Thing 19 - Explore any site from the Web 2.0 awards list, play with it and write a blog post about your findings.

So far, we have explored a small sampling of new Internet technologies and web sites that are empowering users with the ability to create and share content. There are hundreds more available. I keep a watch on new mashups at http://www.programmableweb.com/. There are tons of blogs and web sites featuring web 2.0 web sites and technologies.

For this discovery exercise, participants are asked to select any site from this list of Web 2.0 Awards nominees and try it. With so many to choose from, it might be handy to first select a category that interests you (like Books or Personal Organization) and then simply select a tool or site to try.

NOTE: Be careful to select a tool that is Free and that does not require a plug-in or download. The majority of these are free. If privacy is a concern for you, please select one that does not require registration.

Discovery Exercise:

1. Select any site/tool from the list of Web 2.0 Awards nominees. (If you prefer to select from just the winners, here’s a link to the short list.)


2. Explore the site you selected.


3. Create a post about your discovery. Here are some questions to get you started: What did you like or dislike about the tool? What were the site’s useful features? Could you see any applications for its use in a library setting?

Thing 18 - Explore Tecnorati and learn how tags work with blog posts

Now that you’ve been blogging for awhile, you might be wondering just how big the blogosphere is right now. Until recently, Technorati, the leading search tool and authority for blogs, showed the number of blogs doubling just about every 6 months. In April of 2007, there were 70 million blogs being tracked by Technorati. Technorati also reported a slowing in the growth rate of the blogosphere and the rate of daily posts.

Here are some other statistics reported in April 2007:

70 million weblogs (blogs)
About 120,000 new blogs each day
1.4 new blogs every second
1.5 million posts per day
17 posts per second
Growing from 35 to 75 mission blogs took 320 days

The numbers are astounding. Blogging is so easy that these publishing tools are being taken advantage of by almost every industry, including libraries.

Technorati is tracking more than just blogs. How is this possible? Tagging or the practice of adding tags (keywords) has crossed over many different forms of social media and publishing platforms supporting these different types of media.

How does a person get their blog listed as part of the blogosphere? How can you tag your posts with keywords to make them more findable through a Technorati search?

The answer to the first question is that your blog is probably already being captured by Technorati due to the fact that you're already using Blogger, the most popular blogging tool. But if you want to join the party and have your blog officially listed on Technorati and also take advantage of the watchlist and other features, you’ll need to claim your blog yourself.

As for tagging posts with Technorati tags? This is easy, too. All you need to do is add a little bit of HTML code to the bottom of your post (see my example below) and Technorati will pick up these tags when it spiders (or web crawls) your site.

There are a lot of new features that have been added to Technorati, including new ways to search for blogs. You can search for keywords in blog posts, search for entire blog posts that have been tagged with a certain keyword, or search for blogs that have been registered and tagged as whole blogs about a certain subject (like photography or libraries).

Discovery Resources:

Technorati Tour – videocast of new features & new look
Technorati Discover & Popular features

Discovery Exercise:

1. Take a look at Technorati and try doing a keyword search for “Learning 2.0” in Blog posts, in tags and in the Blog Directory. Are the results different?
   
   Explore popular blog, searches and tags. Is anything interesting or surprising in your results?
   
   
2. Create a blog post about your discoveries on this site.
   
   OPTIONAL: If you're up for a challenge, learn how to tag your posts by with Technorati tags so they can join tag searches. Create a post about something. It can be anything you want and add the HTML code to the bottom to tag it as “VBPLL2.” You may also want to consider claiming your blog and creating a watchlist.
   NOTE: When adding HTML code, you'll want to make sure you're in Blogger's Edit HTML window.

There's a lot to explore.

Technorati Tag: VBPLL2

NOTE: If you liked Technorati and want more, try out IceRocket. It is a combination of some of the best features of existing blog search engines plus some unique things like the date specific search. Find IceRocket at http://www.icerocket.com/.

Thing 17 - Learn about tagging and Folksonomy; then, discover Del.icio.us.

Listen to a podcast on tagging, folksonomy and social bookmarking





Tagging is an open and informal method of categorizing that allows users to associate keywords with online content such as web pages, pictures or blog 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. It allows users to create connections between data anyway they want.

This week, in addition to exploring Technorati tagging, we want to also take a look at popular social bookmarking site called Del.icio.us (typed in as http://del.icio.us/).

Del.icio.us is a social bookmarking manager which allows you to bookmark a web page and add tags to categorize your bookmarks.

Many users find that the real power of Del.icio.us is in the ability of users to share bookmarks. At its' core, Del.icio.us has a strong social networking aspect. Del.icio.us allows you to see how other users have tagged similar links. This is a great way to discover other web sites that may be of interest to you. You can think of it as peering into another person's filing cabinet; the difference is that this powerful bookmarking tool connects each user's filing cabinet into an expansive knowledge network.

