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This resource is written by David P. Anderson from the University of California, Berkeley, the original founder of the SETI @home Project (Gomes, 2006) and discusses public-resource computing in more detail. It talks about the benefits of it over grid-computing and goes into more detail about the BOINC (Berkeley Open Infrastructure for Network Computing) Platform for public-resource computing. Public-resource computing (also known as "global computing", "distributed computing" or "peer-to-peer computing") uses available resources on personal computers to do "scientific supercomputing" (Anderson, 2004). It also has the benefit of "encouraging public awareness of current scientific research". SETI @home, one of the most well known forms of public-resource computing, attracts millions of users worldwide and can provide 70 TeraFLOPS of sustained processing, versus approximately 35 TeraFLOPS from the largest conventional supercomputer (Anderson, 2004). The goals of BOINC include: * Reduce the barriers of entry to public-resource computing. * Share resources among autonomous projects * Support diverse applications * Reward participants There are now a number of projects that use BOINC other then SETI@home. These include: * Predictor@home - studies protein behaviour * Folding @home - studies protein folding, misfolding, aggregation, and related diseases. * Climateprediction.net - quantifies and reduces uncertainties in long-term climate prediction based on computer simulations. * Einstein@home - detects certain types of gravitational waves, such as those from spinning neutron stars, that can be detected only by using highly selective filtering techniques that require extreme computing power.

By participating in these projects members can feel like they are playing a small part in helping with curing disease, solving global warming, and other world issues. Attracting participants is always a goal of these projects so it's important that these computing programs give no real inconvenience to them. BOINC has a general preference option that allows members to set a number of features including how and when their computer resources are used. This includes "whether BOINC can do work while mouse/keyboard input is active", hours of use, how much disk space can be used, and the network bandwidth. BOINC allows for many different projects to use its systems/setup allowing for smaller research projects to take advantage of the greater computing capabilities. This could potentially in the future help out an unknown research make a global scientific discovery. Anderson, D. (2004). BOINC: A System for Public-Resource Computing and Storage. Retrieved from http://portal.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=1032646.1033223 Gomes, L. (2006). How Many Computers Does It Take to Make Contact with E.T.s? Retrieved from http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB115145653496392561-3YTEjOQhd0ZilADHfEf8hoK4BhA_20070628.html?mod=blogs

This article presents tools and strategies for setting up collaborative networks in the form of localized resistance 'cells'. Anonymous use this system of local and semi-independent networks as storage points for resources and to maintain its global communications beyond larger web services. It is these "autonomously acting local cells" that allow Anonymous to keep "resources, videos, pictures, and most important (their) protest and resistance organization online"(anon, 2011). While these strategies have resulted from challenging oppressive political regimes and fighting to maintain freedom of information, the ideas can be adapted to working in more general and everyday online environments. Anonymous see small local groups acting as autonomous and self-reliant parts of a larger network, to make the entire structure stronger and more resilient as a whole. Their tactics have grown "organically in cyberspace rather than reflecting the cyber version of existing real world phenomena" (Keane, B, 2011) and show how local sub-groups can effectively create strong, flexible networks when collaborating on a global scale. Some of the major advantages of working in a localized cell are identified as being "Local organization only needs a local focus" (anon, 2011), hinting at the benefits of a simpler organizational structure; "You can continue the fight as a team even if cut of from all the other protesters/activists"(anon, 2011), which if adapted to collaboration in general suggests more resilient and efficient networks; and "you can gather resources there, videos pics, voice files, flyers and re-upload it from there if you lose resources to deletion or block"(anon, 2011), showing the benefits of decentralized networks as both data protection and archiving tools. References anon. (2011) 'Tools to help the Revolutions Part II - Online resistance cell organization'. Anonymous Hamburg. 23rd of February 2011. Available from: http://hamburger-anon.blog

Anonymous, being a decentralised network, relies upon the interest of tech savvy individuals to contribute to their campaigns. When challenged by legal representatives of the targets of their attacks, such as the 'Cult of Scientology' (Anonymous, 2011), their efforts to disseminate information through mainstream channels may be thwarted by take-down notices. In the case presented in this article hosted by Blogspot, they admit to having been frustrated by such interference with distributing videoes, pictures, and other resources online (Anonymous, 2011). The blog entry continues with offering alternatives and suggestions for anyone interested in contributing to Anonymous' on-going campaigns, providing advice and recommendations for useful tools and techniques. It outlines the advantages to contributing in the online movement, such as 'continue the fight as a team even if cut off from all the other protesters/activists' (Anonymous, 2011), suggesting a reward through participation, which is a prime motivator for other online crowd-sourcing initiatives (Belleflamme, Lambert, & Schwienbacher, 2011). The article proceeds to then explain how a user can participate by listing potential resources the assist without danger of being identified, and caught, suggesting such websites as wall.fm, noting that the service probably has a server farm that won't suffer in the event of a Distributed Denial of Service attack. It also explains how to create a social network, including links to free domain registration services, and free webhosting, to facilitate the potential new member of the Anonymous network into building an online resistance cell. Anonymous Hamburg. (2011). We do what we must, because we can. Retrieved from http://hamburger-anon.blogspot.com/2011/02/tools-to-help-revolutions-part-ii.html. Belleflamme, P., Lambert, T., & Schwienbacher, A. (2011). Tapping the Right Crowd. Retrieved from http://ssrn.com/abstract=157817.

This resource, an article from the Wall Street Journal, is a more current take on the SETI @home project. It can be more easily understood by the average reader and gives a summary of both the history of the SETI @home project, and information on where it stands today. It also discusses further details of "distributed computing". According to this resource, late in the 1990s University of California, Berkeley scientist David P. Anderson thought that the millions of "often-idle computers"(Gomes, 2006) could be better utilised in distributed computing. The idea behind distributed computing is to take a scientific problem, and then share out the computations required to millions of computers. To test this theory, Dr. Anderson chose the SETI project, and set up SETI@home. Although the search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence was basically an "attention-getting gimic" (Gomes, 2006), it worked better then expected with almost a million users signing up and downloading the required client. Although there are now many other distributed computing projects available, almost akin to choosing which charity to donate to, many users are still loyal to the original SETI @home project. With their accumulated point system, earned by the number of computing hours donated to the project, users are unwilling to move to another project and lose the points they have earned. The current popularity of this project is shown by the 10,000+ members of the SETI @home facebook page (Facebook, 2011), which also demonstrates how many forms of online collaboration often cross paths. This resource describes the SETI @home project in easy to understand language making it a good introduction to the theory of distributed computing (or public-resource sharing) however some of the information seems to contradict that written on the SETI @home about page.

