Web 2.0 Opportunities and challenges

Phil Bradleyhttp://www.philb.com

Personal Experiences of Web 2.0

• Who am I?– ‘Freelance librarian’ AKA Internet Consultant– Trainer– Writer– Speaker– ‘One man band’

I need…

• To keep up to date with news• Explore new resources as they come out• Communicate the best of these to a wider

audience• Store, use and make content available to

clients and delegates on courses• Promote what I do• Stay at the forefront

My Start/Home page

Library Pageflakes

Home page - opportunities

• Quick and easy to create• Share content with groups/world• Content is on the web• Multiple authors• No technical knowledge is required

Home page - challenges

• Not ‘badged’ content• Who is responsible for the upkeep?• Investment of time and energy• Promoting the existence of the page(s)

Checking my news feeds

Feed hub

RSS feeds - opportunities

• Almost instant information• A lot of information• Tailored to exactly what I want• Always available

RSS feeds - challenges

• A lot of information – requirement to change reading/filtering habits

• Always available• Always being updated

Checking del.icio.us

Libraries using delicious

Bookmarking - opportunities

• Current awareness• Informing a community with one click• No reinventing the wheel• Add to webpages to increase currency

Bookmarking - challenges

• Serendipity• No controlled vocabulary • Install links on to browsers• Limited to basic content (URL, tags etc)

Catching up with Twitter

Instant Messaging - opportunities

• Saves time• Easy to use• Current information• Personal• Nothing to install• Outreach

Instant Messaging - challenges

• No record of discussion (usually)• Concern over security• Are you really there?

Reading the news

Updating my weblog

Other library weblogs

Blogging - opportunities

• Quick, easy, non-technical• Wide audience• Immediacy• Archival aspect• Promoting a ‘voice’• A good way to communicate

Blogging - challenges

• Difficult to control• Concern over comments• Immediacy• Taking information out of some hands

Using wikis and collaborative sites

Library example

Wikis - opportunities

• Work ‘across borders’• No technical knowledge required• Inclusive in nature• Create and amend content quickly and

easily

Wikis - challenges

• No badged or official content• Danger of inappropriate editing• Responsibility• Authority• Accuracy

Social Networking

Social Networking - opportunities

• Speed• Informality• Creation of groups/content is easy• Not technical• New applications• Promotion of

groups/organizations/individuals

Social networking - challenges

• Vampires!• Drain on time and resources• Limited control• Little authority• Informal

More opportunities• Who needs technical support?• Little cost involved• Mistakes are not costly• Greater control in the hands of the

librarian• Focus on the end user• Activity, not tool oriented• Different ways of working (eg. Filtering)

More challenges• External hosting• Connectivity problems• Scary• Changing the culture• Anarchy• Re-inventing the wheel• Different ways of doing things (eg query

answering)

What is the way forward?

• Ignore Web 2.0• Look at activities• Look at resources• Look at applications• Take a blended approach• Change the culture• Take control!

Thank you!• Email: philb@philb.com• Website: http://www.philb.com• Weblog:

http://www.philbradley.typepad.com • Weblog:

http://www.philbradley.typepad.com/i_want_to• Twitter: http://twitter.com/Philbradley • Presentations

http://www.slideshare.net/Philbradley/