Through Lulu's eyes...

Reflections on NET 11 in 2008...

2008-08-28T11:08:00.015+10:00

Mirror, mirror?

We are very fortunate to be at a time in the internet’s ‘life cycle’, where we have the benefit of hindsight and can learn from the mistakes and challenges of the past (eg Goffer, Microsoft vs Netscape, Napster, Kazaa) and we can see a very bright future for communicating (Facebook, You Tube, Digg, del.icio.us, My space).

Web 2.0, ( 3.0...etc) and the semantic web will be fascinating developments in the next 5 years – will students studying Second Life in 10 years think that it’s naff? (remember how we feel about Blinkenlights and its Star Wars version now!), what will the first (developed world) generations to grow up with computers and the internet as normal seek and develop? How will the access gap to information for the populous of developing nations narrow in the years ahead?

How will society develop its communications in response to the internet? Which according to Vint Cerf, is "...a reflection of our society and that mirror is going to be reflecting what we see," (Ward,2004)

I have learned much about the emphemerality of the web, seen first-hand how active communication generates identity awareness (Go Owen!), discovered what metadata actually is, tried to shed light on and diminish the invisibility of difference and keep up with fast data and the paradox of the world wide web, become more aware of the rules of netiquette and attempted to make my communications more effective by combining technical and communicative competence (Allen, n.d.). Reflected on why a traditional library is so very different from the web, had a peek into the deep web and found whole new worlds of resources.

I’ve new and older technologies and put them into practise - eg blogged for the first time and created a very fundamental web page using html, gained an appreciation of the ‘pioneers’ of internet technology and applauded the geeks who invented because they required it , as Tim Berners-Lee states "A lot of ideas,...were developed by geeks who needed them...and I use ‘geek’ as a term of high praise..."(Farndale, 2008).

I am not sure that I am yet an 'advanced internet user', however, throughout this course I have developed even more of a fascination for the internet and its possibilities which, fortunately for us, all, are only limited by the human imagination.

Enjoy the future!

Cheers from Lulu : )

References

Allen, M. et al, n.d. Internet Communications Concepts Document (WebCT, Net 11 Studies) Retrieved 6 June, 2008, from http://webct.curtin.edu.au/SCRIPT/305033_b/scripts/serve_home

Farndale, N. (2008, June 21).World Wide Wizard. The Sydney Morning Herald. Good Weekend p. 50.

Ward, M. (2004). What the net did next.
Retrieved August 28, 2008, from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/3292043.stm

Module 5 Information ecologies

2008-08-18T08:31:00.023+10:00

A definition of 'ecology'.

The New Fontana Dictionary of Modern Thought defines human ecology as “ the attempt to link the structure and organization of a human community to interactions with its localized environment.” (1999, p.247).

The use of the metaphor of an ‘ecology’ impacts the way I think about, understand or use the Internet as it makes me regard an information ecology as developing, ever changing entity where even small, initial changes can have a radical impact on the entire. It gives a biological slant, and I think of this ecology as an existing, growing (and demising) entity.

The most intriguing “key elements of a biological ecology that can be applied to thinking about technologies [are that ]:

it contains a diversity of roles for the people and functions for the tools
there is a co-evolution over time -- new technologies arrive and are assimilated, and peoples roles develop and change;”(Nardi & O’Day, 1999)

A diversity of roles means that users are able (at different times) to perform a variety of roles (eg consumer, contributor, innovator, lurker, or a combination of these roles.

Tools may have many functions and users may develop new uses for existing tools (eg peer to peer and social media).

In terms of how this will affect how I use the internet; if I need to retain or capture information, this definition has prompted me to take pains to ensure that I remove the information from the environment into an environment that I can control (eg files, printouts or folders on my PC and backed up).

In its nature, an information ecology is more ephemeral than previously thought and it is dangerous to assume that information that is present today will necessarily be available tomorrow; information is being constantly changed -
“maintained and changed in the constant reshaping through the exposure to new information in everyday life”. (Stalder, 1997).

The concept ‘information’ within the framework of an ‘information ecology’ is understood as a resource or commodity by Capurro (1990) “information no longer has primarily the function of a public good,...but has also become a commodity with a corresponding exchange value”.(Capurro, 1990) and according to Stalder (1997), “basic element of the ecology”.

Information can change, adapt and become new information, “information flows can change their direction and quality instantaneously, a characteristic greatly accelerated by electronic media” (Stalder, 1997).

The concept ‘Communication’ within the framework of an ‘information ecology’ is understood as a component part of the information ecology - information seems to be the higher ranked entity and not as a resource like information is - “Information...is only a resource as long as it is timely”. (Stalder, 1997).

Capurro (1990) states that “Modern information technology plays a major role in the process of shaping not only the ways we communicate but also all aspects of our individual and social life”, so the way we communicate (information) is influenced by technology.

We don’t talk of a ‘communication ecology’ because in the context of information ecology, information is a larger concept than communication – we communication information , so communication is operative in this sense.

Stalder,(1997) speaks of information being the basic element of the information ecology and communication as a process of this ecology. As more emphasis is placed on information, rather than communication (as per the above) the term information ecology has come into practise. Communicating is too specific a term this is why we speak of an information rather than a communication ecology.
Information is seen as something to “communicate among people” (Stalder, 1997).

References

Bullock, A and Trombley, S (Eds.).1999. The New Fontana Dictionary of Modern Thought (3rd ed). London: HarperCollinsPublishers.

Capurro, R. (1989, 23-25 August).Towards an Information Ecology. Contribution to the NORDINFO International seminar "Information and Quality", Royal School of Librarianship, Copenhagen, Proceedings: I. Wormell ed.: Information Quality. Definitions and Dimensions. London, Taylor Graham 1990, p. 122-139.

Nardi, B. & O’Day, V. (1999). Information Ecologies: Using Technology with Heart USA. MIT Press.

Stalder, F. (1997). Information Ecology A position paper (version 1.0) McLuhan Program in Culture and Technology, FIS, UofT, 1997.

Module 4 Task - Future use reflections

2008-08-14T09:21:00.014+10:00

Future seeker

Depending on the context, for future use, I would generally use the annotations/reviews/notes I have written on a source to refer back to, to decide if further review was required – eg would it fit my requirements at the time?

If I decided that the source (site, article, paper etc) was worthy of a further look, I would (initially) go to my del.icio.us site to see the original I had captured (or the printout of the article which I have also used as a tag on del.icio.us).

Developing a ‘library’ of abstracts or annotations is a valuable resource – not only for this unit but for future units. Having a review in your own words makes it much quicker to sift through the data one has collected.

The original ‘snapshot’ of the site is useful for recoding info such as URL, date (for ‘currency’ judgements), but does not take into consideration the context that I need the information (or the key words or tags that I will use to remember it.

In the Information and attention concept, Goldhaber states that successful websites “are those which capture and hold the increasingly distracted attention of Internet users amidst a swirling mass of informational options.” (Allen, n.d.)

I would add to this that it’s not only websites need to capture and hold our attention, but on a micro level, information or data. When you try to remember where you’ve stored something, additional cues (such as a robust filing system, or tags, are very useful to aid retrieval.

There is much merit in developing a Personal Unifying Taxonomy (PUT). “A PUT is essentially a classification scheme customized to the life of its owner. It reflects various activities, people and areas of interest in a person’s life — past, present and future.” (Jones, 2004).

Even when trying to retrieve information that I have bookmarked and tagged within the past month, I have found that I have had to add to or edit the existing tags in order to make them more searchable, so I hope that they will make more sense to my ‘future seeking’ self, eg ‘print’ to signify that I have a printout of the information, the title of the article in the tags (as I have found that I am searching via this currently) and on further reflection, will mostly likely include ‘11’ as a cue that I originally bookmarked the info during this unit. After reading about PUTs, a recent aim is to develop one of my own.

For external users, the original ‘snapshot’ of information would probably best help them judge if the site was useful or of interest to them, as, it is highly likely that they will have a very different requirements, agendas, opinions or world view to me. What I may find fascinating, they may find dull, what I find very useful, they may find useless.

A ‘neutral’ opinion (such as an abstract) would be most useful, where an annotation or review would be helpful from a peer or social aspect (eg for other people studying Net11 or similar units), to aid research and evaluation – eg if most of the annotations or opinions of a source were very negative, this would likely encourage me to move on to other sources (I would still investigate though - as everyone is entitled to their own opinion!).

References

Allen, M. et al, n.d. Internet Communications Concepts Document (WebCT, Net 11 Studies) Retrieved 6 June, 2008, from http://webct.curtin.edu.au/SCRIPT/305033_b/scripts/serve_home

Jones, W. (2004) Finders, keepers? The present and future perfect in support of personal information management. First Monday [Online], Volume 9 Number 3.
Retrieved July 28, 2008, from http://www.firstmonday.org/issues/issue9_3/jones/

Conceptual Research & Reflection Project

2008-08-06T19:50:00.099+10:00

Concept 2: Your audience’s use of communication

"Many effective email practices depend on understanding how the audience for your messages will use the information you are sending them., or more precisely,how you wish them to use it. (‘Use’ here includes many different things). This concept is quite different from thinking about what you are telling your audience: it requires you to think about what the recipients of email will do with that mail

Will they file it away for
future reference?
Will they respond immediately?
Will they act upon the
information if required?
Will they be passing the message or parts of it
onto others?

To be effective, you need to signal to your audience what you would like them to do; you need to help them to understand your intentions and expectations. Informational exchange consists in the content of messages but also the uses (intended or unintended) to which the information is put. Thinking about how audiences use Internet information is also very important for website designers; but, since most people are websit users, we can also usefully extend the concept to include the processes that we need to consider when we use websites. Furthermore, all communication involves the development of both messages and intentions of use, which can run counter to, or differently from, received messages and received uses.” (Allen, n.d)

You need to understand your audience (or at least be able to empathise with them) to effectively communicate.

The tone, language used, the time that the email is set to arrive in your inbox, all communicate what you want your audience to do with the communication. “You need to convince your target audience to take action by showing them why it’s in their best interest to do so” (Email Marketing Guide Part 2, 2008).

This can be achieved by using correct tone and language that your target audience will understand: eg a teenager will respond to a different style of language than a ‘corporate citizen’ or pensioner.

Many factors affect how your audience will use the communication:

the type of email, social or business
if the recipient has a way of organising their information for future retrieval
the use of filters
is the email for information only or is some kind of action required?

“Users spend 51 seconds reading the average (email) newsletter. The layout and writing both need superb usability to survive in the high-pressure environment of a crowded inbox.” (Email Newsletter Usability, n.d)

The use of the communication is also related to ‘metadata’ – eg if you are cc’d, bcc’d you will probably ‘react’ differently than if you were a direct recipient of the email.

How do you communicate what you want the recipient to do most effectively to particular audiences? Who else is a stakeholder in your communications and are their expectations of the result of the communications the same as yours?

Another factor that will affect the use of communications is the relationship between the sender and recipient.

Is your expectation of the relationship you have with the email recipient the same as the recipient’s? They may see you as just ‘another correspondent’, spam, another email from the boss asking you to do something, or wow an email from ‘Company X’!

