Web2.0 Communication Trends

The current trends of communication using communication features of  Web2.0 Applications makes it far more easier and faster to send, receive, create content,  or gather information with ease. Even colleagues or professionals communicate and endorse each others' skills and expertise for marketability purposes. This post is written from experience and observation

Communication features .of Web2.0 Applications include Link, Share, Follow, Like, Endorse, and Comment .

Link

A Link is a connection from one hypertext document to another location within the same document or to another document or image in another webpage. The Link is activated by clicking on a highlighted word, phrase, or image.

Share 

A post is shared from one timeline to another for general interest, education, alert, and other reasons. It may also be shared from one Web2.0 Application to another, for example, from Twitter to Facebook. From time to time I share posts from Twitter to Facebook.

Follow

Follow is an easy way to keep tab on posts in a blog, for example, You do not have to keep visiting a blog to find out what is being posted. Whenever an activity takes place the blog's link is posted to your timeline with brief details of the new activity. Click on the Follow feature to enable this form of communication.

Like

The popularity of a post may be measured by how many viewers cliked on Like for a post.

Endorse

Linkdln has the Endorse feature and allows colleagues or friends from around the country and the world to confirm that your skills that you list on your profile are geuine. This is good for marketability of your "resume" to possible employers.

Comment

Many Web2.0 Applications provide the comment feature to allow others to write comments on a post.  You can do this in blogs, Facebook, and Twitter.

Web2.0 Participant's Testamonial

This is an acknowledgement from a participant in one of the Web2.0 short courses, The participant, Ian Cosmas, who is an academic staff of the university put out this acknowledgement in the university's email. It is encouraging and i have taken the liberty to post verbatim the acknowledgement email here.

Dear Dora/Ismael/David,

I just returned from attending the Web 2.0 Social Media Technologies used in Education and Learning course which ended yesterday.

I'd like to thank you all for organising courses that benefit staff. 

Although I am aware of Web 2.0 in theory (and some of the others also are), the course was practical and enabled us to practically apply the Web 2.0 social media technologies.  The social media tools learnt can be immediately applied in an educational context to facilitate online and real time collaboration, research and learning in the University amongst staff and students.

It is pleasing to see what is happening now to upgrade the Web 2.0 computer skills of staff in the campus.  The world is fast evolving and technology is a key enabler for change in institutions and organisations globally, and PNG is no exception. The introduction of these technologies in various departments will foster a change in teaching and learning in terms of quality education as well as the improvement of current academic processes.  

I envisage that after staff and students are trained in the use of Web 2.0 social media technologies and Google Classroom, we should start to see the emergence of the modern, digitally driven University of Technology - we can start to live up to our name, i.e. "The University of Technology". 

I do understand that there is still fair bit of work to be done such as the departmental network upgrades which need to happen so the departmental networks sync with the 03b satellite broadband network.  Having said that, we have removed the biggest hurdle and have good progress so far in terms of the implementation of the O3b Satellite Broadband network. 

Thanks

Ian

IT Lecturer - MCSEM, MACS (CT)

Exhaustive Search Strategy

When doing a literature review on a subject of interest it is better to do an exhaustive search in the library and other information sources outside of the library.An exhaustive search ensures maximum location of literature related to the subject. Make sure the search strategy is clearly set out in the begining. Simply, it means to make sure you know the search terms before you actually begin your search.

There are various ways to do a literature search. I offer two ways here and let us call them Strategy 1 and Strategy 2. This is illustrated with an example and an encounter in class with a student.

Strategy 1

Strategy 1 is to use Direct Search Terms. Direct Searh Terms are words and phrases directly taken from you topic of research. For example, your topic of research may be "Climate Change and Sustainable Development." The search words and phrases taken directly from this topic are:  Climate, Climate Change, Development, and Sustainable Development. Theses terms and phrases are then used to search the catalogue or entered one at a time on your search browser. This strategy may or may not yield all the results required for the topic, If it does not yield maximum results, move on to Strategy 2.

