Internet and the Web

Today in a seminar when the presenter used the terms Internet and Web, not interchangeably, but as two separate items. At that moment, I could not understand why he used both terms separately.

With nothing available, except my phone, I asked the question to my Twitter friends. "Do the terms the Web and the Internet have different meanings?"

Some of my followers thought like I did. They used these terms interchangeably. However, some others spent a little time finding the answer on the Web.

In fact the two terms are not synonymous. Eli Sagor tweeted a response that included  The Difference Between the Internet and the World Wide Web,  The Internet is a network of networks--an infrastructure of networks.

The Internet is a massive network of networks, a networking infrastructure. It connects millions of computers together globally, forming a network in which any computer can communicate with any other computer as long as they are both connected to the Internet. Information that travels over the Internet does so via a variety of languages known as protocols.

The Web is one of the uses of the Internet.

The World Wide Web, or simply Web, is a way of accessing information over the medium of the Internet. It is an information-sharing model that is built on top of the Internet.

The Web also utilizes browsers, such as Internet Explorer or Firefox, to access Web documents called Web pages that are linked to each other via hyperlinks. Web documents also contain graphics, sounds, text and video.

In the Twitter exchange, Jonathan Davis and Janyne Kizer pointed out that the Internet supports the web, email, video conferencing, instant messaging, and other applications.

The web is just one resource/use of the Internet. Vconf, VOIP, and email are others that not necessarily web-based.

Thanks to Dusty Hall who referred to two different Wikipedia articles http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Wide_Web and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet.

Thanks to Matt Laney, John Dorner, Brian Webster, Janyne Kizer, Matt Brooks, Peter Fleck, Greg Parmer, and Kevin Gamble for helping with my understanding and joining the conversation. Some of the replies can be found in Summize search.

So now I know. These two terms do not mean the same thing.

del.icio.us Tags: Internet,Web,Twitter

Tips for starting a team blog

Michele Martin asked Manish Mohan of eCube to describe his experience in starting a team blog. The tips are certainly some to keep in mind as some groups within my organization are beginning to consider team blogging.

Summary of his tips are:

• Identify the objectives and goals of the blog. 
  • What problem you are trying to solve and for whom?
  • Who will be the content creators and who will be readers?
  • What content is important for them?
• Blog for the audience. "The audience is the most important part of your team blog."
• Identify specific people who will contribute to the team blog.
• Suggest a list of topics to the authors to give them ideas to blog.
• Write a few posts to give authors examples to start their own contributions.
• Encourage authors to start by commenting on posts if they are not comfortable writing their own posts.
• Encourage authors to blog about their experiences.
• Give some thought about widgets, like feeds and blog rolls, to include on the blog page.
• Use labels or tags for the content on the blog.
• Promote the team blog by sending personal email updates and information on the blog.
• Use other pages to link to the blog (like Facebook, Flickr, etc.).

Read the entire post for more explanations.

Thanks to Manish and Michele for sharing. I hope Manish continues this conversation as the authors of eCube continue to blog.

By the way, eCube stands for encourage, engage, and explore as these verbs pertain to learning.

 

del.icio.us Tags: blogging,tips,howtos,teamblogs

My most important tools

About a week ago, I accidentally clicked on a link that installed spyware on my lightweight Sony Vaio. Although I knew almost immediately what was happening I could not disable the processes. It locked me out of the task manager.

I recognized the links and pop-ups that claimed to fix the spyware and tried not to click on them. It was almost impossible to avoid them. I was so frustrated. I tried to fix the problem and get rid of the spyware by using Spybot and other Spyware programs. After reading about Ultimate Cleaner, I realized that I would probably have to edit the registry. I was tired and afraid I would make a mistake trying to clean up the registry, I decided to hand the computer over our helpdesk. They kept the computer several days trying to rid the spyware. They got rid of most of it, but a pesky little remnant was still there. I decided that it would be okay to start fresh and re-install the software to the factory settings which meant that I also had to re-install all my packages.

The helpdesk installed our site licensed MS Office package and offered to install the other programs supported by our technology unit. I turned them down and am installing these programs as I need them.

Over the last couple of days, I have installed programs as I needed them. I supposed that these are the most important tools for me this week.

1. Installed MS Office (university site license). I am currently working on a few documents that I need to finish and they are in MS Word 2007.
2. Installed McAfee anti-virus software (University site license).
3. Installed Witty. I wanted a desktop Twitter application. While I was very happy with the usability and features of Twhirl, it seems that Adobe Air is giving me problems on my Vista computer so I am trying Witty which is a .NET application. The features are nice; it has an automatically spell checker.
4. Logged into my Google Reader account and made Google Reader my homepage.
5. Logged into Twitter web page and made it my second tab on my homepage.
6. Installed Pidgin. I needed to have instant access to colleagues and family.
7. Installed our email client, Novell GroupWise (University supported enterprise system).
8. Installed our VPN client.
9. Installed Windows Live Writer and pointed it to my blog.
10. Logged into my del.icio.us account and installed the del.icio.us toolbar because I wanted to share a bookmark.
11. Installed Acrobat Reader because I came across a PDF I wanted to read.
12. Logged into my Google Analytics account.
13. Logged into my Feedburner account.
14. Installed Jing.
15. Logged into my Flickr account.
16. Logged into my Facebook account.
17. Created a Twitpic account. This looks like a neat way to share photos from my phone.