Not only considering what they will potentially do with the email (file, respond, act upon or pass on) (Allen, n.d), but measuring what your audience can do for example open, read, unsubscribe, select links from within, forward to another email address (or many) will help you craft messages to your recipient. “tracking key statistics can...help you catch trends and make recommendations for future online marketing campaigns” (Email Marketing Guide Part 1, 2008).

When you understand how your audience behaves, and what works well, you can refine or adapt your communication to achieve your goals, for example, increase the ‘click through’ rate.

You need to be very sure of the key messages you want to get across.

For effective email and online communications practises, there are factors such as: For email marketing; - a call to action must be specific, compelling and easily understood, select this link to get our latest deal, “you have only a moment to gain the recipient’s attention.... The important thing is clarity” (Email Marketing Guide Part 2, 2008).

Your call to action does not have to be words - it could be an image or button to select.

For personal or social email; if you want the message to stay confidential or if you want it forwarded to others – you need to specify this in your email.

For corporate email; information can be used as both an internal or external communications channel “Email is one of a website's most powerful tools for strengthening customer service and increasing users' confidence and trust in the site.” (Neilsen, 2003).

Regardless of the type of email you send, you need to ensure that your audience will want to continue to receive communications from you; “By creating a message that is targeted and on topic, readers will find value in your communications...” (Designing and Coding HTML Emails, 2007).

If your email communication ‘survives’ the journey to one’s inbox and is read, it faces other challenges, for, as Jones (2004) states: “In the ideal world, we
have the right information at the right time, in the right place, in the right
form…. The reality is otherwise.” Keeping and acting on the information in
emails can be difficult, as reinforced by Brown (2004):

“Email is hard to sort into a strict taxonomy because:

Most messages could live in more than one category.
Personal and business priorities may shift several times a year, rendering email taxonomies obsolete.”

A communicator’s best chance of having their email used effectively (both on receipt and for future use) is making it as easy to use (eg read, respond, store or manipulate) as possible.

Annotated sites and resources

1.

Use it

http://www.useit.com/

Jacob Neilsen is widely recognized as a ‘guru of usability’ (as described by Financial Times, New York Times, CNN), Jakob Nielsen holds a Ph.D. in human-computer interaction. His website ‘useit.com’ practices what it preaches, in that it is a highly usable site.

The site regularly publishes articles, news alerts, conducts conferences worldwide and has videos and books backed by practical user research. Much of the original content (which dates back to 1995), has been updated or revised to include more recent research.

The site is written in accessible language and is even cited in the Net 11 course curriculum about writing for the web (task 3). It is a site that I regularly access and have seen quoted by other sites.

2.

Finders, keepers?

http://www.firstmonday.org/issues/issue9_3/jones/

Jones, W. (2004) Finders, keepers? The present and future perfect in support of personal information management. First Monday [Online], Volume 9 Number 3. Retrieved July 28, 2008, from http://www.firstmonday.org/issues/issue9_3/jones/
William Jones, an associate research professor in the Information School at the University of Washington, encapsulates the problem of personal information management and offers potential solutions.

This very well researched, peer-reviewed journal article discusses the decisions users must make (and also the mistakes) concerning personal information management (PIM), issues about PIM. Jones offers a fascinating view of how a person can organise their communications, given that they may have many different ways of communicating (including social and or business), different scenarios for ‘future perfect visions’ concerning personal information management decisions.

Concept 7: Netiquette

“An overwhelming and many-facted(sic) aspect of using email and similar asynchronous communication systems over the Internet is 'Netiquette'. Netiquette describes 'good' and 'bad' conduct in online communication (amongst other forms of Internet use). But what is important about Netiquette is the concept that there are these 'agreed' rules of what is good and bad.

Understanding why and now netiquette operates is more than just learning those rules (for, indeed, there are numerous differences and disagreements about the 'rules'). Rather, one must gain from a reading of 'netiquette' a sense that users must themselves contribute to the proper functioning of the Internet as a communication system: that no-one is in 'charge' of the net and we all must exercise an ethic of maintenance, taking responsibility for doing it 'right'. Moreover, what defines 'right' most of all is : 'how would I feel if this action I am about to take was done to me, instead of by me?' and, as a test of whether you are implementing 'right' properly, ask yourself "if I assume the recipient of my messages is less experienced than me, will they learn something 'good' or 'bad' from what I am doing?'

Good communication practice on the Internet is not something one 'learns', but something one 'practices' so as to teach others, less familiar than yourself, how it is done.

Good communication practice on the Internet is not something one 'learns', but something one 'practices' so as to teach others, less familiar than yourself, how it is done.

Netiquette seems to apply almost entirely to communication: email, online chat, and so on. Perhaps this fact suggests a difference between the kind of info-communication practice involved in website creation and use and that involving direct communication lines. The difference is that, in the latter case, the immediacy of the communication, the sense of ‘back and forth’ means that damaging practices cannot be as easily ignored. We feel, in personal communication (as opposed to the more indirect ‘reading and website’ form of communication), that bad netiquette really does waste our time and affect us. A poorly designed website doesn’t do more than prompt us to move on to the next one.” (Allen, n.d)

Netiquette is more than being ‘polite’ or ‘having good manners’ on the internet.

By experiencing others’ behaviour online and learning how to act, contribute and participate as others do, users can make up the rules and “contribute to the proper functioning of the internet”.(Allen, n.d).

Netiquette is a social or ‘viral’ way of communicating an unofficial set of rules - where people’s interactions affect others, who then take on what they have experienced (and if they feel that it is acceptable, worthy or cool), pass it on to others through their own behaviours. People like to feel included and they can do this by following rules.

Valauskas (1996) states that “Internet communities have evolved, over time, to create their own processes for self-regulation and tolerance”. There are many online guides and books one can access to ensure that one doesn’t cause major offence to other users during online communications.

“Rule 1. Remember the human. Never forget that the person reading your mail or posting is, indeed, a person, with feelings that can be hurt.” (Shea.V., 1994 p.32). Chat room and email sign-up pages (eg Yahoo) and even our welcome to Net 11 Studies have guides for netiquette:

“We need to adhere to some ground-rules concerning the kinds of messages we post – what is often referred to as ‘netiquette’.” (No author, personal communication from Curtin, Welcome to Net 11 studies).

This is to make users aware of what is expected of them when entering what may be a new environment, or becoming accultured online.

Using empathy seems to be a good way of judging what is correct/acceptable as there are no ‘definitive’ rules; “'how would I feel if this action I am about to take was done to me, instead of by me?'” (Allen, n.d).

As users of internet and online communications, “we understand...our role as members of a digital community, in terms of a handful of fellow network travelers.” Valauskas (1996). This is a good analogy as thoughtful or courteous travellers take the time to find out about a culture they are about to enter.

Schwalbe and Shipley suggest (as cited in Nord, 2008) ”Before you set finger to the keyboard, ask yourself one question (and don’t write until you get the answer): What is my relationship to the person I’m writing? Then, make sure your word choice is appropriate.”

Nord (2008) states that “Email’s power is that it’s easy to send and can be distributed widely and instantaneously. As such, its natural state tends towards informality, and we tend to work with it quickly and at times thoughtlessly”. A faux pas using email may seem like a minor mistake, but once the ‘send’ button is pressed, the damage is potentially done.

Communications online versus real life

Online, you can simultaneously conduct multiple conversations (via several different media) at once without appearing rude. This would not only be difficult, but considered rude in the real world. Your interlocutors’ expectations of the ‘conversation’ are different, depending on the channel of the communication.

Hugh Mackay, a prominent social commentator, believes that not only online etiquette is being affected, but ‘offline’ or real life manners are evolving, in part, due to “the proliferation of new technologies such as instant messaging and online networking sites” and this has resulted in an “increasingly fragmented society of subcultures-each with their own sets of rules and customs”. (Selinger-Morris, 2008).

With regards to manners, how does the virtual world mirror real life? - because they are very different spaces.

“Cyberspace contains many different cultures, which some writers have called "virtual communities." Each of these communities has its own rules and customs.” (Shea,1994, p. 20).

Newer ‘social situations’ call for new rules of interaction eg ‘Furries’ are a type of MUD that are not human – how does one approach non-human interactions?

There are bots that ‘simulate’ or pretend to be human (is this deceit?) do you interact with a robot as you would a person? Do they ‘deserve’ to be treated differently?

Acceptable behaviours are the key to successful interactions (these behaviours may not be the same as real life) eg no flying around the dinner table!

In order for the internet community to continue and flourish we (as internet users) need to guide newer and future users.

Annotated sites and resources

1.

Netiquette.

Shea, V (1994) Netiquette. Albion.com, United States. Retrieved July 28, 2008 from Intute database.

http://www.intute.ac.uk/socialsciences/cgi-bin/fullrecord.pl?handle=sosig988195417-18634

The book “Netiquette” was written by Virginia Shea (dubbed the ‘network manners guru’ by the San Jose Mercury News). First published in 1994, the online version of the first ‘network etiquette’ publication has been widely adapted online. Intute states ‘that some of the information is out of date’, indeed some of the terminology is quaint (eg ‘cybernauts’), but much of the content - particularly the core rules of netiquette - still rings true.

Shea covers business, social and legal aspects of netiquette and refers to using email and discussion groups. This is a well-researched book, with some helpful and still-relevant supporting notes, for example, explaining the origin of ‘CC’ (which would be useful for many a Generation Y individual) with an online and print bibliography for further research.

2.

Lex Networkia, Understanding the Internet Community.

Valauskas, E.J., (1996, July 8) Lex Networkia, Understanding the Internet Community. Paper presented at the Annual Conference of the American Library Association, New York. Retrieved 1 August, 2008, from http://www.firstmonday.dk/issues/issue4/valauskas/

Written by the principal, Internet Mechanics, and board member of Directors of the Library and Information Technology Association (LITA), two years after the publication of “Netiquette”, this (peer-reviewed) paper develops some of the concepts outlined in “Netiquette” and reinforces there is no single authority of the internet; it is the responsibility of internet citizens.

The article outlines how social behaviour, protocols and codes of conduct have evolved as both products of collective experiences and responses to threats internet communities.

A vision for the future (ironically),is taken from 11th, 12th centuries, where a governing system for markets over several countries and language barriers was developed (called Lex mercantilia)it is suggested that, via the various forms of netiquette we have an informal Lex Networkia.

Concept 8: The invisibility of difference

“When you meet someone who you can see is hearing impaired, you tend to compensate (sometimes too much) for the mismatch between your 'communicative systems' – speech and hearing on both parts. But if you cannot see that the person you are emailing is using a low resolution, slow older computer running a simple ASCII text email program, then you tend to forget that there are such users out there and do not compensate. There are many differences between computers and computer users, but we tend to forget them when, positioned in front of our own computers, we are able to communicate rapidly and - apparently – effectively across time and distance.

One can see this effect most clearly in some websites that have been developed by people with more powerful / different computers to others. Screen sizes and resolutions, for example, differ widely between Macintoshes and PCs and the effect can sometimes be seen in websites that require too large a screen or assume too small a screen as the only possibility

The daily practice of electronic communication is shaped by over-familiarity with one's own computer system, and a tendency to assume that – as with much more established forms of communication – everyone is operating within compatible and similar systems. When in doubt, seek to communicate in ways that are readable and effective for all users, regardless of their particular systems.

