One of the software solutions that have direct relation to Groupware are online games, especially MMO games. World of Warcraft for example unites millions (more than 12 millions according to Wikipedia) users worldwide and gives them various ways of communication. Of course MMO games (massive multiplayer online) cannot be exactly called a collaboration tool but they still involve users in the process of interaction that is beneficial for the group (team or clan).
Other, emerging online games include, for example, Minecraft. Minecraft is a sandbox game in which users are not limited (almost) in ways they can modify the game world. They are welcome to build castles, cities, moats, railroads and even spaceships.
Reading:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_of_Warcraft
Awareness of Lotus Notes 8.5
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Due to a private leave, I missed some important and useful course lectures. Thankfully, Ms. Ovaska reminded me to do self-learning via the slides and materials in Moodle, then I can follow up the study on Groupware.
The last slides introduce many popular tools for simplifying people's working, and Lotus Notes is one of those. I used Lotus Notes for many years. So I want to talk about this software at this time.
I would like to give a brief introduction about this software firstly. Lotus Notes, which is developed by IBM, is the client side of a client-server, collaborative application. In the IBM's offical websites, it is defined as an "integrated desktop client option for accessing business e-mail, calendars and applications." And the Lotus Notes usually consists of four parts: Lotus Notes client application, Lotus Notes legacy client, Lotus Domino server, and Lotus Domino Designer.
In our organization, we use Lotus Notes 8.5 as the main a tool to facilitate our paperless environment. Lotus Notes 8.5 is the latest release and has many new features. The developers in our organization also developed a lot of new plug-in(s) for Lotus Notes 8.5. Here are some examples.
From those pictures, we can see that Lotus Notes 8.5 has many features and it is very flexible and easy for customization. Firstly, we use it as a timekeeper to record the hours that people work(Shown in Figure 1). Secondly, it can be used as an email client(Shown in Figure 2). Thirdly, it has the function for documentation management(Shown in Figure 3). Last but not least, our organization's blog can be integrated smoothly into Lotus Notes 8.5(Shown in Figure 4).
Lotus Notes is a handy tool for me.
References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_Lotus_Notes
http://www.ibm.com/us
The last slides introduce many popular tools for simplifying people's working, and Lotus Notes is one of those. I used Lotus Notes for many years. So I want to talk about this software at this time.
I would like to give a brief introduction about this software firstly. Lotus Notes, which is developed by IBM, is the client side of a client-server, collaborative application. In the IBM's offical websites, it is defined as an "integrated desktop client option for accessing business e-mail, calendars and applications." And the Lotus Notes usually consists of four parts: Lotus Notes client application, Lotus Notes legacy client, Lotus Domino server, and Lotus Domino Designer.
In our organization, we use Lotus Notes 8.5 as the main a tool to facilitate our paperless environment. Lotus Notes 8.5 is the latest release and has many new features. The developers in our organization also developed a lot of new plug-in(s) for Lotus Notes 8.5. Here are some examples.
From those pictures, we can see that Lotus Notes 8.5 has many features and it is very flexible and easy for customization. Firstly, we use it as a timekeeper to record the hours that people work(Shown in Figure 1). Secondly, it can be used as an email client(Shown in Figure 2). Thirdly, it has the function for documentation management(Shown in Figure 3). Last but not least, our organization's blog can be integrated smoothly into Lotus Notes 8.5(Shown in Figure 4).
Lotus Notes is a handy tool for me.
References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_Lotus_Notes
http://www.ibm.com/us
Moodle as groupware
Thursday, February 24, 2011
When thinking of a subject to my last post of this course I started to think about what groupware tool or site I use the most in my studies. Then I came to think of Moodle itself.
It is an open source course management system that is also known as virtual learning environment. It is used as a tool for creating dynamic web pages for students. Moodle is used all around the world by universities, schools, companies and independent teachers. It needs to be installed on a web server and it is pretty easy to learn.
