Second Life training

This week I had the chance to explore a little bit of Second Life by participating in the first training session held last Tuesday (4-12-12). Setting up the account for Second Life was a straightforward process. With the help of Carole Gerts, we were taught how to move, communicate, and navigate our way in a virtual world. Although I was able to communicate with the rest of the group through chat (I can also hear the ongoing discussion from my speaker), the lack of microphone installed on my desktop was a little bit of a drawback. Also, my computer was not powerful enough to process the graphics requirement of the program. There was a time when my screen suddenly went black. It happened just after I clicked the snapshot button when Carole was teaching us how to get a snapshot of the venue where we were located. I finally got a display and returned to our virtual location only after several minutes of staring on a black screen. 

Second Life’s requirement of huge processing power and system resources is definitely its big drawback. The next time I will get into it, I will have to borrow my daughter’s powerful new laptop. Overall, the session was fun, a little bit stressful (with a blank screen), and informative.

OLJ Task 1 (Module 2: Web 2.0 Technologies and social software)

RSS in action

RSS

RSS (Really Simple Syndication) allows users to collect timely updates of news and postings from newspapers, blogs, libraries, audio, and video and read them in one place. The RSS feeds can be read using software called an "RSS reader", "feed reader", or "aggregator", which can be web-based, desktop-based, or mobile-device-based. RSS takes the hassles out of staying up to date, by showing subscribers the latest information that they are interested in.

Examples of RSS in action

The National Institute of Mental health, a government research organisation in the US, uses RSS feeds to inform interested subscribers on the latest on mental health through audio, video, director’s blog, or the NIMH main feed.
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/site-info/subscribe-to-nimh-rss-updates.shtml

The Australian Taxation Office also uses RSS feeds to inform individuals, corporate, and tax professionals on the latest tax provisions. This is an excellent application of an RSS feed as every now and then, new tax legislations are passed and old legislations are superseded or amended by the lawmakers of the country. As a tax professional, my subscription with the ATO's RSS feeds http://www.ato.gov.au/rss.aspx allows me to receive the latest tax provisions without much effort.

RSS in libraries and information services

Many libraries and information services are now using RSS features to enhance their abilities to meet the information needs of their users. Some RSS feeds applications on libraries and information services include the following:

• RSS feed for new additions to the online catalogue;
• RSS feed for new programs and events posted on the library website;
• RSS feed for the library’s electronic newsletter;
• RSS feed on library website updates;
• RSS feed for press releases and other media advisories;
• RSS feed for library job openings; and
• Libraries can subscribe to professional RSS feeds for sharing with staff on the library intranet.

Because RSS main feature is about sharing and delivering the latest information in different formats, it is a perfect tool that can be used by libraries to update their users. Unlike receiving updates via e-mail, RSS feeds allow for customizable formatting; the items are automatically deleted or marked as “read”; and subscription is typically anonymous (Cassell & Hiremath, 2011). Any librarian or information services professional just have to look at the vast categories of The Library of Congress’ RSS feeds (http://www.loc.gov/rss/) to appreciate the many applications of RSS in libraries and information services in reaching out to their users.

Reference

Cassell, K. A., & Hiremath, U. (2011). Reference and information services in the 21st century: An introduction (2nd ed. revised). Neal-Schuman Publishers: New York. 

From a hesitant participant to having several social networking accounts

From being a hesitant participant of social networking sites, this subject has turned me into an owner (by the end of the third week) of five social networking accounts (six including the Weblog I created from previous subject and reused for this subject)  -  Facebook, Flicker, Twitter, Delicious, and LinkedIn. At first, I felt slightly uncomfortable giving out information to so many sites. However, the idea that the experience and knowledge that I will gain from these activities will make me a better information services professional in a socially networked world has given me some sort of encouragement to go on. Besides, now is the time to reconnect with my friends and relatives abroad. For easy access, I put the short cuts of these sites in the bookmark bar of my browser. Also, I used a common e-mail account and password for these accounts to make administration easier.

Creating accounts for these social networking sites is quite straightforward except Delicious. It’s just so unfortunate that when the majority of the class were trying to use the “follow” feature of Delicious, the Delicious team was also in the process of upgrading the system to limit spam, making the user of a new account unable to follow other users. This issue was eventually resolved. With all these social networking accounts that I have created, Facebook gets more of my attention because most of my friends and relatives are familiar with it – the number of friends I have gets larger every day. To avoid some guessing games and to take advantage of the features they have, I decided to borrow the latest literature available on Facebook and Twitter. I am also determined to dig deeper in the coming weeks into what the other social networking sites have to offer.

Assignment One

Definition of Social networking
Social networking is the practice of expanding one’s social contacts by making online connections through individuals. The Web, through social networking sites such as a Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Myspace allows users to share their interests and/or social activities and become a part of an online community.

Social networking technologies and sites that I have used

I consider myself as a social networking newbie. The previous subjects that I have taken in my course have provided me concepts and outlook of some social networking as they are applied in information/library services. Specifically, I was introduced on how to make a blog in my INF405 (The Digital Environment) subject - my first hands on with social networking. The rest such as Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, Wikipedia, and Flickr were all in theories.

Because trends come and go at a very fast pace (thanks to the rapid advancement in technology), I tend to be cautious in adapting whatever the current trend is, including social networking services. However, I am aware that most libraries have particularly adapted them to advertise their own services. Because of this, I have decided to enrol this subject (INF506-Social Networking for Information Professionals) to expand my knowledge and to be immersed within a range of social networking environments such as blogs, Facebook, Flickr, Twitter, Delicious, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Second Life.

What do I expect to learn from completing INF506

I expect that the modules, readings, assignments, and hands on requirements in this subject will help me learn beyond the basics of the above mentioned social networking services and sites. Aside from using these social networking sites for “friendly” purposes, I expect to learn their applications in supporting the information, learning, social and/or organisational needs of a group of people.