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!

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)!

Thing #13: Embed a video onto your blog

Description:

Sites like YouTube and others let you embed videos onto your blog. That means, you can make the video appear on your blog. This is probably the most popular way of videocasting these days, other than using a YouTube account.

If you have never put code onto a website before, this may sound much more difficult than it really is. In the end, you are just cutting and pasting some funny words into your blog that will make the video show. Don't be intimidated by this: geeks have a habit of making easy things sound hard. Don't be afraid to ask for help, if you get stuck.

Hints:

• Go to a YouTube video page (perhaps the one you searched for for thing #11) and copy the "embed" code. It should appear on the right hand side of the screen. You may have to click "more" to find this code.
• Add the video to your blog:
  
• In blogger,
  
• you create a new post and click the "edit html" tab on the top right of the edit box.
• Paste the embed code into the box. And that should be about it.
  
• Wordpress has a different approach:
• create a new post.
• Underneath the editor is an upload section, with tabs that say "Upload", "Browse All", "Videos" and "Slideshows." Click "videos".
• Put the URL (web address) into that box -- important: this is not the same as the embed code!
• You will see a little bit of code in your editor. Publish that with a title and you should be done!
  

Why I Think RSS is the Most Important "Thing"

So I keep saying that RSS is the most important "thing". Of course, that's just an opinion -- but at least I'd like to justify it. Here are the reasons I think RSS is the most important "thing" to learn:

• RSS gives you up-to-the minute content. When I first discovered RSS, it was like my learning curve went into warp speed. I learned a lot of stuff very quickly, because I was getting content very quickly.
• RSS is like having your very own customized daily newspaper. You get to choose what goes in and what does not.
• RSS connects well with blogs. That means I can get up-to-date news from family members alongside my news about the war in Afghanistan.
• RSS works well with wikis. You could have used RSS to check to the history page of the top ten books wiki and be updated as it got editing (oh yeah, NOW I tell you! :) )
  
• RSS is what makes other social sites like del.icio.us, facebook, myspace, etc. work. You were probably using RSS without ever knowing what it meant.
  
• RSS means, potentially, that people have to "visit" websites less. If customers can get your news where they want it, why would they bother going to your website?
  
• Our new website will be using RSS.
• RSS is used in widgets to enhance the content of websites. If you had a blog about cats, why wouldn't you want to put an RSS feed from something else fun, like LOLCats (mature content warning, but probably safe for work).
• For the cataloguers out there, RSS uses a way of organizing information called XML, some have suggested that XML will/may/ought to replace MARC as a standard for organizing content.
• RSS also works for soundfiles and videos, as we will see when things 11, 12 & 13 come out.
• RSS can work on a web service, like Google Reader, or directly in your favorite browser like Firefox or Internet Explorer as a "live bookmark."
• Yahoo widgets lets you grab RSS feeds directly to your desktop, without ever using a browser!
  
• The more I talk about RSS, the more uses I find for it, so I'll stop now.

In short, RSS pretty much drives most of Web 2.0. When a new Web 2.0 tool comes out, it probably utilizes RSS in some way or another.

Thing # 10: Add an RSS feed to your Blog

Description:

You can add an RSS feed to your blog as a service to keep your readers up-to-date on the latest goings on as well. Some people call these things "widgets," "modules" or "gadgets" -- though RSS feeds are only one of many things you can add to a blog via a widget.

You can choose any blog or news service you want.

Hints:

• I added the RSS feeds of some Learning 2.0 participants on this blog -- scroll down to the bottom!
  
• In Blogger, click dashboard -> Template Layout -> Page Elements if you are not already logged in. (UPDATE: If you are already logged in and you are visiting your site, you can click New Post -> Template -> Page Elements).
• Click Add a Page Element on the blog outline you see on the page.
• Choose "feed" as the thing you want to add.
• Enter the web address of your feed (what shows in the address bar after you click the ) into the box.
• The RSS feed will show up where you told it to go.
• In Wordpress, click "My Dashboard -> Presentation -> Widgets.
• Scroll down to the bottom and tell Wordpress "how many RSS feeds widgets would you like." Make sure the number is more than zero.
• Drag one of the RSS widgets to where it says "sidebar."
• Click the "configure button." It looks like this:
• Copy the web address of your RSS feed and include a title if you want. You can also choose how many items you'd like to display.
• The RSS feed will show up where you told it to go.

