Web 2.0 backlash? January 30, 2008
Posted by Will in libraries, virtual life.Tags: amateurs, Andrew Keen, bloggers, Joe Schallan, Library2.0, professionals, publib, Web2.0
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Here’s another attack from the ”nattering nabobs of negativism” as applied to Web 2.0, taken from a PubLib posting yesterday:
Date: Tue, 29 Jan 2008 10:51:29 -0800 (PST)
From: Joe Schallan <jschallan@yahoo.com>
Subject: [Publib] 2.0: It cheapens us, it cheapens everyone
To: Publib publib@webjunction.org
This book from last summer got under my radar and I have just discovered it. Since it directly relates to my recent remarks on crowdsourcing, I thought I’d share an excerpt with the list:
Andrew Keen, The Cult of the Amateur — How Today’s Internet is Killing Our Culture and Assaulting Our Economy, New York: Doubleday/Currency, 2007.
Blurb: In a hard-hitting and provocative polemic, Silicon Valley insider Keen exposes the grave consequences of today’s new participatory Web 2.0. He reveals how amateur, user-generated free content threatens the very innovation and creativity that forms the fabric of American achievement.
‘Google Generation’ is a myth January 24, 2008
Posted by lrobinson in libraries.Tags: Google, info literacy
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New report shows ‘Google Generation’ affirms need for info lit and library advocacy. Report shows generation is almost more lacking in research and analytical skills. Immense choice and less time show a “viewing” rather than “reading” behavior.Scary.
- All age groups revealed to share so-called ‘Google Generation’ traits
- New study argues that libraries will have to adapt to the digital mindset
- Young people seemingly lacking in information skills; strong message to the government and society at large
“A new study overturns the common assumption that the ‘Google Generation’ – youngsters born or brought up in the Internet age – is the most web-literate. The first ever virtual longitudinal study carried out by the CIBER research team at University College London claims that, although young people demonstrate an apparent ease and familiarity with computers, they rely heavily on search engines, view rather than read and do not possess the critical and analytical skills to assess the information that they find on the web.”
An quick interview with the report’s author on LibVibe – you can listen to the story here: http://libvibe.blogspot.com/2008/01/libvibe-24-january-2008.html
Design Thinking and Innovation January 23, 2008
Posted by Will in libraries, technology.Tags: design, development, innovation, services
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Everyone should read the article titled “Design Thinking” by Steven J. Bell in this month’s American Libraries (January/February, 2008, pp. 44-49). You can find the article online in ProQuest: here’s a direct link, but you have to authenticate.
The article focuses on applying the design process (understand, observe, visualize, evaluate, refine, implement) in libraries, and in developing new library services. The article is based at least partly on a book, The Art of Innovation, by Tom Kelley and Jonathan Littman, who write about the experience at IDEO, one of the leading design firms in the country.
Why is this a trend for libraries to watch? On the first page of the book, the authors write that “The biggest single trend we’ve observed [in the past decade or so] is the growing acknowledgment of innovation as a centerpiece of corporate strategies and initiatives. What’s more, we’ve noticed that the more senior the executives, the more likely they are to frame their companies’ needs in the context of innovation.”
On pages 6 and 7, they outline the process that Bell lists in his article, the “method to their madness,” which is the “understand, observe, visualize, evaluate, refine, implement” process I listed earlier.
I’ll be reading this book to see what ideas I can adapt as I work on the brand new statewide downloadable audiobooks project, and I’ll post any especially significant insights here on the Trendspotting Blog.
Wikipedia Usage January 3, 2008
Posted by jeff in online tools, technology.1 comment so far
Wikipedia users
4/24/2007 | 
Report | Lee Rainie Bill Tancer
More than a third of American adult internet users (36%) consult the citizen-generated online encyclopedia Wikipedia, according to a new nationwide survey by the Pew Internet & American Life Project. And on a typical day in the winter of 2007, 8% of online Americans consulted Wikipedia.
