Communicating research through Web 2.0 and new media

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Casting Your Web

• Communicating research through Web 2.0 and new
  media

A presentation to the University Research
Magazine Association, May 2008
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What is this Web 2.0?

• Technologies that allow data to become
  independent of the person who produced it or the
  site it originated on.
• Planet Bob on YouTube
• Planet Bob embedded in ASU Research

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• Web 2.0 lets users pull information from a
  variety of sites simultaneously, combine it in
  new ways, and deliver it on their own sites. This
  is called mashup.
• Housingmaps
• Yahoo Pipes (shopping example)

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Members of the cast

• An introduction to some new media personalities

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Podcast

• Bio Online audio content delivered via RSS feed.
• Enjoys Posting regularly, providing new content
  on a specific schedule.
• Favorite hangouts On the computer or any MP3
  player.

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Podcast, continued

• Favorite roles
• Traditional news stories or interviews
• Musical recordings
• Author readings
• Self-guided tours of university attractions

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Video Podcast

• Nicknames vidcast or vodcast
• Bio Online syndicated video content, also
  delivered via RSS.
• Favorite hangouts On the computer or a video iPod

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Phonecast

• Bio Audio or video content delivered to cell
  phones or other mobile devices.
• Unique traits Can be live or on-demand, unlike
  podcasts which are on-demand only. Doesnt
  require user to download from PC. Sent directly
  through carriers network.

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Webcast

• Bio A media file distributed over the Internet
  using streaming media. Can be live or
  pre-recorded. Unlike other cast members, webcasts
  are not always syndicated content.
• Popular roles Live events that may have limits
  on audience size or that may attract viewers from
  distant places.

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Whos listening?Internet users who say they
download podcasts

• 2006
• 12.7 of Internet users in the U.S.
• 18.4 of Internet users in the world.

• 2008
• 29.5 of Internet users in the U.S. (132
  increase)
• 48.8 of Internet users in the world. (165
  increase)

Source Pew Internet 2007
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Whos watching?

• 57 of Internet users have watched videos online.
• 48 have ever visited a video-sharing site like
  YouTube.
• 15 visited a video-sharing site yesterday.
• Source Pew Internet 2007

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Whos calling?

• 75 of American adults own cell phones.
• 58 of American adults have used a cell phone or
  PDA for non-voice data activities like texting,
  email, taking a picture, or looking for maps.
• Source Pew Internet 2007

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• African Americans and English-speaking Hispanics
  are more likely than white Americans to use cell
  phones or PDAs for non-voice data applications.
• This is striking because these groups lagged in
  desktop online access in the late 90s and early
  2000s.
• Source Pew Internet 2007

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Who is the future?

• Surprise (not)! Teens are using Web 2.0 and new
  media more than any other age group.
• 70 talk daily on a cell phone
• 60 send text messages daily
• 54 use instant messaging
• 47 send messages daily on social networking
  sites (MySpace, Facebook)
• 39 share artistic creations online
• 28 have their own blogs
• Source Pew Internet 2006

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universitas discipulus in her natural habitat
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Casting your web widely

• The web can extend your message into places, and
  to people, it normally wouldnt have reached. And
  it can do so at a very small cost.

TELL ME MORE!
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Step 1 Get comfy

• Get an RSS reader and subscribe to a few feeds.
• Join a site like My Yahoo! or iGoogle and add
  feeds, gadgets, etc.
• Get accounts on sites like YouTube, Flickr,
  Facebook, del.icio.us.
• Search your institutions name on the above sites
  and see what you find.

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Examples

• Searching Amherst College on Flickr
• Searching ASU on YouTube

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Step 2 Promote your stories

• Put social bookmarking links on your stories
  (example)
• Get an account on these sites and add your
  stories.
• Consider alternative media. (example)
• Jump on the feed wagon!

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How to create a feed

• Use blogging or content management software that
  automatically creates a feed.
• Use a program that lets you turn stories into
  feeds (like Feeder).
• Program the feed manually. (see instructions here
  and here)

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Live nude feed!

• Endeavors magazine
• Research and creative activity at
  the University of North Carolina at Chapel
  Hill.
• http//research.unc.edu/endeavors/
• Winter 2008 issue now
  onlineSome of the stories
  you'll find A Life at the Bench The Bug
  Zappers Guatemala City's Dirtiest Secret Why
  be Happy? The Magic Manhttp
  //research.unc.edu/endeavors/win2008/index.php
nk

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Step 3 make your multimedia easy to find

• Transcripts make your podcasts searchable and ADA
  compliant. (example)
• Adobe Audition lets you insert markers at
  specific times to create content log. (example)
• Use graphics to mark multimedia
• Create a multimedia section.

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Step 4 Add your content to directories

• iTunes U (podcasts and video)
• YouTube (videos)
• Learnoutloud.com (podcasts)
• Gcast.com (podcasts)
• Podomatic.com (podcasts)

• Ourmedia.org (podcasts and videos)
• Syndic8.com (feeds)
• Dmoz.org (any sites)
• Newsisfree.com (any sites, but feeds preferred)
• Rssfeeds.com (feeds)

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The Grand Finale

• A little mashup just for URMA
• http//www.urma.org/newdigest.html
• (see the pipe)