Resources:

• Some Bling for Your Blog -- Scott Kirshner, New York Times.
• 10 RSS Hacks - Micropersuasion Blog
  

Thing #9: Capture the Learning 2.0's RSS feed for easy reading

Description:

RSS stands for "Really Simple Syndication." Like Global News Syndication is a system for sending the latest news stories to newspapers, RSS is a way of sending the latest news (whether it be a blog, newsline, preset search or whatnot) to you.

Your task is to use RSS so you can get the latest Learning 2.0 news right to your chosen news site. Some good examples of these include Google Reader, iGoogle, MyYahoo.com, Bloglines, NetVibes and Pageflakes.

Hints:

• UPDATE: An anonymous commenter (thank you anonymous commenter!) reminded me to tell you that you do need an account (eg. A Google or Yahoo account) with your reader in order to add the feed -- that is, if you do not already have one.
  
• I did a screencast earlier in October to demonstrate step-by-step how to add an RSS feed to Google Reader. UPDATE: Anonymous commenter also advises that the screen cast does not work for all machines. Sorry about that!
  
• Look for the icon next to the address bar (where you enter your web addresses to find Google or whatnot), or you can scroll down and find " Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom) "(oops! I made your job even easier -- we'll see if you are paying attention)".
  
• Click on the icon or link and "copy" the URL (web address) of that link into your RSS Reader (Google Reader, Bloglines, or whatever). If you have an updated version of Firefox, your task may be even easier than that.
• You can also search for this blog's RSS feed from your Reader, if you want.
  

Resources:

• What is RSS?
• RSS Feeds in Libraries.
  

Promoting your blog and a preview of Thing #16

A number of you expressed interest in sharing your blog either with me, or to promote it more widely now that you have it. That's great! Here are a few notes:

• There's going to be a 10-question quiz (via surveymonkey) to help me know if you completed the 23 things -- one of the questions will be: "what is the address for your blog?"
• If you would like to have your blog linked from this blog, just let me know, either by using the feedback form or by leaving a comment on this post. If you look down (waaaay down) you'll see that Sara Gillis & David Lewis already did ask me to do this (UPDATE: Cheryl Black and "Library Doodling" are added as well). I'm going to start by adding RSS feeds and then move to links if there are too many.
• 
  

Later on, I will ask you to "tag" a website (perhaps your blog) using del.icio.us (and write a quick post about delicious on your blog). That will be "thing #16" in fact.

If you want try del.icio.us (and I would consider this "advanced" unless you consider yourself a "techie") go ahead. My only caveat is to either

• do this from home or
  
• skip "Step #2" in the registration process (just go on to step #3) if you are applying for an account from a work PC. (delicious wants you to add an extension to Firefox or Internet Explorer when you apply and I do not want the extension on staff computers -- yet.)
  

When we get there (in early January), I will offer a way to make the del.icio.us "thing" easy to do for any non-techies out there.

Blogs, blogs, blogs!

So we are entering section #2 of the ever illustrious Learning 2.0 challenge! The next two weeks are going to be about blogs.

Chances are, you've already encountered blogs as you went along your daily business of finding information. This section is focussed a little bit more on how to create a blog and why they are so popular. However, there are a few more things that might be of interest to you.

Searching for a blog is a little bit more challenging than your average website. That's why there are search engines like Technorati and Google Blog search that specialize in searching for them. The main difference between a regular search and a blog search is that a regular search will tend to focus in on *particular* blog posts. Blog searches will get you the particular posts and then provide links to the entire blog, in case you want continue reading the authors thoughts about your favorite subject.

Technorati also provides authority rankings for blogs, based on the number of people who link to the blog. This is a helpful (though not perfect) way to see if a blog is worth the page it's written on.

Later on, we will be doing some "things" related to RSS. RSS is a great way to read blogs (among other things). In my view, RSS is *the* most important subject area for libraries to know right now. Itsa little bit tricky for beginners, so you'll find that I will be offering as much help as I can on the subject. Once you know how to use it though, I think you'll find that it can really help keep information overload under control.

Thing #5: Write a 50-100 word Post (on your blog) About Your Article from Thing #2

Description:

Write a post on your brand new blog, describing the article you read as part of thing #2.

