Webometric Thoughts

The 4am Project

2010-04-04T19:16:00.003+01:00

Social media is great for bringing a diverse set of people with similar interests together for a particular project. An excellent example of which has been Karen Strunks extremely successful 4am Project:

The aim of the 4amproject is to gather a collection of photos from around the world at the magical time of 4am. Everyone can take part and join in! All you need is a camera. We want to see what you see at that moment in time on that one day. What’s your view at 4am?

Obviously, as a man who needs at least eight hours sleep a night, my view is that I should have been fast asleep dreaming of unicorns or some such tosh. However, my girlfriend had other ideas. Although I contemplated sending her out into the night with hundreds of pounds worth of photographic equipment to confront the last drunken stragglers staggering home from the pubs and clubs of Wolverhampton, I knew everyone would blame me if she ended up mugged or dead in a ditch (however misplaced such blame would be).

It's been about 15 years since I was serious about photography: with multiple lenses, filters, films, and access to a dark-room. 4am didn't strike me as the best time to start again, so I went along purely in the role of observer - with the exception of 'twitpicing' a single photo from the worst camera-phone in the world at 4am:

The world is very different at 4am, and all in all it was a pleasant stroll around Wolverhampton's West-End:

View 4am Project in a larger map
Without a doubt, the most interesting - and least tiring - part of the day has been watching some of the other pictures, posts, and films that have been put online throughout the day.

-Lee Allen's video of other 4am participants in Wolves
-4am Project Flickr Group
..and of course...
-My girlfriend's view of the world at 4am

Welcome StumbleUpon - and other members of my recent spike

2010-03-18T10:57:00.004Z

Unsurprisingly, my Webometric Thoughts aren't massively popular. There are few people who start the day checking the BBC, the Guardian, and then Webometric Thoughts. However, over the last few days my traffic has gone through the relative roof, from a steady 100 unique visitors a day, on Tuesday it leaped to 602!

Way beyond the previous high of 262. The reason: For a brief moment I was the TechCrunch pin-up boy, thanks to my (now-very-old) QR code T-shirt - nb. it goes without saying that this rather large company that clears $200,000 a month (according to Wikipedia) didn't bother asking my penniless permission.

What's particularly interesting is that hardly any of the traffic has come directly from TechCrunch, in fact only 112 of the visits over the last three days. Instead the traffic has been mostly a massive surge of visits to my home page from StumbleUpon. I'm not sure why, but nonetheless - Hello Stumbleupon Users *waves*

How bad is Chatroulette?

2010-03-09T22:15:00.004Z

Everywhere I turn at the moment there seems to be a story about Chatroulette.com. Press a button and you are in a random video chat with a stranger somewhere else in the world. Unsurprisingly it is painted as the latest sign of the world going to hell in a handcart: "Who will protect the children?"

As a particularly unsocial social media researcher I decided to do a quick quantitative study of first impressions of the people I came across on the site: clothed or naked/obscene, male or female. As I didn't particularly want to engage with anyone, but needed to put the web cam on to encourage the broadest cross-section, I set it up for Mr Shifter:

Results
Out of 100 web cams in which the subject was identifiable.
79% were men.
5 contained more than one man.
11 were obscene.
10% were female.
2 contained more than one woman.
1 was obscene.
2% were mixed sex groups
9% were objects- mostly signs saying "show me you boobs".
In addition, I also came across one camera supposedly of a man who had just hung himself...I wasn't too sure where to place that one.

So what did I find out? The world is mostly just looking to talk, there's some weirdos out there, and one bloke who wanted to see the monkey dance...and was thrilled when he obliged.

Academic Search Engine Optimization: An inevitable evil?

2010-03-09T14:01:00.006Z

The money available for public science is finite, and it is understandable that governments want to get value for public money spent, and show the value in the form of bibliometric and webometric indicators. Unfortunately scientists are far from perfect, and the indicators and metrics that are meant to reflect the merits of an academic's work can quickly become the focus of the academics work.

I've just finished reading Academic Search Engine Optimization (ASEO): Optimizing Scholarly Literature for Google Scholar & Co. (via @research_inform), which gives advice on making sure your journal articles are indexed and highly ranked by academic search engines (e.g., Google Scholar). There are numerous points I disagree with on both an ethical and a practical level:

"...tools that help in selecting the right keywords, Google Trends, Google Insights, Google Adwords"
"Synonyms of important keywords should also be mentioned a few times in the body of your text, so that the article may be found by someone who does not know the common terminology used in the research field."

When I write an academic paper my primary audience is academics in my specialised field, not the wider public that are likely to use different vocabulary and dominate services like Google Trends by their shear numbers. As an academic reading a paper I wouldn't appreciate the introduction of inconsistency and ambiguity through the use of synonyms, which are necessarily near-synonyms in the precise scientific world.

"..to achieve a good ranking in Google Scholar, many citations are essential. Google Scholar seems not to differentiate between self-citations and citations by third parties."

Self citation has always been rife and needs little encouragement. Later they state that "...any articles you have read that relate to your current research paper should be cited"; although surely discretion is an important factor unless we are going to shoe-horn in crap and further exaggerate the Mathew effect of the high ranked papers.

"...publish the article on the author's home page...an author who does not have a Web page might post the article on an institutional Web page"

Ignoring the curious turn of phrase, the general consensus is that the vast majority of academics should publish in their institutional repository irrespective of whether they have their own web site. The institutional repositories should have the procedures in place to ensure long-term archiving.

"...an article that includes outdated words might be replaced by either updating the existing article or publishing a new version on the author's web site."

As the authors acknowledge "...it may be considered misbehaviour by other researchers." At last we have a point we agree on.

As you have probably guessed from the above criticisms, I thought that the article was a piece of crap. Academic SEO should in no way effect how you write an academic paper, or the subjects we choose to write about. Unfortunately academic SEO is a topic that is likely to get a lot more attention amongst bad scientists if another practice I recently heard of takes off: Paying academics bonuses per article. A colleague told me last week how his former university had a pot of money from which academics were paid €4,000 (split between the number of authors) for articles published in certain 'quality' journals. It is a small step to start paying individuals for articles that reach a certain threshold of citations, at which point we will have finally dumbed-down science.

"Researchers need to think seriously about how to get their articles indexed by academic search engines" - No, they need to think seriously about doing worthwhile research and writing quality publications. If your focus is on SEO then you are in the wrong field.

A quick SPARQL of Dbpedia.org says I'm past it!

2010-03-05T17:33:00.006Z

I've spent the last couple of days having a play around with some of the Linked Data that is increasingly being made available online - data that is made available through dereferencable URIs. One of the most interesting sources is Dbpedia.org, a project that extracts structured data from Wikipedia. Whilst it suffers from a lack of consistency, its crowd-sourced nature potentially offers unique insights into the nature of society (or at least the world as wikipedia users see it).

Today I downloaded a list of all the pages of people in dbpedia with dates of birth in the 20th century. Requests were sent using the SPARQL query language - with only one month requested at a time as dbpedia only provides the first 1,000 results for each query.

SELECT DISTINCT ?page ?dob {
?s foaf:page ?page.
?s ?dob .
Filter (?dob >= "1900-01-01"^^xsd:date) .
Filter (?dob <= "1900-01-31"^^xsd:date) . } Limit 1000

[run query at dbpedia]

It's not particularly surprising to find that in the current celebrity obsessed world there are more wikipedia-famous people towards the end of the century than at the beginning, and that there are relatively few people under the age of twenty.

At 35 it would seem as though my best years for getting my own wikipedia page are behind me - although as I was never counting on my sporting prowess, there is probably still a chance.

The real power of Linked Data comes not from these data sets in isolation, but investigating how they link together...but you have to start somewhere.

Microscopes and Micrographia

2010-03-04T09:52:00.003Z

My home office is increasingly turning into a home lab: circuit boards, sensors, switches, wires, wire cutters, soldering iron, even a robot. My latest acquisition is a USB digital microscope with 200x magnification. I've been tempted by the thought of a USB microscope for a while, and whilst there are more powerful microscopes out there, at £29.99 it would have been churlish not to give this one a go.

Unbeknown to the Maplin's sales assistants, their sale was made that much easier by the fact I am currently reading Lisa Jardine's The Curious Life of Robert Hook. The man who through his Micrographia (1665) showed the world at large the hidden details they had never seen before. Painstaking drawing by hand the objects he placed under his slides.

Today the man on the street can pick a USB miscroscope of the shelf, and within minutes share his close-ups of the world. It remains to be seen however, whether it will encourge a generation of entomologists, or navel gazers.

Semantic Webometrics - A few thoughts

2010-01-22T09:37:00.004Z

The other day an academic colleague asked what I was working on at the moment, in my answer I included - semantic webometrics - unsurprisingly he wanted some more detail. However 'working on' would be a bit of an exaggeration, 'have a few ideas but nothing on paper yet' would have been more appropriate. As such I thought I'd write down some of my rough thoughts on semantic webometrics.

Webometrics
For those who may have stumbled upon this blog from a non-webometric background, Webometrics as defined by Björneborn (2004), and as used by most of the webometrics community, means the:

...study of the quantitative aspects of the construction and use of information resources, structures and technologies on the Web drawing on bibliometric and informetric approaches.

Many of these quantitative studies have focused on hyperlinks. For example, investigating whether there is a correlation between a university's inlinks (a.k.a. backlinks) and a university's research ranking, or whether the interconnectedness of organisations in a region (as seen through interlinking web sites) can give an indication of a region's level of innovation [outrageous self-citation].

One of the problems with many of these link-analyses is that they include a lot of noise. For example, when counting a university's inlinks you will be counting both those from an academic highlighting a university's quality research, and those from the disgruntled student highlighting his most hated tutor. Traditionally we have tried to understand the extent of this noise through large scale content analysis - the extremely tedious manual classification of web links and web pages.

The semantic web
A semantic web is one where information on the web is structured so that it is meaningful to computers. Well known examples of the semantic web include FOAF ontology allowing people to express the relationships with one another (e.g., the FOAF of Tim Berners-Lee) and the use of microformats for certain types of structured content including contact details (as included at www.davidstuart.co.uk) and reviews (which are now indexed by Google as Rich Snippets). This extra information information can be used to reduce the amount noise and enable meaningful webometric studies.

Semantic webometrics
So when I say semantic webometrics I mean - webometric studies that make use of the additional information included in an increasingly semantic web.

For example, a semantic webometic study of the connection between an institution's inlinks and research ranking would take into consideration who had placed the links and the attributes that they had associated with them. A semantic webometric study of the relationships between organisations would look at the explicit relationships contained in FOAF files as well as the implicit information on web pages.

Conclusions
Unfortunately there is relatively little semantic information embedded in the majority of web pages/sites, and where it is widespread, e.g., with the nofollow link attribute, webometricians have yet to develop the tools to make use of them.

As such we need to take an information-centred approach to semantic webometric research rather than a problem-centred approach. Whilst still small, there is an increasing amounts of semantic data being embedded in the web all the time, webometricians need to investigate what is available and how they can use it.

Predictions: What are they good for?

2010-01-04T12:07:00.003Z

At this time of year (or rather a few weeks ago if they weren't drowning under a pile of work) technology bloggers all around the world make predictions about the coming year, and reflect upon the predictions they made the previous year. Looking back on my previous predictions I can't help but realise how slowly the world of technology moves.

Last year's predictions
1. N97 takes Nokia back to the top of the pile. Unfortunately I have only come across one person with an N97 in the past year, Apple and its apps continue to beguile everyone in their path.
2. Distributed social networks will shrink Facebook traffic. Unfortunately Google Wave launched too late in the year, and with too many problems, for it to make any real impact. But the notion of a distributed system has been well and truly planted in people's minds.
3. Project Kangaroo will hit UK desktops.The legal watching of video online is increasing, with new entrants in the market such as Blinkbox, but unfortunately Project Kangaroo fell foul of the Competition Commission.
4. The general public continue to ignore QR codes. Despite my pessimism QR codes have actually started to creep into some unexpected places. For example, the University of Bath in numerous places, including their library catalogue. Whilst they have become more popular than I imagined, they are still ignored by most of the public.
5. No Google alternative will emerge. Yahoo Search closes up shop, Bing has more money than sense, and Google marches on.

This year's predictions-On a similar theme
1. iPhone + Augmented Reality = Increased Market Share. I hate the iPhone because if you want to install anything on an iPhone you have to check it's OK with Apple first, for which they will take 30% cut of the price of the app. Unfortunately the centralised app-store is the reason so many people like it. It simplifies the process of downloading new applications, and as we see an increase in glossy augmented reality mobile applications the iPhone will continue to be perceived as the obvious choice.
2. Google Wave takes off. Despite hating Google, I'm backing Google Wave for two reasons: i) We need something better than email, ii) I really want to see an open distributed system. It still has a lot of teething problems, but nothing that can't be overcome.
3. Project Canvas fails. Project Kangaroo failed because of the complaints of Murdoch, and I'm sure Project Canvas will as well, especially if we see a Tory government after the next election.
4. No change in search. Market share will stay the same and no one will embrace the potential of the wisdom of the crowd. Search strikes me as one of the more antiquated areas of the web, with little real innovation occurring. I think things will start to change in 2011, if the semantic web takes a foothold this year.
5. The year of the Semantic Web. After years of talk, I have the feeling that this could be the one where we start to see the semantic web making an impact both through the opening up of large data sets, and the marking up of web pages with microformats. As someone who is fed up with poking and tweeting, I'm looking to the semantic web to inject a bit of life into the web.

As for Twitter, I don't really care. I'm bored of it now.

2009 in Books: 47

2010-01-03T14:36:00.011Z

Whilst I have little doubt that the web is a wonderful thing, I personally waste a lot of time online reading half-formed, half-baked, off-the-cuff opinions. There are a lot of things that are better said in 300 pages than 140 characters. Unfortunately my mindless clicking online leaves far less room for books than I would like. At a minimum I would expect to read 50 books in a year, unfortunately (thanks to that ever encrouching web) 2009 saw me read a mere 47, or rather, finish 47 books; my shelves are littered with half-read books which if I return to I will feel it necessary to start again from the start.

