Brian Kelly UK Web Focus UKOLN University of Bath Bath

1. http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/web-focus/events/conferences/igeneration-2007/http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/web-focus/events/conferences/igeneration-2007/ We're The Young Generation, And We've Got Something To Say!Talk at the “Inspiring the iGeneration Web 2.0, teenagers and libraries” conference Acceptable Use Policy Recording/broadcasting of this talk, taking photographs, discussing the content using email, instant messaging, blogs, SMS, etc. is permitted providing distractions to others is minimised Brian Kelly UK Web Focus UKOLN University of Bath Bath Email B.Kelly@ukoln.ac.uk Resources bookmarked using the ‘igeneration-2007' tag UKOLN is supported by: This work is licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 licence (but note caveat)

2. Contents • Aims of this talk: • Give an overview of Web 2.0 • Explore a popular social networking service • Suggest how organisations might respond to the opportunities & challenges • Introduction • Web 2.0 is changing things! • What is Web 2.0? • User generated content • Communications • Facebook example • Facebook: the challenges • Concerns for the individual: privacy, etc. • Organisational concerns: defamation, etc. • Questions

3. Introduction About Me • Brian Kelly: • UK Web Focus: a Web advisory post • Involved in Web since January 1993, when he helped establish Web service at the University of Leeds (possibly first institutional site in UK HE) • Actively promoted the Web in1993 • Currently promoting use of Web 2.0: what it is; how it can be used and deployment strategies • UKOLN: • A national centre of expertise in digital information management • Funded by JISC and MLA to support the higher and further education communities and the cultural heritage centre

4. Introduction • Web 2.0 companies (with products to sell, marketing people, academics, even civil servants are suggesting that “Web 2.0 changes things!” • Are they right? • Will Web 2.0 herald an even more significant change than Web 1.0?

5. Web 2.0 Web 2.0: What? Web 2.0 • What Is Web 2.0? • Marketing term (derived from observing 'patterns') rather than technical standards - “an attitude not a technology” • Characteristics Of Web 2.0 • Network as platform • Always beta • Clean URIs • Remix and mash-ups • Syndication (RSS) • Architecture of participation • Blogs & wikis • Social networking • Social tagging (folksonomies) • Trust and openness Web2MemeMap, Tim O’Reilly, 2005

6. Web 2.0 Web 2.0: Why? Web 2.0 • Realisation of Sir Tim Berners-Lee’s dream: • Web was meant to be interactive & user-driven • Technical infrastructure now in place • But only now are the standards in place, use cases tested and commercial infrastructure deployed • User acceptance: • Users love it – look at popularity of SNs • Saving scarce in-house resources: • Institutions can now focus on relevant areas, rather than duplicating services already available • Enhancing quality of what we do do • Developing digital citizenship • Addressing the gaps (e.g. information literacy, …)

7. Web 2.0 Blogs (1) http://philbradley.typepad.com/ • Library community has been an early adopter of blogs. • Several library commentators (in US, UK & elsewhere) use blogs to: • Disseminate info on new tools, services, etc. • Advise on issues • Promote discussion & debate • … Using Web 2.0

8. Web 2.0 Blogs (2) http://teens.mosmanlibraryblogs.com/ • Increasing numbers of libraries are providing blog services for various purposes: • Newsletter • Alerting • Informing • Listening • Engaging • … Using Web 2.0 For further examples of uses of blogs in libraries see Kara Jones’s slides on Why Have A Blog? (available on Slideshare )

9. Web 2.0 Communications • We said: • Content is king! • But maybe: • Communications is king! • Communications tool include: • Chat tools (MSN Messenger) • Audio & video (including MSN Messenger, Skype, …) • MS text messaging Using Web 2.0

10. Integration of Services • Web 2.0 applications can be used in isolation • They can also be integration into other services (e.g. widgets in blogs and Web sites) • Facebook is (currently) the leading platform for integrating many Web 2.0 tools

11. The Facebook Platform • The Facebook platform provides access to (a) Skype (b) Twitter micro-blogging service (c) mini-questions

12. Facebook What is Facebook? • Facebook: • A social networking Web site • Had the largest number of registered users among college-focused sites with over 30 million members worldwide • Ranked between top 10–20 Web sites • Seventh most visited site in the US Let’s now look at one very popular Web 2.0 application – the Facebook social networking service From Wikipedia

13. Getting Started • When you register you can provide information about yourself: • Personal details • Contact details • Interests • … Note that I provide public information, but not personal details

14. Your Profile Page • Here’s an example of a profile page: • Your details • Access to default applications • Access to applications your added • Facebook could be used as a personalised portal to various applications

15. Your Profile Page • Here’s an example of a profile page: • Your details • Access to default applications • Access to applications your added • Facebook could be used as a personalised portal to various applications And here’s how others may see your profile Boring isn’t it!

