OpenID: Probably the Most Logical Example of Web 3.0

While OpenID is not particularly new, the broad-base support for it is. So far, Yahoo offers support for it and now Blogger has enabled OpenID to place comments. Wordpress had support for it a ways back.

Now I should comment on what I mean by support. In some cases "support" means you can use an organization's ID to access other services. In other cases, as in blogger, you can use another institution's OpenID to get in. But I'm getting ahead of myself here. . .

What Does OpenID Do?

Many of you have already commented on how difficult it was to manage all the usernames and passwords for these Web 2.0 services. OpenID is a way to use one login for all your services.

How Does It Work?

First, you establish an OpenID account with a service. In Wordpress, you can do this by going to you Dashboard, hitting options and choosing OpenID. The page there will show your OpenID code (usually the URL of your blog) and the sites that you gave permission to access your account.

From there, all you have to do is login to your account at Wordpress. After that, any site that lets you use OpenID (eg. Blogger) will be able to accept your login to Wordpress as showing you are legit. For instance, I left a comment on the Web 3.0 post (mistakenly mentioning OpenURL, which is something completely different by the way -- I get mixed up over this stuff) by choosing OpenID as a login option, selecting Wordpress and entering my openID "identity provider."

Blogger then sends me to Wordpress.com who asks me if I really want to give permission to Blogger to use my login to authenticate me. I say "yes" and now I can enter Blogger comments all I want with my OpenID. I can remove permission as well, by going back to the Wordpress "options" and clicking them off.

Firefox 3.0 (the next release of Firefox) has openID as a high priority item as well. This may mean even easier access to openID in the future.

Why is this Web 3.0?

As I mentioned before, as Web 2.0 was a fragmenting of the web, Web 3.0 is a re-consolidation. Being able to access many separate services with a single passcode definitely brings people closer to making the internet anticipate our needs based on context than ever before.

In the end, of course, it's just a great way of keeping track of all those usernames that collect over time.

I should also add that OpenID support is still very new. Yahoo! says their version is in "Beta" mode (that means it's at the stage where they are testing it). But if you are interested in new things, see if you can give it a shot!

B-Thing #3: Learn about Web 3.0 and/or "The Semantic Web"

Description:

Web 3.0 is a term that has sparked a collective groan on the Internet (and will perhaps cause the same thing from many of you). However, this term does suggest what might be happening to technology in the future.

In a nutshell, you could think of Web 2.0 as a fragmentation of the web, and Web 3.0 as a re-consolidation of the web. Other popular terms in this vein include: "mashup," "'god' Databases" and "the semantic web." An example of Web 3.0 might be Freebase, which is still in its infancy, or "Flock" a socially oriented Web Browser based on Firefox. Facebook's addition of applications like Scrabulous and others could be consider Web 3.0 as well.

Hints:

• This is all heady stuff that hasn't really been engineered well-enough to be considered user friendly to your average non-techy. The geeks are having a hard time getting their heads around this. Don't sweat it -- just know that it exists and keep an eye out for what might be happening in the future.
• I did the Facebook application thing and turned off most of them because I felt that they got too invasive. Tread the water softly here -- like I said, this is experimental territory still.
  

B-Thing #2: Check Out Kiva.org

Description:

Kiva.org is an innovative website that facilitates microcredit to entrepreneurs around the world. Muhammed Yunus won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 for coming up with the microcredit idea and Kiva has added to it.

But, no you do not have to donate to an entrepreneur to qualify for this thing (you don't have to qualify for this thing if you don't want to anyway :) ). I just thought it was an innovative approach to community/international development and I wanted you to see it.


Hints:

• Reading the policies and operations of this group is a good example of how a lending organization should operate. Detailed information about how an organization works is always a good sign for telling that a site is trustworthy.
• Checking out the Grameen Bank might be a fun extra too.
  

B-Thing #1: Check Out Zamzar!

Description:

Since this is bonus, I am not going to say too much. Go to the website zamzar.com and try it out! It's an online conversion software, and I think you may find it useful.

Hints:

• There are alot of file formats available for conversion, including sound, audio and text files. You can convert Word to Wordperfect. You can make pdfs.

• If you do not know a file format, just Google it, it should tell you. Maybe add a period before the format for good measure (eg. ".pdf" instead of "pdf").
• Some files are longer than others, that may impact the amount of time it takes to convert it.
  

