The Organic Nature of the Social Web: Contemporary Natural Selection

Image via Wikipedia

Use of the web, particularly the social media related aspects of the web are in a rapid state of growth and evolution. In reflecting upon how I use social media, social networks and tools, I have come to realize the organic nature of the web. Just as in nature, each entity has a purpose and value. When the perceived value diminishes, the importance of retaining that entity also diminishes and natural selection begins. When something breaks, even for a short time, such as the Twitteriffic App on my iPhone, the value moves to zero. It’s unfortunate, but a reality of our times which rely so much on instant access to information.

Let me rewind a bit and not pick on Twitterific, because I have loved the service (and I’m happy to find in the past 5 minutes that it has been restored *). But, when I tried to view my tweets this past weekend and received YAJE error message, I felt trapped; I could not connect. I waited a while, thinking it was an error on my end or poor 3G connectivity, but later learned that it was a problem which was being addressed by the vendor. In Twitter-time, it just was not “happening”. So, I went directly to Twitter. The direct connection to Twitter works, but I prefer some of the various Apps I’ve used, like Twhirl and Twitterific. Hence comes the natural selection process; Twitteriffic did not meet my needs, lowered itself (at least temporarily) to zero value and I moved on. I downloaded the TwitterFon App and all was well. Now I really don’t know all the ins-and-outs of TwitterFon, but it put me back into the game. So, at that point, the unstated question became: how important is it for me to go back? I found something that works and it provides information on demand.

There’s another personal awareness about the organic nature of the social web; we each have perceived value which is measured by how we create and share information, thoughts or questions and how we participate in conversations. Connections are made because they add value for a time. However, as interests and focus changes; some relationships become less relevant to current needs and our posts can add to the "white noise" of the web. When this happens, I’m learning to reach for the pruning shears, the metaphoric “unfollow” button. No need to be offended, I know who you are and I appreciate the value you’ve added to my life. I can find you in a heartbeat and I hope you will feel the need to find me as you need help in an area of mutual interest.


*Special thanks to Twitterific for fixing the problem and best wishes for continued and future success as you add relevance to many, many Twitter users.

My iPhone and a Personal Exploration of Mobile Computing

Image via CrunchBase

I’ve always liked communication devices. As a child, we made “tin can telephones” by tying two cans together with a length of string. We pulled the string taught and our voices were magically transmitted to the other can, which served as both a speaker and a microphone. I’m sure we were the forerunner of the Verizon ad, which asks, “can you hear me now?” Using a real telephone to communicate with my grandparents and friends was a real privilege. Advancing to a dial phone was high technology and gave me control. My big dream was to someday have a Dick Tracey watch. Radio transmission and reception were considered magic. I experimented with making a crystal radio and eventually, my parents bought me a Citizen’s Band Radio. Mobility was the next move. My Dad got the bug and he installed a CB radio in the car. We could talk to others while driving and get local information while on trips. We even got walkie-talkies so we could communicate while camping and during other escapades. Little did I know that some day I would have a cell phone and a computer.

With the advent of the internet, my communication options have continued to grow. The ability to e-mail, text, Skype or even transmit video to anyone with connectivity was the next dream come true. But, mobility was not forgotten. That dream was realized with acquisition of a laptop. Connectivity and mobility have changed my life and the way I think about my work, access to information sharing and education. It even changed my understanding of where I might be engaged in educational programs and aided my pursuit of an MSEd. from CSU Eastbay.

I’ve been attracted to the notion freedom and mobile communication all my life. I now live in a time when these various modes of communication and information sharing have converged into handheld devices, and I can see that experimenting and learning to use these devices effectively is the next step in my evolution. I have to learn how this technology can be leveraged to enhance learning and teaching. Hence, the iPhone cometh!

In coming weeks and months, I intend to use this blog to document my experience with the iPhone, mobility and exploration of opportunities to transform my own learning and teaching.


Note:
My iPhone was actually purchased on April 11, 2009. My blogging practice has been on the back burner for some time, but with this post, I hope to resume sharing my learning and thoughts on a more regular basis.

