Wednesday, August 5, 2009

POD Work

I think coming together as strangers and working brilliantly as a team has brought us to this final milestone of our journey.

With thanks to Diana for setting up the Ning, we posted up our thoughts for the main questions which gave us a great platform to work off. Considering we all live and work in different time zones, it was a great tool for communication and collaboration. In order for all our contributions to come together for our CIO recommendations and defined keywords a Wiki was created again to allow all our final commentary to come together. The links are as follows:-

Our Ning discussions are at http://yellowpod.ning.com/forum

Our Wiki is http://yellowpod.wikispaces.com/message/list/home

Comments

Well what a roller coaster it has been! Through undertaking OLR excercises and losing them on the way whilst typing straight on to this blog, I have now learnt to complete the work in word then copy it over to here. Whislt undertaking this subject, I have explored many web 2.0 technologies and learnt that there is never enough time to explore these interfaces. However I can see the practicality in alot of them. I have made the realisation, that studying part time, makes the time I do have precious, and realise that there isn't enough of it. I have been overwhelemed, but I can now see the light. I can see the importance of social networks within my workplace, and understand how difficult it can be to work within a group with people in different time zones. I now know from experience and from viewing other student's blogs, that I could have set it up in a more user friendly way. What can I say, learning never stops.

OLR Exercises




TOPIC 1: SOCIAL NETWORKS, WORKGROUPS & WORKFLOW



[OLR] Exercise 1: What is Social Networking? How does it compare with your ideas about online communities?
Begin your journey by describing what you know/don't know about social networking, online communities and what you want to achieve in this subject.




I think social networking is slowly winning popularity of many people. I am under the assumption that this idea is a forum or a place where people share the same interests and ideas and further share this with other people online. Social networking examples may be Myspace, FaceBook and Twitter. It could be possible that an online community, is similar to social networking but has the line of variation where people have a common interest and meet online to give opinions and ideas about their common topic of interest. They may use a blog or a Wiki as a means of communication.



As a whole I would like to be familiar with the whole online community concept. I want to develop my confidence to be able to build environments based on collaboration and have the skills to design, maintain and edit them. I would also like to promote this idea to other colleagues within my workplace and attempt to facilitate this as I take on new knowledge within this subject. Ultimately I would like to work within a collaborative online community.



Find a reading (eg. journal article, book chapter, website) on Social Networking. Write a short paragraph describing what you think it is, based on your selected reading.



According to the website found, social networking can be defined as ‘a group of internet users who are interested in meeting other internet users’ (Social Networking, 2009). In other words, it is a group of people with similar interests who are interested in meeting via the convenience of the internet rather than face-to-face. Besides people ‘making friendships or professional relationships via the internet, it could also be people discussing similar interests or experiences about a medical condition’(Social Networking, 2009) for example. There are advantages to social networking as it allows users globally to communicate easily, and make online friendships. In contrast there are disadvantages such as ‘data theft, viruses online and online predators’ (Social Networking, 2009) who have false identities on the internet. Examples of social networking include Facebook, FriendWise and MySpace.



Source: http://www.whatissocialnetworking.com/



Based on the second website, an online community is understood as a ‘group of people who communicate via the internet sharing a common interest’ (Monteith, 2009). Originating from a combination of personal computer use on online message boards and user nets and the ability for computer users to socialise anywhere the birth of the online community was created. This enabled any internet user to utilise this at any time of the day, regardless of any time zone. Online gaming and virtual worlds are prime examples of internet programs that utilise online communities effectively. Ultimately online communities are places where users communicate and keep in contact online.



Source: http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-an-online-community.htm



What do you see as the connection between social network platforms and the development of online communities?



It is obvious to note that the connection between social networking and online communities is based solely on communication. Users online in both instances communicate with one another electronically where they either share a common interest or discuss a similar issue. There is really no significant difference between the social networks and online communities; however the only difference is the purpose in which these groups of people speak.










Source: http://www.passporthealthco.com/images/upload/Online_Community.jpg




Exercise 2: Social Networking Taxonomy
What is folksonomy?




Folksonomy is a user generated taxonomy used to categorize and retrieve Web pages, photographs, Web links and other web content using open ended labels called tags. Typically, folksonomies are Internet-based, but their use may occur in other contexts as well. A well-developed folksonomy is ideally accessible as a shared vocabulary that is both originated by, and familiar to, its primary users.


Source: http://www.enterprisesocialsoftware.info/glossary.


In other words, it is a group of users working together that categorize information into categories.

[OLR] Exercise 3: An heuristic experienceThink of the 3 main attributes of usability as Effectiveness, Efficiency and Satisfaction, (also learnability and retension) as a guide and your reading of Groupware - The Changing Environment, Usability First's Introduction to Groupware, Jakob Neilsen's Website and your own experience, (in your own words) and the resources at the Usability Toolkit site[ Download toolkit (406Kb ZIP)] do a quick heuristic evaluation of a familiar Website as below:




Subject: NSW DET Site: Computer System Usability QuestionnaireSender: lloyd.kusa2@det.nsw.edu.auFrom: lloyd.kusa2@det.nsw.edu.au (CSUQ)system=NSW DET Sitedate=2009-08-21 23:23:04comment=q1=4q2=3c2=after i got use to the layoutq3=5q4=6c4=thanks to the search engine located at the top of the page, and the quick links box running down the pageq5=5q6=6q7=4q8=4q9=5c9=this site states what the common problems are prior to logging on. Additionally it will also state what needs to be done in order to solve the problem when encountered.q10=5q11=3q12=6q13=4q14=5q15=4q16=4c16=The interface is pleasant as it uses tones of blue and white making an even balance of colour and textq17=5q18=6q19=7negative1=on some pages there are to many links which make it look busy.negative2=the site comes across as dull, but considering it is for links to important information there aren't many options.positive1=the layout is easy to use as it is clear and precisepositive2=website technical problems are always clearly highlighted for the userpositive3=the tabs catergorise the information clearly

TOPIC 2: VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENTS & COGNITION




[OLR] Exercise 2.1: Virtual environments and your cognitionGo to Facebook (http://facebook.com/). Become a member and build up your profile and find out how many at Charles Sturt University (CSU) are members. Join the ITC510 and ITC213 group at Facebook and ask others in ITC510/213 to be your "friend".a. Are you happy with the ethics? Report your findings.