All forms of Internet communication are affected, to some degree, by the invisibility of difference. While, at base, the protocols that run the Internet are (and must be) identical, their specific implementation in programs can vary widely. This variation is, however, very hard to see: hence, the ‘invisibility’ of difference. Fundamentally, we need to recognise that Internet communication can trap users into seeing no further than their own monitor, almost as if they are communicating by speaking to a mirror. Certainly, in online relationships, it appears easier for people to see what they want to see (rather than what they ought to see) displayed on their screen. Advanced Internet users are mindful of the way in which communications lose some or much of their original context and appear on their screens ‘as if’ they are coming from the user themselves, rather than the person with whom they are communicating.” (Allen, n.d)

People think that what they have in front of them on screen is what everyone else has and makes no compensation for any possible differences. (Allen, n.d) It is arrogant to assume this.

To be a most effective communicator, and to ensure that the maximum audience receives your communication as you intended it, you need to use the ‘lowest common denominator’. This could be as simple as offering your emails in text and HTML, designing a web page for an 800 x 600 screen.

At work, my website is bound by a Government Website Style Directive. This is a very prescriptive document, which “is intended to create a consistent and user-friendly experience by standardising key elements to assist the public to easily obtaining information they need fast.” (NSW Government Website Style Directive, 2007). This ensures our website can be reached and utilised by the widest possible audience.

Any good design (including web pages) is scaleable and can use the lowest common denominator as a base. “seek to communicate in ways that are readable and effective for all users”. (Allen, n.d).

Many professional communicators (eg marketers) would not give much thought to this concept, in the mistaken belief that what works on their systems is ‘standard’. Even adding the text ‘view in HTML’ in an email can make a difference to the recipient. Many marketing or commercial emails (eg newsletters) have a link back to a website where the email is also published, to enable a recipient to view the email if they cannot read the email from their inbox.

Effectiveness can be seen in the use of protocols of machines to ‘communicate’ and there is a requirement for humans to behave in the same way. “The email arena, however, is currently facing the same lack of support for web standards in email clients once exhibited by browsers.” (Wyner, 2007).

Clear, effective online communications are required as the effectiveness of your communication can be damaged (or destroyed), if people cannot access or understand your message, they will not be able to act upon it in the way you want them to.

WC3 attempts to address these differences by recommending best practice for all users, particularly with regard to accessibility for users with a disability, with its Web Accessibility initiative.

Interestingly, “Web accessibility also benefits people without disabilities” and “ a key principle of Web accessibility is designing Web sites and software that are flexible to meet different user needs, preferences, and situations.” (Introduction to Web Accessibility, 2005).

Making your communications accessible can be as simple as using text links that make sense when read out of context. For example, avoid "click here." (Quick Tips to Make Accessible Web Sites, 2001). Simple, logical and applicable to all situations.

Even subtle details can effect communications – down to the font style you use.“… font will only display if your visitor has that font installed on their computer.” (Barta, n.d) When writing HTML code, you can “hedge your bets a little by specifying more than one font.” (Barta, n.d) You can acknowledge and accommodate differences in computer set-ups.

Another caution from Barta (n.d) to novice web page designers is to check page design at other resolutions as “Your carefully crafted layout might fall apart at other resolutions.”

Backwards compatibility is another way that communicators can ensure that their message is being received as it is intended- for example its best to save a PDF into a format that can be read by all earlier versions of PDF, even if you are using the latest version (currently in the 9s).

Communicators can make the mistake of concentrating on the message content (including measurement and call to action), the words, language and tone, without really empathising with their audience - how a subscriber to their email list would feel if they could not read a message (and could therefore not participate), could not select a link back to the website or access/read a PDF document.

They don’t really think about the mechanism of the communication and that this actually forms part of the communication (metadata).How you send the message can say a lot about you as a communicator and your company.

By becoming aware of the differences, “It’s important to remember when developing...every email client is different” (Designing and Coding HTML Emails, 2007) you can give your communication the best chance of being read, understood and actioned in the way you intend.

Annotated sites and resources

1.

The World Wide Web Consortium

http://www.w3.org/

Retrieved 24 July, 2008, from http://www.w3.org/

WC3 was founded by Tim Berners-Lee the inventor of the internet.This site is a global collaborative effort and its aim are to “To lead the World Wide Web to its full potential by developing protocols and guidelines that ensure long-term growth for the Web.” It is unbiased as it has no political affiliations.

It is a valuable resources, and in its global spirit, it is able to be translated into many languages. The consortium (as of 24 July) has 425 members including the CSIRO, Australian Government Information Management Office (AGIMO),British Broadcasting Corporation, IBM Corporation and many universities including the University of Oxford – a diverse and credible collection of institutions.
Many authors contribute to this website. The website is regularly revised and updated. The intended audience of this website is specialized - those who are interested in making effective contributions to the WWW. Much content is very easy to access and not written too technically so as to be alienating.
Information contained on this site appears to be valid and well researched, and covers topics extensively. The content is organized logically and is easy to read and find articles of specific interest.

2.

eROI

http://www.eroi.com/ Retrieved 28 July, 2008 from http://www.eroi.com/

This *is* a commercial site [however, given that so much email traffic is commercial, I think this is justified resource to include on this topic]. Much information is freely available and regularly updated with latest research. Via membership, downloads of material such as email and online marketing guides and studies are accessible. The website audience includes professionals interested in improving or creating effective electronic communications. The site and PDF downloads are written in accessible language and is not jargon rich.

eROI produce quarterly email usage studies. I’ve found the site over the years to be full of consistent, usable advice for example it calls for consistency in html use and in these ways, contributes to an ‘even playing field’ for online communications.

Concept 9: Permanent ephemerality

“It's been said that the flow of electrons to a phosphorised screen (much like the one on which you are reading this now, assuming you have not printed it on paper) provides an illusion of impermanence, even though - as demonstrated
mainly in legal cases – electronic information is actually very hard to eliminate from computer systems (especially those involving networks). Hence,electronic communication is marked by an uneasy tension between its permanence
and its ephemerality. Electronic communication (especially email) is likened to a cross between the written and oral forms with which we are most familiar and which tend to mark out our practical perspectives on what is ephemeral and what
is permanent. While true in part, this perspective ignores the fact that electronic communication's similarity or otherwise to written or oral communication is dependent on the perspective of the users.

Advanced Internet users do not confuse the electronically generated 'ephemerality' of their communication with a real emphemerality: they take seriously the requirement to communicate with clear vision of the consequences of what they are doing.

Web ephemerality is equally prominent, but works in reverse:
websites that appear permanent, fixed, solid have a tendency of disappearing,
changing or otherwise blurring back into the endless stream of pixels and electronic signals of the Internet. While communication appears ephemeral, butis not; websites appear certain, but are indeed often ephemeral. Perhaps this
suggests that Internet users need to emphasise the use of communication more than information-seeking.” (Allen, n.d)

The illusion of impermanence and permanence (Allen, n.d)

“But what does it mean-‘ ephemeral’?”...it means ‘which is in danger of speedy disappearance.’” (Saint-Exupery, 1945,p.52).

This is one paradox of the world wide web; as people deal with large volumes of information and content, they process this information and, to avoid being completely overwhelmed by information overload, they move onto the next thing that catches their attention (or, they may be multi-tasking – reading emails and simultaneously conducting multiple conversations via chat, etc.).

This leads to users paying less attention and can be more susceptible to assuming that what was there yesterday will be there tomorrow…

The ‘illusion of permanence is ‘Dependent on the perspective of users’ (Allen, n.d) but is also influenced by their experience, comfort level and expertise using the web and its available communication channels.

Some forms of electronic communication such as chat, are instantaneous and reinforce the ‘illusion of impermanence’. In the many conversations that I have had with my Net 11 course mates, I do not have a record of them (and presume that they have not recorded them either) what would we do with them apart from specifically reference them for a task? – do I own the words that I have typed to an online ‘friend’ in June this year and ‘where’ are they now?

I think that most people would have a chat, take any pertinent information away ‘mentally’ eg ‘so and so’s birthday next week’ or ‘meet John at the Opera Bar’ and then not give a further thought to the nature of the communication, nor what has happened to it. Perhaps what we should be asking is it stored anywhere? Can I retrieve it ? ...how would I do so...?

How do you make people aware that information is not ‘permanent’? What happens when you no longer want/need an email address or Second Life character (or any other avatar?).

“Websites are the opposite as they appear certain but are often ephemeral” (Allen n.d.). We’ve all come across a '404 error’ page not found – and if you’ve not previously copied or saved the information you need, (subject to copyright of course ; ) – it’s gone! Some of these error messages are helpful and suggest other ways you may find information, for example checking your spelling, using a site map or an A-z index.

Ideally, Nielsen (1998) suggests, “all error messages must be:

written in plain language that is easy to understand for non-technical users and that does not imply that the mistake is the user's fault
precise in specifying exactly what was done wrong (that is, not be generic or vague)
constructive in suggesting steps the user can take to correct the problem”.

The website archive.org has a search tool named the Wayback Machine, where you can “Browse through 85 billion web pages archived from 1996 to a few months ago” (Wayback machine, n.d.). I decided to try to retrieve a page that our Net 11 course, (module 4) had said was no longer online. I found it! Some content management systems have an auto-archive facility (such as mysource) to ensure content can be protected and stored.

But it’s not only communication types that are subject to this paradox; this illusion can also happen to software “Netscape Navigator became a victim of antitrust behaviours ... empires can disappear in one click” (Sen, 2008)

For people to truly understand that communications and information are ‘in danger of speedy disappearance’, they need to comprehend not only what their needs are for the communication at the time of receipt, but also have a concept of how it may be used in future. This will help them to judge what is required and to engage the many tools available to them; filters and folders in email clients, bookmarking, storage and regular backup, to effectively manage their information (by this I mean communications, content etc).

People’s use of communication will continue to adapt as more and more people use the web and more applications and tools become available for them to access, discover, store, retrieve, manipulate information.

Measures to counter ephemerality include archiving of web sites and other online materials, via sites such as the Internet Archive and ‘web harvesting’ which is defined as “ the automated capture of web published material” (Glen, 2007).

Web harvesting, currently being developed in government and political arenas could also be used commercially, to retain website content. Decisions and policies about how much and how often to capture and preserve information would need to be made to effectively manage www content for future generations.

Annotated sites and resources

1.

Web-at-Risk

Glenn, V.D (2007) Preserving Government and Political Information: The Web–at–Risk ProjectFirst Monday. Retrieved July 28, 2008, from http://firstmonday.org/issues/issue12_7/glenn/index.html

This peer-reviewed article gives an overview of what web harvesting is and the kinds of applications it could be used for, its potential to capture and preserve ‘born–digital information’. Glenn, the Government Documents Librarian at the University of Alabama Libraries, provides balanced comments on why would one wish to use these capabilities, the issues involved , including permissions and copyright, limitations of harvesting ( eg in some kinds of databases).
Several resources, tools and services are referenced for further research. This is a very interesting article as it hints on future promise to retain information that could have previously disappeared.

The Internet Archive

http://www.archive.org/about/about.php Retrieved via Intute database, August 4, 2008.

Note: Intute states that “Concerned that the ephemeral nature of the World Wide Web robs history of important documents, the Internet Archive attempts to capture and catalogue sites and preserve them for posterity.”

