http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/web-focus/events/conferences/ili-2005/talk-1/ Digital Tools For Collaboration: Email Must Die! Brian Kelly UKOLN University of Bath Bath Email [email protected] This talk: • Describes the limitations of email • Outlines areas in which new technologies can provide.
Download ReportTranscript http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/web-focus/events/conferences/ili-2005/talk-1/ Digital Tools For Collaboration: Email Must Die! Brian Kelly UKOLN University of Bath Bath Email [email protected] This talk: • Describes the limitations of email • Outlines areas in which new technologies can provide.
http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/web-focus/events/conferences/ili-2005/talk-1/
Digital Tools For Collaboration:
Email Must Die!
Brian Kelly UKOLN University of Bath Bath
This talk: • Describes the limitations of email • Outlines areas in which new technologies can provide benefits • Recognises areas of difficulty • Suggests strategies for change UKOLN is supported by: A centre of expertise in digital information management
www.ukoln.ac.uk
Let's Kill Email!
Email has been a very useful tool Mailing lists Files … But: • Information overload • Duplication • • Limited developments Spam Poor metadata Poor management capabilities Viruses Flame wars Would email take off if it came out today?
"
E-mail is where knowledge goes to die
"
www.ukoln.ac.uk
Email Versus Web Architecture
Email can be used by a wide range of clients.
But such universality is at the cost of limited functionality Email
Server
Web Scripts Integration Personalisation Authentication …
Client
Scripts Plugins Integration Personalisation
www.ukoln.ac.uk
…
Time To Progress?
If email has its flaws, how can we progress?
• Recognition of the problem (e.g. stress caused by information overload; difficulties in finding key messages; …) • Identify areas in which alternatives are better • • Recognition of barriers to change Strategies for addressing these barriers Note that examples of applications used by the author will be given. However this is not intended as an endorsement of any particular application. You should evaluate applications thoroughly before deploying them.
A centre of expertise in digital information management
www.ukoln.ac.uk
RSS - Not Email!
Why subscribe to email lists simply for announcements when RSS readers provide more control?
Why use email lists alone when RSS is so easy to create?
When new QA Focus documents published, RSS file is updated.
See "
RSS: Let's Clear The Confusion And Start Using!
" slides and handouts and
Intro To RSS
IM - Not Email!
Use of instant messaging: • Provide immediacy (group working on topic together) • Dedicated channel – unlike email • • Value-added services: Shared applications Voice & video … Good user support – your children! (Don't believe the 'I'm spied upon; lot's of sounds, … myths) Worried about misuse? Read a case study and policy
www.ukoln.ac.uk
Sound & Video - Not Email!
VoIP: future of telephony Popular applications such as Skype: • Integrated voice, IM, Web, (and now video) • • Can be high quality Free (or cheap to landlines & mobiles) • • Conference calls … VoIP is coming, so now’s the time to gain experiences. What are the implications of ‘free’ always-on telephony. You could all be broadcasting this talk now!
A centre of expertise in digital information management
www.ukoln.ac.uk
Blogs Not Email!
http://www.tametheweb.com/ttwblog/ Want to keep up to date?
• Find a good Blog • Add it to an RSS alerter (e.g. Bloglines) • Add comments Want to inform
your
users: • Save them email overload and create your own Blog!
A centre of expertise in digital information management
www.ukoln.ac.uk
Wikis - Not Email!
Involved in joint work? Don't send Word documents by email, use a Wiki (we did!): • Small, trusted group • • No bottleneck Comments in single location, not scattered across emails • Can be complemented by email, IM &
www.ukoln.ac.uk
Podcasting - Not Email!
Can't attend a conference but interested in a talk?
Viewed PowerPoints, but still don't fully understand?
Why not: • Listen to an MP3 recording • Subscribe to a Podcast Really keen – record events you organise or your favourite talks (but seek permission first) Or use Skype for interviews, make recording & then Publish as Podcast,
www.ukoln.ac.uk
Why The Reluctance?
Tradition
• We've always used email; everyone's happy with it
Myths
• IM means continual sound alerts; people knowing when you arrive & leave; constant interruptions; ...