Facebook. (2011). SETI@home Community. Retrieved from http://www.facebook.com/search.php?q=seti&init=quick&tas=search_preload&search_first_focus#!/pages/SETIhome/16063264533 Gomes, L. (2006). How Many Computers Does It Take to Make Contact with E.T.s? Retrieved from http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB115145653496392561-3YTEjOQhd0ZilADHfEf8hoK4BhA_20070628.html?mod=blogs

SETI@home has also inspired other collaborative shared computing projects. Most notably the Folding@home project conducted by Stanford University (Sony folding@Home 2008). The aim is to analyze proteins in hope of solving various diseases including Cancer. An interesting aspect of the project is its imbedding as a networked technology in the millions of PlayStations 3's around the world. As a user-setting, PlayStations left idle can shift processing resources to working through the protein work packets sent out by Stanford. Like the SETI Project, various teams compete for most work units analyzed. As an addition, Stanford are in the process of publishing peer reviewed results that stem from the completed work (Stanford 2009). Both this and the SETI Project hold technology as the central core of collaboration, but there is a human social factor playing an important role. Highlighted by the the team-play that gathers around the competition to see who is putting the most resources into completing work units. Sony folding@home (2008). The Folding@home™ Distributed Computing Project at Stanford University. Retrieved from http://www.scei.co.jp/folding/en/ Stanford (2009) Recent Research Papers from Folding@home. Retrieved from http://folding.stanford.edu/English/Papers

This article talks about SETI @home's "design and implementation and discuss[es] its relevance to future distributed systems" (Anderson, Cobb, Korpela, Lebofsky, & Werthimer, 2002). The authors of this article are all staff of the University of California, Berkeley, in the space sciences laboratory. The University of California, Berkeley is the home of the SETI @home program. This resource gives a more in depth understanding of how the SETI @home program, in particular how public-resource computing works to aid in the processing of the data. All members of the SETI @home program are initially required to download the client program. This program collects a work unit from the main server, computes a result, returns this result to the main server, then gets another work unit. This article also shows the mathematics behind how this system gives so much computing power, but basically the more client programs computing the work units, the faster the data is processed. The stringent safety precautions are why this system is assured as so safe from malicious attacks from hackers and viruses. There is no communication at all between the various client machines, with each computer talking directly to the main server. As discussed within, for this to work public-resource computing projects need to attract users to their program, and keep them interested in remaining members. SETI @home uses word-of-mouth from its members, referral programs and mass-media news coverage to attract members. The client program can run as either a "GUI application or a screensaver", and runs during what is normally computer idling time which means that the impact on the user is minimal.

According to their 2002 poll the SETI @home user base is heavily dominated by males (93% of all users (Anderson et al., 2002)). This information can help them target market to their users. Some of the user benefits include the use of an online community where members can exchange ideas, and a competitive team/individual scoring system. Research is continuing into how to make this, and other forms, of public-resource computing more reliable and efficient in scientific calculations and discovery. Anderson, D., Cobb, J., Korpela, E., Lebofsky, M., & Werthimer, D. (2002). SETI@home: An Experiment in Public-Resource Computing. Communications of the ACM. 45(11), 56-61. doi: 10.1145/581571.581573

This resource is the home page for the SETI @home project. First launched in May 1999, as part of the SETI (Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence) project, SETI@Home's goal is to "detect intelligent life outside Earth". In 1995, David Gedye had a thought that a virtual supercomputer could be developed by joining a large number of internet-connected computers, and from this he organised the SETI @home project to further explore this idea. This concept is now referred to as public-resource computing (University of California, 2011). The whole concept is based on the idea that there are millions of computers connected to the internet that all have downtime that could be utilised. By joining these computers together, a huge amount of computer processing power is derived, the more users involved, the more power that is available. SETI @home uses the computers to listen for unexpected radio noise. This is done by users downloading a small program (available from this website) to their computers. This program then downloads and analyses radio telescope data. The concept only works though if the user population is high, so the SETI @home website provides a number of user incentives to join the program including message boards, a team system, leaderboards based on a unique point system and general information and news about the project. Public-resource computing, is something that can now be taken further afield. It is a great use of online collaboration, particularly seeing the user input required is small, in return for the processing power gained. University of California. (2011). SETI@home. Retrieved from http://setiathome.berkeley.edu/index.php

This is a very interesting topic, because not enough value is placed on extra-terrestrial research in mainstream society. The belief that extra-terrestrial life could not possibly exist is an out-dated notion. How could life not exist beyond the earth's solar system, or even within it? Using available technology to search for what's out there is a step in the right direction, and may help to make people realise that there are other more important things than merely existing, and that humans are a mere speck in the universe's expanding dimensions. Earlier beliefs that were held by explorers or philosophers thought the world was flat or that the planets and sun rotated around the earth proves that humans don't have all the answers, and ignorance is not always bliss. Understanding how the universe operates, and finding out if other life forms exist is not only something nice to know, its important in the whole scope of human existence. Helmenstine, A. (2011). Searching for Extraterrestrial Life: Strategies and Science. Retrieved from http://chemistry.about.com/cs/astrochemistry/a/aa010404a.htm

Flash mobs have been around since 2003, the full power of their reach has not really been felt until a mix of social media like Facebook and Twitter came into effect to help to coordinate events and spread the word. A mix of this and viral video tools like Youtube help to spread the story worldwide in a very short time frame. The organisation of early flash mob performances used to rely on text messages to spread the message. However, these days the internet and social media have made the coordination and the spreading of the message much quicker and it allows for many more networking opportunities. Costs of performances and production are kept to a minimum, with no need to buy air time. An interesting side-effect of viral videos these days is that the video will most often be displayed on television for free anyway, doing away with the need to pay for advertising air time, and has given rise to television programs dedicated to flash mob tv in places like Germany (Flashmob.tv, 2011). Flashmob.tv, (2011). The Show. Retrieved from http://www.flashmob.tv/en/the_show.php