What makes Moodle more collaborative software are its activity modules, such as forums, databases and wikis. They build communities around a certain subject to promote collaborative learning. I've used Moodle's forums actively only in few courses, but it's good to be there in case one has a question that they want to be answered. Some courses only use Moodle to deliver content to students and help learning with different assignments and quizzes.
I like Moodle because it puts all course information in one place and I always know where I should go to find course materials.
References:
http://moodle.com/?moodlead=moodle.general
http://moodle.org/about/
It is an open source course management system that is also known as virtual learning environment. It is used as a tool for creating dynamic web pages for students. Moodle is used all around the world by universities, schools, companies and independent teachers. It needs to be installed on a web server and it is pretty easy to learn.
What makes Moodle more collaborative software are its activity modules, such as forums, databases and wikis. They build communities around a certain subject to promote collaborative learning. I've used Moodle's forums actively only in few courses, but it's good to be there in case one has a question that they want to be answered. Some courses only use Moodle to deliver content to students and help learning with different assignments and quizzes.
I like Moodle because it puts all course information in one place and I always know where I should go to find course materials.
References:
http://moodle.com/?moodlead=moodle.general
http://moodle.org/about/
Wikipedia and Mediawiki: Collaboration Platforms
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Wikipedia is an example of the online community where users are united to achieve a common goal. In Wikipedia users are organized into different groups. There are readers, who are the majority of the Wikipedia population and the there are contributors. While from the first glance it seems that all of the editors have equal right (peer review) it is not so because Wikipedia has too large of an userbase and it's role is too important. Wikipedia also has a special class of users that review the articles and "mark" them legit, add their own comments or start a discussion on the topic.
If you want to have a platform like that to store your data and collaborate with others you don't have to go to Wikipedia. The open-source solution called Mediawiki is there for your aid. It is easy installable and resembles the Wikipedia in almost any way.
If you want to have a platform like that to store your data and collaborate with others you don't have to go to Wikipedia. The open-source solution called Mediawiki is there for your aid. It is easy installable and resembles the Wikipedia in almost any way.
How Google use recommendations?
Saturday, February 19, 2011
In this post, I would like to talk about the recommender systems, and give a brief introduction of how Google use recommendations. The definition of recommender systems is to form or work from a specific type of information filtering system technique that attempts to recommend information items(movies, TV program/show/episode, video on demand, music, books, news, images, web pages, scientific literature such as research papers etc.) that are likely to be of interest to the user.
Google is the one of most successful Internet companies in this area, and uses recommendation technologies to improve its search product. There are several ways that Google does this:
1.Google customizes your search results "when possible" based on your location and/or recent search activity;
2.When you're signed in to your Google Account, you "may see even more relevant, useful results based on your web history";
3.Google's search algorithm PageRank basically depends on social recommendations - i.e. who links to a webpage;
4.Google also does item recommendations with its "Did you mean" feature.
Reference:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recommender_system
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google
Google is the one of most successful Internet companies in this area, and uses recommendation technologies to improve its search product. There are several ways that Google does this:
1.Google customizes your search results "when possible" based on your location and/or recent search activity;
2.When you're signed in to your Google Account, you "may see even more relevant, useful results based on your web history";
3.Google's search algorithm PageRank basically depends on social recommendations - i.e. who links to a webpage;
4.Google also does item recommendations with its "Did you mean" feature.
Reference:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recommender_system
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google
Basics about mailing lists
Thursday, February 17, 2011
I didn't find any posts about mailing lists, but I'm not absolutely sure that this subject has not been talked before. There are so many posts already that it's very hard to stay on track of every subject.
Mailing list is a collection of names and addresses used by an individual or organization to send material to multiple recipients. When internet came more used, electronic mailing lists became popular. It means that a person can send an e-mail to many recipients by using a certain mailing list address. Everyone who's subscribed to the list or has been added by others get the e-mail.
Electronic mailing list usually contains four things: list of e-mail addresses, people or subscribers receiving mail at those addresses, e-mail messages sent to those addresses and a reflector, which is an e-mail address that sends copies of a message it received to all subscribers. They are mostly automated through a special mailing list software and a reflector address that are set up on a server. Messages that are sent to the reflector address are processed by the software and either forwarded to all e-mails in the list or dealt separately (in case that the message contains commands to the software itself).
