OLR Exercises - Topic 10: Complexity and Social Networks

Exercise 10.1 Social Networks Case Study

The Blue POD group is made up of Sarah, Andrew, Tyrone and James.

Blogs published using Blogger easily identify followers. Other Blogs do not. Therefore I also looked through the comments on each person’s blog, and have included people who have left comments as followers.

The following list shows each Blue POD member and who they are being followed by:

A: Sarah is being followed by Andy, Petar and Jessica

B: Andrew is being followed by Ann, James, Sarah, Tyrone

C: Tyrone is being followed by James and Sarah

D: James is being followed by Sarah, Andy and Jessica

The above information has been recorded in the table below:

Below is the social network diagram of the Blue POD group followers / following:

A is being followed by one other POD member (B), but is following all three POD members (B,C,D).

B is being followed by all three POD members (B,C,D) and is following two POD members (A,D).

C is being followed by two POD members (A,D) and is following one other POD member (B).

D is being followed by two POD members (A,B) and is following two POD members (B,C).

The patterns created in this data depend on people making connections with each other. In any social network of people, some particpate actively and others do not. While we are able to choose who we follow, we can not control who follows us. We are therefore unable to predict or control the patterns of this sort of analysis. While one might expect expect patterns to change amongst a larger group, it is possible that all groups have a similar number of active and less active participants. However, social networks are dynamic and constantly changing. According to Pavard & Dugdale (2006) as cited in the topic 10 readings, "the context and processes of a social network are constantly changing."The patterns reflected in the data analysis would therefore be expected to change to reflect these changes.

OLR Exercises - Topic 9: Business, Government and Research Perceptions

Exercise 9.1: Is Social Networking a Business Model?

I signed up to linkedin.com, so now have another username and password to contend with. Linkedin is a site dedicated to the networking of businesses, and is used as an employment tool. However, the Victorian Education Department has a set procedure for advertising and applying for positions so I did not feel the need to complete a full profile.

Basically, "a business model is the method of doing business by which a company can sustain itself -- that is, generate revenue" (Rappa. 2009). All businesses aim to sustain and grow their customer base and business opportunities in order to increase revenue.

Social networking sites enhance business opportunities by providing world wide exposure. Some networking sites generate income via advertising and sponsored links. Ning has a ribbon of Ads by Google. Facebook allows users and companies to create their own ads which are placed in a ribbon on the side of the site. It can therefore be argued that these sites can be classified as business models because they have opportunities to generate revenue, and therefore can sustain themselves.

However, Twitter does not have a revenue base and therefore cannot be classified as a business model according to this definition. "The micro-blogging service has succeeded in building a strong, loyal following, but failed to capitalize on it. Such a scenario, which lacks a revenue model, isn't sustainable over the long-term,” (Henry. 2008). However, it was recently offered half a million US dollars by a marketing company to place an ad on the site for one day, so this may change. As Web 2.o tools and social networking sites increases their impact on the business world, perhaps the definition of a business model will change to reflect these changes.

Henry, A. (2008). The Ultimate Twitter Revenue Model. Accessed on 25/10/09 from Read Write Web: http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/the_ultimate_twitter_revenue_model.php

Rappa, M. (2009). Business Models on the Web. Accessed on 25/10/09 from http://digitalenterprise.org/models/models.html

Exercise 9.2: Research and Evaluation in Government

1. Summarise the use of:

• Wiki drafts for public discussion: Wikis are documents that allow many authors to create and make amendments. Being that politicans spend much of their time away from parliament and their offices, wikis allow them to continue the document creating and amending process, regardless of their location. Wikis would therefore be of great benefit in decreasing the time it takes to create collaborative documents, and one would think save money and the time it takes to implement new regulations and policies. Wiki would also allow the public to make comment and add to the document and policy making process.

• Twitter in Government: Twitter is being used by governments and political leaders throughout the world in order to increase their profile. Using popular platforms such as Twitter in government allows politicians to connect with a wider demographic, particularly young people. It could be argued that this makes government more accessible to the populice. Globe trotting political leaders like our own Prime Minister Kevin Rudd are able to communicate with the Australian public and keep us up to date with the decision making processes and policitical processes.