Get Help with the "Things"

As promised, I am beginning the schedule for people to help with the "things." A Google calendar will provide you with a schedule of who will be where and when. So far, the only person on the list is me, I will add as the gurus come in.



To make it easier, we are going to host guru help on the "Meebo Room." It's just an easy way to make all this stuff happen.

A couple of words of advice:

• Chances are these "gurus" will be trying to get work done while they are, er, guru-ing. Please be patient if they do not answer you right as you come in.
• Why not tell the person on duty when you are planning to come? It might make for less confusion.
• A quick phone call might help if someone is not available when you expected them to be. Remember, this is volunteer work and sometimes there are small fires to put out.
• I will add a few evening shifts over the week for those who are trying to complete the "things" at home.
• Remember that communication online is a bit tricky. Pretend there is a smile on the person's face every time they write something. Most times people mean what they say in the friendliest way.

As things come up, I'll add more.

The Learning 2.0 Quiz!

The moment you have been waiting for! The Learning 2.0 quiz. Inside, you will see questions that will help me decide whether or not you really completed the 23 things.

You will be asked:

• For your name, department etc. (only Ryan will see this information)
• For the location/address of your blog (I'll read it to see how you've finished them).
• 8 questions on library/web 2.0. You need to get 6/8 questions right.
  
• If you have any further comments about the program.

There are three possible outcomes:

1. Total Success! You have successfully answered the quiz, and your blog includes entries on all the "things" that asked for them. Your name will appear on a "successful completion" list sent via email in mid-March.
   
2. Partial Success! You have successfully answered the quiz, but there are a few entries needed on your blog. I will let you know what you need to add.
3. Missed it by ->THIS<- much! You did not get 6/8 on the quiz. I'll ask you to try again.

Good luck! And remember, the bonus "things" will be coming next week.

About This Week. . .

As far as I can see, people are really zooming through their things, and we are almost at the end! A few notes for the next while:

• Many people have noticed that noone was there when they visited the Meebo room. That's not too surprising as I expect people will find themselves there at different intervals. I'm going to try to logon so that people will see at least one other person when they arrive! Please be patient with me, though. I may be busy working on the website or something.
• Tomorrow, I will release the great Learning 2.0 quiz! This is the final piece of the puzzle if you want to qualify for the laptop. The questions should be fairly easy if you did the "things," and even if you do not pass the first time around, you can try again! (I'll let you know if there was something missing. . .)
• In the near future, we are going to use the Learning 2.0 Meebo Room as a way to help anyone out with "things" they are stuck on. You may already have seen the message calling for "gurus." Once I have the list, I will pass on a schedule so you can see when someone will be there to help. There'll also be fairly explicit instructions on how to get there (yet another thing knocked off your list).
• 
  

Thing # 23: Learn About Microblogging by Trying Out Twitter

Description:

Just repeat the other "things" and give Twitter a try and put a description on your blog. You may need to get an account, but it's not necessary so long as you feel you "got it."

Hints:

• I put up a twitter account to provide technical updates about the website.
• Look up what "microblogging" is, it might explain some things.
• Just think, if you haven't skipped any things, you're done!

Thing # 22: Try Out the Halifax Public Libraries Learning 2.0 Meebo Room

Description:

Meebo has a product that is a jazzed up chat room. In there multimedia can be shared, and you can login via your Meebo or other favorite Instant Messaging Account.

I have created a Meebo Chat room for library staff use.

In this case, I've made it simple and easy. There's password and you can join in anonymously. Just go there and drop a message and leave if you wish.

Hints:

• The password is included in the email message I sent to "all." If you deleted the message just let me know.
• The Learning 2.0 team is going to use this room to help anyone complete their "things" before March 31st Later on.
• You can create a pseudonym by clicking on your name (which, if you do not have an account will be "guest[some number here]."
• "Tried and failed" works for this "thing" as well.

Resources:

• Meebo Rooms from the Meebo Wiki.
  

Thing # 21 -- Take a Look at Meebo

Description:

I do not want to ask you to create any more accounts on behalf of the Learning 2.0 programme, so with this "Thing" I just want you to explore Meebo a bit, find out what it does and maybe a bit about how it works. Whether you create an account or not is up to you.

