EME6635 Electronic Journal

The blogs, wikipedia, second life and beyond book provided a lot of information regarding those technologies.  One of the things i’m currently looking for is a “features matrix” that fully explains the capabilities of the various Web 2.0 technologies.  I have high hopes that our IT department can advise us on which tools to use, based on the need we are trying to fulfill / problem we are trying to solve.  However, since Web 2.0 is such a “new thing” for my organization, it would be nice to have a resource that lists the various types of tools and their features. 

Is this something that organizations must research on their own…to inform and influence organizational implementation?

As a result of the produsage projects, i’ve established two sites that utilize Web 2.0 technology.  I can definitely see keeping up the Accidental Project Manager Ning site – especially to support what i’m doing at work.  I can see myself continuing the Idiot in the Kitchen blog for a little while…at least while i’m on this “learning how to cook kick”.  I’m sure at some point, my activity on these sites will reduce significantly, due to my schedule.  What influences momentum when establishing these Web 2.0 resources?  I’m trying to figure out how to keep myself (and in some cases, others)motivated enough to use them??

In continuing with my post on the discussion board, this class has left a resounding message with me.  That message is in order for Web 2.0 technologies to be implemented effectively in my organization, it must be aligned to our organizational goals / needs.  If myorganization does not understand the reasoning (business intent) for using them, then they are useless to us and will most likely not be effectively or consistently. 

As a result of me sharing this message with my colleagues, we are actually ready to evaluate our intelligence strategy for public communication about the H1N1 virus.  We have some preliminary thoughts about how to passive and active monitoring and response to public thoughts, opinions, questions, etc.   We are planning to further refine those thoughts so that we can then leverage Web 2.0 tools to support us.

I’m so excited about this short-term effort to demonstrate the power of Web 2.0 technology in my organization.  I look forward to seeing what other opportunities arise as a result of this effort.

Personally, I plan to stay integrated into what is going on with Web 2.0.  I’m sure I’ll be among the “bandwagoners”  that jump on the next social networking phenomenon.   I’m also excited about the other tools that I’ve learned about, such as Blogs and Wikis. I  plan to continue learning about those tools!

One of the biggest issues that the IT department in my organization has had withresearching and piloting various web 2.0 technologies has been open access.  They are concerned about the security of our network and the introduction of viruses, worms, content manipulation / false representation, etc.  While the concerns are valid, I can’t yet grasp the impacts of their concerns.

I had a personal experience where my account on Myspace was hacked and my account was used to advertise various products.  Once I changed my password to something more secure and claimed my “site” back…the issue was relatively “small” in the grand scheme of things.   The hackers didn’t spread a virus all over Myspace, they didn’t post nasty comments, etc.

I’m curious as to some of the issues that you may have had regarding open access / open content and how they were handled.  Please feel free to share!

I’m fascinated by the web and its ability to provide users with related content and items when performing web searches, browsing product catalogs, etc.  I’ve noticed ads on Facebook that appear to be oriented especially for me…perhaps being based off certain attributes of my profile.  When I perform online shopping, the website will cleverly “suggest” or recommend similar / related items.  I can certainly appreciate this marketing approach, although it requires more will power to resist the urge to spend beyond my means!

This type of web intelligence has also been beneficial when performing academic and professional research.  Seach engines have easily lead me to other resources that have further supported what I was looking for.

While this intelligence has been beneficial, there are times when it can be way too intrusive.  I have yet to research this, but over the years, i’ve noticed an increase of advertising SPAM in my personal email.  What is so fascinating about this spam is that it coincidentally “relates” to something i’ve either done on the web or searched for.  For example, I purchased an airline ticket from Air Jamaica in June.  Since then, I’ve been receiving a lot of emails with the Subject – “Claim your free air ticket to Jamaica”.  These emails are not from Air Jamaica (or at least they don’t appear to be), but from some weird email address with no reference to the company. 

