Exercise 10:1 Social networks case study

Social network analysis of our weekly meetings and blogs.

Since we have a fine collection of artefacts from our own learning community in this subject, use the references to guide your directions AND figure 1 on mapping the social network as a set of nodes, follow these steps: [HINT -don't pick too small or too big an extract]

What to do:

Who is following who? Examine the blogs in your POD and work out the map of Followers/Following relationship.

1.Assign each person a letter in the same order as they appear in the dialogue as a, b, c .. etc.

I used the data Ken suggested in his message to the ITC510 Forum (Re: topic 10 sent 9/10/09).

2.For your chosen extract, draw the social network diagram and build the same matrix of 0 and 1's as per figure 1.

3. Descibe any patterns of people's interactions that you discover. ( I am forcing you to think here).

• A, B and D are all following and being followed
• C is being followed but is not following anyone
• A and B have an equal number of interactions (followers = following)
• A and B have more interactions than C and D
• D has more interactions than C
• C has the least interactions
  
  

If you were to repeat this analysis on another set of blogs from another POD, would you find the same patterns?

1. Why or why not? [HINT - changes in context and process may be just some variables to consider]

2. Support you opinion with any of the references provided or with others you find.

It is almost impossible to say if another set of POD blogs would display a similar pattern because the system is subject to the influence of variables which influence ITC510 bloggers' following/follower choices, for example, those involving motivation (reciprocity, past experience, friendship, interest etc).

Complex systems are characterised by their unpredictability: "The interaction with the environment, as well as the learning and self organisation mechanisms makes it unrealistic to regard such systems as structurally stable." Pavard and Dugdale (2006, p.4).

I would expect a larger system, however, to begin to exhibit emergent properties, ie properties that "arise due to the interactions in a system, and are not inherent in the individual components" (Hallinan, 2005). An example of such a property would be self-organisation: "social phenomena, such as social networks and social movements, easily lend themselves to the conceptualization of emergent properties generated by self-organizing process dynamics"(Buchmann, 2001, p.4427).

References:

Buchmann, M. (2001). Emergent properties. In Neil J. Smelser, & Paul B. Baltes (Eds.), International encyclopedia of the social & behavioral sciences (pp. 4424-4428). Oxford: Pergamon.

Hallinan, J. (2005). Introduction to complex systems. Retrieved October 26, 2009, from http://www.itee.uq.edu.au/~comp4001/

Pavard, B. & Dugdale, J. 2006, An Introduction to Complexity in Social Science, Retrieved October 26, 2009, from http://www.irit.fr/COSI/training/complexity-tutorial/complexity-tutorial.htm

Exercise 9.2 Research and evaluation in Government 2.0

1. Summarise the use of:

Wiki drafts of papers for public discussion

It's still early days for the development of government wikis for public discussion. In Australia Kate Lundy uses a wiki for public engagement on briefing papers, policy and legislation development: http://wiki.katelundy.com.au/ In the U.S the Obama administration is "trying its hand at wiki-style policy development" (Beizer, 2009) in the third stage of its Open Government initiative. The platform it chose is called MixedInk, which enables participants to post content in collaboration, as is done on Wikipedia. An example is the CIO/OFT Policy Wiki: http://wiki.cio.ny.gov/wiki/Main_Page

Zyskowski (2009) says that "of all the Web 2.0 technologies, the wiki might be the one that most embodies the new spirit of the Internet: collaborative, transparent, efficient and unpredictable in a good way" but these may also be some of the reasons why governments have not yet embraced wikis as a way to faciliate public policy discussions. Governments may also fear that their power to govern will be impeded if citizens, for example, groups with their own specialised agendas, have too much input into policy creation. The kinds of collaboration and communication made possible by Web 2.0 tools have not yet been shown to be more advantageous for governments than traditional methods so it's probably wise for them to sit on the fence for a while. In addition, they are probably asking, as Crovitz does (2008), "Is there a risk that the wisdom of crowds as relected in Web 2.0 won't turn out to be so wise?"

Twitter in Government

All levels of government have jumped on the Twitter bandwagon.

Individual politicians like to use it as a public relations tool. Here's a list of them:

http://ozpollietweeters.pbworks.com/FrontPage

Departments, agencies etc are using Twitter to send out news updates:

http://twitter.com/cabinetoffice
http://twitter.com/mosmancouncil
http://twitter.com/dsrwa





2. Did you see yourself as a supporter of Government 2.0? If so how did you benefit? If not then explain why.

I believe that our government should act as a kind of "social lubricant to enable citizens to employ their own ideals in furtherance of their own goals" (Government 2.0 Taskforce, 2009, p.5) and that it should employ tools which improve its responsiveness to individual and community concerns, and encourage collaboration with the community.

