Module 6 - Skype

I have been a user of Skype for around one year.  I got into it because of relatives overseas.  My partner also travelled to Europe for 5 weeks last September, so we did most of our communicating via Skype for free.  I love the video chat, it is so much nicer to see the person you are talking to.  Of course all this depends on your broadband plan.  I have found that it can chew through the download allocation (but I do love a long chat).  I have had no problems with connections using cable broadband and video chat.  If you know someone without a camera connected to their computer you can just talk away without the video.  Skype's big restriction is the computer you need to use it.  I know that you can buy Skype phones (I've seen them at the Optus shop) but they don't seem to be terribly popular.  

And like most other forms of internet based communication, you leave yourself open for some unwanted attention.  I have had a number of random people (mostly from Asian locations) try to make contact with me on Skype.  I can only assume their motivations are not great so I just block them from the outset.  It's easy to do, and not a real problem. 

Skype is a must if you make overseas calls to people with a broadband connection.  

Module 6 - Second Life

About a year ago I saw a documentary on either ABC or SBS about Second Life, so it is a concept that was a little familiar to me.  However, no-one I know in the 'real world' has ever heard of it, nor do they have any interest in it.  It is quite amazing to think that so many people are using it and that the content is user driven.  I'm also astonished that there are so many other virtual worlds out there too! 

 I guess, like the real world, there are many facets to SL's 'in-world', some good, some bad.  I have had a good look through the resource material for this component of module 6, and I am surprised at how seriously this virtual reality world is being taken; by Universities, businesses, and artists.  The youTube video from Ohio University even notes that they offer entire courses in SL!  Regina Spektor (who is a favourite of mine) has her own SL site.  

But there is the obvious grubby side to it all with the porn and cyber sex industry (which accounts for 30% of SL's content).  I note that there is a level of security involved in trying to restrict this content from minors, but as a parent this is of concern.  There is a second life available to under 15's, but I am unsure if this world is restricted from adult users.  On line communication has been widely used by sexual predators to make contact and form relationships with children, and SL seems like it would be just another tool for them, and one that would be difficult to monitor at this time.  (Has my job made me over cautious?)

So will we eventually spend more time in SL that the real world?  Not me!  I like the satirical comments on getafirstlife.com : "WARNING: Virtual Worlds, Real Libraries and the experiences it references my be habit forming.  If you find yourself unable to escape from the virtual library environment, put down the book, disconnect your computer, and seek immediate real world attention!"  We can only hope that the real us remains more engaging than any avatar incarnations.  

Module 6 - Facebook, Ning and LinkedIn

About the same time as starting this Web 2.0 learning experience, I decided to get in on the facebook act.  It was the mention of facebook that drew my attention to this online learning, as I was interested in it for catching up on long lost school friends.  After looking at MySpace I sure prefer facebook.  It is easier to use and has a community feel that I didn't get from MySpace.  

Back in the old analogue days of pen and ink, I travelled to the USA as an exchange student during year 11 of high school.  The 20 year anniversary of which is looming, and I was wanting to make contact with people from school prior to a planned return visit.  In the last few weeks I have been able to find three old school mates in the US, plus a bunch of other people.  I can definitely see the attraction for people to facebook, it is very easy to loose track of time whiling away the hours searching for friends, and wasting time with all the applications available.  

Of course, I am now a fan of Yarra Plenty Regional Library and I have added the YPRL application to my profile for searching the catalogue from facebook.  

When reading the resource material, it was interesting to see how the ability to spread information and contacts has been capitalised upon by companies creating facebook applications.  The idea of applications spreading like a virus is easy to witness amongst my own friends.  As soon as one person adds an application, it only takes a short while before others follow suit.  I can only see FB getting bigger and bigger and bigger.....  

I also joined up with Ning and LinkedIn, the other networking sites mentioned on the Web 2.0 blog.  For me, Ning was great and I lost a few hours wondering around sites related to my field of work.  LinkedIn was much the same, there were a number of groups related to my field of work, but they were created for and by overseas organisations.  At this time, I don't really have a need to create a network of professional contacts, particularly overseas.  It would be more relevant if there were Australian based groups, and I suspect it is only a matter of time.  

Next stop, second life...? 

Module 6 - My Space and Drupal

Over the last couple of days I have been checking out Module 6.  And yes, I have heard of mySpace before, and I have even been there before.  (So I'm not so out of the loop after all...)  But, it doesn't hold my interest for me, and I am not about to start up a mySpace site for myself.  I listened to the "sunrise" segment about the internet and safety issues.  It is a real concern and it is easy to be complacent about our privacy on the internet at times.  It's all too easy to 'put it out there' thinking that it's only the friendly element that will access our information.  But from my own work experience I can attest that this is not always the case and common sense should prevail and people should be mindful of who they are inviting into their world.  This is a rule of thumb that teenagers all too often turn a blind eye too and leave themselves vulnerable to predators.  I can also see that mySpace could be a great outlet and contact source for many people.  I'll leave them too it for now.

Regarding Drupal, I have had some trouble getting my head around it.  I am not internet savvy and have no idea about web page construction or what it all means, so I think a lot of the advantages of Drupal and it's overall concept is lost on me.  I can see that there is a mountain of users, and I viewed the slideshare presentation, but again, I think the info was a little out of my league.  From what I could understand, it's a great resource is you already have the users waiting for a space to access information, such as a library community or school/university.  The slideshare presenter hinted on the ease of web site construction using Drupal, but there was still a lot of lingo that I had no clue about.  I also read some feed back comments that there is some cost involved in using Drupal, but I expect it is less than paying a web designer to do the work for you.  It will be interesting to see what other's learn of it.  The next section is facebook, which is a last a component of this learning experience that I know a little about.  I started my own face book profile around the same time as starting this blog.