For this discovery exercise, you are asked to take a look at Del.icio.us and learn about this popular bookmarking tool. First, please familiarize yourself further with the concept of tagging and folksonomy.

Discovery Resources:


Tagging & Folksonomy - YouTube Video - 2:12 minutes - This short video explains through examples the concept of tagging and folksonomy.

Folksonomy - Wikipedia article

Folksonomies and Image Tagging: Seeing the Future? - article by Diane Neal -- Bulletin, October/November 2007

Tags & Folksonomies - What are they, and why should you care? - 2005 blog post from Threadwatch.org. Highly readable and still revelant reading.

Making your Library Del.icio.us - OPAL presentation by Jason Griffey. You need the OPAL plug-in to do this one.

Making your library Del.icio.us - Podcast (WMA audio file) of same the presentation by Jason Griffey.

Social Bookmarking Showdown - blog article at Wired that compares the major social bookmarking sites.

The Brave new world of Social Bookmarking - article by Amanda Etches-Johnson in the Canadian Library Association news

Social Bookmarking in Plain English - 3:25 minute YouTube video by Common Craft Productions.

Otter Group Del.icio.us tutorial (8 min video) - Highly recommended!!!

Us.ef.ul: A beginners guide to Del.icio.us

Several Habits of wildly successful Del.icio.us users

Discovery Exercise:

1. Read, watch or listen to at least two resources on tagging and folksonomy.
2. View the 8 minute Del.icio.us tutorial to get a good overview of Del.icio.us and its features.
3. Take a look around Del.icio.us using the VBPLL2 account that was created for this exercise. To access these bookmarks, please select the del.icio.us link, VBPLL2, on the right hand side of this post, directly underneath the SNAP SHOTS link in the navigation area. Note: In this account you will find lots of resources that have been highlighted or used throughout the course of the Learning 2.0 program.
4. Explore the site options and try clicking on a bookmark that has also been bookmarked by a lot of other users. Can you see the comments they added about this bookmark or the tags that they used to categorize this reference?
5. Create a blog post about your experience and thoughts about this tool.
   Can you see the potential of this tool for research assistance? Or just as an easy way to create bookmarks that can be accessed from anywhere?
   

OPTIONAL: If you’re up to the challenge, create a Del.icio.us account for yourself and discover how this useful bookmarking tool can replace your traditional browser bookmark list. You might even want to explore Del.icio.us’ latest addition, a network badge. (Psst! see it over there at the end of the navigation sidebar under the Cluster Map)

Note: If you do setup a Del.icio.us account, here’s a quick word about the Del.icio.us Buttons. On staff PCs, meaning the toolbars locked down by ComIT, the Del.icio.us buttons will install as options in your browser bookmarks. Use the “Post to my Del.icio.us” link to add the current web page to your account (you may need to log in first). Use the “My Del.icio.us” link to view your account.

Thing 16 - Create your own MySpace profile; then, blog about it.

We've learned about online social networking. Now, we're taking our understanding to a new level and exploring MySpace.

Please note: Thing 16 has 2 Discovery Exercises. Please complete Discovery Exerice option 1 if you do not want to create a personal MySpace profile.

Nielsen ratings report that MySpace is the fastest growing web brand in the U.S. today. comScore Media Metrix measures and reports the details of online media usage, visitor demographics and other online consumber behavior. In 2006, they found that MySpace received more page views than Yahoo.

What does all of this mean for consumers, the future of the Internet and libraries?

Explore the Discovery Resources below and do one of the Discovery exercises.

Discovery Resources



Help - MySpace

How to modify your MySpace, Facebook, MSN Spaces or Hi5 - Tips from Growup Geek web site

How to Sign up for a MySpace Account - YouTube Video - 5:32 long

My-Space Help - Code and advanced help for those really serious MySpacers. NOTE: This is not the official MySpace help.

Take the MySpace Tour - the official MySpace tour with screen shots featuring the site's main functions.

Discovery Exercise (Option 1)

1. Take the MySpace Tour and explore MySpace Help; then read, watch or listen to at least two of the additional resources listed above.

2. Create a blog post about your MySpace experience. Here are some questions to get you started: Does it look easy? How do you feel about MySpace? Did your opinion(s) about MySpace alter after your exploring of the discovery resources? Why is MySpace so popular with so many different people? Do you want to try it now?

Discovery Exercise (Option 2)


NOTE: If you are using a staff computer to create your MySpace profile, you will often receive ActiveX pop-up messages. In many cases to proceed, you will need to right click on the yellow box and allow the pop-up.

1. Create a MySpace profile following these directions or using the MySpace Help:
Sign up. Select the "Sign Up" link on the MySpace homepage and fill out the sign up form.

