The Glorious Triumvirate of Social Networking - Week Seven

I was already at a steep advantage in this exercise due to the fact that I have a well-maintained facebook account, and a now-delapidated myspace account. If anyone would like to add me both accounts are under Julian Lee, postpostmodernist@gmail.com. I have also checked out bebo and, in recent times, other social networking sites. Now here is my evaluation.

Before starting at the libraries, my understanding of the demographics of the 'Big Three' were as follows:

Bebo is used solely by tween and early teen-aged kids
Myspace is used by teenagers and Americans
Facebook is used by adults and the rest of the Western World. I was under the impression that Facebook was the most popular choice for New Zealanders.

I was surprised, therefore, to find that the overwhelming majority of South Aucklanders (specifically patrons at Clendon) use bebo. This came as quite a shock to me. This is because I find bebo quite tacky in its layout - too many colours and images. Myspace is less so but I find it quite difficult to use, especially for posting messages on other peoples walls. It is also littered with advertisements. Facebook is quite professional in layout (minimalist design) and the most user-friendly - it is also the network that most of my mates use. Whilst FB does have ads, they are far less intrusive than on the other two sites where they clutter the page up.

I have also just recently signed up to a new social networking site - WAYN.com (Where are you now?) This is for travellers or would-be travellers. I am quite enjoying it because it enables me to keep in contact with people I met on my OE. There are also alot of travel-related features.

For the minute though I will keep using Facebook - it has served me well in the past. The growing number of applications on the site is a concern though - Facebook may soon succumb to a process of 'myspacisation' if it is not checked.

The Post-Library Library

The first impression I gained from reading these articles was that these library experts are preparing for a dramatic change that will happen to libraries on a global scale. In my opinion, it will transform libraries so much that the library of the near future will not at all resemble, in form or in essence, the library of today. I liked the concept of 'Web 2.0', which for me seems to mean the beginning of a true integration of the net with the way our society works. I can also see its applicability in the concept of 'Library 2.0' - transforming the library into a place in which this interplay between global online information and society can take place in the form of a public service. Or at least that's what I gleaned from the articles.

One concern for me is the quality of information being made available. I am not entirely convinced that collective information available on the internet is, or will be in the near future, on a par with the collective informationa available in print.

My second concern is the concept of accessibility versus availability. By making the net available to the public according to Web 2.0 principles, this does not necesaarily enable its accessibility to the public. In my own personal encounter with the public, I have found that by the far the majority of people do not have nearly enough knowledge of how the internet works - only how to navigate very specific sites such as bebo and y8.

Technorati: A Pretty Mind-Blogging Experience

I'm still trying to understand how so much 'information' from 50 million blogs can be organised. It's overwhelming.

I decided to look up information on the recent war between Russia and Georgia. I expected the blogs on this issue with the biggest hits would be from political journalists and correspondents, or representatives from international humanitarian organisations. Whilst some of the top blogs fell into this category, some of the more popular blogs were quite interestingly somewhat off topic. These included articles on why Georgia is the name of both a country and a US state, Ukraine's involvement in the war, and apocalyptic visions of the near future for the world.
They were good for a read, but in the whole, I was not able to glean more information on the topic than I would from your regular newspapers or RSS feeds.

Technorati, I think, is an attempt to live the long-sought-after dream of having a totally open and free media which every member of the public can scrutinise and contribute towards. This, theoretically, will allow information to flow freely into every crook and crevice of the global society. Such a process has been deemed by many in the past to be a necessary good. Technorati, however, highlights the downside of such a media service: the overwhelming majority of 'information' provided by the public is uniformed. Many blogs on important issues are based on no more than hearsay, whim and feeling. Whilst the contribution of millions of opinions on a topic will ensure overall objectivity, most of these opinions can only be deemed 'quasi-information.'

This, of course, depends on what topic you're discussing. I'm talking about the war in Georgia. A 'conscience issue', where no research is required, is a different matter altogether.

Del.icio.us

I looked around the ML's Del.icio.us site/account and immediataly recognised the value of this application. I was on the verge of setting up my own account, but at this point in Web 2.0 I have so many accoutns with so many different websites, all with different usernames and passwords, that I am struggling to rememebr them all.

