Multimedia Information & Technology vol 36 no 1 is now available

MMIT Group members should be able to download the journal from the Cilip website, if there are any difficulties, please contact the editor.  

This issue of Multimedia Information & Technology has a new look and we’d much appreciate any feedback via the reader survey which is printed in the journal and which will also be posted to lis-mmit as well as appearing on this blog.

The February issue features an overview of MMIT Group’s conference on mobile learning, insights into the myriad of electronic means at our disposal to connect with customers or users, Lyndon Pugh on management practices on information services, Kate Lomax on Middlemash 2009, and two different perspectives on the Association for Learning Technology’s annual conference.

Olwen Terris reviews two books: Classification Made Simple and Reference Information Services in the 21st Century.

In the news section are the University of Leicester’s new Media Zoo for graduates, Edge 2010 conference on innovation in learning, a new media centre for the disabled, update on legislation in equality and disability rights, Google search for public statistical data, measuring illicit file sharing in ISP networks, TechXtra – a new research database for technology, epaper, an update on Bletchley Park’s internet exhibition, a round-up of RFID technology news and new films from the BFI.

Kevin Curran’s technology round-up includes a free software site, a way to protect your online data, Google’s new cloud eBooks, free unlimited music downloads and Bookarmy: a new social networking site, while Ken Cheetham carried out a thorough product test on IRISnotes, a pen and mobile notetaker.

Please contact the Managing Editor, Catherine Dhanjal with any comments or contributions. catherine.dhanjal@theansweruk.com

Posted by Catherine Dhanjal, Managing Editor, Multimedia Information & Technology journal

Association for Learning Technology conference: call for proposals

I’m an ex officio member of the Programme Committee for the Association for Learning Technology’s annual conference, ALT-C (September 2010), and thought some of you might be interested in submitting a proposal for the conference.  This year’s theme is “Into something rich and strange” – making sense of the sea-change.

The call closes on Feb 15th at midnight GMT.  We are keen to attract a good spread of submissions addressing the “Into something rich and strange” theme. Recent events in the funding area such as the Mandelson letter to HEFCE and the JISC announcements on capital funding make it even clearer that there is a sea change underway. While the tide may be out on which one is rich and which one is strange, there is no doubt that the theme is topical.

We are highlighting the following themes:

1. the changing paradigms and structures for learning;

2. increasing  productivity and effectiveness, whilst mitigating risks;

3. responding to and shaping the organisational landscape;

4. meeting the changing  expectations and needs of learners, employers, and society;

5. the changing design skills and knowledge needed to support learning and teaching with technology

Visit http://www.alt.ac.uk/altc2010/ to find out more about the conference and to  https://alt.conference-services.net/authorlogin.asp?conferenceID=2053&language=en-uk to make a submission.

Posted by Catherine Dhanjal, Managing Editor, Multimedia Information and Technology journal

Microsoft and FOSS: The new OSS Watch report

OSS Watch have published an exhaustive look at Microsoft’s forays into open source. Microsoft: an end to open hostilities explores Microsoft’s sponsorship of the Apache Software Foundation, the establishment of The Codeplex Foundation and other Microsoft toes dipped into open source waters. Does this signal a new approach or is it just part of business as usual?

The article is very though-provoking for anyone interested in the impact of Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) developments on big business. It also brought to mind Brian Kelly‘s presentation at Internet Librarian International 2009 where he described Microsoft’s venture into open standards; the Office Open XML file format. All 6,000 pages of it.

E-VIDEOS TEACH STAGE TECHNIQUES FOR SUCCESSFUL PRESENTERS AT BOP

Posted by Catherine Dhanjal

Extract of press release from BOP

BOP Training ( http://www.boptraining.co.uk ), a communication skills training company, is using techniques founded in the world of theatre to create stellar presenters who can put on a ‘good show’ to help boost business during the downturn. And now the invaluable ‘stage survival’ techniques are available online for anyone who needs to deliver a presentation, thanks to the launch of a series of e-videos from BOP.

