For this week's "Play" activity we were required to find the Facebook page of an information organisation and share it with our classmates. I chose the Facebook page of a volunteer-run organisation called "I Need A Library Job."
Click HERE for a link to their website.
I can’t remember exactly how I found this Facebook page, but it has been interesting all the same. I think it is a great example of an organisation using Facebook, especially in terms of the promotion of their website. The majority of posts on the Facebook page are links to articles that have been written specifically for the INALJ website and direct users to that space. The downside of the Facebook page is that it does not encourage community participation outside of commenting on posts, instead, they would rather you go to the website before posting a job listing or interesting article. To me, Facebook is a great space for community participation and limiting this participation seems to defeat the purpose of having a Facebook page at all. Nevertheless, this website is a fantastic resource for anyone looking for a library job internationally.
Facebook Page
Thursday 29 August 2013
Tuesday 27 August 2013
Skype - Week 5
For the 'Play' activity this week I used Skype with my group.
I was familiar with Skype and had used it numerous times while I was travelling overseas to talk to family and friends. I have used it professionally in the past for job interviews and found it a successful communication tool.
The Skype session I conducted with my group was the first time I had Skyped with three people. We were unable to get the video to work because it was a feature that required us to pay. I think it would have slowed the speed of the connection if we used video anyway. It was an enjoyable experience, but was hard to read social cues. I often found that I didn't know when another person was going to speak and began to speak over someone else on a number of occasions.
One of the features that makes Skype enjoyable is the function to 'chat' at the bottom of the screen. It allowed us to share links to web pages we were looking at and store information, like email addresses, for the future.
Overall, Skype was fun to play with and I will definitely use it in the future!
I was familiar with Skype and had used it numerous times while I was travelling overseas to talk to family and friends. I have used it professionally in the past for job interviews and found it a successful communication tool.
The Skype session I conducted with my group was the first time I had Skyped with three people. We were unable to get the video to work because it was a feature that required us to pay. I think it would have slowed the speed of the connection if we used video anyway. It was an enjoyable experience, but was hard to read social cues. I often found that I didn't know when another person was going to speak and began to speak over someone else on a number of occasions.
One of the features that makes Skype enjoyable is the function to 'chat' at the bottom of the screen. It allowed us to share links to web pages we were looking at and store information, like email addresses, for the future.
Overall, Skype was fun to play with and I will definitely use it in the future!
Monday 19 August 2013
Bookmarking, curation, and aggregation - Week 4
This week's reflect activity posed some questions about the curation of web content in relation to libraries. These questions were:
After completing the readings and watching the videos on social content curation, a number of things stood out to me. Many of the comments being made in the first video were from information professionals in the traditional sense, ie. librarians, data curators, researchers, etc. They spoke about the preservation of data and making sure that data was accessible for people to use now and well into the future. Conversely, the second video was made with professionals from the online world ie. Bloggers. They spoke about digital curation along more intuitive lines. They saw digital curation as finding the most interesting pieces of information from among the web and providing that to their audience. They talked about relying on people they trusted to provide them with sound information, as well as acknowledging that people generally respond to enthusiasm.
By applying these two different worlds into the context of a Public Library, for example, I think a happy medium would suffice. Libraries have a responsibility to preserve and provide access to material, but they also have a responsibility to engage their users and provide relevant spaces for their users to engage in as well. Online tools like Pinterest, Scoop.it, and Storify are perfect for allowing libraries to live up to their responsibilities as preservers and distributors of information. While an online tool like Pinterest may seem informal, it gives the user another perspective of the library beyond online catalogues and the traditional stacks, eg Yarra Plenty Regional Library. With the right tools and standards, I believe that libraries have the ability to really flourish in digital curation.
Lastly, I leave a link outlining ALIA's “Statement on preservation: the permanence and durability of information products”.
- Can you see a role for libraries in curating content from around the web?
- Do you think the curation tools we’ve been looking at this week [Pinterest, Storify, etc] could be used by libraries?
After completing the readings and watching the videos on social content curation, a number of things stood out to me. Many of the comments being made in the first video were from information professionals in the traditional sense, ie. librarians, data curators, researchers, etc. They spoke about the preservation of data and making sure that data was accessible for people to use now and well into the future. Conversely, the second video was made with professionals from the online world ie. Bloggers. They spoke about digital curation along more intuitive lines. They saw digital curation as finding the most interesting pieces of information from among the web and providing that to their audience. They talked about relying on people they trusted to provide them with sound information, as well as acknowledging that people generally respond to enthusiasm.
By applying these two different worlds into the context of a Public Library, for example, I think a happy medium would suffice. Libraries have a responsibility to preserve and provide access to material, but they also have a responsibility to engage their users and provide relevant spaces for their users to engage in as well. Online tools like Pinterest, Scoop.it, and Storify are perfect for allowing libraries to live up to their responsibilities as preservers and distributors of information. While an online tool like Pinterest may seem informal, it gives the user another perspective of the library beyond online catalogues and the traditional stacks, eg Yarra Plenty Regional Library. With the right tools and standards, I believe that libraries have the ability to really flourish in digital curation.
Lastly, I leave a link outlining ALIA's “Statement on preservation: the permanence and durability of information products”.
Sunday 11 August 2013
Microblogging - Week 3
I think I like the idea of Twitter more than Twitter itself. As a microblogging site, I believe Twitter perfectly encompasses everything one could need from social media. It provides countless networking opportunities, messages of up to 140 characters can be directed to other people or be sent out to no-one in particular, and links to pictures or other websites can be shared simply.
