originally: http://www.oclc.org/programs/publications/newsletters/abovethefold/2009-04-23.htm
In this issue:
BusinessWeek • April 8, 2009
The power of "open." John Hagel and John Seely Brown discuss the lessons learned from Eli Lilly spinoff InnoCentive, which serves as a global, Internet-based platform to connect people with research problems to those who can solve them. One key finding is that often the most innovative solutions come from people outside the discipline, who bring a fresh approach and expertise in other areas to address the issue. Read the article for suggestions on how you can encourage open problem-solving in your own organization.
Reading this, I realized how infrequently we reach beyond our own community experts to solve problems, improve our services or consider future strategies. Usually we say that's because we'd have to teach them so much before they could be helpful. Which is probably not true and makes it impossible to foster the "relationships among aspiring problem-solvers" that the authors recommend. (Michalko)
Straight.com • March 26, 2009
The nitty gritty on Web 3.0 technology. For those who are interested in the underpinnings of the Web, Web 3.0 expert Ivan Herman talks about the future of RDF, the microformat controversy, the latest version of OWL and how great it's going to be when the promise of the Semantic Web is realized.
Okay. If you can't parse the RDF and OWL acronymns and think "microformat" are very tiny books then this won't likely be the article for your Semantic Web epiphany. For that you might want to watch Tim Berners-Lee at the TED conference. (Michalko)
The Scout Report • April 10, 2009
Web-book textbooks. The Scout Report highlights Smarthistory, a Web site designed as a multimedia survey of art history that can supplement hard-copy textbooks or even stand alone as a reference. As the cost of conventional textbooks spirals out of sight, this is a great idea for cutting costs and keeping learning resources fresh and up-to-date.
It's worth checking out this site. It's very nicely done and might even substitute for that art history textbook. Both the principals don't have to worry about traditional tenure credit for this work (one from MOMA and the other the Graduate Dean at FIT). The big surprise to me was that The Scout Report is still around. How did I lose it? No RSS feed. (Michalko)
The New York Times • April 13, 2009
Micro-news. As newspapers struggle for survival, a new crop of "hyperlocal" Web sites is springing up to inform readers about neighborhood events through posts from local bloggers, links to news articles and data feeds from local governments and community organizations. Is this the future of journalism?
Maybe. (Michalko)
Technology Review • April 10, 2009
Smarter search. Many people revisit Web pages by retracing their search steps. A Carnegie Mellon graduate student has developed a useful Web history tool that incorporates thumbnails from the user's browser history at the top of Google search results. In testing, people were able to zero in on what they were looking for about three times faster than with a standard Web history tool.
I am one of the people who actually remember Web addresses, doesn't need to see the book cover to decide if I've read the title, and doesn't need a visual cue to decide if I've found the Web page I want. This tool—a Firefox plug-in—wasn't designed for me. But it works. (Michalko)
Winning the Web • March 11, 2009
Worth a try. The author suggests that Twitter's search engine feature offers more concise, real-time and localized results than Google or the other major search engines are able to deliver.
Maybe. Again. I am not yet a familiar of the Fail Whale. (Michalko)