New survey finds GenY biggest library users December 31, 2007
Posted by Will in libraries, technology.Tags: GenY, Internet, libraries, Pew, usage
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The newest Pew survey surprisingly finds that “62 percent of Generation Y respondents (young adults in the tech-loving group aged 18-30) said they visited a public library in the past year, with a steady decline in usage according to age. Some 57 percent of adults aged 43 to 52 said they visited a library in 2007, followed by 46 percent of adults aged 53 to 61; 42 percent of adults aged 62 to 71; and just 32 percent of adults over 72.”
Cell phones as the essential interface December 26, 2007
Posted by carolyn610 in technology.Tags: access to information, cell phones as debit card, cells phones
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NPR had a story today in their morning program, business section, that examined why cell phones usage was so much more advanced in Europe and Asia. One key point that leapt out at me was the fact that in Asia the commute time is very long and essentially eats up much of their free time. If they couldn’t access the web and television on their cell phones while they were commuting or at work (they talked about bar tenders watching soccer matches at work on their phones), they wouldn’t have the free time to do so. Commute times are increasing around this country.
Second point of interest from that news story: infrastructure. Europe and Japan standardized their systems much sooner than we have. The report stated that our cell phone companies are just getting around to it, but driven by economic opportunity (IPHONE sales are brisk) they see that the infrastructure will soon be available. In Japan you can load your phone with money and then use it to buy gum, pay subway fares, etc. What are libraries doing to ready their technological infrastructre to handle demands like this?
mumbo jumbo web site names December 21, 2007
Posted by Will in online tools, technology, virtual life.Tags: web2.0 names naming web
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I’m sure you’re as confused as I am by all the Dr. Seuess-style web service names that pop up these days: Doostang. Wufoo. Bliin. Thoof. Bebo. Meebo. Meemo. Kudit. Raketu. Etelos. Iyogi. Oyogi. Qoop. Fark. Kijiji. Zixxo. Zoogmo.
You get the picture. David Pogue at the New York Times has written an excellent analysis of this trend.
Will
What We DON’T Know? December 7, 2007
Posted by susanbarrett in Uncategorized.1 comment so far
From tompeters.com today: (DNK = Do Not Know and connects to a recent prior statement about CIA revelations re Iran)
Reward “DNK” When You DNK
Of course you don’t want to reward “I didn’t bother to …” laziness, but you do want to reward—Big Time—truth-telling. Hence, cheer publicly the person who admits, in front of a boss, that he or she “does not know” the facts here, or the answer to this or that. In fact, …, make a game (serious game!) out of identifying the “DNKs” regarding any analysis or proposed action. Frankly, good inventories of DNKs may be far more important to success than inventories of DKs.(bolding added)
I thought this seemed an interesting angle to pursue, when examining a possible project or activity. It likely has an opposing corollary–of more imminent danger to librarians– trying to list too much before the first action is taken? [Peters has an oft-repeated slogan--"Ready, Fire, Aim!"]
Personal Learning Plans & PageFlakes December 6, 2007
Posted by emiaukea in online tools, technology.3 comments
Before I was torn away to go to Chris’ farewell lunch I was participating in a very interesting WebJunction webinar, part of their ‘Learning’ series. Some of you know how intrigued I am with the idea of developing a ‘Personal Learning Plan’ and trying to encourage others to join me in the journey for themselves and also because I think we’ll all learn more an have fun in a group.
Now to the point…and that is to share this cool web tool I just heard about today called PageFlakes. It’s one of many tool/sites that use a technology called Ajax that lets you create a custom online ‘environment.’ Starting with their wizard and with a little extra (simple!) work on my part about half an hour I was all set-up with my own Start Page. I was able to drag and drop widgets around on the screen (called ‘flakes’) so I can see and access my Gmail, local news and weather, a calendar, several podcasts, a calculator and more! They even have a RSS reader if you have lots of blogs to keep track of.
Check it out! A few hints from my own experience — it’s not that obvious that you need to create an account to save your settings and get a unique URL. Once you do that (and verify your email address) you’ll be able to tell it where you live in your settings.
If you make your PageFlake public, make sure you ping me so we can see each other: my username is elizabeth.iaukea.