Government 2.0 benefits the community in a number of ways. It makes governing more transparent and accountable and therefore less open to abuse; it enables citizens to contribute skills and knowledge which may not otherwise be available to those in government; it facilitates community engagement in government processes and it provides an effective means for the government to distribute information.


References:

Beizer, D. (2009).White House tries hand at wiki-style policy development. Federal Computer Week. Retrieved October 23, 2009, from http://fcw.com/Articles/2009/06/22/Web-White-House-open-government.aspx

Crovitz, L. (2008, May 12). Information age: From wikinomics to government 2.0. Wall Street Journal (Eastern Edition). Retrieved October 23, 2009, from Proquest Central database.

Government 2.0 Taskforce. (2009). Towards Government 2.0: An issues paper. Retrieved October 22, 2009, from http://gov2.net.au/blog/2009/07/23/official-issues-paper-released/

Zyskowski, J. (2009). Tending the wiki garden. Federal Computer Week. Retrieved October 23, 2009, from http://fcw.com/Articles/2009/01/26/Tending-the-wiki-garden.aspx?sc_lang=en&Page=1

Exercise 9.1 Is social networking a business model

Join the site called Linkedin.com and setup your “business” profile. While many businesses use social networking sites or buy islands in virtual worlds, some argue that their use is not a model for doing business.

What are the arguments for and against social networking being classified as a business model?


Traditional business models assume a vertical organisational structure in which communication flows are mainly top-down. Dutta and Fraser (2009) argue that this model is outdated and failing (think of the global financial crisis) and it’s time for business leaders to recognise the social architecture of their companies and adopt a Web 2.0 business model. While social networking is well-suited to organisations which are non profit-orientated, eg in areas such as education and medicine, there are some good reasons for profit-making organisations to carefully consider the pros and cons before deciding to include social networking in their business models:

FOR:

• Importance of relationships in obtaining business in some fields, eg law


• Facilitates information sharing


• Increases opportunities for work-related collaboration


• Marketing opportunities


• Recruiting tool


• Peer networking opportunities


• Enables speedy co-ordination and communication within an organisation and between organisations


• Improves communication for isolated employees


• Communications are accessible by all members


• Management can monitor employee contributions, eg to identify issues or to identify staff skills

AGAINST:

• Unintended consequences such as information ownership disputes, eg after an employee has left


• Possible release of confidential information


• Possible source of “governance violations or breaches of company protocol” (Hoover, 2007)


• Time wasting


• Lack of control if site is outside a firewall – possible risk situations eg potential imposters

References:

Dutta, S. and Fraser, M. (2009). Global leadership in a Web 2.0 world. OECD Observer, 273. Retrieved October 22, 2009, from ABI Inform database.

Hoover, J. (2007). Social experiment. Information Week, 1155. Retrieved October 22, 2009, from ABI Inform database.

Exercise 8.4: Aggregation, syndication and the social engine

a. RSS is an XML application needed for aggregation and syndication, often called a Web 'feed'. What is RSS and explain what aggregation and syndication are and how they have changed the nature of the Web. How do you subscribe to an RSS feed?

RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication (but also sometimes refers to Rich Site Summary or RDF Site Summary). It is a web feed format for sharing and distributing regularly updated web content. It's an online current awareness service.

Syndication is the process of subscribing to an RSS feed. An RSS aggregator (sometimes called a reader), allows you to receive and view data feeds from various sources in a single interface. Once you have copied the RSS feed URL from a web site into your aggregator, it checks the pages regularly and displays any updated data content that it finds usually in the form of a headline or brief descriptive content.

RSS has changed the nature of the web by providing a way for people to keep up to date with content changes on specified web pages and blogs etc automatically. It's taken away the necessity for people to have to continually browse the web (eg through search engines) for relevant information or to rely on their memories for relevant sites. It links people and information together more effectively and efficiently than was previously possible.

b. del.icio.us is a social bookmarking website. What does this mean and what are the advantages for workgroups? Discuss how del.icio.us uses the term 'tag' in a different context to what Web publishers would be familiar.

Social bookmarking is the saving and management of website URLs (as bookmarks) which can then be shared with others, organised and searched via sites such as Delicious. "Unlike file sharing, the resources themselves aren't shared, merely bookmarks that reference them" (Wikipedia).

Delicious users organise their bookmarks "with informal tags instead of the traditional browser-based system of folders" (Wikipedia). Although tags run the risk of being misspelt, unclear and misleading "a simple form of shared vocabularies does emerge in social bookmarking systems" (Wikipedia). Users don't need to use a controlled (pre-set) vocabulary which may not suit their needs. Delicious pioneered the folksonomy as opposed to the taxonomy.