I am a frequent user of Facebook. I use it for social purposes more than anything as I find it a simple and convenient way of keeping in touch with family and friends both past and present. In other instances, I also find it a distraction when completing uni work or school work as I feel the need to just log in and have a look to see what is happening. When communicating on Facebook, I have to be aware of who is actually going to be viewing my page so my language at times has to be adjusted to suit the audience. Additionally I like the feature where images can be “reported” if you find them inappropriate or offensive. In regards to adding friends, the feature where you can add friends and have control of how much personal information they can see is another feature that I find beneficial. Overall I find Facebook, one of those applications that is not personal in any case, because if it was meant to be personal people would not go online and post images and comments that they didn’t want people to see.


b. What do you think is the difference between social cognition and visual cognition?


The way in which we think about our social worlds plays a major role in social behavior. We are constantly making judgments about ourselves and other people. We want to know the reasons why people do things, we want to know what other people are like, we want to know what we are like. Thus, Social Cognition is the study of how people make sense of others and themselves. It is the study of how people think about people and the effect this has on social behavior. In contrast, visual cognition is the way we receive and perceive things visually.



Reference:

http://www-rcf.usc.edu/~read/454%20Syllabus%20F98.html


Exercise 2.2: Virtual worlds and "citizenship" Second Life case study. Linden Labs at http://lindenlab.com/ and join Second Life at http://secondlife.com/ with a free account and report your findings.
Get the client from
http://secondlife.com/community/downloads.php/.
Spend an hour in your “second life” and report on your experiences with the software interface and any bandwidth issues that may affect the user experience.
Visit the Second Life grid at
http://secondlifegrid.net/ and at http://secondlifegrid.net/slfe/education-use-virtual-world


After creating an online persona Christian Limondi and downloading the application, my laptop has unfortunately come up with this message: “Second Life is unable to run because your video card and drivers did not install properly, are out of date, or are for unsupported hardware. Please make sure you have the latest video card drivers.” I’m disappointed.


Exercise 2.3: Create and record your online persona Design and construct your Facebook and/or Second Life profile. Each online community, the nature of the group or the nature of the work, may influence the type of persona that you wish to project. Will you have a persistent avatar across all your social networks and virtual environments ? Why or why not?

Considering I cannot create a Second Life Avatar, I have opted for a Facebook profile. I believe that maintaining a persistent and consistent avatar in online social networks and virtual environments is the safest option as there are contacts that are both close like family and friends, and there are work colleagues, so a professional bond is formed. My avatar is balanced between my professional persona within the workplace, and my “normal” behaviour around family and friends. Keeping in mind I only accept collegial friendships online that are laid back and not so judgemental as others, it makes things a little bit easier. There have been times, where parents of the children I teach have tried to add me as a friend on Facebook. This awkward moment, of ignoring the friendship has to be done, as I believe I portray a different persona in and out of work.

Exercise 2.4 Online Identity and your state of presence The discovery and re-discovery of radical imagination in Aristotle and Kant, is now seen as essential to "both self and to the objects of experience" and "to imagine the self as other". In virtual reality systems, an avatar is described as a new state of presence. The avatar allows group members, such as you, to not only imagine, but to act "the self as other", in support of learning and teamwork processes.
Briefly explain, in your own words, what you think of the ideas and solutions presented in Reading A by Dick Hardt.



Dick Hardt talks about security and privacy on the internet and the development of a safer more secure setup for the future. Within his talk he spoke of the problems and the way we can identify “Who that dick is on my site?” with the development of Web2.0 technology.


Phishing can be defined as the act of sending an email
to a user falsely claiming to be an established legitimate enterprise in an attempt to scam the user into surrendering private information that will be used for identity theft.


An example of this was in 2003 where eBay users received e-mails supposedly from eBay claiming that the user’s account was about to be suspended unless he clicked on the provided link and updated the credit card information that the genuine eBay already had. Because it is relatively simple to make a Web site look like a legitimate organizations site by mimicking the HTML code, the scam counted on people being tricked into thinking they were actually being contacted by eBay and were subsequently going to eBay’s site to update their account information.


Source: http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/p/phishing.html

Pharming is the term for when criminal hackers redirect Internet traffic from one Web site to a different, identical-looking site in order to trick you into entering your user name and password into the database on their fake site.


Source: http://www.microsoft.com/protect/yourself/phishing/pharming.mspx


A more recent example showed that a webserver running Apache was compromised. In this example, links to the website as shown in searches on Google, Yahoo, and MSN sometimes directed the user to a Russian website where they attempted to collect money from the user.




Source: http://www.usnetizen.com/articles/pharming.php




Privacy invasion can be defined as the inability to control what information one reveals about oneself over the Internet, and to control who can access that information.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Online_privacy

The examples are as follows: SEATTLE, Dec. 6 - A 20-year-old woman stalked through the Internet and killed. Thousands of e-commerce customers watching as their credit card numbers are sold online for $1 apiece. Internet chat rooms where identities are bought, sold and traded like options on the Chicago Board of Trade. These are the horror stories dredged up by privacy advocates who say the Net’s threat to personal privacy can’t be dismissed as mere paranoia. And, they say, we’ve only seen the tip of the iceberg.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3078835/

Identity theft is a term used to refer to fraud that involves someone pretending to be someone else in order to steal money or get other benefits. The term is relatively new and is actually a misnomer, since it is not inherently possible to steal an identity, only to use it. The person whose identity is used can suffer various consequences when he or she is held responsible for the perpetrator's actions. In many countries specific laws make it a crime to use another person's identity for personal gain.




Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Identity_theft




Identity Theft example: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,540060,00.html?test=latestnews




TOPIC 3: AUGMENTED REALITY, GAMING & MOBILE COMPUTING




[OLR] Exercise 3.1: The Battle for Wesnoth
Reflect and report on your experiences.




