This is the UK Web Focus blog, written by Brian Kelly, UKOLN. UKOLN is a national centre of expertise in digital information management, based at the University of Bath. UKOLN is funded by the JISC and MLA.Talk On Web 2.0 At PPARC
Posted by Brian Kelly (UK Web Focus) on 7 March 2007
Earlier today I gave a talk on “Web 2.0: What Can It Offer The Research Community?” at PPARC. I mentioned the concept of ‘blended blogging’ – and would like to invite any of the participants at the talk to give their feedback. Did I convince you of the potential benefits of Web 2.0? What are the main barriers you foresee? And how do you think you may try to address such barriers?
Note that details of my presentations are provided in an RSS feed, which includes location details. You can view a dynamic map of talks I’ve given this year and future presentations. As I mentioned during my talk today, the location data I have is not always sufficiently accurate. I notice that that was true for today’s talk, as you can see (or am I going off the rails?)
Andy Hellawell said
Brian – many thanks for visiting us and for your presentation. Web 2.0 seems both very exciting and potentially worrying:
* exciting – within minutes of being back at my desk I was looking at how we could apply microformats – and improve our location details so visitors don’t end up on the railway line!
* worrying – with a (seemingly) full set of Web2.0 tools already out there, it’s hard to make the business case for much other than tagging our content to work better with them.
With the research councils now going through a lot of change there’s a great opportunity to do something … it’s just the ticky question of “what?” A working group to develop ideas to answer that question (and others) would be very helpful – even better if we can tap into your knowledge!
Thanks again,
Andy Hellawell
NERC Web Manager
Chair, Joint Council Web Group
Kate Hilton said
I found your presentation very helpful and interesting, but also – as with other Web 2.0 events I’ve been to – mind boggling! I immediately wanted to look at all the websites you mentioned and install all those Firefox extensions. How the Web 2.0 technologies (or ‘attitude’) can be put into practice here is another matter, though. There are plenty more people yet to convince.
As Andy said, the microformats and Google map mashups are the two things I can see being put into use most quickly. As for the more collaborative tools, I would welcome a working group to discuss if and how these could be used within the research councils.
Kate Hilton
Web Editor, BBSRC
Brian Kelly (UK Web Focus) said
Hi Andy, Kate – thanks for the feedback. On the issue of the next steps in developing deployment strategies for Web 2.0, I should mention that there is still an opportunity for workshop proposals for the IWMW 2007 event. Perhaps that event might provide a useful opportunity for a working group to meet – but you will have to submit a proposal quickly.
Brian Kelly (UK Web Focus) said
Hi Kate – on the subject of microformats, Phil Wilson (a Web developer here at Bath University and a regular contributor to this blog, ran a session on microformats at IWMW 2006. He has also deployed microformats widely across the University of Bath Web site (e.g. the what’s on section). Sebastian Rahtz, Oxford University Computer Services) attended Phil’s session last year, and subsequently deployed microformats across the OUCS Web site (e.g. times of OUCS training courses).
And, as I mentioned in my talk, Nigel Bradley and colleagues in the Web team at Northumbria University were early developers of Google Maps mashups, as you can see from their Radius 5 service and their UK University Locator service.