The Internet Archive is a non-profit organization, founded to build an Internet library. It’s a good example of an accessible (or social website archive. Using the Wayback machine (the site’s term for search) a user can access web pages, collected since 1996, to look for previously removed or deleted content. This is an unbiased site, in that it does not ‘edit’ what it archives.

This archive does not claim to be all encompassing or gives any guarantees for its accuracy, however, it does allow a ‘regular user’ to easily find information or content that has been deleted from other sources.

References

Allen, M. et al, n.d. Internet Communications Concepts Document (WebCT, Net 11 Studies) Retrieved 6 June, 2008, from http://webct.curtin.edu.au/SCRIPT/305033_b/scripts/serve_home

Barta, J. (n.d) So,you want to make a Web Page!
Retrieved 13 July, 2008, from
http://www.pagetutor.com/html_tutor/lesson04.html
and
Retrieved July 20, 2008, from http://www.pagetutor.com/html_tutor/lesson18.html

Brown, D. (2004) The Information Architecture of Email. Retrieved July 24, 2008, from http://www.boxesandarrows.com/view/the_information_architecture_of_email

Glenn, V.D, (2007) Preserving Government and Political Information: The Web–at–Risk Project First Monday. Retrieved July 28, 2008, from http://firstmonday.org/issues/issue12_7/glenn/index.html

Jones, W. (2004) Finders, keepers? The present and future perfect in support of personal information management. First Monday [Online], Volume 9 Number 3.
Retrieved July 28, 2008, from http://www.firstmonday.org/issues/issue9_3/jones/
Nielsen, J. (2003). Confirmation Email, Automated Customer Service Email, and Transactional Messages Retrieved July 28, 2008, from http://www.useit.com/alertbox/20031208.html

Neilsen, J. (1998). Improving the Dreaded 404 Error Message. Retrieved July 24, 2008, from http://www.useit.com/alertbox/404_improvement.html

Nord, Y. (2008). Minding Your Ps And Qs.Book Review of Send: The Essential Guide to Email for Office and Home. Retrieved July 24, 2008, from http://www.boxesandarrows.com/view/minding-your-ps-and

Saint-Exupery, A. (1945) The Little Prince. London: Egmont Books Limited.

Selinger-Morris, S. (2008, July 31) Oops, I did it again, Sydney Morning Herald, Essential, p.6,7.

Sen, P. (executive producer) (2008, July 7) Download:the True Story of the Internet. Episode Browser Wars [Television broadcast] Australia:Foxtel.

Shea, V (1994) Netiquette. Albion.com, United States. Retrieved July 28, 2008 from Intute database. http://www.intute.ac.uk/socialsciences/cgi-bin/fullrecord.pl?handle=sosig988195417-18634

Valauskas, E.J., (1996, July 8) Lex Networkia, Understanding the Internet Community. Paper presented at the Annual Conference of the American Library Association, New York. Retrieved 1 August ,2008, from
http://www.firstmonday.dk/issues/issue4/valauskas/

Wyner, M. (2007)Web standards: a must for html email. Retrieved 24 July, 2008, from http://www.w3.org/2007/05/html-mail/html-email-standards

*****
Designing and Coding HTML Emails. (2007) Retrieved 24 July, 2008, from http://www.eroi.com/online-marketing-resource-center/resource-center/
(select email guides)

Email Marketing Guide Part 1, (2008)
Retrieved 24 July, 2008, from
http://www.eroi.com/online-marketing-resource-center/resource-center/(select email guides)

Email Marketing Guide Part 2 (2008)
Retrieved 24 July, 2008, from
http://www.eroi.com/online-marketing-resource-center/resource-center/
(select email guides)

Email Newsletter Usability:165 Design Guidelines for Newsletter Subscription, Content, Account Maintenance, and RSS News Feeds Based on Usability Studies (n.d). Retrieved July 28, 2008, from http://www.nngroup.com/reports/newsletters/

Introduction to Web Accessibility. (2005). Retrieved 24 July, 2008, from http://www.w3.org/WAI/intro/accessibility.php

NSW Government Website Style Directive. (2007). Retrieved 24 July, 2008, from http://www.gcio.nsw.gov.au/library/guidelines/corporate-services

Quick Tips to Make Accessible Web Sites. (2001) Retrieved 24 July, 2008, from http://www.w3.org/WAI/quicktips/Overview.php

The Wayback Machine (n.d.) Retrieved July 24, 2008, from http://www.archive.org/web/web.php

end of post : )

Module 4 Task - Annotation

2008-08-03T22:03:00.017+10:00

Take this note Miss Moneypenny

I reviewed my sources and decided to write this annotation on 'Lex Networkia, Understanding the Internet Community', from the peer-reviewed online journal First Monday (I initially discovered First Monday via searching Intute database).

A challenge for writing annotations for the concept assignment is knowing that they are only able to be 100 words. This means information about the subjects discussed and the purpose need to be condensed; so inclusion of a source in itself is a positive evaluation of the reliability and authority of the site/source on the particular subject.

My annotation:
Written by the principal, Internet Mechanics, and board member of Directors of the Library and Information Technology Association (LITA), two years after the publication of “Netiquette”, this (peer-reviewed) article develops some of the concepts outlined in “Netiquette” and reinforces there is no single authority of the internet; it is the responsibility of internet citizens.
The article outlines how social behaviour, protocols and codes of conduct have evolved as both products of collective experiences and responses to threats internet communities.

A vision for the future (ironically),is taken from 11th, 12th centuries, where a governing system for markets over several countries and language barriers was developed (called Lex mercantilia)it is suggested that, via the various forms of netiquette we have an informal Lex Networkia.

*****

I have also included the abstract on the paper from First Monday:

“Much of the legal effort regarding the Internet and cyberspace occurs with little regard for the communities that will be most affected by new regulations and treaties. The Internet communities have evolved, over time, to create their own processes for self-regulation and tolerance. Legislative experiments that fail to take into account the nature of the Internet communities and the Internet itself are fundamentally counter-productive.”

...which was a contributing reason to why I selected this source over others I had found.

References

Valauskas, E.J., (1996, July 8) Lex Networkia, Understanding the Internet Community. Paper presented at the Annual Conference of the American Library Association, New York. Retrieved 1 August, 2008, from http://www.firstmonday.dk

http://www.firstmonday.dk/issues/issue4/valauskas/

Module 4 Task Organising Search Information

2008-08-03T20:37:00.009+10:00

Golden Re-treival

Three of the best sources I found for my Netiquette concept were:

1. Shea, V (1994) Netiquette. Albion.com, United States. Retrieved July 28, 2008 from Intute database. http://www.intute.ac.uk/socialsciences/cgi-bin/fullrecord.pl?handle=sosig988195417-18634

2. Lex Networkia, Understanding the Internet Community. Valauskas, E.J., (1996, July 8) Lex Networkia, Understanding the Internet Community. Paper presented at the Annual Conference of the American Library Association, New York. Retrieved 1 August, 2008, from http://www.firstmonday.dk http://www.firstmonday.dk/issues/issue4/valauskas/

3. Nord, Y. (2008). Minding Your Ps And Qs.Book Review of Send: The Essential Guide to Email for Office and Home
Retrieved July 24, 2008 from http://www.boxesandarrows.com/view/minding-your-ps-and

I recorded this information in several ways:

I bookmarked these sources using deli.cio.us and used very specific tags to jog my memory for future reference.(I have found the more tags I use, the easier it is to find again).

I also printed out the article from First Monday (twofold reasons; 1. So I could read it on the train and 2. so I had a copy I could mark up and keep)
I also referenced the sources for my Concepts assignment, taking care to record the specific URLs.

I did not take screenshots at the time of discovery (as I don’t think this is an effective way to capture details about these particular resources).

For my uni courses, I have developed a folder system and for NET 11, keep an electronic folder (which I back up regularly) for each of the Module task sets and assignments (drafts and finals), so have saved this information in these.

I also keep a real folder for printouts and collected reference sources; magazine or newspaper articles, or printouts of peer-reviewed journals. In this way, I can use multiple ways of finding the information, as I may need to access information in different contexts (eg read on the train, quote for an assignment, re-confirm a fact).

I used tools and software such as del.icio.us, Copernic, Google and directories such as Intute, Librarians Internet Index to search for information.

Module 4 Task Boolean Search

2008-07-30T21:17:00.018+10:00

NOT AND OR

My previously used search term key word (netiquette) does not really apply itself to this kind of search, so I added another term - behaviour.

As the web can search so much ‘deeper’ than anything before it, a comparison to a library is accurate only to a certain degree.
I can see that by utilising the search engines and directories available there is a whole new world beyond Google!

I found the Boolean logic very interesting and wish I had known about it years ago! My searches from now on will take on a different slant.

To gain the biggest number of hits relating to these key words I would use the 'or' operator, eg search terms netiquette and behaviour (as the "more terms or concepts we combine in a search with OR logic, the more records we will retrieve." (Boolean Searching on the Internet, 2008).

For information most relevant to what I actually wanted to look for, I would use the 'not' operator, as "the NOT logic excludes records from your search results." (Boolean Searching on the Internet, 2008), but I would use it with caution.

For information coming only from university sources, I would look at known sources such as the Curtin university database Gecko, also Academic Directories such as Academic Info or Infomine.

Search terms used Google

Netiquette OR behaviour

Results 1 - 10 of about 86,300,000 for Netiquette OR behaviour. (0.16 seconds)

Netiquette AND behaviour

Results 1 - 10 of about 95,500 for Netiquette AND behaviour. (0.13 seconds)

I also searched these terms using Dogpile, Intute and Librarians Internet Index.

References

Boolean Searching on the Internet. (2008). Retrieved 20 August, 2008, from http://www.internettutorials.net/boolean.html

Module 4 tasks - Internet search 2 Google vs. Meta search

2008-07-30T21:16:00.025+10:00

Seek and you *might* find...

Firstly, Copernic asked me if I meant etiquette?

Did you mean: etiquette?
Search Results 1 - 20 of 69 for "netiquette"
There were only 69 results.

The first 5 results were from yahoo ads : (

1. Finishing School for Business Success
The modern day Charm and Finishing School for business and personal success.
Sponsored by: www.gloriastarr.com [Found on Ads by Yahoo!]

2. Free Emoticons
5000+ Great PC Cursors and Emoticons. Absolutely Free.
Sponsored by: www.cursormania.com [Found on Ads by Yahoo!]

3. Download Free Emoticons
Free Collection of Funny Emoticons for your IM. 100% Free Emoticons.
Sponsored by: www.sweetim.com [Found on Ads by Yahoo!]

4. Be a Professional Etiquette Consultant
Get paid to give advice on manners and etiquette. Book shows you how.
Sponsored by: www.fabjob.com [Found on Ads by Yahoo!]

5. Let Our Technician Kill S.P.A.M. Dead
Our Live Online Technicians Solve All your E-Mail Problems. $1.35 Min.
Sponsored by: www.hermes-computers.ca [Found on Ads by Yahoo!]

Disappointing!

