Why Use Web Standards

Fundamentally, web standards are conventions and technologies that attempt to provide universal accessibility to web content regardless of the software, hardware, or medium. The standards improve search engine rankings. They attempt to provide backward compatibility (i.e. old browsers), leverage, and future-proof web content for technological advances. In time, they simplify development, improve quality, and reduce maintenance efforts.

In addition to The Web Standards Project (WaSP) website, there are many well written articles on this subject. All be it self-serving, Jeffrey Zeldman’s BusinessWeek article provides a good overview of the subject – He wrote and entire book on the subject. The WaSP mission statement, Fighting for Standards, and Frequently Asked Questions page also provide a good high-level understanding of the subject. Developing With Web Standards – Recommendations and best practices is a more detailed article with practical examples.

As with any standard or rule, many resist for a variety of reasons from limiting creative freedom to simple rebellion; however, resisting web standards is simply bad business practice for web designers. As Dustin Brewer expresses in his blog, your client may be pleased with your design, but once they learn your design limits their web sites’ audience, they will likely look somewhere else for future business. As a practical example, today’s sites thoroughly written using web standards are better positioned to leverage the growing popularity of smart phones and netbooks. These newer devices cannot only access standards written sites today, but the sites content can be more easily repurposed for a better user experience.

The following blogs and articles influenced this blog entry. See ‘standards’ tagged entries in my delicious account for additional resources that influenced this reflection.

• Jeffrey Zeldman: King of Web Standards
• WaSP: Fighting for Standards
• Developing With Web Standards – Recommendations and best practices
• Why Web Standards are Important to Web Design

Cloud Computing

There does not seem to be a clear definition for Cloud Computing, but almost all surround the idea of accessing computing services from the Internet atmosphere. These services range from a data storage and computer processing infrastructure to a full-fledged application. Cloud Computing is not just an idea. Cloud Computing may be in its infancy, but it is here. Examples range from Amazon’s Elastic Compute Cloud to Google’s App Engine and better know mail and Docs applications. According to the BusinessWeek article How Cloud Computing Is Changing the World, Merrill Lynch estimates that Cloud Computing will explode to a $95 billion industry and comprise 12% of the world wide software market in the next five years.

Obviously, the overall success of Cloud Computing depends on the end user experience with the applications and the reliability of the services. Casual users will tolerate some glitches in the services, but medium to large business will not. The demand for reliable Cloud Computing applications and services is bound to increase with the popularity of smart phones and NetBooks. In the perfect Cloud Computing world, all anyone would need is a NetBook with a Web Browser to perform any computing-related task. The browser would simply be the interface to the computing application, processing, and data storage in the clouds. The need for expensive personal computer hardware, and the headache of managing it would vanish to the clouds.

Cloud Computing holds great promise for capital markets and society in large. In the perfect world, it affords startups and small business a reliable technology platform on par with large, well established businesses. It holds promise for education and information access to poor and developing nations. It provides a blue-print for improved information architecture and application deployment for large corporations that insist on governing and controlling their own clouds of computing.

The following blogs and articles influenced this blog entry. See cloud-computing tagged entries in my delicious account for additional resources that influenced this reflection.

• Cloud Computing (In Plain English)
• Web 2.0 and Cloud Computing – O’Reilly Radar
• How Cloud Computing Is Changing the World – BusinessWeek
• The Netbook Effect: How Cheap Little Laptops Hit the Big Time

Twitter Reflection

Prior to researching Twitter, I generally thought of it as a way to socialize personally and professionally, but I learned there is much more to the service, and society is just scratching the service of potential uses.

According to The Wall Street Journal Article Twitter Goes Mainstream, Twitter has grown beyond the narcissistic variety of posts to being utilized by a growing number of business and professionals for a variety of reasons. According to Twitter, the active user base has grown seven fold from August 2007 to August 2008. comScore Inc. states the number of unique visitors has grown from 282,000 to more than a million in the same time period.

Many are flocking to the microblogging service for self-promotion in lieu of a customary blog. Others use it to instantly track targeted news events or conference updates. Companies not only use it for promoting their products or services. They use it to humanize their companies by engaging customers and prospects. They monitor comments concerning their company, competitors and industry in general. This is true for large and small companies alike. J.R. Cohen of CoffeeGroundz credits Twitter for doubling its clientele. Brad Nelson of Starbucks follows 143,040 individuals and has 181,377 followers.

