Pick Me! Pick Me!

For the last couple of weeks, Vanessa has written posts that provide highlights from the electronic journals, or blogs, that our class is writing. “Tour de Blog,” “Around the Blogs,” and “Blog-o-Rific” are the titles of these brief run-downs. I understand the intent is to suggest different topics to read about and possibly write a comment.
However, it has had a totally different effect on me. I want my blog to be on the highlight post. I fretted over interesting topics and zippy commentary and I was stuck searching for that one post that would put me above. But, alas, I was unsuccessful and came up with this instead.
Vanessa’s highlight roll is similar to my initial experience with Technorati. According to Wikipedia, Technorati is a search engine for searching blogs and has indexed millions of pieces of tagged social media. Its front page shows you rising blog posts and rising news stories based on “attention.” It organizes its information by channels and uses a system that rates a blog’s “authority.”
It allows me to see what other people on the web are interested in, but I don’t want to see. I want to focus on my own interests, and if for some reason it is popular, great. The rising headlines as I type are: Jude Law’s having a baby with a mystery woman (on the politics channel?)and Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz may have tested positive for drugs in 2003. It doesn’t even help me with conversation for cocktail hour.
It seems that Technorati could encourage a lot of junk on the Internet, as long as it had “authority.” Could it encourage bloggers to write more about popular topics and take the popular side of arguments? Isn’t this similar to the frustration that we have with our news media that follow the topics that sell papers and increase viewership?

Finding Expertise: Face to Face vs. The Web

In face to face settings, my notion of expertise relies on the source. When someone is telling me information, I want to know the source of the information and how this person became knowledgeable on the subject. Some people I know are continually reliable sources of information, but I still tend to ask questions in order to understand their viewpoints. For example, when I was purchasing a new car, my father strongly recommended that I consider a Hyundai. I know that he is a diligent researcher, subscribes to Consumer Reports and is particularly knowledgeable about cars. But, I still asked him to tell me why. He gave me good information that helped me appreciate this expertise.
Another aspect of expertise is the point of view and the intention for providing information. When my father recommended a car, I knew that he was giving me this information as my father and his intention was for me to have a safe and reliable car. However, if the same information had come from a car dealer, I don’t think that I would have given it as much weight.
Having a personal relationship with experts on the Web is virtually impossible. (Pun intentional.) When I visit sites like blogs and wikis it is difficult to know the source and what makes that person an expert. In this case, I am more critical of the information. I will check two other sites to compare and verify the information. With certain types of research, this can really slow you down when you come across incorrect information or information that is incapable of being verified. When we learned about Sacajawea last year, we found numerous birthdates and dates of death. One site claimed that she had lived to a healthy old age while another claimed that she had died in her early 20’s.
Certain sites are managed by reputable organizations and the same face to face notion of expertise is applicable, like the Center for Disease Control and New York Times. Peer reviewed sites, like Wikipedia, can be considered reliable because they are checked and verified by so many people. My brother, who is beginning his 2nd year of medical school at UF, told me that as a student he uses Wikipedia, but when he is a doctor, he will depend on other sources. I had assumed that he would have a lot of reliable sites for medical information that he and his classmates referred to, but he told me that since Wikipedia is heavily reviewed, it reliable. He compared his notes to entries and they were in sync.

Warning: Whine Ahead, Use Caution

In an effort to support my fellow classmates in EME 6635, I have spent a large amount of time following blogs, responding to posts and attempting participation in the Produsage Projects. I wholeheartedly believe that we are all working with a limited amount of time and an unending amount of tasks.
Please consider this when you post a link to an interesting article or website on your blog. If possible, provide a summary of the key points. This way, busy readers get the best of both worlds. We get the gist of the article in a fraction of the time and then we can choose to visit the link or bookmark it for later.

Not the sharpest knife

Lea Ann's comment hit the nail on the head. In the last 30 minutes of being lost in Diigo, I have felt frustrated and, well, a tad limited (nice way to say dumb). Ack!
So, with Susan and AJ's produsage projects I have a reason to use the collaborative aspects of Diigo. But, for some reason, it's not working. I highlighted an article and shared it on the Twitter account only to lose all the highlighting. Then, I did it again and got the same result. What's my next step? Go to the help section.
Now, I can log in to My Diigo but when I go to the Diigo Help page and try to sign in, it says my username doesn't exist. I can't ask a question without logging in. Then, when I go to another Help tab, it instructs me to download Mindtouch. What is that? The description reminds me of a page from Bruns. Please help. Reaching maximum level of frustration.