This resource, found in the Char Valiant School Newspaper, discusses flash mobs. Flash mobs, a more recent occurrence, are a group of people who meet at a predetermined public location to do a spontaneous performance (often something of a theatrical nature like a song or dance), and then disperse into the crowd at the end. Flash mobs are usually instigated online, using various forms of online media to organise and coordinate the event. This can include mobile phones, email, and social networking sites. Although these "events started out as a way for these groups to mock the conformity of the general population", they have "instead become a symbol of spontaneity and fun around the world"(CharValiant, 2011). Flash Mobs have also become a form of advertising. T-Mobile has used this form of theatrics to their advantage, using them in several of their advertisements. Carolyn Thomas (2010) talks in her article about how T-Mobile is becoming synonymous with flash mobs, showing that the marketing campaign is working as people are instantly remembering the company name and linking it with the campaign. Australia is also getting on the flash mob advertising bandwagon, with the latest "Australian Cancer Council Biggest Morning Tea" launch at Brisbane's Queen Street Mall on the 18th April, 2011 (Cancerqld, 2011) and the viral Sydney Mardi Gras campaign filmed on Bondi Beach (RockYourBox, 2009). Although the link between public resource computing and flash mobs is tenuous at best, as another current form of online collaboration it is still well worth a mention. As public resource computing relies heavily on word-of-mouth advertising to increase its member numbers by using things like social-networking sites, so too does flash mob advertising rely on "going viral" through similar word-of-mouth usage.

Written by Caci Murphy, a Senior at Chartiers Valley High School(CharValiant, 2011), this resource is not necessarily as reliable a source as perhaps other more researched papers. Although well written, and factually accurate, a high school senior would be lacking both the technological knowledge and life experience to give an accurate view point to make this an authoritative resource. Cancerqld. (2011). Australia's Biggest Morning Tea Flash Mob. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w07Nq2h55Xo CharValiant. (2011). The CharValiant Staff. Retrieved from http://www.cvnewspaper.com/staff/ CharValiant. (2011). Flash Mobs: The Feel Good Phenomenon of the 21st Century. Retrieved from http://www.cvnewspaper.com/news/2011/03/14/flash-mobs-the-feel-good-phenomenon-of-the-21st-century/ RockYourBox. (2009). Say Cheese! Flash Mob On Bondi Beach [OFFICIAL]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ao4DkbGbxl0 Thomas, C. (2010). T-Mobile and the flash mob marketing phenomenon. Retrieved from http://ethicalnag.org/2010/11/04/flash-mob/

ABC LATELINE Michael Atkin Byline: "Australian website Pozible is helping to connect generous donors with needy projects, but there are concerns about how the website operates." The article introduces crowd-funding as an 'innovation of the internet age', bringing together donors and projects in need of funding, using an environmental group called Green Way Up as an example project, and a website called Pozible as an example of a crowd-funding resource. As an introduction to crowd-funding it presents Green Way Up as being both environmentally and socially conscious, as well as a good example of a crowd-funded project worth attention: Bob Miles and Chuck Anderson want to travel around the world on bio-fuel converted from recycled fats and oils obtained, in one case, from the waste of a chicken shop. However, Green Way Up may not have had such a start toward achieving this venture if not for Pozible; a crowd-funding resource whose Co-founder, Rich Chen, created the site 'because he was sick of hearing about exciting projects which failed to go ahead because they lacked money' (Atkin, 2011). Though it presents a hopeful opportunity to projects and financial benefactors alike, the article turns critical of the website's operations, suggesting Pozible may be 'violating the Corporations Act by raising money and offering rewards without issuing a prospectus' (Atkin, 2011).

Jennifer McKay, Professor at the University of South Australia is also concerned that Pozible infringes upon consumer protection laws and security laws, but when asked by Lateline, the Australian Securities and Investment Commission said they were 'considering whether crowd-funding poses any regulatory concerns' (Atkin, 2011). Green Way Up is presented as an exception rather than a rule for projects seeking crowd-sourced funding; '[p]rojects only receive the money if they reach their funding target within 90 days and currently two-thirds fail' (Atkin, 2011). Built upon and relying heavily on trust, the article concludes there is potential risk for all involved. Atkin, M. (2011). Website helps to make dreams come true. Lateline. Retrieved from http://www.abc.net.au/lateline/content/2011/s3180494.htm.

SETI@home and the various other projects that use BOINC rely on public contributions to achieve their computer processing goals. In a similar vein, the website Pozible.com.au also relies on public response to assist what would otherwise be unheard of projects. Pozible is a website that uses "crowd-funding" to get its donations. "Crowd-funding is an innovation of the internet age which links generous donors with needy projects" (ABC, 2011). In the example provided by this resource, the needy case is an environmental group called Green Way Up who want to fund an expedition to Norway using only bio-fuel. First shown on ABC's Lateline on the 1st April 2011, this interview discusses numerous aspects of Pozible. It talks through the set-up process, talks to a donator, and even questions the administration process from an ASIC/ACCC point of view. Not only does this website help otherwise unknown projects get up off the ground, it also helps connect them to "lounge-chair activists" looking to donate to causes they believe in. There are still a few problems with the donation process. Projects are required to generate 100% of their goal amount within 90 days to receive the money, meaning that currently only 1/3 of projects achieve this goal. There is also no formal follow-up process to ensure that the projects do what they have promised. On a positive note however, if a project fails to meet the requested total, no money changes hands. Donations work more on a pledge system, and even Pozible makes no profit from the projects, unless this total is met(Pozible.com, 2010). Projects like BOINC and Pozible are innovative ways of using current computer/internet usage to get public interest and participation in what could otherwise be undiscovered projects that could have positive implications in the future. ABC. (2011). Website Helps To Make Dreams Come True. Retrieved from http://www.abc.net.au/lateline/content/2011/s3180494.htm Pozible.com. (20

