Group items tagged

Sorry if this comes up twice, I've been having internet connection issues. This is a really great article about an artist who made a pixellated version of a Miles Davis photograph for his chiptune tribute.  The photographer sued him and the artist lost.  It's just really important to ask ourselves where the line between copy and transformative work should be drawn and the artist (who wrote the article) provides several examples of items for sale that he finds to be similar to his work, yet appear unchallenged.

Social informatics is not explicitly mentioned in this article. However, I think it gives us direct insight into crafting our own definition of the term and its application. Bates looks at the overall domain of information science, and how we, as members of that discipline, can break free of the idea (which may have changed a bit since its writing in 1999) that there's no content to LIS education and practice, just structure (i.e., the core of our profession is to organize other discipline's information). Most applicable to our discussion, at least in this point of the semester, seems this excerpt: "In comparison to other social and behavioral science fields, we are always looking for the red thread of information in the social texture of people's lives. When we study people we do so with the purpose of understanding information creation, seeking, and use. We do not just study people in general. The rest of the social sciences do various forms of that. Sometimes this can be a very fine distinction; other times it is very easy to see. In communications research, a cousin to our field, the emphasis is on the communication process and its effects on people; in information science we study that process in service of information transfer. For another example, there are social scientists today who are observing people doing collaborative work through new types of networked systems in the field of computer-supported co-operative work (CSCW) . The sociologist or social psychologist identifies and describes the network of relationships and the social hierarchy that develops under these circumstances. They may examine the impact of technology on those social relationships and on the work of the individuals involved. The information scientist, on the other hand, follows the information the way Woodward and Bernstein "followed the money" in their Watergate investigations. That's the red thread in the social tapestry. When we look at that social hierarchy, we ar

In one of the videos we watched last week, Wesch mentioned how students can look at the discussion page for any article on Wikipedia to get a sense of how information is being interactively constructed and contested. This article discusses the issue of self-governance in online communities with a focus on how Wikipedia is edited and the community politics behind it. I think this article makes a really useful contribution to a discussion about authority and knowledge production on the Internet. There is also a related article about the relationship between Wikipedia contributions and identity construction here.

I read (part of) an ethnography of Wikipedia last semester that was really interesting. http://reagle.org/joseph/2010/gfc/ Good Faith Collaboration by Joseph Reagle "Wikipedia's style of collaborative production has been lauded, lambasted, and satirized. Despite unease over its implications for the character (and quality) of knowledge, Wikipedia has brought us closer than ever to a realization of the century-old pursuit of a universal encyclopedia. Good Faith Collaboration: The Culture of Wikipedia is a rich ethnographic portrayal of Wikipedia's historical roots, collaborative culture, and much debated legacy. "

Without accusing certain authors in the field of elitism, I think that Wikipedia works as it should, by serving the needs of people in the way they want it. If someone needs to look up the habits of Pokemon or William Shatner's favorite food, who are we to question their information needs?

Really great working paper on trolling in a feminist forum -- what do communities do when outsiders attempt to derail conversation by intentionally trying to start arguements and cause rifts in the community.  A case study of two incidents within the same message board.

Oh rad! I was thinking about focusing on trolling specifically for my project. I've actually done a little research on Anonymous/4chan too if you ever want to share sources!

Started laughing when I saw that they did a study on trolling, so I had to read the article. Really interesting piece on technology and gender.

Very recent Q&A with Sherry Turkle on "Alone Together" about our plugged in lives making people more lonely and distant. Interesting passage about teenage culture midway through

This really highlights one of the bad ways that technology impacts us; texting and checking Facebook are gaining precedence over socializing with people in the same room. It's depressing to think of how widespread it is.

I loved this article! I see customers at my work (a restaurant in a hotel) checking their phones all the time. One of my coworkers told me a few weeks ago that he was working when a big game was on tv. He was bartending and his bar was packed. Instead of having their eyes on the screen during the crucial moments of the game, many of his customers were sitting right in front of those tvs and ignoring them while their eyes and fingers stayed glued to their tiny phone screens, playing Angry Birds for all he knew. It was just odd, but sadly this way of life has been becoming more of the rule.

I've been hearing about his PA Cyberschool on NPR and it really sparked my interest, so I decided to check it out. I wonder how this use of technology is going to impact students long term educational prospects?

This is really interesting! I've been looking at e-learning, so it's interesting to see this example. I wonder how enrolled students would fare if they choose to attend higher education? Adjusting to the social aspect that the level of technology used might be difficult.

http://jewishvoiceandopinion.com/2010/11/pre-college-learning-center-nj%E2%80%99s-new-jewish-high-school-offering-customized-education-for-5000-per-year/ Just saw this today. Jewish Day Schools have been in trouble financially for a number of years; one is opening in New Brunswick this fall that will only charge $5,000 tuition because they are taking a similar approach to the PA Cyberschool (though I doubt it costs them $5K per student). I have doubts whether this model is sustainable at this cost; having experienced online classes it's more work for teachers and professors, not less.