Strategy 2

Strategy 2 is to use Derived Search Terms. Derived Search Terms are terms and phrases related to the Direct Search Terms in Stategy 1. In other words, they are related terms and phrases to your topic of research "Climate Change and Sustainable Development." El Nino and drought are two related terms to the topic. Your identification of related terms depends on your general knowledge and how widely you read. Another way to identify related terms is to pick up other terms from the search results. You may also identify other terms through discussion with colleagues or fellow students. For example, a week ago i was having a discussion with a small group of students on using certain web2 applications for information gathering. I told the class that through the use of the social media i am able to learn new terms and one of these is the "sixth mass extinction". Immediately one of the students asked to see me after class about "the sixth mass extinction". After class it transpired during our discussion with this particular student that he is currently working on a topic similar to the example used here. He is working in collaboration with staff or students from ANU. We checked the ANU Library and sure enough there are three titles in its collection that treat the subject "the sixth mass extinction".  The student had never come across the phrase "the sixth mass extinction". Our discusion in class on another subject led to his discovery which helped him to broaden his search terms while conducting research. It also maximised his volume of literature on his subject of research.

In summary be organized and plan your search strategy in order to maximise you search results.

Regulating the use of an email service

A small committee had been looking into how email usage could be regulated in an institution. The committee has been concerned about the abuse of the institution's email service and decided to come up with a document. The document was drafted mostly by this blogger who sought assistance from other sources on the subject from the internet. It was drawn up using The IT Donut Template  Other sources on email policy or etiquette were consulted for help in writing to reflect the current situation and the future.The draft document is presented here and does not represent the views of the of the Papua New Guinea University of Technology. The name Papua New Guinea University of Technology (Unitech) is used as an example to try out the IT Donut Template.

Papua New Guinea University of Technology

Email Use Policy Proposal 

Introduction

In the absence of an email use policy and past and current experiences of intermittent, and at times flagrant, abuse of The Papua New Guinea University of Technology email service, the committee has decided to propose a policy to guide email usage, curb further abuse, and maintain professional and institutional integrity.

This policy shall be known as The Papua New Guinea University of Technology Email Use Policy. It describes the rules and behaviour governing email usage at Unitech. It was drawn up using The IT Donut Template and Unitech does not hold The IT Donut responsible for any errors or omissions in this policy. Other sources on email policy or etiquette were consulted for help in writing to reflect the current situation and the future.

The Papua New Guinea University of Technology (Unitech) provides email service to staff and students for work and study. In doing so it calls for responsible use of the email service.

This policy should be read and appropriately applied alongside other relevant rules, policies, and statutes of The Papua New Guinea University of Technology.

Purpose

The purpose of this Email Use Policy is to:

·         Ensure staff and students follow good email etiquette

·         Inform staff and students how they are permitted to use the email service

·         Minimize risks that may be faced by Unitech

Policy Scope

This policy applies to all staff and students at Unitech who use its email service within the campus and outside. It applies to any device (for example, laptop or mobile) owned by Unitech, staff or student.

Work Email Use

Unitech recognizes the importance of email as a communication tool and encourages staff and students to use it whenever appropriate. For example, staff and students may use email to:

·         Communicate work and study information to colleagues and students

·         Inform the public on Unitech’s services and activities relevant to the public

Personal Use of Email

Unitech allows staff and students to use its email service for personal use according to the following guidelines:

·         Personal email use should be of a reasonable level and restricted to non-work times, such as breaks and lunch hours

·         All rules described in this policy apply equally to personal email use. For example, inappropriate content is always inappropriate, no matter whether it is being sent or received for work or personal reasons.

·         Personal email use must not affect the email service available to other users. For example, sending exceptionally large files by email could slow access for others.

·         Users may access their own personal email accounts at work, if they can do so via Unitech’s internet connection. Staff and students may check their Google or Yahoo Mail during lunch break

Authorised Users

Only authorised staff and students may use Unitech’s email service.

Authorization is provided by Head of Department and IT Department. This is granted when a new staff or student joins Unitech and assigned login details for Unitech’s IT systems.