I’ll collect my notes and share some specifics in the next few days, but I do want to state that the iPhone has already changed me. I no longer think of the device as a telephone, but a Mobile Computing and Communication Platform (MCCP). I’m searching for a clever name, but even that process makes me think deeply about what this device does, can and will mean to me as my experience unfolds. It’s not just a phone; that’s actually a very small part of it’s function. It is not just about communication, because I clearly can do computing functions. It’s not just about what I can do between myself, and someone with another device, because it has already changed the way I converse at the dinner table. The option to do research on the spot or share information with others at the table is transforming my face-to-face experience as well.

Welcome along for the ride.

Twitter and the Value of Community

Those who are new to Twitter are not infrequently perplexed as to what this is and why anyone might want to use this tool. As I explain my perspective, I try to represent not only my own use, but ways in which I see (or suspect) that others might use the service. Recently, I've been benefitting from Twitter searches and I've discovered that I can usually get help/advice from the "wisdom of the crowd".

Today, I'm preparing for a presentation on concept mapping and will be addressing a faculty user group who focus on the use of tablet PCs for teaching. Not being a power user of a tablet PC, I posted a tweet to see if I might shortcut the research process to find software, online resources, examples, etc. which might be relevant to the particular group.

My first reply was not what I expected, but the humor and quick wit made my attempt worthwhile. It provided the smile I need to remember to lighten up and enjoy the process.

Thanks Alaine. :=)

Limited E-Mail...Have I died? Is this Heaven?

Image by ...-Wink-... via Flickr

Image via Wikipedia

Having a work routine and some limits is probably a good idea and something I need to work on. The notion of not checking e-mail until 10AM, as suggested by lifehacker, in Simple Guidelines for Workday Quality Over Quantity, is tempting and something I do on mornings when the creative muse is dancing (which has thankfully been happening more frequently these days). However, the use of e-mail is culture driven. Constant checking of e-mail may not be demanded, but it is not uncommon in many office cultures that one has read and possibly followed up on e-mail by arrival at the office.

Communication is (minimally) a two-way exchange. If everyone practices a 10:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. schedule, just think how long it might take to get a reply to your own messages, which you “send any time”. E-mail is just one mode of communication, in a digital world. Communication and information options, such as Twitter, Yammer, and other tools can push information and vie for our attention nearly 24/7. Each of these communication tools has it’s own unique characteristics and we can uniquely adopt them for our own reasons. Conversations can begin in one mode and migrate to another, or even continue simultaneously in multiple modes. An e-mail may inform you of something you feel compelled to share in Twitter. The Tweet might lead to reflective thought which is posted in a blog. The blog might generate responses which trigger a wide conversation.

So, perhaps instead of a concrete rule which stipulates when I will read my e-mail, I need to reflect on communication in general and ask a few questions.

Why do I use e-mail?

Who is sending e-mail?

What other communication tools do I use?

Why do I use each tool?

How do I decide to move the conversation to a different mode?

Is it OK to stop following an individual in Twitter, etc. as your needs and relationship changes?

Which tools should I drop?

Is there a way to quickly identify critical e-mail communication from other types?

Are other communication tools contributing to my work, thinking, or life in general?

Can I use special techniques, such as subscribing to RSS feeds, monitoring the messages of “friends” or using a customized “portal”, such as a Ning?

I’ll ponder these questions and more. I’m not sure which mode of communication I’ll use as I search for answers.

Quick Thoughts on Social Media

While talking with Brit Watwood (bwatwood) about the development of an upcoming brown-bag discussion of social media, I quickly listed some approaches and then scribbled the following thoughts.

In regard to our work, the social networks we formed in the past were primarily with our colleagues on the local level and those whom we met during participation in conferences.
Image by luc legay via Flickr
Online social media has allowed individuals to quickly identify people and experts with common interests and connect in ways that were just not possible a few years ago. People who cannot physically attend conferences may participate in real-time conversations with on-site participants via Twitter and similar tools. Ideas and/or resources may be quickly shared or requests for help on a particular topic may be solicited with the expectation of almost immediate help from the "community". Image via Wikipedia

Various tools lend themselves to a particular expression and the "conversations" which occur may migrate to various media. The important component is the ability to create relationships with both individuals and communities of people with common interests and a willingness to share.

