create a badge for your Twitter by logging in. Scroll down the the bottom of the page where it says "Care to Share? Grab a Badge!" and you be taken to the customizaion page.

Example of a LibraryThing Book Badge

2007-03-26T16:12:00.000-07:00

Here is an example of a LibraryThing widget (set to display random book covers from books in my collection:

To create a LibraryThing widget, log in to your LibraryThing account and go to the "Tools" tab. On the left, select "Make a Standard Blog Widget" and follow the instructions.

Example of Flickr Widget

2007-03-25T16:16:00.000-07:00

Here is the Flickr Widget selection page with two kinds of Flickr Badges you can make:

After you have logged in to your Flickr account scroll down to the bottom and select "Tools". Scroll down and on the right you will see the option to "Display Flickr Photos on your Website" then follow the instructions.

Subscribing to a blog's RSS Feed using Bloglines

2007-02-05T11:24:00.000-08:00

(Click on the images to enlarge)

Copy the URL of the blog (right-click "Copy" or CTRL-C)

Paste the blog URL into the Bloglines "Subscribe" box (right-click "Paste" or CTRL-V)

Select ONE feed from the list (all 3 of these feeds are valid, this is more of an issue with pages that might have more than one kind of blog going at once).

After you have selected a feed, scroll down to the bottom and click "Subscribe". Now the Blog should appear in your "Feeds" tab on the left.

If you click on the Blog name, the feed will appear in the frame to the right and you can read the blog without having to actually visit the blog. Ta-da!

Once you have opened up the feed in the window, Bloglines assumes you have read the entries displayed and will mark them as such. If you there are any entries you wish to save, tick the "Keep" box.

Remember, to leave a comment on the blog, you will need to visit the actual blog website. To do this, click on the title of the blog or the title of the blog entry. This will open up a new window.

Posting to Your Blog from Flickr

2007-01-30T06:58:00.000-08:00

Setting up Flickr so you can post directly to your Blog

- Log into your Flickr account
- Click on the “You” tab
- From the menu that drops down, choose “Your Account”
- Choose the tab “Extending Flickr”
- Under the area “Your Blogs” click on “Configure Blogs”
- Click on “Set Up Your Blog”
- Choose “Blogger Blog” (or your blog site)
- Flickr will tell you to go log into your blog, click on the link that says “Head over to (your blog) now”
- This will open a window that asks you to log into your Blog. Log in with the same email/password you use to access your Blog.
- Click on “Grant Access”
- Click on “All Done”
- Click on the link that will take you back to set up on Flickr

After that is done, it will ask if you want to set up a blogging template. This allows you to choose the size of your picture thumbnail and where it will appear in your blog entry and make this your default setting.

After you have done this, you can find a picture in your account, and above the picture it will say “Blog This!” When you click on that picture, it will take you to blog entry page. Flickr will post your image, whatever caption you have typed below the image in Flickr, and then the blog entry you can now enter on this screen.