http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/cultural-heritage/events/readeast-2009/
Demystifying the Social Web
Brian Kelly Acceptable Use Policy
UKOLN Recording of this talk, taking photos,
University of Bath discussing the content using email,
Bath, UK Twitter, blogs, etc. is permitted
providing distractions to others is
Email:
b.kelly@ukoln.ac.uk minimised.
Twitter:
Blog:
http://twitter.com/briankelly/
http://ukwebfocus.wordpress.com/
Twitter hashtag:
#readeast09 Resources bookmarked using „readeast-2009' tag
UKOLN is supported by:
This work is licensed under a Attribution-
NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 licence
A centre of expertise in digital information management (but note caveat) www.ukoln.ac.uk
Introduction
About Me
Brian Kelly:
• National Web adviser to UK Universities and
cultural heritage organisations
• Based at UKOLN, a national centre of expertise
in digital information management and located at
the University of Bath
• Involved in Web since January 1993
• Over 300 presentations given since 1997
• Current area of interest include Web 2.0, Web
standards and Web accessibility
A centre of expertise in digital information management www.ukoln.ac.uk
2
About This Session
This session provides:
• A summary of the Web 2.0 and what it is
• An introduction to various Social Web
services
Small group activity on identifying:
• Potential benefits of the Social Web
• Barriers to deployment of such services.
The session will conclude by outlining
approaches to addressing the barriers.
A centre of expertise in digital information management www.ukoln.ac.uk
3
Introduction
Using Tools I Talk About
Use of Web 2.0
technologies &
approaches:
• RSS feeds for
structured
information
• Geo-location data
• Exploitation of 3rd
party services
• Openness of
resources
• Risk assessment /
management
Talks given in 2008 covered Web 2.0, approaches
accessibility & standards.
Twitter, …
Note also use of blogs, video blogs, YouTube,www.ukoln.ac.uk
A centre of expertise in digital information management
4
Web 2.0 Web 2.0
What Is Web 2.0?
Marketing term (derived from observing 'patterns') rather
than technical standards - “an attitude not a technology”
Characteristics Of Web 2.0
• Network as platform
• Always beta
• Clean URIs
• Remix and mash-ups
Syndication (RSS)
• Architecture of participation
Blogs & wikis
Social networking, tagging
& sharing
• Benefits of scale (Social Web)
Web2MemeMap, Tim O‟Reilly,
• Trust and openness
A centre of expertise in digital information management www.ukoln.ac.uk
5 2005
Benefits of Web 2.0
Delivery Mechanisms (“network as platform”):
• Global outreach: maximise impact of and
engagement with ideas
• Outsourced services: allowing organisations to
focus on their strengths and small institutions to
engage on more equal terms
• Exploits infrastructure: the standards (e,g. RSS)
& services (Google, Amazon, ..) now in place
User Benefits:
• User can create content
• Can comment on other‟s content
• Users no longer passive consumers of content
A centre of expertise in digital information management www.ukoln.ac.uk
6
Academic Library Example
A Facebook page
provides:
• Brief factual
information
• Links to key
resources on main
Web site
• Dynamic content
embedded via RSS
• Calendar information
embedded via
Google calendar
• Ability for users to
7
A centre of expertise in digital information management „fans‟
become www.ukoln.ac.uk
National Library Example (1)
National Library of Wales
“Shaping the future: The
Library’s strategy 2008-2009 to
2010-2011”:
“We propose taking
advantage of new online
technology, including …
Web 2.0 services …
It is expected that the
Library itself will provide
only some specific services
on its website. Instead, the
intention is to promote and
facilitate the use of the
collections by external
Example of use of Web 2.0 services users, in accordance with
embedded within a Welsh Assembly specific guidelines.”