BOP Training, which operates nationwide and worldwide from its Virginia Water base, is unusual in successfully cross-fertilising the communication skills of theatre, gained at the very highest level of performance, into the business environment. The idea is to help individuals increase their personal impact but employers also benefit from staff developing their presentation skills, while group training boosts team spirit. After all, an effective and well-delivered presentation can be instrumental in winning new business and impressing existing clients.

Visitors to Boptraining.co.uk will be offered a five day, free e-video course – comprising five videos of two minutes duration – and can then subscribe to the series of eight full videos, costing #249.00, but with a special offer of just #99.00 until the end of December 2009.

Site: http://www.boptraining.co.uk

Dudley Library Service’s RFID self-service library provision with Axiell shortlisted for e-Government National Awards 2009

Dudley Library Service has been shortlisted in the e-Government National Awards 2009, for its RFID self-service project. The highly sought-after awards recognise excellence across eleven categories, highlighting the UK’s top public sector innovators in the use of technology, enabling businesses and citizens to better communicate with councils, central government, NHS and other public sector organisations. UK Government CIO John Suffolk will reveal the winners on 20th January at a Ministerial dinner at the City of London’s Guildhall.

The borough’s ICT department nominated the library service for its self-service library provision which uses Axiell’s RFID technology to enable a new service model. Five under-performing libraries were housed in older, unfit for purpose buildings and together contributed only 6% of issues and 5% of visits. The ‘Library Links’ initiative replaced these with a new service model providing a tailored library service, delivered in partnership with other organisations and based within four existing well-used public or community buildings. Dudley chose Axiell’s unique RFID solution for libraries, which works well together with Dudley’s library management system, OpenGalaxy, also supplied by Axiell. Axiell is the market leader in business solutions for UK public libraries and archives and part of the Axiell Library Group AB.

RFID technology made Dudley’s new service model possible by enabling:

1. A total of 723 staffed opening hours per week across the borough’s libraries (an increase of 50.5 hours).

2. Library Links available for 111 hours per week in total.

3. Customer-friendly self-service for borrowing, renewing and returning books.

4. Improved stock management and usage monitoring to maintain the tailored service provided at each location.

5. A modern interface between the library and its users.

John Suffolk, the Government’s Chief Information Officer, says: “Every year these Awards continue to get better and better and tougher to select the winners out of many hundreds of top quality entries. The sheer innovation, passion for citizen service and pride with which the teams have executed their projects makes me hugely proud, and humble, to be in IT within the Public Sector.”

For more information about the awards, visit: http://www.publictechnology.net. For more information about Axiell, visit: www.axiell.co.uk.

Libraries & mega-internet sites

This report is from Feb 2008 but has some really interesting statistics. The BL normally has a copy if you can’t get one otherwise.

Information from Research and Markets’ email communication:

This report presents data from more than 120 academic, special and public libraries about how they use and relate to the mega-internet sites such as Google, Yahoo, Facebook, MySpace, eBay, Amazon, and others.  

 In many ways the mega-sites have transformed library management, fostering change in information literacy education, library marketing and public relations, cataloging, digitization, collection management and other aspects of librarianship. Library patrons often learn their initial information searching skills from the internet sites, as well as their formative information gathering experiences, creating a set of experiences and expectations that they bring to the library.  

 This report provides hard data on exactly how libraries are dealing with the emerging internet giants, how they are adopting, negotiating, repelling, embracing and in every way developing strategies to provide the best possible information services to their clientele.  

 For more information please click on:  

http://www.researchandmarkets.com/product/4c0384/libraries_the_megainternet_sites  

 

 

PebblePad team to demonstrate online Personal Learning System in New Zealand

PebblePad team to demonstrate online Personal Learning System in New Zealand

Ascilite conference 2009

 Pebble Learning is to demonstrate the latest release of the PebblePad online Personal Learning System at ascilite’s 2009 conference in Auckland City, New Zealand as a bronze sponsor. This is the first time that Pebble Learning has exhibited in New Zealand and follows the success of the team’s attendance at ascilite 2008 in Melbourne.  Ascilite is the Australasian Society for Computers in Learning in Tertiary Education.

 Ascilite 2009 takes place from December 6 – 9.   Visit the team at their stand or email colin@pebblelearning.co.uk to make an appointment for a specific time.

