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A centre of expertise in digital information management
www.ukoln.ac.uk
What If Web 2.0 Really Does Change Everything?Brian KellyUKOLNUniversity of BathBath, UKEmailB.Kelly@ukoln.ac.uk
UKOLN is supported by:
http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/web-focus/events/meetings/intute-2007-11/http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/web-focus/events/meetings/intute-2007-11/
Acceptable Use PolicyRecording/broadcasting of this talk, taking photographs, discussing the content using email, instant messaging, blogs, SMS, video chat, etc. is permitted providing distractions to others is minimised.
Acceptable Use PolicyRecording/broadcasting of this talk, taking photographs, discussing the content using email, instant messaging, blogs, SMS, video chat, etc. is permitted providing distractions to others is minimised.
This work is licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 licence (but note caveat)
Resources bookmarked using ‘intute-2007-11’ tag Resources bookmarked using ‘intute-2007-11’ tag
A centre of expertise in digital information management
www.ukoln.ac.uk
2
“I’m a Web techie; I use Google”
At ILI 2007 Tony Hirst (Open University) admitted to a group of librarians that he mostly uses Google
Brave man What can a manually-created catalogue provide for the happy Google user?
But I’m a Web person, happy with Google and Technorati. I’m not part of Intute’s key target audience.What are the Web 2.0 challenges to be faced?
But I’m a Web person, happy with Google and Technorati. I’m not part of Intute’s key target audience.What are the Web 2.0 challenges to be faced?
A centre of expertise in digital information management
www.ukoln.ac.uk
3
What If Web 2.0 Changes Everything?What you may expect:What If Web 2.0 Changes Everything?Web 2.0 is about:
• RSS, syndication• Blogs• Wikis• Cool interfaces – Ajax• Trusting your users• Yaddy, yaddy yada
Hasn’t Intute services being doing this for a long time, before the Web 2.0 term was coined?
Hasn’t Intute services being doing this for a long time, before the Web 2.0 term was coined?
A centre of expertise in digital information management
www.ukoln.ac.uk
4
Intute – Doing It For Themselves
SOSIG Blog:• Featured in IWR, Jun 2005• Mentioned by me at UKSG conference, April 2005
SOSIG Blog:• Featured in IWR, Jun 2005• Mentioned by me at UKSG conference, April 2005
A centre of expertise in digital information management
www.ukoln.ac.uk
5
Lessons From The Past
What was the key to Intute’s success?• ROADS – open source software (community
software development leading to sustainability)• ROADS support for whois++: a lightweight
distributed searching protocol • Response to Z39.50: either (a) a mature robust
cross-searching standard or (b) “a legacy protocol that hasn’t taken off yet” – Dan Brickley
• Use of MySQL: an open source RDBMS• Use of PostGres: a proper open source RDMS• Distributed development & hosting, avoiding
RDMS and other technical battles
Note of the above, the success was based on RDN’s user-focussed approaches, its outreach activities – being Web 2.0!
Note of the above, the success was based on RDN’s user-focussed approaches, its outreach activities – being Web 2.0!
A centre of expertise in digital information management
www.ukoln.ac.uk
6
Not Forgetting RDN-includeShort paper on “RDN-Include: Re-branding Remote Resources” by Kelly, Cliff and Powell accepted at WWW 10 conference, May 2001
• Designed to allow content to be embedded elsewhere
• JavaScript implementation to overcome SysAdmin barrier
This is Web 2.0, before the term was coined!
• Approach also applied to embedding RSS feeds
A centre of expertise in digital information management
www.ukoln.ac.uk
7
What If Web 2.0 Really Changes Everything?An alternative perspective:
What If Web 2.0 Really Changes Everything?
Web 2.0 is also about:• The network as the platform• Google, Yahoo, etc. as application providers• New business models (not just funded by
the taxpayer or subscription services)• The wisdom of crowds• ‘Embracing constraints’ and ‘good enough’
solutions
A centre of expertise in digital information management
www.ukoln.ac.uk
8
The Real IEMartin Poulter, ILRT on Technologies For Resource Sharing:
• Embeddability• Services which can be
embedded provide benefits for all
• Wikipedia generates more traffic than HE Academy – so let’s be Wikipedia editors
• Let’s use 3rd party wikis• …The challenges
• Managing the risks• Branding? Who cares (really?)
The challenges• Managing the risks• Branding? Who cares (really?)
