Community-based Interactive Tools

Community-based Interactive Tools

Alison ConnorElizabeth KoerberCarrie Snesko

Project 6 - Assignment Develop an IORP for presenting community-based

interactive communication and information-sharing interactive tools on the DiscoverET.org website.

Perform a Case-study of the existing interactive communication and information-sharing tools used on the DiscoverET.org website.

Suggest forms of emerging tools that should be incorporated in the future.

Provide examples of websites using the various community-based interactive communication and information-sharing tools and evaluate the forms of interaction taking place via the different tools in the different settings.

Present the pros and cons based upon your analysis while you make recommendations for the DiscoverET.org website.

Relationship to 520 Coursework

Information System Development “An interconnected set of information resources under

the same direct management control that shares common functionality. Includes hardware, software, information, data, applications, communications, and people.”

Develop structure/framework Unite the various interactive tools

Interface between the system and people User-centered design

Relationship to 520, continued

Subject-Access/Cross-ReferencingDetermining “aboutness”Organizing topics in a meaningful way that

allows users to easily access their desired information

Classification of TopicsEstablishing a hierarchical and associative

structure

Philosophical Basis – The “Public Sphere” (Jurgen Habermas)

Presents communication opportunities in a broad sense, where people can interact

Allows people to enter “spaces” without undue hindrance (i.e., race, ethnicity, economic status); spaces are visible; discussions are open

Mediates between people and institutions, between the powerless and powerful

Community Networks

“…free online environment[s] designed to promote and favor communication, cooperation, and the exchange of services among citizens and all the public and private members of a local community (nonprofit organization, government institutions, and companies)…” (Shaping the Network Society, p. 199)

Interactive Tools

Wikis Blogs Listservs/Emails Interactive Calendars Discussion Boards

Wikis

A wiki is a group of Web pages that allows users to add content, as on an internet forum, but also permits others (often completely unrestricted) to edit the content. The term wiki also refers to the collaborative software (wiki engine) used to create such a website.

Wikis are a true hypertext medium, with non-linear navigational structures. Each page typically contains a large number of links to other pages. Hierarchical navigation pages often exist in larger wikis, often a consequence of the original page creation process, but they do not have to be used.

Blogs

Abbreviated form of “weblog”

A blog is a website for which an individual or a group generates text, photographs, video, audio files, and/or links, typically but not always on a daily or otherwise regular basis.

Listservs/Emails Electronic mailing lists are a special usage of email that

allows for widespread distribution of information to many internet users. Software is installed on a server which processes incoming email messages, and, depending on their content, either acts on them internally or distributes the message to all users subscribed to the mailing list.

Today, mailing lists are most often used for collaboration on various projects and as a way of distributing current news and other such information.

Sometimes these take the form of what is termed a "discussion list": a subscriber uses the mailing list to send messages to all the other subscribers, who may answer in similar fashion. Thus actual discussion and information exchanges can happen. Mailing lists of this type are usually topic-oriented

Interactive Calendars

While interactive calendars vary widely in format, they all provide an opportunity for users to enter and view upcoming events.

Discussion Boards

A discussion board is a general term for any online "bulletin board" where you can leave and expect to see responses to messages you have left.

DiscoverET.org Case Study

Existing DiscoverET.org Resources

Calendar Blog Links Discussion Group Links Mailing Lists

DiscoverET.org Calendar

DiscoverET.org Calendar

Begins on current day Lists events chronologically Each event has a title and short description

“Details” link Search Features

Date, county, organization, list of categories Keyword search

Add an Event / Submit an Event Help Features

DiscoverET.org Blogs

DiscoverET.org Blogs

Rocky Top Brigade Blog Station Brian’s Blog Camp4u Instapundit.com Keep Knoxville Beautiful We’re Screwed

DiscoverET.org Discussion Groups

DiscoverET.org Discussion Groups

Open Discussion for the Town of Jellico, TN Digital Divide Discussion Group Civil Liberties Alliance K2k Knoxnet knoxville Based Yahoo Groups Oak Ridge Based Yahoo Groups KORRnet.org Hosted Listservs

DiscoverET.org Mailing Lists

DiscoverET.org Mailing Lists

41 Lists availableClick list name

Description of the list How to subscribe/unsubscribe List archives

Case Studies of Similar Sites

Example Sites

Wiki = SeattleWiki www.seattlewiki.org/wiki/Main_Page

Blog = Gothamist www.gothamist.com

Listserv/Email = Vancouver Community Network www2.vcn.bc.ca

Calendar = Littleton Community Network www.littleton.org

Discussion Board = Davis Community Network forums.dcn.org/goals

SeattleWiki.org

Gothamist.com

Vancouver Community Network

Littleton.org Calendar

DCN - Davis Community Network

Group Recommendations

Wikis Open Source Software: TWiki, Kwiki, MediaWiki, PmWiki, MoinMoin…

Blogs

Listservs/Emails

Calendars CalendarScript - $85 for typical license ownership; $50 for not-for-profits; free

trial

Discussion Boards Ezboard.com – “free” vBulletin – one year lease $85; license ownership $160

Group Recommendations

Overall design for community-interaction and information-sharing pagesMore fully integrated, under a single headerHeader = “Communication & Media”

References

CalendarScript 3.2. [http://www.calendarscript.com] Davis Community Network [http://forums.dcn.org/goals] DiscoverET.org. [www.discoveret.org] ezboard. [www.ezboard.com] Fish, Shlomi. “Which open source wiki works for you?” ONLamp.com. [

http://www.onlamp.com/pub/a/onlamp/2004/11/04/which_wiki.html] Gothamist. [www.gothamist.com] Habermas, Jurgen. The Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere: An

Inquiry into a Category of Bourgois Society. Boston: MIT Press, 1991. Littleton Community Network [www.littleton.org] SeattleWiki. [www.seattlewiki.org/wiki/Main_Page] Schuler, Douglas and Peter Day. Shaping the Network Society. Boston: MIT

Press, 2004. Vancouver Community Network [www2.vcn.bc.ca] vBulletin. [www.vbulletin.com]

Thank you