 Pebble Learning recently released PebblePad 2.4 which featured enhancements such as the introduction of a Moodle ‘block’ which allows users to save records of their learning, and the development of an interface ‘theme builder’ so that institutions with an enterprise licence can customise the look and feel of PebblePad to complement their own institutional branding

 For more information visit www.pebblepad.co.uk, call +44 (0)1952 288300 or visit http://www.ascilite.org.au/conferences/auckland09/.

Brands need to be more human on Twitter

The typical Twitter user seems to be a male in his late twenties/early thirties, who is quite tech savvy and active in IT, media/advertising or the consulting business. These Twitter users address questions to brands, hoping they are listening and will answer. Google, Apple and Amazon are the most discussed brands on Twitter. These are some of the results of the Ultimate Twitter Study, conducted by InSites Consulting.

In May 2009 InSites Consulting launched the Ultimate Twitter Study. Members of the online TalkToChange research community, who use Twitter, were invited to take part in this Twitter study and promote it to their followers and friends. In total 620 ‘real’ (=average of 17 tweets/day for 14 months) tweeters from all over the world took part in the study. Over 50.000 tweets were analyzed in qualitative, quantitative and observational research methods.

Twitter user is a professional male

The typical Twitter user seems to be a male in his late twenties/early thirties, who is quite tech savvy and professionally active in IT, media/advertising or the consulting business. This profile is strikingly comparable to the one of the early internet users. People on Twitter seem to be quite influential in the offline world in one way or another. They tend to be industry experts, journalists, bloggers etcetera.

 

Users define Twitter as a social network of friends and/or business contacts enabling them to share and discover interesting, exciting, inspiring or funny news or hyperlinks in a very fast way.

Brands need to be more human on Twitter

Brands on Twitter should observe tweets very carefully and talk back to brand followers in a very personal way instead of merely spamming followers with advertisements. Twitter users really address questions to brands, hoping they are listening and will answer.

 

Google, Apple and Amazon are the most discussed brands on Twitter, followed by a mix of tech companies and other strong global brands like Starbucks, Disney and HP.

 

Tom De Ruyck, Senior Research Consultant at InSites Consulting: “Twitter is a conversation hive, and it is very valuable for brands to tap into it and learn from what consumers are saying about them. People often send tweets in the heat of the moment: when they experience something positive or negative with a product. This immediacy is never seen before. Although this might sound like a threat for marketers because negative comments about their brands are ‘in the open’, it is at the same time an opportunity for client services teams to take immediate actions and make customers happy again. This company responsiveness will certainly spread the word on Twitter too.”

Why do people use Twitter?

Most people started using Twitter out of curiosity and the urge to stay connected with people and trends within their industry. They follow people who are able to make them curious, smile or wonder. Twitter is also the new sharing platform: 20% of tweets contain a link to a blog, website or movie.

“A couple of years ago everyone suddenly had a blog to share their personal thoughts with friends, family and the rest of the world”, says Tom De Ruyck, Senior Research Consultant at InSites Consulting. “Today we see that these kinds of blogs are disappearing one by one. It takes several hours a day to update them for only a handful of readers. The big blogs with thousands of readers will continue to exist and are updated by a professional team of online journalists. Twitter is a new phenomenon: sharing highly personal thoughts in 140 characters from anywhere you want and without too much effort. In other words, micro-blogging is the new, more efficient version of the amateur blog.”

 

Contact:
Tom De Ruyck
Senior ForwaR&D Lab Consultant

InSites Consulting

tom.deruyck@insites.eu

T +32 9 269 14 07 | M +32 497 885 882

 

InSites Consulting

InSites Consulting is a leading marketing research company in the field of online market research with a strong international position. It was established as a spin-off of the Vlerick Leuven Gent Management School. Via an online panel comprising more than 2,000,000 panel members spread over 25 European countries, both quantitative and qualitative online marketing research is carried out. The head office in Ghent has 75 highly-skilled and experienced employees. InSites Consulting stands for: expertise and consulting, driven by innovation, excellent customer service and quality-oriented. More information on www.insites.eu and our blog http://blog.insites.be.