The work related books: 16
'Work' can be stretched to cover a multitude of subjects that I am interested in, from sociology, through the narrative, to Second Life.

Amazon.co.uk Widgets

Unfortunately some of the work related books are far less enjoyable. Often (although not always) these were the ones that I had offered to review for a journal and therefore have to struggle through to the end.

Amazon.co.uk Widgets

Whilst some books are always worse than others, without a doubt Knowledge Networks: The Social Software Perspective (Premier Reference Source) was not only the worst book I read this year, but one of the worst publishing efforts I have ever seen.

Other non-fiction: 19
There isn't much of a theme to the rest of my non-fiction, although I possible got a bit carried away with books about Samuel Johnson.

Amazon.co.uk Widgets

The one with least merit is The Impulse Factor: Why Some of Us Play it Safe and Others Risk it All; don't even think about buying this book. The keen-eyed wondering what happened to book number 19, it was HOW TO USE BOOKS, I can only presume that it was the lack of picture that mean't Amazon would let me add it to a widget.

The Fiction Books: 12
Curiously my fictional reads of 2009 both started and ended with an Adrian Mole, and there are the usual inclusion of personal favourites such as Grisham and Irving. But beyond that it is a curious selection of odds and ends.

Amazon.co.uk Widgets

Conclusions
Clumped together it looks a slightly bizarre collection, especially the fiction shelves (I believe Mr Majeika was free in a cereal box a previous year), but there again I suppose a lot of people's do. As with every other year I shall resolve to read far more in 2010; maybe I should also resolve to read better books in 2010.

The Cat, the Bullfighter, and Google Books

2009-12-27T15:37:00.005Z

As a general rule I take the web for granted. Although I'm old enough to remember [a lot of] life before the web, because I was aware of services like Prestel and had dialed up the local BBS years before, I merely saw the web as a natural progression.

Occassionally, however, an inconsequential event does make me stop and realise how much we really take for granted. Last night I was curled up with Erving Goffman's Frame Analysis: An Essay on the Organization of Experience (as I've mentioned before his works provide userful frameworks for understanding the social web). On page 424 he uses an example of a cat 'frame breaking' as it circled the bull ring whilst the bullfighters were hiding behind barriers from the bull. Despite being nearly midnight I could go over to my computer, go to http://books.google.com/ and browse or search my way to the relevant issue of Life magazine to see the full-page picture of the event.

A book published in 1974, referenced a photograph published in 1955, and I could see that photo in a matter of moments. Something that would have been impossible for the vast majority of people who have ever read Frame Analysis over the past 35 years.

Do you need a Pocket Projector?

2009-12-26T11:33:00.004Z

My research group were recently assigned a large amount of cash for new equipment. Beyond the usual list of desktops, laptops, and netbooks, I decided to ask Twitter for more interesting suggestions.
The idea of a portable projector appealed from both a work and a social perspective. Offering the opportunity for demonstrating webometric presentations on the fly (it's a very visual subject), as well as watching films and TV on the big screen. The best Pocket Projector I could find was the Adapt ADPP-305 Pocket Projector. Luckily it arrived on Christmas Eve, so I have had a couple of days to test it out - albeit it mostly for watching Christmas TV.

The projector promises up to 100 inches, although you'd want a very dark room for it to be a clear 100 inch image. So far I have connected my laptop and my Wii to the projector, and run it off the mains, although there is also a 4GB internal memory, and a battery if you want to leave the laptop and leads at home.

There's no doubt it is a nice bit of kit (although one of the tripod legs is a bit lose on mine - it's nothing a bit of glue wont sort out), providing a good picture, and is reasonably priced.

As projectors continue to improve I can imagine the traditional TV being squeezed out by computers on the one side, and projectors for the big screen experience on the other. On Christmas Day I projected the Gruffulo onto the wall at 70 inches; a 70 inch flat screen would not only cost thousands, but would continue to take up space when not being used.

The meaning of 'citations' on the social web

2009-12-16T09:06:00.003Z

It has long been recognised in the world of scientific publishing that the rich get richer and the poor get poorer as authors vie for attention: The Matthew Effect. On the social web the problem is exacerbated through a combination of greater variation in the quality of publishing, the ease of 'citing', and social rewards for citing first. This can result in highly cited works of very dubious quality.

Publishing has traditionally been limited by space: If you publish one article you won't have space to publish another, therefore you should choose wisely. Online the cost of space is negligible, so sites often publish stories that are pretty worthless. A good example of this is an Econsultancy post on "What would a Tory government mean for SEO?"

As a pointless article with absolutely no substance it should attract little attention. However it is on a very popular site, so (according to Topsy) it nonetheless gets 50 retweets (admittedly one is mine). It's a pattern that's regularly repeated all over the web, with numbers dwarfing a mere 50 retweets. A post that may be described as "naive and lazy" by one person, can easily find itself retweeted over a thousand times if the right person is posting it and the mob want to jump on the bandwagon.

Whilst the cost of space is negligible, few online publishers (and promoters) take into consideration the cost of time to the reader. Whilst users don't have to subscribe to a feed, many will have subscribed to feeds as the sites were working hard to build a reputation, unfortunately they remain in the feedreader when the sites are starting to coast. Maybe it's time that I put Econsultancy in the same bin as Mashable, which tipped from being mostly useful to mostly pointless over a year ago for me.

Whilst many of the posts on this site will fall firmly in the "not worth the attention" category, my audience has little expectation of anything else :-)

SpongeBob Top Trumps - With 2D Codes

2009-12-10T13:51:00.004Z

Back in September, on a trip to Walsall for a Social Media Curry, I picked up a pack of 3D SpongeBob Top Trumps. Unlike the traditional Top Trumps, the latest versions have an interactive element with 2D barcodes printed on the back of some of the cards which can be read by a web cam with special software.

Earlier this week, Top Trumps finally released the necessary SpongeBob software. Why the cards were on sale almost three months before the software I don't know, but at last I can have my photo take with Spongebob.

The actual SpongeBob software is a bit rubbish, and really wasn't worth a three month wait, but it does show some of the potential of 2D codes for bridging the gap between the real and virtual worlds.

The Distraction of Television On-Demand: It's the tip of the iceberg

2009-12-06T15:54:00.004Z

With the exception of the occasional football match or Formula 1 race I have stopped watching live television, instead I 'catch-up' with the iPlayer, 4OD, and occasionally the ITV Player and Demand Five. Online availability has now become the most important factor in my watching of a television programmme; if a programme is not available online it doesn't exist to me. Increasingly, however, I'm not just 'catching-up' with current television, I'm watching the increasing number of old series online.

The last couple of weekends have been spent/wasted watching the Day of the Triffids on the MSN Video Player, Relic Hunter on Blinkbox, and the surprisingly enjoyable Dick Van Dyke Show on Joost; whole series available for watching in one sitting. Whilst the selection of programmes freely available is currently fairly limited, these are likely to increase with the increasing number of new entrants in the market (e.g., SeeSaw) offering content providers a new revenue streams.

The big difference with watching such series, however, is the lack of a shared cultural experience. There are few in my social circle who will have watched Relic Hunter or the Dick Van Dyke Show (or who would admit to it in public), and so I'm watching them in isolation. Whilst the web offers the opportunity for discussions to occur around idiosyncratic television selections, it won't be the same as having shared experiences with friends and colleagues.

My Circle of Distraction: Now with added Google Wave!

2009-11-12T12:23:00.005Z

Increasingly we have web access wherever we go: wi-fi, dongles, mobile phones. For me, however, it's nice to get away from the web, because when I do have access I have to be constantly on guard against falling into my personal circle of distraction: the never-ending loop of checking web services.

The specifics of the circle change over time as my interests change and different services go in and out of fashion. Previous/occasional entrants include Facebook, FeedJit, Google Analytics, Google Finance. The current circle looks something like this:

Whilst Twitter has obvious attractions for the easily distracted, as a webometrician I'm equally interested in bit.ly: how many people have followed the links I've placed since I looked 5 minutes earlier? Then there's the email run: Hotmail, work email, University email. This tends to be followed by Google Wave, the latest new distraction on the block. Hardly anyone I know is really using it yet, but that means nothing in a circle of distraction. Then finally the Opera browser RSS reader. At which point there has been a sufficient gap to start the whole process again!

I dread to think how many times I find myself stuck in this, or a similar loop each day. Without the web I would get so much more work done, but what that work would be I don't know.

The Presentation of Self: A framework for understanding social media

2009-11-08T11:53:00.003Z

I dislike the current focus on a real-time web for its tendency to emphasise recent information rather than quality information. The two do not have to be mutually exclusive, but often we are failing to take into consideration works of the past as we attempt to keep up with the new. This seems to be especially true in the realm of social media, where we are constantly striving to spot the next big thing. However I've just finished one of the best books for understanding the effect of social media, and it was published fifty years ago: Goffman's The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life.

Discussing social interactions and the presentation of self in a world very different to the one we find ourselves in today, Goffman provides both an intentional framework to help us understand the interactions, and an unintentional example of how these interactions can change over time.

Go out and buy a K8055!

2009-10-20T11:40:00.003+01:00

Before yesterday I had no idea what a K8055 was, but it turns out it is exactly what I've always wanted, and after pressing buttons and lighting up various LEDs for the past half-hour I am convinced everyone should have one!

Basically the K8055 provides a method of sending and receiving digital and analogue inputs and outputs from a computer.

The pleasure of the K8055 is that it is so easy to use (especially in comparison with the previously discussed USB thermometer that I'm Twittering). Not only does it come with the required drivers and a demo program, but the source code for the demo program is provided in a number of languages.

Now I need to decide on what I want to input or output.

Currently I'm thinking either a bulb that brightens and dims according to the mood of Wolverhampton (using a sentiment analysis of Twitter), or maybe just a big "ARGGHHH!!!" button that I can hit every time I get annoyed. But with a host of switches and sensors available (e.g., infrared & motion detectors) the possibilities are seemingly endless, so any other suggests are welcome.

The Web of Objects: @MyColdRoom

2009-10-15T16:08:00.002+01:00

With the web and the real world becoming increasingly intertwined, I found myself wandering about how easy it would be for an appallingly bad programmer like myself to start automatically sending information from the real world to the web. This was the start of one of the most pointless feeds on Twitter: @MyColdRoom.

@MyColdRoom is a Twitter stream of the temperature in my home 'office', automatically generated when my desktop is turned on.

I started with a USB thermometer because:
1) USB thermometers are cheap (£10-£15).
2) USB thermometers come with software to write to text files.
3) My flat is generally bloody freezing and I wanted to know how freezing.
Unfortunately the software that came with TEMPerNTC was useless: 'device error'. Luckily [as always] there was someone out there who had created the appropriate library, and even a simple Visual Basic app. A dozen or so lines of appalling code later (and a shortcut in the right folder) and the application is posting to Twitter whenever the computer is turned on and every time the temperature changes by more than half a degree.

As was quickly noted, it is a rather pointless stream; beyond my mother there are very few people who care about the temperature in my office. However the interest in a web of objects has little to do with single streams in isolation, but with the patterns that emerge from multiple streams, and with information being shared between objects.

It's amazing how simple it is to set up an automatic Twitter stream from the real world. It'll be interesting to see who goes the furthest in automating the most mundane of events from around their home.

Why I Hate Google: My Ranking has Improved

2009-10-08T08:47:00.003+01:00

Over the last couple of months there has been a bit of a slow down in traffic to this site. Not particularly surprising as I have been posting far less frequently. Then, yesterday, my web traffic shot up: three times as many visitors as I've been having the last few weeks.

The reason? Seemingly a slight change in Google's algorithm in my favour. The site has gained no new links, there are no new posts worthy of note, Google have just changed the significance of one of their many ranking attributes and it has changed in my favour.

This can be seen most clearly when taking traffic from one of Google's sites in isolation:

It doesn't matter for this blog. Its purpose is not to make money, just provide a place for some of the random thoughts that creep into my mind.

There are, however, many business that rely primarily on search engines driving traffic to their web sites, and such huge variations in traffic can only cause difficulties. Whilst social media is changing how many of us find information, search engines are still very powerful, and Google is too powerful.

Twittering Your Work

2009-10-06T17:25:00.004+01:00

As a general rule I always send an update to Twitter whenever I write a blog post or a piece of my work is published online. After all, like most bloggers, a couple of dozen extra visitors can be a significant proportion of my daily traffic. However equally important is the fact that URL shorteners like bit.ly can provide useful information about the impact of my work.

This was emphasised today when I sent an update about my latest online article: Web 2.0 fails to excite today's researchers. I was surprised to find that it was actually already the subject of a number of tweets (admittedly a couple of them were automated).
However without twittering about the article myself I would never have found some of the comments about the piece: with only 140 characters article titles are often ignored or abbreviated, whilst the use of URL shorteners means that few comments will be identifiable through Yahoo's Site Explorer (which has an uncertain future anyway).

So if you want to know what people are saying about your work on Twitter, you really need to talk about your work on Twitter...or at least create the bit.ly links.

Did you forget Samuel Johnson's birthday?

2009-09-23T16:17:00.003+01:00

Samuel Johnson was both a great writer and a great character; according to the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography "..arguably the most distinguished man of letters in English history". With his dictionary doing so much to define the English language you would expect the 300th anniversary of his birth (last Friday) to have made a bit of an impact online. Unfortunately, despite some great programmes on both BBC Radio 3 and BBC Radio 4, the public failed to be overly moved.

In fact according to Google Trends, whilst September has caused a slight blip, interest in "Samuel Johnson" has been falling over the years.

The blogosphere shows no more interest than usual, and far less than the announcing of the Samuel Johnson prize.