Hints:

• Meebo actually is a way to help people get access to their instant messaging accounts, so you may have to have an (eg.) MSN account to use it properly.
• Think about all those times someone wanted help to download MSN for the public computers, and how this would have helped.
• Libraries have been experimenting with Meebo as away to provide chat reference to users of AIM, MSN, Yahoo! Messenger and etc. The main advantage is that all accounts can be handled through one interface.

Resources:

• Librarian Love on the Meebo Blog
  

Thing #20: Find a "Folksonomy" and Describe it on Your Blog

Description:

Not too much in terms of description, though I can promise that this one is pretty simple. I want you to find out what a "Folksonomy" is, find one on the internet and describe it on your blog.

Hints:

• Google (and other search engines) and Wikipedia (and other encyclopedias) are your friends. :)
• Folksonomy is very much related to "tagging." So, do thing number 18, and you'll be well on the way to thing #20.
  
• Go as far as you want with the description. Like Calculus, it takes a little bit of time to really understand why this sort of thing would be useful. So, if it makes no sense, do what you can to describe it and then that's enough for me.
• Wouldn't asking a question in a quiz on folksonomy be a good way to find out if you really did the "things?"

Resources:

• Folksonomy -- Daniel Pink in the New York Times.
  

Thing #19: 'Friend' Someone on a Web 2.0 Service

Description:

"Social" software cannot be social until you have some way to create a network. That's why I'm asking you to "friend" someone using a service. You choose the service.

"Friending" is just a way of noting that you have common interests on a web tool.

Some websites that offer "friending":

• Linked-In is a professional networking site (ie for jobs).
• Facebook is a social networking software originally designed for college students.
• delicious offers a "network" tool that is pretty good for anonymity.
• flickr has "contacts" which is that same as "friends."
• LibraryThing has a networking tool as well.
  

Hints:

• I realize identity/privacy etc. is important to many of you. Use a "nickname" for your identity for this "thing" please.
• You can friend me if you like:
• http://del.icio.us/Greebie on del.icio.us
  
• Ryan Deschamps on facebook and linked in.
• http://www.flickr.com/photos/greebie/ on flickr.
• You can friend some library accounts around:
• http://www.twitter.com/hpllearning
• http://del.icio.us/hplinfodesk
• You could friend a co-worker if you like and they could friend you as a pay-back.
• I'll accept "tried and failed" on this one as well.

Resources:

• MySpace: Friending is the New Ad
  

Thing #18: "Tag" Something on a Web 2.0 Service

Description:

A "tag" is label that can be applied to a photo, bookmark or anything else so that it a) can be described and b) may be put aside for later. This "thing" asks you to try out a tag on a service of your choice.

Here are some popular services that offer tags:

• Blogger, Wordpress (although don't you think this is cheating a little)?
• LibraryThing, and Bibliophil
• del.icio.us
• Flickr, YouTube and related sites.

Hints:

• You may need an account with the service you are using to create tags.
• The collection of tags used on a service is called a "Folksonomy." Remember that: it will help you complete Thing Number 20, and has one other use you will discover later.
• Think of tags as like storing something in a folder, except the folder is "applied" to the object instead of the object being put in the folder. The main advantage is that tags work as if you had the same file in a number of different folders at the same time.
• Tagging is also helpful because it can be unique. For instance, maybe you need a certain photo for a course or program -- you can tag the photo with the program/course name!

Resources:

• The Flickr Tagging page.
  

I'm Running Late!

I will be releasing the next "things" today. Until then, I thought I'd add some notes:

• I had a few more questions about how I will see people's blogs when this is all over. What's going to happen is that, in the next few days, I am going to ask you to answer a brief "quiz." This quiz will be easy for anyone who is familiar with the "things," and even if it is not, a quick search through this blog will probably uncover the answer.
• A number of savvy folks have commented that the "social" aspect of the social software is missing from a number of the "things." I think this is a fair comment. The difficulty here is trying to balance between the social interaction and respecting people's comfort level where their privacy is concerned. But here are some things I will propose:
• If you want your blog listed on this website, send me a note via email, or through the anonymous feed back form. If you do this, I will link to you in a "wrap up" post on The Other Librarian, which gets quite a good amount of traffic.
  