Hints:

• You can be longer than 100 words if you want, but try to reach 50 if you can.
• Answering these three questions should get you to 50 words pretty quickly:
• What was the title of the article?
• Who was the author of the article and how did you find it?
• What did you think of the article? Was the writing clear enough that you "got" what he/she was saying? Did you agree? Disagree?
• This is not mandatory, but try and play around a little bit when you write your blog post.
  
• See if you can figure out how to add images, movies, or hyperlinks to your post (remember copyright, though -- don't use someone else's stuff without their permission!).
  
• You can change the colour of your text, provide bullet points, add italics and bold print and so on.
  
• Chances are, the compose box is very much like Word or Wordperfect. Geeks call this a "WYSIWYG" editor. It makes doing web pages a lot easier.

Resources:

• What do all the icons mean? -- Wordpress help
• All about Blogger's Post Editor -- Blogger help
  

Thing #4: Write a comment on the Learning 2.0 campaign blog or any other blog

Description:

Most blogs offer the ability for readers to comment on specific posts. This blog is one example (and yes, you can do this anonymously). Just comment on one of the posts on this blog or another blog of your choosing. Did you like doing one of the things? Did you dislike it? Want to learn more? Have a tip that can help others do it? One line or ten, it's up to you!

Hints:

• You can do this at any time from now to March 31st.
• Look for "[x] comments" at the bottom of the blog post. It is located between the posting time and the "email to a friend" icon that looks like an envelop. Update: If you do not see the comments link, look for "Post a Comment" at the bottom of all the other comments you see.
  
• Remember netiquette? That applies to blog comments too.
• Blogs have different policies on how you are allowed to comment. You may be required to:
  
• 1. Include your real name.
  
• 2. Have an account with blogging service (Google/Blogger is what this blog uses).
  
• 3. Enter special code words (called captchas) before you submit your comment.
  
• 4. Provide an email address (that does not get posted with your comment).
• 5. Wait a little while after you post before you can see your comment so a moderator can see it first.
• This blog applies #s 3 & 5 to prevent spam and/or abuse of the blog.
• To be anonymous (on this blog) you have to choose "anonymous" as your identity, or you can make up a name for yourself (or, as they say, be "pseudonymous" ).
  
• Blogs may also ask you to add the address of your personal website or blog. This is usually optional and is a good way to promote your blog, provided you are offering something useful to the blog discussion.
  
• You are permitted to break the "add something to the conversation" rule on this blog. "Good idea" or "I agree/disagree" is fine. I just want you to have tried commenting. Of course, if you really have something to say. . ..

Hype:

• People who advocate Library 2.0 often talk about the blog as a way to engage in a conversation with your users, particularly online users, via comments. It's an interesting theme that will rear its head again as we learn about other tools.
  
• Ann Arbor Public Library is known for its attempt to develop conversations with its blog-style website.
• Hennepin County Library even offers comments on their catalogue!
  

Resources:

• How to comment like a King (or Queen!) -- Cool Cat Teacher Blog
• How to Blog for Fun and Profit -- Blog Commenting Etiquette? -- T. L. Pakii Pierce

Additions to the FAQ

Just a few items that I will add to the Frequently Asked Questions portion of the blog. If you have any questions or comments, or if something is not clear, please let me know.

New Questions:

When are we going to see the rest of the 23 things?

I have created a timeline that goes through the 23 things and when they are due. I'm going to evaluate this timeline as I go through the process. The only reason I am doing it this way is so that I do not inundate you with "things" right off the bat and scare you off. Also, I have other projects I need to be working on as well.

You can help me out by giving me feedback (it's anonymous, so you can be mean if you like :) ). I may be able to speed up the release of the "things," though I think the March 31st deadline is going to have to stand.

I have concerns that regular work will get missed because people are playing with Web 2.0 technologies. What should I do?

The rules on the 23 things are fairly clear: supervisors get to determine priorities on work time.

This program is not intended to interfere with day-to-day work and clearly, if you have customers in front of you, or a deadline looming, you should be working on that instead of doing the 23 things. Another point about the program: it's about trying 23 things, not doing 1 thing for 23 hours. :) Please be respectful of your co-workers, and library customers and use common sense about the amount of time you are spending learning these new technologies on the job.

If you are not sure if you are in the right, ask your supervisor.

