Social Software: Building Networks of Learners Pierre Gorissen Digital Libraries à la Carte 25th August 2006

Before we start… I am not a Librarian (deleted rest of excuses here, it should probably explain enough)

The assignment Wiki: 3 questions: –Who are you? –What do you know about social software? –What do you want to learn during the lecture? 36 participant pages have been created Thank you!

How was it?

What did it tell me? The group consists of both –Beginners (some absolute) –(somewhat) Experts Made it harder to come up with a lecture that would suite both groups.

What did it tell me? Questions range from: –What is Social Software? –Who is using it and how? In libraries In education –What are recent trends? –Why use it and isn’t it just a hype?

Agenda 11:00 hrs Start lecture Introduction, overview of what Social Software is. 11:30 hrs Start group discussion. Results of the discussions will be added to the wiki. 12:00 hrs Report back from groups One-liner per group. 12:30 hrs Lunch

Social Software… Enables people to rendezvous, connect or collaborate through computer-mediated communication and to form online communities.

Network of learners… In a knowledge society we are all both teachers and learners!

Social Software – The Big Picture WWW Website Forums Blog Wiki IM SMS Collaborative Workspace e-Portfolio VLE (L)CMS Trad. Media Virtual World Collaborative real-time editing Social Network Service Social Bookmarking Podcast Video Blog VoIP --Interaction+ +Hierarchy-- IndividualGroup Lib. Catalog

Social Software… Instant Messaging (Chat) Forums Blogs / Weblogs Podcasts Videoblogs Wikis Social Network Services Social Bookmarking Collaborative real-time editing Virtual Worlds

Instant Messaging “Chat” Before: ICQ (PowWow) Now: MSN Future: Skype ? Most: Text Some: Audio + video

Ask a Librarian

Forums Have been around for a long time Via or online Hard to get going Large user capacity

Forum at LibraryThing

Blog / Weblog A type of website where entries are made (such as in a journal or diary), displayed in a reverse chronological order. Revolutionized publishing on the web for the masses

Blogs and Libraries / Librarians

RSS Really Simple Syndication Facilitator of content syndication Simple and Powerful “List of x most recent items” –15 books most recently added to the collection –10 most recently reviewed books –20 most recently edited or added wiki pages Best thing: you don’t have to know how it works!

RSS

Podcasting Compound word: iPod + Broadcasting No iPod is needed! “Audio Blog” –Message = MP3 –RSS Founding fathers: –Dave Winer –Adam Curry

Podcasts in Libraries

Vlogging “Video Blog” –Message = video –RSS Be your own producer Select –what you watch –when you watch Very diverse quality

Big enabler(s)… YouTube Dailymotion Google Video …

Wiki A type of website that allows users to easily add, remove, or otherwise edit and change some available content, sometimes without the need for registration Each page has a history!

Wiki in Libraries

Social Network Service Connects people based on similarities Examples: –Myspace –43Places –OpenBC

Social Network Service See list at:

Social Bookmarking Online bookmarks Tags / Folksonomy Examples: –FURL –Del.icio.us –LibraryThing –bibliophil

Social Bookmarking

Collaborative real-time editing Allows simultaneous editing of the same document or video by different participant Moonedit SubEthaEdit Writely

Collaborative real-time editing in Libraries ?

Virtual Worlds a computer-simulated environment intended for its users to inhabit and interact via avatars

Virtual Worlds Yes, Second Life does have a library!

Finally…. What do –Web 2.0 –Library 2.0 –Learning 2.0 –Social Software have in common?

They are about Collaboration Combination / Mashup Lowering barriers of use Community FUN!

OK, now it is your turn..

Group discussion Divide into group (just pick a seat) Group number is on table Each group has a page at Decide who is going to be the scribe for the group Save often!

Group Assignments Please list the members of the group on the page. Question: You've heard and seen a number of examples of Social Software tools during the first part of the lecture. –A) Which one did you (as a group) like most, or which one do you think would have the biggest positive impact on libraries? –B) Which one did you as group like least of do you think is least suitable for use in libraries? One-Liner: This could be a statement about social software and libraries, a site that you think others must visit, a statement about the Dutch weather, whatever it is you want to in the 1 minute you have at the end!

Agenda 11:00 hrs Start lecture Introduction, overview of what Social Software is. 11:30 hrs Start group discussion. Results of the discussions will be added to the wiki. 12:00 hrs Report back from groups One-liner per group. 12:30 hrs Lunch