It can be a great research tool. The blog entry The Value of Twitter As Compared To Google gives a good analogy of Google and Twitter where “real people can give better recommendations and explanations that an automated query on Google”.  How to Demo Twitter and Twitter for Academia are two of the most interesting articles I read because they give concrete examples of Twitters power and reach. Twitter has its challenges including user retention of a small but rapidly growing user base mainly due to the lack of understanding of the service, but without question, it will thrive and provide a valued service to the many that understand how to leverage the knowledge of its user base.

The following blogs and articles influenced this blog entry. See my delicious account for additional articles I read for this reflection.

• Twitter Goes Mainstream
• Twitter To Go
• The Value of Twitter as compared to Google
• Twitter for Academia
• How to Demo Twitter

Community of Practice

This week we were asked to research Communities of Practice (CoP) and provide a reflection on how they influence the Interactive Media and Design (IMD) domain. As outlined by Etienne Wenger, communities of practice are a process of collective learning with three crucial characteristics: a shared domain of interest; a community to engage in activities and share opinions and experiences related to the domain without repercussion; and members of the community practice in the domain.  As Wenger states “Communities of Practice enable practitioners to take collective responsibility for managing the knowledge they need”. This can range from problem solving to mapping knowledge and identifying gaps. Often CoP are voluntary, informal and have no organizational or geographic boundaries.

 

In the article “Seven Principles for Cultivating Communities of Practice” Ray Oldenburg is quoted as calling CoP “neutral places” separate from the everyday work pressures. Based on my experience this is key. CoP provide an environment to explore and learn outside of the politics and confinement of the work environment. CoP are paramount in any career. They are especially vital in a technology related domain such as IMD.  The domain is too broad and ever changing for anyone to know, let alone excel, in every area. From day-to-day interactions to planned events with those that have the drive and ambition to participate in a CoP even on the peripheral will broaden our domain understanding and perspective. CoP often drive the advancement of the domain.  The opinions expressed in this blog entry came from the following:

• Communities of practice – a brief introduction
• Communities of Practice: turning conversations into collaboration
• What is a “Community of Practice”?
• Seven Principles for Cultivating Communities of Practice

My Blogging Research Reflection

This week we were asked to deepen our understanding of the blogging practice and how successful bloggers accomplish this process. I settled on sixteen diverse blog entries and articles. They ranged from the typical “how to blog” to “corporate blogging” to “marketing your blog” to “making money from blogging”. Surprisingly I gained insight from each of them.

Content choice was the most cited means to success. Obviously, the content topic must provide value to gain readership. It should be original, fresh, and stand out from the crowd. Original and unique Pillar Articles such as white papers or how-to guides are a great way to attract readers and more importantly links from others. They should be timeless and produce repeat visits. Often they have a viral effect. Aside from Pillar Articles, blogs should usually be short. Numbered lists such as the 5 Types of Blog Posts for More Traffic were often cited as being very effective. The entries should engage the reader in conversation as opposed to merely imparting information. This practice provides valuable input and can often drive traffic to your blog especially if you have comments from recognized sources. Title choice and keyword selection are vital content components.

Somewhat surprisingly, consistency was the second most cited subject. This ranged from posting frequency to the content itself – don’t contradict yourself. Trust and perception are keys to gaining and retaining readership. You have only a few seconds to make an impression. The blog should have and convey a goal, purpose and target audience. Well thought-out graphics and illustrations hold attention. The blog should be well designed and maintained. It must reveal you and your content as trusted resources. You should: write about what you know and insure the information you provide is accurate; network and build relationships with likeminded people; read and comment on other respected bloggers blogs; post links to sites you want linked to your site; and soft sell – don’t be too commercial.

Generally speaking, successful blogs take a lot of planning and require hard work. This includes self-publishing and money-making blogs. The content must be credible, consistent, and valued. In 5 Content Strategies That Top Bloggers Use + 3 Things That Set Them Apart, Skellie notes that no one blogging habit or style is required for success but consistency, tenaciousness, and a natural fit are common traits of her most admired bloggers. This is consistent with my research.