See <http://ancientgeeks.wordpress.com/2007/10/12/resource-sharing-in-academic-support/>
A centre of expertise in digital information management
www.ukoln.ac.uk
9
Revisiting The IE (nee DNER)
We had the early visions for the JISC DNER, developed by Andy Powell
I subsequently developed my view for how the DNER might develop:
• Applications on the Web e.g. bookmarking (del.icio.us!) and word processing tools (Writely!)
A centre of expertise in digital information management
www.ukoln.ac.uk
10
Web 2.0 As A DNER Development
The DNER got a lot right:• Networked services• Lightweight standards• Importance of RSS• Trust (in the funded institutions)
What we missed, which Web 2.0 is providing:• Commercial providers of services• New business models (we were Old Labour)• Lightweight development• User-generated content (we thought it would be
the professionals)• Trust – in the individuals• The power of the network – services which get
better as more people use them
A centre of expertise in digital information management
www.ukoln.ac.uk
11
Why We Should All Use Web 2.0
What we used to think:• We’re in HE, and we have IT Services to provide
our IT needs (though we moan about them)• JISC builds on this to provide additional services
What we (should) now realise:• JISC & institutional services aren’t appropriate for:
Our family photos, our music, … Use by our friends and families For social networking
• We need our personal risk management strategies (for our family digital heirlooms)
• Institutions may feel a need to ensure students familiarise themselves with such services
• Academics are likely to make use of such services in any case
A centre of expertise in digital information management
www.ukoln.ac.uk
12
Can’t We Just Do it In-house?
Surely all we need to do is:• Use Ajax to enhance our user interfaces• Provide the popular (and increasingly expected)
‘favourite’, ‘comment’, ‘message; … social networking features within our own services and managed environments
• We can then avoid the spam, porn, misuse, …But:
• Have we got the mindset, the development processes, …?
• Can we expect to compete with the global providers - remember home-grown operating systems?
• What about the 1-9-90 rule?
A centre of expertise in digital information management
www.ukoln.ac.uk
13
Opportunities & Challenges
The challenges:• Getting our audiences back• Responding to the wide diversity of applications
being developed• Responding to the lightweight development tools
and approaches being taken
The opportunities:• Learning from Web 2.0 successes• Responding to changes (we’ve been doing this
for centuries!)• Applying innovative practices appropriately (and
not just on top of existing working practices)
Globalisation talk
A centre of expertise in digital information management
www.ukoln.ac.uk
14
The 1 – 9 – 90 ChallengeParticipation Inequality: Encouraging More Users to
Contribute In most online communities, 90% of users are lurkers who never contribute, 9% of users contribute a little, and 1% of users account for almost all the action. (Jakob Neilson, Oct 2006)
Potential Benefits:• Globalisation• Cross-fertilisation• Unexpected benefits• Maximising impact
Potential Dangers:• Globalisation• Mono-culture• Unexpected dangers• Loss of impact
There are dangers associated with going down this route, with developing alternative approaches and doing nothing
There are dangers associated with going down this route, with developing alternative approaches and doing nothing
Globalisation talk
A centre of expertise in digital information management
www.ukoln.ac.uk
15
Why I’m A Fan
Slideshare:• Easy to upload slides• Can be embedded in Web
pages• Statistics provided
More importantly:• Annotation facility• Slides can be ‘favourited’• I can see my fans, and the
other slides they like• Amazon style “readers who
bought this book also liked these”
Would this level of popularity be possible on an institutional or even national repository?
Would this level of popularity be possible on an institutional or even national repository?
http://www.slideshare.net/lisbk/...http://www.slideshare.net/lisbk/...
Globalisation talk
A centre of expertise in digital information management
www.ukoln.ac.uk
16
Application To Cultural Heritage
Paper on Building an On-line Community at the Brooklyn Museum at Museums & Web 2007 conference described use of Flickr, MySpace, etc. by the Brooklyn Museum
This provides• Interaction with artists• User-generated
content• Engagement with new
audiences
http://www.flickr.com/groups/brooklynmuseum
Globalisation talk
A centre of expertise in digital information management
www.ukoln.ac.uk
17
Is It Risky?
Scenario
What happens if a third party provider goes out of business?
http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/features/londoninmaps/exhibition.html
http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/features/londoninmaps/exhibition.html
Application ElsewhereWhat will happen to our life savings if our bank goes out of business? Do we keep our money under the mattress?And note recent Guardian headline “Secret List of Universities Facing Collapse”
There’s a need for risk assessment, risk management, etc. But this also applies when you are developing software, procuring development work, etc.