Government funded project
A centre of expertise in digital information management www.ukoln.ac.uk
8
National Library Example (2)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykCAxSqziFY
Use of Web 2.0
at the National
Library of
Wales
including:
• Use of
YouTube
Examples from guest blog post by Paul Bevan on UK Web Focus blog
/ Bridging Worlds 2008 paper, National Library of Singapore
A centre of expertise in digital information management www.ukoln.ac.uk
9
National Library Example (3)
http://www.flickr.com/groups/cymru-wales/ Use of Web
2.0 at the
National
Library of
Wales
including:
• Use of
YouTube
• Use of
Flickr
A centre of expertise in digital information management www.ukoln.ac.uk
10
E
Group Exercise
In small groups:
• Identify uses of Web 2.0 which may be
useful to your organisations
• Barriers to deployment of such services
A centre of expertise in digital information management www.ukoln.ac.uk
11
Recognising The Barriers
CyMAL (Bangor) workshop
Sep 2009
Concerns identified in
discussion group sessions at
various UKOLN 1-day
workshops for the cultural
heritage sector
CyMAL (Newport) workshop
A centre of expertise in digital information management www.ukoln.ac.uk
12 Sep 2009
The Challenges
Money Expertise
Resources Time
Reliability Understanding
Sustainability Cultural
Challenges issues
Interoperability
Colleagues
Technical Issues
Privacy, DPA, FOI, .. Management
Accessibility IT Services
Legal Issues Council OK, there are barriers.
Does this mean we
A centre of expertise in digital information management anything?
don‟t dowww.ukoln.ac.uk
13
Low-Hanging Fruit
A centre way we were: browsing
The of expertise in digital information management Web pages
www.ukoln.ac.uk
14
Low-Hanging Fruit
A centre way we were: browsing
The of expertise in digital information management Web pages
www.ukoln.ac.uk
15
Low-Hanging Fruit
A centre of use in digital RSS reader,
Make expertise of aninformation management such as Netvibes
www.ukoln.ac.uk
16
Over-hyping expectations
Let’s Be Realistic (1)
Ning allows you to
set up and manage
your own social
network. Sounds
great, doesn‟t it?
But:
• Will it have the
momentum to
support thriving
discussion?
• Might it not just
be an automated
aggregator of
A centre of expertise in digital information management
content
www.ukoln.ac.uk
17
Over-hyping expectations
Let’s Be Realistic (2)
A lack of interest,
sustainability can apply to
the in-house blogs, too!
There might also be
issues on whether public
sector/small
organisations :
• Should seek to
provide services
which are provided
for free elsewhere
• Can provide the
functionality of
globally-provided
service
• Can attract the
audiences of global
service (if that is the
http://communities.cilip.org.uk/blogs/pteg/
A centre of expertise in digital information management aim) www.ukoln.ac.uk
18
Organisational barriers
The Council Firewall
New Internet access policy for The reality:
children
• Useful Web services do get
From December 2008, children will
be able to enjoy improved Internet
blocked
access in all Portsmouth Libraries. • There is dodgy/illegal/
The current “Walled Garden” dangerous material on the
arrangement will be discontinued. Web
The Internet access offered will be • It may be simple to have a
similar to that provided in blanket ban
Portsmouth schools but we will also
be allowing access to games, Web Suggested approaches:
chat and social networking sites. For • We accept certain risks
further information, please contact • More sophisticated
Patricia Garrett on …
responses are needed (cf
Should librarians (a) welcome bans to Childnet and Digizen )
dodgy places or (b) seek to open • We should share the
access and educate users? information management
A centre of expertise in digital approaches we‟ve taken
www.ukoln.ac.uk
19
Training & staff development
Support Issues
I don‟t have the time to:
• Understand it all
• Use the technologies
• Embed technologies in
daily working practices
• Train my colleagues
You can:
• View them at work
• Listen to the podcast on
the Tube
Common Craft video clips • Use them in training
A centre of expertise in digital information management www.ukoln.ac.uk
20
Sustainability / Interoperability
Some Concerns
Sustainability
What happens if Library 2.0 services:
• Are unreliable?