Inertia
• I'd like to, but I can't find the time
Trust
• The Internet's a evil place
Immaturity of technologies
• Good in theory, but I'll wait for technology to improve
Rights issues
• • We're worried about copyright issues
Age, gender, …
It's toys for boys A centre of expertise in digital information management
www.ukoln.ac.uk
Strategies For Change
Acceptance of truth in some cases: • • Yes, Blogs are used by the vain IM can be disruptive • • • You may receive spam, spim, Skim(?) Wikis may be vandalised Blog comments may get full of Viagra spam But recognition that it's not always true: • • Many Blogs have valuable information You can normally configure applications (switch off alerts; hide identity & presence; …) • You can manage potential hacks: require authentication; disable features; use in a trusted environment such as on Intranet; … A centre of expertise in digital information management
www.ukoln.ac.uk
Strategies For Change (2)
Use with small scale experiment • Closed Blog for recording effort • • • Photo services for family pictures Exploiting your phone, camera, PDA, … Blog & RSS related to a conference event Observe wider use: • Popularity of Flickr during London bombings • Popularity of SMS Listening to and engaging with the gurus: • ILI conference • ILI speakers' Blogs and Podcasts • … A centre of expertise in digital information management
www.ukoln.ac.uk
Strategies For Change (3)
Legal Issues • • Copyright is an issue Need to be aware of business models (“I’ll not go to ILI next year, Joe will record it for me”) but: • • You can be pragmatic Remember how we made hyperlinks and installed caches – both possible copyright infringements • Does accessibility and widening participation trump copyright?
Suggestions: • Have contingency plans in case of problems (Internet Archive did this) • Engage user community in discussions A centre of expertise in digital information management
www.ukoln.ac.uk
Case Study (1)
Institutional Web Management Workshop 2005: • • Held at University of Manchester on 6-8 July WiFi network available so we: Encouraged use of real time chat (using IRC) Hosted workshop Blogger Use of Wiki for note-taking during discussion groups and parallel sessions (no flip charts to be digitised) Published Podcasts prior to event Recorded some talks (with permission) • Also asked delegates to provide mobile phones nos. for use in emergencies (and 7/7 happened) • Evaluation on use of technologies mostly very positive (small no. thought it could be distracting) No
commitment
to Podcasting talks made. We feel delegates know such resources are only part of the learning process A centre of expertise in digital information management
www.ukoln.ac.uk
Case Study (2)
See
Benefits
: save time and travel costs; environmentally friendly, multimedia presentation can be viewed by others; … A centre of expertise in digital information management
www.ukoln.ac.uk
Case Study (3)
http://ili2005.xwiki.com/ A centre of expertise in digital information management ILI 2005 (unofficial) Wiki available: • • Links to ILI site Information about previous events • Social information (hotel, tourisms, …) Why not: • Add trip report • • Share your thoughts …
www.ukoln.ac.uk
Discussion Fora – A Half Way House
Web-based bulletin boards may provide a useful half-way house: • Email interface for reading and posting • Web interface for reading and posting • Alerts of new postings (RSS, email, IM, ....) A centre of expertise in digital information management
www.ukoln.ac.uk
Blogging For Librarians
"That's a bit risky, isn't it?" httpbloglibumneduwall0552Rhet3266/ "You don't provide Blogging? Weird!"
Note:
Day-long tracks on Blogs & Wikis at
ILI 2005
and
Online Information 2005
- the hour has arrived! See "Pen A Blog Buster" article in IWR, Sept 2005 A centre of expertise in digital information management
www.ukoln.ac.uk
Conclusions
To conclude: • Email has been useful • There are alternatives which can provide richer functionality, better usability, … • There are barriers to the deployment of new technologies, both real and imaginary • There is a need to develop deployment strategies for new technologies which can enhance your organisation or your working environment Once you've started to make use of the technologies, you'll face challenges in interoperability, finding the stuff, etc. But answers to these issues are the subject of another talk!
… and email can still be useful – it doesn’t really have to die
Questions
Any questions?
A centre of expertise in digital information management
www.ukoln.ac.uk