Obviously some historical figures stand the test of time better than others. The graph below shows the leap in interest for the mere 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin's birth (the red line at the bottom provides a comparison with Samuel Johnson).

The two men have very different legacies, but nonetheless I can't help feeling that Samuel Johnson has been unfairly overlooked online.

On Books and the Fourth Plinth: Reactionary and off topic

2009-09-17T10:26:00.006+01:00

I love books. I love browsing them, buying them, shelving them, and (when I find the time) reading them. However pleasure from the high street bookstore (which generally means Waterstone's) is quickly diminishing. With less stock on the floor as shops cut back in the recession, it seems as the only books available are 'celebrity' biographies, 'tragic childhoods', blockbuster novels, and quick guides which promise to make you an authority on any topic with little effort. At times like this you can't help but despair at the reading public and be grateful for second-hand bookshops.

Today, in theory, the UK's population is more educated than ever. Although would anyone really guess it from the books the read? Or worse still, some of the people who sit on the fourth plinth?

Sitting eating a bag of crisps and chatting to a group of girls is not art, it's called being a bloke.

It is not impossible for a relatively small bookshop to house a decent collection of books. The London Review Bookshop is a great example. It has no more floor space than the average small town Waterstone's, it just sells a lot less crap. Unfortunately chains have little idealism when it comes to the selling of books, they merely want to shift stock. Not only is a weighty tome on medieval history less likely to sell, but it will take far longer to read. No such problem with a Dan Brown page-turner.

Hopefully things will change, the Waterstone's business model of little added benefit from there being a bookshop cannot be sustainable in the Internet age. I've just enjoyed Under Siege: Literary Life In London 1939-45, which I picked up in the secondhand bookshop at Samuel Johnson's birthplace museum (always reasonably priced). Not only an interesting discussion of the state of literature and the arts generally in the UK in the second world war, but a reminder that the current state of the book trade is not irreversible (albeit it faces very different problems).

Can you question technology without being labelled a Luddite?

2009-09-16T09:59:00.003+01:00

Researchers have warned that technology addiction among young people is having a disruptive effect on their learning [via the BBC]. Like so many academic reports, it provides support for the bleeding obvious. If I, a middle-aged cantankerous git who regularly rails against the whole of humanity and desires nothing more than to be left alone on an island with a pile of books, finds myself regularly distracted by the temptations of social media, how much more so the social teenager who wants to reach out to the world.

Yet some people are not happy with such reports:

Twitter gives little room for elaboration, instead opinions become polarized. The report becomes 'pants' and the authors 'Luddites'. There are questions that may be raised about the wording in the study, and the changing nature of 'learning' in a connected world, but Twitter gives little room for such subtleties.

When people talk about technology being neither good nor bad, they are often providing a defence against a technology's misuse. It is important that we don't automatically presume that a technology is good, but continue to question the effect technology is having. Albeit at the cost of being called Luddites.

Twitter is dead, long live RSSCloud

2009-09-08T07:27:00.006+01:00

RSS has had a bit of a hard time lately. "RSS is dead, all worship at the alter of Twitter and the real-time web" seems to have been the general sentiment. Over the last couple of months however, people have been working away on RSSCloud: real-time RSS. Yesterday Wordpress gave it its substantial backing.

The difference between having blog posts brought to your attention as soon as they are published, rather than 15-60 minutes after they are published is insubstantial for the majority of blog readers. It will, however, encourage the sort of conversations that take place through microblogging. Whilst microblogging can be a distraction, and 140 characters is rarely enough, it has encouraged conversations, the essence of social media.

With RSSCloud the lines between blogging and microblogging will become increasingly blurred, allowing for more substance with your conversations, and the once great Twitter will merely be a site for those who don't want to host their own real-time data stream. But who would want to give Twitter control of their data when they can keep it for themselves?

Now we just have to wait for the host of exciting applications that will be built on the back of RSSCloud to emerge.

Ulrichsweb: Why is there no free equivalent?

2009-08-27T20:49:00.005+01:00

For those who don't know, Ulrichsweb is a rather large, very useful, but unfortunately expensive database of periodicals: journals, magazines, newspapers, and newsletters. The sort of information that is very useful to librarians, publishers, and writers. What I find bizarre is that there isn't a free alternative, especially with such a highly skilled user base.

When I wanted access to this database a couple of days ago I had to travel all the way down to the British Library to access it! The University of Wolverhampton doesn't have a subscription, and my Open University access is only useful on-site in Milton Keynes. Whilst I'm always happy to have a trip to London, it would obviously be more useful if it was freely available from home.

Delving into Ulrichsweb I'm always amazed at how many small and specialist magazines there are, journals that you are unlikely to come across unless you already know that they are there. My favourite find from this trip was the very interesting looking Artful Blogging. Too often we overlook usefully structured information in favour of the all powerful Google.

A web 2.0 approach to periodical directory/database seems like the obvious alternative to Ulrichsweb, especially as it would of particular use to librarians who already have access to so much of the useful information. Not only could such a database be made freely available, but it could be far more up-to-date; I found that many of the Ulrichsweb links no-longer worked, but rather than being able to change the records, they remained inaccurate.

Maybe I should put my librarian's hat on and start a creative commons Dabble...

The Distraction of the Real-Time Web: I want to get off

2009-08-27T15:12:00.005+01:00

Whilst everyone seems to want to get on the Twitter train of the real-time web these days, I think I want to get off and take my time to blog a bit more.

Since I first went to the Birmingham Social Media Cafe back in January I have thrown myself into Twitter head first: following 124 people, posting 1,403 updates, and even going along to the BrumTwestival! However there is a downside: I blog less.

Those who read my blog may not think of my blogging less as a downside, but blog posts are as much for me as my readers. They are an opportunity for me to put down my thoughts on the web in a fairly coherent manner. The real-time web means that I am more focused on what is happening right now, rather than reflecting on what has happened.

The real-time web has it's place for breaking news and customer engagement, but for some of us a slower blogosphere (or even traditional publishing) is a more suitable place to explore our thoughts. Let's hope the world doesn't go too far exchanging quality for speed.

Looking Forward to an Oxford English Dictionary API

2009-08-21T11:18:00.006+01:00

Final proof of my being middle-aged came on Tuesday when I found myself filling in a form on the OED site complaining about the lack of a mobile interface for the dictionary and the term 'webometrics' missing from the dictionary. The reply came this morning: they have no plans for a mobile interface..."However, there are plans to provide APIs which would enable third parties to develop different interfaces for querying the OED." I couldn't have asked for more!

I am a heavy user of the OED, in fact it is the only subscription service that I inevitably use every day. It is not only that I am an appalling speller (which I am and have always been), but the dictionary is an essential tool for any academic. Unfortunately the lack of a simple mobile interface has meant that I don't consult the dictionary as often as I should. Despite being provided with a subscription from two different universities and two public libraries the lack of a mobile interface means a long and awkward signing-in process before you even start to look at specific entries.

Whilst a decent mobile application/interface will be of greatest interest to me, an API will enable a wide range of novel applications to be built around the world's greatest dictionary.

nb. Webometrics has now been added to their files as a 'hint' to the new words team.

Does the BBC now have the best 404 page?

2009-08-08T20:52:00.004+01:00

Today I came across my favourite 404 error page. At some point the BBC has gone from this:

To this:

I'm not sure when the change was made, but both 404s are currently available on the site.

For those who were not fortunate enough to be brought up with the BBC's iconic clown in the 60s,70s and 80s, it was featured on the BBC's test card (..and according to wikipedia still makes occasional appearances).

This is a 404 that is guaranteed to make people smile and feel less miserable about not finding the page they expected; every 404 is a trip down memory lane. It's such an obvious choice of a 404 when you think about it, it's surprising that it took the BBC so long use it. It would be nice if more sites made efforts on their 404s, as it's amazing how many of them we come across as we surf around the web.

Nb. Personally I hate redirects, I'd rather know the page I was looking for wasn't there, rather than having to double-check a page's URL after searching the page for the expected information.

Scholarly Publishing and Flickr Tags

2009-08-07T09:32:00.007+01:00

Recently Elsevier published its vision for the Article of the Future. However, whilst it paid attention to graphical abstracts and integrated audio and video, it failed to mention one of the most important aspects: delays in the publication process. I am joint author on a paper that has just been accepted by the Journal of Librarianship and Information Science, unfortunately it won't be published until 2011!

Angus, E., Stuart, D., & Thelwall, M. (2011, in press).Flickr's potential as an academic image resource: an exploratory study, Journal of Librarianship and Information Science.

Abstract
Many web 2.0 sites are extremely popular and contain vast amounts of content, but how much of this content is useful in academia? This paper investigates the potential use of the popular web 2.0 image site Flickr as an academic image resource. The study identified images tagged with any one of 12 subject names derived from recognised academic subject categories in the three main ISI citation indexes. Image content analysis was used to determine the types of images found, and term-frequency analysis of associated tags was carried out to provide additional insights into the context behind image placement. The results show that Flickr can be used as a resource for subject-specific images in some subject areas; and that non subject-specific images can also prove to be of value for individual academics.

Whilst you won't be able to see the final version for a couple of years, you can nonetheless download the pre-peer-reviewed version here [.doc format].

I have also included a zoomable copy of the poster that the first author took to ISSI 2009 in Brazil for your added enjoyment (thanks to UCL's Google Maps Image Cutter).

This is the group's second article on Flickr Tags, a preprint of the previous article can be found HERE.

Eee PC 1005HA: Netbook or cheap laptop?

2009-08-04T18:04:00.006+01:00

On Friday I bought myself a new netbook, the new 'Seashell' Eee PC from Asus. Netbooks have changed a lot since I bought the original Eee PC 701 in November 2007, increasingly blurring the netbook/laptop boundary.

My first Eee PC failed back in December, and since then I've been struggling without it. 'Struggling' because the netbook perfectly fills the giant gap between the mobile browser and the PC, a gap that can't be filled by a laptop as a laptop is too large to carry everywhere without a second-thought. Getting a slightly larger than expected pay packet last month I decided that it was time to get a new netbook, luckily coinciding with the launch of a new Eee PC model.

First impressions of the 1005HA are generally positive, although there are two features I prefered on the 701: the slightly larger keyboard means I now hit '#' and '\' rather than 'Enter' and 'Shift'; whilst the touch pad is regularly zooming in and out accidently. It would also have been nice if the 1005HA included a case as the 701 did.

Whilst the 1005HA has a larger screen and harddrive, as well as a better chip and battery (mine lasted for 6hrs 3mins of wi-fi enabled web surfing), it is pushing the boundaries of what is and isn't a netbook. Not only does the increased size and weight mean that I am less likely to want to carry the 1005HA everywhere, but the increased harddrive space means I am more more likely to store information on it that I don't want to risk losing. When you start to debate whether to take your netbook out with you it has become a laptop.

It is too early for me to conclude whether my 1005HA is a netbook or laptop, but I fear I may have bought a cheap laptop. Only time will tell.

Free online services can quickly go offline: Which RSS reader next?

2009-08-01T12:12:00.005+01:00

There are some amazing web sites and services that you can get for free online, the problem is that they can go offline just as quikly. Microsoft's Popfly will disappear in a couple of weeks, the future of Yahoo BOSS is in doubt, and Newsgator's online feedreader is about to be shut down...at least the free version.

I've been using Newsgator's online version (as opposed to the desktop version which will continue to have a free version) for over 18 months, after getting fed-up with bloglines. My reasons for not changing to Google reader then still stands: I don't want all my information needs in one basket; Google is already too powerful.

The question now is where to go next. Do I return to Bloglines, ready to face the wrath of the bloglines plumber? Or is there a better alternative? I have one month to decide.

Social Media Non-Adopters: Engagement v. Exposure

2009-07-20T09:04:00.003+01:00

The topic of last Tuesday's Black Country Social Media Cafe was Social Media Non-Adopters. Although the group chose the topic it was quite a quiet event, so we dumped the panel-at-the-front format in favour of a round table discussion. Despite the limited numbers (or possibly because of the limited numbers), it turned out to be a really interesting discussion, covering numerous different topics under the umbrella of 'Social-Media Non-Adopters'; from the protocol of ReTweeting on Twitter to turning your avatar green for Iran![Nb. As I've mentioned before, I'm not a big fan of many social media campaigns].

The area of discussion I found most interesting was that of 'Engagement v. Exposure': When we encourage people to participate in social media are we giving them the support necessary to engage successfully and deal with the problems that come from potentially exposing yourself to communication with some of the world's less desirable elements.

One seemingly innocuous example was that of retweeting, i.e., re-broadcasting a message in Twitter by updating with someone else's message with 'RT' and the original messenger's username at the front. Whilst a RT is generally seen as highlighting the noteworthiness of someone's content, it can also be used to attribute content to a person who never twittered it. Such false-attribution could be anything from adjusting a comment for length, to attributing something embarrassing/slanderous to someone. Most such examples are examples of misinformation rather than disinformation; they are not deliberately trying to give a false impression. And most disinformation is more likely to be in an attempt to drive traffic than to be slanderous, for example:

'RT @stephenfry Probably the most interesting person ever http://bit.ly/LnyqI'

Which is probably more likely to generate traffic than the same quote without the Stephen Fry attribution.

Responses from Twitter show a mixture of those who accept the need for shortening tweets, and those who expect a carbon copy.

The problem of celeb-attribution-spam was the topic of a post at bloggingtips last week, unfortunately they are not all as obvious as this:

Free: Jesus v. the Radical Price

2009-07-13T11:57:00.003+01:00

Whenever I finish a book I update my Shelfari account; I enjoy being reminded of the books I've read, it's amazing how quickly you forget them (and how few I actually finish). Anyway, today I added 'Free' to my shelf (after reviewing it over at the Online Journalism Blog) unfortunately someone has slightly edited the details:

(Nb. In case you haven't read it, it's nothing to do with Jesus).

