Week 2

Controlling information flow - Microblogging and RSS: Twitter and Feedly new accounts

Distraction is a problem. I do already have a Twitter account, however I have enjoyed and feel I have really benefited from creating one specific to this course and hopefully specific to my future work in information management. My initial problem was focus. I ended up deleting all of the news sites I was following as they were distracting me. My aim is to be distracted by things that are focussed on IM and relevant to my studies. There appears to be some great networks on information management, and twitter is alive with really interesting IM organisations.

I had some issues imbedding the Twitter feed, however it was due to my privacy settings on my Google site. The rss feed also proved to be an issue, however this was just due to the nature of online 'things' changing constantly - and what used to work with the gadgets no longer did. The lecturer sourced a work-around, which was a great part of the lesson also.

Twitter

1. I have created a new Twitter account @quietlystudying. I'm enjoying the focus on one subject (more or less) in the content I look at, whom I follow, and what I tweet. My other account is a swamp of varying interests.

2. I have a couple of followers whom are not fellow students! Some likes and a retweet from @TroveAustralia, which was great.

3. I'm trying to include the #ISYS1166 when my tweets are in some way pertinent to the course or learning. I am still yet to tweet a lecture, I generally watch the lectures initially on my tablet while doing other jobs then review on my computer - with pen and paper as I tend to draw and doodle. I will try to live tweet a lecture properly. Soon.

4. Museums make great use of twitter. Twitter is just superb in its tiny pieces of information in a continual roll. Museums are chock full of amazing things and information. Small pictures and an interesting fact, either related to a current exhibition, an upcoming talk, current world events, or any interesting museum sourced fact really - is such a useful way for museums to create dialogue with and interest from the general public and also to their 'regulars'. Museums gather and categorise information - already, for you - so if aspects of this are tweeted to you, (for example exciting new news in science, biology, history all firing at you from one or two museums rather than searching your interests on multiple sites), then this allows for you to almost speed read museum news of interest. Then go on to actually read details, full article (in twitter page or new browser tab/page)... It is a great and direct way for museums to communicate with their local population, the global population and specialists of interest or somehow relating to their collection all at the same time.

5. Some potential issues in using Twitter. There have been many publicity issues. As it functions as a conversational or messaging tool, there can be and are issues with 'trolls'. Spam is an issue (I have had to deal with some this week). Privacy. Problems have arisen from individuals tweeting from an organisation. Who is saying what? Who's opinion is it? People have lost their jobs over such tweets. Is it a Proffessional or Personal account - how are you tweeting?