2. Government 2.0

According to Wikipedia, the term Government 2.0 refers to the "attempts to apply the social networking and integration advantages of Web 2.0 to the practice of government. Some examples of Government 2.0 include "Using Technology to Improve Education, Cut Red Tape, Reduce Gridlock, and Enhance Democracy," the aims of which are to "provide more effective processes for government service delivery to individuals and businesses." "Integration of tools such as Wikis, development of government-specific social networking sites and the use of blogs, RSS feeds and Goole Maps are all helping governments provide information to people in a manner that is more immediately useful to the people concerned." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Government_2.0

To be honest, I hadn't heard a lot about Government 2.0 or anything about the taskforce or conference. I knew that politicans including Kevin Rudd are using Twitter in order to connect with a wider deomographic and keep in contact while overseas. The use of Web 2.0 tools and Government 2.0 seems like a great initiutive to me. It makes the government seem more open, transparent and accessible. The fact that the public are able to make comment and provide feedback makes us feel like we are a part of the policitical process. But this is only the case if the government read and take notice of public comment and do not just make decisions regardless of public opinion.

POD Group Project: Agenda/Timeline & Recommendations

Agenda / Timeline

The Blue POD Group Ning was set up and all members of Blue Group were invited to collaborate on the project. After initial contact issues (due to time zone and technical issues), we followed the following agenda and timeline:

Week 1: initial chat and discussion on Blue POD group Ning, in order to better understand topic questions and issues. We all agreed to research the topic questions and share references through the forum discussion board on the Ning, and meet the following week to review and discuss recommendations.

Week 2: All to draft some ideas for recommendations and post to Ning forum for comment and feedback. Meet on the Ning chat to discuss initial findings, make suggestions and clarifications.

Week 3: Recommendations to be completed and posted to forum. Finalisation meeting through Ning chat. While we were all engaged with chat via the Ning, Andy put all of our recommendations into Google Docs, and we all edited the document collaboratively and completed the recommendations.

The CIO Recommendations

The CIO Recommendations have been posted as a Blog on the Blue Group Ning at http://itc501blue.ning.com/.

POD Group Project: Research Questions

Q1 - Issues involved with using social networks for professional development in the workplace:

Multinational companies are able to use such social networks as professional development tools. Professional development activities including “consultation, coaching, communities of practice, lesson study, mentoring, reflective supervision and technical assistance” (wikipedia. n.d.) are all able to be achieved through the use of social networking.

There are advantages to using social networking sites, including Facebook, Second Life and Twitter for professional development. Social networks allow for world wide collaboration, the sharing of documents, photos and videos, as well as involvement in forums, discussions and chat facilities.

There are also many social networking sites which are dedicated to promoting and strengthening business relationship, twenty of which are located at the 20 Social Networking Sites for Business Professionals website.

There are some issues with using social networks for Professional Development.

Geographical location and time zones. Social networks including Facebook, Second Life and Twitter can be accessed throughout the world, and allow participants to connect, regardless of geographical location or time zone.

Usability. Companies need to consider the usability of software when considering using it for professional development activities. The software needs to be easy to access and use. Users will soon become frustrated if software is difficult or does not have simple, clear instructions. Staff may need training to be comfortable enough to use and engage with the software effectively. The advantage of using social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter for professional development is that many people around the world are already familiar with these sites, and would therefore require less training than more sophisticated software such as Second Life.

Cost. The use of social networking tools needs to be a cost effective way of performing professional development activities. It also needs to be inexpensive for individual participants to access. Many social networking sites including Facebook, Twitter and Second Life, are free, but software such as Webex may be cost prohibitive.

Administration. There would need to be a administrator / facilitator whose role it is to ensure that an agenda is followed and that participants are not distracted by the site. But it is also necessary that participants are able to take some control and ownership of the site.