Unauthorised use of Unitech’s email service is prohibited.

Staff and students who use Unitech’s email service without authorization – or who provide access to unauthorised people – may face disciplinary action.

Email Security

Email, if used inappropriately, can be a source of security problem for Unitech. Therefore users of Unitech email service must not:

·         Open email attachments from unknown sources, in case they contain virus or other malware.

·         Disable security or email scanning software because these tools are essential to protecting the service from security problems

·         Send confidential Unitech data via email. The IT Department can advise on appropriate tools to be used instead.

·         Access another user’s email account. If they require access to a specific message (for example, while a staff is off sick) they should approach the Head of Department or the IT Department.

Staff and students must always consider the security of Unitech’s systems and data when using email. Staff and students who need help may seek advice or help from IT Department.

Users should note that email is not inherently secure. Most emails transmitted over the internet are sent in plain text. This means they are vulnerable to interception which may be rare, but it is wise to regard email as an open communication system.

Inappropriate Email Content and Use

It is not acceptable under any circumstances that Unitech’s email service be used to send or store inappropriate content or materials. Therefore users must not:

·         Write or send emails that might be defamatory or incur liability for Unitech

·         Create or distribute any inappropriate content via email

Inappropriate content includes pornography, racial or religious slurs, gender-specific comments, information encouraging criminal skills or terrorism, or materials relating to cults, gambling and illegal drugs.

This definition of inappropriate content or material also covers any text, images or other media that could reasonably offend someone on the basis of race, age, sex, religious or political beliefs, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by law.  Therefore do not:

·         Use  email for any illegal or criminal activities.

·         Send offensive or harassing emails to others.

·         Send messages or material that could damage Unitech’s image and reputation.

Any user who receives an email they consider to be inappropriate should report this to their Head of Department and the IT Department.

Copyright

Unitech respects and operates within copyright laws. Users may not use Unitech email service to share any copyrighted software, media or materials owned by third parties, unless permitted by that third party.

Users should keep in mind that the copyright on letters, files and other documents attached to emails may be owned by the email sender, or by a third party. Forwarding such emails may breach this copyright.

Contracts and Liability

Staff and students must be careful about making commitments or agreeing to purchase via email.

An email message may form a legally-binding contract between Unitech and the recipient – even if the user has not obtained proper authorization from within Unitech.

Email Disclaimer

A standard Unitech email template should include an email disclaimer. Users must not remove or change this when they send messages.

Email Marketing and Bulk Email

Unitech may use email to market to existing and potential customers. All email campaigns must be authorized by the public relations office and implemented using Unitech’s marketing tool. Users must not send bulk emails using the standard business email system. All questions about email marketing should be directed to the public relations office

  

Email Etiquette.

Email is often used for communication in the workplace and other important contacts. Although a relatively informal medium, staff and students should be aware that each email they send does affect Unitech’s image and reputation.

Email etiquette ensures good working relationships between staff within Unitech and with others outside of Unitech. Therefore users must adhere to the following rules:

Don’t abuse the “Reply to All”

Rule – Don’t abuse the “Reply to All”.  Only use Reply to All if you really need your message to be seen by each person who received the original message. Sending off irrelevant or unnecessary replies to everyone on the list is just annoying and confusing. However, if communication is vital between all parties in an email thread, use the Reply to All to keep everyone in the loop. If you only use Reply in such a case, the recipient may have to forward your email to everyone else, which is frustrating and disjointed.

Read it before you send it.

Rule– Read your email before you send it Treat email like any other official document. Read it before you send it. Spelling and grammar errors are just as unfortunate in email as anywhere else in your corporate correspondence. Look out for potential misunderstandings, the tone, and inappropriate comments; we use email because it is quick and easy but precisely that quickness may cause more trouble than you bargained for!