The internet and the online collaboration that it facilitates is quickly becoming an important clinical tool for doctors. This case study focuses on how doctors use Google to diagnose difficult cases. It was chosen as a resource because it provides another example of how online collaboration is benefiting the medical industry. While there is anecdotal evidence that patients use Google for self diagnosis, I was surprised to find that doctors are using Google as well. In this article, Tang & Ng (2006) examine "How good is Google in helping doctors to reach the correct diagnosis?" . This study shows that the "efficiency of the search and the usefulness of the retrieved information also depends on the searchers' knowledge base" (Tang, 2006). For instance, a doctor would know the correct medical terminology for a patient's symptoms and also have an understanding the medical terms that are returned by Google. For this reason "Google searches by a "human expert" (a doctor) have a better yield" while "patients doing a Google search may find the search less efficient and be less likely to reach the correct diagnosis." This study is a valuable resource because its results are statistically based and follow a well-defined method. This study clearly states the results that 15 out of 26 cases were correctly diagnosed using Google. The real importance of this case study is to demonstrate how online collaboration has allowed useful information on even the rarest medical syndromes to be found and digested within a matter of minutes (Tang & Ng, 2006) and that "web based search engines such as Google are becoming the latest tools in clinical medicine" (Tang & Ng, 2006). References: Tang, H., & Ng, J. (2006). Googling for a diagnosis-use of Google as a diagnostic aid: internet based study. Retrieved April 16, 2011, from http://www.bmj.com/content/333/7579/1143.full

"Avaaz is a global web movement to bring people-powered politics to decision-making everywhere" (Avaaz.org, 2011). Avaaz means voice, in "... several European, Middle Eastern and Asian languages" (Avaaz.org, 2011a). This is not a website where you need to prove your credentials or log in to be a member. However, it is one of the most powerful and influential organisations in the world. The Avaaz community "... empowers millions of people from all walks of life to take action on pressing global, regional and national issues, from corruption and poverty to conflict and climate change" (Avaaz.org, 2011a). Their online platform "... allows thousands of individual efforts, however small, to be rapidly combined into a powerful collective force" (Avaaz.org, 2011a). The Avaaz community supports campaigns in 14 languages, has a core team on 4 continents, includes thousands of volunteers. Overall, the community helps organise the signing of petitions, funding media campaigns and direct actions, contact through emailing, calling and lobbying governments, and organizing "offline" protests and events. They do this to "... ensure that the views and values of the world's people inform the decisions that affect us all" (Avaaz, 2011a). Two very good examples of the strength of the community include: * Stand With Anna Hazare (Avaaz.org, 2011b) shows of a petition where over 624,876 people have signed since the campaign launched on the 7th April, 2011. Before the goal of one million signatures was reached, a victory has been announced. * Blackout-proof the protests (Avaaz.org, 2011c) is a current petition to "...secure satellite modems and phones, tiny video cameras, and portable radio transmitters, plus expert support teams on the ground -- to enable

Avaaz addresses global issues to generate global interest in improved conditions - globally. The world in action (Avaaz.org). Available in fourteen different language, it encourages borderless interest in issues relevant locally and internationally, promoting campaigns to 'close the gap between the world we have and the world most people everywhere want' (About Avaaz, n.d.). Avaaz is to the world what GetUp! is doing for Australia, including its policy on transparency, evidenced in the availability of financial reports, member statistics, and its member-funded, crowd-sourced model. Rather than a distributed, region-dependent staff and budget, Avaaz has a 'single, global team with a mandate to work on any issue of public concern' (Avaaz.org, n.d.). It is Avaaz members who decide where to direct resources The website projects a sense of global community, as much in being available in so many languages as in movements presented on every page heralding from many different countries representing the plights of many and varied communities. Avaaz is a global example of social awareness instigating social movements, easily promoted through the connectivity of the internet and the tools for social networking, to create a better world. Websites and movements for campaigns such as Avaaz and GetUp! Australia are helping to raise awareness and reclaim power for the people. Avaaz.org.(2011). The World in Action. Retrieved from http://www.avaaz.org. GetUp. (n.d.) GetUp! Retrieved from http://www.getup.org.au.

As yet another online resource for the "lounge chair activist" Avaaz.org seems to cover it all. Whether you're interested in saving the whales, climate change, gay rights or donating to flood victims, there is a cause available for you. Avaaz, started in 2007 with the mission to "organise citizens of all nations to close the gap between the world we have and the world most people everywhere want" (Avaaz.org, 2011). So far they seem to be achieving this goal. With over 8 million members worldwide, who have so far taken over 38 "actions" this is a website that seems to be doing what it's promised. To ensure that there is no underlying bias, no political voice hiding behind the curtains, Avaaz ensures there is "democratic accountability" by being 100% member-funded. It is mainly staffed by volunteers, who email actions to members in way that registers interest in the project and nothing more. These actions are also normally put forward by Avaaz members themselves, rather than outside parties. Avaaz, like BOINC, relies on word-of-mouth to spread the word. Also using social network sites to keep up the interest between members. Their hope is that once someone joins through a campaign for one specific issue, that they will then continue to support other actions. To prove their success, after "China's violent crackdown on the March '08' protests and riots in Tibet"(Avaaz, 2011) Avaaz was able to build the most successful global position to date. They were able to achieve 1.5 million signatures in just three weeks calling for dialogue between China and the Dalai Lama. Whether you just sign a petition or donate money, having so many available voices ensures that Avaaz will make it count. As stated by Zainab Bangura, the foreign minister of Sierra Leone "Avaaz is an ally, and a rallying place, for disadvantaged people everywhere to help create real change"(Avaaz, 2011). Avaaz.org. (2011). Avaaz.org: The World in Action. R