Technical Capabilities. When using social network sites for professional development, organisations need to consider the technical capabilities of participants. Most capital cities around the world have Internet capabilities, but their maybe limits on internet capabilities in regional or remote areas. Also are their issues with accessing via different platforms (IBM, Mac etc...).

Privacy, Security, Confidentiality. Organisations need to protect sensitive information about the company and its employees. Some information may also be susceptible to confidentiality clauses. However, many sites require members to be invited by the facilitator and/or log in with a password.

Q2 - How do Web 2.0 tools complement such social networks?

Web 2.0 tools such as blogs, wikis, podcasts and video lectures compliment social networks and professional activities in many ways.

Blogs enable users to create, share and comment on documents, images and video. Blogs enable documents to be ordered chronologically, therefore could be an effective journal or recording tool. collaboration comes through comments, feedback and the linking of blogs between users.

Wikis enable users to create, add to, edit and modify documents, therefore providing an effective way to collaborate on the production of business documents and professional development activities.

Podcasts enable users to create audio and video footage, which would help create a visual component to enhance the enjoyability amd usability of social networks and professional development.

Video lectures allow companies to create one recorded lecture and for it to syndicated and reused as many times as necessary throughout the world.

A multinational company should consider using software that combines blogs, wikis, podcasts and video lectures with forum and chat facilities. They would want to be able to share videos and images, and share and collaborate on documents. It may also be useful to have shared calendar and event management capabilities.

Facebook has the capacity for users to create networks for collaboration and interaction. Users who create networks are able to invite participants to contribute to the network. Participants are able to share information, videos and images. Facebook would be easy for most participants to operate, especially if they already use the site for social purposes and are therefore familiar with the interface. Facebook also has a chat facility, but it only allows two users to communicate at a time and does not allow larger groups to interact. Facebook is free. There are issues around confidentiality and security of information, so it would be inappropriate to provide or discuss this sort of information here.

Twitter can be used to link with experts in areas of interest and follow their activities, thoughts and blogs. It is therefore possible for multinational organisations to use Twitter for professional reading and professional development or to follow experts from within or outside their company. It is also possible to keep track of competition. Twitter is free. There are issues about security and ease of access to information, therefore it would not be appropriate to put confidential or sensitive information onto the site.

Second Life has been used by IBM for professional development. They set up their own island for the purpose. IBM worked with the creators of SL to set up an island behind IBM’s firewall, therefore providing a more secure environment. While the initial set up was costly, they ended up saving $320,000 from previous face-to-face events. IBM found that many participants continued to access the site and collaborate after the event, therefore adding further value to the activity. Participants would need to have some training or familiarisation sessions in order to use the software, otherwise potential participants may be alienated and not engage with the site. SL has a chat facility, and IBM’s “general meeting moved virtual and included live webcasting and videoconferencing – while leveraging the pre-built island in Second Life to support 120 poster sessions” (It’s All Virtual. 2009).

Another example of social networking being used advantageously is that of a group of medical scientists began using within3.com, a social network for doctors, to discuss medical journal articles. The collaboration of these scientists led them to make discoveries that they may not otherwise have been made. One of the scientists, Saverio Gentile said “Without the social network, even though we were a few meters apart, we would have never known we were all working on this,” (Swearingen. n.d.).

Ning could be used as a social networking site by multinational companies for professional development. The facilitator needs to invite potential members, therefore allowing a more secure environment than other social networking sites. Ning has the facilities for blog, forum discussions, video and photo sharing and chat all at one site. It is simple to set up and administer and allows effective collaboration between participants. Ning has been used as a professional development tool by the Victorian Education Department for the 1 to 1 Netbook Trial and can be accessed at http://one2onelaptops.ning.com/.

Software such as Webex has many tools that may appeal to multinational companies. It allows easy sharing and collaborative interaction with documents, as well as chat facilities via text, phone or video. The cost involved in the management of the software may prohibit its use by many companies. However this cost would be offset by not having to pay for the travel and accommodation for participants.

Q3 - How is a work-related social network developed and sustained?