Are the "things" going to be mandatory to learn in the future?

The answer is "yes" and "no." "No" because the goal of the 23 things is really just to expose you to some to the themes surrounding new technologies.

That said, some of the "things" may be used in the future to support library services. So, some (and I do not know which ones) may become a "yes" in the future. That said, I would expect that the "23 things" training would not be sufficient to support a new service. If, for example, the library were to offer "blogging help" as a service (this is just an example), then I would expect that specialized training would be required beyond the 23 things.

What about new staff? Can I do the 23 things if I am on a sick/parental leave?

New staff are welcome to try the 23 things with the only caveat that the March 31st deadline stands. If you are able to complete the "things" while you are gone on a leave, then you will also qualify for a prize -- the only minus is that I will not send you poster emails. I'll have to get back to you on the status of staff who leave the system entirely. Update: Since the program is only available to library staff, anyone who leaves the system before the deadline will not be eligible for a prize.

Are we going to be expected to help customers blog?

The 23 things should not change expectations about the level of service we offer at our public use computers. If someone were to ask you about blogging at the desk, I would think that you could provide them with 1) information about blogging or blogs 2) examples of a blogging services such as Blogger, Typepad or Wordpress and 3) offer some advice about what is required to start a blog (ie. an email address). I would not expect you to help a customer create a unique design for, add flashy sidebar features to or create convincing promotions for a blog.

You may already realize now that starting a blog is not unlike trying to start an email account.

As you will discover in the future, most of these services will be similar to Google search in terms of what they offer. I *do* expect you to know how to use Google (and know you already do because you told me so). While there may be the occasional frivolity added in for fun, I think you will find most of the 23 things relevant to you professionally, personally or as a possible service in the library.

Can we share a blog together?

Going by the "if it's literally done and you feel no reason to move on" rule, if you can honestly say that you were actively playing a part in "creating a blog" then I say, sure -- go for it. Anything that makes it easier to do these things is fine by me. Maybe there's a "techie" out there you can partner up with to help you with this stuff. Great!

I only do 3 1/2 hours per week and don't have time to do the 23 things, but I really really want to get them done, what can I do?

Talk to your supervisor and we'll see what we can do. In the end, all 23 things can be done at home if you want to. Also, the program is voluntary, so if there just isn't time enough in the day I fully understand. Finally, I am of the sort that thinks there is a way to solve any problem -- talk to your supervisor and we can see if something can be worked out somehow.

Set Up My Own Blog and Add My First Post

Description:

Go to Wordpress.com or Blogger.com (or another blogging website if you like) and create a blog. Both Wordpress and Blogger offer fairly easy-to-understand instructions to get started.

Hints:

• A blog is just a personal webpage organized in a special way.
  
• You will need to create an account with the blogging site to create your blog. For that, you will need an email address.
• If you already have a blog, just create a post that says you have completed thing #3
  

Some Websites to Learn More:

Ask Bob Rankin on Blogs
Siteground Blog Tutorial

FAQ (will be updated as questions come):

Do I have to use my real name on my blog?

No. You can blog anonymously. However, the blog is the main way that I will be able to tell you have completed the 23 things, so you will need to let me see it somewhere along the line.

You said that I will have to use the blog to describe some of the other "things." How much do I have to write?

You can write as much as you like. :) A good minimal approach to this exercise is to answer four questions: 1) What is the technology? 2) What did you think of it? 3) How might this be useful [or not] to you personally? 4) How might the library use this [or not] to serve patrons better? If you want a minimum word count, let's say 50 words. But if you think I'm going to count the words on a potential 890 blog posts. . .

Welcome to Learning 2.0!

This is where all the magic will happen as you start your Learning 2.0 journey. Sure, you can find out what you need to know without ever visiting this website, but you will be missing quite a bit:

• Everything you see in emails, posters and pamphlets will be available here first.
  
• Resources online and elsewhere related to the 23 things.
• Tips and tricks on completing the 23 things.
  
• Other interesting tidbits about Web 2.0 technologies, in case you were curious.
• Updates on the program as it progresses from October to April.
  
• Comments from people who are interested in these sorts of technologies.
• Maybe we'll post some fun things too. Like YouTube videos and interesting podcasts.
  
• Who knows? Maybe some other bloggers will notice us and make their own comments about the campaign.