Confidential information

Rule – Confidential information Email is just too risky a place to include confidential information. Ask yourself if you would want the content of your email displayed on a bulletin board. Never make libelous, sexist or racially discriminating comments in emails, even as a joke. Consider implementing a Disclaimer on the bottom of all corporate emails with statements on Breach of Confidentiality, Virus Liability, etc. (Yes, you can be sued for sending an email that contains a virus!)

File Attachments

Rule – Don’t attach unnecessary files. Wherever possible try to compress attachments and only send attachments when they are productive. Make sure you have good virus software in place to scan your outgoing emails – a customer would not be happy if you send them documents riddled with viruses!

Don’t forward junk

Rule – Don’t forward junk. Don't forward chain letters, virus hoaxes, chain email solicitations for charitable causes even if they sound bona fide, funny pictures and jokes. Would you put these things on your corporate letterhead? The committee does not think so. Don't ever send or forward emails containing  defamatory, offensive, racist or obscene remarks. Just one offensive remark can result in a multi-million kina court case for you and your institution.

Be concise

Rule – Be concise. Do not make an email longer than it needs to be. Email is harder to read than printed communications. A long email can be very discouraging and can be abandoned before the recipient gets to your final point all the way down at the bottom. If it has to be long, consider including a synopsis at the top of the email.

In regards to upsetting or provocative email, the committee advises that staff maintain professional email communication by taking this approach.  If the subject of the email is provocative, upsetting or depressing, write your response and leave in the “draft” to let it simmer down for some time. This gives you some distance in time between you and your written response. Then review your response to make sure that it is not hectoring, disrespectful, angry or intimidating. Dr Marianne Di Piero of Western Michigan University gives two very good examples here to illustrate the above advice.

Example 1: Unprofessional Communication

Jane, I’ve sent email and also called you 2 times and you still haven’t answered. Is something wrong with your phone? Maybe you are on vacation. Anyway, I’m sick and tired of waiting for you to do your job. I need that examination information NOW so that I can take care of my business. You promised it days ago. Send it ASAP! You are not a student and you don’t know what we go through.

Example 2:  Professional Communication

Hello Jane.

I hope that all is well there. I’ve tried to contact you several times regarding the information that you were going to send so that I could prepare for my examinations next month, but I haven’t heard from you. I know how busy it is at this time of year.  If you could prepare that information for me, I will make a special trip over to your office and pick up the materials myself so that you don’t have to email them to me.  I’m a bit nervous about the upcoming exams and access to those study guides would really help me a lot.

Please send me an email or call me and let me know a good time to stop by and if you need me to assist you in compiling the guides, I can do that easily. Professor Smith gave me acomplete list of all the titles and so it should take only a few minutes.

Thank you

Sincerely

John Smith

Internal Email

 Email is a valid way to communicate in the workplace however it tends to be overused for internal communication.

Users should bear in mind the following points when they need to communicate with colleagues:

·         If the issue or subject can be better addressed by face-to-face or telephone discussion, do not use email.

·         Is email the best way to send a document out for discussion? Often, it becomes very hard to keep track of feedback and versions.

·         It is rarely necessary to ‘reply to all’. Usually, it is better to reply and then manually add other people who need to see a message.

Policy Enforcement

1. Monitoring Email Use

Unitech email service is provided for legitimate business use and therefore reserves the right to monitor staff and students use of email. Monitoring will only be carried out by authorised staff.

In addition, all emails communication through Unitech’s email service are part of Unitech’s records. Unitech can be legally compelled to show information to law enforcement agencies or other parties.

Staff and students should always ensure information sent via email is accurate, appropriate, ethical, and legal.

2. Potential Sanctions

Knowingly breaching The Papua New Guinea University of Technology Email Use Policy is a serious matter. Staff and students who do so will be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including suspension or termination of study or employment.

Where appropriate, Unitech will involve the police or other law enforcement agencies in relation to breaches of this policy.