The Battle of Wesnoth was a time consuming game, after I spent some time learning how to navigate through the game and learning the rules, I went on to the battle field and had a go at playing. It was pretty overwhelming as I have never played one of these games before, and have never realised the skill and patience needed to play these games as there are many things happening all at once. The navigation bar, although simple has again many features in which take a little getting use to. The two basic ways to play this game is known as campaign-connected scenarios against the computer and multiplayer a single scenario against human opponents. With this understanding, it would be possible to play one another in two POD groupings-if there was sufficient time that is! This type of team work through this augmented reality type of game is hard to play of people’s reactions as you do not have that physical presence around. Oh well, yet another learning experience




[OLR] Exercise 3.2: Mobile computing research

Wireless technology: issues and opportunities for improved workflow.


Over decades there has been the prominent use of wired technologies, and it has come to that time where the use of wireless technology is in demand as it is believed to provide opportunities for improved workflow. Mobile wireless technology can be defined “as any wireless technology that uses radio frequency spectrum in any band to facilitate transmission of text data, voice, video, or multimedia services to mobile devices with freedom of time and location limitation” (Kim, S.H., Mims, C., & Holmes, K.P. , 2006). With this so called “freedom” it allows students to study any time, anywhere where there is a sufficient connection range.

Within a high school situation for example, every student would have a laptop connected to the network. With this option it would allow students to communicate to both teachers and students with ease. In addition, it encourages the sharing of files between a teacher and his/her students, creating an ideal way to save on paper, by sending handouts via wireless technology. Therefore, it allows students to have access to all documents, have some control of content and allow for a better management tool for teachers to move through content. With wireless technologies, students are able to complete their work and assessment tasks online and post it fast and effectively to their teachers. Ultimately being connected to a wireless network reaps many benefits as it allows students to be connected continuously to one another and the internet.

Source: Kim, S.H., Mims, C., & Holmes, K.P. (2006). An introduction to current
trends and benefits of mobile wireless technology use in higher education.
AACE Journal, 14(1), 77-100.




TOPIC 4: HUMAN CENTRED COMPUTING:HUMAN INTERFACES. DESIGNING AND BUILDING AN ONLINE COMMUNITY OR SOCIAL NETWORK

Exercise 4.1 Blog or Wiki design
1. How would you design and manage content in a blog? Use your blog experiences so far.





I would give my blog a clear direction and purpose. With this, I would maintain a combination of great thoughts, accompanying images and relevant websites that relate to what is being discussed. I would have a clear layout and structure, with sub headings and folders that organised the information. For the benefit of the viewers I would make sure the site is visually appealing, fresh and current.




2. Select ONE blogging or wiki product, such as the one you use in this subject- eg Blogger. Write a 100-word summary of how it has supportive tools that are similar to the design advice in this topic. In your summary, consider how it satisfies the nine design requirements and the 3 underlying principles, suggested by Kim (2000a; 2000b)?





Blog Spot, a blogging product online uses some supportive tools that meet the design requirements and underlying principles of Kim (2000a; 2000b). When using a blogging page on this site, a clear message is brought forward as the title of the site and the introduction section outlines what the purpose of the site is, this illustrates what users should expect. When users feel the need to contribute to wall posts users can contribute by posting their own ideas, upload photos, add videos from YouTube for instance or post up a flash file. Users can also follow blogs, attaching their profiles to the topic getting updated on any new information added to the blogs. With this healthy online community, standard rules are in order and users new and old are informed of changes or upcoming events via email. In turn users naturally control what happens, and maintain what changes are to be made.




[OLR] Exercise 4.2 Hosting good conversations: House Rules!
a) Discuss three ways of providing users with more control in an online community.




1. I think a way to promote control on an online community is to give users more rights to privacy. Allow the user to protect their identity and give them the opportunity to choose how much information they want to give out. In addition allow the user the right to ignore or block information or chat with users people don’t approve of or feel comfortable with.
2. Give users opportunities to converse in a variety of ways. By allowing users to have the option of communicating via email, chat, blog posts, voice chat, or video camera allows all users the option to feel comfortable with how they want to communicate.
3. Within an online community have a set of rules that everyone is aware of and have a mutual respect and agreement to them.




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





There are many points that Rheingold wrote that I can relate too since starting this subject with the online interaction and meetings. Initially in regards to collaboration, creating conditions for ongoing collaboration that return individual effort with a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts” is a point I can relate to. Through the efforts of the POD groups, we can discuss and collaborate where all information is valued and whole group learning and understanding is nurtured. In addition, the rule that ‘communities don't just happen automatically when you provide communication tools: under the right conditions, online communities grow. They are gardened”. This statement fits perfectly with what is expected of this course, as everyone is expected to contribute given the opportunity, the online community grows stronger the host directs us with the guidance needed to understand the outcomes outlined. The last rule to “bring your situation to the host community if you are angry, puzzled, or otherwise uncertain about what to do” is a rule that fits nicely into the online interaction that takes place within this course. If someone within the group is unsure about an assessment or needs that guidance to create a blog for instance, the online community helps with the general knowledge already acquired.

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?




Digg has quite a basic and simplistic set of guidelines which is acceptable in a social and or community conversation as it touches on relevant topics that play a part in our society as we know it. In contrast, the Moo set of guidelines are explicit in their expectations and standards as it has a different audience to meet. In making this judgement, the guidelines for both social software systems are accurate due to the purpose in which they serve, the only difference is one is more complex due to the difference in issues that are discussed. Ultimately the guidelines, are gentle reminders of the expected behaviour that should be displayed in these sharing spaces.

Exercise 4.3 Social networking tools for your "PLN"Using your set of own heuristics, Make up a new new table from lists A and B showing which sites have or do not have potential and challenges as platforms for:
i) Learning?
ii) Professional development in the workplace?




Key: Y-Yes N-No PD-Professional Development




Potential for Learning
Yahoo-Y & PC
BeBo-Y & PC
Facebook-PC
YouTube-Y & PC
Ning- Y & PC
LinkedIn-Y & PC
Delicious-Y & PC
TeacherTube- Y & PC
Twitter-PC
Myspace- PC
RevYu-Y & PC
Flickr-Y & PC
Digg- Y & PC
Bubbl.us- Y & PC
Reddit- PC
Social Go- Y & PC




Potential for Professional Development
Yahoo-Y & PC
BeBo-N & PC
Facebook- PC
YouTube-Y & PC
Ning- Y & PC
LinkedIn-N & PC
Delicious- Y & PC
TeacherTube- Y & PC
Twitter-PC
Myspace-PC
RevYu- N & PC
Flickr- PC
Digg- Y & PC
Bubbl.us- Y & PC
Reddit-N & PC
Social Go- N & PC




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 made a social profile for TeacherTube and Bubbl.Usc) 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?