• One of the "things" this week will have a limited "friending" requirement.
• I will have another "mini challenge" related to the last series (Internet Messaging and Chat) that should encourage collaboration as well.
• A number of people are seriously missing chocolate. Mea Culpa, I didn't know my kitchen would be flooded, then sold (we moved to a new house), then renovated. I still have all the ingredients for fudge, I just haven't made it yet!
• More t-shirts will be leaving my office for some wonderful tech sharers this week! Check your mail box, you may already be a winner!
  

Photosharing Video/Tutorial

For those of you on Thing #17, here is another of those great tutorials on what Flickr and Photosharing is all about.

Innovative Idea from Alderney Gate: 23 on the 23rd!

If you are working at Alderney Gate, or may be you want to look at doing one at your own branch, Linda Langille and Helen Hughes got the idea of doing the 23 things on the 23rd as a way to promote the program and work together.

I found this out via Alison's blog and couldn't resist sharing it. I think it's a great idea. Thanks to Linda and Helen for thinking it up, and thanks to Alison for being a "sharer." The only problem is that Alison already has a shirt (did I mention that they arrived and they have begun their long trek through our delivery system to already nominated "sharers?") from the Wiki War!

Social Software -- What is It?

The next four weeks will be dedicated to services called Social Software. In answering the question "what is Social Software" the obvious question is "what does social software do?"

That's the problem: there really isn't a single "do" that can describe all social softwares. There are some fairly common threads, however.

• Social softwares usually cover a particular theme or purpose. For instance, del.icio.us is about website bookmarks, Library Thing is about books and Flickr is about photographs.
• Social softwares usually offer something called "tags." Tags are common words applied to objects (like photographs, or bookmarks or books) in order to describe them and trace them for later.
  
• Social softwares usually encourage you to add "friends," "contacts," or whatnot so you can easily share information with others in real time.
• Social softwares are usually developed using something called an "API" or Application Programming Interface. That's technical jargon, but the main thing you need to know is that people who understand code can use a service's API to create websites that use multiple social softwares in a mashup. For example, flickr.no-end uses flickr to create large-scale mosaics based on search terms. Flickrvision takes Flickr pictures and applies them to a Google Map. If you think about how "widgets" can be put on to your blog, that's an "API" at work (although some bright young coder already did the work for you).
  
• Social softwares usually encourage users to add, edit, and change the content on the website. This is different from standard websites, of course. Take, for instance, how the library's website currently does not allow users to "change" the information there.

In the end, I'm saying that social softwares are complicated and varied. There's a social software for just about every interest.

That's why the "Things" for this week are vague. I want you to try them out, in whatever way you want to. After that, I will ask you to try out a few "tasks" (tagging, for instance) using a social software that matches your own liking.

Have fun!

Thing #17: Give Flickr a Shot

Description:

Flickr is a photo sharing tool. You can create an account and upload photos (which can be made seen by public or made "private"). You can have a list of "contacts" on your account, so that you can see your friends photos as they upload them. You can even add little notes to your pictures that can more easily describe what is going on in the photo.

As with Library Thing and del.icio.us, I would like you to just "try it out." What that means is up to you. You can get an account or just look at the photos. Just let me know what you thought of it on your blog.

Hints:

• One of the more interesting sections of Flickr is the Creative Commons, which is a repository of photos with licenses automatically offering permission to users to copy them, with certain restrictions (usually related to attribution -- ie. giving the photographer credit).
• Flickr is a Yahoo! product, so you may need to get a Yahoo! account in order to use it. As I think of it, del.icio.us is a Yahoo! product too.
• Flickr utilizes RSS as well -- so you can grab feeds of your favorite collection of pictures and have any updates sent out to your RSS aggregator.
• Next week you will learn about tagging which will definitely make these tools make more sense as you go along.
• "I tried and I failed" works as a successful completion for Things #s 14-20. Just give it a shot and if you don't understand it, try it when you are interested.

Resources:

• Flickr + Libraries = scary, scary, scary to some (Michael Stephens)
  

Thing #16: Try Out del.icio.us

Description:

del.icio.us is a social bookmarking website. Your task is very simple. Try it out and tell me what it does on your blog. I do not care how far you got, or even if you just read the wikipedia article about it -- I just want you to play around with the site to see what it does.