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND WORKERS' PRIVACY: ENFORCEMENT Hans-Joachim Reinhardt The use of information technology at work has emphasized a tension between two distinct principles that appear at first sight to be opposed to one other: On the one hand, there is the principle of the inviolability of the employees' private lives and private communications and, on the other, the principle of the employers' rights to enjoy their private property and their managerial powers of command.

 Rebecca Black's song Friday is popular for all the wrong reasons.  Filmed for the sole purpose of having someone see it and having her earn actual fame for her talent (a la Bieber), it was shared via social media so much for how bad it was that it blew up.  Her internet famo turned into television appearances and actual fame.  But is this an actual trend? I'm going to post another link in a second...

I actually thought this was just the next iteration of Rickrolling. I guess people actually like the song?

Interesting thing about Rebecca Black. Her Mom actually put up the money ($2,000 or so) for her to record the song and video to dissuade her daughter from seeking a career in the music industry. Funny how things work sometimes.

I swear I just posted this to the group but it didn't show up, so apologies for a potential duplicate. This blogger observes the fact that a traditional mass media (think Nightly News with Walter Cronkite) doesn't really exist anymore, thanks to social news sites, YouTube, and the explosion of TV channels.

i always wonder about this...if the nightly news will ever "die out." i think about how older people (like my parents and grandparents) still turn the tv on to watch the news every single night, no matter what. personally i hope the nightly news sticks around. i find myself overwhelmed by online content. the news program gives me a summary of some issues...and if i want to do addition research on my own online, i can (don't have to trust them as the only 'authority'). maybe it's lazy that i want them to choose for me. but i like watching regular news programs...especially because i know those stories will come up on the daily show/colbert report :)

I took a class called "Internet and Democracy" at the UT school of journalism last year. It was fascinating to see how the journalism folks are getting used to social media. A lot of the same questions as LIS, but really working from a different model.

I often get frustrated by my 77 year old mother, who recently got a nice new computer (under much pressure from her daughters), but has a lot of reluctance about using it. This journal (iJETS) had many articles such as this one, that I believe could shed light on tactics to motivate this segment of society.

I really enjoyed this article, because my 63 year old mother in law is very computer-resistant, and I find it very frustrating. She wants to talk to me on the phone, but I really only want to use email. A generation difference really can make a technology difference.

My mom is also not online and no interest in the iPad. She often comments how the newspaper in her city is getting thinner and thinner so I often wonder if her view of the world and events if filtered by the fact that she's not online, and so much news and opinion is. Conversely, I met up with an old friend from high school last week who told me he refuses to really activate his Facebook account because his 70-something mom is on it and very active. I also know 30 year olds who only use computers and email at work because they have to and eschew everything else. Generalizations aside, I'm not convinced it's physical age, but more of a state of mind when it comes to new technology.

So while this *is* a humor article and not necessarily safe for work, I thought it would be good to share because it specifically talks about how social media and consumer computer technology affects people's sense of well-being.

Now I know why the 21st century was making me miserable! I sure could use some more annoying people in my life. This article really points out the downside of technology-enhanced socialization!

I would have called it "7 reasons the 21st century is making us more xenophobic and intolerant."

One aspect of the digital divide includes urban-rural connectivity disparity. Jeanine mentions Jessamyn West earlier in diigo, and I thought this woman required at least one more bookmark here (I'm a huge fan of her work, writing, presentations.)! The link is to the audio recording of Jessamyn's facilitation of the "Offline America" session at last year's SXSW (South by Southwest) conference. You can get the lecture notes, slides and more here: http://librarian.net/talks/sxsw2011/.

Another way to take the library away from the library. I'm interested to learn more about that "entire library experience" to launch soon.

I got to play with the Biblion app a couple of weeks ago at work; the developers, Potion (http://www.potiondesign.com/#/home) have created a whole slew of incredible educational exhibits/experiences. I think overall mobile apps are a really interesting direction for digital libraries - making them increasingly portable and interactive. I remember feeling a bit of excitement in my interaction with the materials from the Biblion app in which my own fingers, rather than an extension of them in the form of a mouse, turned pages, rotated objects, pressed buttons, etc. - a stark difference from interacting with digital libraries that contain similar types of artifacts. I'm interested to see how the web-version of the Biblion app compares - in physical presentation and affective impact.

Wow! I'm so glad that you posted this! This makes history so accessible and interesting, and I'm looking forward to installing it asap on my ipad right now! I wish I knew about it this past semester for my junior high American history class I taught; they would have loved this.