Allowing users to contribute always risks the inclusion of misinformation and disinformation but, as with sites like Wikipedia, it is expected that the crowd will be self-correcting. However, unlike Wikipedia, Shelfari review the edits. Although the usefulness of the review is obviously open to question if they can't spot such a glaring mistake in what is likely to quickly become a very popular book. Shelfari have managed to slow the self-correcting ability of the crowd, without the 'review' process adding any benefit!

Social Media: Partial-adopters

2009-07-06T07:47:00.009+01:00

Back in March Birmingham City University announced their MA is Social Media, eliciting the usual wave of irrational thought from the right-wing newspapers. Whilst such reactionary comments are to be expected from the right (the right are inherently irrational), there are also a surprising a number who should know better. Most notably my brother.

Last night I was talking to my brother about social media on the phone, specifically mentioning the Social Media MA at the University of Salford. He was less than enthusiastic about such courses. He doesn't see social media as a revolutionary way to communicate with individuals, organisations and institutions that needs to be approached systematically if we are to understand it properly. Instead he sees it as just a natural part of his life that needs little further investigation. His approach seems to be to slowly integrate those technologies that create sufficient buzz amongst his immediate circle of friends: he joined MySpace, then Facebook, but Twitter hasn't quite made enough noise yet. Whilst this may seem reasonable at first glance, when I explain that he is a final year journalism student and the university's radio station manager, it becomes a slightly more concerning approach. There are few industries that have been effected as much by social media as journalism and broadcasting, and those who don't fully realise the potential of social media will fail. If anything, my brother should be playing the role of social media evangelist rather than just following the crowd.

'Slowly integrating the technologies with sufficient buzz' seems to be the approach most people are taking to social media. Although the social nature of social media means that people generally get more from the technologies when their friends are signed-up, if individuals and organisations are going to make social media work for them more successfully then they need to embrace a more integrated and experimental approach.

The social media crowd spend a lot of time talking amongst themselves and talking to non-adopters. Maybe we need to spend a bit more time talking to the partial-adopters. We can't expect everyone to be a social media evangelist, but maybe we could help the partial-adopters think a bit more about how they are using social media and what they want to get from it.

Fuck: What have you got to swear about?

2009-07-01T21:40:00.003+01:00

The words people combined with 'fuck' last Wednesday on Twitter (i.e., before the world went you-know-who crazy):
I may get this printed as a prompt card for when I get myself into arguments and my middle class background fails to provide me with the required lingo. Just take a selection of words, mix them up, and you're "shit hot like fuckin transformers".

[nb. This is absolutely the last Wordle].

Twittering Jackson

2009-07-01T21:10:00.004+01:00

As a follow-up to the last post it seemed appropriate to show what people were actually saying about Michael Jackson. A Wordle of the Twitter comments on Friday 26th June mentioning 'Jackson':

Personally I thought there would have been a few more negative comments, but seemingly most people really don't speak ill of the dead.

That's it...I promise no more Michael Jackson Wordles...although I may be tempted to post some other Wordles from my Twitter corpus.

[N.B. The words 'Michael' and 'Jackson' were removed from the Wordle as they far outweighed all the others.]

Seven Twitter Wordles: #MJ's Death was massive!

2009-07-01T19:53:00.010+01:00

Despite a few problems with my programming, I finally got a random sample of the Twitter public timeline: the top 20 feeds from the Twitter public timeline were collected every 30 seconds over seven days. The Twitter updates were then put in Wordle (with the 'common English words' taken out).

Even mundane wordles can be interesting to look at. Over the week you can see just how small the trend words are in comparison to the mundanities of life. Then Michael Jackson died.

[you can click on pictures to enlarge]

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

Monday
The Twitter community soon get back on an even keel.

Personally I'm always surprised how little people swear on Twitter.

Traffic to the University of Wolverhampton's Web Site has Collapsed!

2009-06-21T16:57:00.007+01:00

I've just noticed an interesting trend over at Google Trends, and it's confirmed by both Compete and Alexa. The traffic to the University of Wolverhampton web site has collapsed.

Google Trends:

Alexa:

Compete:

There are lots of potential reasons for the decline in the traffic: obviously changes in student behaviour (e.g., Google Scholar rather than the OPAC), increasing number of satellite web sites (e.g., individual/departmental blogs). But does this really account for such a massive decline? A brief glance at some other university web sites showed some decline in traffic, but I didn't notice them falling as sharply.

Whilst I'd suggest the university have a good dig around in their data to find out exactly what is going on, as much as anything it highlights the need for a change in how we think of a successful online web presence.

How much is a Twitter update worth?

2009-06-19T09:00:00.003+01:00

A couple of days ago I posted my thousandth Twitter update, and an earth shattering post it was to:

A comment appropriately enough about Twitter, an update that was meaningless to anyone who wasn't already aware of Opera Unite, and representative of the banality of so many of my Twitter comments.

As I discussed when I passed my 100th Twitter comment, the value of Twitter is hard to quantify, especially in monetary terms. Throughout social media, the value of the content we generate is generally indirect rather than direct: Dave Winer has made over $2 million via the stuff he talks about on his blog, whilst I have made $32.02 through the Google Adwords on this blog.

Nonetheless the dream of direct income remains. On the same day as I posted my 1,000th update, I received an email asking me to review the TwitPub marketplace. Basically TwitPub allows you to create a Twitter stream that people pay to get Direct Messages from. Whilst the concept is interesting, the content offered is generally poor. The only feed I came across which had any subscribers (supposedly '2') was a feed for real time trading alerts (at $0.99 a month), and the author's web site link was to a page of adverts.

Twitter works because you follow many people, no single person is indispensable. If you want to get useful trading information you would do better follow numerous people in the field and drawing your own conclusions rather than paying $0.99 for the opinions of one person, however good they are.

So who could make use of TwitPub? Those who already have a loyal fan-base. It provides a simple means of monetising an existing brand. But when everyone else is offering their Twitter streams for free, I don't imagine most fans being loyal for long.

Twitter, like other social media, is most likely to generate income indirectly. For me that has been £100 to write an opinion piece on Twitter in a magazine (JISC Inform 25 - see page 20). I doubt my Twitter-stream would ever generate that sort of income through TwitPub.

Did Opera Reinvent the Web?

2009-06-16T10:26:00.003+01:00

Last week Opera promised that today it was going to "reinvent the web". Today it launched Opera Unite, a new technology that turns your web browser into a server. This basically means that when I am online, and have Opera Unite enabled in my Opera browser you can access certain of my files as though they were on a web server!

At the moment there are only a few Opera Unite services:

Whether Opera Unite truly manages to reinvent the web will depend on the sort of services other people build. At the moment the services have a distinct web 1.0 feel, with messageboards, chatrooms, and static html pages ['Device Unavailable' means I'm not currently using Opera Unite]. However, If the chatroom becomes a social networking site, the message board a distributed micro-blogging service, and the static html becomes dynamicly generated pages built on the back of python and PHP, then we really will be heralding a new era of the web.

Brief Thoughts on Twitter and the Turing Test

2009-06-13T15:48:00.008+01:00

Before heading off the allotment to pull weeds this morning I downloaded some podcasts from a Berkeley course on Foundations of American Cyber-Culture. One of the things discussed was the Turing test [summary by Saygin]:

The interrogator is connected to one person and one machine via a terminal, therefore can't see her counterparts. Her task is to find out which of the two candidates is the machine, and which is the human only by asking them questions. If the machine can "fool" the interrogator, it is intelligent.

Whilst I don't generally give a lot of thought to the Turing test, the idea of creating an automatic Twitter account in an attempt to pass the test was immediately appealing:
- Twitter offers a massive/current conversational database to draw on.
- The 140 character limit means people are more likely to be forgiving of answers that are not totally explicit.
- The API means that programming knowledge required to create such a bot (albeit not necessarily a good one) would be relatively simple.

I was not surprised to find therefore, that other people have had the same idea. However, how much of the human created Twitter data could the bot use and still be considered a bot? If the bot merely relayed the questions asked of it to someone else, and responded with their answer it would be considered cheating, but if it just found the answer of someone else who had answered a similar question would it be acceptable?

There are just not enough hours in the day to do all the things I want to in this always-on world.

The Library Show 2009: Are libraries stuck in the physical world?

2009-06-11T10:29:00.004+01:00

The Library Show was on at the NEC yesterday, so I decided to pay it a visit. The show itself was free, and the £5.20 train fare was more than compensated for by the free magazines. Whilst I enjoyed the show, I couldn't help but feel it was stuck in the past. Whilst there were organisations promoting technological solutions, there was nothing there that made me think that librarianship is a profession heading in the right direction in changing times. Instead I thought: what a lot of different sorts of shelves.

Whilst I appreciate the continuing importance of the physical library, I would have expected it to be coupled with some innovative digital products. Unfortunately, I fear, there are great swathes of the library world who are stuck firmly in past. Demonstrated most clearly by the absurd comment by someone speaking from the Copyright Licensing Agency:

If copyright didn't exist people wouldn't create anymore because they wouldn't be paid

Copyright has a place, but let's keep some perspective.

The show organisers did make some effort to be 'cutting edge', with Phil Bradley giving a talk on 'Twitter and Its Value to Librarians':

Bradley's talk (slides available on slideshare.net in true web 2.0 fashion) was standing-room only, with the vast majority having never used Twitter. Three year's after such a service launches a community of information professionals should need more than an unashamed apologist's introduction on how to use Twitter!

Obviously there is a lot of innovative work going on amongst individual librarians that is not going to show up at a trade fair...but you wouldn't have guessed by seeing the joy with which they carried around their new CoLibri book covering machine.

The big thing I will take from the fair is StoryPhones. I don't think I have ever seen such an awful idea!

Black Country Social Media Cafe: Excellent Journalism 2.0 talk

2009-06-10T07:10:00.004+01:00

The mixture of informal gathering and a more formal talk went down well again at yesterday's Black Country Social Media Cafe. Dan Slee, Philip John, and Linda Jones did a magnificent job of leading us through the changing world of the newspaper industry.

What's particularly good about the panel/discussion format is that everyone throws in a few opinions, and everyone learns something new. Aptly shown by Dan's after-event-tweeting:

What did I learn? Newspapers have an important role to play in the local media, but if they don't adapt quickly enough to the opportunities offered by social media they could see themselves marginalised by the likes of The Lichfield Blog and the work of Talk About Local.

I also learnt that of all the social media people at the BCSMC, I am probably the worst photographer:

As always I am looking for suggestions for both speakers and topics (and photographers) for future events, so any ideas let me know.

Thanks to all those who came along, and this month's sponsor Wolverhampton Development Company.

A Short Rant: Elsevier Webcasts

2009-06-03T16:03:00.004+01:00

One of the things I recognise I should do is watch more webcasts. There is loads of interesting stuff streaming out there, but unfortunately webcasts always get put to the back of my very long to-do list. Therefore, when I do make room to watch one live, it would be nice if I could watch it!

As I type this there is a webcast being streamed that I want to watch:

Research Leadership Redefined… Measuring Performance in a Multidisciplinary Landscape

Admittedly not everyone's cup of tea, but squarely in the area of my more traditional academic research interests.

After the sign-up process I am informed that the log-in details will be sent half-an-hour before the streaming starts. Why they don't send the details straight away I don't know. Did they fear a sudden black market in log-in details to such a generalist webcast? Or are [my opinion] they idiots who didn't take into account the fact that emails often go missing or on a walkabout for a couple of hours and a half-an-hour window was always asking for trouble?

When nothing had arrived by 4 o'clock I emailed saying I hadn't received my log-in details. They replied very promptly:

My appologies, you are on the list but the registration has been closed now and I have been told by the organizers that I cannot log you in any more.

It will be available for download later, but at that point it is one of a million webcasts I can watch. If I don't watch these things live they will probably never be watched.

Thanks Elsevier.

Mixed Messages: Please comment on my blog!

2009-05-30T17:50:00.004+01:00

Something I find increasingly annoying is the tendency to have discussions across different media. Most noticeable in people responding to everything with twitter comments. If I post a blog post people comment on twitter. If I set up a wiki people comment on twitter. As such, discussions are scattered all over the web. However useful and interesting these comments are, they are invisible to most people.

Last week Jon Bounds asked whether the solution was technical or social:
To which my answer is 'social'.

Although technical solutions have worked in the past for distributed conversations, e.g., trackbacks, when the conversation is distributed across different media there is a greater chance of inappropriate comments being tracked automatically as people use the different media differently. There is more chance that a blog post linking to a post is making a useful relevant contribution than a Twitter comment responding to a blog post.

A specific example: two comments from a Finnish colleague regarding my previous blog post:
One comment represents the ephemeral conversational nature of Twitter, whilst the other is more akin to the sort of comment that could be considered a contribution to the blog post. Whilst a technical solution may have been able to identify both comments, it couldn't determine which was a contribution.

There is also an ethical dimension to take into consideration. When someone comments on your blog they are consenting to the contributions being seen on the site. When someone chats with you on Twitter, they don't necessarily expect it to be permanently visible somewhere else.

Unfortunately, I fear the actual solution will have to be technical. This blog post will do little to hold back the tide of Twitter's real-time conversation at the expense of useful long-term contributions. But maybe for this one post people will comment on here rather than on Twitter.

From Webometrician to Web Analyst?

2009-05-30T12:55:00.005+01:00

On 22nd July 2009 my job as web 2.0 research fellow at the University of Wolverhampton finishes. As the only other webometrics research post currently available is in South Korea, and I'm not really a 9-5 office type person, I will [probably] be going into business for myself: Commercialising webometrics. Unfortunately, as there are only a handful of people who know what webometrics is and what a webometrician would do, the hunt is on for a new job title.

The most obvious job title is 'web analyst', although the slightly wordier 'web analytics consultant' would probably give a better indication of the services I can offer. Neither, however, sound particularly cutting edge, exciting, or (like webometrician) rhyme with magician! Even after I have decided on a job title I will have to select names for the services I offer. Is 'web impact analysis' catchy enough? Naming children seems like a piece of cake in comparison.

