Getting dumped on Facebook

The very public nature of social networking still bothers me . It's fine when things are going well, but when things fall apart...

Imagine this, being dumped via Facebook and all your "friends" get to read the wall posts and blog comments. In Independent.ie Samuel Pinney tells his story of How I was dumped on Facebook

How many of us think about this when we share our lives on social network sites

We have lift-off ... Facebook at ECU Library

Today we managed a successful "soft launch" of our new ECU Library Facebook page.

Thanks to Lutie Sheridan, who did most of the work and me, who kept asking her to change things around. We've decided to "suck it and see". This is all so new, we really don't know how and if these social network sites can be used to connect with out student users. How will they find us? What will they expect?

If you have any thoughts, advice, feedback on library Facebook pages, then please post me a message.

ECU Library blog goes live

Finally, after much effort behind the scenes, the new ECU Library blog will go live next week.

The blog's tag line is "Keeping you up-to-date with information about the library, resources and happenings..."

Report on Social Software in Learning

Did you know that 5% of all website visits are now visits to social software sites? Actually I thought it would be higher.

If you institution has a subscription to the Observatory on Borderless Higher Education then take a look at Scott Leslie and Bruce Landon’s report: Social Software for Learning: What is it, why use it?

This January 2008 report looks at the opportunities and a threats of the Web 2.0 social software and how institutions can and should respond to applications developed outside the academic institutions.

Abstract:
“The recent, and undeniably massive, growth in adoption of various social software applications represents both an opportunity and a threat to institutions and educators: opportunity because the qualities which help these applications thrive align well with socio-constructivist and other contemporary theories of learning which have resonated strongly with online educators and learners and sparked massive interest and growth in adoption; threat in part because they are often developed and adopted by learners outside the bounds of their formal relationships with institutions, and in part because they depend on network characteristics that can be in tension with the more ‘closed’ environments and online approaches found within most institutions. In many ways, social software represents a key manifestation of borderless education in that it has typically been developed on the general Internet, not within academic enclaves nor for specifically educational purposes, and often thrives best when the full dynamics of the entire network (e.g. linkability, searchability, network effects) are in play.

Initially, this report compares some of the qualities that cause social software to flourish with contemporary ideas about what enables successful learning in a networked world. Following an examination of uses of specific social software applications to support learning, it subsequently discusses how these key characteristics create both challenges for adopting institutions and considerations for adopters and implementers of social software that can help them harness them to best advantage in creating more authentic engagement for lifelong learners.”

Praise for LibraryThing

I've become a fan of LibraryThing.

Once again LibraryThing has featured in the Web 2.0 Awards as a recommended Web 2.0 site for recording book information. It now boasts over twenty-two million books on members' bookshelves

As usual Wikpedia has the low down for those new to LibraryThing

Their book data is sourced not just from Amazon, but from the Library of Congress and other libraries worldwide, so that gives it great credibility with librarians.

You can catalogue your own collection on LibraryThing using your own tags in catalogue.

Like other Web 2.0 applications LibraryThing is very social network and various subgroups exist: Australian LibraryThingers which is a group for everyone who connects with Australia (residents, expats, lovers of Australian literature) and who are part of the LibraryThing collective.

You will see on the side bar of my blog I have a link to my LibraryThing profile. This links to “random books in my library”. You can add code into your Blogger blog to set this up.

The Power of YouTube: Zorba the Greek Yolngu Style

The Power of YouTube.

Within weeks of this video going online on YouTube this group of young Aboriginal dancers had attracted international attention. The video is now up to half a million hits. It's also featured on some Greek websites.

These Yolngu men come from two communities in Arnhem Land in in Northern Australia and they call themselves the Chooky Dancers.

For more information about the Yolngu, the oldest living culture on earth, watch the film Yolngu Boy. ECU Library has the video of this 2000 film.

Read Murray McLaughlin's full report on Zorba the Greek Yolngu Style on the ABC 7.30 Report website.

The dancing is truly joyous, so I share this as my Christmas offering.

Publishing in Emerald's The Electronic Library

Lyn and I have just submitted an article for publication in the Emerald journal, The Electronic Library (TEL). If successful this will appear on an issue in Spring 2008. Fingers crossed.

It's a relief to finally email it off this week, as the gestation period has been over two months. Our editor, John Hall, helped us polish it, as we're aiming for the Emerald Literati Prize ;)

Hope to be able to TEL the goods news in 2008.