Social bookmarking sites such as Delicious allow workgroups to easily share sites of interest. They faciliate the flow of information between members who can also be alerted to new information via an RSS feed.

c. How do you see services such as those provided at the GoToWeb20.net site as changing the way that YOU and your future workgroups operate?

I'm confused about the two goto sites. The first one I went to was gotoweb20.net which looks like this:

It seems to be a site of sponsored links and limited web search results and not much use to any future workgroups of mine.

The other site is go2web20.net. It looks like this:

I'm familiar with this site and it's a great source of information about the latest Web 2.0 applications. I don't think it would change the way my future workgroups operate except as a source of information about possible new tools for us to investigate and/or adopt.

d. Explain how the Elgg social engine works on a Web site where it is installed? Is this the type of application you want on your server in the workplace?

Elgg is free open source social software which must be hosted on a server. There are two options given for download. You can either download the full Elgg bundle which comes with a selection of pre-loaded plugins or choose the core engine and make your own selection of pluggins. This tailorising option is an attractive Elgg feature. Elgg seems most appropriate for the workplace. It is free, private and secure, and offers many features which are of use in a work environment: a blog, instant messaging, wiki, forum, event calendar, media sharing, social grouping, tagging and bookmarking.

Reference:

Wikipedia. Social Bookmarking. Retrieved October 18, 2009, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_bookmarking

Exercise 8.3: Data portability, FOAF and the Semantic Web

2. Like a chain letter, our data seems to move within and between tools like Facebook and Twitter. Is this a good thing?

As long as an individual has control over their own data the idea of being able to move freely between applications and systems is appealing:

"For example, painful web site registrations can become a thing of the past: just indicate the location of your FOAF description. Throw in the relationships and FOAF can be used as an interchange format between social networking sites, building an open infrastructure that allows end users to retain control over their own data" (Dodds, 2004).

I'm a little hesitant about the identification of my relationships and web presences which will be possible via FOAF. But I'm unclear about how this will work in practice and, if the high levels of personalisation offered by a site such as Amazon are an example, then I'm not sure if this is always desirable. However, the following scenario from Tim Berners-Lee, father of the Semantic Web, is impressive:

"The entertainment system was belting out the Beatles' "We Can Work It Out" when the phone rang. When Pete answered, his phone turned the sound down by sending a message to all the other local devices that had a volume control. His sister, Lucy, was on the line from the doctor's office: "Mom needs to see a specialist and then has to have a series of physical therapy sessions. Biweekly or something. I'm going to have my agent set up the appointments." Pete immediately agreed to share the chauffeuring.

At the doctor's office, Lucy instructed her Semantic Web agent through her handheld Web browser. The agent promptly retrieved information about Mom's prescribed treatment from the doctor's agent, looked up several lists of providers, and checked for the ones in-plan for Mom's insurance within a 20-mile radius of her home and with a rating of excellent or very good on trusted rating services. It then began trying to find a match between available appointment times (supplied by the agents of individual providers through their Web sites) and Pete's and Lucy's busy schedules. (The emphasized keywords indicate terms whose semantics, or meaning, were defined for the agent through the Semantic Web.)

In a few minutes the agent presented them with a plan. Pete didn't like it-University Hospital was all the way across town from Mom's place, and he'd be driving back in the middle of rush hour. He set his own agent to redo the search with stricter preferences about location and time. Lucy's agent, having complete trust in Pete's agent in the context of the present task, automatically assisted by supplying access certificates and shortcuts to the data it had already sorted through.

Almost instantly the new plan was presented: a much closer clinic and earlier times-but there were two warning notes. First, Pete would have to reschedule a couple of his less important appointments. He checked what they were-not a problem. The other was something about the insurance company's list failing to include this provider under physical therapists: "Service type and insurance plan status securely verified by other means," the agent reassured him. "(Details?)"

Lucy registered her assent at about the same moment Pete was muttering, "Spare me the details," and it was all set. (Of course, Pete couldn't resist the details and later that night had his agent explain how it had found that provider even though it wasn't on the proper list.)" (Berners-Lee, 2001).

3. How does the FOAF tag form part of the Semantic Web and Web services via social networks?

FOAF tags give "a basic expression for community membership: describing people and their basic properties such as name, e-mail address, and so on" (Dumbill, 2002). FOAF uses RDF (Resource Description Framework) to encode information about people so as to link people together. It creates a vocabulary for "expressing metadata about people, and their interests, relationships and activities" (Dodds, 2004).