By contrast, the first 5 ‘hits’ on Google search were:

Netiquette Home Page -- A Service of Albion.com
This page is dedicated to the topic of network etiquette.www.albion.com/netiquette/ - 10k - Cached - Similar pages

The Core Rules of Netiquette -- Excerpted from Netiquette by ...
The Core Rules of Netiquette are excerpted from the book Netiquette by Virginia Shea. Click on each rule for elaboration. ...www.albion.com/netiquette/corerules.html - 8k - Cached - Similar pages More results from www.albion.com »

Netiquette - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Netiquette, a portmanteau of "network etiquette", is the convention on electronic forums (Usenet, mailing lists, live chat, and Internet forums) to ...en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Netiquette - 35k - Cached - Similar pages

Internet Netiquette
Gives a summary of the important points of e-mail, mailing list, USENET, and chat etiquette.www.albury.net.au/new-users/netiquet.htm - 6k - Cached - Similar pages

Email Etiquette (Netiquette)
David Tuffley, ICT, Griffith Univ. Australia. A general guide for writing and sending email. Email that does not irritate and/offend the recipient is more ...www.cit.gu.edu.au/~davidt/email_etiquette.htm - 14k - Cached - Similar pages

I was surprised that on Copernic that there were so many ads. Google, on first glance gave much more promising results.

I tried Copernic another time and enabled all 13 available search engines.

The Copernic agent this time supplied 98 results, however, of the first 5 results, there were 2 ads, the first non-sponsored link was for Wikipedia, then 2 results for Albion (the publishers of the book Netiquette).

To explore further, I also performed searches using databases such as Intute and Librarian's Internet Index and found relevant results (some of which were replicated on Google) - but no advertising!

Module 4 Tasks – Internet search 1

2008-07-30T21:15:00.012+10:00

U-SERP-ed?

Google is my most commonly used internet search engine.

I chose to search with the term “netiquette” for research my assignment.

The first result on the serp was http://www.albion.com/netiquette/

‘Learn Netiquette basics by reading this concise overview of network etiquette excerpted from the book Netiquette by Virginia Shea. Shea's "Core Rules" are the classic introduction to the subject and are widely cited in cyberspace.’

Results 1 - 10 of about 10,600,000 for netiquette [definition]. (0.09 seconds)

Module 4 – Task 1 Tools

2008-07-23T20:59:00.024+10:00

Mmm mmmm!

I have experience and access to PDF so I decided to explore bookmark managers and a metasearch (Copernic) for my tools task. I can also see that page sucker would be a useful tool.

I decided on del.icio.us. as a bookmark manager - I can’t access this at work but have heard of it from various websites. Previously I had used connote but found the tagging cumbersome and so am keen to give something else a try.

del.icio.us.
Installing was very easy and the tutorial very quick - great for an ‘after work’ attention span.

The graphics helped understanding -especially about where they would appear on my browser and I predict that using tags will be helpful.

“Tags are one-word descriptors that you can assign to your bookmarks on del.icio.us. They're a little bit like keywords but non-hierarchical. You can assign as many tags to a bookmark as you like and easily rename or delete them later."
(del.icio.us. FAQs, n.d)

I will be able to add notes etc to different bookmarks – this is a great aspect as you can retrieve information in many ways. You just need to ensure that you use meaningful tags.

Update: I have been using del.icio.us for a few days now and find it really easy. The tags feature is very usable.

Copernic
Copernic was more difficult - there is no obvious meta on the site so I opted the pc version. I had two attempts at installing it and it was a case of second time lucky. Very frustrating.

Update:The first few searches were disappointing as it was mostly Google, Google ads and Yahoo – MIVA popped up once but I have yet to really use this tool. There was some speculation on the discussion boards about whether Google (as a default for a regular user) would be the best.

I have both installed now : )

Deep web
I had no knowledge of the 'deep web' before I started this task and am intrigued by the concept. I am yet to complete the tutorials about searching but from what I have so far, think that I will be using databases more. I like the look of the Librarians' Internet Index and Intute and will explore these further.

As data and information on the WWW is changing and developing at such a rapid rate, and as "electronic publishing encourages constant change" (Allen, n.d), knowing the ways to find and creating ways to effectively (and ‘use-ably’) store information is becoming an issue.

One must also remember that just because information/data/content is found on the internet, doesn't mean it is a reliable source...(and I mean this in 2 ways; 1 in that the information may be volatile in terms of appearance/storage and 2 in that the information may not be accurate).

References

Allen, M. et al, (n.d). Internet Communications Concepts Document (WebCT, Net 11 Studies) Retrieved 6 June, 2008, from http://webct.curtin.edu.au/SCRIPT/305033_b/scripts/serve_home

del.icio.us. (n.d) Frequently Asked Questions
Retrieved July 23, 2008, from http://delicious.com/help/faq#tags

Module 3 - Task Web 2.0 blinklist and HTML

2008-07-22T06:56:00.030+10:00

In the blink of an eye...?

The way people use the WWW is fundamentally shifting from a one way transfer of information to being two (or multi-way) transfers of information and much more social or people focussed.

Heilemann states that the web is turning “ into a two way democratic, participatory medium...controlled by no one and shaped by everyone...our medium”. (Sen, 2008).

Napster, Digg, YouTube, Facebook and Myspace are companies that have contributed to the change of landscape. They are all social applications that allow sharing of information between users.

This has lead to an expectation of new sites and applications to be social and easy to use.

Format and benefits

So what is Blinklist? It was only when I returned to the Web CT and read ‘bookmark’ site that I got it really. When I accessed the site and on first glance I was confronted with a stack of information. I couldn’t immediately see a welcome, how to use section or even what Blinklist was.

It claims that it is “the smarter way to surf the internet” but I am not convinced of this at all.

There were some ‘friends’ that I didn’t know I had waiting for me. Blinklist doesn’t appear very intuitive. I’m not sure what I am supposed to do. The html list is visually dull by comparison (from a graphic user interface point of view), but at a glance I can tell that it’s a list and even the précis of some of these sites and articles. It’s more accessible (eg could be easily read by a screen reader) and can be downloaded more quickly. Some people may prefer the graphics and layout of the Blinklist, but the HTML text only is faster to download.Text only is FAST.

Differences

Blinklist

web 2.0 technology
'social', as 'friends' already here to greet me - even though I have no idea who they are!
articles or other links appear rated – not sure by whom
one can vote for articles (however, there has been very little voting on this site so this function is rendered useless)
only in the FAQs at the base of the site is there any info about what blinklist is and how you can access it. Essentially it is a social bookmarking site, but nowhere near as user friendly as del.icio.us.
advertising links appear on the site.

HTML

web 1.0 old tech (not bad tech)
able to be read at a glance the list
relatively accessible and usable

dull interface, but if you just want content, then it serves its purpose.

Over several visits, I have not found Blinklist engaging because it is not intuitive to use, I have found other applications much easier to use.

I definitely prefer the ‘old school’ html listing - my requirements are to access information as quickly as possible (and not be distracted). The html list is instantly understood and simple to use, some with a small summary of the content.

References

Sen, P. (Executive Producer) (2008, July 29) Download:the True Story of the Internet. Episode People Power [Television broadcast] Australia:Foxtel.

Module 3 - Tasks Blogs

2008-07-22T06:55:00.029+10:00

The World according to: [insert YOUR name here]

John Heilemann stated that “Nothing epitomises the democratising tendencies of web 2.0 more that that new form of expression we’ve come to know as blogging” (Sen, 2008).

My first experience of creating and using a blog to be connected in this way was for blog Net 11. It was very easy to produce and maintain. Timeliness is a key component of blogging. An interesting quirk of blogging is that it is both an archive and up to date at the same time.

– I know of one friend who has a blog and one of the directors at my work has one too.

Anyone can share their thoughts with the (connected) world and it is a one-to-many relationship/conversation. Chad Hurley is quoted as saying “the internet is about connecting individuals or connecting individuals to information” (Sen 2008).
Blogs are a very social communications channel and can be shared, ‘endorsed’ (eg via placing lists of other blogs (‘blogrolls’) on your blog.

Interesting uses for blogs include:

citizen journalism - people can report to the world from their perspective (which can elude government censorship).
‘personal’ blogging eg a good way of recording events (travel, weddings etc) with a disparate and distant set of people. For some people, there would be the personal satisfaction of seeing your name in print (almost a form of vanity publishing).
a communication channel for a group of people with a common interest – eg a bookclub.
educational purposes - my net 11 blog where I record my tasks and reflections.
client/customer engagement eg engaging a target audience by a company - eg Martha Stewart editors of Everyday food magazine blog about meals – Dinner tonight. This helps to sell the magazine and other MS products sells. in a similar vein, On the road is one Gourmet Traveller magazine blog, which keeps you up to date with the latest travel secrets.
advertising – the recent ‘In an Absolute world’ campaign for Absolute vodka, featured “more than 20 online blogs and websites” (Gopal, 2008).
celebrity or personality blogs to fans (again can have a commercial slant
entertainment for pure escapism or gossip Perez Hilton.
companies with staff blogging to customers
companies with management or staff blogging to each other as an internal communications channel
businesses/self employed networking and as a way of marketing yourself to prospective clients eg share your works or as Schutzsmith (2008) suggests; “commenting on blogs...to quickly gain exposure to the clientele you are trying to reach”.
sharing specific topic information for:
business business of design online , education, such as dented reality (used on this course) or social purposes (Tokyo eater).

It’s quite voyeuristic being able to ‘look into’ the thoughts of others - I am sure that some people really don’t consider that (unless they take steps to have a closed circle) anyone who wanted to can access the information.

I can see personal applications for blogging but wouldn’t actively seek to publish one - unless it was for a specific and required purpose, such as my Net 11 blog.

References

Gopal, S. (2008, August). Absolute Vision. (Campaign profile). Desktop Magazine, p.26.

Schutzsmith, D. (2008, April/May). Marketing for the Lazy Designer, Dynamic Graphics p.72.

Sen, P. (Executive Producer) (2008, July 29) Download:the True Story of the Internet. Episode People Power [Television broadcast] Australia:Foxtel.

Module 3 Tasks - FTP revisited

2008-07-20T18:16:00.021+10:00

Ta dahhhhh.., ( and phew!)

After completing the html tutorials and researching the content for my very first web page (which I found really interesting), I found the FTP upload of this task quite daunting (and had to leave it and get on with other tasks and assignments, so am editing this post now in August!) and had it not been for detailed instructions provided in the discussions, I would really be in a pickle!

The link via the presentations section of Web CT is:

http://webct.curtin.edu.au/305033_b/student_pres/Group76/index.html

The URL is: http://student.curtin.edu.au/~14160862

Especial thanks to Janette for her instructions and inspiration.

: )

Module 3 Tasks - standards task 2

2008-07-20T09:52:00.018+10:00

Once more unto the breach...

Wc3 standards
My page did not conform first pass, the errors were about display (around the headings hierarchy) eg Line 32, Column 3: document type does not allow element "H3" here; missing one of "APPLET", "OBJECT", "MAP", "IFRAME", "BUTTON" start-tag.

There is an option you can select to have your code 'tidied', and the 'Cleaned-up Source Listing' interestingly, automatically updated the code to use a CSS (something I had not done originally).

Legal issues
To answer the question "Have you used images or words on your web page or website that contravene copyright laws?... "

As most items are protected by copyright...and the only things that are not really protected include:
”
· Ideas
· Facts
· Titles
· Names
· Short phrases
· Blank forms “
(What does Copyright Protect?, n.d)

There are ‘fair use’ policies which include a using a small portion of the original or for education, purposes, so I may be able to claim these.