Sustainability is important for any social network to be successful. Sustainability means “practices that would ensure the continued viability of a product or practice well into the future” (Google Definitions. n.d.). Some issues that need to be considered include:

Goals and purpose. There needs to be clear and accepted goals and purpose for the site, perhaps a Vision Statement.

Usability. The software needs to be easy to access and easy to use. If participants get frustrated with accessing or using a site, they will not engage in professional development activities that might be provided at the site. Many users will just give up.

Rules of Engagement. There needs to be ‘rules of engagement.’ That is there needs to be policies and protocols in place which require participants to be respectful and value differences in culture and opinion. If people feel ridiculed or that their contributions are not valued, they will not contribute in future. There may also need to be agreed rules about appropriate conduct for chat and conferencing to ensure all participants have the opportunity to speak.

Collaborative Tasks. There needs to be legitimate collaborative tasks for the participants to do in order for them to visit the site. If participants have no reason to contribute to the site, they may not participate. Designing legitimate tasks that require frequent collaboration may be necessary, particularly at the beginning, until users become more comfortable, take more control and begin to collaborate without being prompted.

Trust. Participants need to be able to trust that their private details will be kept private, that issues of confidentiality are adhered to, and that sensitive company and personal information will be secure from outsiders.


References:

Google Definitions. (n.d.). Definitions of Sustainability on the Web. Accessed on 25/10/09 from http://www.google.com.au/search?hl=en&rlz=1T4GGIE_en___AU338&defl=en&q=define:sustainability&ei=U4fjSqm6EI_OsQO8qL2wBA&sa=X&oi=glossary_definition&ct=title&ved=0CAoQkAE

Gregory, A. (1998-2009). 20 Social Networking Sites for Business Professionals. Accessed on 25/10/09 from http://www.sitepoint.com/blogs/2009/07/28/social-networking-sites-for-business/

IBM. (n.d.). Virtual Worlds Come to Life. Accessed on 25/10/09 from http://domino.watson.ibm.com/comm/pr.nsf/pages/news.20070416_virtualworlds.html

It’s All Virtual. (2009). IBM’s Second Life ROI: The Headline Beneath The Headline. Accessed 25/10/09. http://allvirtual.wordpress.com/2009/03/04/ibms-second-life-roi-the-headline-beneath-the-headline/

Swearingen, J. (n.d). Four Ways Social Networking Can Build Business: Finding Unexpected Collaborators. Accessed on 25/10/09 from http://www.bnet.com/2403-13070_23-219914.html

Wikipedia. (n.d.). Professional Development. Accessed on 10/10/09 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Professional_development

TokBox Video Chat 21 Oct

James and I used TokBox for a video chat. It was easy to set up an account and begin our conversation. The fact that software does not need to be downloaded means it is quick to begin using, and may make it attractive to people who are reluctant to download software onto their computers. It also means it is easy to access your account from any computer, not just the one with the downloaded software.

The video link worked very well, and seemed clearer and not as delayed as Skype. TokBox could also be linked with other social networking sites, including Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and MySpace. Users are also able to send video "greeting cards."

Users who already use Skype may not see a reason for changing to this new facility. However, new users to this form of networking may find TokBox preferable to Skype because of the easy and transferable accessibility and higher quality video.

It would be interesting to test how this software copes with multiple users. Skype was certainly challenged during our earlier group conference because of the number of participants. Is TokBox better able to cope with larger group conversations than Skype? If so, it may become a more attractive tool for social networking and professional development activities within companies.

POD Group Meeting - Blue Group: Reflections of First Meeting

Saturday 10/10/09: A Change of Heart!

I never really considered how social networks can help professional development. I thought this question was a joke and there was not any real benefit in using Second Life, Twitter or Facebook for professional development. I thought that they would provide too many distractions and they are not professional forums for professional development to take place in.

However, our chat tonight changed my perceptions. In our chat, Andrew informed us that Second Life has been used by IBM for professional Development, and I have since read about this further. IBM set up thier own island for the purpose. We discussed the fact that multinational organisations can use Second Life but would need to ensure staff are familiar with the environment in order to participate. There would also need to be a leader whose role it is to ensure that an agenda is followed and that participants are not distracted by the site.