Kumar's work has a reasonable amount to offer in terms of a resource; his research gives more clues to the perceived effectiveness of Google Docs users have towards it as a collaborative tool. He has chosen to use the effective research method focus groups with semi-structured questions. Perhaps the useful part of investigating Google Docs as a collaborative tool is how he selected students at the university site who were in many disciplines. Thus he was able to elicit some good insights into why Google Docs is so praised as a collaborative educational tool. One finding was that students preferred Google Docs as a time saving tool where no formal meetings took place. Although the students were on campus, it was surprising that they felt they would rather use Google Docs then all meet to work on a project. The other finding was that the acceptance of this Web 2.0 collaborative technology was greater amongst students that had previous experience with Google Docs or other similar software. Another major advantage found by Kumar (2009) was that overall using such collaborative tools increased interest in the subject matter of their particular discipline. The concept that new technologies add value to existing practice was also interesting. Although Kumar was not clear on this concept, what students indicated this was the case, such a statement suggests that using Google Docs is linked to increased interest in a subject and in turn a desire to succeed. The weakness of this resource is Kumar is not clear of this link; however, as an article to show that Google Docs is of value equating collaboration tools with increased productivity shows how potentially valuable using them can be.

References Kumar, S. (2009). Undergraduate perceptions of the usefulness of Web 2.0 in higher education: Survey development. In D. Remenyi (Ed.) Proceedings of 8th European Conference on E-learning, Italy, 308-314. Retrieved April 13, 2011, from http://web2integration.pbworks.com/f/Undergraduate+Perceptions+of+the+Usefulness+of+Web+2.0+in+Higher+Education.pdf

(2001) This is a critical view about the internet and education. Peter Macinnis Speaks with Robyn Williams (ABC Science National Radio) about the evolution of Technology and how technology takes 20 plus years to become an accepted technology. Macinnis shows the analogy of the printing press, steam trains, telephone,radio and TV development and then compares the internet.  He claims you need to take the rear view mirror approach to see what the trends are.   One interesting point that Macinnis makes is that the examination process of education is still ran by the old school where the generation today have a whole new literacy in Internet communications. He also criticise how the Internet is organised and there is some work needed to add metadata to the already exciting data on the web.  I find this a good argument as search engines rank results based on several factors other than truth and reliability.     Williams, R. (Writer). (2001). The Internet and Education [Radio ], ABC Science. Australia: ABC Radio National.

REFERENCES ABS. (2007). 8146.0.55.001 - Patterns of Internet access in Australia, 2006, Australian Bureau of Statistics. First Issued November 29, 2007. Retrieved April 12, 2011 from: http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/Lookup/8146.0.55.001Main+Features12006?OpenDocument Downes, S. (2007). The Future of Online Learning and Personal learning Environments. Retrieved April 12, 2011 from: http://www.slideshare.net/Downes/the-future-of-online-learning-and-personal-learning-environments NSWDET (2009). Social Learning 2.0 Concepts and Visuals. Uploaded by the NSW Department of Education and Training March 2009. Retrieved April 12, 2011 from Slideshare: http://www.slideshare.net/etalbert/sociallearning20-concepts-and-visuals-mar09# Williams, R., and Peter Macinnis (2001). The Internet and Education. Ockham's Razor, Radio National. Broadcast Sunday May 6, 2001. Retrieved April 12, 2011 from: http://www.abc.net.au/rn/science/ockham/stories/s289416.htm

It is good to go back and examine Peter Macinnis's point of view. Reminds me of the exercise of examining Clifford Stoll's (1995) view on what the internet was to become, which of course was mostly wrong. Macinnis seemed to have predicted the unorganised nature of the information on the internet (ABC Radio, 2001) which to an extent does exist now. This is one reason I believe is important to address in terms of internet collaboration especially in education. Collaborating is about organising information into a presentation form for all students collaborating within a system. But that must be with a gatekeeper, namely the teacher or lecturer or tutor who can intervene when needed. Michael Green (ABC Radio, 1999) in an earlier view on that show quoted Fred Bennett who urged computers to teach students without an intermediary, namely a tutor or teacher. Whilst tertiary education is underpinned by self-reliance, I wonder if such views back then apply now. In collaboration, does the lecturer decide to be strictly a hands off non-interventionist given that their students are mature and can think for themselves? Or does the lecturer, given the high demands of departmental, research and publishing commitments, become part of the student group collaboration? In my resources, Google Docs seems to raise more issues about information use which suggest students place a high value on organised information which makes sense to them. I feel that Macinnis should revise today if inaccurate information is the real problem. We had virtual communities were information could be corrected, but with Web 2.0, Wikipedia being the most obvious example, we can correct what is wrong. I do agree with Tessa that social media overall seems to be quite behind in the way it is being diffused across educational sectors. Collaboration tools such as Facebook etc will be used by students anyway so it seems odd that the resistance still exists. This interview is a good resource to reflect on how f

Written by Michael Pick, Online Activism: Media Stereotypes And The Rise Of Smart Mobs is an article published on Robin Good's MasterNewMedia website. The publisher, Robin Good, has had "... a career as a new media communication and publishing consultant for major international organizations that operate in the fields of research, development and education" (Good, n.d.). Robin Good is an independent new media publisher that "... converted his professional skills and interests into a self-publishing career (Good, n.d.). In 1999, Robin Good began MasterNewMedia, an online magazine dedicated to "... news, skills and resources to communicate more effectively with new media technologies" (Good, n.d.). Michael Pick's article first explores some of the ways of how people are stereotyped by mass-media propaganda. One example of this is, "The Nazis, pioneers of mass-media propaganda (Pick, n.d.), managed to convince a nation that it was being bled dry by the Jews, communists, gypsies, and anyone else that they could scapegoat. With relentless repetition and indoctrination they created the sense that these people were something less than human" (Pick, 2007). Which he then argues is that this mass-media propaganda is being continued today through television media. Pick then discusses Howard Rheingold's concept of Smart Mobs, and then he briefly discusses Avaaz.org (2011a), a website and platform, where everyone can have an

opinion and everyone can unite and help others, regardless of political stature and unaccountable organisations. It is a site where the values of people shape global decisions (Avaaz.org, 2011b). References: Avaaz.org. (2011a).The World in Action. Retrieved from http://www.avaaz.org/en Avaaz.org. (2011b).The World in Action - About Us. Retrieved from http://www.avaaz.org/en/about.php Good, R. (n.d.). About Robin Good. Retrieved from http://www.masternewmedia.org/about.htm Pick, M. (n.d.). The War On Terror And The Victory Of Spin: Believing Your Own Propaganda Is The True Weapon Of Mass Destruction. Robin Good - independent new media publisher. Retrieved from http://www.masternewmedia.org/information-access/propaganda/the-war-on-terror-and-victory-of-spin-20070414.htm Pick, M. (2007). Online Activism: Media Stereotypes And The Rise Of Smart Mobs. Robin Good - independent new media publisher. Retrieved from http://www.masternewmedia.org/information_access/online-activism/media-stereotypes-war-online-activism-20070609.htm