Contributing to Produsage Projects

Today I have attempted to contribute to 3 produsage projects that my classmates created. Whew! I am realizing that being a contributor, instead of the creator, is still a challenge, especially when the technology is new. I feel like I am flying blind and it is uncomfortable.
This is something for a future instructional designer to keep in mind when introducing Web 2.0 technologies. In my current situation, I am learning the technology as I support the projects and the risk is low. When I inadvertently posted twice on 2 of the projects, a beginner mistake, it is okay. But, if I was trying to complete a work assignment my frustration would be greater, and the risk is higher.

Rules of Behavior from Wired.com

A friend on Facebook just shared this link with me from Wired.com. The title of the article is "How to Behave: New Rules for Highly Evolved Humans," which apparently implies the use of Web 2.0. The list is easy to read and entertaining. I am sure that all of us have had these thoughts before, especially in the last 3 weeks.

Produsing Produsage

I have greatly enjoyed working on this week’s Produsage #1. At first it was pretty overwhelming to think of a “web based” project. Web 2.0 technologies and innovations has made these types of projects easy to do and made the web more accessible to novices like me.
It reminds me of when DIY gained popularity beginning with This Old House and then expanding to 3 television networks. When I remodeled my house I didn’t even consider hiring a contractor. I had spent so much time watching DIY for entertainment I was genuinely excited to actually do projects. Our projects included installing hardwood floors, dry-walling and plastering walls and a new deck.
Web 2.0 has empowered me to create on the web! The produsage project uses Wiki Spaces to create a central location for information regarding courses in the Instructional Systems program. It allows visitors to add experiential knowledge as well as tacit knowledge about the courses they have taken in pursuit of their degrees. Follow this link to check it out: http://www.fsuiscourses.wikispaces.com/
The idea came from thinking about the information that was most difficult for me to find as a new master’s student. I chose to collate all of it myself and put together a course of study. As I meet new people in my courses I learn about different courses and majors that are interesting. Now, we have a place to share not only the basic information about the course but also comments, reviews and opinions.
Since it is now posted and open to all to participate, I must relinquish my control. As I see changes made I need to adapt a supportive, accepting attitude which is not typical when you present your work to a group. In most courses we are encouraged to give feedback, but actually changing the project seems invasive at first. Another new aspect of Web 2.0.

Twitter Discoveries

Last week I used my existing social networks to do a little research on Twitter. I posted a question on my Facebook status and asked my friends as I saw them throughout the week.
My first discovery was that people who didn’t use it didn’t like it and people that used it, liked it. I was quite surprised over the dislike and disapproval that many had when I asked “How do you feel about Twitter?” Then when I asked if they actually used Twitter, they said “No.” A lot of people felt they were too old, which opens up a whole new topic about the age gap in the use of Web 2.0 technologies.
As I began to tweet and follow tweets, I had my next discovery. Similar to Facebook, Twitter helps you create a social network of sorts. In Facebook, you share with your friends and they share with you. In Twitter, you end up with two groups; people who follow and people you are following, with a little overlap. But as I learned the details of Suze Orman’s weekend, it felt a little weird as I wanted to ask her how she cooked the fish she caught.
My final conclusion is that if you are already a member of a network that uses Twitter, then it is a useful tool because you have a reason to follow. Also, if you are someone that is already followed, like my friend who is a reporter for the St. Louis Cardinals or my mom who is an executive director of a non-profit, then Twitter is a useful tool. However, make sure your tweets are for everyone!
Will I remain a tweeter? I would say there is a slim chance that I will continue to use it considering the communities that I am a part of are not on Twitter. For now, I use Facebook and email to communicate effectively. But, I am open to new possibilities.

Using a Collaborative Wiki or Blog

A collaborative wiki or blog provides a centralized location for discussion on a given topic and creation of artefacts. With all members of an organization or work group having the ability to edit and revise, it allows for open participation. The groups can maintain a heterarchical structure with shared responsibility and leadership. The principles of produsage are supported by other aspects of wikis and blogs.
Possible uses in the work environment: sharing new and good solutions, requesting support or information, working together to find solutions, discussing new and ongoing issues.
Supporting learning and performance: Blogs and wikis would allow teachers to showcase lessons, home communication ideas and effective classroom management strategies. It would then become a storehouse for good ideas that other teachers could access as needed.
Teachers could also share information they had gathered from other resources, like other schools, publications, workshops, other blogs and wikis or other organizations. For example, CARD (Center for Autism and Related Disorders) has been a great resource as we learn to better serve our students with spectrum disorders. Having a place on the wiki or blog to share CARD resources and discuss how to implement them in the classroom would help disseminate that information throughout the school community.
CHALLENGES: As with all new things, this change should be managed effectively in order to be useful to the organization. If management initiated this change, it would be important to identify the needs of all groups, making the wiki or blog a valid tool to increase performance. Focus group discussions would help increase buy-in and teach employees how to use it. If this was a user-initiated effort, the needs of at least one group would all ready be known. It would be more effective for this group to begin using the wiki and blog to meet those needs and to develop efficient procedures before sharing it with the entire organization. At that point, a needs assessment would be useful as well as support from the management.
After the initiation, outside support should be given until the wiki or blog is self-sufficient. Already existing forms of communication, like a daily memo or weekly newsletter, can share the hyperlink and offer a review of discussion topics and new information. Showcasing different groups would also build interest and buy in.

