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Institutional Implications of the Emergence of Social Software

http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/web-focus/events/seminars/helf-2008/http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/web-focus/events/seminars/helf-2008/

This work is licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 licence (but note caveat)

About This Talk

Many educators are becoming excited about the potential of social software to support informal and formal learning, and the term e-learning 2.0 has been coined to describe such approaches.

But how are institutions responding to the threats and opportunities which such developments provide?

About This Talk

Many educators are becoming excited about the potential of social software to support informal and formal learning, and the term e-learning 2.0 has been coined to describe such approaches.

But how are institutions responding to the threats and opportunities which such developments provide?

Brian Kelly, UKOLN, University of Bath, Bath, UKB.Kelly@ukoln.ac.uk

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Contents

Introduction• About the speaker• About the talk

Social Software • Personal case study: example of use of

social softwareAddressing the institutional barriers:

• Understanding risks and benefits• Risk assessment & risk management• Sharing and learning

Conclusions

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About The SpeakerBrian Kelly:

• UK Web Focus: a national Web advisory post • Works at UKOLN – a national centre of expertise

in digital information management, located at the University of Bath, UK

• Funded by JISC and MLA to support UK’s higher and further education & cultural heritage sectors

• Involved in the Web since January 1993• Active in promoting best practices for Web 2.0• Awarded prize for Information World Review’s

Information professional of the year in Dec 2007

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Note not actively involved in e-learning - but there are parallels with institutional implications for personal research environments (PREs)

Note not actively involved in e-learning - but there are parallels with institutional implications for personal research environments (PREs)

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About This TalkSocial networking software:

• You know about social networks eg. Facebook, Flickr, del.icio.us• You’ve heard how these are used in an e-learning content• You now that many ‘e-learning 2.0’ advocates are passionate

about their vision But:

• You’ve some concerns or your colleagues may be sceptical• You’re keen, but your institution is putting barriers in place• Your keen, but you still have concerns

This talk:• Acknowledges that there are legitimate concerns• Describes deployment strategies based on:

Advocacy, listening & refinement Risk assessment & risk management Engagement with your users & your peers

• Makes suggestions for future activities

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Social Software

What do we mean by ‘social software’? Collaborative software which facilitates team

working? That will be JISCMail mailing lists then? Social networking software which include some

notion of ‘friendship’? Installation of Elgg open source social

networking software at Universities of Brighton and Leeds, for example?

These examples fail to illustrate the main challenges to institutions or cover users understanding of the term ‘social software’ or ‘social networks’

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Web2MemeMap, Tim O’Reilly, 2005

Characteristics Of Web 2.0

• Network as platform• Always beta• Clean URIs• Remix and mash-ups

Syndication (RSS)• Architecture of participation

Blogs & Wikis Social networking Social tagging

(folksonomies)• Trust and openness

Characteristics Of Web 2.0

• Network as platform• Always beta• Clean URIs• Remix and mash-ups

Syndication (RSS)• Architecture of participation

Blogs & Wikis Social networking Social tagging

(folksonomies)• Trust and openness

Challenges of Web 2.0

What Is Web 2.0?

Marketing term (derived from observing 'patterns') rather than technical standards - “an attitude not a technology”

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The Specifics

No longer (?) institutional challenges:• Allowing students to chat on IM• Installing blogging & wiki software locally

(resourcing & scheduling challenges)

Main institutional challenges:• Use of 3rd party services: promoting, supporting,

sustainability, liability, …• Purposes of the services• Do they deliver the goods: assessment,

improvements, …?• User perspective: will they use them, info.

literacy, misuse, …?