This is an unpublished paper that has been linked to Maxter[1] an online community with links to the Media, Art & Text PhD program known as MATX. The MATX program is linked to the Virgina Commonwealth University (VCU) [2]. It would not be generally considered a reliable resource as a key article in an academic piece it is a well written piece including clear historical information into FlashMobs. Garland (2010) is able to use a recent event of students rioting to distinguish rioting organised via technology contrasted against the original FlashMob at Macy's in 2003. Garland (2010) has a focus on the original Macy's event as organised by Wasnik throughout the article. The question of why people are participating in FlashMob events is also considered. This paper also considers how cooperation and participation by individuals is implied when they participate in a FlashMob. The participation of a FlashMob allows individuals to remain anonymous through the free exchange of information, even the creator of the original FlashMob, Wasnik was able to remain anonymous. It was after FlashMob phenonomen became commericalized Wasnik felt comfortable revealing his identity and role in the original Macy's FlashMob. Throughout the article Garland (2010) draws connections between FlashMob and SmartMob, supporting and citing Rhinegold, agreeing that FlashMobs were part of SmartMobs. There is also an interesting connection drawn between FlashMobs and Flux Art [3]. Despite the article being unpublished key areas of FlashMob are clearly explored. Garland (2010) takes a wide approach to FlashMob and widely explores various aspects. There is a strong reliance on the experience of Wasnik in proving the differences between FlashMob, SmartMob and rioting organised through social media which is the main weakness of this article, which otherwise addressed the topic soundly. Footnotes [1] http://matxer.org [2] http://www.vcu.edu/ [3] http://www.fluxus.org/12345678910.html

A community based website that consolidates the activities of Flash Mobbers around the world into a single portal. The resourceful website provides a central point of contact for people who create flash mobs, for people who are entertained by them and for those planning and for those who want to be a part of this intellectual movement. The website allows people to register and collaborate with other flash mob fans, keeping subscribers informed on event dates, locations, latest videos, flash mob events, a calendar and forum. Flash mobs not only allow people to enjoy the entertainment factor, but the developers of the flash mobs also drive the use of different technologies, such as websites, choreography, video editing, and the use of social media to spread the message. Entertaining and thought-provoking flash mob performances usually end up going viral, but along the way, these viral videos collect important demographic information about those who view the videos. Mashflob.com: The Worldwide Flashmob Community! (2011). Retrieved April 17, 2011, from http://www.mashflob.com/

This article highlights the potential that blogs have in allowing student nurses to collaborate and enhance their studies. The article describes how healthcare professionals can use online collaboration to "communicate, manage knowledge, mitigate error, and support decision" (Maag, 2005). The author believes that strong written skills are essential in nursing to "disseminate information on evidence-based practice and ultimately provide safer client care" (Maag, 2005). These skills can be enhanced by the online collaboration found with blogs as they provide "an opportunity for the nursing student to converse and state opinions about their knowledge acquisition" (Maag, 2005). Further to this, online collaboration in the form of blogs can provide the setting for "public debate regarding simulations and scenarios that might occur in the clinical setting" (Maag, 2005). This article is a valuable and highly credible resource. The author, Margaret Maag EdD, RN is a Doctor of Education as well as a Registered Nurse. Also the article was accepted by and published by an Industry Journal, Medscape. Although this article may be too detailed at times and provides a lot information on the types and working of blogs, this is probably due to the article's age (published in 2005) when background information was probably required on blogs. The main value of this article is it ability show how blogs, even back in 2005, were "providing the means to make a collaborative effort in enhancing knowledge acquisition". This would not only benefit nursing education but also the healthcare industry at large. References: Maag, M. (2005). The Potential Use of Blogs in Nursing Education. Retrieved April 16, 2011, from http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/498947

In this article, Giustini (2006) explains how web 2.0 and it's intrinsic "spirit of open sharing and collaboration" aids the "continual loop of analysis and refinement" of medical information. Giustini (2006), like Maag (2005), uses the example of blogs - in this case Ves Dimovs's Clinical cases and Images - to demonstrate how online collaboration promotes interactive discussions and timely updates on peer-reviewed medical material. Giustini (2006) also touches on how Google can serve as a diagnostic aid, but this will be examined in my commentary on "Googling for a diagnosis" (Tang, 2006). This article is a valuable resource because it highlights another form of online collaboration: the wiki. Giustini (2006) sees wikis as a place "to create optimal knowledge building opportunities for doctors", which will ultimately advance medical science. Wikis can do this in a number of ways. Firstly, by providing an environment "where knowledge exchange is not limited or controlled by private interests" (Giustini, 2006). Wikis also allow "participation and conversations across a vast geographical expanse" and "permit continuous instant alerting to the latest ideas in medicine" (Giustini, 2006). Wikis could also be used "as a low cost alternative to commercial point of care tools". Giustini's occupation as a medical librarian at the University of British Columbia enhances the credibility of this article. This is why I have chosen it to demonstrate the positive effect online collaboration is having on the medical industry. This article is important because it places the idea of a medical wiki in a much larger context. By breaking down the "old proprietary notions of control and ownership" (Giustini, 2006) of knowledge, wikis "may be the answer to the world's inequities of information access in medicine" (Giustini, 2006). References: Giustini, D. (2006). How Web 2.0 is changing medicine. Retrieved April 16, 2011, from http://www.bmj.com/content/333/7582/1283.full Tan

