Web 2.0 is currently a very big trend that is spreading over the Internet. Web-based applications have some very nifty advantages over more traditional software, but at the same time there are some limitations that need to be overcome to make usable products that the masses feels comfortable using.
I think there are several challenges that developers and users will start to run into:
Currently everyone has an opinion on how an application should look and feel. There isn't a standard, and there will undoubtedly be an adjustment phase while users learn to expect changes in the way things are constructed visually.
Developers will run into certain pitfalls, which the web has already seen in mass amounts. Advertising is one of the largest in my opinion as it offers developers a way to monetize their creations, especially if they become popular destinations for users on the web. This brings in a control aspect and the psychology of greed as most tend to over use ad space, shifting the focus from creating usable resources to creating an effective billboard.
There are many ways I believe the web-apps we looked at in this program are useful, from centrally located data management that can be accessed from anywhere to simple therapeutic time wasters, the limits are being pushed in terms of what web-apps can do.
My favorite were the music resources. Pandora has always been a favorite that I keep around and I was happy to see it included in this overview.
Some of the things I would have liked to see were the web-based Photoshop that Adobe has been pushing. While limited in terms of functionality in comparison to the full blown installation based Photoshop, most of the functions needed for quick web based photo's and images are there for the consumer to use. This brings some of the profesional editing tools to the entire world free of charge in a format that allows anyone to use them at anytime.
From working around Sno-Isle I have seen the impact that Web 2.0 has had from technical standpoint. We're using more bandwidth and less local processing power to do the same things. This has advantages and drawbacks just like anything else. The connection to the Internet more and more being touted as being the important part of computing, rather than the computer itself. If the trend continues, older technologies may become useful again as clients are essentially running "dumb" clients that send the majority of the real work off to a server and simply displaying the results. While the need for the best and newest desktop computers is less important, the need for the fastest and most stable internet connection is increasing.
The Web 2.0 tutorials we have been participating in over the last few monthes have been very well thought out. They provided the users with a functional product that could be adapted to use in the workplace or any other every day task, while making things fun enough for people to return to new technologies that they have not been exposed to previously. The format, a simple blog, was a perfect format for displaying the pros and cons to the Web 2.0 trend in my opinion. While drawing on the strengths of the medium to explain just what kind of things are actually possible, the user gets a great introduction into the world of web-based applications.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
It's just a game
While I admit that I'm not the biggest gamer around, I do enjoy getting lost in a trivial little time waster now and then. Online games are usually pretty good ways to escape for 5-10 minutes, which gives a great little breather to come back to something with a fresh perspective. I find they also help re-focus my eyes if I have been reading text on a monitor for a long time, although the best cure for that is to take a break from the screen altogether.
Games, at least the web based variety, are usually relatively short, small and simple. They are not the kind of thing that you can loose yourself in for a week like some of the production type games that usually involve installing software.
What do I think about games? They are constantly keeping computer technology evolving. Games push the limits of what our technology can do and make us want more. In a more personal sense, they're very therapeutic and allow a simple little break from everything else that really matters, and that's a pretty important thing now and then.
Games, at least the web based variety, are usually relatively short, small and simple. They are not the kind of thing that you can loose yourself in for a week like some of the production type games that usually involve installing software.
What do I think about games? They are constantly keeping computer technology evolving. Games push the limits of what our technology can do and make us want more. In a more personal sense, they're very therapeutic and allow a simple little break from everything else that really matters, and that's a pretty important thing now and then.
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Finding Myself
Google Earth has had a pretty big impact since its debut, and for good reason. No longer are we subject to poor instructions from people when trying to find a new location. All we need is an address, then it's as simple as plugging it in and printing out a turn by turn map.
I have been using Google Maps quite a bit since it has been available. With Earth however, the digital world became a simulated exploration of places I wanted to go but didn't have the means. I could find something before I went and take a quick peak at the surroundings first, saving time and effort on something that might not have been worth it.
It has become a survey for new places to find, and it's only getting more and more detailed, giving a better look at the things to come in real life.