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Using Social Software

Case study: my most recent talk

Background• Invited speaker at NDAP 2008 conference in

Taiwan, 18-20 Mar 2008• Three day conference with WiFi network• Talk on Library 2.0: Opportunities and Challenges • Talk (and pre- and post-activities) aimed to

demonstrate benefits of social software

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Case study is intended to illustrate benefits and issues associated with use of SNS in a research context & to explore possible relevance to e-learning

Case study is intended to illustrate benefits and issues associated with use of SNS in a research context & to explore possible relevance to e-learning

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Blogging

Many ideas given in talk had been written about in blog posts on UK Web Focus blogThis provides an opportunity for:

• Readers to comment on & criticise ideas

• Conference participants to visits posts to see expanded discussions

Note that blog posts are bookmarked to facilitate finding

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SlideshareC

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Slideshare provides:• Exposure of ideas

to wide audience• Tags to aid finding• Bookmarking to

make easier to use• Option for

embedding & reuse• Annotation• …

Plans to sync audio with slides to create Slidecast. Note Intro to Fb Slidecast has had > 3,700 views & 302 downloads

Plans to sync audio with slides to create Slidecast. Note Intro to Fb Slidecast has had > 3,700 views & 302 downloads

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Creative Commons LicenceNote that:

• Title slide contains a CC licence and a link to caveats

• On Slideshare the slides also have the CC licence

• The slides can also be (a) embedded & (b) downloaded

• CC licence granted for the talk (photos, audio & video)

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Benefits of such openness include (a) maximising impact of ideas (b) maximising access (c) minimising preservation barriers and (d) demonstrating commitment to openness

Benefits of such openness include (a) maximising impact of ideas (b) maximising access (c) minimising preservation barriers and (d) demonstrating commitment to openness

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Use of VideoVideo & sound recordings of talk made

Intention is to:• Sync with slides• Upload to Google Video

& services such as Zentation

Reason:• Maximise impact• Allow use on podcast &

vidcasts• Assist reuse of slides by

showing how they’ve been used

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Video of talk at NDAP 2008 conference not yet available. Using example from talk at UCISA conference

Video of talk at NDAP 2008 conference not yet available. Using example from talk at UCISA conference

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Tagging

Del.icio.us used to bookmark resources used in talk:

• Resources also embedded in Web page

• Tag ‘ndap-2008’ used

• If other speakers at event use same tag, the resource can be aggregated

‘ndap-2008’ tag also used in blog, Slideshare, …

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Was ‘ndap-2008’ the right tag to use? What if NDAP have other events in 2008? And NDAP is now called TELDAP.

Was ‘ndap-2008’ the right tag to use? What if NDAP have other events in 2008? And NDAP is now called TELDAP.

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Talking

Twitter:

• Used for reflecting on talks & sharing with others

• #hashtag used to aggregate related tweets

• Didn’t work well – too intrusive to Twitter followers. Other Twitterers only found on final day

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What to do next time: (a) explore other ways of using Twitter (b) use other micro-blogging tools or (c) use other IM tools (which may not be easily aggregated via tags or RSS)

What to do next time: (a) explore other ways of using Twitter (b) use other micro-blogging tools or (c) use other IM tools (which may not be easily aggregated via tags or RSS)

Jaiku:• Alternative micro-blogging

app also tried

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Opportunities & Challenges

Why have I used social services in this way?• Benefits have been explained• Institutional software not relevant• Benefits to others may be appreciated (for use by

students, for supporting students or for supporters peers)

What of the challenges to institutions?• Risk in using services (Slideshare, del.icio.us,

Google Video, Zentation, …)• Fragmentation of discussions• Legal issues• IT Service barriers

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Engagement Strategy

Barriers:• Institutional inertia• Vested interests, power struggles, …• Sustainability, reliability, interoperability• Privacy, copyright, …

Addressing the barriers:• Encouraging the enthusiasts• Removing barriers• Demonstrating benefits

These approaches have already been taken and are continuing

These approaches have already been taken and are continuing

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The Challenges

Areas of concern:

Institutional inertia, vested interests, power struggles, …

Applicable for any significant change

Sustainability, reliability, interoperability The technical challenges

Privacy, copyright, … The ethical challenges

Finding time, finding resources, expertise, … The deployment challenges

See “Web 2.0: Addressing the Barriers to Implementation in a Library Context” for example of barriers in a Library context