Experimenting with Zemanta - Getting Help with Resources as You Write

Well, thanks to Britt Watwood, I'm hopefully looking a little smarter today. Britt introduced me to Zemanta, a tool which may be added to the browser to assist in the development of a blog post with links to other resources. This slick little tool makes suggestions and provides resources based on the words in your composition. Britt uses this on his own blog called Learning in a Flat World (manually linked).

Although my experiments, have been partly successful, such as when I entered the term digital storytelling, I have found that it is not as powerful as I hoped it would be. It has not found links to Chickering and Gamson, The Seven Principles, Learning in a Flat World, Britt Watwood, VCU Center for Teaching Excellence. When I wrote, Sarah Palin the list of related articles was weak. Perhaps I need to be more specific, such as looking for articles on Sarah Palin's contributions to Alaska or her position on drilling for oil. In addition, Cogdog has created a very well traffiiced site called 50 Ways to Tell a Story and I am surprised that nothing related to that specific site or subject is appearing in the list of resources.

In another attemt to find information on a topic of interest, I wrote, The Personal Brain is a concept mapping tool which dynamically restructures and presents a concept map as one clicks on any one component of the map. It is a way to provide what appears to be a simple map, but dynamically presents sub-maps. Zemanta found a Wikipedia link to concept mapping, but nothing on the Personal Brain.

Again, expeciting to see links, I wrote, Arthur Chickering and Zelda Gamson authored a paper on the Seven Principles... but only a link to Chickering was presented.

Let's see what happens when I look for an image of a Volkswagen.

On the technical side, I received messages in Blogger: "Could not contact Blogger.com. Saving andpublishing may fail. Retrying..., however I could open another session in a new tab and saving generally seemed to occur.

I am intrigued by Zemanta. I do not intend to put it down, but just report on my initial experiments. Quite possibly the concerns I have are related (at least in part) to my own lack of experience with the tool. At any rate, this experiment leads me to believe that Zemanta and many other tools will continue to remove some of the tedium from our work and empower us to write, provide citations and format articles with greater ease in the future.

The testing goes on.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Brainstorming Essentials: Graphic Organizers Such as Mind Maps & Venn Diagrams

Social Networking: We ARE the Help Desk

In a world where attempting to get help either means listening to a recorded message telling me how important my call is and providing me with a list of numerical choices, or a web page URL, where “Help” usually leads to an FAQ and an endless loop of pages which seem to never quite address my problem, I often long for the old fashioned “warm body”, who can provide direct assistance. There’s nothing quite like knowing someone upon whom you can call with a quick question, i.e. a personal contact or personal network. Or, perhaps there is: consider the power of an online social network.

Last night, I was working in Wikispaces (using Firefox browser) to develop content for an upcoming discussion about embedding resources and how embedded content might serve learner needs in a higher education environment. Since many sources of videos, sounds and other dynamic content now provide the embed code, it is easy to copy and paste it into your WYSWIG editor or use a ‘widget” as you are building your content pages. Wikispaces provides such a widget and it works well. However, I failed to use the tool provided and copied embed code for a video directly into the page editor. When I tried to preview the page, it presented a series of lines across my page and a faint box which must have been where the video should have appeared. When I tried to go back to the editor and remove the code, I could never gain access. Thinking that my page was most likely destroyed, I thought that sharing my mistake with others via Twitter might be a good thing to do. I hoped that by sharing this information, I might prevent someone else from loosing valuable time and work. Having posted my Tweet, I tried accessing the page with the Safari browser and I was able to resolve the problem, and I Tweeted about that solution as well. The big surprise was that in that very brief time span of about ten minutes, I received a Tweet offering help. Not just from anyone, but from the “mother country” of Wikispaces. WUWT? Now I cannot speak about the service which Wikispaces provides via their help link, but this welcome contact broke the mold of my “help” experience and it gave me new insight as to the power of a network and in sharing both problems and solutions in an open environment. The fact is that anyone who read my Tweet could have responded. In this case, help was just one post away. I’m converted. I’ve once again discovered that through the power of social networking, WE ARE THE HELP DESK. I may never click on a “help” link again. :=)

PS: Kudos to Wikispaces and to all of you who provide your help and links to valuable resources. Viva la network.

Photo credit: justindc under creative commons attribution