• Edit Your Page: Start by clicking on the "Edit Profile" link. The next page will ask a lot of personal questions like who your hero is and what kind of music do you like. Answer only what you are comfortable having other people read about you. To answer one of these questions click the "Edit" button for that question, type in the answer, click the "Preview" button, then the "Submit" button. When you are finished, click on the link at the top of the page that says "View My Profile" to view your MySpace page.





• Post a photo of yourself, your cat or something else...you get the idea. Read the rules about what kinds of pictures you are allowed to upload. They don't allow pictures that have nudity, are sexually explicit, violent or offensive, or are copyrighted. They also request that you don't use photos that are of other people without first getting their permission.





• Here's how to post a photo: Select the "Browse" button, search for the image on your computer or network folder, and select the "Upload" button. If you don't want to add a photo to your MySpace account click the link underneath that says "Skip for now". You can always add your photo later if you want to.





• Give yourself some friends: Send emails to all your friends so they can sign up for MySpace too. If they already have a MySpace account they will be added to your friends list. If you're anti-social you can select the "Skip for now" link.





• If you want to you can change your account settings. Acount settings are such things as privacy settings, password, calendar settings, profile settings and away messages among other things. Click on "Account Settings" and you will see the list of settings that you can change. Go through and click on each one and change the settings to the way you want to manage your MySpace account. When you are finished click on "Change" at the bottom of the page.





• Add/Delete Friends: Click the link that says "Edit Friends". Put a check in the box next to the name of the friend you want to delete from your profile and hit the "Delete Selected" button. Now click on the "Home" link at the top of your page to go back to your editing page. Go back down to the "My Friend Space" box. There's a link in there that says "Invite Your Friends Here". This is the link you use to find new friends to add to your MySpace profile.





• MySpace Name: Select the link "Click Here" in the box that says "Pick your MySpace Name/URL!". This is where you will choose the address of your MySpace profile. The address is what you send to people so they can find your profile. Choose carefully, this will be your profile name. If you want people to be able to find you on MySpace using your real name then enter your name on the next page.





• Mail / Messages: This is where you check and manage your MySpace email. You have 4 options in this box: 1) check your inbox to see if you have any messages from your friends 2) view messages you have sent in the past 2 weeks (after that they are deleted) 3) check to see if anyone has responded to your friends requests 4) post a bulletin. A bulletin is a message sent to everyone in your friends list.





• OPTIONAL- Create a blog: MySpace also has a blogging feature. You can create your own blog or sign up to read the blogs of other people. If you want to start creating your own block, select"Manage Blog". On the blog editing page, you will see a box in the left column labled "My Controls". This is what you will use to create, edit and manage your blog. To create your first blog post click on "Post New Blog". Choose the date and time you want your blog entry to show up. Give your blog entry a title and choose a category for your entry. Write your blog entry adding colors and changing the way your post looks using the tools provided.
  At the bottom of the post page are some questions for you to answer. They want to know what you are doing right now, while you're posting your blog entry. They also want to know what kind of mood you are in or what kind of mood your blog entry portrays. You can allow or disallow comments to your post using a checkbox provided. There are privacy settings too so you can choose who can read your posts. When you're finished click on "Preview and Post". If you like the way it looks when you preview it then click on "Post Blog" to post your blog entry.





• OPTIONAL - Add some Music: Select the music link. You will find a small box of drop-down search menus you can use to find MySpace background music. All musical genres are represented here; you can search by artist, style, sounds like, etc. Once you find the artist you're looking for, select the artist's picture or name in the search results. If it's an official MySpace music page, there should be a red header across the top of the page with the words "MySpace Music." You should see a big gray box with music selections playing or ready to be played at the artist's MySpace profile. In order to add this artist's song to YOUR MySpace profile, click on the Add button right under your selected song. You'll be asked if you really want to add this song to your MySpace profile, and if the answer is yes, then click Add Song To Profile. When people go to your MySpace profile, they'll get MySpace background music.
  
  

2. Blog about your experience using MySpace. Here's some thoughts to get you started: Was it easy? Did you enjoy it? Why is MySpace so popular with so many different people?

Stay tuned! Next week, we learn about tagging, folksonomy and social bookmarking.

Thing 15 - Get the 411 on Social networking.

Listen to a podcast on online social networking.

For many, online social networks (OSN) are about establishing and maintaining personal connections and finding friends with shared interests. As noted in the 2007 Horizon Report by the New Media Consortium and EDUCAUSE, “Researchers note that online spaces like MySpace and Facebook give students a safe place to gather, in much the same way that young people of previous generations hung out at the burger joint, the roller rink, or the mall…” (pg. 12)

There are OSNs for almost every conceivable topic and hobby; these sites range from photo sharing to music to book clubs to social activism. According to a January 2007 Pew Internet & American Life Project, in the past five years, social networking sites have moved from a niche activity into a phenomenon that engages tens of millions of Internet users of all ages. “Almost sixty percent of teens, aged 12 to 18, use online social networks”.