I have been using Google Maps quite a bit since it has been available. With Earth however, the digital world became a simulated exploration of places I wanted to go but didn't have the means. I could find something before I went and take a quick peak at the surroundings first, saving time and effort on something that might not have been worth it.
It has become a survey for new places to find, and it's only getting more and more detailed, giving a better look at the things to come in real life.
Second Life
Avatars, second life, and the entire online persona has been something that I usually steer away from. I just don't like replacing every little thing from my normal life with some online equivalent. I know it's just for fun, but I still have an aversion to it for some reason.
I have never used Second Life, and I think I'm going to keep it that way. The digital utopia has a lot of positives, but it's hard to recreate actually being there in person at this point. So maybe once we have some crazy VR interfaces I'll give it another go.
I have never used Second Life, and I think I'm going to keep it that way. The digital utopia has a lot of positives, but it's hard to recreate actually being there in person at this point. So maybe once we have some crazy VR interfaces I'll give it another go.
Monday, June 16, 2008
Online Apps
Online Applications, such as Google Docs, are the very kind of tools I think of when I think Web 2.0. The creators take something which until that time has resided on a persons computer as software and transform it until it can be access with a simple web browser to obtain the same results.
I absolutely love things like this. Simply because they make things more accessible. You don't have to have things like Microsoft Office installed on all your machines, which really comes in handy if you have some older ones lying around that are still very web-ready but lack the raw power to run the latest and greatest bloated software.
I know of a few others that I think should be amended to the list of discussed productivity apps, namely the "actual" online Office Workspace. This will probably ensure that Microsoft continues to hold some share in the world of productivity applications, plus it will solve any compatability issues that may arise while using Google Docs, or ZOHO. Both cannot open every single version of every single Microsoft Office document.
Another is an image editor, which I think is a tool that gets used a lot. Adobe Photoshop has a live version that allows for most of the more common editing functions. Great for quick photos that need a little touchup before they get emailed out across the web.
I absolutely love things like this. Simply because they make things more accessible. You don't have to have things like Microsoft Office installed on all your machines, which really comes in handy if you have some older ones lying around that are still very web-ready but lack the raw power to run the latest and greatest bloated software.
I know of a few others that I think should be amended to the list of discussed productivity apps, namely the "actual" online Office Workspace. This will probably ensure that Microsoft continues to hold some share in the world of productivity applications, plus it will solve any compatability issues that may arise while using Google Docs, or ZOHO. Both cannot open every single version of every single Microsoft Office document.
Another is an image editor, which I think is a tool that gets used a lot. Adobe Photoshop has a live version that allows for most of the more common editing functions. Great for quick photos that need a little touchup before they get emailed out across the web.
Monday, June 9, 2008
Search
With this weeks project I put into play a pretty simple test. I took one of my personal websites and searched for it a few different ways. Quite simply I got the best results with Google.
A few of the alternatives didn't even have my site indexed, which I found interesting. How can they compete if they don't even scour to the extent that Google appears to? I don't mean to be such a fan of Google, but they simple have a formula that works for the majority of users. It gets people what they want. Several of the search engines out there are simply re-branded Google anyways, with a tweak here or there to emphasize one thing or another.
Google has really dominated the search market. Hands down, they're the page that gets more page views of any other on my desktop.
The advanced tools for searching Google are very useful. I use them for my own use and trying to optimize my personal websites for higher results and rankings, which in turn drives additional traffic to the sites. The only thing I can fault Google for, which isn't really a fault considering the amount of information they are attempting to process, is the speed at which they update their information. Yes, the "crawl" the web constantly, updating their databases so that they can process and add it to their index, but it takes days for results to show up in Google.
Google also keeps certain pages more up to date than others, which makes sense as the most visited websites with the best page ranks (which are numerical values assigned by Google to give relevance) get updated on a much more regular basis, allowing them to keep fresh content in the Google index.
With all of these aspects, I worry that Google has dominated too well, creating a dependency. I know it's easier to search and find the information you're looking for now, but when there was too many options to count and the internet was much more of a net people had to understand how to search for what they want. I think that created a smarter user, which is a good thing to me.