My Produsage Experiences

My previous post describes a produser as productive users, or produsers, engaged in the act of produsage.
In my personal life, I am a member of some online communities where I could be considered a “limited” produser.
As a member of Netflix, I select movies on my queue and rate movies that I have seen. This information is collected and helps inform Netflix of my interests as well as popular interests of the community. Netflix then suggests new titles to me and the community based on our selections. For example, “members who enjoyed this movie also enjoyed these…”
I am also a member of allrecipes.com, where people share recipes. Not only are you able to view recipes, you are able to view ratings and recommendations. Here you can see helpful hints, like “needs extra garlic” or “only use half the oil!” As you search for recipes, the site offers alternative recipes that may better suit your needs. I have rated recipes and added a helpful hint. I have not yet posted my own recipe though.
Both of these sites offer open participation and communal evaluation. Movies and recipes may rise and fall as leaders depending on requests, but not people. When a recipe is highlighted as a “recipe of the week” the author is also recognized. The recipes are unfinished artefacts as hints and suggestions change them depending on the taste of the reviewers. Content remains available and members are motivated to participate for the shared communal purpose; there is a limited reward though.
Outside of the technology realm, I would consider myself a produser in the intentional community where I live. I am an active member in groups and I participate in conversations about improvements and moving our community forward. I am not motivated by personal gain, but rather the good of the community. These groups are open to all members, yet there is limited time spent on evaluation. We solve problems with a probabilistic approach, through trial and error. While we all have different skills and experiences, all members are able to contribute. However, as members contributions become less useful, they rarely drift to the outside of the community to make room for more useful contributors. This is an area for improvement as well as an increased granularity of projects to encourage more participation. Our improvement and sustainability are ongoing projects as we are faced with new challenges from replacing the roof on our community center to preparing our common spaces for our aging population.
I discuss my professional produsage on this week's discussion board.

Principles of Produsage

What is produsage? Is it a noun, verb or adjective? In the book Blogs, Wikipedia, Second Life and Beyond: From Production to Produsage, Axel Bruns introduces the term produsage. When participants are not passive consumers, but active users participating in ways that are constructive and productive of social networks, they are productive users or produsers, engaged in the act of produsage (p. 23).

Here are the four key principles of produsage that Bruns presents.

Open participation, communal evaluation - Members contribute their knowledge to create useful content. By including a wide range of members, the varying backgrounds and experiences increase the usefulness of the content. The community evaluates the contributions and the members, and those members that offer usable content "rise in prominence."
Fluid heterarchy, ad hoc meritocracy - While some have more expert knowledge or experience, all members have an equal ability to make a worthy contribution. Leaders emerge based on contributions and their standing declines as their contributions do, so it is always changing.
Unfinished artefacts, continuing process - Projects are broken down into the smallest bits and the content is shared among the members. The produsage (not product) is infinitely unfinished and continuing.
Common property, individual rewards - Content will be available to all participants, past, present and future and is maintained and protected. Participation is motivated by the ability to contribute to a shared communal purpose. Members gain personal merit from contributions which encourage more participation.

Free!

All of these Web 2.0 technologies are available to everyone for a great price: free! But how can companies provide these services for so little? Some sites get you excited about the free services then introduce you to other services that cost money, usually a nominal fee.
The combination of free services and paid services is explained in an interesting interview with Chris Anderson, editor in chief of Wired magazine, I heard on "Fresh Air." He wrote a book titled Free: The Future of a Radical Price where he talks about how these hosting sites are able to use free services as marketing. This excerpt tells how the Jell-O brand used this concept in the early 1900s. This is an example of how harboring the hive can actually earn money. You can listen to the entire interview, about 30 minutes, as well.

