We have just started to publish a set of tutorials on topics related to Learning 2.0. These are step-by-step instructions on how to use and manage new tools and services. They are listed on the lower right hand column of the otter blog.
So far we have published two tutorials: one on blogging 101 and one on publishing photos. We have many more in the works on things like setting up and configuring aggregators and on producing podcasts

Let us know if you have any topics you would like us to address.

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We're happy to announce that our preferred RSS aggregator, Blogbridge, now has the power of reading lists (in the weekly version).

Reading lists are a critical tool/service for the emerging world of Learning 2.0. Dave Winer who developed the code for them, defines them as follows:

Reading lists are OPML documents that point to RSS feeds, like most of the OPML documents you find, but instead of subscribing to each feed in the document, the reader or aggregator subscribes to the OPML document itself. When the author of the OPML document adds a feed, the aggregator automatically checks that feed in its next scan, and (key point) when a feed is removed, the aggregator no longer checks that feed. THe editor of the OPML file can update all the subscribers by updating the OPML file. Think of it as sort of a mutual fund for subscriptions.

This means that “editors” can build collections of RSS feeds and “readers” can subscribe to these collections. I have built a collection called “Otter Learning 2.0″ which includes good feeds around the topic of learning 2.0. I built this collection within Blogbridge and published the aggregated list of feeds as a “reading list.” Here is the url: http://www.blogbridge.com/rl/3247/Otter+Learning+2.0.opml. When you click on this url, this is what you see is a listing of all of the rss feeds in the list:

But this list is not static. It is dynamic in that I continue to find new feeds that I think belong in the collection. So when I add a new feed to the list and update the opml, people who have subscribed to the list will automatically have their collections updated.

This ability to share collections has important implications for learning. Imagine, as we do, that courses become collections of feeds. While someone enrolls in a course, then all they have to do is subscribe to the course reading list and they automatically get all of the feeds they need, organized in one place, and dynamically updated as needed. Imagine that an enterprise starts to distribute all kinds of things as feeds. Reading lists (and the directories to manage the lists) will become the next step in managing RSS in the enterprise.

OK. So we're very excited about this and kudos to Pito and his development team for making it happen. Now here's how you can subscribe to Otter's Learning 2.0 Reading List. You must be using the Blogbridge Weekly Version as this is still a feature in beta testing. Once you have downloaded Blogbridge, all you do is add a Guide and copy this URL into the reading list menu:

http://www.blogbridge.com/rl/3247/Otter+Learning+2.0.opml

Now you are subscribed to this list. And when I make changes your aggregator will keep your list up to date.

We will be publishing new tutorials that show you exactly how to do this. And you can read about how to create and publish your own reading lists on the Blogbridge blog. And if you want to share a reading list you have built that you think our blog readers will like, send us the opml url and we'll publish it here.

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Rod Boothby has published this wonderful introduction to the web office and has allowed us re-publish it here on our blog. It is a very entertaining way to start learning about Web 2.0 or Web Office. 

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We are in the throes of working with IT departments to get new web services implemented for our programs. This morning Rod Boothby's great blog, Innovation Creators, had a reference to a paper, “Business and I.T. Must Work Together to Manage New “Web 2.0″ Tools.” (The paper is Copyright 2006 by Dennis D. McDonald and Jeremiah Owyang. Dennis can be reached at ddmcd@yahoo.com and Jeremiah at jeremiah_owyang@yahoo.com.) This is a must read for anyone looking at implementing web services behind the firewall. Here are some excerpts:

