Paper No: 05 ICT for Libraries Module : 14 WebPrincipal 2.0: InvestigatorConcept, Features, Tools and Services Director & Dr. Jagdish Arora, Subject Coordinator INFLIBNET Centre, Gandhinagar Development Team PrincipalPaper Coordinator Investigator Dr. Jagdish Arora, Director & INFLIBNET Centre, Gandhinagar Subject Coordinator Content Writer Dr. Usha Mujoo Munshi, Librarian, Paper Coordinator Indian Institute of Public Administration Content Reviewer Ms. Kruti T and Dr. Jagdish Arora, Content Writer Scientist B and Director, INFLIBNET Centre Dr. Usha Mujoo Munshi, Librarian, Content Reviewer Indian Institute of Public Administration PaperContent Coordinator Reviewer Web 2.0: Concept, Features, Tools and Services I. Objective This module is designed to impart knowledge on Web 2.0 tools and services such as wikis, blogs, podcasts, vodcast, file sharing, tagging, mashups, instant messaging, social networking, social bookmarking, etc. It also aims to introduce new approaches used for delivering information services in libraries using Web 2.0 technologies. II. Learning Outcomes After completion of this lesson, learner wouldattain knowledge on tools and techniques of Web 2.0. Learner would be able to understand how libraries can create collaborative and participative environment by providing user-centric web 2.0 library services and tools such as wikis, blogs, podcasts, vodcast, file sharing, tagging, mashups, instant messaging, social networking, social bookmarking, etc. III. Module Structure 1. Introduction 2. Web 2.0: Definition and Features 2.1 The key features of Web 2.0 include 3. Web 2.0 Applications in Library 3.1 Synchronous Communication 3.1.1 Instant Messaging (IM) and Virtual Meetings 3.2 Content Delivery 3.2.1 RSS Feeds 3.2.2 Streaming Media 3.2.3 Podcasting 3.2.4 Vodcasting 3.2.5 SMS Enquiry Service 3.3 Collaborative Publishing Tools 3.3.1 Blogs 3.3.2 Wikis 3.4 Collaborative Service Platforms 3.4.1 Social Networks 3.4.2 Tagging 3.4.3 Social Bookmarking Services 3.5 Hybrid Applications, Programs and Programming Tools 3.5.1 Mashups 3.5.2 Ajax (Asynchronous JavaScript and XML) 3.5.3 Application Programming Interface (API) 3.5.4 Library Tool Bars 4. Web 2.0 and the Semantic Web 5. Summary 6. References 1. Introduction The World Wide Web (WWW) was initially designed as a visual media to publish ideas and information online to a potentially large audience. In web 1.0 environment, users could only read and learn from the websites created by individuals or institutions. It is, therefore, named as “read-only” media. With new development and advent in technologies, the “read-only” web has graduated to “read and write” web, which is also known as Web 2.0. It allows general public to interact, contribute, coordinate and collaborate in the process of delivery of web- based services and products in a collaborative fashion. Web 2.0 technologies represent revolutionary way of managing and repurposing online information and knowledge repositories in comparison with traditional web 1.0 model. The concept of Web 2.0 is being extended to several sectors that led to newer concepts like Travel 2.0, Business 2.0 and Library 2.0. The libraries, with their responsibilities of facilitating access to information resources and delivering services to their user communities, found this interactive platform most suitable and, therefore, were its early adopters. Library 2.0 is predominantly viewed as the selective application of Web 2.0 tools and techniques with emphasis on user services. The module describes Web 2.0 and Library 2.0 applications and its use in libraries to facilitate collaborative services to the users. 2. Web 2.0: Definition and Features Web 2.0 is the tag attached to new services, such as social networking, wikis, instant messaging and social tagging, offered by the second generation World Wide Web (WWW) to facilitate online collaboration and sharing among users. Web 2.0 is also known as People Centric Web or Network as Platform or Social Web. Tim O'Reilly and Dale Dougherty O’Reilly (2005), responsible for popularizing the term Web 2.0 define it as “applications that make the most of the intrinsic advantages of that platform: delivering software as a continually-updated service that gets better as more people use it, consuming and remixing data from multiple sources, including individual users, while providing their own data and services in a form that allows remixing by others, creating network effects through an “architecture of participation”, and going beyond the page metaphor of Web 1.0 to deliver rich user experiences”. The added advantage of Web 2.0 over predecessor Web 1.0: Collaboration: Web 2.0 has opened up new possibilities for collaborative networked services in web based environments. Flexibility: Web 2.0 environments are always open for changes, updates, remixing and reuse. Architecture of participation: Web 2.0 is structured around open programming interfaces that allow widespread and greater levels of participation where users act simultaneously as readers and writers. Interactivity: Web 2.0 also encourages significantly more interaction between users which is vital in e-learning. Web 2.0 encourages a more human approach to interactivity on the Web, supports group interaction and fosters a greater sense of community in a potentially social environment. 