Yes I do have a PLN, whilst undertaking this course it has made me realise that I did have one to a degree however it didn’t have that name as I now know it. Teacher Tube has great potential for a new platform for learning and inclusion in a PLN, as it has different teachers posts of videos and audio recordings which may help for teaching new concepts and also to shed some light on different methods used for teaching topics. The other social networking site, Bubbl.us is fantastic as a visual source of brainstorming new topics with both colleagues and students. As it is clear and easy to use it becomes a user friendly tool, that is quick and efficient.












Source: Bubbl.us













TOPIC 5: ONLINE COMMUNITY BUILDING & SOCIAL ARCHITECTS





Exercise 5.1: The many faces of you
Make a list of all your online identities




My list of online identities include, email accounts including hotmail, CSU and the NSW Department of Education, Facebook, MySpace, Skype, BlogSpot, CSU Interact Forum and Chat, Bubbl.Us, Teacher Tube and web pages.




Using the following question from Jordan et al (2003) :
Do you show multiple identities or are you consistent across all instances?




Funnily enough, I do have multiple identities across two main fields. In regards to my email accounts, sites and blogs of educational purposes my identity is professional and formal. In contrast my identity for Facebook and MySpace for instance are more social rather than work related. As a result, I am more likely to behave the way I would around friends.




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




My persistent identity is dependent on the context and purpose of the interaction or communication. As half of my identities, are related to work as a facilitator of knowledge I remain professional. In regards to communicating with teachers, I allow my colleagues to call me by my first name however when receiving and replying to posts and emails from students, I keep it professional and formal by allowing them to use my title, Mr Kusa. My persona is the same as it would be seen in the classroom due to child protection policies and internet policies within the school. When communicating with users via Facebook and MySpace my identity is different and laid back. As I only speak to friends and family that I know, I behave much the same way as I would face-to-face. Another aspect that protects me from identity theft and also to prevent an invasion of privacy is the feature where my Myspace and Facebook pages are private. This feature allows me to control who views my posts, looks at my pictures and who comments on things. As a whole however, I don’t really have a persistent personality, its either professional or social.




Exercise 5.2: Social architects and online games
Define what is meant by a social architect?




After struggling to find a definition of a social architect, I have built the courage to create a definition myself. A social architect can be defined as an individual who creates and designs an ideal environment that has structure and support of an ideal world where social events can take place, allowing users to communicate and interact.




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




Whyville- An online game aimed for a high school audience, it is believed that teens aged 12 to 14, ‘especially girls, lose their interest in math and science. Studies suggest that exposure to engaging educational and in particular scientific activities during this critical period can substantially influence future academic and career choices.’ This game which is interactive, and allows children to develop their social skills, whilst learning about history, science, economics and journalism.




Source: http://b.whyville.net/smmk/top/gatesInfo?topic=whyville_for_teachers




Shufflebrain- A group of games that are ideal for the connected world. With games that are “sharp” and keep users socially connected it allows users of all ages to play interactive, mind stimulating online games. Two new games in which they have designed “Word Stream” which is coming soon, is a game where the games Concentration meet Wheel of Fortune-a memory training game that keeps you up to date with friends status updates by solving word puzzles. Another popular game, “Photo Grab” allows users to turn their own photos into personal puzzles, which keep users stimulated and engaged.




Source:http://www.shufflebrain.com/




WHYVILLE


Objectives

For children in their highschool years, to develop their social skills and keep them engaged in regards to art, history, economics, journalism and civics. Similar to Sims, this virtual world game allows users to live their live through a virtual city where they experience real world struggles and learn educational activities whilst promoting socially responsible behaviour.

Rules of Engagement

Children have many options, whilst playing this game. Children can go on forums and chat about relevant issues, children to learn how to use and manage their bank accounts with pearls, build and look after their home and pets and also undertake grocery shopping.

Unique Features

Whyville uses a language filter, and city workers visit Whyville frequently to monitor what goes on. Users also review the chat logs and mute, fine, or banish offensive Whyvillians.



SHUFFLEBRAIN



Objectives



To have an attention to detail with photos and spot the part needed. It is based on a time frame and gives you points based on your level of accuracy. They say that practise makes perfect, and this game encourages it. Every time you play it asks you to keep playing to improve your score, for those with a competitive streak it is ideal. Results are shown on the Facebook wall, to entice others.



Rules of Engagement



The rules are that within the 24 second time frame, you need to find as many perfect match ups as possible. In addition you only get one chance at finding the pieces of the puzzle, as they are rotated regularly.



Unique Features



In order to play this game you need to become a member of facebook.




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

In regards to Shufflebrain, Amy Jo Kin is a true social architect, as she has built a game for a social network. Amy has designed social architecture for Electronic Arts/Maxis/Origin, Digital Chocolate, MTV/Harmonix, eBay, There.com, Yahoo!, and others. Scott Kin her business partner, is one of the world’s most prolific and versatile puzzle designers. He has designed thousands of puzzles for such web game companies as PopCap, Gamehouse and the Tetris Company.



Assignment 1 Essay
Compare and contrast the works of Ward Cunningham and David Winer in 500 words. What has been their contribution to development of online communities?



Major Published Works and Conference Activity



Ward Cunningham, a computer programmer has been involved in major published works and conference activities since 1994. Over these past 15 years, Cunningham has been busy contributing to the development of online communities as he lead the way in ‘design programs and extreme programming’ (Cunningham, n.d). Cunningham’s biggest contribution to online communities was the development of a Wiki in 1994. After ‘programming the software “WikiWikiWeb” he successfully implemented it on the website of his software consultancy’ (Cunningham, n.d). In continuation of his triumphs, Cunningham also ‘co-authored a book, “The Wiki Way’ in 2001’ (Cunningham, n.d). In addition, Cunningham took part in three WikiSym conferences in 2005, 2006 and 2007 ‘that were dedicated to Wiki Research and Practise’ (WikiSym, n.d).