The following blogs and articles influenced this blog entry. See my delicious account for additional articles I read for this reflection.

• 5 Content Strategies That Top Bloggers Use + 3 Things That Set Them Apart
• 5 Types of Blog Posts for More Traffic
• How To Write Great Blog Content – The pillar Article
• 21 Tips to Earn Links and Tweets to Your Blog Post
• What Makes A Good Blog Entry?
• Starting a Blog
• Blogging tips: growing an audience
• Blogging for Money

Collective Intelligence – Definition and Application

Collective Intelligence (CI) can be defined many ways. I share Thomas W. Malone definition: “Groups of individuals acting collectively in ways that seem intelligent… of course it is possible for groups to act with collective stupidity”. He points to families, companies, countries, tribes, teams, etc. Technology, especially the internet, has allowed Wikipedia, Google, YouTube, etc. to create CI on a scale unimaginable without it. CI is gained deliberately by working together to further a cause or solve a problem. CI is also gained unintentionally or unconsciously by capturing individual choices, movements, and habits.

In The New York Times article “You’re Leaving a Digital Trail. What About Privacy?” John Markoff writes of an MIT study where 100 students are provided cell phones, and in exchange, MIT can track there every move. He writes “The students’ data is but a bubble in a vast sea of digital information being recorded by an ever thicker web of sensors, from phones to GPS units to the tags in office ID badges, that capture our movements and interactions. Coupled with information already gathered from sources like Web surfing and credit cards, the data is the basis for an emerging field called collective intelligence.” He discusses the possible use and misuse of this information from giving community groups new ways to organize to denying health insurance coverage. He ends the story with a Thomas W. Malone thought provoking quote “For most of human history, people have lived in small tribes where everything they did was known by everyone they knew. In some sense we’re becoming a global village. Privacy may turn out to have become an anomaly.”

In a blog Tom Atlee states the New York Times article is great but has a limited view of CI. He writes “I further suggest that the primary VALUE of collective intelligence is not to help one collective manipulate or get an edge on another, but to enable democratic and self-organizing systems to respond creatively to the changing conditions in and around them. The highest purpose of collective intelligence is to access the wisdom of the whole on behalf of the whole — at least as much through high quality dialogue and deliberation as through tracking individual data points and inputs.” In an principled and unadulterated view Tom Atlee is undoubtedly correct, but unquestionably, power, capitalism, greed, and control is driving the vast majority of CI application and research. It is not Google’s application of CI but its market value of $122.79 billion dollars that has the world watching. This isn’t a cynical view. It could be argued that Google’s services are undervalued.

Other than this blog, I’ve done very little to explicitly contribute to CI. In my professional life, I have given presentations and participated in seminars and user groups, but as most, my participation in CI is mostly as a consumer and implicit contributor using Google services including YouTube; reading Amazon.com suggestions or user comments; searching Wikipedia; etc. Unarguably collaborative intelligence and other forms of collective intelligence are valuable and will influence our society for ever more. As an interactive designer, I should never lose sight of this, and it should influence every design decision. Every interactive designer should creatively engage users to explicitly and implicitly gather information for uses not even thought of to date.

Referenced articles and video:

• Sharing Notes about Collective Intelligence
• Collaboration and Collective Intelligence
• Let Us Please Frame Collective Intelligence As Big As It Is
• You’re Leaving a Digital Trail. What About Privacy?

Really Simple Syndication (RSS) – Impact on My Learning

As an in class assignment today we were asked to describe “what RSS means to me” (in my learning). I have used myYahoo for years as a portal to access my preferred news sources, email, investments, etc.; however, I’m embarrassed to say it took this class to make me think of additional syndicated sources such as blogs or preferred web sites (syndication vs. “favorites” bookmark).

RSS is an established and very simple “technology” that provides many benefits to learning. By using an aggregator such as Netvibes or even Yahoo, I can subscribe to sites, blogs or anything with a RSS feed and stay current with the fore mentioned. I can consolidate information that I’m interesting in without having to rely on search engines or some other tool. Furthermore, RSS extends beyond the PC to mobile devices. RSS provides efficiency and organization to enhance my learning environment. As a byproduct, I gain additional “current” information sources from my subscribed and validated blogs and web sites.