The problem I have with Twitter is the two worlds which form the Twitter community; the professional users and the personal users. Professionals use Twitter to increase their industry knowledge while personal users post just about everything else...
Personally, I aim to keep my Twitter account for purely professional contacts. The majority of people I follow on Twitter are related to the LIS industry in some way. The idea of using my Twitter account for both personal and professional reasons is very unappealing to me. Because of the nature and popularity of Twitter, I find the high frequency of tweets to be somewhat overwhelming. By keeping my account professional I do not need to wade through ‘pointless’ personal messages to get to industry specific information. Some people suggest having a separate account for personal use, but I think other social media sites ie. Facebook, are better for personal connections.
I will continue to use Twitter beyond this unit, it is a great resource for industry information as well as networking. In my learning it will allow me to become more aware of what is happening in the LIS community both in Australia and internationally. I love Twitter for it’s ease of use and networking opportunities but I hate Twitter for blurring the lines between personal and professional worlds. Part of me wishes that Twitter was a site purely for professional connections, however the simple concept of Twitter (140 characters!!!) is so ingenious that I’ll just have to keep using it.
For further reading, Dianne Kollman has written a blog for The Huffington Post on the benefits of Twitter here.
The problem I have with Twitter is the two worlds which form the Twitter community; the professional users and the personal users. Professionals use Twitter to increase their industry knowledge while personal users post just about everything else...
Personally, I aim to keep my Twitter account for purely professional contacts. The majority of people I follow on Twitter are related to the LIS industry in some way. The idea of using my Twitter account for both personal and professional reasons is very unappealing to me. Because of the nature and popularity of Twitter, I find the high frequency of tweets to be somewhat overwhelming. By keeping my account professional I do not need to wade through ‘pointless’ personal messages to get to industry specific information. Some people suggest having a separate account for personal use, but I think other social media sites ie. Facebook, are better for personal connections.
I will continue to use Twitter beyond this unit, it is a great resource for industry information as well as networking. In my learning it will allow me to become more aware of what is happening in the LIS community both in Australia and internationally. I love Twitter for it’s ease of use and networking opportunities but I hate Twitter for blurring the lines between personal and professional worlds. Part of me wishes that Twitter was a site purely for professional connections, however the simple concept of Twitter (140 characters!!!) is so ingenious that I’ll just have to keep using it.
For further reading, Dianne Kollman has written a blog for The Huffington Post on the benefits of Twitter here.
Friday 2 August 2013
My Online Identity - Week 2.
When I think about my online identity I cringe at the ‘stuff’ about me that is floating around in cyberspace. Being part of the generation that saw the rise... and rise... and rise... of the internet also means that I’ve seen the ‘fall’ of many social media websites. I remember using forums on Geocities, chatting to pen pals on ICQ, and meticulously choosing my ‘top 8’ friends on Myspace. While the majority of these things can be chalked up to teenage naivety, I am wise enough to know that my online identity spreads far beyond the threads I’ve managed to keep track of. Personally I use a number of pseudonyms when joining social websites and rarely give out private details; to me, this just makes sense. Now that I need to create a professional identity online, I am constantly battling with myself about small things like using my full name or posting my email address.
The steps I have taken to build my professional identity have been small but very calculating. I have created a Linked-In Profile, though admittedly have not maintained it; signed up to Twitter and followed a number of relevant LIS professionals; created my own personal portfolio via Blogger; and organised a simple yet professional sounding email address. All these little online interactions are vital to becoming an established member of the online community and each step I take leads me closer to the goal of building a niche for myself in the LIS world.
I want to be an active, professional member of the LIS community now and in the future. One of the easiest ways to participate in discussion is to use Twitter and while it has taken me a little while to really embrace Twitter, I believe it is a valuable tool for any professional network. Blogging, I’ve discovered, is a great way to create networks and consolidate learning. My goal for the future is to become a real presence in the ‘blog’ world by sharing my thoughts about the LIS industry.
Creating an online identity is simply not enough these days, maintaining your online identity is where it’s at.
For further reading, Susanne Markgren has written a helpful article about creating and maintaining your online identity here.
The steps I have taken to build my professional identity have been small but very calculating. I have created a Linked-In Profile, though admittedly have not maintained it; signed up to Twitter and followed a number of relevant LIS professionals; created my own personal portfolio via Blogger; and organised a simple yet professional sounding email address. All these little online interactions are vital to becoming an established member of the online community and each step I take leads me closer to the goal of building a niche for myself in the LIS world.
I want to be an active, professional member of the LIS community now and in the future. One of the easiest ways to participate in discussion is to use Twitter and while it has taken me a little while to really embrace Twitter, I believe it is a valuable tool for any professional network. Blogging, I’ve discovered, is a great way to create networks and consolidate learning. My goal for the future is to become a real presence in the ‘blog’ world by sharing my thoughts about the LIS industry.
Creating an online identity is simply not enough these days, maintaining your online identity is where it’s at.
For further reading, Susanne Markgren has written a helpful article about creating and maintaining your online identity here.
Thursday 1 August 2013
About
Hi, I'm Annette.
I am currently studying a Masters in Information Technology, majoring in Library and Information Science, at Queensland University of Technology.
This blog will reflect my learning experiences in INN333: Information Programs.
I am currently studying a Masters in Information Technology, majoring in Library and Information Science, at Queensland University of Technology.
This blog will reflect my learning experiences in INN333: Information Programs.
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