The applications and pages I need to log into that I have not had a reason to, yet.

• Slideshare
• YouTube
• LinkedIn
• IRVanView
• Adobe Acrobat Professional (University licensed)
• ma.gnolia My friends have sent me invites. I have not created the account yet.

Interestingly, almost all of these applications are online applications and pages that I stay logged into. Even though I had complete access to them at the house, not having access at home made me feel out of touch -- like I was being left behind. I was also frustrated because I could not communicate as easily or as often as I wanted.

I am certainly glad to be back into the swing of things.

 

Create presentations and educational materials without breaking the law

As Alvin Trusty explains which kinds of works can be used in presentations and educational materials, he gives tips on how to make PowerPoint presentations effective. His presentation "How to create a great PowerPoint without breaking the law" can be found on TeacherTube.

Some points he made about making effective presentations are:

• No reason to use bullet points.
• Don't read your slides. Research shows that if you read the slides your audience will remember less than if they read it without your assistance.
• Use color contrast. For examples, white on black, black on white, and black on light yellow. Avoid red on green.
• Use no more than two different fonts.
• Use at least 30 point font.
• Use proper capitalization. Avoid all caps. May use all caps for 5 or fewer less.
• Use only 2 types of transitions--fade through black and fade to smooth.
• Build presentation without live Internet
• Use Microsoft help for learning techniques in producing PowerPoint presentations.

He covered these topics when he explained copyright:

• Copyright law: Title 17
• First Sale Doctrine
• Fair use
• Technology, Education, and Copyright Harmonization Act (TEACH Act) 2001
• Digital Millennium Copyright Act
• Creative Commons licenses
• Creative Commons  Content Directories which is a listing of directories that use Creative Commons licenses.
• Public domain.

There are over 58 million pictures on Flickr that you are able to use for free because they have Creative Commons licenses. 

flickrleech.net displays 200 Flickr photos on one page with an advance search feature.

flickrcc.bluemountains.net finds photos that you may edit.

The links that Alvin used in his presentation can be found on his del.icio.us page:

The video is 44 minutes long.

del.icio.us Tags: PowerPoint,presentations,copyright,fair use,public domain,creative commons

Getting more out of Twitter

As I have invited a few more friends to use Twitter, I usually get in response, "What is Twitter?" Though it is not clear why they may want to use Twitter, they do make an account. My first piece of advice is to think of Twitter as having conversations. Like conversations, there are few rules.

However, they often don't find the potential right away because they are using the Twitter web page only. To have conversations, there must be others to converse with and there must be some sort of flow. My advice to Twitter beginners.

1. Make an Twitter account.
2. Follow people you know.
3. Follow some people who your friends are following. Find these people by looking at your friends' pages.
4. Send updates from your personal friends and close colleagues to your phone via SMS (text message).
5. Install a desktop application to get "real time" updates. Examples are Twitteroo, Twhirl, or Twitterific. I recently switched from Twitteroo to Twhirl.

With time, Twitter conversations will move from just small talk conversations to sharing links, resources, and ideas.

I use Twitter because I find people interesting. To understand different perspectives, you must converse with them, and mostly listen. Simply, I like to learn. I follow people who represent different professions and interests. Truly, it is fascinating to see different perspectives.

I have not been worried about how many people follow me or how many I follow. When reading Twitter updates, I have found that I pay more attention to my colleagues than from general Twitter friends. Though, I take more notice to links and resources if different Twitter friends mention them.

I did have all updates coming to my phone. When the sheer number of text messages became irritating, I turned off all updates with the exception of my colleagues and a few people I follow who I find interesting, yet they don't update too often. I use Twhirl as my desktop application to get constant real time updates. I also use a news reader to glance at any Twitter updates I might have missed in Twhirl.

Sol Young used Robert Scoble's post on The secret to Twitter as inspiration to increase the Twitter flow. Sol has increased the Twitter flow and written about the number of Tweet he reads in a minute, Sol uses twitter.com web site, Quotably.com, Adium as an XMPP/Jabber client, and email.

Twitter ‘Flow’ - Day 4 - Application Ideas and Metrics

‘Flow’ - day 3 - the volume is up

‘Flow’ - day 2

Scoble’s Secret to Twitter - I call it ‘flow’ (Day 1)

I am not sure I am ready to increase the flow to the same degree that Sol has, but certainly having the opportunity to learn and hear even more different perspectives is appealing.

