The following five tasks are in addition to the 23 Things that have previously been explored:
- Connect with colleagues using LinkedIn
- Use VuFind to search a library catalogue
- Use KartOO Visual Meta Search Engine
- Try Voyage RSS Feed Reader
- Read about the Semantic Web
Connect with colleagues using LinkedIn
Immediately after joing LinkedIn I was able to re-connect with colleages and classmates living in various parts of the world whom I was unable to locate for many years. LinkedIn connections through institutions and their internal mail feature were invaluable in the search process. I see great potential for using LinkedIn in collaborative projects with colleagues from different institutions.Use VuFind to search a library catalogue
Using VuFind to search the National Library of Australia's Catalogue was an enjoyable experience. I like the simplicity of the catalogue's interface and the effecient way the search system allows the user to perform a basic search and then to be able to narrow down results by choosing from various facets of the results. This allows the user to find results that he would otherwise never knew existed.VuFind seems like a good alternative as an OPAC interface for Swinburne. One of the key advantages of using this product is that its flexibility allows the library to combine its traditional catlaogue functionality with some web 2.0 features.
Use KartOO visual meta search engine
At first glance the KartOO interface did not appeal to me. Perhaps the lack of appeal was due to the quirky gene perching above the search box. However, after doing a few searches I could appreciate the benefits of using visual display of search results, though I am comfortable with the linear method. I like the idea of being able to look across a broad selection of cites. This kind of search result is particularly effective for ambiguous queries where the searcher is trying to understand various meaning of the search term. In any case, I don't see myself using KartOO as a preferred search engine.Try Voyage RSS feed reader
My first experience with Voyager was a bit frustrating as I couldn't figure out how to use it intuitively. However after several trial and error attempts I was able to add/delete and retrieve feeds successfully. Understanding the functionality made the experience worthwhile, in fact even somewhat mystical, particularly with being able to scroll your mouse to move from present to past with messages floating beyond reminding me of Star trek!Read about the Semantic Web
The idea of a Semantic Web is a marvellous one, but wether this will be a reality is yet to be proven. The thought of being able to encode semantics on a web page to enable machines to understand the meaning of data and then make inferences is a revolutionary one when it comes to the World Wide Web. This means that the web will have new functionality that will go beyond simply displaying data, it will now be able to process and understand it. If this becomes a reality, then there will be no difference between information produced primarily for human consumption and that produced mainly for machines.
- eXtinsible Markup Language (XML): which allows the user to add arbitrary structure to their documents and
- Resource Description Framework (RDF): which expresses meaning and has a natural way of describing the vast majority of data processed by machines
The most formidable challenge that creators of the Semantic Web now face, is their ability to add to add logic to the Web. I am looking with eager anticipation to see how this will become a reality!
Berners-Lee, T , Hendler & Lassila, O 2001, ‘The Semantic Web,’ Scientific AmericaVol. 284, no. 5, pp. 34, Viewed 20 August 2008, http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=2&hid=4&sid=63c00564-
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