It is possible for corporate employees of departmental business units (e.g., “John Doe” a Marketing Manager) to easily use these technologies to publish business-related information, with or without the corporate I.T. department’s knowledge or involvement. Inexpensive or “free” services are easy to initiate and operate without any involvement of the I.T. department. As a result, many business units (and individuals acting on their own) have learned to use these tools independently.
Ease of use, and seeming low cost, do not necessarily mean that the corporate I.T. department's role is irrelevant. Even in cases where customer facing units choose to outsource the management of new technologies, business unit and corporate I.T. strategy must still be aligned. Failure to do so can result in a disconnect between business units and I.T. Potential alignment-related issues include:
* Lack of scalability of the new technologies. This can occur when the volume and type of usage needed by the company outstrips what free or low cost services provide.
* Over-dependence on expensive or overlapping service providers. This exists when different business units secure different outside vendors for the same or similar services, services that could be provided more effectively and cheaply by a single vendor, resulting in multiple product or customer sources of information.
* Downstream system and data inconsistencies that make it difficult to integrate business processes. This problem might not show up for years, but when it does, it can be very expensive to resolve given the costs associated with retrospective data, application, and process conversions.
* Over-spending on technology due to a failure to understand the total costs involved in using the new media. For example, despite the desire to avoid corporate bureaucracy, going “outside channels” for technology procurement can lead to missed opportunities to negotiate more favorable terms.
* Performance issues of unsupportable 3rd party applications create dependency on an outsourced host, network, and security system without being able to rely on a certifiable service level agreement can present unknown risk and downtime in application performance and data.
Below we suggest some approaches that companies can follow to help align business and I.T. in the management and use of interactive technologies such as blogs, podcasts, and wikis:
1. Awareness of Business Needs. I.T. departments need to anticipate the needs of their business users and plan accordingly. This requires sensitivity to business needs and their impacts on service demand, regular communication with users, and the imagination to see where new technologies can help the business accomplish its goals. I.T. units can be proactive in learning new technologies. Also consider the use of newer web tools within the I.T. department as part of its internal management resources, e.g., through the use of internal corporate blogs to communicate within the company.
2. Establish clear lines of responsibility for managing and paying for the technologies. Start with the (admittedly over-simplified) statement “IT owns plumbing and business unit owns content.” Determine who owns content, strategy, support, and costs. If necessary, begin by reviewing other corporate communications strategies and technologies in light of a basic “RACI” analysis that outlines:
* Who has ultimate Accountability for managing and ensuring success of the corporate “Web 2.0” Strategy (i.e., who gets fired if it fails)?
* Who has Responsibility for making sure the job gets done right?
* Who needs to be Consulted in the course of making decisions and taking actions?
* Who needs to be Informed after the fact?
3. Hire trustworthy employees who know how to interact with all levels of the customer base. Creating blog or podcast content are communication jobs, even when they involve technology. Knowledge of corporate policy, products, and strategy are key, as well as the ability to deal with potentially irate customers.
4. Establish a conversational not a confrontational strategy. For example, develop a corporate blog before a crisis erupts so that customers and consumers (and vendors and suppliers) know about and can find your location on the web.
5. Coordinate all communication channels. Make sure that the call center, web page, corporate library, PR department, and marketing department are aware of the blogging strategy and the basic policies associated with management. Consider an internal channel or “knowledge base” for mediating information.
6. Demand that I.T. support both process and technology. Technologies are bound to change and evolve in addition to vendors who supply technology services. IT should be responsible for making sure the technology is cost effective, appropriate to the task, is compatible with corporate IT architecture and IT strategy, and is safe and secure.
7. Prepare crisis management game plans in advance and practice them. Keep them up to date and ready to implement. Don't make the common mistake of assigning responsibilities only to named individuals without considering the implications of corporate mobility and job shifts on who does what in an emergency.
8. Be active, not just reactive. Create content that is high quality, trusted, and intelligent. Make your web site, blogs, and podcasts good enough that people seek them out and become repeat users. Use appropriate metrics and analytical tools (e.g., Google Analytics or related services) to measure effectiveness.
9. Regularly analyze and report to management on the nature of communication and content. Don't just track page counts and traffic, make sure to track concepts, problems, issues, and ideas as well.
10. Be prepared for negativity. Develop thick skin, be prepared to respond to attacks, help to clarify the root issue and corporate commitment to resolving issues — do so quickly and sincerely.
11. Be prepared for the long haul. Establishing a two-way conversation with customers and prospects takes time. Don’t expect to generate “warm and fuzzy” responses after only a month or two.

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Thanks to Bill Ives for pointing out this article on “Social Network Size in Humans, by British scientists. R.A. Hill and R.I.M. Dunbar. These researchers used Christmas card distribution lists as their metric for evaluating social networks:

This paper examines social network size in contemporary Western society
based on the exchange of Christmas cards. Maximum network size averaged
153.5 individuals, with a mean network size of 124.9 for those individuals
explicitly contacted; these values are remarkably close to the group
size of 150 predicted for humans on the basis of the size of their neocortex.

I have my own theories of optimal sizes for social networks but they are based on the best numbers for parties: 8 for dinner; 50 for cocktails; 150 for a wedding. I am an inveterate party-giver and these numbers just seem to work well in terms of the social dynamics.

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Erstwhile Otter Shimon Rura, developer of Voo2Do and Frassle, currently with Renesys, did a presentation at the Mass High Tech Leadership Council yesterday that succinctly introduced the evolving web tools we are using for our Learning 2.0 projects. Here are my notes which may include some of my own additions so apologies to Shimon if they aren't verbatim.

Evolving web tools can be described in terms of the type of communication and collaboration they improve and the resulting effects on personal relationships:

Communication

one-to many: a better newsletter, e.g., essay blogs, podcasts, videocasts

These tools enable experts at all levels of an organization to publish without an editorial bottleneck. Low cost and ease of use provide a better way of finding experts and connecting them with the appropriate audience.

one-to-one: better phone/email, e.g., Skype, IM

These tools help maintain and sustain relationships.

Because Skype is free you can leave a connection open to simulate presence.

