Wikis & Web 2.0

The link to my wiki on Web 2.0 can be found here: Web20WikiTrends

A Wiki is Web 2.0 in the truest sense of the term. Web 2.0 is all about collaboration and Wikis are collaborative websites in which anyone can contribute or edit. Wikis can be created for global, network or small community use. Whatever their purpose they are always a collaborative effort and their popularity will continue to grow with Web 2.0

WikiSpaces - A New Economy?

When watching the Shift Happens video my first thought was; That's a great concept, but how are we going to pay for it"? Cynical, yes, I know, but a thought that must be considered.

When I saw the discussion on this subject further down in the wiki I knew there were some like minded contributors and I thought it might be a lengthy heated discussion.  Much to my surprise it wasn't and there were some great ideas contributed.

As an individual, I have a very hard time thinking globally, especially when it comes to understanding global economics.

WikiSpaces - From the Me Generation to We Generation

This discussion on the Shift Happens WikiSpaces referenced and article about some students who when hearing about a 9th grader in their school, was being relentlessly teased about wearing a pink shirt, went out and bought 50 pink shirts to distribute at school. The idea snowballed into an anti-bullying cause that they named "Sea of Pink". The original article can be read here: From "Me" Generation to "We" Generation.

I think that as an adult raised in the "me" generation, I was very blessed to somehow have raised 3 children (all 5 yrs apart) as "we" type little adults LOL. All three of them have a confident sense of an individual self, and yet are definitely "we thinkers" and "we carers". The concept of a "we" generation is an awesome one, that I hope continues, without turning the next generation into socialists. Hopefully, we as a nation, and a world can find this balance. Because, the only way we will ever fix many of the issues facing our country, and our world is if "we" work together as a global collective.

Wikispaces - Shift Happens - Online Schools for K-12

I chose this discussion the Shift Happens WikiSpace, because I am a parent of grown children who I home schooled until they reached the age to attend high school and I take online college courses myself.

I think online courses for K-12 would be an interesting way to home school. When I taught my children from home there were video courses available and standardized online tests. There were also a few online schools available, however they were very expensive. I imagine since that time and the creation of the Shift Happens wiki that there are many more choices and that these choices are more affordable.

I think that much like online college courses, it would be important to research the quality and success of the institution, before choosing this route to educate your children. For instance, I have attended 3 different online colleges. Some of the courses were great and high quality and some of them use outdated material and confusing lessons. As adults, we can fumble through when necessary. However, children, especially elementary aged, would need much more guidance and direction when running into these types of obstacles. 

In general, online schools for K-12 is an awesome concept. I think it makes home schooling an option for parents who would otherwise shy away from such a daunting task. It could also bridge the gap for those parents who would love to home school but do not have the time for lesson plans and direct instruction, because they are working away from the home.

DEL.ICIO.US Really Not So Delicious!

Del.icio.us is a tool that has been around for a while now and was recognized as one of the major social bookmarking platforms. You can use it to discover, share, and organize relevant links, so you always know where to find them later.

Social Bookmarking is a means for web users to organize, store, manage, and search for bookmarks of different resources on the internet. Why it's referred to as social bookmarking is that links can be discovered and shared by others, depending on user privacy settings.

Del.icio.us uses "tags" which function like keywords or categories as an organization tool. This website refers to a collection of links that share a common tag as "Stacks."

KEY FEATURES OF DEL.ICIO.US

Del.icio.us is already very intuitive to use. There are seven main tabs you see on the left side of the screen when you are connected to your Del.icio.us account.

•          Search
•          My Links
•          Network
•          Discover
•          Trending
•          Add Link
•          Settings

Del.icio.us has mobile apps for iOS and Android so you can easily save links when you browse with a mobile device as well. Anything you save from a web or mobile device automatically synchronizes with your account, so you always have the latest links wherever you go.

ADVANTAGES

ACCESS YOUR BOOKMARKS EVERYWHERE YOU GO

This remains the biggest advantage of Social Bookmarking as a whole. Most Internet users have several machines that regularly surf the Internet from home, at work, at school, and public libraries.

SHARE YOUR BOOKMARKS WITH OTHERS.

There are countless of reasons why you want to save your bookmarks to share with others. You can use it to share your favorites with different people in your life (friends, colleagues, etc.)

SAVE INSPIRATIONAL LINKS

There are moments when we need a little inspiration. Whenever something inspires you, you can save it to your bookmarks. You can tag well-designed websites, blog themes, logos of companies, beautifully decorated places. Etc.

BUILD A NETWORK

If you've other users who are interested in the same stuff, you can add them to your network. When you are on a user page, which is below the search box at the top right, click "Add network." Now every time you bookmark something that you would want to share with them, they will be listed under Network tags as for a username, or under people tab, depending on whether you are using checklists or browser plug-ins.