There’s a need for risk assessment, risk management, etc. But this also applies when you are developing software, procuring development work, etc.
Globalisation talk
A centre of expertise in digital information management
www.ukoln.ac.uk
18
A Mixed Economy
We are likely to have a mixed economy:• Systems managed in-house• Use of external services
We need to ensure these can co-exist and utilise their respective strengths
http://efoundations.typepad.com/efoundations/2007/06/the_repository_.htmlhttp://efoundations.typepad.com/efoundations/2007/06/the_repository_.html
“… there is potential for institutions to push out their repository content to other services that have a more up to minute Web interface? This would not need to be a long term commitment and would enable institutions to cater in a more targeted way to their particular 'consumers'.
Rachel Heery, UKOLN
Globalisation talk
A centre of expertise in digital information management
www.ukoln.ac.uk
19
Revisiting The Question
“How Can Institutions Develop Innovative and Affordable Tools to Engage Increasingly Sophisticated Audiences”Some thoughts:
• In some areas they shouldn’t attempt to compete with market place successes (e.g. Google)
• If some cases institutions should be indifferent to the service provider (e.g. Microsoft or Google Docs)
There are real needs to:• Answer the question “Why develop?”• Be realistic if development work is funded• Be user-focussed (and this isn’t necessarily easy)• Be prepared to write off investment if users don’t
want what we’ve developed
Globalisation talk
A centre of expertise in digital information management
www.ukoln.ac.uk
20
Should We Develop?
Which term reflects our IT developments and which reflects Slideshare, Facebook, …?
• Cool• Worthy
Is our IT development culture capable of being responsive to changes in:
• Rapidly changing technical environment• Competition from others• User expectations • Political changes (government centralisation of
Web sites)• …
A centre of expertise in digital information management
www.ukoln.ac.uk
21
Development Culture
How do we go about IT development?
Here are the rules:• Project management• Standards catalogue• Accessibility requirements
Here are the hurdles:• Bidding process• Negotiations• Advisory group• Progress reports• …
Which has responsibility for stifling creativity and innovation?
A centre of expertise in digital information management
www.ukoln.ac.uk
22
Should We Host?
It’s also timely to rethink policies on hosting services
The box Managed box
Managed by IT Services
Managed by national service
ISP (e.g. Site 5)
Amazon S3 / EC2
Reasons for IT development:• We learn • We own• We can tweak • ….
Reasons for hosting?• ???
Reasons for IT development:• We learn • We own• We can tweak • ….
Reasons for hosting?• ???
A centre of expertise in digital information management
www.ukoln.ac.uk
23
Why Not? Really?
You can also use third party ISPs, which can provide 2-click interfaces to applications e.g. Site5’s Fantastico/Cpanel provides:
• Moodle• Wordpress• Drupla• PHP …• …
Or use Amazon S3 / EC2 to rent storage, CPU cycles, APIs, …
For ~ $6/month!For ~ $6/month!
A centre of expertise in digital information management
www.ukoln.ac.uk
24
Living In A Blended World
We’ve been through changing times before:
• Demise of mainframe • Growth of PCs
• Demise of Computer Board • Growth of Google
Need to engage:
• The stuff that just works
• Supporting distributed team working
Need to understand:
• The stuff that users use, place they go(e.g. Facebook, Slideshare, …)
Need to embed (it’s not surrender):
• Enhancing quality of 3rd party services
• Content in Wikipedia
Just do it
A centre of expertise in digital information management
www.ukoln.ac.uk
25
Enhancing The Community
The community is now much wider than the individual hubs – and social networks can support the community
A centre of expertise in digital information management
www.ukoln.ac.uk
26
Conclusions
• Times have changed• The simplicity of the past won’t return• We need to
Reflect on our past (successes and failures) Understand what makes successful services Engage with success Identify our (possibly new) roles
• If we do this, we can continue to thrive
And read OCLC’s recent report …
A centre of expertise in digital information management
www.ukoln.ac.uk
27
OCLC Report
Read the OCLC report on “Sharing, Privacy and Trust In Our Networked World”:
Open The Doors
“the library brand must go from institutional to personal. …
The social Web is not being build by augmenting traditional Web sites with new tools. …
Open the library doors, invite mass participation and relax the rules …
It will be messy … but mass participation & a little chaos often create exciting venues for collaboration, creativity, community building and transformation”
An exciting challenge for Intute
A centre of expertise in digital information management
www.ukoln.ac.uk
28
Questions
Any questions?
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