High school students will take their IM buddy lists with them when they graduate

many-to-many: a better public forum, e.g., Yahoo groups, email lists, forums, blog communities,

By pulling together content and recontextualizing, these tools encourage communities to more rapidly self-organize

listening: a better clipping service, e.g., aggregators, blog search engines, radars, social bookmarking

These tools help you find and continually monitor the sources of information you need. We've written a lot about these tools here and here already

Collaboration

document production: a better whiteboard, e.g., wikis

productivity: a better to do list, e.g., Voo2do, [Basecamp], bug tracking, shared calendars

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Here are my slides in PDF form for today's presentation:

Tech Trends Forum: Evolving Web Tools and Services

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IBM has been a leading company with its use of blogs and podcasting. Here is an article that sums up the podcasting being done at IBM:

IBM started to encourage employees to read and create the online journals known as blogs last May. Shortly after, IBM started pushing podcasts — subscription-based audio downloads that can be listened to on laptops, iPods or other MP3 players. IBMers like McCarty are recording podcasts on the company intranet. In addition, the investor relations department has created a podcast for the public called “IBM and the Future of…” with installments that explore how technology will affect activities such as driving, shopping, banking and online gaming.
Ben Edwards said the podcast, like the annual report that he and his colleagues create, gives investors a sense of where IBM is headed strategically. “The podcasts offer an opportunity to communicate with our investors on a more frequent basis,” Edwards said. The podcast debuted in August. Through the end of November there have been about 52,000 downloads. In late October, the series even made it into the top 100 podcasts out of 20,000 listed at Apple's iTunes.
George Faulkner, who is part of IBM's strategic communications team, said the “IBM and the Future of…” podcast has been successful because listeners don't feel like they're hearing a marketing pitch. “We show that we're passionate and approachable and just excited about what we do,” Faulkner said. “We have a lot of really smart people here and their voices never get heard in the outside world.”
Inside the company, about 50 podcasts have debuted. There have been 15,000 downloads in the past two months.
All IBMers can record podcasts using the built-in microphone in their company laptops. Simple online tutorials make it easy even for novices. One of the first podcasts was a tutorial on how to start a blog. Other podcasts are on such topics as work force diversity and career development. At least one executive is using a podcast to replace a conference call. Tim Carroll, a vice president in IBM's supply chain, used to lead a weekly call with the 7,000 employees around the world who report to him. The phone bill for the call was hundreds of thousands of dollars a year, Faulkner said. But the time wasn't always convenient for everyone, particularly employees in time zones on the other side of the planet.
Nick Volkringer, a manager on Carroll's team who works at IBM's Somers campus, said he made sure to fit the call into his schedule because the topics were important. Sometimes the call was about how weather was affecting merchandise delivery, or how many critical shipments were coming out of manufacturing plants. “Sometimes it conflicted with meetings,” he said. These days, he downloads a podcast of Carroll's weekly talk to his laptop and listens to it whenever it's convenient. “I can download these podcasts and listen to them at home in the evenings or if I have free time on my calendar in the afternoon. I can listen to it instead of bypassing another important meeting,” Volkringer said.
Carroll's podcast is always No. 1 in IBM's library, Faulkner said, but McCarty's “Rock and Roll Podcast” is also very popular. “He talks about mobile computing, and he records it from his desk at home. His personality comes through as he delivers information about what it's like to be a remote worker,” Faulkner said. “Little stars are being made here through this platform.” In his podcast, McCarty interviews colleagues on tips for working away from a cubicle, such as which applications run on a cell phone. He's produced about a half-dozen podcasts in the past three months from his East Village apartment. “People seem to like it. I get encouraging pings and notes,” McCarty said. As a musician and someone with a background in creative writing, the 31-year-old McCarty said he enjoys his role as a new media person at IBM.
“Five years ago, when I took the job, my friends were like, 'IBM, are you kidding? That's a stodgy job.' But we've launched podcasting, we've launched blogging. From a new media standpoint, it's been a sexy job.”

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We are pleased to announce our new Learning 2.0 Boot Camp.

The main focus on the Learning 2.0 Boot Camp will be the development of a plan for a Learning 2.0 project. You will work in a team to define a project idea, develop a plan, and deliver the plan as a podcast and slide set. Projects will likely take existing business processes and services and re-develop them into new models based on Web 2.0 services. Your team might find a way to distribute information more effectively using RSS feeds; or you might design a talent pool system that helps identify new talent for projects; or you might see the need for a wiki for customer service agents. You will document your project work on blogs read by all participants and faculty. And all projects will be reviewed and critiqued. At the end of the program you will walk away knowing how to use these services and with ideas about how to apply them.

For more detailed information on how to set up a Boot Camp for your organization, please read the attached document and call us at 617-973-9400 to start planning your Boot Camp today.
To read this pdf, just click on the image below:

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