POD Groups project for ITC510 (Weeks 4-10)

Topic : Social networking and professional devvelopment case study

This task required our Green Pod group to work through a senario in where we were to present to the CEO of a company a report on the use of social networks in providing professional development experiences for staff.

As a group we investigated Facebook, Twitter, SecondLife, Wikis and Social Networking for Schools. We corresponded on a weekly basis either using e-mail, Ning, etherpad and wikis to bring the task to fruition.

We have a page dealing with information to the CIO and three research questions: A,B & C and various other information relevent to the group task.

Access to this wiki site which has our group assessment item two you will need to visit our URL http://greeniespod.wikispaces.com

TOPIC 10: COMPLEXITY AND SOCIAL NETWORKS

Exercise 10.1 Social networks case study
What is Following?
Do you have a favorite blog and want to let the author and readers know that you are a fan? Well now you can do that and more with the Blogger Following feature! You can even keep track of the blogs you follow via your Reading List on the Blogger dashboard.

How do I become a Follower of a blog?
There are several ways to become a follower of a blog. One of the easiest ways is to visit a blog that has added the Following widget and click on the "Follow" button under the "Followers" widget:

By following a blog you show the author you are interested in their subject and will therefore encourage further dialogue from them:)

Illustration from my observations of who is following whom on the Blogger website

reference:

http://www.google.com/support/blogger/bin/answer.py?hl=en-uk&answer=104226

Etherpad Log

Since earlier posting I and my three other member of the Green Pod have met regularly particularly with the Assignment 2 task in mind. We still use the etherpad log as it allows us to keep a record of our meetings. We found that the Ning site was not capable of keeping a journal of our discussions so we no longer meet there.

I'm including a screen dump to document our discussions and teamwork during this course.

It is Sunday and we are still working on our assignment. The three other members are excellent participants and keep all to task.

TOPIC 9 BUSINESS, GOVERNMENT AND RESEARCH PERCEPTIONS

Exercise 9.2 Research and evaluation in Government 2.0

The term Government 2.0 is used "to describe the new opportunities presented by online technologies and social methodologies to achieve a more open government", Lundy & Waugh.

Wiki: Senator Kate Lundy


Senator Lundy states, (pg.11, 2009 briefing paper) that the benefits to the people from the government using a wiki to post papers for public discussion will be that, "Individuals and service users must have a say in shaping their own futures and the benefits and services that are offered to them. Detailed feedback from users and community members and genuine and inclusive consultation are important sources of information to improve policy settings and service delivery."
Twitter:
This web 2.0 tool has emerged as a significant channel for breaking news, announcement and discussions on political, social, environmental and commercial topics. The tweetMP site at


http://tweetmp.org.au/ allows for a "transparent" government. The tweetMP site further suggest that by engaging with the Web 2.0 tools the government is providing "real-time interaction, allowing a unique chance for politicians to connect with their constituency....... let the Government know your ideas and hold them accountable."



Yes! It would appear that by adopting the latest technology the Australian Government if making itself more visible and accessible to all, particularly those young adults who are techno savvy.

references:

Laundy & Waugh http://cpd.org.au/article/case-study-public-sphere

Senator Lundy 2009 briefing paper http://www.katelundy.com.au/wp-content/uploads/Public-Sphere-2-Government-2.pdf

TOPIC 9 BUSINESS, GOVERNMENT AND RESEARCH PERCEPTIONS

Exercise 9.1: Is social networking a business model?



"Social networks operate under an autonomous business model, in which a social network's members serve dual roles as both the suppliers and the consumers of content. This is in contrast to a traditional business model, where the suppliers and consumers are distinct agents" (Wikipedia).

The advantages of having social networks as a business model are:

1. They connect people for a low cost, which helps those business just starting out.


2. Companies can use social networking for banners and other text based advertisements.


3. Allows for ease of contacts around the globe. One example is LinkedIn.com which has over 40 million users in over 200 countries.

The disadvantages of having social networks as a business model are:

1. Cultural differences
2. Technological infrastructure or the other party may not allow them access to your site.
3. Potential buyers may feel overwhelmed.
4. Small business owners may find it time consuming to keep up with social networking.
   

"Barack Obama's presidential victory demonstrated that platforms like YouTube and Twitter could transform electoral politics" (Forbes 09). Yet it would appear that many business executives feel that social networking is "a time-wasting distraction or a risk management problem. Much of their fear has focused on potential risks like security breaches and data privacy": (Forbes 09).