This article is quite short and not academic but I have included it because it adds some symmetry to the previous articles I have reviewed. While this article is focused specifically on the "risks associated with self-diagnosis and the reliance on 'Dr Google'" (Whyte, 2010), it also serves to highlight a potential problem of online collaboration: credibility and the quality of information. This is its primary value as resource for this project. While Giustini (2006) talks of the open access and freedom of publication that online collaboration allows, I think there is a drawback to online collaboration that hasn't been addressed in the previous articles. Misleading or incorrect information, especially of a medical nature, can be potentially harmful if published. As Whyte (2010) writes in this article, doctors are finding it increasingly concerning that patients are misusing their medication, referring to the internet for advice rather than consulting a trusted GP. Some Google listings that have not been filtered may list incorrect complications and side effects of certain medicines. As a result patients are taking less than the recommended dosage. Dosages or remedies may also be incorrect on Google and this could lead to potentially dangerous overdoses of medicine. Boulos (2006) writes of the problems gauging the reliability and accuracy of information on the internet. While "virtually anybody is able to alter, edit or otherwise contribute to the collaborative Web pages … the very process of collaboration leads to a Darwinian type 'survival of the fittest' content within a Web page" (Boulos, 2006). This would ensure that dubious information was kept to a minimum. Also by providing a closed and secure digital environment, the collaboration process could be carefully monitored and moderated. References: Boulos, M., Maramba, I. & Wheeler, S. (2006). Wikis. blogs and podcasts: a new generation of Web-based tools for virtual collaborative clinical practice and ed

Anyone can become a member of Avaaz. However, their website offers no portal of communication between members and/or non-members. Fortunately, this issue is solved by its integration of social media networks such as Facebook (Avaaz.org, 2011b), Twitter (Avaaz, 2011) and YouTube (AvaazOrg, 2011). Using Facebook as an example, Avaaz posts information about current campaigns. By doing this, Avaaz is opening further communication about its campaigns; it allows the organisation to continually grow stronger; and it is an opportunity for them to reach more people. On this Facebook group: * Avaaz posts new information, and contributes to conversations * Anybody following the Avaaz group can make comments about the campaign; concurrently they can also promote particular campaigns of interest to their own social networks. Avaaz also makes use of Twitter as another complementary platform for communication. Akin to Avaaz's use of Facebook, Twitter is used to keep their followers informed of updates, new campaigns and more. An example of this can be seen in Tweets made by Avaaz: Hi @SAALTweets, have you seen the @Avaaz petition for Jan #Lokpal? http://bit.ly/eZcDis Follow @Avaaz back so we can send more info (9 Apr) In 1 day over 250,000 have signed to stand with #annahazare against Indian #corruption. Join them at http://j.mp/gfg7KJ - pls RT (8 Apr) Avaazers in India: Stand with #annahazare to tackle #corruption. Sign the @Avaaz petition for the Jan #Lokpal Bill! http://j.mp/fCnD8Z (8 Apr) By doing this, Twitter users are able to receive updates about campaigns and other information; participate in conversations; and, promote the information that interests them to their networks (Jenkins et al., 2009). By doing this, the consumers of the networks are helping

[Continued from previous comment] In terms of my chosen topic of Flash Mobs, AVAAZ has stronger ideals and uses social media to highlight their issues of global concern. Flash Mobs tend to have their base within a community and despite sometimes being organized to highlight a social injustice, are mainly used as advertising to publicize an upcoming event or personality. YouTube videos shared through social media networks appear to be the main form of spreading a Flash Mob once the activity or event has occurred. AVAAZ on the other hand, has an ongoing commitment to highlight issues before, after, during and after an event. Thanks again for your insightful article and comment Jocelyn

Prior to reading these comments, I had never heard of AVAAZ. Out of interest, and because I have been researching civil unrest in Europe and the Middle East, I did a Google search on "AVAAZ and Egypt" and was surprised to see 418,000 results. There were multiple links to different groups who were promoting the "Stand with the people of Egypt petition" in conjunction with AVAAZ, groups such as the Care 2 News Network, and Manalife. We seem to constantly hear about the power of Twitter and Facebook, but in turn there are all of these other organisations collaborating, promoting and sharing content on the internet not just using Twitter and Facebook, but their own websites and forums. REFERENCES: Avaaz - Stand with the People of Egypt Care2.com http://www.care2.com/news/member/754940801/2709806 Hylands, J (January 30, 2011) Avaaz - Stand with the people of Egypt. Manalife http://manalife.org/articles/stand-with-the-people-of-egypt/

This article is presented on famousboggers.com a blogging site dedicated to academics publishing writing on current events. In this article Mohamed Osam (network and computer engineer) talks about the technological factors leading up to the revolution in Egypt. The "eRevolution" was sparked by a group of young activists on Facebook, they were pushing for reform on freedom and social injustice (Osam, 2011). These Facebook groups attracted more than 85,000 protestors via group posts, and comments, while communicating heavily on twitter and sometimes cell phone SMS services (Osam, 2011). Other Facebook groups were initiated before and during the protests to support the logistics and the massive demonstrations that erupted all over Egypt. The "Rasd News Network (R.N.N)" Facebook group was one of the main contributors to the revolution, sending protest updates, news updates and politician and media reaction (Osam, 2011). With such a public outcry the Egyptian government shut down all Internet communication in Egypt, but by this time things had already escalated beyond the governments repair (Franco, 2011). After a few more days of the increasing number of protestors, high national and international pressures, and a total of 18 days of protesting, Omar Suleiman (the recently appointed Egyptian vice president) resigned his position (Franco, 2011). This article brings up interesting points around the effects of online collaboration and communication. What is the future for these types of online political movements? The factor that seems to be most interesting is the fact that there was social action and results gained by taking the fight online just as offline. The power of online collaboration has obviously proven its point with these recent events in Egypt, so where too next? Could this type of political movement be a stepping-stone for further political activism or just like many other tools be used for both positive and negative behavior? Some see this as