In contrast, David Winer a software developer has also been involved in online community advancements. Winer know for his expertise in areas of ‘outliners, content management and remote procedural call (RPC) protocol which uses XML. In addition, six years of contribution to “Really Simple Syndication”(RSS) in conjuction with Userland Software’ (Winer, n.d) and the creation of ‘MetaWeblog Application Programming Inteface which enables weblog entries to be written, edited, and deleted using web services’ (MetaWeblog, n.d.) are some of the milestones achieved. In addition, Winer has also contributed to ‘podcasting, an author of Scripting News a weblog established in 1997 and a founder of Living Videotext and Hotwired’ (Winer, n.d).

An Evolution of Ideas




Considering that wiki’s were created 15 years ago, their development has grown rapidly. Since 1995, there has been continued growth of wiki’s ‘where an average number of new pages ranges from 5 and 12 per day’ (Cunningham, 2009). In 2005 it was Cunningham’s 10th Wiki Anniversary, ‘during that time we had 30690 pages’ (Cunningham, 2009). Amazingly, this was just the beginning of the development of wiki’s. In distinction, Wikipedia a global example of a wiki, illustrates the continual growth of wiki’s over time as the simple wiki concept was magnified to be ‘a custom-made, free and open source wiki software platform’(Wikipedia, n.d). In comparison, what is known is the fact that a wiki-new or dated ‘are composition systems; it's a discussion medium; it's a repository; it's a mail system; it's a tool for collaboration. Really, we don't know quite what it is, but it's a fun way of communicating asynchronously across the network’ (Front Page, n.d.).



Throughout Winer’s specific work with blogging applications, the growth and development of the online communities has been able to flourish. Beginning with the free blogging service in 1999, it hosted ‘approximately 20000 sites in February 2001’ (Winer, n.d). In continuation, BloggerCon was created as ‘a user focused conference for the blogger community” (Winer, n.d). Remarkably Winer continued with the expansion of Weblogs.com, a blogger site created and maintained by Winer, ‘providing free hosting to many early bloggers’ (Winer, n.d). In comparison, Winer the initiator of successful blogs has activated the long string of blogs, ‘in fact an astounding 112 million blogs, and according to Technorati data, “there are over 175,000 new blogs (that’s just blogs) every day. Bloggers update their blogs regularly to the tune of over 1.6 million posts per day, or over 18 updates a second.” (Thierer, 2008).



Light Bulb Moments and Ideas



During Cunningham’s development of wiki’s, there was a time where he wanted to successfully create ‘a repository of patterns that other people could see and modify as well as supplement with their own patterns’ (Unknown, 2007). Prior to Wiki’s Hypercards on WikiWikiWeb ‘were used in which were separate cards where fields of information could be stored’(Unknown, 2007). As Cunningham’s goal was to share information he decided that ‘old script that imitated traditional approaches, would solve his communication problem’ (Unknown, 2007). This script was called, ‘Perl scripting language’ (Unknown, 2007). After discovering how it would give meaning, link to other pages, and discover how it would look on a page, Cunningham ‘went back to his work of creating pages about patterns. What took two hours or longer in HyperCard could now be done in 10 or 20 minutes or even faster’(Unknown, 2007).

In comparison, Winer, ‘designed and implemented an Extensible Markup Language syndication format for use on his scripting news weblog, thus making an early contribution to the history of web syndication technology' (Winer, n.d). This idea of encoding rules ultimately transformed the way documents were organised, as it was quicker and simpler. This idea of web syndication and RSS 2.0, encouraged news organisations for example ‘to syndicate their news content in that format’ (Winer, n.d).

Change Managers for Other Workgroups



Between Cunningham and Winer and their career paths taken, they have influenced other corporations both large and small for change for the positive. Cunningham the creator of Wiki’s has developed a new aspect of communication and documentation. In many fields such as teaching for example it has allowed opinions of users to be viewed, sharing knowledge and changing the way people work, learn and teach. This prime example, illustrates the change that has occurred in corporations to much success.



In contrast Winer was the renowned builder of commercial products, the creator of blog hosting websites and the organiser of user-focused conferences has again influenced change for the positive. Through the refining of blogs and podcasts for instance, it has allowed corporations to utilise these to their advantage changing the way information is gathered and shared. Not only does Winer cater for visuals learners, but auditory as well. These examples of both Cunningham and Ward, illustrate the success in changing the work methods and targets of workgroups by developing effective and time saving creations due to their many qualifications and experience within the field.



Shared Experiences, Synergy and Context



As Wiki’s, Blog’s and Podcasts become popular in the technology driven world we live in, the teaching of life skills and worthwhile lessons are to be implemented effectively through the use of the these software developments. Through the work of both academics, I have been able to successfully implement their developments within my teaching to help teach, and maintain interest for the children of the 21st century.



Through the use of a Wiki, it has allowed my class to use this as a valuable source of information, although based on opinion it gives children that understanding of the wealth of information on the internet. Through blogs, children have had opportunities to utilise them not only using it to add thematic entries to a whole class blog, but also as a reflection tool on concepts taught. It is without a doubt, that although both academics have helped create different elements of online communities, there work is still widely used, not only to develop another form of communication but a tool to maintain engagement and interest in world that is forever changing.