Really, unless you are writing your own original thoughts or creating original expression (art etc) you can not be absolutely sure that you are not contravening copyright laws ( Australian or international). So I probably have contravened copyright laws.

I would be in breach of copyright if I portrayed my webpage as part of the university website (eg as a deliberate deception) however, I may not if I had used the logo on an assignment. This was an interesting investigation. The copyright policy on the Curtin website cites the Commonwealth of Australia Copyright Act 1968.

The copyright policy states that “Material in which Curtin University owns copyright, and which is not classified as "Confidential", may be copied without any requirement for special permission to be granted. (Notification of the originator would be a courtesy.)” (Curtin University material, 2007)

If I wanted to use the logo for an assignment, and if I “ wish to copy material from it for educational purposes, you may be able to rely on the fair dealing provisions of the Copyright Act” (Material on the Internet , 2007) and that “There are no limits to the amount that can be copied or the form of reproduction or communication. Access should normally be restricted to Curtin staff and students.” (Curtin University material, 2007)

There is a policy on Curtin logo use, but this is only applicable to staff (“1. APPLICATION All staff” (Logo Use Procedures, 2008).

We are advised to “approach the copyright owner for permission to copy” (Copying with permission of the copyright owner, 2007). So, if I was able to, I could probably use the Curtin logo for my assignment.

The best way to ensure that you are not in breach of copyright is “When in Doubt, Seek Permission” (Websites: Five Ways to Stay Out of Trouble , 2007)

Interestingly, when I have attempted to copy the Curtin logo, it is not possible (there is a block over the top of the image which prevents effective copying).

References
Copying with permission of the copyright owner (2007). Retrieved 18, August, 2008, from http://www.copyright.curtin.edu.au/research/copying_with_permissions.cfm

Copyright and fair use (2007). Retrieved 18, August, 2008, from http://fairuse.stanford.edu/Copyright_and_Fair_Use_Overview/chapter6/6-a.html#5

Curtin University material (2007). Retrieved 18, August, 2008, from http://www.copyright.curtin.edu.au/research/curtin_owned.cfm

Material on the Internet (2007). Retrieved 18, August, 2008, from http://www.copyright.curtin.edu.au/research/internet_material.cfm

Logo Use Procedures (2008). Retrieved 18, August, 2008, from
http://policies.curtin.edu.au/policies/viewpolicy.cfm?id=959f55ad-fec2-11dc-b6c5-253dc30d60f2

What does copyright protect? Retrieved 18, August, 2008, from http://fairuse.stanford.edu/Copyright_and_Fair_Use_Overview/chapter6/6-a.html#5

Module 3 - (optional) Standards task

2008-07-20T08:08:00.025+10:00

Raising the bar...

A summary of my 5 most important online writing rules:

1. Place most important content at top of pages and start of sentences.

2. Be concise.

3. Make your text ‘scannable’.

4. Use bulleted lists.

5. Write for your audience and remember;

accessibility
literacy rates
attention spans, etc.

I have subscribed to Jakob Nielsen's ‘Alertbox’ for many years, so I was delighted to see him being used as a source. I am bound by a style directive at work it is (at times highly prescriptive) and much of his writing is referenced there.

Mr Nielsen is still right after all these years (in my humble opinion), but he does go back and edit his own writings as he finds more as does Dennis Jerz, both of which set good examples, so in this way keeps his advice current.

The 'Newbie Web Author Checklist' appears to be largely common sense (eg
Do all your links actually work?) but still useful. It complements the works of authors such as Jakobs.

By adhering to standards, writers for the web can ensure that the many levels of users are catered in a consistent manner, so, as these users become more familiar or experienced with the web, they will find it easier to use and navigate the web.

References

Jerz, D.G. (2007). Top 5 Web Conventions (Writing and Design). Retrieved July 20, 2008, from http://jerz.setonhill.edu/writing/e-text/conventions.htm

Jerz, D.G. (2007). Newbie Web Author Checklist: Before you publish that project... Retrieved July 20, 2008, from http://jerz.setonhill.edu/writing/e-text/checklist.htm

Nielsen, J. (1997). How Users Read on the Web
Retrieved July 20, 2008, from http://www.useit.com/alertbox/9710a.html

Nielsen, J. (2007). Blah-Blah Text: Keep, Cut, or Kill?
Retrieved July 20, 2008, from http://www.useit.com/alertbox/intro-text.html

Module 3 HTML task

2008-07-13T15:35:00.026+10:00

Cracking the code...

I can code – I made my first page! I do feel a sense of achievement – as this is something I have never done before and I am really looking forward to completing my first page.

Some difficulties

I got stuck when I tried to change the background colour – I typed in

<.... bgcolour="#ccffcc">*

and couldn’t change the background no matter how many times saved my notepad then refreshed...

I re-typed it then I tried again...

<.... bgcolor="#ccffcc">*

...no...

Then I 'copy and pasted' from lesson 2 To compare what I had typed...

Aha!

The perils of American spelling - no ‘u’ in colour! An important lesson I learned is to literally type what you see on screen and not what you think it should be.

This also happened with ‘centre’ and ‘center’ but I was more aware to look for it this time.

I can bold and italicise but I understand that you should never used italics on a websites, as Baxter (2003) states, it makes the words difficult to read as pixels are not rendered properly.

I learned that spacing is also very important! Missing or adding just one space plays havoc with your code (and when your eyeballs have dried out is quite tricky to spot!).

Other problems included; my Internet explorer kept blocking pop ups and running scripts so I was constantly having to select 'yes' for 'do you want to allow this ?…' and at times, the 'refreshed' page didn’t always take on the html it was supposed to.

“One more note about links... It is perfectly acceptable to link to someone's web page(s) without asking. Links are what makes the Web the Web. Again, because this is a very common newbie misconception... if you want to link to another web page... just link to it. You don't have to ask permission, even if you really really feel like asking would just be the polite thing to do... it's just not necessary. (Barta, n.d)

I don’t agree with the above from Page Tutor…our linking policy at work is very stringent and we request that people ask permission before they link to our site.

Cool stuff

Unordered (bullettted lists) and ordered lists were fun to make! and I like the comments section – hidden messages eh! the comment must start with

Validator check is cool I corrected the deliberate error in the html to get a ‘passed validation’ message to understand more about how they are presented.

Chalk and cheese! there are many differences between HTML and blogging

Before I started the HTML task, I thought that the differences between html and blogging are with a blog you need to concentrate on your content – how you express yourself and you can let the systems take care of the formatting. I still think this and the tutorial reinforced this opinion.

For now, blogging is much easier (given my time contraints), but from a satisfaction point of view I really liked the challenge of learning a new language - I enjoyed the tutiorial although I was very long and I had to complete it over several ‘uni study sessions’. Sometime I was frustrated when I could not figure our where I had gone wrong (colour/color) but it did teach me to pay attention.

I also now look at the view source and it makes much more sense – before I could only pick out little sections of source such as this is bold. I have a great appreciation now for people that code in html!

* I have to truncate the html, otherwise it will not show up on the blog post.

References

Barta, J. (n.d) So, you want to make a Web Page!
Retrieved 20 July, 2008, from http://www.pagetutor.com/html_tutor/lesson14.html

Baxter, B.(2003). Making the Web Work. Designing Effective Web Applications. Indianapolis : New Riders, p354.

Module 3 - Initial investigations

2008-07-13T12:42:00.023+10:00

HTML, SGML, HTML - OR - The case of the curiously disappearing vowels…

I approached this task with great interest as, at work, I am usually writing content but it is manipulated and published by others. I (currently) have a very limited understanding of HTML (eg I knew that strong = bold in my parlance!) So this will be a great opportunity to understand how it works for ‘the other side’ of the process.

Before I started the tasks, I think that the differences between HTML and blogging are; with a blog you need to concentrate on your content – how you express yourself and you can let the ‘system’ take care of the formatting.

Using HTML, you need to also concentrate on the formatting the code is intrinsically related to (or combined with) the content (text, links text) “form and content became inseparable in html” Web 2.0 ... The Machine is Us/ing Us (Wench, M. 2007).

Using mark up which is “character text or binary codes 'added to' data content in order to convey particular information about that data.” (What is SGML, 1997) you have much more creative freedom in an html page that you create and also with usability and navigation elements.

Mark up is used to describe “ the nature, function, or type of content” (What is SGML, 1997) and not “…how that data content should be displayed, printed on paper, or otherwise processed” (What is SGML, 1997).

Blogs are restricted to what the blog software can offer you or what the application owner wants you to be able to do.

With HTML, you can create you own CSS (cascading style sheet) which is portable. It also means that identical content can be manipulated quickly and easily using a CSS.

A great example of this is the Zen garden, (Zen garden, n.d)
where the same content can be manipulated into various styles.

“Blogs …combine elements of hypertext with what is in many ways a much more ’linear’ form than most websites. This is because new posts are organised chronologically“. (Contributing to the Infosphere: e-writing?, n.d) is this a reason why blogs are so popular – because humans can relate easily to them back to them back to books?

References
Wench, M. (2007) Web 2.0 ... The Machine is Us/ing Us.Retrieved July 13, 2008 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gmP4nk0EOE

Module 3, Contributing to the Infosphere: e-writing? (n.d).Retrieved July 13, 2008 from http://webct.curtin.edu.au/SCRIPT/305033_b/scripts/serve_home

What is SGML? (1997). Retrieved July 13, 2008 from http://www.isgmlug.org/sgmlhelp/exetwhy.htm

Zen garden (n.d)
Retrieved July 13, 2008 from http://www.csszengarden.com/

Reflections on Module 2 - Communicating

2008-07-07T22:33:00.020+10:00

The untimely (quasi-demise) of CherryBlossom Parx*

“What the web does is change the shape of communication” Tim Berners-Lee (Farndale, 2008).

Communications are greatly enabled on the internet, but you are reliant on technology working as it should.

Interacting with many people (individually and severally) over the past few weeks via chat, email and newsgroups has been a fascinating experience. Having a common interest (even just if it is Net11) is a great ice breaker – most people are very willing to give of their own experiences.

Sharing what you think is part of it. You get out what you put in Concept 20 generating awareness through participation (Allen, n.d.). Regardless of the way you communicate, being and active and interested (and interesting!) participant are sure ways to make the most of these kinds of communications.

Communicating can be tiresome at times; because of various glitches – both technical and human. You are also reliant on your chat mates’ ability to correctly (or similarly) use the technology. Plus, you need to be available at the same time for chat (or thankfully, not so available for other ways). It took several days to be admitted into the Skype chatroom and I was unable to successfully register on second life and bring my semi-created avatar (Cherry Blossom Parx) into existence.

Over several hours 1 evening, I was continually reassured to try again soon. Actually this was a relief as once I had finished this task (which was the sole reason for bringing Cherry into existence) – what was I to do with her once she had ceased to become a useful ‘tool’ for me. Would I leave her to her own devices? Make her do away with herself - is this even permitted? Thankfully this is one dilemma I need not wrestle with.

Via our discussion boards, I organised a chat as I couldn’t make a previously organised one. It was great to chat with others. Group chat is overwhelming at first, but following the threads becomes easier once you’ve had some experience of it.

Online communications are varied and the best channels depend on the requirements of the communication. Communicators need to ensure that the right communications channel is used and just because new technology exists, it doesn’t necessarily mean that it should be used in place of other methods, eg face to face. IM and chat are great for social and some work applications...