On a side note I found it interesting that Ask.com was your 3rd option, as MSN actually gets more traffic than Ask.com does. With Microsoft's recent push to acquire Yahoo! I think this is even more peculiar. Ask hasn't really been one of the big boys in a long time it seems like, although everyone seems small time standing next to Google these days.
A few of the alternatives didn't even have my site indexed, which I found interesting. How can they compete if they don't even scour to the extent that Google appears to? I don't mean to be such a fan of Google, but they simple have a formula that works for the majority of users. It gets people what they want. Several of the search engines out there are simply re-branded Google anyways, with a tweak here or there to emphasize one thing or another.
Google has really dominated the search market. Hands down, they're the page that gets more page views of any other on my desktop.
The advanced tools for searching Google are very useful. I use them for my own use and trying to optimize my personal websites for higher results and rankings, which in turn drives additional traffic to the sites. The only thing I can fault Google for, which isn't really a fault considering the amount of information they are attempting to process, is the speed at which they update their information. Yes, the "crawl" the web constantly, updating their databases so that they can process and add it to their index, but it takes days for results to show up in Google.
Google also keeps certain pages more up to date than others, which makes sense as the most visited websites with the best page ranks (which are numerical values assigned by Google to give relevance) get updated on a much more regular basis, allowing them to keep fresh content in the Google index.
With all of these aspects, I worry that Google has dominated too well, creating a dependency. I know it's easier to search and find the information you're looking for now, but when there was too many options to count and the internet was much more of a net people had to understand how to search for what they want. I think that created a smarter user, which is a good thing to me.
On a side note I found it interesting that Ask.com was your 3rd option, as MSN actually gets more traffic than Ask.com does. With Microsoft's recent push to acquire Yahoo! I think this is even more peculiar. Ask hasn't really been one of the big boys in a long time it seems like, although everyone seems small time standing next to Google these days.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Podcasts
I decided to listen to a podcast from Mohawk College in Ontario, Canada. The focus of the podcast was streaming video and the various transitions through different mediums that the library has seen.
Libraries have a unique position in the world of technology because anything CAN be useful. Podcasts are something that a library can take advantage of many ways. Simply keeping patrons informed of new things that are happening at the library, including news, new technologies being used, and upcoming events. I can see it being used in a very similar way that radio keeps the public up to date on news or music. People can tune in as they see fit, grab what they need and go. Podcasts also give you the ability to listen when you what, an audio on demand feature that makes availability very good.
Simply put, I think that libraries can best take advantage of Podcasts by getting the word out on events and new features. I think one of the largest challenges a library has is keeping the patron informed on the wealth of information and services that are available. I don't think that most people understand how much is available at most libraries, a simple Podcast that gives an easily digestible and informative basis for learning what they can actually do would work wonders in this way.
Personally, I occasionally listen to the Podcasts at CNet. I like to see the new gadgets, as I am a bit of a gadget junky. I have not ever gone into creating a Podcast, as I don't really have need for one.
Libraries have a unique position in the world of technology because anything CAN be useful. Podcasts are something that a library can take advantage of many ways. Simply keeping patrons informed of new things that are happening at the library, including news, new technologies being used, and upcoming events. I can see it being used in a very similar way that radio keeps the public up to date on news or music. People can tune in as they see fit, grab what they need and go. Podcasts also give you the ability to listen when you what, an audio on demand feature that makes availability very good.
Simply put, I think that libraries can best take advantage of Podcasts by getting the word out on events and new features. I think one of the largest challenges a library has is keeping the patron informed on the wealth of information and services that are available. I don't think that most people understand how much is available at most libraries, a simple Podcast that gives an easily digestible and informative basis for learning what they can actually do would work wonders in this way.
Personally, I occasionally listen to the Podcasts at CNet. I like to see the new gadgets, as I am a bit of a gadget junky. I have not ever gone into creating a Podcast, as I don't really have need for one.
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