CREATE THE ULTIMATE WISH-LIST

The better way to remember all the great things you think you have, but cannot buy it right away, save it to your wish list. Of course, you can create wish lists on Amazon and various other sites, but what if you want all in one place or things from other online retailers without wish-lists.

AFFILIATE SALES

So many people these days who cannot create their own products or websites have decided to become affiliates because they can simply promote a product without worrying about inventory, site maintenance or related costs. Affiliates can earn commission by promoting products with affiliate links on social bookmarking websites.

DISADVANTAGES

SITE ISSUES

When attempting to sign-up for Del.icio.us, I was unable to create an account using just my email address. The sign-up link loaded a blank page. I attempted to access the page from different parts of the site hoping it was an internal link issue. However, the only option for sign-up that would load correctly was through my Google+, Facebook, or Twitter accounts. I wanted to create an account solely for researching and experimenting with the site, and saving, organizing and sharing Web 2.0 bookmarks without using my work or personal Gmail account, because I was not comfortable with this idea until I learned more about how to use the service. Therefore I was only able to explore the site and research the web on it’s purpose, structure and usability. This was a huge put off for me. When conducting a search on the problem, I was able to surmise, that apparently there have been many issues with the site’s dependability since being sold in 2016.

TAG STRUCTURE

No standard in this environment regulates how social bookmarking sites tag links. Examples: - Should people only capitalize at the beginning of the sentence or for each major keyword?

COLLUSION

Like most things in today's world, a scammer can find a way to disrupt the system. If people join groups, sending great bookmarks and control their votes, they are suffering other users who rely on the public to vote on their submission.

SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION

Due to the advantage of helping their ranking, many people use this service to create back links to their web pages without actually creating unique content. Instead, they simply create junk and add their link and hopes  it helps their ranking.

Inkscape Original Creations

Experimenting with Flickr

Flickr is a photo sharing website you cannot miss, at least hearing about, on the Internet. It is currently the leader in web photo sharing and is probably the most commonly utilized photo sharing service. Even if you are not currently using Flickr, someone you know, or the image links in an article you read will eventually introduce you to Flickr.

One of the benefits of using this picture sharing service is that Flickr is optimized for all mobile devices and browsers, including Mac, Android, iOS and Windows. It also offers ample storage space, so photographs will always have a home. Flickr lets you save, edit and share your favorite images. Just download the Flickr app, sign in, and you can access your photos and also enjoy the benefits of storing, editing and sharing photos on the go.

Also, the company offers 1,000 GB of free storage space for photos. It allows you to store hundreds of pictures and easy access when needed. They also offer automatic backup features, so you never have to worry about the photos that are lost

Using this photo posting and sharing service is easy. To upload photos, drag and drop images into your camera roll. Then choose which photos you want the public, friends or relatives  to have permission to view. Also, you can sort the images by the date on which they were uploaded.

WHAT's SO COOL ABOUT FLICKR?

Experimenting with Flicker was a rewarding but challenging experience. I am not much of a photographer or graphic designer for that matter, hence the challenge. I was not comfortable uploading randomly chosen and/or edited photos from a simple Google search, mainly for licensing reasons that completely confuse me. So, I did a little research on free graphic design/photo editing software and decided to give Inkscape a try. I watched some YouTube tutorials and to get ideas, I browsed some graphics on the subject of Web 2.0. Then I created 3 fairly good original graphics and uploaded and tagged them on Flickr. I had a little trouble learning the export vector (svg) to png process as Flickr does no support the svg format but got through the process eventually. You can see the graphics I created here: My Flickr Creations.

ABILITY TO TAG LICENSING NOTICES

We are all aware that tagging makes the Web a richer place (by tapping into people's desire to categorize things and also share those categories with everyone else). Tagging provides a bottom-up order on the web, making it easier to find information. Flickr at one point was the wild west of copyright, but now there are simple options to use to configure a license notice for each photo or series of photos. Unfortunately, licensing and copyright information is almost hidden in the bottom corner of the screen and is often overlooked.

SOCIAL NETWORKING

Because social networks, photo tagging, and groups are built into Flickr, you do not have to use more social platforms if all you want to do is be part of a photo community and that’s it.

PHOTO VISIBILITY SETTINGS

Individual photos can be labeled as public or for a group (or individual) only. This feature gives users great flexibility in sharing photos with just only select people they wish to share with.

INTEGRATION & ORGANIZATION

In addition to its mobile application, Flickr is integrated into many large photo editing programs (Aperture, iPhoto, Photoshop Elements, etc.) to make easier uploading directly from editing.  Drag and drop organization makes moving photos on Flickr much easier than other sites demanding text-based folder system categorization.

The best parts about Flickr - communities, and mass storage space - are all free. And you can easily share your images with friends and family through social networks or the service itself.