One thing I am sure about: I will not be a search engine optimizer offering search engine optimization! Any other suggestions welcomed.

Many a slip twixt the phone and TwitPic?

2009-05-28T10:50:00.003+01:00

Yesterday evening I was having a game of chess in the Posada pub in Wolverhampton. As it was the first game I had played in years, I couldn't let the occasion pass without telling the world. I sent this photo to TwitPic using PockeTwit:

However I have just discovered that was not the picture that was published:

Ignoring for the moment my inability to spell, where did this car come from? It is not a picture I have taken or even seen before! Admittedly I was having a pint with the game of chess, but I'm sure I would remember nipping out to take a photo of a rally car. No such picture exists on my phone.

On this occasion it didn't matter; no one even questioned the disparity between the photo and the text. However it could have been a less appropriate photo in a more professional context.

In attempting to keep up in the social media game many of us are relying on technologies that have not yet been robustly tested, and generally recommending these technologies to everyone else as well. Maybe we should make a bit more effort emphasising the fact these technologies should be treated as being in beta...even if they don't say they are.

Daily Mail v. the iPlayer

2009-05-20T10:22:00.010+01:00

Back in January 2008, Ashley Highfield claimed that:

...the number of homes that currently have no television licence, but that do have broadband subscription is currently estimated to be infinitesimally small.

It didn't take a genius to recognize that this group would increase; in fact I said as much in December when I no longer needed a TV licence myself (although I still buy one). Unsurprisingly, as the 'infinitesimally small' group shows signs of increasing suggestions are being made about needing a licence for iPlayer content. According to the Daily Mail:

BBC technology chief Erik Huggers said: 'My view is that if you are using the iPlayer you have to be a television licence fee payer.

'I don't believe in a free ride. If you are consuming BBC services then you have to be a licence holder.'

A fairly reasonable position in my view. In the changing world of television and news production and consumption we rely increasingly on services like the BBC to produce high-quality content; the commercial models are increasingly failing. In fact I would personally go further, arguing for an increase in the licence fee.

However, such a position puts me in opposition to the always-irrational Daily Mail. Until the BBC replace the ONE show with 'Asylum Criminals: The truth about illegal immigrants', the Daily Mail will always hate the Beeb. Huggers suggestion that iPlayer viewers pay a licence fee quickly gets expanded upon:

If he were to have his way, possible changes to the fee could include:

* Viewers having to buy an extra licence just for the iPlayer
* Increasing the cost of the current TV licence to include the iPlayer
* Forcing viewers to pay a subscription to use the iPlayer service

If Huggers was suggesting any of these changes the Daily Mail failed to include the appropriate quotes. It would be equally meaningful to say possible changes could include "Hanging for watching iPlayer without TV licence"; possible, but highly unlikely. The second suggestion "Increasing the cost of the current TV licence to include the iPlayer" is particularly stupid as the current TV licence already includes the cost of the iPlayer!

Obviously the Daily Mail readers read the article rationally and take the Daily Mail bias into consideration:

Obviously not.
[Disclaimer: As a licence fee payer interested in quality TV and news I have a vested interested in the BBC. As a human being I have a vested interest in pointing out that the Daily Mail is a piece of crap written for idiots.]

Why has the BNP failed on Twitter?

2009-05-19T16:06:00.004+01:00

As I have mentioned before, the BNP tend to get a far higher proportion of political traffic than they deserve. Whilst this can be attributed to the web providing a forum for the discussion of vile ideas that are unacceptable amongst the general public, it is interesting to note that their success has not carried over to Twitter.

Whilst the Twitter logo is proudly displayed on the BNP homepage, the official BNP Twitter account has only been used to highlight blog posts on their web site, and even this has not happened for a over a month. The result of their Twitter experiments: a more motley bunch of 58 Twitterers it would be difficult to find.

So why has the BNP failed on Twitter? After all, my own criticism of Twitter is the lack of room for reasoned arguments...something the BNP has no time for.

Their failure is mainly because people can see who you follow on Twitter. As I have mentioned before, as someone interested in politics I often follow opinions which are the opposite of mine. The shame of being mistaken for a BNP supporter, however, would be too much even for me (and I follow @MayorOfLondon!!).

There is also an argument that Twitter is just too open. As the BNP constantly strive to promote a professional image they know that their own members are their biggest handicap. If the BNP truly embraced Twitter the facade of respectability that they constantly strive for would soon disappear under the weight of their own members' ignorance.

The BNP thrive in those online places where their members are in the majority; their lack of presence on an open site like Twitter shows what a minority they are.

My Eurovision 2009 Menu

2009-05-16T19:03:00.003+01:00

After a lot of deliberation, a little help from the wiki, and two hours searching the shelves of Waitrose (under the careful watch of the security guard who was convinced we were up to no good), we finally came up with this year's menu.

Particularly impressed with finding a Moldovan red wine; Waitrose are severely lacking in East European wines!

The only difficulty now is making sure we get the moussaka out the oven at just the right moment!

Crowdsourcing my Eurovision Menu

2009-05-14T16:19:00.003+01:00

For last year's Eurovision song contest I decided to create a list of food and drink, one for each country, to be eaten/drunk as the band played. It resulted in a strange mix of foods.

Some look 'surprising' in retrospect (walnuts for Georgia?), some were excessive (there is still vodka left), some were stretching a connection (Danish pastries!), and some were just bad (NEVER eat smoked-salmon after chocolate torte!).

It is actually very difficult to create such a list on your own, so this year I am attempting to 'crowdsource' my menu. Please head over to my Eurovision Menu Wiki Page and give me a hand by making a few suggestions.

Is Deferred Gratification Good or Bad?

2009-05-13T21:10:00.005+01:00

I was too busy to make it to Birmingham's Digital Britain Unconference yesterday, but one comment about the benefits of piracy in terms of information retrieval got me wondering: What ever happened to the virtue of deferred gratification?

The digital world (both legal and illegal) strives to feed our desire for instant gratification, but it will never satisfy us. Am I grateful that I can search for millions of different books on sites like amazon? Increasingly I am frustrated at having to wait a couple of days for delivery. The faster we are satisfied the faster we want to be satisfied. In twenty years time people will probably be complaining that they had to think of an object before it instantly appeared on their 3D printer; objects should appear before we think of them!

The move towards instant gratification is not a new thing, but as we defer gratification less and less you can't help but wonder about the effect it will have on society. Criminals lacking the ability to defer gratification is not the same as saying that people who can't defer gratification are criminals...instead we say the law is an ass.

How social is our new Director of Digital Engagement?

2009-05-13T14:48:00.002+01:00

When the post of Director of Digital Engagement was announced back in February I commented that "I hope the government don't just appoint some generic boardroom type." Maybe it would have been more appropriate to say "I hope the government don't just appoint some generic civil servant type"...which is what Andrew Stott seems to be on first impressions. Five hours after Andrew Stott and his Twitter account are announced on Twitter he posts:

Within those five hours the new Director of Digital Engagement (or one of his minions) failed to follow anyone except his boss, failed to include a photo, and then included a hash tag that few people would have recognised.

Obviously the post is more than just being able to use Twitter, but his first comment nicely illustrates the fact that they were more interested in having a good civil servant than a good social media person.

Black Country Social Media Cafe: It's worse than Birmingham's!

2009-05-13T08:28:00.005+01:00

Yesterday was the second open Black Country Social Media Cafe, another good turn out with a lot of new faces. Whilst I don't think it had the same swing as the first cafe, it's all a learning curve.

My initial disappoint with the turn-out was mostly due to a faulty memory. This month's BCSMC had twenty people at it's peak, whilst I was convinced last month's had twenty-five (20% drop). According to my blog, however, there were only twenty-three last month (13% drop), and two of those were invited speakers (5% drop). With at least half-a-dozen claiming prior commitments, I can't be too disappointed. Nonetheless we can't be complacent, if we want to grow we need to work on the marketing. Next month: thirty-or-bust!

The content of this month's cafe was "You", we wanted to know how social media had worked for people at the cafe. Great idea, poorly implemented: my fault. Rather than having the round the room input that was originally envisaged, the sun went to my head and I suggested we do the filming outside. As such no one knows what anyone else said and half the people opted out. Hopefully there won't be any problems with the film, and we will have some idea who we want to speak to at the next cafe.

Next month (Tuesday June the 9th) we will seen a return to the successful speaker/discussion format of the first cafe. Any ideas for talks, talkers, or sponsors, please let me know.

[Update- a couple of hours later] In response to "social media is not in our best interests, so we will not cover your story"...next month's topic will be journalism 2.0. Sign-up here.

What comes after the business card?

2009-05-09T10:09:00.005+01:00

I have reached a point in my life when I should get some sort of business card. A lot of my time is spent 'networking', and telling people to "just google me" isn't very professional (especially as I may not appear until page 5 or 6 of the results). However, the business card is a flawed technology in an age when the ways you are contacted are constantly changing. Surely there is an alternative to passing around little bits of card with all our details on.

Unfortunately the business card is actually having a resurgence. Moo cards are now considered the essential accessory for anyone involved in the creative industries or social media. In fact this blog post is in response to the arrival of my girlfriend's moo cards this morning (to go with her new web site):

The main reason for the continuing success of the business card is the seeming lack of an alternative universal technological solution. If I want to share my details via bluetooth or sms, or in a QR code, or using RFID, I rely on the recipient both having necessary device and being able to use it; whilst mobile phones increasingly include the necessary technology, this isn't being accompanied by the necessary knowledge. There is also element of acknowledgement in the business card. People have a limited number of business cards, and have to select who is going to get a card, and who is not going to get a card.

For a lot of people, however, the web may be considered a universal technology; those without Internet access are unlikely to be getting one of my business cards anyway. Therefore all we actually need to do is find a way of sharing a URL rather than all our contact details...which suddenly opens up a whole host of different alternatives to business cards, especially as they don't have to exist once the recipent has accessed the web.

However finding interesting ways to share your details can will be a bit of a balancing act. Do you really want to be able to contact me or are you just wanting to eat my chocolate?

Google Trends: Where is the API?

2009-05-08T13:49:00.006+01:00

I rarely use Google Trends, prefering instead the advanced features of Google Insights for Search. I returned to the site, however, as Google announced a Google Trends Widget.

Whilst interesting, it's a far cry from the Application Programming Interface we were assured was coming back in 2007!

I often get annoyed at the state of APIs (e.g., here and here), but to promise an API and then 18 months later roll out a crappy little widget is just annoying.

Computing needs a bit of that Zara touch

2009-04-30T10:26:00.005+01:00

On Tuesday my computer started making strange noises when it was turned on, and only half the time did the BIOS kick in properly. Yesterday it stopped working totally: the lights were on but no one was home. As I spent the whole of yesterday tramping around Wolverhampton and Birmingham I discovered that it is actually quite hard to find a half-decent desktop these days. Seemingly the way PC World makes itself look good is by DSG International (the parent company) putting worse computers in the affiliated Currys.Digital.

In the end, with lots of helpful advice from the Twitter community (i.e., 'Buy a Mac'), I got myself a Dell Studio 540:

It's a mid-range PC, nothing too fancy, but it should keep my web crawling going for a couple of years.

I was surprised to find, however, that Wi-Fi still isn't standard in desktops! Which meant I was forced to whip out a screwdriver and start taking my PC apart before I had even turned it on! This is just madness.

If the computer shops in this country want to survive the recession then they need to find a way of getting new stock in the shops quicker than ever. There is nothing enjoyable walking around a shop looking at stock which was released 12 months earlier; people more patient than myself will just buy a computer online. Whilst PC World seemingly have dozens of sales assistants (doing not a lot), for some reason they hadn't even got around putting the computer I bought on the shelves yet! It's the shops that fill their stores with things people want that will survive.

A Wolverhampton Network Diagram: It's a local affair

2009-04-27T14:37:00.005+01:00

A couple of posts ago I was complaining about how annoying my job was as I tried to draw conclusions from the jumbled mess of environmental technology websites. Today's post points out that it isn't always such a jumbled mess.

I have just done a far smaller (and less scientific) data collection for a presentation I am doing in Wolverhampton tomorrow [click on picture to enlarge]:

It is a link diagram of a few web sites in Wolverhampton and the surrounding area to illustrate the sort of work my research group does.

What is noticeable from a webometric perspective is how many of the web sites included in the study are actually connected: you can link anywhere in the world, but the web is primarily a local affair.

Porn, Beer, then back to Porn: Another Feedjit Story

2009-04-23T22:32:00.003+01:00

As I have mentioned before, I love the little stories that you can follow on Feedjit. At the end of a long day this little story caught my attention:

Someone in Canada arrives on my site looking for a 'porn browser', he (or she) gets sidetracked by a story about beer for a little while, but half an hour later their mind returns to porn. Presumably there is little else to do in Corner Brook.

Boyle v. Obama: Combining mainstream media with social media

2009-04-22T19:01:00.006+01:00

Obama may be the most powerful man in the world, but in the most-talked-about stakes he is currently way behind Susan Boyle on Google's Insights for Search (red line = "Obama"; blue line = "Boyle"):

It's not just the UK that is talking about her, worryingly it's great swathes of the world!

Basically, there's a woman who isn't much to look at who can sing. That's it. Nothing more to see. Move along.

However, somewhere between mainstream media and social media the masses have been whipped into a frenzy. Millions are seemingly trying to show how un-shallow they are by loving Susan Boyle...because of her un-looks.

The coupling of mainstream media with social media is amazing; neither would have spread the message as far or fast on their own. Now we just need to find a way of harnessing that potential, to share information that is a bit more important than unattractive women can sing.

I Hate My Job: The Web is Just a Jumbled Mess!

2009-04-22T10:18:00.003+01:00

At the moment I am investigating the linking between 1337 environmental technology web sites. Of the 1337 sites, 751 nodes create one large network:

You spend days sorting a list of URLs, collecting data, finding errors, starting again...and at the end you just have a big ball of string.