• Change their terms & conditions
(e.g. start charging)? Again, this can
• Become bankrupt happen within our
Interoperability sector (e.g. AHDS)
What happens if Library 2.0 services:
• You can‟t get the data back out?
• You only get the unstructured or poor quality data
back out?
• You can‟t get the comments, annotations, tags
out?
A centre of expertise in digital information management www.ukoln.ac.uk
21
Training & staff development
Deployment Strategies
I want to do use the Social
Web but:
• The IT Services
department bans it
• The council bans it
• My boss doesn‟t
approve
Area of interest to UKOLN:
• “Just do it”
• Subversive approach –
„Friends of Foo‟ if Foo
can‟t use it
UKOLN briefing papers available • Encourage enthusiasts
with Creative Commons licence. • Don‟t get in the way
A centre of docs in digital information management
(over 40expertisepublished) www.ukoln.ac.uk
22
Deployment Strategies
Interested in using Web 2.0 in your organisation?
Worried about corporate inertia, power struggles, etc?
There‟s a need for a deployment strategy:
• Addressing business needs
• Low-hanging fruits
• Encouraging the enthusiasts (don‟t get in the way)
• Gain experience of the browser tools – and see
what you‟re missing!
• Staff training & development
• Address areas you feel comfortable with
• Impact analysis and assessment
• Risk and opportunity management strategy
• …
A centre of expertise in digital information management www.ukoln.ac.uk
23
Risk Management
JISC infoNet Risk Management infoKit:
“In education, as in any other environment, you can’t
decide not to take risks: that simply isn’t an option in
today’s world. All of us take risks and it’s a question of
which risks we take”
Examples of people who are likely to be adverse stakeholders:
• People who fear loss of their jobs
• People who will require re-training
• People who may be moved to a different department /
team
• People .. required to commit resources to the project
• People who fear loss of control over a function or
resources
• People who will have to do their job in a different way
• People who will have to carry out new or additional
functions
• People who information management
A centre of expertise in digitalwill have to use a new technology
www.ukoln.ac.uk
24
Towards a Framework
Biases
• Application to Intended
• Sharing
existing Purpose
experiences
services Benefits • Learning from
• Application to (various successes
in-house stakeholders
& failures
development Risks
• Tackling biases
•… (various
stakeholders •…
Missed Opps.
(various
stakeholders
Costs
(various “Time To Stop Doing and Start
stakeholders Thinking: A Framework For
Subjective factors Exploiting Web 2.0 Services”,
Museums & the Web 2009
A centre of expertise in digital information management conference www.ukoln.ac.uk
25
Using The Framework
Twitter for individuals Organisational Fb Page
Community Intended Marketing Learning
support Purpose events,… • Many blogs (e.g.
Benefits Jo Alcock)
Rapid Large • Engaging with a
(various
feedback stakeholders audiences Twitter
Risks community
Justify ROI Ownership,
(various • Conferences
Org. brand stakeholders privacy, lock-in • Papers
Missed Opps.
Community- Marketing •…
(various
building stakeholders opportunity
Low? Costs
(various Low?
stakeholders
Note personal
biases!
approach in two scenarios: CILIP & Facebook
Use of of expertise in digital information management use of Twitterwww.ukoln.ac.uk
A centre
26
What About Jo The Librarian?
Shares bookmarks
Let‟s not forget the
librarian of the future.
What can we learn
from what is already Has a blog, shares ideas,
happening? engages in discussions
Communicates, shares, supports, … on Twitter
A centre of expertise in digital information management www.ukoln.ac.uk
27
Conclusions
The future
is exciting -
but
Librarian
Sapiens will
need to
address the
challenges.
Let the
debate
begin!
Acknowledgments to Michael Edson for the Web Tech Guy and Angry Staff
A centre of expertise in digital information management www.ukoln.ac.uk
28 Person post / comic strip