Comments on PALA workshop:Low-Cost Techniques for Creating an Interactive Web Site

This is very interesting topic to me. I remember how much time and effort were spent when I implemented Interactive Web Site at school in order get the Web Server (Linux Platform like Apache server)and MySQL server setting up. In this presentation, John Houser from Palinet introduced a hosting service only cost $75 / year. It will host web server and all SQL databases. It is a standard Linux hosting called Siteground. He also introduced the following tools

• Drupal: Content Management System (CMS).I heard about this before and was stuck on the setting up server.It is a free and open source modular content management system (CMS) written in the programming language PHP. A CMS is a tool used by Web administrators to automatically track online visitors and prepare customized content for consumption, usually as HTML-based Web pages. Drupal, like many modern CMSs, allows the system administrator to customize the content and display of the Web site with little or no programming.
• Weather widget from weatherforyou.com
• Bloglines feed from clips.It is a selection service. It creates a feed from clippings of stories taken from other news or blog feeds. It can replace a traditional clippings file
• Wordpress blogs.Wordpress is a Open source blog publishing system written in PHP and backed by a MySQL database. It can be used as a service or run on your own server
• MediaWiki. As we well known, Wikis are social software. Wiki forms a space for both collaboration and self-publishing. Many Wikis support blogging, discussion forums, and other structured content. MediaWiki has been used widely. It is Open source with lots of extensions to add functionality. It is same software and interface as Wikipedia.Wiki tuned to support public contributions to content. Pages are editable via the Web. Content stored in database. Wiki is good for maintaining information that changes frequently. It is also good for preservation of ephemeral data.
• Google Custom Search Engine.
  You can create a search engine tailored to your use
  • Include one website, multiple websites, or specific webpages
  • Host the search box and results on your own website
  • Customize the colors and branding to match your existing webpages
Since we can create custom search for a particular subject area and put it on our Web site. This must be a perfect tool for creating subject pathfinder.

WIkis

Wikis are simply amazing. My mind is racing thinking that wikis have a huge amount of potential. In terms of library tool, I believe that wikis are the electronic equivalent of sliced bread. This seems like high praise, but thinking back to the early 80s where one used basic to create meager text programs and fast forwarding to grad school where we used pico for web development, wikis seem light years away from these historic, stone age innovations.

The closest I can come to what a wiki means to me is simply that you can create your own personal intranet where you can have a webpage, have downloads and create your own database where you can create the ideal keyword searching.

Each week does build on the previous week, however this week seems especially enlightening since wikis seem to combine a lot of the social networking goals all at once, specifically group sharing, the innovation of group efforts to create more than what one person can often do. This is what collaboration in group projects should be. Everyone is sharing but evolving the project without harming or hampering the rest of the wiki.

I was thinking about how it could be used at the Bevevino library and the revitalizing of a Business wiki as opposed to a business pathfinder is quite envigorating. I also thought how wikis could be used for the new and existing Hoyt Library. What is great about wikis, among many other things, is that wikis thrive on a small topic but can create relevant pathfinders to the end user from the building blocks of information already input into the wiki. It is quite impressive.


What I would love to see with wikis is the ability to have wiki technology spread to revitalize static websites and make everyone more interactive with each other in contributing information not just on grassroot sites or personal intranets but on professional sites. Some of that is manifesting itself quite a bit with blogs attached to news stories, but using wikis could greatly improve the searching and feedback mechanism for news stories. The possibilities do seem quite infinite and wikis are a terminal (at this point in time) product of collaboration, file sharing, information seeking and sharing and most of all fostering a sense of community for a common purpose with the sole outcome of providing the best information on a topic that a group can prepare and publish.

RSS Feeds

While working on our assignment recently, I thought quite a bit about the concept of RSS feeds, specifically, how the information is delivered to our desktops, laptops, and other devices whenever we specify and in what form we want the information packaged. This delivery of information is vastly different that print media that is delivered via the mail or picked up at a newstand. Sure, the information age and the Internet are credited with this electronic delivery of information, however never have we been able to create our own newspapers and magazines with such ease.

Information is spoon fed to us, however we are both the spooner and the consumer. I wonder how the business paradigm for news and information delivery will cope with this method of information. In a world where people can access a similar level of quality of news and information from around the world, will homogeneity become the norm as each traditional delivery of daily news ( i.e. newspapers and feeds) no longer see the value of differentiating in reporting? The reason being that the news coverage is too shallow since sparseness is emphasized due to the ephemeral relevancy of the news bite or topic at hand?

RSS feeds also bring us together into a true commuity. We can be as current and as "inside" on a topic as we want. We can create clubs, blogs, groups and agendas based upon similar interests and likes, or we can silently or quiety observe others regarding these topics.

The future of RSS feeds ( and its concept) will definitely be in how to hone the searching and relevancy of the search string set up and how to archive and preserve the digital news stories that were once preserved with microfilm.

I remember being in library school and visiting the National Archives, there were seven track tapes but few seven track players to play them on to extract the data. As we migrate to different types of internet script (HTML, to XTML, etc.) how will we preserve these precious and unique news gathering settings? There should be a digital archive, but what will be the definitive one?

For now, RSS and other feeds remain an efficient and effective means to gather breadth and depth on a particular topic or issue. The ability to be seeped in a particular topic was never so easy, immediate and accessible as it is today.

Millenials

The characteristic of millenials wanting, expecting, and even demanding 24/7 service seems to be accurate. One issue that millenials seem to bucking the trend is the conventional way of obtaining goals such as with jobs and careers. There does not seem to be the only path of the conventional way to obtain a job, resume, interview and staying at a job for many years.

The portability of retirement accounts. The mobility of millenials, and still being able to stay in touch with friends and family illustrates no longer such a great reluctance to leave an area (assuming financial needs can be met).

There does seem to be a lack of understanding and interest in history or the way things were typically accomplished. It is unclear as to why this, but it may be because the past's methods and rules do not appear to be valid and directly applicable to today. I would think that it is hard for millenials to imagine that a typist was a job that was necessary and even popular in the past.

I don't know if the technology does not lend itself to wanting to find out more about the past or the newest technology provides the immediacy of emphasis for the present and does not focus on the past and history.

David

Blogging

Blogging is an informational and marketing tool. The concept of a blog is quite egalitarian since everyone can post and everyone gets equal space to share their thoughts and ideas. A blog can be cumbersome and even forgotten if the purpose of the blog or intention to maintain the blog do not orginate from a concrete purpose. A blog is not a panacea for all an all encompassing "suggestion box" or a marketing tool to the incusion of a sound marketing plan or events page.

A blog is ideally suited for specific issues. I think when you use it for events it is a bit one sided as you are disseminating information but not needing or requiring feedback and opinions. An issue or the promotion of the discussion of a new feature or procedure is ideal for a blog. Those responding need to believe and see that their opinions and comments will be read and considered. Specifically, the user must perceive that their comments have merit.

For library issues, blogs are ideal for the "quick and dirty" feedback that can result from the discussion of a new database or new library procedures. Library issues can also be tabulated and used for statistics to faculty and administration.

Like other marketing tools, the library blog has to be prominently placed, easy to use, and invite the user to comment.

David

What does "service" mean to you?

Joan suggested that as this is the beginning of a new academic year, we should take some time to reflect on what "service" means to us. As we were developing our list of core values, many of the groups indicated that service was one of our most important and distinguishable core values. So, in practical applications, what does service mean?