A webometrician's job is to draw conclusions from such a jumbled mess: I hate my job.

Random Thoughts on Community Radio

2009-04-17T22:20:00.006+01:00

Rather than the title of this post referring to my random thought on community radio, it reflects the fact that this evening my random thoughts were being broadcast on the local community radio:

Looking for a guest for tonight's Wolverhampton Politics Show after someone had to pull out. Any takers? :) 8pm-9pm on 101.8 WCR FM

Whilst anyone who knows me would have said "you'd be better off with dead air or possibly a goat", the ephemeral ties of Twitter were enough for a foot in the door. At least two old ladies and a cat probably got to hear my opinions:
1) Pirate Bay - No sympathy.
2) Email smear campaign - move on you hypocritical Tories and journalists.
3) Green car subsidies - dislike cars, but as people are selfish, green cars are probably the best we can hope for.

I have never really given much thought to community radio before, but it immediately appeals to me (non-commercial ventures generally do).

What the Wolverhampton Community Radio really needs, however, is a tech slot...or more specially a Black Country Social Media Cafe Radio Show! Surely the BCSMC have enough knowledge to fill an hour each week.

Why broadcast in the web 2.0 world? Because it would be nice if the social media cafe could reach beyond the technorati.

Twitter Bathos: When 140 characters are just too many!

2009-04-16T10:37:00.006+01:00

At the moment all my blog posts seem to be about Twitter and take quotations from the OED...nonetheless...bathos:

2. Rhet. Ludicrous descent from the elevated to the commonplace in writing or speech; anticlimax.

Twitter is the darling of the liberal media these days, and when liberal Clement Freud died yesterday it wasn't surprising that the Guardian chose to inlude a Twitter comment from Stephen Fry. Whilst turning to a Twitter comment may seem a "ludicrous descent", there are those who manage to contain the whole descent within the 140 character limit:
Maybe there should be a campaign to shorten then length of twitterings.

Twittering: A sign of mental illness?

2009-04-12T15:41:00.003+01:00

It is difficult not to think of narcissism when thinking about Twitter, after all, it is filled with people answering the question: "What are you doing?". It almost forces us to look at ourselves. According to the OED, one meaning of narcissism is:

2. Psychol. The condition of gaining emotional or erotic gratification from self-contemplation, sometimes regarded as a stage in the normal psychological development of children which may be reverted to in adulthood during mental illness.

Such a definition would seem to equally apply to Twitter. Whilst I'm not aware of anyone who gets 'erotic gratification' from Twitter, I'd think that there are plenty of them joining the majority who gain the emotional gratification. Why else are people there if they are not getting some sort of emotional gratification?

Shouldn't most of the people on Twitter have outgrown the emotional gratification of self-contemplation by now? If we continue to consider narcissism a mental illness shouldn't the government be shutting Twitter down before it sucks more people in? Or is it just too late as Gordon and Obama join us in enjoying picking fluff from our respective navels?

...off to 'Tweet' this...mmmm....emotional gratification of self-contemplation....

Black Country Social Media Cafe: It's better than Birmingham's!

2009-04-08T09:24:00.003+01:00

Yesterday was the first open Black Country Social Media Cafe, and in my less-than-humble opinion it was a resounding success! Whilst there are things we can improve upon, thanks to the collective efforts of a number of people, I think the Black Country has given the Social Media Cafe format its own spin and the result is far more than a clone of the Birmingham Social Media Cafe.

Rather than the give-em-a-coffee and shove-em-in-a-room approach of the Birmingham Social Media Cafe (which nonetheless work remarkably well), we have tried to create a more structured event. The planned timetable was:
2.30pm People start arriving, mingling and drinking coffee.
3.00pm "Thanks for coming" and "a few words from our sponsor"
3.05pm Chris Unitt and Pete Ashton give a short talk on what they got from the SxSW conference.
3.20pm People get back to mingling, dinking coffee, and reflecting on the talk.
4.30pm Everyone off home.

As with all the best laid plains, it didn't quite end up like that. I have been reliably informed that I managed to get the name of the sponsor wrong (I should have said Clarity Digital Marketing), and then the talk went on a lot longer expected. However, as the length of the talk was driven mainly by questions from the floor, it can only be a good thing!

The mid-session talk/panel is definitely a feature we want to keep, although we will try and give people a bit more time to mingle and reflect on the topics afterwards. It was a shame that a few had to rush off, but as the last stragglers didn't leave until 5.50pm there was plenty of scope for further discussion.

So, a success! The second one is planned for Tuesday 12th May, so make sure you sign up and let us know of any topics you would be interested in hearing discussed.

Nb. For those of more quantitative tastes, there were 23 people yesterday, but with the positive feedback I'm hoping for more next time.

Twitter: The Strength of Ephemeral Ties?

2009-04-03T08:03:00.003+01:00

Whilst shaving this morning I was listening to the Oxford Internet Institute podcast Facebook: The Strength of Weak Ties, this got me thinking about the nature of Twitter ties. The title, The Strength of Weak Ties, comes from Granovetter's seminal paper of the same name, emphasising the importance of acquaintances as well of friends: close friends often have access to the same networks of people and information, whilst acquaintances have access to a different set of people and information. Although Twitter includes strong and weak ties, it also includes a new sort of relationship: the 'ephemeral' ties.

People are regularly contacted on Twitter by strangers in response to comments they have posted. If I mention that I am doing some programming in Python a stranger may ask what I am programming; if I say I am off to a conference, a stranger may point out that they are going to; if I ask a question, a stranger may answer.

Such connections are weaker than 'weak ties' as there is no permanence to the connection, they are transitory or 'ephemeral'. Whilst such connections are not new on the Internet, has any other technology emphasised the importance of ephemeral ties to such an extent as Twitter?

Internet Explorer 8 Virtual Q&A: Time for the bespoke browser?

2009-04-02T19:11:00.008+01:00

I have just spent the last hour having a chat with some people at Microsoft about Internet Explorer 8 (using Tangler).

Whilst I first tried IE8 over a year ago, I have been a pretty solid Firefox user since then; Firefox wasn't a deliberate choice, just something I floated into over time.

I'm not too sure why I was invited along to the chat (everyone there was far more technical than me), but it did force me to think about web browsers. My conclusion:

Bloated

IE 8 is full of bells and whistles, and whilst the technorati may make use of them, does the average user? Are they actually becoming a hindrance to the average user? Not only slowing down the program, but adding confusion to the browsing experience.

I think it is time to move beyond the one browser fits all model. At a minimum I would like to see Microsoft develop two browsers: IE Simple, and IE Professional. But what I would really like to see is a bespoke browser. You go to the Microsoft site, select the browser features you want included, and it compiles the IE browser for you.

The Social Web and a Leicester Hotel Owner

2009-04-01T15:11:00.004+01:00

People realise that a static web site is not enough to promote their business, but that doesn't help them embrace the social web. There are a multitude of different social media technologies available, and the person needs to select the right ones, learn how to use them, and understand the culture of the different communities using the different technologies. Unfortunately the successful adoption of social media takes time; there are no quick fixes.

I have just spent the last two hours on the phone to a friend discussing how he can make the most of social media to promote his hotel.

The Old Approach
His hotel had a web site http://www.campbellshotel.com/, but it didn't particularly do much for the promotion of the hotel. Whilst there are design issues (don't even think about looking at it with Mozilla), the primary reason the web site failed was that people didn't come across it. If you Googled Campbells Hotel the site would be number one, but looking for a hotel in Leicester? No chance.

The New Approach
Engage with the online community, and let the world see more than a brochure. As such I have encouraged him to revolve his new online presence around a blog (http://campbellshotel.blogspot.com/), incorporating other technologies such as Twitter (@Campbellshotel) where appropriate. Whilst such an approach is natural to those involved in social media, it's a big leap and a big commitment for someone who has little experience of social media.

The Philosophy
Whilst I struggled to explain how the social technologies could help, and that it wasn't about sending Tweets to everyone you came across; his moment of epiphany came with the comment:

"It's like liberal evangelism"

Exactly. It's not about trying to force doctrine down someone's throat, it's about demonstrating it in the way you live your life; it's not about Tweeting adverts at everyone, it's about demonstrating the way you run your business.

Nb. If you have any advice/suggestions for a small business owner trying to make use of social media I'm sure commenting on his blog would be appreciated. http://campbellshotel.blogspot.com/

I Hate April Fool's Day...but I like the Guardian-Twitter story

2009-04-01T07:57:00.002+01:00

I have never been a fan of April Fool's day. It's not that I have been emotionally scarred by some outrageous prank, I just don't get the idea of pleasure from making someone else feel foolish. However, I'm in a bit of a quandary today as I did enjoy the Guardian's Twitter story: Twitter Switch for Guardian, after 188 years of ink.

Maybe it's time I reassess my dislike of April Fool's jokes. A couple of people have been commenting that the Guardian story is 'too bleeding obvious', but that is why I liked it. It's not at any one's expense, merely a humorous commentary on today's society, including a jibe at the idiotic Daily Mail:

"...the Daily Mail recently pioneered an iPhone application providing users with a one-click facility for reporting suspicious behaviour by migrants or gays"

If all April Fool's were like this, the day would be much nicer.

The Importance of 'About Me'

2009-03-31T07:59:00.004+01:00

For weeks I have been meaning to make some changes to the 'About Me' section of my blog. Unfortunately I kept putting it off, and then I got an email sent to my university email address:

I was wondering if you were free this evening to talk to Sky News about the Birmingham City University MA Course on Social Media - I saw you had blogged about it today.

We were hoping to talk to you at 7:15pm this evening - we have a studio in Birmingham we could use.

I missed it. Whilst my hotmail is guaranteed to be picked up within an hour, my university account languishes unread for days on end as people fill it with notices about filing cabinets and lectures I'm not interested in.

This isn't the first time I've thought I need to update my 'About Me'. My referring to 'so-called' web 2.0 technologies has led to the term being carried over into a THE article; whilst not explicitly emphasising that I'm a 'Doctor' means that my opinion probably carries less authority than the 'Doctor' from a history department.

Therefore I have finally made a few changes. Gone is the 'so-called', 'research fellow' has been replaced with 'post-doctoral researcher', and most importantly my preferred email address is clearly visible!

I'm not sure whether I would have said yes or no to Sky News, but it would have been nice to have the choice.

Social Media MA: Only idiots/Daily-Mail-readers object

2009-03-30T10:40:00.005+01:00

In a world of rapid change the Daily Mail and it's reactionary readers provide a consistent rock of stupidity; today it's their response to an MA in Social Media. I would have thought it was impossible to refute the importance of understanding the role of social media in today's society, but both the Daily Mail and The Daily Telegraph manage to refute its importance with the comments of an idiotic student with obviously no understanding of academia:

Virtually all of the content of this course is so basic it can be self taught...In fact most people know all this stuff already. I think it's a complete waste of university resources.

Being able to use blogs, social networks, twitter, wikis, podcasts etc, is obviously not the same as understanding the role they play in society, but acknowledging that would have got in the way of a 'good' story. Obviously it is only a good story for the 'gone to hell in a handcart' brigade, but those are idiots who read the Daily Mail and the Daily Telegraph.

What always amazes me about the Daily Mail is that the readers are actually worse than the journalists! Why do they think they are profound and witty when the comments merely express their own ignorance? Sometimes I join them in believing the world has gone to hell in a handcart, but that is due to my despairing at the ignorance of so many at a time of so much opportunity.

Personally my favourite comment is the one by Rick from Newcastle:

This is for humans with an IQ of less than 20 ??

I choose to believe he is referring to placing comments on the Daily Mail site rather than the MA course.

If you want to make your own mind up about the course there is a makeshift video introduction:

Obviously the Daily Mail didn't link to the video, that would have been proper journalism.

Twitter Denier or Twitter Realist?

2009-03-28T14:04:00.002Z

There is an article over at the Times Higher Education site that discusses, albeit briefly, the potential of Twitter in academia. However, as the article didn't claim that Twitter should be interpreted as the second coming of Christ, certain elements were displeased:

Oh dear, yet another very poor article situated firmly at the 'denial' end of the Twitter press coverage spectrum.

As my contribution to the article helped it gain the 'denial' label, I thought I would elaborate on my stance:

For most academics, Twitter will provide a poor return for time invested. There are generally other tools more appropriate for specific tasks.

I don't argue that Twitter is of no use to any academic, merely that for most academics the Twitter-noise would far outweigh the benefits of Twitter.

One comment points out: "One of our PhD students is, at this moment, meeting an interview subject in London thanks to a relationship built through Twitter." PhD students have a lot more time than the average academic, and if they are on Twitter I am sure they will come across useful people and information (as I have myself), but such an example in no way provides the start of an argument for a use of Twitter in academia.

One of the problems of using Twitter in academia is that 140 characters gives very little room for establishing any form of argument, but it's great for detailing what you've had lunch. Whilst one comment responds: "Rather than eschewing quality Twitter, does in fact encourage brevity". Noticeably this is part of a far longer comment, totalling 805 characters.

Whilst Twitter is many things to many people, we should not get carried away into believing that it is a substitute the tools that are currently available.
-News source: If you need to be sure you don't miss an important story then you should be using an RSS reader instead.
-News distributor: If you have to make sure a group gets a message, email is more appropriate. After all, people don't read all the updates of all the people they are following.
-Discussion forum: If you want to engage with complex arguements you need more than 140 characters; get a blog.

If such a position makes me a 'Twitter denier', then I wear the badge with pride. Personally I think that it just makes me a Twitter-realist.

Google Street View: Norwich

2009-03-19T12:58:00.004Z

Whilst Google Street View has been around for a while, today it launched for 25 cities in the UK. I haven't previously been much concerned with Google Street View; clever, interesting, but not really applicable to my life. However, one of the 25 uk cities included today is Norwich, the city I grew up in but left many years ago.