References:

Berners-Lee, T., Hendler, J. and Lassila, O. (2001). The semantic web. Scientific American, 284 (5). Retrieved October 15, 2009, from Academic Search Premier database.

Dodds, L. (2004). An introduction to FOAF. Retrieved October 15, 2009, from http://www.xml.com/pub/a/2004/02/04/foaf.html

Dumbill, E. (2002). XML Watch: Finding friends with XML and RDF. Retrieved Ocober 15, 2009, from http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/xml/library/x-foaf.html

Exercise 8.2: The avalanche of applications self-interview

1. How relevant are Web 2.0 tools and applications to me in the workplace?

Tools spawned by the internet are vital in enabling me to keep up to date in the world of information. Twitter, blogs, Facebook and RSS are ideal for professional development in the university librarian's environment. They help me identify themes and developments which I need to know about in order to perform my job adequately. It would be very difficult to keep one step ahead of clients without them.


2. How do I feel about the avalanche of Web 2.0 tools?

I almost resent the necessity to keep up to date with new applications. I have enough to keep up to date with already. I dislike the rapid change and instability associated with technology, the internet and with Web 2.0 applications in particular. While I appreciate the advantages of Web 2.0 tools for professional development (see above) they also great time consumers and wasters - time management skills are more necessary than ever.

3. Would I use Web 2.0 tools and applications if I stopped working at UTS or quit work altogether?

Friends who don't work in an academic area don't use many Web 2.0 tools or even know what the term 'Web 2.0' means so I suppose I would be the same. I would probably use Facebook to keep in touch with a few people but, without the need for professional development, I would return to the most constant of internet-based social tools - email - and forget the rest.

Exercise 8.1: The 30-minute walk

Ziggy and I walk around the block

Ziggy the dog shoots out the door like a missile. She's on a lead but she's in charge. 'Which way today?' I ask out loud. Ziggy chooses the patch of bamboo jungle on the left. It's lovely in here, with its gentle green light, and silence. But Ziggy, tank-shaped, tank-strong, doesn't stop to enjoy the light. She charges out of the bamboo and we race past trim, empty retirement village backyards then cross a little bridge into the park. Ahead a path meanders enticingly under shady gumtrees.

A young man on a bicycle is speeding down the path towards us so I pull Ziggy to a stop. She doesn't like men on bikes. He slows down, perhaps to get a closer look at Ziggy, but she barks and lunges at him and scares him off into the distance. Ziggy doesn't like men on bikes.

Too soon the path ends and we turn right into a grove of trees. Once again I enjoy thirty seconds of green silence before we rush headlong into the glorious, unbounded space of an empty football field. I let Ziggy off the lead and without a backward glance she runs off into the distance, scattering birds before her, filling the sky with cries of complaint. I cross the oval. Ziggy follows. She's panting. Her tongue is hanging out. 'Don't worry Ziggy. We're on the home stretch.'

We emerge onto a busy road where cars zoom past. Ziggy, back on her lead, tries to zoom after them so we take a detour through the carpark of the local hotel. This is where all the people are! Lots of men in shorts sitting at small, umbrella-covered tables in the beer garden. Music thumping:
'Gonna get drunk won't you listen right here, I want one bourbon, one shot and one beer One bourbon, one scotch, one beer...'

No place for dogs. Ziggy and I pass quickly through, back onto the road and around the corner into our street. She's still straining on the lead, still dragging me along behind her just as she was doing when we first set out. I'm tired and thirsty. It's hard for me to keep walking so fast. I need a rest but it's ok. Ziggy is taking me home.

WebEx

Although "all you need to access WebEx is a browser and an Internet connection"
(Why web conferencing? Why WebEx? n.d.) I had initial problems joining the CSU session because I was at work - I was stuck in a loop unable to join. Finally it dawned on me that it might work if I got away from the UTS system so I moved over to the Library's remote desktop.

I was in. Justine Lloyd was in full command which is actually a good feature when large groups are involved. Ken was lurking as did most of us, mainly due I think to our inability to be heard. WebEx was impressive otherwise. It offered desktop and document/application sharing, video conferencing, session recording and cute features like raising hands. There were also the advantages of "universal collaboration integration" and "multi-layer security" meaning that people can access WebEx via a variety of systems and that the security level is high. There's 99.99% up-time. All are important in educational, government and business environments.

But WebEx is pricey. There was an entry level of $92 a month and a "cut down" version for $50 to $60 a month. For a large organisation of 14,000 people it got up to $26,000 per month.