16. It’s a Social Network (1) • The strength of Facebook is when it is used as a social network. Here people can see: • My updates to my Facebook account • Applications I’ve installed • Groups I’ve joined • Photos & videos I’ve uploaded • Blogs posts I’ve written • Messages I’ve sent & received • …

17. It’s a Social Network (2) • Here’s the page of a former colleague (now at Eduserv). This is valuable to me: • Spot friends in common • Keep informed of Andy’s professional interests (of interest to me) • Keep informed of Andy’s discussions with others • …

18. Student Use (1) • Example of groups subscribed by a student: • Student society Facebook seems to be very popular for use with Student union societies (nb is this a threat to similar services provided on Student Union Web site?)

19. Student Use (1) • Example of groups subscribed by a student: • Student society Notice how the issue of local versus global Facebook groups is being discussed. Would a local-only group act as a barrier to student alumni?

20. Student Use (2) • Example of groups subscribed by a student: • Student society • Social Facebook is popular for various social activities – especially for keeping in touch over summer

21. Student Use (2) • Example of groups subscribed by a student: • Student society • Social Note that Facebook provides access to videos and photos – a way of providing seamless access or a bandwidth hog?

22. The Opportunities • Facebook provides great opportunities for colleges and universities: • It’s popular • It’s easy-to-use • No need for in-house development or to purchase software • Useful for staff and post-graduate students too • We can easily integrate our resources into Facebook (e.g. RSS feeds, blogs, etc.) • It can provide alternative access to our services cf. MyNewport portal which took a day to port to Facebook

23. What Others Are Doing • MyNewport: • VLE/portal used by staff & students (course material, news, blogs, forums, etc.) • Facebook app allows students to access to MyLearning resources • Allows students to create their own personal learning environment in a platform other than the University’s • Facebook targeted as it’s the fastest growing community • If the users like idea but want to work in another environment then that is fine See info on UK Web Focus blog & Michael Webb’s (IT Services director at Newport College) blog

24. What’s The Downside? • Various concerns have been expressed about: • Privacy (is Facebook a private or public space?) • Is Facebook a space for students or for all? • Is Facebook a closed environment? • …

25. Note that Newbridge Primacy has a Web site which has no photos of children – but they upload their own photos to Facebook “Definatly Bullard....found him strangly sexy....is that wrong!?” The Challenges – The User • Should people be concerned about the privacy implications of Facebook? • Here’s an example of a group set up on the University of Bath network

26. Challenges: The Institution (1) • Facebook can provide challenges for the institution • IT Service departments, for example, are always liable to face criticism • These days as well as User Group meetings and online forums, users can create their own discussion groups

27. Challenges: The Institution (2) • How should the departments respond? • Read the posts to gain feedback on areas in which improvements may be needed? • Join in the discussions • Ban such discussions / people who make inappropriate comments? • Ignore the groups

28. Challenges: The Institution (3) • Note though: • Departments may find support being provided on the discussion groups • There will always be criticism Do our (fee-paying) students have a right to watch “crap on YouTube” What if this slows network down? How does the university engage in discussions on this topic with the students?

29. Other Issues • There are also challenges for individuals What if this group I’ve joined isn’t about nos. of UK Facebook users, but a BNP support group? A friend has joined a group which advocates violence! Note that Facebook isn’t a local University service, so it can’t easily be banned. Is this were we need education (for staff as well as students)?

30. You Can Manage Your Privacy • You have control over the information others can see about you

31. You Can Manage Your Privacy • You have control over the information others can see about you • But how many users change the default settings? And what about what Facebook can do with your information? Note that Wikipedia provides useful information on Facebook’s terms and conditions

32. Looking Back • What if Facebook had been around in the 1970s and 1980s? • Photos of Gordon Brown, Tony Blair & David Cameron from their student (and schoolboy) days are easily found • But what if they had been blogging about their exploits & views? • What will the Daily Mail be publishing in 30 years time?

33. Responding To The Challenges BBC Video clip • How to respond to the challenges? • Ban Facebook to protect the institution / the users • Disciplinary measures • Take students to court • Guidelines (how to configure settings) • Education • Information literacy • .. University moves to hush Facebook criticism The administration was provoked by a Facebook group called "James Knowles is a Twat". Register, 22 Mar 2007

34. What Do My Friends Think? • A question I asked on Facebook: Facebook: (a) institutions need to engage with it as our students like it or (b) its their social space; let's leave it alone? Responses from my Facebook friends, 1 Aug 2007

35. Some Thoughts • Facebook: • We can’t ignore it! • So should we: • Leave it for students to use as they see fit? • Allow departments to use as they see fit? • Make formal use of it? • In all scenarios how should we: • Address privacy concerns for students (and staff)? • Address the issue of whether the university should respond to criticisms? • Protect the integrity of the institution? • Provide advice, training, etc. on best practices? • … Many of these issues will be addressed at a one-day workshop on “Exploiting The Potential Of Blogs and Social Networks” to be held in Birmingham on 26 November 2007.

36. Questions • Any questions?