I came across blip.tv while working on a project for Principles of Searching last fall. The link above, (Social Buzz t.v.) is an example of a program related to our social informatics topic. While the commercial cans be a little annoying and quality of production can vary greatly, I have found some really good videos here. Here's an episode from a different program that I came across that discusses one of my pet peeves...iphone dinner table etiquette. (It's also kind of funny!) http://blip.tv/captureyourflag/social-media-dinner-table-etiquette-caroline-giegerich-8-27-09-chapter-12-2698172

:) How sad that we feel so connected that we can't get through a dinner with face to face interaction without constantly checking our emails, facebook, etc. Sometimes I look at families at dinner and laugh because they all have their ipods and phones out, and they're not even talking to each other.

I find it amazing that people can't get through A MOVIE without taking out their phones to see if anyone emailed, texted or called. Crazy!

This is a short clip by Nicholas Negroponte, who is the founder of One Laptop per Child. He talks about how technology has made a way to mesh together our work and home life. It's interesting how opposite the views are for this topic.

I like how he describes this meshing of technology and daily life as an omelet. The idea behind One Laptop per Child also draws attention to the topic of the digital divide. I was trying to find some other commentary from mr negroponte and I came across a clip from the Colbert report that highlights the paradox in a funny, yet serious way http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/363111/october-25-2010/nicholas-negroponte

This is a theory about the social relationship between people and technology in the workplace. Sociotechnical theory is about optimal performance both from people and technology at work. I don't really understand how this is any different from the idea of social informatics in the workplace, except that maybe this is a systems approach. Anyway, I just wanted to point this out because the concepts seem similar to me.

Interesting perspective on the benefits of having a smartphone. I still haven't committed to getting one yet, but I can see his point. It's also interesting to think about his 4th point about always having answers after having read the JSB essays. Is it actually limiting us? Also, as Kelly pointed out, if fire is an external stomach, would the smartphone/computer be the external mind? Maybe he said that in there and I missed it, but having an external mind is pretty useful.

I am still getting used to my iPhone; the main thing I feel that I get from it when I'm delayed or away from a computer, I can do small tasks, which is mostly check email and Facebook, use Notes if I want to jot down a few thoughts related to school/work. Small stuff, but it makes me feel more productive. I'm not a big app user yet, but I do think I have to get that public restroom one.

I really enjoyed reading this article because I'm not yet a smartphone user... which I guess means that I still get lost and I still waste time. It was a little scary though, as if the smartphone makes you a little closer to being perfect...

I actually just finished a meeting with a first year teacher in Philadelphia who also found Facebook to be an important tool in her professional development. It worked as an outlet to share ideas and push one-anothers thinking

I agree that social media can be a very powerful force for teachers as a teaching tool that crossing all types of boundaries. It really all depends on how teachers use these resources. I'm particularly interested in policies that school districts come up with in terms of regulating how teachers use facebook versus their right to free speech.

Two examples of using social media in the classroom. It basically comes down to this quote at the end of the article - "The bottom line is this: Anyone can be involved in solving the problems of our era. With 21st century tools, a small group of students can stand up to the devastation of nature, and a small group of teachers can be strengthened by the shared opinions of a larger group and take a stand against the devastation of certain policies that may control our practice."

The article is kind of long, but it talks about some interesting issues that might arise for companies thinking about moving to cloud storage. The price is right, but the risk is high. Introduces possible solution of a hybrid cloud, where sensitive data is still stored internally.

I attended a virtual presentation a few days ago through SJSU on Cloud Computing. The speaker, who works as State Archivist for Oregon, was speaking of the cost savings for using a cloud for storage of government records. It was interesting to hear her points on the benefits she found in using the cloud...The session will be archived and posted for later view soon if anyone is interested. Her presentation will be available to the public at: http://slisweb.sjsu.edu/slis/colloquia/2011/colloquia11su.htm I liked the related article linked at the bottom of the site you posted about the Dallas-based iCloud company suing the new Apple iCloud for using their name. You would've thought Apple would've done some research there...

Just came across these fairly recent article on Danna boyd. (yes, that's lower case 'b.') She's been involved with some pretty interesting online studies that focus on teen and young adults. Some of her research has included topics such as, "Online White Flight," "Digital Self-Harm," and Privacy Techniques." I found it particularly interesting that on the topic of Digital Self-Harm, she discovered that vicious anonymous questions on a teen's profile weren't examples of cyberbullying but were posted by the teen herself!

Thanks for bringing her into the conversation, Mary Beth! danah boyd is definitely one of my favorite researchers. I read large portions of her dissertation as part of HIB my first semester in the program here at Rutgers, and a lot of what she's said has stuck with me since. You can read it here: http://www.danah.org/papers/TakenOutOfContext.pdf. I also recently attended a webinar from the Berkman Center, where she's a fellow, in which she summarizes nicely a lot of her work under the broader theme of "Embracing the Culture of Connectivity." You can watch it here: http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/events/2011/05/academicSM.