2.1 The key features of Web 2.0 include 1. Folksonomy- free classification of information: Web 2.0 allows users to create free classification/ arrangement of information over web. For example, Social Tagging; 2. Rich User Experience - Web 2.0 uses Ajax（Asynchronous JavaScript + XML) to present dynamic, GUI based rich user experience to users. For example, Google Maps; 3. User as a Contributor -In Web 2.0, user also contributes to the content by means of evaluation, review & commenting; 4. Long tail - Web 2.0 services are long-known; 5. User Participation- In web 2.0, users participate in content sourcing. This is also known as Crowdsourcing. For example, Wikipedia & You Tube; 6. Basic Trust- In earlier web, the contents are protected under Intellectual Property Rights, while in web 2.0 the contents are made available to share, reuse, redistribute and edit. For examples Wikipedia & Creative Common; and 7. Dispersion- Web 2.0 uses multiple channel that include file sharing & permalinks to deliver content. The typical examples are Bit Torrent and Mashup. 3. Web 2.0 Applications in Library Librarian can not only deliver user centric services but also creates collaborative and participative environment by using web 2.0 technologies that would lead to creation of new resources and built up existing ones using collective intelligence of users. The application of concepts and technologies of Web 2.0 applied to the library services and collections is named as “Library 2.0”. New generation of library services and activities can be designed or built with active participation and feedback from user community in library 2.0 environment to fulfill the needs and expectations of today’s library users. The term Library 2.0, first coined by Michael Casey in 2006 on his blog “Library Crunch”, refers to a number of social and technological changes that are having increasing impact upon libraries, its staff and their clientele, and how they could interact. 3.1 Synchronous Communication 3.1.1 Instant Messaging (IM) and Virtual Meetings Instant messaging, also known as IM, is a form of real-time, virtually instantaneous communication between two or more people. It allows users to share images, audio and video files and other attachments. Paltalk, Google Talk, Windows Live Messenger, Yahoo Messenger are some of the IM client software. Libraries, using Instant Messaging, provides “real-time assistance” to their patrons. Real time audio and video conference and textual conversations can be conducted by involving hundreds of people at the same time. Libraries can also use A-View, (Amrita Virtual Interactive E-learning World) Classroom, developed by Amrita University, to provide interactive social environment for E-Learning. Software used in libraries for “live reference services” are usually much more robust than the simplistic IM applications. 3.2 Content Delivery 3.2.1 RSS Feeds RSS, stands for Real Simple Syndication or Rich Site Summary, is a set of XML- based web-content distribution and republication/syndication protocols that is used to announce recent additions of content/updates to a website such as arrivals of new articles, blog entry, news, audio, video etc. It allows free flow of content between applications and websites. The technology, on one hand allows a web site (or e-publisher) to list the newest published updates (like table of contents of journals, new articles) through XML; on the other hand, it facilitates a web user to keep track of new updates on chosen website(s). Users can receive timely updates from their favorite website or they can aggregate data from many websites. RSS feed readers visit pre-defined web sites, look for updated information and fetch it automatically on to the user’s desktop. NewsGator (http://www. newsgator.com/home.aspx), a web-based RSS aggregator, Feedster (http://www.feedster.com/), and the latest versions of Windows Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox can all process RSS. 3.2.2 Streaming Media Streaming multimedia is sequential delivery of multimedia content over a computer network that is displayed to the end-user as it is being delivered by the provider. The streaming of video and audio media is an important application that existed before Web 1.0 and finds its application in Web 2.0 too. It refers to the method of delivering of medium. The static, text-based tutorials are being transformed to multimedia-based interactive tutorials. Several tutorials use Flash programming, screen-cast software, or streaming audio or video, and couple the media presentation with interactive quizzing; users respond to questions and the system responds in kind.