Web 2.0
Web 2.0 has varying definitions but essentially it is about user participation, social networking and the sharing of information, all of which can be useful in academic and professional life. There are vast numbers of Web 2.0 websites and initiatives, a selection of which are shared below.- Twitter is a micro-blogging and social networking website. It can be a great tool to follow the latest public opinion on current events but also provides a useful vehicle to share information. Anglia Ruskin University has a number of Twitter accounts you might like to follow including:
- The University Library. Follow us for the latest information about new resources and other important library news.
- The Official Anglia Ruskin Twitter account.
- The Anglia Ruskin Student Union
You might find Twitter useful to share course or relevant subject information with others. The Anglia Ruskin Mental Health lecturers also have a Twitter account to share mental health news and information. Hashtags (#) can be used when 'tweeting' about specific events or topics so that everyone interested can easily follow the conversation.
Twitter has its own search function, see the Twitter Help Centre for advice and support. - Blogs are used by individuals, groups or organisations to share regular updates and opinions, usually on a particular subject matter. You can search blogs using search engines such as Google Blog Search or Technorati. You might also want to use an RSS reader to follow blogs that you are interested in. You also might want to set up your own blog using a hosting site such as Blogger or Wordpress.
- RSS (Really Simple Syndication) aggregators/readers automatically retrieve blog posts and other frequently updated information from subscribed RSS feeds. The benefit of this is that the information you want is delivered to you as it is released, saving you from having to search for it. Google reader is a popular example of an RSS aggregator. Most web browsers will also act as an RSS aggregator.
- Delicious is a social bookmarking tool used to collect, organise and share webpages. The University Library have a selection of bookmarked Health and Social Care webpages using Delicious (check the Advanced Search subject pages for further website listings). A similar tool is Diigo, which also allows you to add notes and highlight webpages that you have bookmarked.
- Flickr is an image and video sharing website. You can search Flickr for images as well as add your own photos and videos.
- Wikis, the most popular and well-known being Wikipedia, are simple knowledge sharing websites usually created and edited by communities. They can be used for project management purposes, as internal intranets and as learning and teaching tools.
Wikipedia has received great criticism in academia and is generally regarded as not being a reliable and trustworthy source of information. Nonetheless it can be a useful starting point for an overview of a topic and can sometimes point you in the direction of relevant resources you could use. If you want to reference a Wikipedia article you should first check with your lecturer to see if they would regard it as an appropriate resource. - Linked in is a website used by professionals to aid networking and the sharing of ideas.