* CherryBlossom Parx was the chosen name of my Second Life avatar, whom, sadly never became real due to technical issues on SL.

References.

Allen, M. et al (n.d).Internet Communications
Concepts Document, WebCT, Net 11. Initially retrieved 6 June 2008 from http://webct.curtin.edu.au/SCRIPT/305033_b/scripts/serve_home

Farndale, N. (2008, June 21).World Wide Wizard. The Sydney Morning Herald. Good Weekend p. 50.

Module 2 Tasks - Chat and Group Chat

2008-07-06T19:17:00.029+10:00

Are you there?

I couldn't make the first chat as arranged through web ct so tried to arrange another on Friday night (4 July).

Technology is fantastic until it all comes crashing down on you. 1 of my course-mates was unable to join the chat as she was having computer issues. I also tried (unsuccessfully) over the course of an evening to create and 'bring to (Second) life an avatar to try chat that way.

I thought it would be a quick process to download Yahoo messenger and, well , cut a long story short, we didn't have a group chat on Friday...

I did have a fantastic chat with Mandy though : )

Organising a group chat

I had ‘advertised’ for a group chat on web ct and also our Yahoo grouplist for Monday night (7 July). At one point on the night, (before group chat time) I was chatting with Mandy and also having a separate conversation with Sarah, both over YahooChat.

I was also in Skype (finally got let in!). Gaynor had invited me for a chat on Skype (we had been trying to hook up for a few days but had had technical issues).

Mandy couldn’t get to Skype, so I invited Sarah to join Mandy and I on YahooChat. I conferenced them in to a chat together.

So I was chatting with the large group as well as a smaller group.
The group chat was held together quite well - there were about 8 of us. I found it easy to contribute to both conversations, but had to type frantically!

Skype was good for general ‘q and a’ style conversations, whereas I found the smaller conferences and chats on platforms such as YahooChat are great for getting to know course mates better – Hi girls! ; )

Module 2 Tasks Newsgroups

2008-07-06T12:58:00.018+10:00

Abracadabra!

Took a tour of usenet sites and newzbot but thought I would cut to the chase and use the link to access Usenet through Google from Module 2 tasks - time is getting away!

There is an amazing amount of newsgroups I feel naive that until this task, I really had no idea that these really existed. So after some perusing, I joined 'Dumbledore’s army' (thought it was most likely to be G rated (I have seen some creepy stuff over the past few days watching these newsgroups) and would be a bit of fun.

I chose this because I have read all of the Harry Potter novels (yes I am a child at heart!) and chose this one because of its 'about us description': "It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities" - Albus Dumbledore (Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets).

http://groups.google.com/group/dumbledore retrieved July 6 2008

Recently, the group has been concerned with the recent influx of spam and in fact many of the newsgroups I looked at had a lot of spam and particularly adult content.

Here is my post:
Lulu
View profile
If I ever get to meet my patronus I hope it would be a swan...as they are serene but there's a lot going on under the surface lol. Swans are symbol of love and I like the idea of that an 'ugly duckling' can transform into a beautiful swan. I think that Hermione's character was one that transformed the most throughout the HP series...what do you think?

More options Jul 6, 12:42 pm
From: Lulu.hunter@yahoo.com.au
Date: Sat, 5 Jul 2008 19:42:12 -0700 (PDT)
Local: Sun, Jul 6 2008 12:42 pm
Subject: Re: ponder over patronus

Off to make some magic ; )

Module 2 Lists

2008-07-05T14:20:00.013+10:00

On the Rich list?

Inspecting the content on http://groups.yahoo.com/ and also http:/lists.topica.com/... my first impression was how do people make time for all of this?

Had a quick scan around – topics I would feel conformable contributing within (books, literature , September births etc) and those that I really would not (guns, romance and relationships)

Even a cursory scan on the public email lists showed that some people were not following the rules – eg I saw many ads and other posts that did not appear to be related to the topics (which were quite specific).

Some of the yahoo groups appear to be thinly veiled (or even obvious) groups for products on June 30 there were groups for curves female gym, special k challenge and All-Bran Challenge - are these people all in need of losing weight because they sit in front of a screen all the time?

Email list pros

· A wide range of opinions and information on many topics.
· Can be totally public or membership only.
· Contribution can give you a sense of reward.

Email list cons

· Being so publicly searchable can attract a wider and therefore potentially more unwelcomed audience.
· You may get the impression that a conversation is between you and another list member, but in reality, there may be thousands of people reading your opinion (Concept 19).
· Need constant input from members to keep interesting and engaging – humans are fickle creatures and with so much information competing for one’s attention, members of the groups can quickly move on to the next item of interest whatever that may be.
· Can contain posts of inappropriate content ( from ‘off the topic’ through to obscene).
· You need to contribute/ post so people know of your existence (Concept 20).
· May not receive timely answers to queries or comments.
· Discussions can become more private in nature which “alienates other list members” (Concept 19)

Discussion boards pros

· Select audience – eg WEB CT discussion board, so more ‘private’
· More specific content/ interests
· Creates a sense of community and support for people having similar experiences.

Discussion board cons

· So many threads, there is a danger of being completely overwhelmed by the amount of information contained on them.
· Need constant input from members to keep interesting and engaging – humans are fickle creatures and with so much information competing for one’s attention, members of the groups can quickly move on to the next item of interest whatever that may be.
· You need to contribute/ post so people know of your existence (Concept 20).
· May not receive timely answers to queries or comments.

Email lists are more suitable for:

Information sharing
Advertising / advertorial

Discussion boards are more suitable for:

Discussion
Educational purposes

Module 2 Tasks – Email Tasks

2008-06-30T22:11:00.031+10:00

Press the send button!

I signed up for a yahoo email and set up some filters and folders. My email address is lulu.hunter@yahoo.com.au - I also took the email tutorial.

Here are my answers:

1. What information about a user's email, the origin of a message, and the path it took, can you glean from an email message?

From an email message, you can tell:

the senders' email address which is usually composed of the user's name and the domain of the user eg (lulu.hunter@yahoo.com.au)

the time the email was sent

the subject of the email

who else the email was sent directly to

who else is going to receive a carbon copy of the email

if it has any attachments.

You can also tell if it is:

a reply to another email

if it has been forwarded

the path that it has taken, the return path and authentication details.

On Yahoo mail you can select a compact, standard or a full message header (pictured).

The body of the email will give you the message itself and may contain a signature and may also have other information – eg consider the environment before printing this email or a disclaimer.

A user needs to be aware that their original message may be forwarded because data is so easily transmitted and highly mobile. Because of the "tendency of the 'mobility of data' has become a cultural given" (concept 5), there are some issues such as lack of attention to the content, information overload and decreased ‘share of voice’ (eg there are so many other types of information messages vying for someone’s attention) can occur.

Information can be shared in more meaningful ways - (concept 5) eg a url with a brief description about what the user will discover if they select the link, more background as to why the info is being given (eg This will assist you with preparation of the monthly report) or actions required by your recipient.

2. In what cases would you find it useful to use the 'cc', 'bcc' and 'reply all functions of email?

Use To: to send the email directly to a persons’ email address. This is useful if you want to have a direct conversation with a person or set of people and assign any actions to them.

Use CC: (Carbon Copy) if you want to send a copy of your message to an email address. This is useful if you want to include more people in the message and it just for their information only – ie a manager may have asked you to send an email to a set of colleagues to update them about a particular project – CCing the manager in the email lets the manager know that you have completed the task.

It also lets all the recipients know who has been sent this information. CC’s are usually for information only (and not to assign actions).

Use BCC: (Blind Carbon Copy) if you want to send a copy of your message to a particular email address, without any of the other recipients knowing that this email address has been included on the list. Recipients of the blind CC, may also receive any ‘reply all’ emails.

As it is so very easy to forward emails, (unless the original sender has used a function to prevent forwarding) people tend to give little thought or credence to the ‘value ‘of email. How many emails have you received that have been forwarded through several sets of people?

An email sender needs to include direct and clear instruction about the action or response that is either desired or required by the recipient. Some email programs (eg GroupWise) allow you to graphically represent some of these eg response required but you as the sender also need to make it very clear by your choice of words what your expectations are.

Empathise and make it easy for your users of email messages – eg by clever use of email subject headers. I have been practising this at work for the past week or so – indicting in the subject is action or just response is required. If I need something I have been including REQUEST in the title. I have had good response to this technique.

Effective emailing (and communications practise) needs an understanding of how an audience will use the information/ messages you send them. As there are different types of email – eg email marketing, social information or business correspondence, they all have having subtly different applications and intent.

A good communicator should also ask themselves (of sending an email) is this the most appropriate way to send this particular message?

Being aware and practising good netiquette ...”good or bad behaviour online” (concept 7) these are ‘agreed' behaviours will help your messages Becoming accultured to the internet and using email, learning its rules and expected behaviours is an important part of netiquette that will help you to communicate effectively. Empathy by users will ensure good communications practise.

3. In what ways can you ensure that an attachment you send will be easily opened by the receiver?

You can

Make sure that the file can be read by the recipient - you can confirm which systems they use or send in plan text if this is not possible.

Compress or reduce the file size to as small as possible so the attachment is not blocked.

Make sure to mention that you have sent an attachment with the email – perhaps a short précis about it to encourage them to open it. If they have requested information from you eg a report of further information, make reference to this in the text of your email. As you have requested, here is the monthly report (see Attached).

If they are not expecting it, a short description on what is contained in the attachment and why it is being sent is useful. (everyone is busy so they need to be convinced of the value of opening it)
With communications over the internet where people assume that everyone is the same (Concept 8).

Not everyone has the same level of expertise or experience with technology (eg novice or older users who may find adapting to technology challenging) as you. It is arrogant to assume this. People forget that there are differences in competence levels and so do not compensate for them.

Communications can lose much of their original content or impact when they are ’translated’ into other (different) formats. We should seek to communicate by ways that can be accessed for everyone (lowest common denominator) to make your message as readable and effective as possible for all users – eg the use of a text only message.

4. What sorts of filters or rules do you have set up, and for what purpose?

I have social email, work email and now educational email inboxes. In each I have different set ups as they are used for different purposes. Eg I have an automatic junk filter for social and educational (this is not something I have at work).

Automation of information processing allows time efficiency but may leave the user with the impression that the results may not be as reliable as possible (Concept 10).

I will experiment more with the filters concept as (apart from junk mail) is something I have really yet to explore.

5. How have you organised the folder structure of your email and why?

Many people now have at least 2 email addresses (social and corporate) and use them in very different ways. In my uni play email (a clean slate!) I have an admin folder for passwords, welcome messages etc. I also have a references folder. This is to store emails so I can reference info confined within them more effectively using metadata. I can be more efficient in handling info this way and may reuse data for actions not originally intended, eg as a template for future uses.

In my personal email I have wedding, uni, bookclub, baby, career, reference ( eg passwords welcome messages) folders.

My corporate email is the most complex of my email folder systems. Each current or work stream has its own folder, each year has a folder for all projects and I have an archive for each year, there are other administration type folders eg 'important/ keep for items such as managers emails, welcome messages from subscriptions.

To keep sets of information separate to able to search or organise more efficiently to be able to retrieve the info I need quickly.