References: Avaaz.org. (2011). Stand With The People Of Egypt. Avaaz - The World in Action. Retrieved from https://secure.avaaz.org/en/democracy_for_egypt/?fpla Avaaz.org. (2011). Freeze Mubarak's stolen fortune. Avaaz - The World in Action. Retrieved from http://www.avaaz.org/en/mubaraks_fortune/ Findlay, T. (2011). eRevolution on Diigo - oua_net308_2011 group. Retrieved from http://groups.diigo.com/group/oua_net308_2011 Osam, M. (n.d.). Articles by Mohamed Osam. The eRevolution. Retrieved from http://www.famousbloggers.net/author/mohamedosam Osam, M. (2011). The eRevolution. Retrieved from http://www.famousbloggers.net/the-erevolution.html

This is a great article that describes the technological and social influences that allowed millions of people to network and collaborate online during the protests in Egypt earlier this year. It shows how many citizens of Egypt successfully used various online services and tools in maintaining communications and mobilizing massive group actions throughout this time. The author explains how this was "the first revolution sparked, managed and orchestrated by social networking, by Facebook, twitter, blogs and YouTube"(Osam, M. 2011); and questions any potential harm that may arise from such seemingly powerful tools of social and political change. This supports the article 'Anonymous Uses Collaborative Document Sharing Tool for Social Survival' that I have posted to Diigo. These works investigate the widespread use of both public and anonymous web services in the coordination of information, communications and group movements during social and political protests in the Middle East. They show how these platforms were used as flexible networking and collaborating tools which effectively reached large numbers of people. While the Anonymous article focuses on the creation and distribution of their 'Revolution Survival Guide' for Tunisians - using tools that allowed "simple, free, and publicly "anonymous" way(s) to share and collaborate on information" (Clay, K. 2011); the Egyptian protests were initially "sparked by a group of young activists on Facebook"(Osam, M. 2011). These different networking and collaboration platforms were successfully used as social and political tools against oppressive regimes. References Clay, K. (2011). Anonymous Uses Collaborative Document Sharing Tool for Social Survival. Social Media and Technology. 25th of February 2011. Available from: http://www.lockergnome.com/social/2011/02/25/anonymous-uses-collaborative-document-sharing-tool-for-social-survival Osam, M. (2011). The eRevolution. Retreived, April 13, 2011. From

Project: Carousel! » How to organise a successful student protest using online tools The author of this article is Pontus Westerberg is a member of the Project Carousel! Team, "a student-led online community working under the auspices of the Centre for Media and Film Studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London". This brief article advises student protesters which online tools may be useful for organising protests and keeping protesters informed. The recommended tools include Twitter, blogs, video, plus online mapping tools. The article also recommends creating a central node, such as a website to tie all these disparate elements together, and as an example links to the UCL occupation page (http://www.ucloccupation.com/), which shows an example of this being done. Westerberg gives an overview on the use of Twitter hashtags to organise protest conversations, making them easier to keep track of, citing examples of these such as the #demo2010 that was used to organise conversations around the student protest that took place on the 24th October 2010. The 140 character limitation imposed by Twitter, also makes Blogs an attractive online tool for protest, offering a forum where ideas and issues can be disseminated and discussed in a lengthier format. Westerberg also provides examples showing the effectiveness of images and video in getting a message across, and indicates that there are benefits in utilising humour and encouraging user generated content. Overall the article provides basic information, but links to quite a few interesting examples of sites and tools that are being used by the student protest movement in the United Kingdom. References: Westerberg, P. (2010). How to organise a successful student protest using online tools. Retrieved from: http://www.projectcarousel.org/2010/11/how-to-organise-a-successful-s

This article from the Project Carousel website is a step by step guide describing how to organize "a successful protest using online tools" (Westerberg, P. 2010). It was created specifically for student activists however it would be adaptable to many forms of online collaboration since it shows efficient strategies for creating independent networks using free web services and social networking tools. This is similar to a guide describing how to create localized 'cell' based networks from 'Tools to help the Revolutions Part II - Online resistance cell organization', an article that I have posted to Diigo. Both of these guides explain practical methods for creating and working across decentralized networks, focusing on free online resources and web services. They also identify the primary need for a central point of contact (or node) which is connected to multiple communication and content sharing websites (as satellite services). These methods of collaboration describe "local cells that keep in touch through their decentralized networks" (anon, 2011), yet they are also effective ways to organize, manage and create widely accessible and secure channels for global communications. Both articles show techniques that allow a group to form strong and flexible networks with like minded people from across world. Refeences anon. (2011) 'Tools to help the Revolutions Part II - Online resistance cell organization'. Anonymous Hamburg. 23rd of February 2011. Available from: http://hamburger-anon.blogspot.com/2011/02/tools-to-help-revolutions-part-ii.html Westerberg, P. (2010). How to organise a successful student protest using online tools. Available from: http://www.projectcarousel.org/2010/11/how-to-organise-a-successful-student-protest-using-online-tools/

Project Carousel is a 'student-led online community based at the Centre for Media and Film Studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London' (Project Carousel, n.d.). The article was written Pontus Westerberg in 2010, during the student protests regarding student fees. It was written as a how-to guide to help would-be protesters make the most of social media to add their voices to the campaign in an open, transparent way. Westerberg is less informational and more instructional in his advice to establish a profile using popular social media tools like Twitter, with hashtags, creating a blog and making videos, making a particular point to be humorous at the expense of authority. 'Do something funny', suggesting that positive attention may be garnered through fun and humour. Unlike the Anonymous movement, Project Carousel appears to endorse, if not outright encourage, transparent participation with user-generated content and boldly putting faces and names toward the campaign. The points made in the article may seem obvious, but new inductees to the social media mechanism, eager to participate, would find these easy-to-follow steps a clear guide to joining the protests and being heard. Though not a crowd-funding or crowd-sourcing tool, it does provide a useful guide to generating interest from 'the crowd', be it a personal project or a community-conscious endeavour.. Westerberg, P. (2010). How to organise a successful student protest using online tools. Project: Carousel!. Retrieved from http://www.projectcarousel.org/2010/11/how-to-organise-a-successful-student-protest-using-online-tools/.