As long as the technology at the user's end is up to scratch and an organisation can justify the expense then WebEx is a great online learning "solution". I could give really nice Library Research classes via WebEx. I wouldn't have to travel to boring old staff meetings in the city. The Greenies Pod could use it to edit Assignment 2. Oh well, keep dreaming, back to Etherpad for now ....

Reference:

Why web conferencing? Why WebEx? Retrieved October 1, 2009 from http://www.cisco.com/en/US/prod/collateral/ps10352/webex_wp.pdf

Exercise 7.2: New devices, aged care and people with disabilities

Prosthetics

Some ideas and examples are outlined in the Lockheed Martin Engineering Exploring ProgramAssistive Robotics Research Report. For example, an on-board processor into the prosthetic. This processor would be used to gather data from sensors on the surface of the prosthetic and around the levers and and motors that make it move. This data would then be used to change the direction and force applied to the levers and motors. The processor could also receive owner input via wireless remote control, such as increasing the strength of the motion. This allows the owner to add to the sensory input to the prosthetic.

Sight Impairments

DigiCite is a voice output digital display reader designed for use by individuals who are blind or have low vision. This system continuously monitors and captures images of digital displays, such as alphanumeric LEDs (light emitting diodes). Whenever the display changes, it converts the display image to text and provides notification using recorded (digitized) speech or other, optional outputs. It works with telephone consoles, alarm displays, measurement devices, recording and test equipment, and other electronic devices. Since digitized speech, rather than voice synthesis, is used to read out numeric display values, it can accomodate any language, and even several languages, within a single unit. The system consists of a small computer, an image capture device, mounting hardware, and a power supply.

Hearing Impairments

A siren detector for cars electronically detects the high decibel sound waves of an ambulance or fire truck for a driver with hearing loss or deafness. Deaf drivers can use these devices to let them know when fire or ambulance sirens are wailing or car horns are blaring. To enable them to distinguish between sounds, many of these devices can rate the type of sound and alert users on a multi-light panel.

Exercise 7.1: Smart screen interface case study

http://www.guruenergy.com/#/blog/2009/01/i-cupcakes/

iphone touchscreen interface case study

Summarise how the interface works.

Apple's iphone is a 3-in-one portable media device which combines mobile phone, ipod and internet access. It uses touchscreen technology as the method of interaction between user and computer. Touchscreens are activated by the touch or removal of a fingertip (or sometimes a stylus) on an active area of a computer screen. They have a layer of capacitive material under a protective coating which reads the users' finger or stylus movements. For example, you can make a phone call on the iphone by tapping a name or number in your contacts list screen display and you can scroll through songs and playlists with the "touch of a finger" (http://www.apple.com/iphone/why-iphone/).

Discuss a situation where the iphone improves the display or interaction over any alternative device.

iphone's touchscreen interface improves access to computing resources for people who have difficulty using other input devices such as a mouse or keyboard. The physically impaired, for example those with fine motor difficulties, would find iphone's touchscreen a much easier control mechanism than alternative keypads or keyboards. The latest iphone, 3G, has also introduced a new app - Voice Control - which, if working as intended, will allow physically impaired people to use their voice to make calls and play music. In addition, by using iphone's Voice Memo, the physically impaired are freed from reliance on textual data input, and can share messages, information etc using easy to access audio input/output technology.

Exercise 6.3: Trust and reputation: how is it achieved?

Some online communities such as CSU's Interact will automatically be judged highly credible because of the reputation, honesty and expertise of its provider. Interact is an online reflection of CSU in the physical world. In addition, by directly addressing factors such as ease of use and risk (eg through password protection), Interact provides an online community in which high levels of trust are almost taken for granted.

In contrast, Facebook must work hard to develop trust in its users. It is not an integral part of an inherently trustworthy environment as Interact is, and so must pay careful attention to usability, sociability and sustainability design features.

The fact that it has a large and varied user base, compared to Interact, probably also means that there are many design challenges which undermine the development of trust. Interact, with its smaller, specialised, password protected community doesn’t face these challenges to the same extent.

For example, while Facebook has been very successful in its design of usability and sustainability features it falters in the area of risk. Privacy concerns are an ongoing major issue with Facebook (Criticism of Facebook, n.d.). These concerns are compounded by the wide variation in risk tolerance amongst the Facebook community. Apart from the privacy settings, which are not an obvious feature in Facebook, users are unrestricted in the amounts and detail of information they can reveal about themselves and about others. The feelings that some people may feel when using the site - vulnerability, lack of safety, cautiousness and negativity are the hallmarks of risk.


Reference:

Criticism of Facebook. (n.d.). Retrieved September 20, 2009, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticism_of_Facebook#Privacy_concerns

Exercise 6.2 Wiki and Moodle Design

I visited the moodle at: ispg.csu.edu.au/moodle and the UTS Library IS wiki.