There are two common types of mailing lists: announcement list and discussion list. Announcement list is also referred as newsletter. Only selected people may post to this list. Discussion list means a list where any subscriber can post messages.
Some mailing lists are open to anyone but some need an approval from the list owner. Biggest security problem that faces mailing lists is spamming. Discussion lists often require that every message is approved by a moderator before it is sent to the list.
In university most courses have mailing lists, as do also for example student organizations. Student groups can create mailing list by going to this website (in Finnish) http://www.uta.fi/laitokset/tkk/asiakaspalvelu/asiakaspalvelupiste/sahkopostilistat.html.
References:
http://www.usabilityfirst.com/about-usability/web-application-design/collaborative-software-groupware/typical-collaborative-software-applications/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mailing_list
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_mailing_list
Mailing list is a collection of names and addresses used by an individual or organization to send material to multiple recipients. When internet came more used, electronic mailing lists became popular. It means that a person can send an e-mail to many recipients by using a certain mailing list address. Everyone who's subscribed to the list or has been added by others get the e-mail.
Electronic mailing list usually contains four things: list of e-mail addresses, people or subscribers receiving mail at those addresses, e-mail messages sent to those addresses and a reflector, which is an e-mail address that sends copies of a message it received to all subscribers. They are mostly automated through a special mailing list software and a reflector address that are set up on a server. Messages that are sent to the reflector address are processed by the software and either forwarded to all e-mails in the list or dealt separately (in case that the message contains commands to the software itself).
There are two common types of mailing lists: announcement list and discussion list. Announcement list is also referred as newsletter. Only selected people may post to this list. Discussion list means a list where any subscriber can post messages.
Some mailing lists are open to anyone but some need an approval from the list owner. Biggest security problem that faces mailing lists is spamming. Discussion lists often require that every message is approved by a moderator before it is sent to the list.
In university most courses have mailing lists, as do also for example student organizations. Student groups can create mailing list by going to this website (in Finnish) http://www.uta.fi/laitokset/tkk/asiakaspalvelu/asiakaspalvelupiste/sahkopostilistat.html.
References:
http://www.usabilityfirst.com/about-usability/web-application-design/collaborative-software-groupware/typical-collaborative-software-applications/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mailing_list
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_mailing_list
Listening Economy: Genesis of Social Web
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Recent years have seen a shift in the type of content created/available on the web. During the first decade of the web’s presence i.e. from the early 1990s onwards—most online content resembled traditional published material: the majority of web users were consumers of content, created by a relatively small amount of publishers. From the early 2000s, user-generated content has become increasingly popular on the web. More and more users participate in content creation, rather than just consumption. Popular user generated content (or social media) domains include blogs and web forums, social bookmarking sites, photo and video sharing communities, as well as social networking platforms such as Facebook and MySpace, which offers a combination of all of these with an emphasis on the relationships among the users of the community (Agichtein, Castillo, Donato, Gionis, & Mishne, 2008).
Over last few years the web has fundamentally changed and moved towards what is called as “user-driven technologies” such as blogs, social networks, video sharing platforms to name a few. These technologies have enabled a revolution in global online communities; user generated content and publishing consumer opinions now tagged under the umbrella of social media. This also redefines how people use Internet which has led to sites like facebook, youtube, myspace and twitter to move into mainstream.
Social media exhibits a rich variety of information sources both content and non-content. The non-content information available on such platforms can range from, links, votes, quality ratings and action based social submission to the social sites like, digg, stumbleupon, linkedin, facebook, and twitter to name a few.
Works Cited
Agichtein, E., Castillo, C., Donato, D., Gionis, A., & Mishne, G. (2008). Finding High-Quality Content in Social Media. Proceedings of the international conference on Web search and web data mining (pp. 183-194). Palo Alto, California: ACM.
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