Blogging 101

After about 5 days of “blogging” I have learned some new things, but still have some questions. I am excited about having a blog, because I don’t think that I would have started a blog without the extra push from this course.
Question 1: How did I end up with 2 accounts? Somehow I have two accounts and there are 2 Eirins following the class blog. You can tell because there are 2 different profile pictures. I can’t figure out how to put them together.
Question 2: What happened to the RSS feeds? When I was first experimenting with the RSS feed buttons, I was just pushing the button and apparently “subscribing” to the feeds or sites. Then I learned that I actually had to subscribe to the feed reader. But those original sites are not there. Where did they go?
Some things that make blogs better…
- Shorter posts. Some of my posts are a little intimidating. I think readers would not want to commit to so much work.
- Bulleted lists, graphics and even embedded videos make the blogs interesting.
- The blog name. I have started following 27 blogs to keep up with the different electronic journals in the class. Some blogs, like “crystal’s web 2.0 summer 2009 blog” or “sri’s web 2.0 journal” are a lot easier to remember, while the other names make it difficult to remember whose is whose.Looking at other blogs out there, people use them for many different purposes. I appreciate those that have actual usable information. Gifted crafters post project ideas and directions on blogs, complete with patterns, photos and even videos. Accomplished cooks also blog about new recipes, and different foods they are cooking. Those blogs that people use to write about their normal, everyday life need to have something extra to make it interesting.

Fourth of July...in the digital age

My sister, brother and I are spending time together this weekend on St. George Island. My new husband and I, my sister, her husband, her 2 and a half year old daughter and her dog, and my 24 year old brother are taking our first vacation together without our parents.
Up until about 5 years ago, going to St. George was an adventure. We would fill coolers with groceries in Tallahassee; we would let everyone know that we would be unreachable and then we would disengage. We never knew what was happening off of the island, and we didn’t really care either. It was great, but it was a little difficult to catch up when we returned.
As we ate our breakfast this morning, I noticed how different it is today. We were listening to a new band my brother had downloaded onto his I-pod. My brother-in-law checked Facebook on his laptop, using the wireless network at the beach house. He checked in with neighbors and friends in Tampa and caught up with family in Miami. My husband and brother watched clips of the first days of the Tour de France on my brother’s Mac. Then my husband checked in to his online strategy game that he has been playing for almost a year with people all over the world. My sister had already checked her email and the top stories of the morning so she cut up the watermelon while I finished my coffee getting ready to work on EME 6635. Before they left for the beach, my niece and I watched a short Clifford video on YouTube.
It may seem disappointing that we are at the beach on a beautiful day and we are still plugged in. But, we have maintained a balance with technology. Since we were wireless, we were able to be in the same room. At times our web use added to our conversations like how Lance is doing in the race or how the fireworks were at home. The distractions were mild and accepted.
I think that as new technologies are introduced and become easier to use and gain access to, it is important that we use them to enhance our lives, not weaken or diminish. Gone are the days of pasty skin and blue eyeballs from being in front of the computer for hours at a time.
Now, I am alone working on my school work, at the beach! Before I would have missed out on the whole weekend, but now, I am just missing out on a short time at the beach before lunch and nap time.
When the family gets back we are going to start preparing for our belated cookout. My parents are coming down with the charcoal. We have burgers, hot dogs and veggies to grill as well as green salad and potato salad to make. I told my sister that while I had brought the potatoes and onion, and she had the mayo, I didn’t have a recipe for potato salad. To which she responded, “We have 3 laptops and the Internet, we can do anything!”

Sometimes the lead, mostly a member of the pack...

My prior experiences in Web 2.0 technologies have been broad, but limited. It started when I joined Facebook. My family had traveled to Peru for a month and when we came home, my 23 year old brother stayed to travel in other countries. He encouraged us to join Facebook, which he was already using to communicate with his friends and post photos and updates of his travels. It met our needs to keep in touch with him and was easy to use. We began sharing updates with each other and then branched out to our own friend groups, and then it exploded. Not only have I reconnected with over 200 friends, I have also saved 150 square feet of rainforest, advertised community events and created a group for teachers to plan together over the summer.
Skype was introduced to our family when my cousin moved to London and we found this program allowed us to talk to each other without paying long distance. When my niece was born in Tampa, we used Skype to stay in touch and look and listen to the new baby.
As with most changes and innovations, I am a slow and steady learner. I want to learn things that will make something easier or better. I am not interested in learning every new technology that’s available. This definitely makes me a follower in most areas.
In working on projects, I have learned about Wikispaces and Adobe Captivate and participated in live chats on Blackboard and Wiki. In these projects I am being introduced to new technologies and learning from others. As I learn new information, I try to incorporate it into my personal life and introduce it to my coworkers. In small areas of my life, I am an expert in comparison to other people and I share my knowledge when possible.
As I have progressed through my degree program at FSU, I have learned more about the interactivity of the web and experimented with different programs. I have definitely become an expert in using discussion boards and have used that experience in organizing the group of teachers. As we organized the group we decided on goals we wanted to accomplish and agreed on how we would use the group. This is similar to how our professors communicate objectives for a class and the expectations for participation.