1. What is it about the design of the wiki and Moodle that you liked or disliked?


Moodle's initial, uncluttered interface is appealing and belies its complexity. Pages are divided into 3 columns making the information in them appear orderly and there is a breadcrumb trail near the top of each page so you always know where you are on the site. Links and text are easily distinguishable. Icons are used in addition to text headings. Information is divided into boxed categories which makes it easy to find. I like the way it is easy to navigate around the Moodle.



The UTS Library IS Wiki also has a nice uncluttered look about it and consists of 2 menu boxes: Navigation and Toolbox which are terms I don't really understand because they don't seem to relate to the information within. There are also menu tabs at the top of the screen which are easily distinguishable from the boxes. This wiki is really only a place to store Research Help Desk-related information so its design is appropriate to its function, although a little static and uninviting. Its only additional feature is a search box.




2. What features do wiki and Moodle have in common and what are the differences?

Both the Moodle and wiki examined require a login and password. Moodle is a course management system and thus contains many more features than the wiki, eg it has its own wiki, blog and chat. It also recognises its users' course enrolment details while the wiki is not personalised in any way. Anyone (who can log in) can easily add content to the wiki but user-generated content is restricted in the Moodle. Another big difference is that the wiki allows users to revert to a previous version if needed. The features of both are determined by their purpose, ie the wiki as a collaborative document has a simple purpose while the moodle is a complex course management system.

3. Is the presence of likeable features also a combination of the design tips for usability, sociability and sustainability, as advocated by Preece and Kim?


Good usability is always a likeable feature on a website because it makes it "pleasant and effective to use" (Preece, 2000, p.27) and supports the goals of an online community, eg to interact and perform tasks without high error rates and frustration with the software. Both Moodle and wiki are examples of good usability. Sociability design features provide a likeable online environment by enabling members to easily gather together and "start talking among themselves" (Kim, 2000, p.xiii). They also support the purpose of an online community by ensuring members can communicate easily and appropriately, eg by making use of a mediator to keep members "on task". Moodle provides more sociability features than wiki and is more 'likeable' as an online community. Moodle features are also more sustainable than wiki's. Moodle caters for defined communities while the wiki usually requires voluntary contributions from a community whose purpose may be weak or ill-defined.

References:

Kim, A. (2000). Community building in the web: Secret strategies for successful online communities. Berkeley, CA: Peachpit Press.

Preece, J. (2000). Online Communities: Designing usability, supporting sociability. Chichester, UK: John Wiley and Sons Ltd.

Exercise 6.1: Design rules and your CSU forum experience

My most worthwhile forum experiences were:

The purpose of both these forums was directly related to the large amount of effort I put into my contributions and therefore contributed to to my high levels of satisfaction and feelings of worth. Although the community size was large a sense of belonging developed as contributing members got to know each other and began to provide support and positive feedback. I felt a sense of loss when the forums ended because I no longer had access to the course-related support and insights provided by other community members.

Exercise 5.2: Social architects and online games

1. Define what is meant by a social architect?


"While the landscape architect designs physical space, the social architect designs social space" (Learning to Lead, 2003).

The social architect designs and creates social communities, paying particular attention to the way people gather together which is crucial to the way the system functions.


Reference:

Learning to Lead. (2003, August). New Zealand Management, Retrieved September 4, 2009, from Business Source Premier database.


2. Investigate and compare ANY two of the following online communities and become a member.

I investigated the Facebook app Photograb which was the only game available at Shufflebrain and became a Whyville citizen.

3. Use a table to describe the objectives, rules of engagement and unique features of each and report your findings AFTER becoming a member.

4. Try to find out who is behind the organisation and management of each online community. Are they true social architects?

Shufflebrain Inc. is the brainchild of founders Amy Jo Kim, an online community building and video game design professional, and Scott Kim, a web game designer. They manage the company.

Whyville (Numedeon Inc.) was founded in 1999 by CalTech biology professor James Bower who is Numedon's CEO and Chairman of the Board.

Bower fits the description of a true social architect because he designed the way Whyville's citizens interact and function in Whyville. The Kims with their Photograb game have utilised Facebook's social infrastructure rather than designed it themselves but their game could be considered an addition to the way people gather together in Facebook plus they have added unique features of their own such as feedback to gain points and in this sense they are true social architects.

Exercise 5.1: The many faces of you

Make a list of all your online identities

Do you show multiple identities or are you consistent across all instances?


I can divide my online identities into three: private, study-related and work-related. My private online identity is informal and relaxed but would contain details of commercial transactions and credit card details. My study online identity is Masters coursework-oriented and my work online identity is professional and quite formal.