Reference List



Ø Author Unknown. (2007). Understanding Wikis: From Ward’s Brain to Your Browser retrieved 8th September 2009 from http://media.wiley.com/product_data/excerpt/97/04700439/0470043997.pdf [online]
Ø Cunningham, W. (2009). Ward Cunningham, retrieved 8th September 2009 from http://c2.com/~ward/ [online]
Ø Cunningham, W. (2009). Wiki History, retrieved 8th September 2009 from http://c2.com/cgi/wiki?WikiHistory [online]
Ø Cunningham, W. (2009). Front Page, retrieved 8th September 2009 from http://c2.com/cgi/wiki [online]
Ø Thierer, A. (2008). The Technology Liberation Front-How many blogs are out there? retrieved 8th September 2009 from http://techliberation.com/2008/05/06/need-help-how-many-blogs-are-there-out-there [online]
Ø Wikipedia, (n.d), MetaWeblog, retrieved 8th September 2009 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MetaWeblog [online]
Ø Wikipedia, (n.d), Wiki Sym, retrieved 8th September 2009 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WikiSym [online]
Ø Wikipedia, (n.d). Wikipedia, retrieved 8th September 2009 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia#Software_and_hardware [online]
Ø Wikipedia, (n.d). Ward Cunningham, retrieved 8th September 2009 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ward_Cunningham [online]
Ø Wikipedia, (n.d), XML-RPC, retrieved 8th September 2009 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XML-RPC [online]







TOPIC 6: DESIGNING FOR USABILITY, SOCIABILITY & SUSTAINABILITY

Exercise 6.1: Design rules and your CSU forum experience



Within this second semester at CSU I have found a subject where I have not felt a sense of belonging, worth and satisfaction. The subject, ITI568-Digital Curriculum is a subject that utilises the CSU forum to upload Adobe certified work from each week’s tasks. As each week has different demands, it becomes the job of the users to critique the work, giving participants constructive criticism on how to make better the task at hand. An example may be a website, or a logo for a company. Within the whole time there are only two or three other users beside my self as well as the course co-ordinator.



Purpose: The purpose of this forum, is to upload work and as users view the files, they are to put across constructive criticism to help them improve or refine their work. Unfortunately no-one really contributes beside the tutor. In addition, it becomes a letdown when users put in every effort to complete the work and the critiquing of work in minimal.



People: From my understanding, I assume there are more than 4 students within the course. I feel that there are lurkers within the forum that observe people’s posts and remains silent, not participating at all. The type of people that are studying this course, are teachers. So another element could be the fact that there are teachers that are finding it hard to find the time to complete the tasks put forward.



Excercise 6.2-Wiki & Moodle Design




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


In regards to the CSU Wiki, I like the simplicity of the site as it is fairly simple to navigate through and create wiki’s without any hassle. In addition the fact that the platform is ‘black and white’ meaning there is a set way to do something and no variety which allows users to follow common directions without getting confused. The use of icons as a navigation tool is great which helps visual learners. One thing that I dislike is the size of the small rectangular workspace, which becomes irritating at times depending on the scroll.



In contrast, the Moodle is quite professional. Considering the fact that viewing this platform was the first time, I have to say that I am impressed. After becoming a member, without any dramas I spent an hour viewing the interface and its features. I like the clear layout, and the features available. I can understand how this could be used in primary and senior schooling, as it is easily accessible and understood when used to it’s full potential. Looking through the moodle demonstration site, it gave me samples of how moodles can be used, I must admit I am quite confused as to how you would set one up and become a successful facilitator but in theory it looks great!




  • What features do wiki and Moodle have in common and what are the differences (eg a Wiki, Forum and blogtool is also groupware design feature inside a Moodle site)?


The commonality between a moodle and a wiki is that they are both Web 2.0 technologies. In addition both interface’s allow users to give across their opinions. The difference however, is the way in which they are put forward. Other differences within the Moodle include features such as a wiki, a chat feature, discussions and links to suggested readings. This type of interface would be quite difficult to use within the primary school, therefore it would be ideal for secondary and tertiary education students. Coming across as quite the professional type of interface, it goes that step further, with additional features such as moodles for Windows and Mac, plugins, themes and language packs just to name a few. In comparison, the Wiki a collaboration tool, is something that is quite simple in comparison, with an interface that runs itself, it is based on opinions of users. Suited for a large variety of users both young and old, it has basic features such as changing the font, size and colour.




  • Is the presence of likeable features also a combination of the design tips for usability, sociability and sustainability, as advocated by Preece and Kim in earlier topics?


Yes the likeable features are also influenced by the design tips for usability, sociability and sustainability. If a user is having trouble of any sort whether it be navigation troubles, readability or just confusion with the interface in general, the usability, sociability and sustainability of the wiki or moodle will be hindered. If however, users are enjoying their time on line, using all the features effectively and participating in the discussions and interactive activities available, it therefore indicates that the three predominant design tips helps in the presence of likeable features of an interface



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



Analyse and comment on other aspects of online trust and reputation (Table 4) that you feel are worth discussing across any TWO online communities. Consider how design for usability, sociability and sustainability can help to foster trust and build a reputation among users especially the pragmatists, conservatives and the skeptics.



Facebook, a social utility that helps people communicate more efficiently with their friends, family and co-workers is an online community that has built the trust and reputation of the online world. The company develops technologies that facilitate the sharing of information through the social graph, the digital mapping of people's real-world social connections. With its obvious usability, sociability and sustainability features it has attracted more than 130 million active users, who have an average of 100 friends on the site, spending 2.6 billion minutes each day worldwide. With it’s user friendly interface, that is simple and clear, it welcomes users of all backgrounds and ages. As it has a proper login, and ability to log on anywhere in the world it becomes a great tool for keeping in contact with people all over the world. By having private profiles, users have control over who can view their comments, status and photos. It is these elements that without a doubt build the trust and maintain a great reputation for users.



eBay is another online community that has a strong reputation due to its usability, sociability and sustainability. For users, they have an opinion where they can rate users based on their satisfaction. This without a doubt gives them some type of control of the community they are in. In addition, ebay offers support for all users whether it be chatting to a live agent or getting help from a virtual agent. In regards to building users trust, within the About Us section there is a link outlining and reinforcing their reliability and trust when purchasing and selling goods. This reinforcement emphasises the efforts this company puts in for their customers.

TOPIC 7: DEVICES FOR DISPLAY & INTERACTION

[OLR] Excercise 7.1 Smart Screen interface case study



Touch screen mobile devices for display and interaction are a growth area. As a case study, summarise how the interface works from your investigations, starting at here.



Discuss a situation where that device improves the display or interaction over any alternative device. Use examples to support your argument [250 words max.]



