Facebook vs ConnectU

I’ve been following the ConnectU versus Facebook lawsuit. The Inside Facebook blog has been helpful. Here’s an earlier article on the case.
When will the judgement come down? While waiting, here are some other links on the subject.

I just posted this comment on a colleague’s site: “The London Public Library has done a great job with their site – it’s current and definitely teen-focussed in look and content focus. I have to say, though, I’m still unsettled by what I see as an adult incursion into private teen space. Remember [...]

Social Software for Librarians

I want to take a moment to just be selfish. I can justify it, too. Too many times during the workweek I find I’ve forgotten to schedule any time for me to spend on my own learning. Building the collection, working with vendors, coaching staff – check. But learning best practices [...]

MySpace, MyDeathSpace

Web 2.0 technologies enable more people to have access to creating their own online content. This results not only in blogs, wikis, websites, and social networking sites, but creative spin-offs, too. A mixture of tongue-in-cheek parodies and smart marketing exist, like the following: SecondLife is parodied by Geta(First)Life.  Bloggers with a dark [...]

Digi-learning: maximizing the benefits of social economies

The value of collaborative development is widely acknowledged (see proprietary software development release dates versus those of open source programs – guess which advances more rapidly). How can these proven techniques be leveraged to advance education?  Recent studies by IBM (reign in your scepticism, please) show : “hours spent playing online can hone [...]

Response to Stephen Abram on Social Networking sites and Libraries

Demi-god of internet information management Stephen Abram’s latest monthly e-letter questions what makes social networking sites  site “sticky”, encouraging return visits, and why prods us to wonder why users “willingly create and share…without financial and assessment award”.  Danah Boyd’s presentation to the AAAS covered these questions: youths engage in these social networking sites for interaction [...]

Text-chat vs Voice in MMOGs: questioning identity

I’ve been riffing a bit about virtual presence lately; the identity construction it represents. I’ve recently created a Facebook account, re-engaged with my old Tribe account, and am mustering up the courage to join an online gaming environment. On top of that is the omnipresent responsibility to keep feeding this blog and [...]

Social Networking: CBC report on the new Internet phenom

A quote from early CBC coverage on the Internet likened its rapid growth to that of an embryonic brain. It’s a fascinating report that touches upon many big issues of social networking: behaviour of the anonymous; the ameliorating effect of group environments on anonymous behaviour; posting of “sensitive” information [...]

Devil’s advocate: social bookmarking

I made reference earlier to the fabulous benefits of social bookmarking without completely enumerating them. Many of us are sharing rosy reviews of the practice. Here are the benefits as I see them to be:

Greater amount of search “area” on internet covered with single query;
Higher number of accurate returns per query;
Despite tag ambiguities, [...]

Reflections on Facebook

Well, I’ve taken advantage of a week off from readings and assignments to get caught up with being alive in the world again; getting into an exercise routine, spinning up some fire, and getting back in touch with friends and family.  Even getting in touch with friends I haven’t interacted with in several months, and [...]