What does your "persistent identity" online say about you, and what shouldn't it say?

I've tried to keep the details of my 'persistent identity' (those over which I have some control) as simple and brief as possible: name, gender and age range, location, employer and education provider. I don't want my online persistent identity to reveal personal information such as names of children, partners, parents etc, financial or medical history. Neither do I reveal my likes and dislikes etc because I don't want to be bombarded with unsolicited offers or information.



Analyse and comment on other aspects of your 'persistent identity' across all those multiple identities.


For privacy and safety reasons I prefer to keep as much control as possible over who has access to information about me. I've responded to the digital era "by affecting a Luddite position, using a twentieth century model for "official identity" (less is more") as the guide for policy in the twenty-first" (Jordan, Hauser & Foster, 2003. p.28). My three multiple identities or 'personas' allow me, to some extent, to decide who should know what. However I've noticed that, as I become more relaxed and familiar with online communities, the boundaries between private, study and work identities begin to blur. I've also become more comfortable with online shopping and bill payment, risking insecurity and purchase decision privacy for convenience.

It may be worth noting that, as far as the commercial aspect of my persistent identity goes, I have two other identities - two daughters who share my credit card - which may confound the creation of a consistent commercial online profile for me.

Reference:

Jordan, K, Hauser, J & Foster, S., (2003). The augmented social network: building identity and trust into the next generation Internet. First Monday. Retrieved September 2, 2009, from http://www.uic.edu/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/1068/988

Exercise 4.3 Social networking tools for your "PLN"

a) Using your own set of heuristics, make up a new table showing which sites have or do not have potential and challenges as platforms for:

i. Learning
ii. Professional development in the workplace

Sites with the potential for learning and professional development must be:

• easy to use
  
• able to increase access to relevant information
  
• allow collaboration/sharing with others
  

RED sites are probably more appropriate for professional development than for learning in the classroom but the others in the list on the left have both classroom and professional development potential.

b) Make a up a social profile at two new social networking sites, using one from each list or from any you found online.

I signed up at Bubbl.us:

And I signed up at Delicious:

c) Visit >http://sites.google.com/site/buildingapln/ Do you have a personal learning network? Look at the potential and challenges of each new site as platforms for learning and inclusion in a PLN?

I've looked at many sites over the years but my most valuable information always comes from blogs via RSS feeds. More recently Twitter has become an important source of professional development. I'd prefer not to expand my PLN too wide because information overload will become a problem.



d) OPTIONAL: Get your POD group to create their own social network at either ning.com or socialgo.com [This may get you thinking about your POD project in assignment 2]

I already have an account at NING so I've created a Greenies Pod group and sent out some invites.

Exercise 4.2 Hosting good conversations: House Rules!

a. Discuss 3 ways of providing users with more control in an online community

In some large online communities members are inundated with information. They need access to a technical facility which allows them to manage and sort messages and/or provision of online summaries (eg by a volunteer or the facilitator).

All online community members need access to a Netiquette guide, particularly in the early stages of the community's life, to facilitate good practice.

Large groups, eg online learning communities, will need an obvious facilitator presence to support and guide the community learning process. Otherwise the group can become disorganised and wander off-topic.


b. Howard Rheingold wrote the The Art of Hosting Good Conversations Online in 1998. What 3 rules or tips did you find interesting or have experienced so far in your online meetings or interaction?

1. "Patience is rule numbers one through three: Deliberately add a time delay on your emotional responses before you make any public posting or private e-mail."

In addition, I found that synchronous communication is more effective if people wait for others to finish their sentence before jumping in with their own contributions (just like you do f2f).

2. "Pose questions for the group to consider."

Learning communities need to focus on relevant issues. Set questions in our group pod work help to maintain this focus.

3. "Eventually, natural hosts emerge in each community, and existing hosts should scout and mentor them."

I was surprised to find myself organising green pod meetings. I'm used to going along with the flow. This time I had to create the flow which was a good experience for me.


c. Read the ISPG policy for user behaviour in a MOO at http://ispg.csu.edu.au/subjects/cscw/moo/moo-policy.doc and compare it with the Community Guidelines at http://digg.com/guidelines. Why do collaborative social software systems with synchronous and asynchronous communications need to develop a set of “rules of engagement"? Is the need the same or less when using a document sharing systems only?

Although the MOO policy is a formal document and contrasts with the Digg guidelines' use of informal language, they both set out the "rules of engagement" for their respective communities. Rules are necessary for collaborative social software systems because, as Kim ponits out "online culture has long been anti-authoritarian, and people in Web communities routinely do and say things they'd never dare to in a face-to-face encounter" (2000, p.201). Lack of the immediate repercussions which exist in the physical world plus the opportunity for anominity make inappropriate behaviours more likely to occur in online communities.