As an ex-uni student I immediately saw the benefit of having a bunch of tags of different websites and online academic sources available to a select group of people, or even the public. Straight away I realised that this would be an excellent way to access specific information, very much a requirement for anyone doing research of any kind. This of course does not take into account that research can be highly competitive, and access to special resources a matter of top secrecy! But all in all I have alot of time for this feature.

With regards to the libraries, however, the demand for specific information is low. Perhaps with the arrival of the new university in Manukau this will become a different story. What it could be useful for, though, is public access to information on the net during times when books on a particular subject are in high demand. As is the case with the Olympics right now, as I'm sure you all know. Or Gallipoli in the week preceding Anzac day. Or the TOW in early February.

PB Wikis

I've just been playing around with ML's PBWiki. I started a new page, 'Favourite Music Artists' only to realise that there was already a 'Favourite Music' page which I hadn't seen (was under 'view all pages' on the left hand side of the FrontPage.) I cannot yet discern the difference between a normal internet forum and a PBWiki, excpet for the fact that it enables you to have a forum without having to set up your own internet website.

Wacky Wikis

Well after a week-long hiatus of Web 2.0 development, largely due to the fact that I was, and still am, extremely frustrated with Flickr, I have decided to tackle wikis. I looked at the various wiki links from the Web 2.0 site, and here is my review on each.

I found the St. Joseph County one quite cute - there seemed to be alot of 'grass roots' contributions. The site was a little messy, but it's essentially a good idea. I found the genealogy section particularly useful. This kind of wiki would be very popular in Manukau given the importance of family history in this city.

The Princeton Library wiki has obviously just got off the ground but seems to be quite a professional website. I think this idea would work particularly well amongst Manukau Library staff, who would then be able to read reviews from other staff in the city, and share them with the public.

The Library Success wiki through what appears to be a Wikipedia format (is it part of Wikipedia) is an idea which will impact all libraries everywhere. The links are too tenuous at the moment (there is little explanation as to what each link and link-to-link [what is the word for this?] entails). An idea such as this, however, will enable communications between libraries the world over on how to increase patron satisfaction and service, improve efficiency and develop the whole library experience.

I also skimmed through the other wiki links on the Library Success website. I found the bibliography on information about wikis at the bottom of the page somewhat useful. The library wikis themselves all looked particularly useful to their staff members. The idea relies on steady contribution from a large group of people, but the idea shows alot of potential.

Thw wikis are, in my opinion, one of the more useful tools an organisation can employ on the net, and one which is most relevant to the development of Manukau Libraries.

Not Having Much Fun with Flickr

I've uploaded some photos onto my new Flickr account, but as far as I can tell, thats about all you can do with Flickr - upload heaps of photos and then comment on other peoples photos whilst others comment on yours. Flickr seems to confirm the general feel I am getting of internet life these days - it's all for the purpose of self-aggrandisement. I talked to a mate the other day about Flickr and how to use it, and her obsession with it seemed to confirm this. After bragging about the amount of hits and comments she had had on her photos, I asked her why she should go to all this effort. She simply didn't know.

Anyway if anyone should have any desire to access my Flickr site, its under postpostmodernist.

The Cassette Tape

Conveniently passing over the Flickr chapter while I still try to master it, I thought I would give my little spiel about technology. For this I have chosen the cassette tape. They are much smaller and convenient than your standard LP record, and so far, it seems that one can fit more music onto them as well. At the moment I am building up my cassette collection, and already have artists such as Duran Duran, Dead or Alive, Flock of Seagulls, Icehouse and even Kate Bush! (I bought this last one on a whim.)

Another feature of this new technology I quite like is that I am able to make 'mixed tapes'. These are blank cassettes upon which I can record my favourite songs from my record collection. You then give these mixed tapes to people that you like. I've heard you can also record songs on blank cassettes from other cassettes, although I believe the 'double decker' cassette player required for this is quite expensive.

I also believe they are bringing out a portable device to play these cassettes, which would tremendous. But that could be some way off in the future yet!

It's all very exciting. Music has reached the pinnacle of accessibility and portability. This truly is a futuristic age.