"Nonetheless, big brands, generally speaking, haven't successfully tapped the potential of social media; they tend to regard Web 2.0 platforms as just another way to push out short-term marketing campaigns. They fail to grasp that the new media require new ways of doing business. Old ways need to be tossed out" (Forbes 09). Lets face it! "Web tools like blogs can help corporate leaders enhance their credibility by communicating directly and having authentic conversations with key stakeholders" (Forbes 09).

reference:

Forbes 09 http://www.forbes.com/2009/03/11/social-networking-executives-leadership-managing-facebook.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_network_service
http://www.gaebler.com/News/Small-Business-Technology/SMBs-may-see-some-disadvantages-to-social-networking-19173166.htm

TOPIC 8 APPLICATIONS,TOOLS AND SERVICES

EXERCISE 8.4: AGGREGATION, SYNDICATION AND THE SOCIAL ENGINE

a) RSS, or really simple syndication is the format for delivering regularly changing web content as required by news sites and weblogs. Still confused! Try YouTube-video:RSS in Plain English http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0klgLsSxGsU. RSS is an XML file that summaries and links information and is typically linked to the word "subscribe" says Murudesan. The orange rectangle or the letters RSS in an orange box identifies the feed.

Aggregation and syndication are used to serve your web pages content. Syndication is according to Wikipedia refers to making web feeds available from a site in order to provide other people with a summary of the website's recently added content. Where aggregation is having new content being retrieved at user determined intervals to create a unique information space or "personal newspaper" states Wikipedia.

To subscribe to an RSS feed you need to have a news aggregator (sometimes called a 'newsreader'), a software tool that collects and displays the feeds you choose to subscribe to. Wikipedia suggests one of the following tools;
1) With a recent browser
2) With an account on an aggregator website.
3) With dedicated Podcatching software

b) del.icio.us http://delicious.com/is a social page which uses a tagging system. Users bookmark interesting pages and assign tags to them. You can share your tags with others, "it is a great way to capture contextual knowledge" states Murugesan.



The advantage to work groups was proven to me when I was marking a group of Maths 3 student assignments. This assignment required the students to bookmark and tag suitable websites to facilitate the teaching of Mathematics to primary students. Each student gave me their del.icio.us user name and password so I could access their selected Websites. Marking this assignment was easy as I could access their assignments from any computer and at any time without carrying around bulky assignments and could easily see for myself the websites value. if a student used an hierarchical tagging system the task was very easy to follow. Some of course called all their tags the course number making the tags irrelevant.



Where as a tag used by a web publisher is called a meta tag. These tags are used used to help search engines find a specific site and to create redirects.


c) Go2Web2.0, how easy is that! All one page and with one single click you can gain access to what you want. But before you go directly to the site you are given on overview to assist with whether this site has what you are after.


Go2Web2.0 informs users of new and updated applications on the web. It has over 3,000 services listed and it adds to this daily, with outdated services being removed.


I went to the E-learning Web 2.0 Tools this stops so much time being wasted. Fantastic in this busy time. You could direct your work group to this site where at a single click they can all be on the correct site without having to type in a web address, which often gets misspelled and without the need to Google. 5 stars from me :)





d) The Elgg social engine provides the following for its subscribers: 'advanced user management and administration, social networking, cross-site tagging, powerful access control lists, internationalisation support, multiple view support (e.g. cell phones, iPhone), an advanced templating engine, a widget framework" (The Elgg Community). How does it work on the website it is installed on? "Elgg has special mechanisms to entice visitors into registering. By giving visitors a sneak-peak of the content on the network, Elgg ensures that only interested people join......When visitors land up on your main page, they are greeted by Elgg's customized
welcome message."(Sharma pg.18)



Yes! it would be fantastic as it offers a simple social bookmarking tool and can cater for small or large membership. It is easy to join as the Elgg sends out email and handles all aspects of registration.



reference:

Murugesan San 2007 "Second Generation Web Technologies Understanding Web 2.0" published by IEEE Computer Society.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Content_syndication
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aggregator
http://wiki.arts.usyd.edu.au/elearning/index.php?title=Rss_feed&redirect=no


http://www.ask.com/bar?q=web+publishing+tag+&page=1&qsrc=2417&ab=2&title=Web+Publishing+Reference+-+Using+Meta+Tags+%7C+IS%26amp%3BT&u=http%3A%2F%2Fist.mit.edu%2Fservices%2Fweb%2Freference%2Fcreate%2Fmetatags&sg=aqIXU8bTUAPF2rBhvMZhRJHRbQ03mv9057PYdEhQmXc%3D&tsp=1256347140730


http://www.go2web20.net/about/

http://community.elgg.org/pg/pages/view/17/

Sharma http://www.packtpub.com/files/Elgg-Social-Networking-Sample-Chapter-Chapter-3-Users-Profiles-and-Connections.pdf

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