I understand that Air Jamaica and other sites generally use email communicaiton to provide information about specials, products, things that may be of interest based on site experience, etc.  The good thing about “reputable” sites like this is that they give you the option to “opt-out” of receiving these communications to your personal email.  Other companies take it upon themselves to send email communication simply to advertise, and they often do not contain information as to how a person can opt-out of receiving them.

In my younger days, my thoughts about copyright issues on the web were nonexistent.  I viewed the web as a mecca – a place to get whatever I needed whenever I needed it…in the easiest and least expensive way.  In college, I was among the plethora of music “stealers” using tools like Napster to download and make CD mixes.  While I never sold the music I downloaded, I often shared my personal cd’s with friends.  I have experienced friends using various sites to look for softare “cracks”.  I think being broke college students had a lot to do with our attitudes about using the web to freeload.

I can honestly say that i’m definitely more aware of intellectual property / copyrighting.  My attitude has shifted and I am concerned with being as ethical as possible when it comes to using the web.  I believe that this new attitude has stemmed from me just growing up in general and having more solid ideals and beliefs, but also because i’m now a creater of online content – personal and professional.  This has definitely made me want to “Do unto others…”

This week, one of my coworkers expressed his dismay with our IT department not leading the way for our organization to incorporate social networking technologies into our business operations.  This dismay comes as a result of various other state agencies sharing how they have starting using these technologies to communicate with the general public and as a mechanism for public health and medical “intelligence”.   Of course, Florida HATES to be a follower, so for other States to be using something that we are not has been getting under a lot of people’s skin.

In every conversation i’ve overheard or been involved in, there are so many ideas floating around for how these types of technolgies can be used in Florida AND which ones can be used.  Some people have immediately began marketing products – like Twitter – with the only justification for using the project is that ”This will be GREAT!”. 

I think there is sooooo much more that needs to be considered before organizations jump on the Web 2.0, particularly the social networking bandwagon.  For example, the core question of “What is the intent” of this direction needs to be answered.  If there isn’t a common understanding of why we would like to explore / use these tools, then they won’t be effective.

OK, so as a virgin blogger and user of other Web 2.0 technologies, I’m noticing more of an opportunity to “tag” items that I create.  While this sounds intriguing…being able to categorize my content so that it may be better organized for my personal use AND used by others…I am a total novice on how to actually go about doing this efficiently.

So, I did a Google search on “Using tags”, “Tagging”, “Guidelines for Tagging”…

Oh…My…God…  This search yielded soooooooo many sites that have been created to provide help to people like me.  Where does one start?  One thing I noticed was that the sites seemed to be oriented toward tagging in a particular context.  There was a site for tagging to organize photos, a site for tagging in powerpoint, using Google tags, etc.  What I was looking for was some kind of Tagging handbook…a widely accepted, general resource for use across various contexts.  Does this exist??  Only in my dreams?? 

With the rise of various technologies to encourage communication and collaboration, there seems to be a global personality shift occurring.  The web has become a medium for sharing videos and pictures, tweeting and status updates on social networking sites, text messaging, instant messaging, chatting, email, etc.  While all of these technologies provide a larger mechanism for people to communicate with each other, it seems like traditional forms of communication (like talking) is becoming non-existent.

The other day, I noticed that two of my coworkers routinely communicate via texts, tweets and email while in the office.  Keep in mind that these coworkers work within 2 feet of each other.  My little nieces (and I’m a little guilty of this myself) are ALWAYS on their cell phones, texting their friends and updating their facebook pages.  Yet, I seldom hear them actually TALKING to other people on their cell phone.  When they are actually in the company of their friends, they seem to be the shy and introverted teenagers I know them to be.   However, on their cell phones and on Facebook, they become courageous little women, communicating with their friends and crushes on topics that can make grown women and men blush! 

In the dating world, girls and guys are using various mediums to communicate with their interests.  No longer do they need to muster up the courage to ask someone out on a date via phone or in person.  Now, it’s just as simple as sending the invitation via the mechanisms that I mentioned previously!

Is the rise in collaborative and communicative technology actually promoting communication or hindering it?  Is it causing a significant personality shift?