#15 - Speaking of Web 2.0 - Spy World

I found a fascinating article in the NY Times about the intelligence community re-examining its techniques following 9/11. They are taking note of Web 2.0

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/03/magazine/03intelligence.html?_r=2&fta=y&pagewanted=all&oref=slogin&oref=slogin

Some bits and pieces of the article follow:

".... control over the flow of information, as the 9/11 Commission noted in its final report, was a crucial reason American intelligence agencies failed to prevent those attacks. All the clues were there — Al Qaeda associates studying aviation in Arizona, the flight student Zacarias Moussaoui arrested in Minnesota, surveillance of a Qaeda plotting session in Malaysia — but none of the agents knew about the existence of the other evidence.....

“Web 2.0” technologies that encourage people to share information — blogs, photo-posting sites like Flickr or the reader-generated encyclopedia Wikipedia — often made it easier to collaborate with others......

Could blogs and wikis prevent the next 9/11?

........major spy agencies divided up the world: the F.B.I. analyzed domestic crime, the C.I.A. collected intelligence internationally and military spy agencies, like the National Security Agency and National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, evaluated threats to the national defense. If an analyst requested information from another agency, that request traveled through elaborate formal channels. The walls between the agencies were partly a matter of law. The charters of the C.I.A. and the defense intelligence agencies prohibited them from spying on American citizens, under the logic that the intrusive tactics needed to investigate foreign threats would violate constitutional rights if applied at home. ...."

These agencies are trying to resolve the conflict between secret information and open sharing...
But the power of 2.0 is prompting alot of consideration.

AND.....another article speaking more specifically about 2.0 applications....http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/02/weekinreview/02shane.html

Week 6, #15

Web 2.0 and Library 2.0 are expansions of unknown dimension of web applications and potential library services. I say unknown dimension as it is vast and growing. The user of these applications and services is also part of the expansion development. Innovative minds are developing and applying applications at a rate that makes my mind spin.

Mike Walsh is a professor at Kansas State University (Lynn had mentioned his YouTube video, "Web 2.0...The Machine is Us/ing Us", in previous post) and he says that this revolution is enabling information to find us. That is a profound shift in the world of information organization.(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLlGopyXT_g)

Libraries are in a position to apply the concepts of Web 2.0 to get information, entertainment and knowledge to users without the barriers of place and time. Some examples of these applications include: (1) Butler University Library has created a reference wiki to showcase their online and print resources and enhance access (http://www.seedwiki.com/wiki/butler_wikiref/). (2) Ohio University Libraries invites its users to check out an iPod for an audio tour of its building and services - or you can download the tour on your iPod or MP3 player (http://www.library.ohiou.edu/newsblog/?p=152). (3) Georgia Perimeter College offers podcast sessions of interviews and lectures (http://www.gpc.edu/~declib/podcasts.htm).

Michael Stephens writes in December's Serial Review that Library 2.0 promises a change to the experience of the library. "The library experience is rewarding....It brings out emotions. It satisfies the user. It encourages the heart through learning, discovery and entertainment. The user is engaged, challenged and welcomed. Barriers, such as bans on technology user and stereotypical shushing make way for collaborative, flexible spaces and technology savvy librarians as guides to accessing and creating content." His vision is cool (couldn't think of a better word!).

You can spend hours finding Web 2.0 applications and viewing what libraries are doing with these innovations. In fact, I started this session at work and I am finishing it weeks later at home!

Week 8 - 18th

Social networking sites are interesting. I joined Facebook recently and enjoy observing more than participating. During this activity I learned about http://ratemyspace.hgtv.com/ - I had never heard of this site and found it interesiting---regular people, not professional - networking to find the best decorating solutions.