'Memory lane' doesn't really do justice to the scope of nostaligia that can be evoked by Google Street View...before today the world would have missed out on a history of places I worked in my youth!

My first job was as a paperboy:

There used to be a newspaper kiosk that I worked in here:

I had a job in a butchers...but it's now a construction firm:

I worked in the Red Lion kitchen:

...but Google Street View has its limitations; it doesn't go down an alleyway to show me what used to be the Lamb:

Obviously the world wasn't missing much. Increasing amounts of information is not necessarily a good thing, it depends how you use it.

Should all academics be required to have a blog?

2009-03-14T18:38:00.003Z

Whilst I don't think there would be much gained from all academics Twittering their days away, I think there is a need for a change in the academic attitude to the blog. Despite the blog being one of the earliest examples of social media, great swathes of academia have failed to adopt the technology (or have adopted it in an extremely safe manner, i.e, 'the research project blog'). Is it because it is a technology without purpose, or is it because it opens an academic's opinions up to the sort of scrutiny that would otherwise be lacking?

As this is my 398th Webometric Thoughts' blog post, readers will not be surprised that I am a fan of the blog. I am a natural blogger in that I am always happy to proclaim my opinion, no matter how outrageous it may appear to others (...you don't want to get me started on vegetarianism). But shouldn't all academics be natural bloggers? Up and down the country academics are constantly proclaiming their opinions in lecture theatres, journals, books, and conferences, but relatively rarely in blogs. As blogs provide an opportunity for the sharing of opinions far beyond the academic community, and engaging in debate today rather than in six months time, surely blogging should be a part of every academics output.

Whilst debate is an essential part of scientific progress, I am always surprised by the lack of scientific debate. Whilst I have heard of great debates conducted through the letters pages of eminent scientific journals, and have occassionally seen the rigerous questioning of a paper presented at a conference, in general most scientific publications pass with very little debate. Academics are generally a pleasant bunch, and if you don't make many waves, noone will bother you. After all, hardly anyone will read your paper anyway.

The blogosphere, on the other hand, is a very different beast. It thrives on debate, to the point that some people surf around merely looking for someone to argue with! Wouldn't it be good for both the arts and sciences if academics were forced to defend their ideas in the blogosphere more often? Especially those which are seemingly indefensible.

What is the best Twitter Recipe?

2009-03-13T16:04:00.003Z

One of Boris Johnson's (@MayorOfLondon) twitterings got me wondering, what is the best recipe that can be created in 140 characters or less?

Creating a tasty meal in 140 characters seems far more difficult a task than poems, jokes, or even stories (not that chutney is a tasty meal). However most people go for the easy option and those twitterings labelled #recipe are actually links to other web pages...where's the fun in that?

nb. Just to be 100% clear, highlighting one Twittering of Boris in no way an endorsement of the man or the party. Real men vote Labour.

Sounds, Images and Consciousness: Using Detectable Brain Responses in Audiovisual Composition

2009-03-13T12:00:00.002Z

Free Public Lecture, Tuesday 31 March, 6pm, University of Wolverhampton (Room MC 001).

[Click Image to Enlarge]

Dr. Mick Grierson is an experimental artist specialising in real‐time interactive audiovisual research, with a specific focus on cognition and perception. He works in film, music, and software development, both inside and outside industry, designing, developing and producing new approaches to creating audiovisual experience.

In addition to working in traditional roles in film and television, he has designed commercial audiovisual software for the entertainment industries, which has led to several high profile commissions, including title design and digital audiovisual installations for the hit T.V. show Derren Brown: Tricks of the Mind.

In 2008 he collaborated with the Sonic Arts Network and the South Bank Centre to create a freely available interactive audiovisual interface for use by the deaf and hard of hearing, and received considerable international press attention after
demonstrating his Brain Computer Interface for Music to the BBC.

In addition, he is lead developer on the Mabuse Real‐time Audiovisual Composition Software Environment. He is currently Co‐Director of the Goldsmiths College Creative Computing Programme, and an AHRC fellow in audiovisual cognition at Goldsmiths College Electronic Music Studios.

Reflections on the Black Country Social Media Cafe

2009-03-12T15:44:00.005Z

No longer do those interested in social media in the Black Country have to travel through to Birmingham; the Black Country now has its own Social Media Cafe! First (open) meeting: Tuesday 7th April, 2.30pm, Alchemy, Wolverhampton(see map below).

Today a select gathering came together in a Wolverhampton coffee shop to discuss how they could adapt the Social Media Cafe model of the Tuttle Club to the needs of the Black Country. Unsurprisingly a dozen people (more than I had originally expected) have a dozen different ideas. What we all agreed upon was that a Black Country Social Media Cafe could only be a good thing for the area, and that the best way to start was a monthly, daytime meeting. There was also a lot of enthusiasm for special interest splitter groups, as well as less formal meetings out of work hours. So it is, without a doubt, only the start.

The Social Media Cafe is all about making connections and sharing information; two fundamentals for innovation. So if you are in the region, and are interested in social media, or just want to find out more about social media, feel free to come along for a coffee and a chat.

The official Black Country Social Media Cafe blog and wiki will soon be open for updates and user-contributions.

Thanks to everyone who came along today.

[Update 13/03/09]
Black Country Social Media Cafe is now fully social:
Twitter - http://twitter.com/bcsmc
Google Group - http://groups.google.co.uk/group/bcsmc
Wiki - http://bcsmc.pbwiki.com/
Blog - http://bcsmc.wordpress.com/
Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=70070480515

View this map on Multimap.com
Bird's Eye view on Multimap.com
Get directions on Multimap.com

Argos Complaints: What is the Social Web Solution?

2009-03-07T17:49:00.004Z

My girlfriend has just finished writing a letter to Argos complaining about a chest of drawers that arrived with a missing part. After two months of being informed that the part was on it's way, she has now been informed that the part is not available and that she will have to dismantle the chest of drawers if she wants it collected so she can get a refund. The offered recompense for building and dismantling a chest of drawers and two months of inconvenience, a £10 Argos voucher!

Whilst the social web can be a useful tool for getting results when numerous people have been inconvenienced, how can it help a single customer find a solution when large corporations are being unreasonable? And is Argos being unreasonable asking for the chest of drawers to be dismantled?

[UPDATE 09/03/09] Then unexpectedly we wake up this morning to find the drawer-base sitting on the doorstep! We won't be ordering furniture from Argos again.

Cloudberry Twitter IE Plug-In: A short review

2009-03-06T20:15:00.004Z

Two reviews in as many posts. This one in response to a request in a previous blog post about PockeTwit. Anyway, the nice and simple Cloudberry Twitter IE Plug-In:
-you're surfing the web
-you see something you want to Tweet
-you highlight it
-you click 'Tweet' in the toolbar

-you have the opportunity to add other text
-you click 'Tweet' in pop-up window
-it's sent to Twitter along with a link to the page
Simple.

Whilst it is currently only for Internet Explorer, a Firefox version should be on its way. My one real criticism of this simple and useful application is the lack of quotation marks. It's an app all about quotations yet fails to highlight the fact the tweets are quotations. Quotation marks should be the default.

Mendeley: An academic work in progress

2009-03-06T18:05:00.005Z

Last week I was sent an email by some chap at Mendeley: "you'd be doing us a huge favour by blogging about us and helping us to spread the word". If it's in my sphere of interest I'm generally happy to review web sites, although I must say that it's a shame that review requests are never for the latest books in the field (publishers please take note)...anyway, back to Mendeley: "helps you manage, share and discover both content and contacts in research."

The first thing, and the worst thing about Mendeley, is the name. Unfortunately its similarity to the Manderley of Rebecca fame means I keep losing the web site, inserting extra letters and incorrect vowels. Nonetheless first impressions are positive, although it has a long way to go.

Mendeley comes in two main parts. A web site:

and a desktop application:

The web site allows you to publish your own papers, store copies of other people's papers (and share them in small groups), store bibliographic information, as well as providing the opportunity to find other researchers and research papers. The desktop application provides a quick method of searching and accessing the papers even if you're not online. There is also a Mendeley Word plug-in for inserting the data in your Word documents.

There are obvious similarities between Mendeley and Academica.edu, a social networking site for academics, but whereas Academia.edu focuses on the networking, Mendeley focuses on the academic's primary work with research papers and has the social networking as a secondary factor. Mendeley wins hands down (even without taking into consideration the over-the-top interface of Academia.edu).

Whilst I love Mendeley's approach, it is still very much in the alpha/beta stages, and you are likely to come across errors and things that could be done better, or just refuse to work. Nonetheless, unlike Academia.edu, this is worth spending some time on and providing them with feedback. Once all the bugs are fixed it will be a useful addition to any academic's work life.

Mainstream-Twitter-GPS: Tapping into local thoughts

2009-03-06T14:03:00.005Z

Whiling away the Friday afternoon, spending far too much time looking at Twitter updates, I can't help but wonder how Twitter use will change when it becomes mainstream, and people update with an increasing number of GPS enabled devices. Whilst sites such as BrightKite are more explicitly focused on being location based, Twitter is little more than an update away. Already many of the Twitter applications are making more use of the location feature.

My thoughts about the effect of mainstream-Twitter-GPS were sparked by a couple of this afternoon's comments emphasising how Twitter is used for off-the-cuff comments about those around us:

Whilst these comments have always been shared amongst friends, they have never been made so publicly and permanently available.

As you are lamenting the 'chav' spitting and swearing, he may be taking the opportunity to see if the attractive girl on the platform opposite is Twittering her friends about his obvious masculinity. However, instead of finding the glowing complements he finds that he is being mocked by the geek at the end of the platform....oops.

Whilst the potential of talking with those around you is exciting, I'm sure there will be a few teething troubles on the way as we learn the new rules.

PockeTwit: If you love Twitter Buy a Windows Mobile!

2009-03-03T20:17:00.003Z

Over the past few weeks I've downloaded numerous different Xda Serra (HTC Touch Pro/MDA Vario IV) applications, but today I found the first one that really surprised me: PockeTwit.

The name is fairly self-explanatory: A Twitter application for a Pocket PC.

Whilst I generally find mobile applications to be poor imitations of desktop application, PocketTwit actually surpasses the Twitter.com web site! Unfortunately, to really get a feel for the application you need to see it in action, and I couldn't find a free screencaster for my phone. Nonetheless here are a couple of stills.

The Updates:

Select a comment and drag to the left and you can reply, quote, etc.:

Drag to the right and you can send messages (including pictures and your GPS position), find other Twitterers on a map, search geographically as well as on keywords:

It's hard to express how impressed I am by this Twitter app, but when I have calmed down I will head over to PockeTwit and make a donation...a first in all my time online (nb.I would donate too much in my current frame of mind).

If you have a Windows Mobile phone, give it a try. If you are a Twitter-addict and thinking about getting a new phone, get a Windows Mobile phone.

Art on the Underground: Spotted in the wild

2009-03-01T16:52:00.003Z

Way back in November I bought a poster celebrating the 100th anniversary of the London Underground's Roundel. Rather than a one-off, it was a two-off plus extras: one for the underground's archive of art, one auctioned on ebay, and the potential for the image to appear on posters and tube maps around the capital.

A friend of mine spotted the one I bought at White City tube:

Surely that'll add a tenner to the value of the poster.

As for a technological angle to the post: my friend has an iPhone so had to email me the picture rather sending a MMS.

Does Wolverhampton need a Social Media Cafe?

2009-02-27T13:14:00.004Z

I have just returned from my second visit to Birmingham's Social Media Cafe, and once again I got to meet a bunch of interesting people from a host of different backgrounds; people I wouldn't usually get to meet in the closed world of academia. However, whilst I enjoy Birmingham's Social Media Cafe, I can't help but wish there was a Wolverhampton equivalent. It's great talking to Birmingham people, but I would also welcome the opportunity to meet some more local people.

With a population of 250,000 Wolverhampton seems likely to be very capable of sustaining its own social media cafe, however I have no idea whether anyone else in the area would be interested in attending/organising such a group. So the question is, is anyone interested in a Wolverhampton Social Media Cafe? In the words of BSMC

"a place for people interested in social media to gather, get acquainted, chat, plot, scheme, and share."

..but this time in Wolverhampton.

Government creates 'Director of Digital Engagement' post

2009-02-22T19:52:00.006Z

There aren't many jobs out there that I covet: Prime Minister, Head of the British Library...that's about it. Or rather, that was it until the government started advertising for a Director of Digital Engagement (via NevilleHobson). All the excitement of social media with the potential to make a real difference to people's lives...and the £120,000 starting salary wouldn't hurt either.

The right-wing have their usual reactionary attitude (via The Telegraph)

Conservative Shadow Cabinet Office Minister Francis Maude said: "Hard pressed families struggling as the recession bites will find it hard to understand how Labour can so freely spend their money on peddling their own propaganda."

Well Francis, when the 'recession bites' it is more important than ever that channels of communication with the government are opened, and [with the exception of myself] you are unlikely to get someone who knows what they are doing for less than £120,000. Maybe the Conservatives would like to take the opportunity to put aside party politics and acknowledge that it is an important role in the future of government.

So, who is your money on as the future Director of Digital Engagement? My money is on Alastair Campbell, recently seen blogging and twittering on a site near you. Whilst I sent him a message on Facebook about an hour ago asking him, he has yet to reply. Other potential candidates? Possibly Charles Leadbeater, but personally I would prefer someone who has their social media feet more firmly on the ground.

Any other suggestions?
[Update 23/02/09: Alastair says 'not a chance'...I hope the government don't just appoint some generic boardroom type]

Palin v. Biden: Who is the US vice president?

2009-02-22T18:51:00.004Z

Over three months since the US presidential elections and it is surprising to see that Sarah Palin is still firmly in the public eye. Whilst Joe Biden is only a heartbeat away from being the most powerful man on earth, it is actually Sarah Palin that has people more interested:

Surely if Palin continues at this level of public interest, there is no doubt she will be going for the Republican nomination next time around. You would almost want her to win, just to see what she would do.

