AGLIN workshop

Welcome to the AGLIN workshop

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A driving force in today’s business and social world, Web 2.0 is not a new technology, it is a new way of using available and emerging technology to connect people and build communities.
It is about discussing ideas, promoting services and products, and creating networks of online communities that may be dispersed around the Globe.

In a day and age where people are gathering less and less around mass media, thus causing their associated audiences to fragment, Web 2.0 offers a medium whereby Governments, businesses and individuals can reach their targeted audience.

Web 2.0 tools can be used for internal/staff collaboration, human resource management and recruitment, marketing, communication, professional development or anything else that can be based around a social network.

Today’s workshop will be a hands on exploration of a few of the more popular Web 2.0 tools:

Blogging
Wikis
RSS feeds
Google online applications (google docs, google maps..)
iGoogle

To begin the program select a link from the above list.
This will lead to more detailed instructions , accompanying resources and an activity to partake in.

This blog will remain online for those wishing to investigate some of the activites further.

Workshop

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Today we are having a workshop

Welcome to the AGLIN Conference Web 2.0 Workshop

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Blogging
Wikis
RSS feeds
Google online applications (google docs, google maps..)
iGoogle

To begin the program select a link from the above list.
This will lead to more detailed instructions , accompanying resources and an activity to partake in.

This blog will remain online for those wishing to investigate some of the activites further.

RSS Feeds

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You’ve heard of RSS? You’ve seen those small funny tags on websites?
You’ve heard co-workers and acquaintances swear by it, but still have no
idea what RSS is?

Well don’t worry, according to a recent survey you’re still in the majority, but this is changing rapidly.

In the information world, RSS is not only revolutionalizing the way news, media and content creators share information, but it also is swiftly changing the way everyday users are consuming information.

RSS stands for “Really Simple Syndication” and is a file format for delivering regularly updated information over the web.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.

Many database companies have also added RSS feeds to their list of full text databases. This allows you to be automatically alterted when the next issue of a specific journal is added to the database.

Resources

CNET Video: RSS – Feel the Need for Feeds (3:32) – a good overview of what RSS is and the benefits to users.

Feed Me: A gentle introduction to Internet feeds - a good tutorial from Palinet, a library cooperative.

Commoncraft YouTube video: RSS in Plain English

Activity

This activity focuses on learning about RSS news feeds and setting up a Google Reader account (a free online newsreader) for yourself to bring your feeds together.
Create a free “RSS aggregator” account at Google Reader and subscribe to at least 3 newsfeeds.
To set up a Google Reader you can use your own email instead of the gmail account that is suggested you set up.

RSS Feeds you could add

ALIA
Australian Bureau of Statistics - Product releases
Geoscience Australia
World Health Organisation
ABC News

Some interesting library blogs you may like to keep up to date with

LibraryBytes - Library blog by Helene Blowers

Librarian in Black - blog administered by Sarah Houghton-Jan

You may also like to look at the databases you subscribe to and investigate if you are able to add an RSS feed to a journal subscription.

iGoogle

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Google offers the ability to create a personalized iGoogle page that gives you at-a-glance access to key information from Google and across the web.
On this self-designed page, you can choose and organize content such as:·

Your latest Gmail messages·
RSS feeds from your favourite sites.·
Headlines from top news sources·
Weather forecasts, stock quotes, and movie showtimes·
Bookmarks for quick access to your favourite sites from any computer·
Your own section with content you find from across the web·
Facebook widgets and access·
Google Maps·
Links to your Google Docs account

Activity

Go to iGoogle and login if you have not logged in You can create a login using your existing email, you just need to assign a password to it.

Add the following gadgets (check out the discovery resources to show you how to do this):
Google Map Search gadget
One of the facebook gadgets
Google Docs and Spreadsheet gadget

Resources

Personalise iGoogle
iGoogle Instructions and Tips
iGoogle Problem Solving

Google online applications

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Everyone knows about the famous Google search engine, but did you know there is a complete suite of Google products that are available for the everyday user?

The applications include

communication tools (Gmail, Google Talk, and Google Calendar),
productivity tools (Google Docs: text files, spreadsheets, and presentations),
a customizable start page (iGoogle), and
Google Sites (to develop web pages).

Google stores all of the files and content centrally and keeps a record of the different versions of a file.

With Google Apps, sharing content is as simple as granting someone access, which facilitates collaboration, peer review of academic materials, and the collective generation of knowledge.
This is a great way to share files and information if your files are not on a shared network

Check out the full list of Google products and services.

Google Docs

Free online word processing is now available allowing people to create and store word documents and spreadsheets online so that they will always be available wherever there is a computer with internet access. Google Docs is one such program.

An example of using Google Docs can be found at
http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=p3EjGU7c772QwhbJidHLmRw

This spreadsheet ( a tracking log for the Learning 2.0 program)was produced on Google Docs. It is a basic excel spreadsheet. It can be edited by selected people (using a user name and password)
However it can also be published. Once publishe it is assigned a html link. Everytime the spreadsheet is updated, the link is automatically updated also.
No network access is required to share the file; just a shared login.

Resources

Tour of Google Docs and Spreadsheets - the official tour of Google Docs and Spreadsheets

Workshop activity

Go to Google Docs, login and create a new document.
Save the document and return to the homepage of Google Docs.
Create a spreadsheet.

Google Maps

Resources

Tour of Google Maps – the official tour of Google Maps
Information on Google

Task

Go to Google Maps Australia and find the following:
-your place of work
-your home

Wikis

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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 have begun to use them to collaborate and share knowledge.

Among their applications are pathfinder or subject guide wikis, book review wikis, conference wikis and even library best practices wikis.
Staff wikis are popular, replacing the more traditional staff Intranet that required an editor.

The AGLIN wiki is a good example of sharing information among members. Members are able to add and edit information via a login.

Activity
A popular free wiki site is PB Wiki. Explore the site and create your own wiki.Resources
Use these resources to learn more aboout wikis:

Resources

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.

A Commoncraft YouTube video: Wikis in Plain English. Very informative.

7 things you should know about wikis - Fact sheet from the Education Department

Blogging

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(Blogger, WordPress)- Blogging (a term short for ‘Web-Log’) is similar to an online diary.
The author can choose to remain private or share ideas, photos, and links with the public.
Blogs can and have been used as review sites, staff intranets, political forums, and for educational programs.
Today we will create a blog, format it and add a photo. We will also explain and demonstrate the practical uses for Wikis.

People blog because they want to share with others. They may share their opinions, rants on particular topics, or they may have a professional blog where they share views on their industry. Many companies have an ‘official’ blog, where they release news about the company and its services. Some blogs are highly successful due to the personality of the blog’s author. Some blogs have multiple authors but more commonly when there is collaboration in the creation of an online forum, a Wiki is used. A Wiki is basically an online forum that allows anyone reading to edit and add content.

Today we’d like you to create your own blog. Have a look at Blogger.com and WordPress.com. You can get a free blog at either of these websites.
Click the “Sign Up” or “Create a free blog” link to get started, and follow the directions.

We would like you to write your very first post on your blog. You may want to introduce yourself, or your persona, or explain what the blog is for. Simply go to your blog and click ‘New Post’.

Have a look at the links below for ideas on what to blog about, and why people blog.

Activity
Set up a blog using blogger

Resources

Blogs in Plain English: a Commoncraft YouTube video
Blogger.com Official Site
How to write a famous blog
How to write a popular blog
Should bloggers unionize? Better question: Why do you blog?
Seven things you should know about blogs