See “Web 2.0: Addressing the Barriers to Implementation in a Library Context” for example of barriers in a Library context

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Dep

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es Reliability & Sustainability

I use Slideshare to (a) maximise exposure to my ideas (b) solicit feedback (c) allow content to be easily embedded elsewhere and (d) measure impact

Technical Issues

Note URI for master copy on managed Web site is provided on slide & in the metadata

Note URI for master copy on managed Web site is provided on slide & in the metadata

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Slideshare Example (2)

What happens if Slideshare goes down – and it has happened!Does this demonstrate that you can’t trust externally-hosted services?

Technical Issues

But local services also go down – as this example from the Open University shows

And note prompt response from Slideshare

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Use of Social NetworksSocial networks such as Facebook are used to discuss Library 2.0 issues

Ethical Issues

But:• Aren’t they for

social, not work, purposes

• What about the ownership issues and the dangers of mandating use of SN?

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User-Generated Content

Portsmouth Library Teen wiki encourage user content

But what if the content is:

• Inappropriate• Difficult to

read• Has spelling

mistakes

Ethical Issues

Will such concerns conflict with organisational policies related to the quality of its Web sites and editorial processes?Will such concerns conflict with organisational policies related to the quality of its Web sites and editorial processes?

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Addressing The Concerns

Some approaches to addressing these concerns:

• Risk assessment• Data migration• Being user-focussed• Institutional transformation • Working collaboratively • Guidelines for use of social networking

services (e.g. Facebook)

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Risk Assessment (1)

See “Risk Assessment For Use Of Third Party Web 2.0 Services” QA Focus briefing document

See “Risk Assessment For Use Of Third Party Web 2.0 Services” QA Focus briefing document

Risk Assessment Management

Loss of service (e.g. company bankrupt, closed down, ...)

Implications of sudden or gradual loss of service

Use for non-critical services; have alternatives available ...

Data loss Likelihood of data loss. lack of export capabilities

Non-critical use; testing

of export, ....

Performance problems or

unreliable service

Automated monitoring …

Lack of interoperability

User education User education

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Risk Assessment (2)

25 University of OxfordUniversity of Oxford

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Risks Revisited

Are these risks scary? Remember to include:

• Risks of doing nothing• Risks associated with

using existing services

Case StudyOpen Source Software can also fail to be sustainable. The ROADS software was developed in UK to support academic subject gateways – but is now no longer supported.

Case StudyOpen Source Software can also fail to be sustainable. The ROADS software was developed in UK to support academic subject gateways – but is now no longer supported.

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Transforming IT Services

IT Services:• They won’t let us innovate• They get in the way• They don’t understand learning

Does this ring bells?

Tradition role of IT Services:• Focus on managing in-house services• Prioritising scarce resources • Minimising variability in order to maximise

benefits of support (“support software”)

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IT Services 2.0

IT Services 2.0:• Term coined by Mark Sammons, Edinburgh Univ• Idea revisited in plenary talk at UCISA 2008

Management Conference (myself & Andy Powell)• Feedback from blogging IT Service managers

IT Services 2.0 – ongoing definitions• Happy with use of in-house & 3rd party services• Encourages peer-support• Provides new media literacy• Has a risk management approach• Provides support in a era of richness of service

Overwhelming vote at UCISA 2008 not to ban social networking services. IT Services are transforming themselves – but what about academics?

Overwhelming vote at UCISA 2008 not to ban social networking services. IT Services are transforming themselves – but what about academics?

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Embracing 3rd Party Services

What will happen when student leave (as they do)?

Casey Leaver has documented experiences in migrating her blog from Warwick:

• The blog has been delete

• Not all data could be migrated (pictures & comments are also lost)

Thoughts: institutional blogs aimed at staff; support provided for students using 3rd party blogs

Thoughts: institutional blogs aimed at staff; support provided for students using 3rd party blogs

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When Things Go Wrong

What would happen if a 3rd party service was taken over by a porn company?