Touch screen technology works through three basic systems resistive, capacitive and surface acoustic wave. The resistive system consists of a normal glass panel that is covered with a conductive and a resistive metallic layer. When a user touches the screen, the two layers make contact in that exact spot. The change in the electrical field is noted and the coordinates of the point of contact are calculated by the computer. The capacitive system has a layer that stores electrical charge, it is placed on the glass panel of the monitor. When a user touches the monitor with his or her finger, some of the charge is transferred to the user, so the charge on the capacitive layer decreases with this users have a much clearer picture. The surface acoustic wave system has no metallic layers on the screen, allowing for 100-percent light throughout and perfect image clarity. This makes the surface acoustic wave system best for displaying detailed graphics.



Touch screen technology has proven to be beneficial as an input device. Through the use of mobile phones and touch screen computers, touch screens have proven to help those users that prefer to use touch technology instead of buttons. This allows users who have trouble with navigation to move through applications easier without getting confused. For people that struggle with fine motor skills or have health problems such as arthritis the struggle is minimised by touch technology.



[OLR] Exercise 7.2 New devices, aged care and people with disabilities



There are many technological aides that improve the nature of caring or improve the lifestyle interests in age care. Personally, I feel that these aides are more suited to younger, technologically savvy people as the ease of use and ability to adjust to latest technology for the older generation may prove to be harder than expected.



Some examples of technology in action include: OCR-Optical Character Recognition software to work on ways to accommodate student learning and help students be able to access printed text when they have print disabilities. In other instances, Industry Leaders have joined forces to better serve individuals with speech, language and learning disabilities. DynaVox and Blink Twice are two companies that have merged together to specialise in symbol based communication software and speech generating devices to provide appropriate communication for unique needs. In addition, Penfriend XL is a powerful screen reader with multiple onscreen keyboards. Penfriend XL is a powerful tool for those with dyslexia or physical/sensory disabilities including visual impairment, adding screen reading with text magnification, word prediction, and on-screen keyboards to almost any other software.



Sources:



http://www.nolimitstolearning.blogspot.com/



http://www.inclusive.co.uk/catalogue/acatalog/Penfriend_XL_3.0_.html



TOPIC 8: APPLICATIONS, TOOLS & DEVICES

[OLR] Exercise 8.1 The 30-minute walk



Take a break and go a walk for 15-30 minutes. Like me, you need the exercise, so relax and enjoy the surroundings of your farm or neighbourhood, as you need a break from the computer.



Come back to the computer and begin writing a short narrative on the experience. It took me over 200 words to record mine!



As I walk through the front door I am taken away by the warm breeze that passes through me. I feel a sense of belonging as I have flashbacks when I hear the sound of two lorikeets grooming one another in the tall, slender Casuarina pines. As I walk down the road, I hear the waves, crashing on the shore. I nod my head to the neighbour who seems to be mowing that luscious, ever green lawn. As the rays of light, warm up my mood I continue walking to discover that many houses I was fond off when I was younger are up for sale. This triggers my mind, and question where people have gone and what they may be doing now. I walk down the lane, which I once played handball on. I could still see the faint line that was painted across the road by my Pop to replace the chalk we kept on using. They were the days. The sound of the ocean, is getting closer. So peaceful, I wish it was summer already. I see the reef, so calm a perfect opportunity to go fishing with my Dad, or even for a dive to swim with the local Manta Ray that resides in the blue, green salty water. It’s been so long. I walk along the path, knowing where it leads. Back to Bland Street, a quiet road where a study awaits me with a laptop =).





[OLR] Exercise 8.2 The avalanche of applications self-interview



Try an interview with yourself like mine below to extract your own thoughts on the topic. Devise three (3) questions that interest you at this stage and reveal what is on your mind to yourself. Comment on the self-interview experience in your blog.



1. How are you coping with the pressure of swapping and changing tools regularly?



I feel overwhelmed by the thought of changing applications regularly. Regardless of the fact that I think it is beneficial for my study of online communities I feel the experience is daunting as I become familiar with one application and yet again I’m on to another. All in all, I do have to say that through this subject it has given me the opportunity to explore new interfaces that I probably would not have been familiar with or utilised in my career. The beauty of studying by correspondence is the responsibility to meet subjects standards independently, this subject had given me the motivation and interest to do so.



2. How do you feel about using blogs as an online learing record?



Initially I was a little worried about posting my thoughts up onto an interface where people could view and comment on. However, as I look back now it has been a very useful tool for putting thoughts and exercises together. By having the opportunity to comment and view other people’s blogs it gives users an opportunity to have different view exposed to them, allowing different opinions to be interpreted and to open up the square of understanding as we collaborate and share views, opinions and valid information.



3. How will this subject help you within your specific career path? Will it alter, change, refine or reinforce what you are doing?



This subject has opened my eyes on what is available in regards to technology. As I am a teacher, it has opened up new opportunities for my teaching, giving children the chance to explore new interfaces as they learn new concepts. Not only has it altered the way I create new learning experiences, but it has given me a wealth of information in which I can share with fellow colleagues to refine their teaching also.



[OLR] Exercise 8.3 Data portability, FOAF and the Semantic Web




  1. Begin with the YouTube video at http://www.foaf-project.org/community. Interesting, gave me an understanding of where information and data comes from.

  2. Like a chain letter, our data seems to move within and between tools like Facebook and Twitter. Is this a good thing? Yes and No. I feel yes as it will become a time saver for adding details when signing up etc, it is also a good way to put positive information of yourself out there and lastly it would allow information about yourself to be shared amongst interfaces that you use regularly.


In contrast no it is not a good thing as it leads to such things as identity theft, privacy invasion, pharming, phising, abuse and miss-use of information. It will also create an opportunity for false information to be leaked out leading to the loss of originality and legitimacy.




  1. According to http://www.foaf-project.org/about, the "Friend-of-a-friend" project or FOAF is described as:


FOAF is a simple technology that makes it easier to share and use information about people and their activities (eg. photos, calendars, weblogs), to transfer information between Web sites, and to automatically extend, merge and re-use it online. The Friend of a Friend (FOAF) project is creating a Web of machine-readable pages describing people, the links between them and the things they create and do.





How does the FOAF tag from part of the Semantic Web and Web services via social networks?