RFERENCES

1. Pierro , Marianne Di. Professional Email Etiquette in 11 Easy Steps. http://linkis.com/ucLGy (19/08/2015)

2. www.itdonut.co.uk/it/staff-and-it...it-policies/sample-email-use-policy (2/08/2015)

3. http://www.advantage-positioning.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/23_Rules_of_Corporate_Email_Etiquette.pdf (19/08/2015)
4. Raman, Meenakshi and Sharma, Sangeeta. 2004. Technical Communication:Principles and Practices. India, Oxford University Press.

Web2.0 Textbooks

A textbook is a necessary item in formal learning because that is where we get information in order to learn a subject of interest. Our learning becomes more profound if we learn from authors who are themselves expert or experienced in the field. I have found two textbooks, discussed here, as relevant and helpful  to learning, understanding, and using Web2.0. The first of the textbooks is "Web2.0 and Beyond: Principles and Technologies" by Paul Anderson and the second is "Weblogs and Libraries" by Laurel A. Clyde. First Textbook Anderson, Paul. 2012. Web2.0 and Beyond: Principles and Technologies. Boca Raton, CRC Press.  Anderson Paul is a British writer in the field of computor science and technology. He has experience and recognition in this field and it is the reason i find his book helpful. It is also easy to follow because it is well structured. I do not intend to do a comprehensive review of this book here because a detailed review of the book may be found in http://firstmonday.or/ojs/fm/article/view/4227/3314 However, according to the review, by Yijun Gao, in part reads: The author, Paul Anderson, is a writer and technology forecaster for Intelligent Content Ltd. and has worked in academia and industry for more than two decades. His works draws the wide implications of computing as well as how other areas interpret the Web 2.0. Summaries of important research from various disciplines are also mentioned as themes in the book. Web 2.0 and beyond: Principles and technologies introduces the necessary background knowledge of today’s Web services and studies. Mr. Anderson’s book not only covers technology standards but also the processes of standardization, which shows how the inter–relatedness among them is important to understanding Web 2.0, as well as relevant key research findings. This book is well structured and divided into three sections following an introductory chapter reviewing the evolution of the Web in recent years, such as the emergence and controversy of Web 2.0, the definition of Web 2.0 by O’Reilly, and the author’s iceberg model. This chapter gives the readers an opportunity to understand the concept of Web 2.0 as a whole. Indeed the book is well structured for organized reading and learning and if you want to understand Web2.0, read chapter 1. Based on practice and readings I find that Web2.0 is now a reality taking into consideration the fact that more and more people are using Web2.0 applications such as blogs, wikis, podcasts, and RSS that connect and allow people to exchange information. In the process of exchanging information people comment or add on facts and ideas to a discussion locally or globally. It is a reality. My blogging here is part of this reality. This book was published about the time I began blogging however, reading it now makes things to fall into place. I understand a lot better now than when i began. Subsequently, i am now better able to help colleagues and others use Web2.0 applications.
Second Textbook Clyde, Laurel A. 2004. Weblogs and Libraries. Oxford, Chandos Publishing. I remember in 2004 I was trying to learn CDS/ISIS that later was developed to WIN/ISIS. I wanted to learn to create a bibliographic database.That was the year Weblogs and Libraries was published. I did not get the chance to read this book until eleven years later.  The book contains eight (8) chapters and an index at the end. Overall, the author discusses Weblogs and Libraries from two main perspectives. Firstly, it treats libraries Weblogs as sources of information for libraries and librarians. Secondly, it treats Weblogs as tools for libraries to use in order to publicise their services as well as providing a means of communication with users. It gives various examples of weblogs from the Internet. The author Dr Laurel Anne Clyde was Professor and Chair of the Library and Information Science Department at the University of Iceland, where she taught courses related to information technology in libraries and information agencies. She is the author of numerous books, including Weblogs and Libraries. The word blog is used previously and now comes weblogs. Let us take blog as a truncation of weblog. In summary, these are two relevant books to read particularly for the untrained in order to understand Web2.0.

