Background

Not much time is available for the discussion groups, so please try and focuss on the activities.

Please ensure that a note-keeper is available for your group. The note-keeper will ideally keep notes on this wiki.

Discussion Group Session 1

Exercise 1: Social Networks for professional development

There is a lot of interest in use of social networking tools and exploiting these tools in education. In this session discussion how these tools can help to support the Web Management Community.

Sebastian starts by trying to define who we are:

Content Manager - 3

Information Architect - 1

Service Manager - 6

Design - 1

Facilitator -1

Strategy - 2

Project manager - 1
1
Client-side technologies -
Do we feel we could all do all of this? "People" try to pigeon-hole us. A amount of discussion around there being a great deal of speciality in marketing. Are we all marketeers! But with everything being browser-based do we exist? Are we holding back internet development by being browser-obsessed? The academics and students are already going away from us. The burocracy is holding us back? Do we have a role co-ordinating external services?
We want to be doing this stuff - we want to be influencing our institutions - we want to pick up cool ideas. So we are here for a purpose..but we don't innovate at the technical level.

Exercise 2: Barriers

What barriers do you forsee in using these technologies?

This discussion will lead into the next discussion session in which you will discuss the potential use of social networking tools.

Do we use facebook, bebo, myspace, flickr, email, forum - forums still popular. Documentation within Wikis? IM - scaleable. Social software not suitable for work? Do we care about long term availability and fashion? Yes some do. We like threading, amaged, searchable environment. Must have a reason for the community. Social interfaces don't lend themselves to professional activity and people don't want everyone to know their business - an age thing? Seond Life? - not enough experience. Network or Coummunity.

Discussion Group Session 2

In your group revisit the issues that you identified on day 1. Seek to identify solutions to the barriers discussed and suggest ways in which social networking tools could potentially be used to enhance the ‘community’ aspect of the Web management community. Please provide feedback in the wiki.