Archive for June 2010

Deane Rimerman at ReadWriteWeb gathers the Top 10 Presentations About the Real-Time Web. All less than 9 months old, these are the most viewed presentations on the topic of the Real-Time Web, how organizations can leverage it to their advantage, and how designers plan to use it in the future.

via Stephen’s Lighthouse

Andrew Walsh has published an article in the latest issue of the Journal of Information Literacy titled QR Codes – using mobile phones to deliver library instruction and help at the point of need. This excellent article details how they have made use of QR codes at the University of Huddersfield. Here’s the abstract:

“With the rise of smartphones that contain integrated GPS (Global Positioning System) chips, increasing numbers of devices are aware of their own location. For most libraries, however, taking advantage of this functionality to introduce services which “augment reality”, that is overlay physical reality with a virtual layer of information in users own devices, is unfeasible.

An easier alternative to full augmented reality is to use QR (Quick Response) codes in places that link to location or context appropriate information and resources, using information embedded in the codes that is translated and acted upon by a mobile device such as camera phone. QR (Quick Response) codes are matrix codes, like two dimensional bar codes, that are easily readable by the majority of camera phones using a freely downloadable or occasionally pre-installed application.

Within the library at the University of Huddersfield we have used QR codes to deliver context appropriate help and information to blur the boundaries between the physical and electronic world. We have developed mobile friendly resources to deliver information skills materials directly to our users at the point of need, linked by QR codes on printed materials and in appropriate locations in the physical library.

This article outlines the practical uses we have found for QR codes, gives preliminary results of how those have been received by our library users in our pilot study and highlights the reluctance of many students to engage with this technology, which may need further investigation. It also looks forward to the potential use of alternative technologies such as RFID to deliver similar types of information at the time and place of need that may not share similar barriers to entry with QR codes.”

MakeUseOf has an excellent run-down of the 4 Best Sites To Get 10GB Free Online Backup & Storage by Mohan Ramkumar. Each site in the list is briefly reviewed including details of features and storage limits. I was excited to find out about Windows Live SkyDrive, offering a whopping 25GB of free online storage!

Alexander Dawson writes a mega-list of 250 Quick Web Design Tips for Six Revisions. This first post in a two-part series presents 150 recommendations about planning, content creation, and design elements. If you’re redesigning your website or just considering doing so, you’ll want to check out these suggestions. Here are just a few:

• Embedding Windows Media Player or Apple QuickTime into a page may have problems if people don’t have the players installed. Flash has a higher market penetration than both.
• When linking to another website, ensure you notify the visitor of how the target site relates to the content or element of the website so they don’t end up at an undesired location.
• Websafe typography is a big deal unless you embed a font (which has legal implications). You can’t guarantee the end-user will have any font installed, even common ones like Arial.
• Automatically playing music is a sin — it’s annoying, so don’t do it.
• Remember that most people read content in a left-to-right manner. Therefore, it makes sense to have important details as high and as far to the left as possible in your design.

The Educause team has put together a new “7 Things” guide, covering 7 Things You Should Know About Net Neutrality. As usual, the quick reference source answers the following questions:

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

Matt Silverman at Mashable has created another weekly roundup of top Web articles in 35 Essential Social Media Resources You May Have Missed. Here are a few of the not-to-be-missed posts:

• Top 10 Resources for Design Inspiration
• HOW TO: Get Up-to-Date on WordPress 3.0
• iPhone 4 vs. Droid X Feature Comparison [INFOGRAPHIC]
• 5 Useful iPhone Apps for Business Networking
• HOW TO: Use QR Codes for Small Business Marketing

Cynthia Harvey at Datamation has put together a mega-list of 50 Open Source Tools That Replace Popular Education Apps. This excellent list offers apps in each of these categories:

• Astronomy
• Art
• Chemistry
• Classroom Management
• Educational Games
• Foreign Language
• Flashcards
• Geography
• Library
• Logic/Debate
• Math
• Miscellaneous
• Music
• Physics
• Online education/eLearning
• Religion
• Report Authoring
• Student Information System
• Testing
• Typing

The ACRL Research Planning and Review Committee has published the 2010 top ten trends in academic libraries. This list was created based on their in-depth review of the current literature. Here are their top trends:

1. Academic library collection growth is driven by patron demand and will include new resource types.
2. Budget challenges will continue and libraries will evolve as a result.
3. Changes in higher education will require that librarians possess diverse skill sets.
4. Demands for accountability and assessment will increase.
5. Digitization of unique library collections will increase and require a larger share of resources.
6. Explosive growth of mobile devices and applications will drive new services.
7. Increased collaboration will expand the role of the library within the institution and beyond.
8. Libraries will continue to lead efforts to develop scholarly communication and intellectual property services.
9. Technology will continue to change services and required skills.
10. The definition of the library will change as physical space is repurposed and virtual space expands.

via Stephen’s Lighthouse

Nathan Hangen at the Social Media Examiner writes about How To Manage Your Social Media Marketing In 10 Minutes Daily. This helpful article provides 4 steps for both beginners and established users to effectively maintain their social media marketing in just a few minutes a day.

1. Take One Platform Bite at a Time
2. Respond to Your Fans
3. Reach Out And Help People
4. Pick Your Poison

Aliza Sherman at Web Worker Daily reviews 24 iPhone Apps to Improve Your Social Networking. These community applications will help you collaborate and communicate on the go, here are just a few from her excellent list:

• Sparkle
• Check.in
• Hootsuite
• Gist
• GoWalla

Cindy King at the Social Media Examiner provides a quick tutorial for How to Create a Custom Twitter Background Design. If you’re still using the default Twitter background, you’ll want to check out this useful guide.

Josh Hadro at Library Journal wraps up the recent The Future is Mobile symposium which featured three keynote speakers from the business world and a Bullpen panel of eight librarians and vendor representatives.

“Video chat, video voice mail, and real-time media sharing are destined for contextually aware smartphones, the device of choice for the next generation. But are libraries ready? In an effort to help libraries reach mobile users and keep track of mobile innovation, Library Journal and OCLC co-sponsored “The Future is Mobile, an online symposium.”

Social media guru, Chris Brogan provides readers with 50 Power Twitter Tips. Divided into five categories including; intent, technical, business, integrated usage, and off-twitter, this handy list is chock-full of good advice, here are just a few of his recommendations:

• Leave 20 characters or more space in each tweet to improve retweeting.
• Use Seesmic or Tweetdeck or Hootsuite so you can see more.
• Twitter makes every event better. Post the hashtag everywhere. Make every speaker sign/label/name include a Twitter ID.
• Build lists to watch people who matter to you more closely.
• Promote other people 12x to every 1 self-promotional tweet.

The latest issue of Educause Review focuses on cloud computing “as college and university, association, and corporate leaders discuss the opportunities/risks and the promise/peril in using cloud services”.

Henry Jones at Web Design Ledger provides 11 Helpful Cheat Sheets for Popular Google Products. Each one of these useful graphics maps out keyboard shortcuts for Google applications including:

• Gmail
• Google Reader
• Google Calculator
• Google Presentations
• Google Chrome
• Google Spreadsheets
• Google Reader
• Google Maps
• Google Documents
• Google Search Advanced Operators