Web2 Short Courses

The next Web2.0 short course that was scheduled for the 24th to the 28th August 2015 at Matheson Library, PNG University of Technology, has been deferred until further notice. A change of date will be advised on this blog soon. However, those interested please register your interest by submitting your name to:

                                       Ismael K. Isikel on email ikisikel@lib.unitech.ac.pg
                                       Phone 4734360

Course Details and Content

Theme: Web2.0 for Teaching and Learning.

The one week short course is adapted from Web2.0 for Development (Web2.0forDeve) to suit the learning and related environments. It is part of the University Library's ongoing efforts in promoting the effective use of Web2.0 Applications in teaching and learning, information orgainization and management, and other related professions.

Objectives

Participant will:

• Be introduced to relevant Web2.0 Applications
• Blogger
• DropBox
• My Drive
• Use Web2.0 Applications in information and management services
• Information gathering, orgainization, and distribution
• Create and exchange content with colleagues and clients using Web2.0 Applications
• Blogging for teaching and learning activities
• Sharing information
• Collaborating in real time in compiling information
• Create professional networks through the social media

Topics

• Web2.0 and Social Media Concepts
• Mass Communication and Social Media
• Web2.0 Applications
• Cloud Computing
• Collaborative work
• Selective Access to Information
• Social Networking

Reading Inspires

NATIONL BOOK WEEK 2015 (Erap Primary School)

                                    Ismael K. Isikel 7/8/2015

My National Book Week speech delivered on 7th August 2015 at Erap Primary School.

 Principle, teachers, students, and parents on behalf of the University Library I thank you for the invitation to officiate here at Erap Primary School to mark National Book Week 2015. It is an important occasion in the Education calendar in PNG and the world. It is celebrated worldwide.

The theme for this year’s book week is Reading is Power. Every book week is celebrated with a theme that carries the message of book week or book day as known in other countries.

National Book Week is about:

·         Celebrating Books, Reading, and Libraries

·         The love of books and reading for education, information, and personal interests

·         In doing so we are also promoting literacy (the ability to read and write) and literature (the love of stories, poems, and plays)

·         I acknowledge authors of both fiction and nonfiction for creating stories and knowledge that we enjoy and learn from.

Books record events, stories, knowledge, people and places, to name a few.

Books give us inspiration. They inspire us to do something; even something creative. Let me illustrate the term inspiration. In PNG there are recorded myths about the moon and going to the moon. One of the myths tells us that the moon stayed underground until one day someone plucked it out. He held it in his hands and it grew and grew and finally floated off into the sky where it has remained giving light to the world.  In one Native American legend, the gods struck the moon in the face with a rabbit, and it stayed there lighting the world every night. Besides those legends, you have been singing "Hey, diddle, diddle,"

Hey, diddle, diddle,

The cat and the fiddle,

The cow jumped over the moon;

The little dog laughed

To see such sport,

And the dish ran away with the spoon.

Note the third line: The Cow Jumped Over the Moon. That is another reference to the moon. Isn’t that another of those inspirations?

That song was composed centuries before Niel Armstrong landed on the moon in July 1969. In fact it was already popular around the 16^th century. The power of inspiration from stories gives people ideas to device ways and strategies; to achieve something, even something greater such as landing on the moon.

Libraries help preserve and distribute information. They help us not to reinvent the wheel. They help us improve on previous knowledge. They are traditional places for study and self-learning. The Internet should not be taken as replacement for the traditional library because when there is no electricity or internet connections, I can always read a book on hand.

As far as civilisation is concerned nations have prospered because of libraries. They stored information where later generations retrieved them and improved on various fields of knowledge such as mathematics, astronomy, engineering, and law.

Reading helps in acquiring information to improve our knowledge and wisdom. Reading helps us to improve and succeed at school, at work, and at home. It helps us to decide what is best for us and what is not good. It has the greatest potential to influence success in life. It keeps us well connected with the community we live in and the world.

Reading influences positive behaviour in our relationships with others and our surroundings as illustrated in this short poem simply titled “Mirror Image”

                                                      Dogs are their masters

Children are their parents

Students are their teachers

And Books are their readers

                                                Ismael K. Isikel

READING IS POWER!! ASA SUMBA!!