The rules of document sharing systems need only cover what's necessary to manage the documents and ensure access to them. Documents are viewed as more permanent records which could be available indefinitely to the scutiny of others, while online social community communications are comparable to ephemeral publications or conversations which are not expected to be permanently accessible and accountable for.

Reference:

Kim, A. (2000). Community building in the web: Secret strategies for successful online communities. Berkeley, CA: Peachpit Press.

Exercise 4.1 Blog or Wiki design

1. How would you design and manage content in a blog?

Just as people often choose a book by its cover I'd begin by making sure the content in my blog was presented in a visually appealing manner, eg with lots of colour, font and template choices and easy photo uploading. I'd also build in usability features such as consistent commands and page layouts, use of the user's language, exit and undo mechanisms, and good error messages. Tags and an entry timeline, important access tools, would be available. It would also have the capacity to support pod, video and screen casting. The purpose of a blog determines its design so if it's to be used as a frequent communication tool it has to be a simple and quick process for the author to create content and easy for the reader to follow.


2. Blogger summary

Blogger focuses “on helping people have their own voice on the web and organizing the world's information from the personal perspective.” It is a community in the wider sense which has the capacity to be used by smaller groups when they come together with a single vision. It incorporates features such as team blogging, a followers gadget and feedback capability which make use by a smaller community easy and simple. It has a robust Profile page and, being asynchronous, allows newcomers to learn the ropes at their own pace.
Blogger as an online community is limited. It doesn’t facilitate leadership, ritual development or subgroups. It does support Kim’s underlying principles to a certain extent by having the ability to grow and change in character and complexity, its members stay in touch via feedback loops and have the opportunity to become empowered over time.

Exercise 3.2: Mobile computing research

Wireless Technology: issues and opportunities for improved workflow

Wireless technology has created “an environment where freedom of movement and access to information becomes mutually synonymous” (Miles, 2005, p.12). Although wireless offers benefits to education such as mobility and flexibility there are several issues to consider.

Implementation requires vision and good planning. The total number of users and what they’ll be doing on the internet has to be considered so that bandwidth is adequate enough to avoid slowdowns, access and download problems. Access points have to be located where there are no barriers such as thick walls and where signal overlap and interference is avoided. Security issues, such as encryption, have to be considered. Without adressing these issues workflows can be impeded by technical malfunctions.

Workflows can also be impeded by the human element. Teachers are unlikely to effectively incorporate wirless technology into their teaching and learning practices without proper training and ongoing professional development and support. For example, research into the impact of mobile laptop technologies on Millenials’ approach to their studies found that “students expect the lecturers to integrate the use of laptops into the learning experience and develop learning activities that exploit the availability of mobility and accessibility to resources” (McMahon & Pospisil, 2005, p.431).

Once issues such as these are resolved wireless technology supports the benefits of flexible teaching and learning within an educational community. Access to online resources is no longer subject to strict time and space limitations. Students and teachers are no longer confined to their desktops. Communication within and beyond the community is facilitated and opportunities for collaboration greatly increased.

References

McMahon, M. and Pospisil, R. (2005). Laptops for a digital lifestyle : millennial students and wireless mobile technologies. Paper presented at the Balance, fidelity, mobility : maintaining the momentum? Proceedings of the 22nd ASCILITE conference, Brisbane, 4-7 December 2005' edited by H Goss, volume 2, pages 421-431. Brisbane : Dept of Teaching and Learning Support Services, Queensland University of Technology.

Miles, K. (2005).Time to get networked! with wireless networking. Classroom. 25 (4) 10-12.

Exercise 3.1: The Battle for Wesnoth

So far the Battle of Wesnoth has not worked for me. It may be an age or sex thing but I am not a gamer, never was, and probably never will be. However I 've seen how online games delight and absorb others, particularly children and young adults, boys more than girls, and I can well understand how educational games motivate students to learn. There are, however, sizable gender differences in game preferences which have to be taken into account in the classroom.

I downloaded the game, took the tutorial and played a game with the computer as my opponent. The computer won.The The Green pod hasn't met for a group "battle" as yet but Ann and I made three attempts on Wednesday evening before the Skype session. Two of the attempts ended before they began because other players joined our games before we did and the only game we both joined together ended prematurely due to inexperience and ignorance (mine anyway). The Battle of Wesnoth requires a considerable committment of time and enthusiasm to learn the rules and tactics but I don't find it rewarding enough to continue.