The following are a few web sites that contain more high-level information on RSS:

· Everything RSS…

· RSS Basics and the Benefits of RSS

· RSS Learning Center

What does a Personal Learning Environment mean to me?

This week’s assignment was to explain “what does a Personal Learning Environment (PLE) mean to me”. The ambiguity of a PLE made the task rather frustrating. Maybe it would not be “personal” without some ambiguity? I read blogs, documents and watched videos from Stephen Downes, George Siemens, Dave Cormier, and Graham Attwell. Each of these educational leaders had slightly different definitions of a PLE; however, each agreed that that a PLE provides personal learning autonomy.

A PLE is as much a concept as it is anything. PLE’s provide structure, management, collaboration, and aid in personal learning independence. As Dave Cormier states “Information is the foundation of knowledge”. By means of Web 2.0 technologies, a PLE allows us to harness, aggregate, and filter information overload in our own context and build our own personal learning network to facilitate collaboration with those who share a like interest to gain knowledge. Examples of these technologies include but are not limited to production tools, content aggregators, social bookmarking services, and social networking sites.

PLE’s allow us to take control of our own learning experience and expand our learning through traditional education. Arguably, they can lead to accountability in traditional education. More importantly, a PLE aids our lifelong learning challenge. Graham Attwell states it best: “PLEs are spaces. Spaces we own. Spaces that are physical and spaces that are on the internet. Spaces with interlink. Spaces we use to undertake our learning including people.”

Some of the more interesting articles I found in my research and are reflected in this blog entry are:

· Social Software, Personal Learning Environments and the Future of Teaching and Learning by Graham Attwell

· Personal Learning Environments: The future of education?

· The Learning Technologies Centre PLE definition page

· Systematization of Education: Room for PLEs?

· If PLEs are incompatible with the system then how do we change the system?

Combined these articles not only touch on the different definitions of a PLE, they also provide perspective through the barriers, and the comparison of personal learning to traditional education.

The meaning of Web 2.0

Given the assignment to find three articles or blogs that help me understand the meaning of web 2.0, I selected the following:

• What Is Web 2.0: Design Patterns and Business Models for the Next Generation by Tim O’Reilly
• 50 Essential Strategies For Creating A Successful Web 2.0 Product by Dion Hinchcliffe
• Insurance Industry Leaders Discuss The Opportunity of Web 2.0 by Peggy Bresnick Kendler

These articles provide a glimpse of Web 2.0 from its origins to the present. Combined, they incorporate technology and business perspectives including cultural, governance, and other barriers to Web 2.0.

First and foremost Web 2.0 is about ideology not technology. Technology is merely a vital enabler. The Web or Internet is simply a platform and delivery channel enabling a service. Fundamentally, Web 2.0 is about practices that embrace inclusion, participation, sharing, transparency, and openness. It is a fundamental shift from traditional protective, proprietary, closed business beliefs and practices.

Having worked for a traditional public software and services company, Web 2.0 ideology was an unimaginable paradigm shift for most organizations. During the Internet bubble and bust, Investors and management understood the Internet was an important platform and delivery channel. Many demanded Internet enabled products and services within the traditional pre-Web 2.0 business model. Many warmed or even encouraged software as service, but again with protectionism not participation. To be a Web 2.0 business, the Web 2.0 ideas must exist at the very top of the organization.

The key to Web 2.0 is inclusion and openness to produce collective intelligence. This collective intelligence is derived from engaging and empowering users as well as peers, business partners and anyone that possess useful data. It is the belief that networks get smarter the more they are used if you harness and exploit the user experience. Google, Amazon, Facebook and Wikipedia are good examples. Data, information, and knowledge is king. Proprietary practices have moved from the commodity of technology to the real value of information and business operations.

References:

What Is Web 2.0
Design Patterns and Business Models for the Next Generation of Software
by Tim O’Reilly

http://oreilly.com/pub/a/oreilly/tim/news/2005/09/30/what-is-web-20.html

50 Essential Strategies For Creating A Successful Web 2.0 Product

http://web2.wsj2.com/

Insurance Industry Leaders Discuss The Opportunity of Web 2.0

http://www.insurancetech.com/distribution/showArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=RPXR2SVOSLSXMQSNDLPSKH0CJUNN2JVN?articleID=199905792&_requestid=565294