Hints:

• Maybe you want to see my del.icio.us account.
• No "www" before the del.icio.us in the web address. Just http://del.icio.us .
• If you want to add bookmarks to the account, you will need to create an account. There will also be a "step" where you will be asked to upload the Firefox or Internet Explorer extension. That's up to you if you want to do that. It is not necessary for the thing.
• For Things #s 14 through to 20, I will accept "Tried it and Failed" as a successful completion.

Thing #15: Find a Similar Reader on Library Thing

Description:

LibraryThing may be the most relevant-to-libraries Web 2.0 service out there. It is a service that lets you catalogue (yes, with Library of Congress headings!) your own collection of books. Once you have a collection yourself, there are lots of things you can do, the most fun (I think) is use the Suggestions button to find people with similar reading interests. Or if you want to be even more social, you can look at your profile and see who has the same books that you have.

Hints:

• You will need to create an account with LibraryThing and this will require an email address.
  
• You will need to figure out how to add some books (say about 3) to your library to do this.
• Similar readers will be shown on your profile page.
  
• You do not have to put in books that actually exist in your real library. Put in whatever you want.
• On things #15-20, I am willing to accept "I tried and failed" as a successful completion of the thing. No need to spend hours on these if you get stuck.
  
• I am "Greebie" if you want to see my collection.

Resources:

• Tag Your Books with Library Thing
  
• Library Thing the Best Website Ever!
  

The Anonymous Feedback -- How is it Going, one-month in?

Since we are back in the new year, I thought I'd go over some of the big issues that have been raised so far with the program. Some of these came up as comments, others from the anonymous surveys, some from blog posts I've seen around and so on.

1. I can't seem to find time to get any of the "Things" done.

Unfortunately, I knew that finding time to get the "23 things" done would be a challenge for many. Not only that, but the people who are apt to find off-desk time to do a "thing" are also likely to be the same sort of people who would find the "things" quite easy.

• I tried to give as much time as I could (6 months) to finish the things.
• I tried to make the things as simple to do (with room to learn more) without making them seem useless.
  
• I asked branch managers to do what they can to accommodate requests for off-desk time for the 23 things.
• I left the month of December and the first week of January "thing-less" so people could catch up.
• I provided a list of hints and, in some cases, step-by-step instructions on how to do the "thing" and linked to these hints from the side bar (look to your right) and on the timeline post.
• I will be offering an explicit opportunity to call or email specific "gurus" in the month of march to help anyone finish up their things.
• The last "thing" was help someone else. I still think this is the best way possible to learn any of the things.

In the end, if it is a chance for the laptop (or other prizes) that you want, please remember to use any loophole you can find just to finish the 23 things. I *want* you to qualify for the laptop!

If it's the learning experience, and not so much the laptop, how about just choosing one or two "things" and learning them well?

2. These things are a waste of time. . .

A few of you felt that the social networking sites I've introduced so far were a waste of time. In particular, the blog seemed to some of you a passing fad.

I think I might have started with something besides the blog to illustrate that the "web 2.0" fad (and it may still be a fad) is not just about offering a wide-ranged confessional to the huge internet public.

I think a good analogy for Web 2.0 is as a "buffet" versus the standard restaurant. A buffet may include things you do not like, but that does not mean the buffet as a whole is a wash. While blogging may not be your thing, I think something like RSS or online wordprocessors/spreadsheets might be. If someone at the desk was looking for up-to-date information on their favorite pet subject, I think it is good to know that blogs exist and that they can be accessed pretty efficiently via RSS. In short, I'm just asking you to give this all a try. In the meantime, I'm hoping that one or two people in every branch will take to this stuff and be able to provide tips to those who are experts on other things.

If you think something I chose really is stupid or a waste of time, let me know and better, let me know why. We need to know what out there in the "buffet" that is Web 2.0 will work for us. Conversely, if you really think something out there would be really valuable to use, I'd like to hear about that as well. Libraries are using these sorts of tools with a wide spectrum of success and failure.

3. Person X has really been helpful to us while we were completing the "things," I just wanted to let you know.

Hey! Thanks for letting me know. Now I can let a secret out of the bag. I am going to ask each branch manager to give me the name of someone who has been really helpful to others during this process. Those person(s) are going to get a Denis Cunningham original t-shirt (pictures to come soon)!