It's Paddington Bear not Paddington Bare!

2009-02-21T15:17:00.003Z

Looking at your Google analytics or Feedjit can occassionally provide insights into some very strange minds. Earlier today Google directed someone to my site looking for paddington bear porn:

Once I had gotten over the shock, and taken Paddington to see a local counsellor, I had one question that I knew Google Insights for Search could answer. Who is the fictional bear of choice in the world of porn?

Whilst neither paddington bear porn or rupert the bear porn have enough search volume to produce Google Insights for Search graphs, both winnie the pooh porn and care bear porn do (at this point my knowledge of fictional bears ran out).

Whilst Winnie the Pooh is, without a doubt, the bear of choice in the world of porn, it is pleasing to note that it is seemingly an industry on the decline.

A Philosophy of Linking: Does The Pirate Bay need a webometrician?

2009-02-20T09:34:00.002Z

As members of The Pirate Bay stand trial Bill Thompson points out the need for a philosophy of linking:

The Pirate Bay case hinges on what counts as infringement, and whether simply linking to a site is enough to make someone liable, treating a hypertext link to a third-party URL as an endorsement, as something that makes a connection between two web pages or information sources that has real legal significance and weight.

Yet it is nothing of the sort. Ever since Tim Berners-Lee defined the Hypertext Markup Language and its Uniform Resource Locators one fundamental thing has applied - a link is just a link....

Perhaps we need a 'philosophy of linkage' to explore what the use of a link can signify, before the lawyers decide it for us and limit the creative potential of the web through their lack of imagination and understanding.

The theory of linking often comes up as a topic of conversation in webometrics, in much the same way as a theory of citation is discussed in bibliometrics. Unfortunately it often takes a back seat to those webometric areas with more obvious real-world applications, e.g., the creation of web indicators.

Only a couple of months ago a colleague and I started working on a 'Theory of Linking', but other work got in the way and the paper remains unfinished. Who knows, maybe if we had written the paper we could have been the first webometricians to be expert witnesses!

Berlin QR Code: Help required

2009-02-19T19:51:00.004Z

Whilst on a short break to Berlin my girlfriend spotted a QR code:

Unfortunately her 5800 doesn't come with a QR code reader, and she hadn't got around to downloading one. Try as I might, I have been unable to scan the above photo; presumably too much detail in the QR code.

So, anyone know what this particular QR Code says??

[update 20/02/09]
Solved by @staecker in Zurich (http://twitpic.com/1l4dy):

Twitter, Politics, and Looking for Meaningful Metrics

2009-02-15T11:57:00.006Z

As Twitter seems to be the latest shiny web site that has everyone interested, and with a general election on its way (well, June 2010 at the latest), I decided to see how the political parties have taken to Twitter.

The most simple comparison is between the raw numbers of the parties:
Obviously these numbers don't look good for the Labour Party, not listening and not many followers. They don't even have a single account, but rather two different streams with the same information.

Whilst such comparisons will be made with increasing regularity as the election approaches, for example:
..., we quickly realise we need to take into consideration a far wider variety of Twitter accounts and take into consideration other metrics.

@DowningStreet, the official Twitter channel for the office of the Prime Minister, provides a total different perspective on the Labour Party's fortunes.
If @DowningStreet's Twitter friends were an indication of support, Gordon could expect a landslide victory at the next general election. Unfortunately things are not that simple. As one comment to @DowningStreet shows, people follow for many different reasons:

any chance next week i can have a pic taken outside No.10? im visiting for a few days? i know its cheeky but i had to ask!

Obviously @DowningStree is not the only other UK political Twitterer, many individuals, groups and departments have accounts. All contributing to the complex picture of the UK political landscape.

Twitter potentially offers a lot of useful information about both the attitude of the parties to the electorate, and the electorate to the parties. Unfortunately, as with all webometric studies, for meaningful answers to be arrived at there needs to be distinct methodical steps rather than just a grabbing of raw data:
1) Select appropriate Twitter accounts to answer the research question.
2) Investigate Twitter interactions:
Not only 'do they follow and have followers', but are they ReTweeting comments and Responding to questions directed at them.
3) Investigate the nature of the interactions:
Unfortunately the simplest way of finding out the nature of many of the connection is to analyse the comments, a very long and tedious process.

As with so many things on the web, it would be interesting to investigate, if only one had the time.

Reflections on BrumTwestival!

2009-02-13T12:02:00.004Z

Last night I went to the BrumTwestival, both a good cause and an opportunity to find out people's opinions on Twitter. Obviously, like all good bloggers I had my trusty camera phone to photograph the event:

Whilst some would say that I should have probably attempted photography before heading to the bar, I place all blame on the Xda Serra's camera...I never had this trouble with an N95.

As I continue throwing myself head first into an investigation of Twitter, I am still no nearer finding out whether it is has a use not found elsewhere, but the list of uses does continue to grow:
-Chat
-News service
-Seach engine
-Question answering service
Whilst I'm sure there are lots of people who use Twitter in a work setting, I didn't manage to find any last night; it was mostly just personal use.

nb. Unfortunately the university have informed me that drinking copious amounts of beer and chatting to people in a bar does not conform to their more traditional ideas of research. They will not be refunding my expenses.

@simonluckylloyd: Why Twitter needs a 'Follow but Hate' option

2009-02-13T10:43:00.002Z

I have long been saying (well I think I Twittered it a couple of days ago), that what Twitter really needs is an option to Follow someone, but at the same time highlight the fact that you dislike them. This was pushed home to me this morning when I discovered I was being followed by a complete idiot, @simonluckylloyd, whom I can only presume is following me as he thinks I am a fellow Conservative fan.

In politics it is necessary to listen to the opposition so you can point out that they are talking crap, the last thing you want is to have your listening to them seen as an endorsement. There are a host of reasons I don't support the Conservatives, and @simonluckylloyd personifies many of them.

Conservatives love to knock modern Britain, after all, wasn't it all better years ago:

Conservatives hate immigration despite the fact it has contributed to this country for thousands of years, and at the same time Conservatives demand the right to live where they want:

But mostly because Conservatives just aren't nice people:

It is bad enough being thought of as a Conservative, but there are worse feeds I could be following: The Daily Mail, the British National Party (although I don't think they have an account yet). Whilst I am interested in what they are saying, the cost of being associated with them is just too high, unless Twitter allow us to show our dislike.

Google and Darwin's Finches: Where's the .com logo?

2009-02-12T08:42:00.004Z

200 years ago today Charles Darwin was born, one of the most influential figures in science. However, despite being a revolutionary global figure Google gives him a rather weak chocolate-box-painting of a logo:

Even worse, at the time of writing, there is nothing for Darwin at Google.com! Whilst I thought it might be due to the time difference, both Google Mexico and Google Canada have the same logo as the UK. Is Google.com waiting for the 200th anniversary of Charles Thaxton's birth instead?

One Hundred Updates on Twitter

2009-02-11T20:36:00.003Z

It has been been almost two weeks since I went to the Birmingham Social Media Cafe and decided that I should give Twitter another look, and throwing myself in head-first I have already reached 100 updates. So has my Twitter time been worth it?

I discovered information I wouldn't have come across any other way:

And made useful contacts I wouldn't have made otherwise:

However there is always a down side.
I have been sidetracked from the social web into the discussion of other interests:

I have had to put up the cruder side of work colleagues:

and, in truth, I have had to accept a lot of twittering noise:

Twitter is not for the easily sidetracked, and the truth is that I am someone who is easily sidetracked. Nonetheless, the experiment shall continue.

The Pleasure of Feedjit: Moving beyond the hits

2009-02-08T19:00:00.003Z

One of the pleasures of Feedjit is you sometimes get to see patterns upfold that are missed in the vast quantities of data you collect with an analytics service such as Google Analytics. Today I spotted this one:

The above information shows me that not only did someone find my post about programming for Flickr in Python, but they found the page useful enough to visit each of the links I had placed. Not merely glancing at the linked-pages, but spending time reading, and probably acting, on them: It was 40 minutes between the visitor's arrival and their final leaving.

Obviously it's nice when a user finds plenty of interest on my site, but I am just as happy to know that I have pointed someone in the right direction.

Nokia 5800 v. Xda Serra (HTC Touch Pro/MDA Vario IV)

2009-02-06T10:23:00.007Z

Whenevever I get a new phone my girlfriend decides that she needs one too. Yesterday she picked up her new Nokia 5800 XpressMusic:

It wasn't long before I was coveting the 5800. Whilst by no means as powerful as my recently acquired Xda Serra (or even the N95 which we both previously had), it has the usability (and price tag) that will appeal to the masses.

Every day I seem to find something to curse about the Xda, but to a certain extent that is the consequence of choosing phones which are moving ever closer to the computer end of the appliance-computer spectrum. Whilst I momentarily contemplated exchanging my Xda Serra for a Nokia 5800 (I still have a few days to return the phone), the truth is that I am the sort of user who will take advantage of the Xda Serra's qwerty keyboard and the included Microsoft Office.

The Nokia 5800 is the better phone; the Xda Serra is the better computer. Maybe the N97 will be the best of both.

An Unimpressive EThOS from the British Library

2009-02-05T08:45:00.004Z

One of the hundreds of posts in my feed-reader this morning was about the British Library electronic theses service (via SCIT blog). As my own thesis should be included I decided to indulge in a bit of vanity searching. Result: EThOS has a long way to go.

I would expect my thesis to turn up for the term 'webometrics', in fact it is about the only term for which someone might actually want to read it. Unfortunately the only webometric thesis belongs to Xuemei Li:

My thesis does however turn up for the wholly inappropriate 'bibliometrics':

Seemingly the reason for my appearance under 'bibliometrics' and not 'webometrics' is that 'bibliometrics' appears in my abstract whereas 'webometrics' does not. Whilst this may seem reasonable at first, theorectically the University of Wolverhampton are taking part in the project and their record includes a number of keywords carefully selected me, including 'webometrics'. The British Library also fails to provide a link to my thesis, despite it being scattered over the web like confetti: "Not yet available for download".

Young academics brought up on Google Scholar, with full text searching and links to the numerous copies on the web, are unlikely to see the value in EThOS and its traditional OPAC style. Whilst I'd like to see an electronic thesis online service that seperates the wheat from the chaff, with full text searching and links to the documents, and believe that librarians could aid in retrieval with classification of such documents, this is not what EThOS is currently offering. It's still in Beta, and likely to improve, but it has a frighteningly long way to go and you do wonder whether they should have buddied up with one of the big search engines to produce a more user friendly version.

Twitter API Updates: But I still don't like them

2009-02-04T10:25:00.003Z

Just hours after I wrote a post complaining about the limitations of the Twitter API for researchers, Twitter released two new API features that specifically deal with the data I was collecting!...Coincidence?

Twitter have now released two Social Graph Methods (via Scripting News) that enable you to call a list of a user's friends and followers. Whilst this is far quicker than checking the links between each pair of users, it unfortunately means I will have to write my program again from scratch.

Whilst I welcome the new methods it is still not addressing the fact that Twitter gives preferential treatment to commercial applications whilst lumping researchers together with hobbyists.

Nb. Obviously it is a coincidence, but my site did gain a bit of a stalker yesterday...

Sketch Messaging: The Xda Serra (HTC Touch Pro/MDA Vario IV) is growing on me

2009-02-03T20:07:00.007Z

I didn't immediately warm to the Xda Serra, but today I finally found something it could do that my N95 couldn't: Sketch Messaging!

No longer will my friends suffer random photos in their inboxes, instead they will suffer little sketches by the world's worst artist:
Whilst Microsoft's Notes application allows you to draw pictures with the stylus, it only sends any text and drawings as an attachment in the obscure .pwi format. However with the MiTo Team Paint application you can use the stylus to knock up a little picture, save it as a bitmap, then just insert it in a multimedia message and send it off to anyone with a camera phone!

nb. In case you wondered...it's meant to be a cat.

Stupid Twitter: Don't researchers deserve more than a second-class service?

2009-02-03T09:16:00.008Z

I have never particularly seen the point of Twitter; it's the background noise I can do without. However, as an all-thing-web-2.0 researcher I recognise that there needs to be further investigation of how people are using it. Unfortunately Twitter doesn't seem to think so; yesterday they turned down my request to be upgraded from the extremely limited 100 API requests per hour.

After visiting Birmingham Social Media Cafe last Friday, and noticing the prevalence of Twitter names, I thought it would be interesting to get an overview of the Birmingham Social Media Cafe Twitter network: Had clusters formed? Did these clusters reflect different interests?...the usual sort of academic questions. In no time I had collected the Twitter IDs of 50 members of BSMC, and written a program that would check which of the members were following one another (using Twitter's 'friendship exist' method).

Unfortunately, to test every combination of names requires the sending of 50*49=2,450 requests. So even this extremely small scale study would require the program to run over 24hrs!! Last time I had collected data using Twitter's API there seemed to be no such limits. Whilst Twitter do offer the opportunity to be placed on a 'whitelist' that allows you 20,000 requests per hour, "...we only approve developers for the whitelist", and seemingly by their negative response they mean the distinctly commercial type of developer.

As the explanation link suggests, I was turned down because, as a researcher, I should be asking for the second-class data-mining feed:

It returns 600 recent public statuses, cached for a minute at a time. You can request it up to once per minute to get a representative sample of the public statuses on Twitter

This is the service Twitter have decided is most appropriate for "researchers and hobbyists", albeit one that would fail provide the sort of network information that I am interested in. A distinctly second-class service in comparison to the one offered to commercial developers.

I can understand if online services such as Twitter don't want to go out of their way to help academics, but it is rather disappointing that we are penalised for doing public research rather than chasing money. Whilst I will eventually be able to find a 24hr slot to run this particular program, it's a shame that I won't be able to run more large scale studies.

[Update: within hours of this post the Twitter API was updated, but no specific improvements for academics]