Reaction so far

I've learned some new tools, and
started to think about new and practical ways to use them.

Lookback to Flickr and mashups

My headway into the area I wanted to know more about with respect to online image sharing tools and mashups.

When we first started learning about Flickr and mashups, I didn’t know very much about either. As I started to learn more, I realized that I had encountered mashups, and I was aware of people sharing photos, but I hadn’t explored either tool. One reason I hadn’t experimented was that I didn’t realize that a mashup was a new tool, something new that I could customize so it fit my needs. And both tools are difficult to use without a high-speed connection.

As I continue to think about and use Flickr and mashups, I see more possibilities. Personal uses come to mind first, but that seems convenient but not imaginative. Mashups used for mapping development, guiding people on a tour or outlining an environmental area come to mind as ways to really use this tool. These mashups make possible information sharing in a very understandable format. Flickr could also be used to make municipal information (maps, photos) available to the public.

The drawbacks and difficulties though, are the same as in educational uses: download time, training to use a new tool and availability of equipment.

Social Bookmarking

What is the relationship between RSS and tags?

Tags are very much like keywords – subject-related words assigned by the user. In the case of an internet search, the user searches with keywords that someone else has used within the searched for item. In the case of tags, they are words assigned by the creator or archiver of the item. But a keyword search is a one-time event. An RSS aggregator provides a steady flow of information on the tagged subject. It not only becomes a flow of information, it can also more be specific. The information searches can also be modified; narrowed or broadened in scope, or redirected. Individual sites can be included or excluded.

What is the relationship between Furl and del.icio.us?

Furl saves an archive of the page itself; a great tool for researchers using sites that change frequently, like a news site. Del.icio.us saves the link. Both allow for searches, using tags, of sites other people have bookmarked, and both are accessible from any computer after a sign-in.

How do social bookmarking tools contribute to the Read/Write web?

Social bookmarking tools are interactive, not on a one-to-one basis like a blog, but for one person to see what a group thinks. Furl allows the user to grade the site in five steps as how useful it is. The cumulative effect of many people grading a site gives a new visitor an idea of how worthwhile it will be to visit the site. They also have a potential for connectivity based on group opinion. If many people in a group feel that a site has relevance to a subject, and assign the same tag, the researcher may find connections in unexpected places. Although it’s also possible to follow many side issues, gems are also possible.

Blogs Revisited

In looking over the various tools I've been learning to use in this course, blogs need a re-evaluation. I started out not seeing much use for blogs - I think my understanding of what they are and how they can be used was too narrow. Blogs can be very self-involved soliloquies on trivial matters. But they can also be used to connect people with similar interests, especially with the ability to create groups and then notify the group members when there is a new post(either because the blogger uses RSS or because the blog notifies group members as one of it's features). It's more interactive than a soliloquy, and the blogger can have a personal interaction with others.