It has happened to me!

This embedded code (which converted RSS feed to HTML) changed to a porn Web cam!

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The Incident (1)

The Incident• Email message received saying news page for

workshop contained embedded Web cam

What We Did• Removed embedded code• Contacted company

What We Found• Company had failed to renew domain name

(credit card had expired & administrator was on holiday)

• Domain name grabbed by porn company – but retrieved within 24 hours

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The Incident (2)

What We Had Already Done

• A Risk Assessment page had already been created, documenting use of 3rd party services

What We Learnt

• This was a records management issue

• It’s not new – Microsoft failed to renew HotMail domain some time ago (also Australian Univ)

• It could happen with our hosted domains (e.g. EU-funded projects)

What We Concluded

• We need to share such experiences

• We need to be able to switch off services quickly if problems occur

• We need to manage our domain name subscriptions

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Risk Assessment

Risk assessment summaries provided for events which embed 3rd party services

Audit kept of incidents (1 to date)

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Data Migration

When useful information is stored on a 3rd party wiki the data is copied to a managed environment

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Transforming Ourselves

It’s not just about institutional inertia & IT Services

What about:• The academics who don’t care for change• The academics who jump on every new

bandwagon• Those in between these extremes

There’s a need:• To ensure enthusiasts reflect on mistakes &

lessons learnt • To recognise that e-learning (2.0) may not be for

everyone

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Personal Audit

Personal audit:• There’s a need for responsible Web 2.0

enthusiasts to carry out their own risk audit

Departmental audit:• There’s a need for own risk audits for

services used by others (cf. my events)

Institutional audit:• Should institutions (& funders) require self-

assessment audits to protect their investment?

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Vision For The Future

Where are we now?• People are using social networking

services• But some are unhappy with this

Should we:• Welcome the potential of social

networking services• Grudgingly accept that they will be used –

but expect this to last for a short term• Attempt to ban or dissuade such usage

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Revisiting The IE (nee DNER)

We had early visions for the JISC DNER

I subsequently developed my view for how the DNER might develop:

• Applications on the Web e.g. bookmarking (del.icio.us!) and word processing tools (Writely!)

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Web 2.0 As A DNER Development

The DNER got a lot right:• Networked services• Lightweight standards• Importance of RSS• Trust (in the funded institutions)

What we missed, which Web 2.0 is providing:• Commercial providers of services• New business models (we were Old Labour)• Lightweight development• User-generated content (we thought it would be

the professionals)• Trust – in the individuals• The power of the network – services which get

better as more people use them

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Why HE? Why Now?

World is changing:• Web 2.0, ubiquitous networks, mobile devices,

declining prices, increasing functionality

How should society respond to maximise potential?• At school: starting point, but this will be

protected a environment• At work: too late & employers will expect new

media literate graduates• At university: ideal place for students to develop

skills & ethical values for the digital citizen

Staff & students will use 3rd party services in their social lives. They need their own risk assessment / management skills.Providing a 100% safe institutional environment will hinder this

Staff & students will use 3rd party services in their social lives. They need their own risk assessment / management skills.Providing a 100% safe institutional environment will hinder this

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Guidelines For SNs

Facebook (for example):• Popular• “Provide data & services

where users are”• Development platform

available

But:• “Facebook is evil”• Data lock-in• Users may not want to

open up their social spaces

Need to develop & share best guidelines: Fb as one (of many) interfaces; access decoupled from social links; master held elsewhere; ….

Need to develop & share best guidelines: Fb as one (of many) interfaces; access decoupled from social links; master held elsewhere; ….

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Conclusions

To conclude:• E-Learning 2.0 and Web 2.0 are here and

won’t go away• Institutions need to engage with Web 2.0• There are many issues which need to be

addressed• Solutions are available• Probably the most important is

collaborative working with one’s peers