We also discussed possibilities for Twitter being used to link with experts in areas of interest and follow their activities, thoughts and blogs. It is therefore possible for multinational organisations to use Twitter for professional reading and professional development.

We could not find a use for Facebook because it provides too many distractions and the chat facility only allows one-on-one conversation, and does not allow for others to enter the conversation. However, we may need to consider that Facebook has the ability for users to create their own network based on interests. Therefore like minded companies could use it for professional development. They would still need to address the issues of privacy, security of information and particpants, and the possible distractions that may prevent participants from fully engaging in any professional development activities.

We also discussed the advantages of Webex, and that the cost would be insignificant compared to the cost of flying people from around the world.

POD Group Project for ITC510/213 – Blue POD

Definitions of Keywords

Social Network
A Social Network is a social structure of relationships and links which allow people to interact, usually about a common interest. ‘It is a social structure made up of relationships and links, whether strong or weak, to people we have something in common with” (Fatublisher. 2007). People are able to meet others, interact, chat and participate in forums and events. Examples of Social Networking sites include Facebook, My Space and Twitter.
Fatpublisher (2007). What is Social Networking. Accessed on 10/10/09 from http://www.fatpublisher.com.au/resources.php?topic=6&article=14&page=1

Professional Development
According to Wikipedia, “Professional development refers to skills and knowledge attained for both personal development and career advancement. Professional development encompasses all types of facilitated learning opportunities, ranging from college degrees to formal coursework, conferences and informal learning opportunities situated in practice. It has been described as intensive and collaborative” and may include “consultation, coaching, communities of practice, lesson study, mentoring, reflective supervision and technical assistance” (wikipedia. n.d.).
Wikipedia. (n.d.). Professional Development. Accessed on 10/10/09 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Professional_development

Web 2.0
Web 2.0 is commonly associated with web development and web design that facilitates interactive information sharing, interoperability, user-centered design and collaboration on the World Wide Web. Web 2.0 sites allow users to interact, collaborate and make comments and changes to content on the site. “Examples of Web 2.0 include web-based communities, hosted services, web applications, social-networking sites, video-sharing sites, wikis, blogs, mashups and folksonomies (Wikipedia, n.d.).
Wikipedia. (n.d.). Web 2.0. Accessed 10/10/09 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_2.0

Blog
A blog, short for web log, is an online journal usually maintained by an individual in reverse chronological order. Most blogs contain text, images, podcasts, and links to other blogs and web sites. “Since all blogs are on the internet by definition, they may be seen as interconnected and socially networked, through blogrolls [and] comments...” (wikipedia, Blog, 2009).
Wikipedia, Blog. (2009). Blog. Retrieved 6 September 2009 from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blog

Micro-blog
A microblog is a blog that allows users to send brief updates. These updates are usually text, but can also be audio clips. A microblog is different from a normal blog because it is smaller, often just a sentence. “Users microblog about particular topics that can range from the simple, such as "what one is doing at a given moment," to the thematic, such as "sports cars," to business topics, such as particular products” (Wikipedia, n.d.). Some examples of mircoblogs include Twitter and the status updates in Facebook.
Wikipedia (n.d.). Microblogging. Accessed on 10.10/09 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microblogging

Wiki
A wiki “is a website that allows multiple users to create, modify and organize web page content in a collaborative manner” (Governors State University, 2009). Wikis have become popular with online communities because they can be edited, modified and added to by anyone who has access to it.
Governors State University. (2009). eLearning Glossary. Retrieved 6 September 2009: http://www.govst.edu/elearning/default.aspx?id=12984

Mashup
“In Web development a mashup is a web page or application that combines data or functionality from two or more external sources to create a new service... Data mashups combine similar types of media and information from multiple sources into a single representation.” (Wikedpedia, n.d.). Examples of mashups include real estate services like Domain and Real Estate.com, where information from multiple sources is avaliable from the one source. Also, region areas often have websites.
Wikipedia (n.d.). Mashup (Web Application Hybrid). Accessed 10/10/09 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mashup_(web_application_hybrid)