Still confused about Twitter, maybe these links will help.
Wow, fast user-generated content
Advantages of Twitter
Twitter is My Village
Why is Twitter Exploding? Because it's A Conversation Ecosystem
The Big Juicy Twitter Guide
Can Twitter Be Used For Business?
If You Can’t Let Go, Twitter - New York Times
How To Use Twitter How To Split An Atom
48 hours of twitter - Google Search

National Agriculture Week

An article in American Farmer  let me know that this week is National Agriculture Week and Thursday, March 20, 2008 is National Agriculture Day. Some points from the National Ag media page are:

• Average age of a farmer is 55 years old.
• U.S. farmers produce
• 46% of the world’s soybeans
• 41% of the world’s corn
• 20.5% of the world’s cotton
• 13% of the world’s wheat
• 1 U. S. farmer supplies food for 144 people.
• 1 acre of land in the U.S. (about the size of a football field) can produce:
• 42,000 lbs. of strawberries,
• 11,000 heads of lettuce,
• 25,400 lbs. of potatoes,
• 8,900 lbs. of sweet corn,
• or 640 lbs. of cotton lint.
• Americans spend less on food than any other developed nation in the world.
• In 2004, Americans spent 2% of their disposable income on meat and poultry.
• Ranchers are producing meat lower in fat and cholesterol, resulting in retail cuts that are 15% leaner. 
• Farmers pay anywhere from $97,000 to $170,00 for a 160 horsepower tractor.
• Advancements in biotechnology help grow tastier fruits and vegetables that stay fresh longer and are not damaged by insects.
• Precision farming reduces waste by using satellite maps and computers to match seed, fertilizer and crop protection applications to local soil conditions.

del.icio.us Tags: agriculture,precision farming

Youth and their expectations of content on the Internet

On Friday night (March 14, 2008), as I was excitedly explaining how amazing it was that, within 40 minutes of the storm, a Wikipedia article on the tornado that hit the Georgia Dome had already been created

I was also excited that someone took notice of my generic wow problems at the Georgia Dome Twitter message enough to start investigating.

My two youngest children were unimpressed. One said, "Oh Mom, you are such a nerd."

The other said, "That's not so great. Are you kidding me? Mom, do you know how many people are on the Internet? Of course, there is information on the Internet."

Their reactions really explain the expectation of instant communication. And why not? Look at how many people are on the Internet.

I am asking the questions again.

Are we ready to deal with the expectation of instant information, or the expectation to generate close to real-time information?

Are we able to generate content that is available in a variety of technologies?

Are we ready to quickly react to information and opinions that individuals generate about our content and our organizations? 

del.icio.us Tags: Georgia Dome,Twitter,blogging,Wikipedia

Wow, fast user-generated content

Within a minute of the tornado hitting the Georgia Dome (March 14, 2008), people were sending Twitter messages. Within minutes, blogs and a Wikipedia article on the storm that hit the Georgia Dome had been created.

Rapidly generated content is great, but some may question of credibility of the information. To understand the process of credibility as Jason sought information about this event, consider these steps. 

1. Jason received a Twitter message wow problems at the Georgia Dome from me within a minute of the tornado hitting the Georgia Dome. He would not have looked up information within minutes of the storm, if he had not been using Twitter and not received my Twitter message me.

2. The generic message raised Jason's curiosity, Jason turned toward a reliable tool, Google, for more information.

3. Finding the Wikipedia article, he discovered that the problem was indeed a storm.

4. Searching for more verification, he found comments on weather forums, blogs, and local media outlets and their blogs, but found no information on major media outlets.

5. Jason received my re-tweet (forwarded a Twitter message) from Leah Jones' message that linked to two searches in of Twitter messages. The TweetScan searches found messages relating to the dome and to tornados, some from people within the dome.

6. Jason Young blogged the post, Wow that’s fast, within 40 minutes of the storm.

As time progressed (less than 40 minutes), Jason's belief in the accuracy of information increased rapidly because the information came from several sources.

What did we learn from the user-generated content of this event?

• Because individuals can generate amazingly accurate and useful content in a matter of minutes, we, in education, have tremendous opportunities to engage others to help us generate education and information. 
• The importance of the use of multiple technologies is also evident. To develop content on the fly, we must engage in multiple communities (prior to an event or crisis), use a variety of technologies, and seek information from a variety of sources.
• People expect information instantly and in media forms that they use.
• People can generate content instantly in place--during the event.

Are we ready to deal with the expectation of instant information, or the expectation to generate close to real-time information?

Are we able to generate content that is available in a variety of technologies?

Are we ready to quickly react to information and opinions that individuals generate about our content and our organizations?

del.icio.us Tags: Twitter,SMS,blogging,Wikipedia,newsmedia,Georgia Dome