Beyond Email: Collaborative Technologies For the 21st Century

Exploring The Technologies

Brian Kelly

UKOLN

About This Session

In this session you will explore some of the technologies:

• Use of Instant Messaging Environments
• Using a Wiki
• Using Jybe
• Using Skype
• (Using A Blog)
• (Integrated Environments)

Instant Messaging

Instant messaging:

• Real time communications
• 'Chat rooms' can be used for group communications

Technologies:

• MSN Messenger - popular, but a Microsoft product
• Jabber - an open IM environment:
  • Try out an IM client such as GAIM (if possible)
  • If not possible use Web-based interface such as JWChat
• We could create a virtual room e.g. called 'ictp-workshop-2005-11'

Wikis

Wikis:

• Web-based collaborative authoring environment (e.g. see Wikipedia)

Technologies:

• We'll use Wikalong, a public Wiki technology used to annotate Web pages
• If possible install the Wikalong extension for Firefox or the IE bookmarklet
• If not possible, follow the links in session Web pages

Jybe

Jybe:

• Extension for Firefox and IE
• Allows remote users to follow the Web pages you're viewing
• Discuss the page
• See <http://www.jybe.com/>

Let's try the tool during this workshop. I'll create a session called 'ictp-workshop-2005-11'

Skype

Skype:

• Popular VoIP application (e.g. see <http://www.skype.com/>)
• Register for (free) Skype ID if you'd like to use it

What role does it have at events:

• Let remote users listen in
• Let remote experts contribute
• Talk to technical support staff
• Attend events for free / industrial espionage!

Blogs

Blogs:

• Online diaries with Web-based editing
• If you wish and you have your own Blog, you can use it during the session (or register for Blogger account)

Use:

• Due to lack of time, Blogs won't be covered in this session
• Examples of uses in conferences:
  • WWW2005 Workshop Blog
  • UCISA/UKOLN Workshop Blogs by Owen Stephens and Alison Pope

Questions

Do you have any questions?