The ability to store and re-use data means that is mostly saved without valuing it. Automation can assist with the by presetting or determining a future value of the info ( concept 12) eg all emails from Mr X can go straight to the to delete folder. Another way of coping with information overload.

Be conscientious about your email use while expecting little of others (concept 13) and you may find that people respond back to your emails. This also relates back to netiquette.

Thoughts on Module 1

2008-06-22T20:43:00.013+10:00

Or ... climbing up the learning curve.

Some of the tasks and concepts have been very easy for me and others quite frustrating. Perhaps this makes it easy to empathise with those who used and developed previous systems. I am thankful to them for their efforts and relate this back to concept #27 the persistence of history– by relating where we have come from we can see future possibilities and that by understanding older technologies can help to develop new technologies.

Concurrently, I am also learning to blog (with varying rates ofsuccess). Scanning our NET11 discussions reassures me that I am not alone here.

With current technology and the emphasis of usability, more people are able to perform more tasks more effectively…barriers to success are lowered - especially now that access the internet and information is so (relatively) easy compared with the last decades of the 20th century which is where much of the technology explored in Module 1 originated.

Will this development of technology be exponential as Gen Y (and beyond) who have grown up with computers, mobile phones and other communications technology as common place in their lives explore and develop ways of communicating? Or - if we explore the paradox of the World Wide Web in Concept # 28 where individuals are empowered but also demands that users cope with increasing complexity (Exon, M. 1998) - will this complexity fail to be managed by these generations because of their familiarity and ease of accessing internet which is second nature?

‘Supercomplexity’ (where the frameworks of how we understand the world are multiplying and in conflict... the multiplication of these frameworks is termed supercomplexity) (Barnett, R. 2000) is an increasing aspect of a 21st century life, even outside of the internet.

How will we interact even in 5 years from now?

Lessons from the past can help us with the future. Technological developments parallel the ability of people to express themselves (or created selves eg in MUDs (multi user domains), other personalities or their Second lives and this will affect a culture’s perceptions of the self.”...culture of simulation is affecting our ideas about mind, body, self, machine”. (Turkel, S. 1995).

As technology develops and becomes more entrenched in our developed, first world lives (and also more introduced into developing countries),how will this affect our perceptions of our selves as humans and our abilities to interact with each other and machines?

References
Barnett, R.(2000). Realizing the University in an Age of Supercomplexity. A supercomplex world (p 6-7). Philadelphia:SRHE and Open University.

Exon, M (1998) cited in Concept# 28 from Internet Communications
Concepts Document, Curtin University.

Turkle, S. (1995) In Introduction: Identity in the information age, Life on the Screen (p10). New York: Simon and Schuster.

Module 1 Tasks – Further exploration

2008-06-18T20:46:00.032+10:00

Boldly going where I haven't gone before...

I downloaded the A-Tool bar and used it to ping the webct site. The average time in ms was 252.
Pinging webct.curtin.edu.au [134.7.180.156] with 32 bytes of data...

I then compared this with the time it took to ping from the network tools site the average here was 277ms.

Ping 134.7.180.156
[webct.curtin.edu.au]
Round trip time to 134.7.180.156: 272 ms
Round trip time to 134.7.180.156: 277 ms
Round trip time to 134.7.180.156: 293 ms
Round trip time to 134.7.180.156: 280 ms
Round trip time to 134.7.180.156: 268 ms
Round trip time to 134.7.180.156: 270 ms
Round trip time to 134.7.180.156: 277 ms
Round trip time to 134.7.180.156: 299 ms
Round trip time to 134.7.180.156: 267 ms
Round trip time to 134.7.180.156: 270 ms
Average time over 10 pings: 277.3 ms

The ping from the A-Tools was marginally quicker (we are talking in milliseconds here). I had no expectation that this would be quicker than traceroute for example but it’s interesting to note that the same task over similar tools at a similar time (eg within the same minute or so) yield different results.

The intrepid explorer I am, I then used traceroute (can you say tracerouted??) from my pc to webct1.curtin.edu.au there was one less hop (19 in total) than the earlier traceroute (performed on Sunday).

The first series of hops were different via servers in the US, then via several states of Australia, but the last hops were the same.

I Googled the name of the first server to see where it was located...

The planet.com is a US company. When I arrived at their website, I was offered the opportunity to chat to a sales rep:

Curious to explore more about 'identity and location', I had a quick chat. Here is the transcript (although I removed the sales rep's actual name as I did not ask their permission to publish in my blog.I have called her Sales Rep.

Please wait while we find an agent to assist you...

You have been connected to [Sales Rep].

Sales Rep: Hello, my name is Sales Rep, I will be your Sales Representative. How may I assist you today? (If you currently have an account with us, please provide your Orbit/ServerCommand login.)

Customer [that's me]: Hello Sales, I dont have an account with your company.
Sales Rep: ok - how may i ehlp (sic) you?

Customer: I was interested to know what your company did ( I had looked up the planet and saw this opportunity to chat. Are you are real person?

[Pause of about 10 seconds]

Sales Rep: yes - i am a real person Sales Rep: we offer self-managed dedicated server hosting

Customer: Yes I am learning about servers and hosting in my course... I really dont need to buy anything today Sales but I appreciate your time. Have a good day.

Sales Rep: thank you!

Customer: Good bye
Thank you for using InstantService. You may now close this window. Your session has ended. You may now close this window.

End of transcript and end of post.

I blog therefore I am (with humble apologies to Descartes)

2008-06-18T20:13:00.012+10:00

Thoughts on blogging

So far…well...so good? Have been able to navigate through a pretty user-friendly blogging interface and am the proud owner of a blog. I do want to explore and customise my blog more - and these things take time.

I am trying to incorporate usability elements here from existing knowledge (gathered at work) including:

high contrast between background and text

using verdana font

spacing of text

to make my posts easier to scan or read.

Hey if you are reading this let me know if this blog is easy to read or not. Please post a comment! I’d love to know what you think.

I am finding the process of blogging easy and as I become more used to it will possibly become more adventurous with my posts. I have been thinking about including links to websites that I have found useful so far eg How Stuff Works and also a glossary of words that I have been unfamiliar with so far…

Back to the tasks at hand… more soon.

Module 1 Tasks – Internet tools - traceroute

2008-06-15T18:33:00.027+10:00

Bunnies or brewing? How many hops?

Traceroute

I visited the site How stuff works for a lesson on traceroute. It describes traceroute as “it traces the route that a packet of information takes to get from your computer to another computer connected to the Internet”. Straightforward.

Then off to centralops.net/co/ ( I hadn't seen this type of protocol eg /co/ before) to use the traceroute tool.
Here are the hops:

(I copied and pasted these into a word doc without issue - BUT attempting to paste them directly into my blog as requested has resulted in much frustration and a very long post so my friends, you will have to be satisfied with a screenshot).

There were 19 hops to the Curtin server which was number 20 in sequence and the average time in milliseconds was 123 (one way).

The IP NUMBER of the hostname curtin.edu.au is 134.7.179.53

Because the process of accessing the internet is usually ‘transparent’ to users and so fast, it came as a surprise to me that so many hops were required. Users take so much for granted - a ‘slow’ internet connection is a source of frustration but they really have no idea why. This exercise demonstrates to me the concept (#25) of identity and location in that the ‘fixed’ and ‘known’ points that packets of data are carried through to reach the end user can be identified (and now, right there for you to see on screen ; )

Module 1 Tasks – FTP

2008-06-09T22:02:00.014+10:00

Attack of FileZilla

File Transfer Protocol

Like Telnet, I have never used FTP before, but at least I am familiar with the term (being used as a verb).

I ventured to http://filezilla-project.org and downloaded the FileZilla client. This process was easier than the Telnet task for me. I did guess where to enter ‘recall.curtin.edu.au’ and logged in anonymously but it worked first go.

The answer to the burning question... according to the read me file, "CAPITALIZATION MATTERS!".

From reading Concepts 24 (Client-sever two way interactions) I especially like the idea that FTP enables an individual to publish information that can be taken, on demand [or ‘pulled’ ] by the user, rather than information being pushed at the user. Info push/pull are concepts I am familiar with from social media, so it’s gratifying to be able to see another connection.

Module 1 Tasks - Task B

2008-06-09T18:19:00.000+10:00

May the Force be with you.

Blinkenlights

Hmmm. A lot of effort went into this. It’s quite slow, but you have to admire the creator’s patience! My second impression was that there is no way that I can control what's going on onscreen. My role is 'passive observer' and there is no interaction possible.Telnet (as a kind of legacy) should serve to remind us how fortunate we are now that we have such difference interfaces now– but I guess ‘we’ had to start somewhere.

So, rather than having to sit and watch the star wars “20th centure text“ version via Telnet, we can watch the clip of ‘star wars kid’ with his broom/light sabre (remember him?) and should we choose to, share it with anyone we want. 21st century users can choose to actively access information.

At the same time, we are constantly being bombarded by it. This is in part, (I think) to the development of interfaces and the sheer volume of people publishing information.

As technology has become part of everyday life (in many places globally) new communication needs arise and technology is being invented to cater for them.

In 10 years will we think youtube is passe?

Module 1 Tasks - Task A

2008-06-09T17:35:00.000+10:00

And now for my next trick...

Telnet

Firstly, I had no idea that Telnet existed - until this week. Initially, I had some difficulty accessing Telnet (actually, this is an understatement!). I followed the instructions in Module 1 to the letter but, as nothing appeared like magic (as I am so used this happening when accessing the internet) I quickly went into frustration mode.
So, after trying again, I scrolled through our discussion boards until I found some help – thanks to Gino for being brave enough to post the question in the first place (as I in catch-up mode I have the benefit of others’ experience) and especially Zeak for the excellent Vista/Telnet demo... .The Telnet interface was usable, but from my point of view not particularly intuitive...we are spoilt these days.

The email from Deakin University is now in my inbox (hurrah!) and this task showed me that developments in interface usability and accessibility have come a long way and as current users, we should be grateful.

We can spend more time ‘doing’ than ‘enabling ourselves to do’.

Concept 23 states that the internet “...lessens the recognition of differences between humans and computers...”. In contrast, using Telnet it was very obvious to me I was interacting with a machine, using a tool for a specific use.

The other important lesson learned was don’t be afraid to ask for help – my course-mates are very helpful and this reflects the community nature of the internet generally i.e initially, someone has to figure out how to do things and people are more than willing to share.

More soon ; )

Top 5 tips for new bloggers.

2008-06-09T11:41:00.000+10:00

Here are my top 5 tips:

1. Keep it simple
Make sure your blog is both easy to read and easy to understand.

2. Play nicely
Treat others as you would like/expect to be treated and follow appropriate etiquette rules (‘blogiquette’ is a quite a mouthful don’t you think?).

3. Remember your audience
Who only have 24 hours in their day (and, apart from drinking , would probably also like to sleep occasionally). Aim to keep your blogs interesting and relevant.

4. Don’t be shy
Interact! We are all in the same boat as many of us ‘Net 11ers’ have never posted a blog before (me included!) Vote on each other’s quizzes, read profiles and post comments.

5. The Big Bad Wolf?
Remember that (potentially) anyone can read your posts (especially if you become world famous ; ) ...there is a balance between sharing information and retaining a level of privacy you are comfortable with.

Let me know what you think...