Archive for February 2010

Sarah Perez at ReadWriteWeb posts 5 Google Buzz Tips for the Advanced User. If you’re already up and running with the new Google app, you may want to try these out:

1. Get Buzz Browser Extensions
2. Hide Your Buzz Contact List from Prying Eyes
3. Update Buzz via Email
4. Subscribe to Someone’s Buzz via RSS
5. Email, Link to, or Mute a Buzz Post

For those Facebook users with over 250 friends, you might not be seeing everyone’s content in your News Feed. The default limit for display has been set by Facebook at 250 which they choose based on who you interact with the most. However, you can adjust this yourself by going to your HOME page –> choosing Most Recent on the top right of the News Feed –> scroll down to the bottom of the page –> click the “Edit Options” link –> change the maximum Number of Friends shown in Live Feed to 5000 which is Facebook’s limit.

via Sarah Houghton-Jan

Ben Parr at Mashable explains the latest initiative from Google in Google Goes Social with Google Buzz. This quick post details the key features and mobile options for this new application. And you may also want to check out Google Buzz Privacy : Easy Steps To Stop Google Buzz From Showing The World Your Contacts from SaveDelete.

Lifehacker has posted a guide to how to Turn Your Netbook into a Feature-Rich E-Book Reader. Check out this post to find helpful tips and tricks to set yourself up with a portable e-book reader including:

• Rotate The Screen
• Adjust The Screen Brightness
• Use a Special Power Saving Mode
• Setting Up E-Book Software

Co-Action Publishing and Lund University Libraries Head Office have published an Online Guide to Open Access Journals Publishing with support from the National Library of Sweden and Nordbib. This useful guide details the steps necessary to launch an OA journal including sections on:

• Planning
• Set Up
• Launch
• Publishing
• Management

If that’s not enough info, you can also check out my article 6 Steps to Publishing a Scholarly Online Journal (for free!) which I have made open access.

Susan Payton, President of Egg Marketing & Public Relations blogs at Mashable about 7 Ways to Promote Your Offline Event Using Social Media. Check out this article for tips on how to leverage today’s cutting-edge social tools. Here are her top 4 recommendations:

• Blog About It
• Post Photos on Flickr
• Put it on Facebook
• Post Photos to Twitpic

DIY Learning has compiled a mega-list of colleges and universities which are offering free courses in Top 50 University Open Courseware Collections. These incredibly useful course offerings are divided into the following categories:

• Academic Behemoths
• Ivy League
• Western Institutions
• Colonial
• Midwestern Institutions
• United Kingdom
• International
• Purely Online
• Less Known, Equally Useful

Greg Ferenstein at Mashable blogs about How Social Gaming is Improving Education. The article discusses how schools are replacing textbook learning with social video games, and improving learning outcomes.

“Social gaming has a come a long way from the days when a dozen students would squint at a 10-inch screen of Oregon Trail. The 2000s seemed to be the decade of case studies: Bold educators willing to experiment with developing technologies. But now, the involvement of major funders, such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, points to an industry that is on the cusp of freeing education from its 2D textbook prison.”

Richard Brooks at the Times Online reports that the British Library will offer over 65,000 19th-century works of fiction from its collection as free downloads this spring.

“Owners of the Amazon Kindle, an ebook reader device, will be able to view well known works by writers such as Charles Dickens, Jane Austen and Thomas Hardy, as well as works by thousands of less famous authors.

The library’s ebook publishing project, funded by Microsoft, the computer giant, is the latest move in the mounting online battle over the future of books.”

Tom Walker writes for Powerusers about 10 Alternative Uses for WordPress. This useful post lists some exciting ways to make use of the open-source content management system. Here are his top five:

1. eCommerce
2. WordPress Wiki
3. Forum
4. Contact Manager
5. Job Board

Kathy Ishizuka at School Library Journal presents an article about People Who Need People: How 11 intrepid users get the most out of social media. The article is made up in entries by 11 contributors “from a publisher of multiplatform books and a passionate educator to an Internet pioneer and a children’s book author” who share the ways they make use of new media tools.

The folks at Educause have created another one of their helpful “7 Things” guides, this time discussing 7 Things You Should Know About Next-Generation Presentation Tools. New online presentation services such as Slideshare.net are covered in this article which answers the following questions:

1. What is it?
2. Who’s doing it?
3. How does it work?
4. Why is it significant?
5. What are the downsides?
6. Where is it going?
7. What are the implications for teaching and learning?

Aliza Sherman at WebWorkerDaily takes a look at How to Use Location-based Social Networks For Business. As mobile tech become increasingly popular, organizations will want to learn about the benefits of location-based social networks like Foursquare. The article discusses the following ways to use such applications:

• Connecting
• Socializing
• Discovering
• Promoting

The Economist has a special report on social networking titled Privacy 2.0. The article explores the use of privacy controls within today’s hottest social networks.

“If there is one thing that could halt the ascent of social networks, it is the vexed question of privacy. This is controversial because it goes right to the heart of the social-networking business model. In order to attract users, sites need to offer ways for members to restrict the information about themselves that gets shared with a wider public. Without effective controls people would be reluctant to sign up. But if a site allows members to keep too much of their information private, there will be less traffic that can be turned into profit through advertising and various other means, so the network’s business will suffer.”

The folks at Online Universities.com have pulled together a list of the 50 Best Blogs for Education Leaders. This mega-list contains many interesting blogs which have been divided into the following categories:

• Education News
• Subject Specific
• Inspiration and Innovation
• Educational Policy
• Educational Technology
• E-Learning and Online Education