Instagram - Week 7

This week we were required to use Instagram for our PLAY activity. We were asked to post a photo for 7 days and add the hashtag #inn333

I used Statigram to search for our class hashtag when I was not using my phone. I have only posted some of my photos on this blog, the rest of my photos can be viewed, along with the rest of the class photos, on Statigram.



I enjoyed this activity because it allowed me to take advantage of a program that I had installed on my phone, but forgot about. I believe Instagram to be a useful tool for connecting with friends and complete strangers. I like seeing what interests other people and how they choose to portray that interest.



I will definitely be using Instagram in the future.



(Tenby didn't feature on the #inn333 page, but he looks so cute I can't resist putting him up here!)

Creative Commons - Week 7

This week's play and reflect activities required us to explore Creative Commons. Creative Commons exists to “skip the intermediaries” when it comes to Copyright. As soon as something is created, whether it be a piece of writing, a photograph, or a piece of music, the owner automatically has copyright of the material. Creative commons aims to break the boundaries of copyright and allow users to decide whether or not they want their material to be used by the public. Users can do this by creating a license on the Creative Commons website, they do this simply by answering a number of questions as to which rights they want to keep for themselves and which rights they want to waive for public use. Their website can be found HERE.

I like the concept of open collaboration for materials online however, it seems a little too idealistic for me. If I licensed the content I produced under creative commons I would still like to be acknowledged as the owner of the material, I would not be comfortable reserving only some of my rights as the producer of the content. What if the newly produced work became famous and made a lot of money? What if by some chance I had neglected to stipulate my rights in that regard? The legal battles that ensue would diminish the initial idea of collaboration. Copyright, at least, is fairly black and white.

For this week's PLAY activity we were required to post photos to Instagram. I enjoyed the process and will continue using Instagram in my daily life. It helps create and preserve memories, I can take a picture of something small and send it to friends across the world and it only takes a minute. I love photo sharing, a picture is sometimes worth a thousand words!

For more information on the implications Creative Commons has for libraries, please look at a link I found from the IFLA (International Federation of Library Associations) Conference in Gothenburg, 2010. HERE.