The Internet is now woven into everyday life. It is transforming communication into a seamless process. People move between telephone, computer and in person encounters actually increasing daily social interaction. OSNs play an interesting role in the lives of many people today. Find out more through the discovery resources and exercises.



Discovery Resources


Creating & Connecting//Research and Guidelines on Online Social and Educational Networking - National School Boards Associations, July 2007

Get out of my space - National Institute on Media and the Family

The Horizon Report - New Media Consortium & EDUCAUSE, January 2007

Identity Production in a Networked Culture: Why Youth Heart MySpace by Danah Boyd in American Association for the Advancement of Science, 2/19/2006

Libraries in Social networking by Meredith Farkas, Information Wants to be Free, 5/10/2006

Library Marketing in Online Communities by Jill Stove, Library Marketing, 5/01/2006

The Moral Panic over Social-Networking Sites by Wade Roush, Technology Review, 8/7/2006

The MySpace Generation - Business Week, 12/12/2005

Parents Guide to MySpace - YouTube Video - How Stuff Works Productions.

Social Networking Services - Wikipedia

Social Networking: A New Tech Tool and a New Security Concern for Teens and Schools by Joanne Barret, Multimedia and Internet in Schools, 5/01/2006

Social Networking Sites and Teens - Pew Internet & American Life Project

Social Networking Technologies: A Poke for Campus Services by Joanne Berg, EDUCAUSE Review, vol. 42, no. (March/April 2007): 32–44

Study: Many students talk about homework on social networking sites by Debra Lau Whalen in School Library Journal, 8/15/2007

Thoughts on Facebook, Cornell University

Your Space or MySpace by Beth Evans in Library Journal, 10/15/2006


Discovery Exercises

1. Read at least 2 of the Discovery Resources. Your goal is to gain an understanding of what social networking sites are and how they are different from traditional online communities.

2. Read at least 2 more of the Discovery Resources. Your goal is to gain an understanding of the controversies surrounding social networking sites and actions some schools and libraries have taken against social networking sites.

3. Create a blog post about one of the following: Should VBPL use a social networking site to connect with teens? or Social networking sites are really about ...?



In the next post, you'll learn more about MySpace and create your own MySpace profile (optional).

Thing 14 - Add an entry into the Virginia Beach Public Library's Reader's Advisory wiki.

The Virginia Beach Public Library is already using wikis for staff communication, training and development. The Reader's Advisory Team has an exciting new wiki with hints and tips as well as great discussion opportunities.





Discovery Resource

VBPL Reader's Advisory wiki at http://vbplreadersadvisory.wikispaces.com/

Discovery Exercise

1. Comment on the RA wiki: Tell us about your favorite book. Post a comment in the Staff Picks section of the wiki that includes the book's author, title and a brief plot summary. Keep it short --- no more than 3 sentences.

2. Make it relevant: Add at least 2 keywords or tags that describe the book's plot, setting or other appeal factors for the reader.


3. Blog about your experience. To get you started, here are some questions: Was it easy to figure out how to add your comments and edit the page? How can other library groups use wikis to communicate?




Get ready! Next week is all about online social networking sites.

Thing 13 - Learn about wikis and discover some innovative ways that libraries are using them

Listen to a podcast on wikis.

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 been changed and by whom.


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


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

As the use of wikis has grown over the last few years, libraries all over the country have begun to use them to collaborate and share knowledge. Among their applications are pathfinder or subject guide wikis, book review wikis, ALA conference wikis and even library best practices wikis.

Discovery Resources:
Use these resources to learn more about wikis:

• Wiki, wiki, wiki - from PLCMC's own Core Compentency blog
  
• Wiki’s: A Beginner’s Look – an excellent short slide presentation that offers a short introduction and examples.
  
• What is a Wiki? – Library Success wiki presentation


• Using Wikis to Create Online Communities – a good overview of what a wiki is and how it can be used in libraries.

Discovery Exercise:

1. For this discovery exercise, you are asked to take a look at some library wikis and blog about your finding. Here’s a few examples to get you started:
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

   SJCPL Subject Guides – a pathfinder wiki developed by the St. Joseph County Public Library system
   
   Book Lovers Wiki - developed by the Princeton Public Library
   

   
   

   Library Success: A best practices wiki
   
   ALA 2006 New Orleans wiki – an example of a wiki created to support a specific event
   
   The Bull Run Library wiki - a public library wiki and also a Learning 2.0 participant
   
   Other library wiki examples

   
   
   
2. Create a blog post about your findings. What did you find interesting? What types of applications within libraries might work well with a wiki?

So what's in a wiki? Find out by doing some exploring on your own.