The Semantic Web provides a common framework that allows data to be shared and reused across application, enterprise, and community boundaries. It is a collaborative effort led by W3C with participation from a large number of researchers and industrial partners. It is based on the Resource Description Framework (RDF), which integrates a variety of applications using XML for syntax and URIs for naming. Source: http://www.uen.org/core/edtech/glossary.shtml#S. Web Services via social networks are a software system designed to support interoperable machine to machine interaction over a network. It has an interface described in a machine-processable format (specifically WSDL). Other systems interact with the Web service in a manner prescribed by its description using SOAP-messages, typically conveyed using HTTP with an XML serialization in conjunction with other Web-related standards. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_Services. FOAF quite easily forms a part of this group as it uses the idea of spreading, sharing and reusing common information of users between websites and companies.



[OLR] 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?



A format for notifying new content at a website; the initials originally stood for Rich Site Summary. RSS defines rules for listing information about new content added to a website, such as the title, link and a short description (or in some cases the full body of the content), which the site publishes as an XML file at a specific URL -- in effect, a web service. Aggregation: where the file, often called a newsfeed, can then be read and combined with feeds from other sites by news aggregators, which display the consolidated information either on a user's desktop or on a website. RSS is widely used both by news sites and by weblogs. Syndicaion: where the newsfeed is sold and published on many sites or blogs etc. Source: http://www.looselycoupled.com/glossary/RSS



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.



This social bookmarking website allows users to tag, save, manage and share web pages from a centralized source. With emphasis on the power of the community, Delicious greatly improves how people discover, remember and share on the Internet. This means that users can share common information and have a common purpose. Within delicious, the term tag is different as you tag information to put it into particular categories of relevance and interest.



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?



As I am a facilitator of teaching, and the lifestyle lead is hectic I feel that these services will provide opportunities to come together and collaborate in a different manner. With the variety available and the time that could be spent looking at each and every one of these web 2.O applications I have browsed through a few that will without a doubt save time and physical effort within the workplace. Get It Done, which allows users to share files, manage projects, handle emails and delegate to team members, and manage tasks would be ideal within the profession, with things such as corporate programming sharing the task online and delegating who is to complete what it would become beneficial within itself.



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 Web server in the workplace?



Elgg seems like quite the powerful source. It seems like it has all applications combined together to make your one stop shop for web2.0 technology. It can monitor at a glance activity tracking who uses what when, it has status notifications similar to face book or twitter, not to mention the ability to create groups of interest, a blogging tool, an application to imbed media and a social bookmarking tool added to the browser toolbar. Without a doubt, I feel this could be used in the workplace. In regards to my own workplace, staff struggle to take their kids to the computer lab, or even freak out when they use a computer-so small steps! Very interesting and engaging by the looks of it.

TOPIC 9: BUSINESS, GOVERNMENT & RESEARCH PERCEPTIONS

[OLR] 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?



Arguments For



- It becomes easily accessible for companies to scan profiles finding online profiles of possible candidates for employment.



- It saves large and small corporations money when looking to make contracts with other businesses.



- It is concise within itself, stating details necessary for finding people with similar interests, building collegial relationships.



Arguments Against



- For a free service, it gives too much information over easily.



- Within the profile, there are opportunities for individuals to fill in details about themselves. This leaves an opportunity for users to put in details that may be false or misleading.



- For individuals that are not computer savvy, it limits those users and gives others a better chance at applying for jobs etc.



[OLR] Exercise 9.2 Research and evaluation in Government 2.0



Ever since our state and federal politicians began using tools like Twitter, Linkedin and Facebook, the 'mashup' of social networking with politics was inevitable. Now all over the world there are summits on Government 2.0. In Australia, The Gruen Report is due in late 2009. Here is an intersting audio to explain about Participatory democracy, Web 2.0 and the Government 2.0 Taskforce




  1. Summarise the use of


    1. Wiki drafts of papers for public discussion and


As I struggled to find information using the audio resource I did find a site that I thought helped me understand what wiki drafts are used for. Wiki drafts are used to capture the clever ideas, insights and experiences of citizens: professionals, activists and innovators, which would not necessarily be able or willing to present their ideas to government through more traditional and time-consuming means. This opportunity gives users that chance to contribute to government policies and future directions.



Source: http://wiki.katelundy.com.au/PublicSphere2





    1. Twitter in Government.


Again after struggling to find information on the use of twitter within the audio attachment, I feel that social networks could be useful in informing the public on decisions made by constant updates. Again users could then comment on the decisions made to give their views which they are more than likely entitled to. The use of twitter, would be beneficial as it would reach those growing numbers of individuals, who have voices that need to be heard via a source that is easier accessible. Again by giving opinions over this social network, there is more than likely a chance for these people to have their voices heard in relation to government decisions.




  1. Did you see yourself as a supporter of Government 2.0? If so how did you benefit? If not then explain why. Consider the Gov 2.0 taskforce site at http://gov2.net.au/ and the conference at http://www.gov2.com.au/


Yes i do see myself as a supporter of Government 2.0. I would like to see this happening as it will give me a chance to put my opinions across, or at least to agree to similar opinions put forward by other fellow citizens. I think by implementing this idea, it is catering to needs of a technological savvy society we are living in. As the internet is at a lot of people’s finger tips, the idea of web 2.0 technology will give easier access to view government decisions and really analyse how much they are valuing our opinions.



TOPIC 10: COMPLEXITY & SOCIAL NETWORKS

[OLR] 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:




  1. Who is following who? Exmaine the blogs in your POD and works out the map of Followers/Following relationship .

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

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

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

A is following and B and C

B is following C and D and is being followed by A and D

C is following no one but is being followed by A and B

D is following the most A, B and C and is only being followed by B

D has the most interaction whilst C had not interaction at all.

If the analysis was to be repeated there would be similar patterns, but not exactly mirrored. Each pattern that arises may be dependent upon the interactions that take place between individuals. If the analysis took place between a large group of individuals, where there would be multiple interactions, you would clearly find different patterns. In a smaller group, there would be a higher frequency between all individuals which again will create different patterns and interactions. If you took a segment from a POD where each individual had an actual role, you would find again a different pattern, as some individuals would talk more to other people than others.






























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