Thursday, July 23, 2009
Datebook: 5.11.09
Five things worth knowing today - HBO continues its sad but necessary Alzheimer's Project tonight, a collection of documentaries devoted to the suffering, science, and future of this debilitating disease. - Architect Frank Gehry and composer/conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen come to the New York Public Library for a discussion of their life and work. - Meanwhile, libraries in L.A. are hopping too: on the West Coast, Steve Martin plays the banjo and chats with Dave Barry to benefit the Los Angeles Public Library. We'd say this, in a nutshell, is the difference between New York and L.A. - Today in 1924, Gottlieb Daimler and Karl Benz merged their two companies to form Mercedes-Benz. - And today in 1978, French supermodel Laetitia Casta was born. That minor miracle ought to be enough to get you at least to Tuesday. The many reasons why, below. MATTHEW SCHNEIER
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Crime and Punishment - Intiman
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The story revolves around the double murder of two old women: a crotchety pawnbroker, Alyona, and her gentle sister Lizaveta (both played by Lass). Porfiry (an excellently sly and pointed Moore) is the investigator assigned to the case. Osier plays Raskolnikov, a young law student consumed with the idea that humanity can be separated into ordinary and extraordinary men—and that these extraordinary men have a right to commit crimes to reach their more exalted goals. Porfiry is, understandably, intrigued by both this idea and the man behind it, and the loose structure of the play—such as it is—concerns their conversations, which move subtly into interrogations as Porfiry shows more of his suspicions. Besides the two old women and Raskolnikov’s mother, Lass’ main role is Sonia, the young woman forced into prostitution by circumstance, with whom Raskolnikov falls in love. (Lass plays each of the four women distinctly and memorably, making impressive switches between each one.)
Galen Joseph Osier as Raskolnikov and Hana Lass as Sonia.Photo by Chris Bennion.
This adaptation is highly theatrical, told partly in flashbacks, with sharp, highlighted transitions between each scene. The technical elements add greatly to this effect: the set (Carey Wong) most especially, which is composed of two walls, three doors, and semi-transparent wallpaper. The lighting (Dans Maree Sheehan) shines through the walls, sometimes amber glow, sometimes white daylight; and is used to great effect on the audience itself. The actors also contribute to the effective transitions and pace of the play; all three of them are committed and each moment, however stylized, feels honest.
It is somewhat difficult to comment on this show in an analytical manner since so much of it is centered around doubt, confusion, circumstance and hidden motives. It is intentionally difficult for the audience to walk away with a clear idea of how they feel. Daniels’ direction draws the audience into the confused investigation, as well as siding them with everyone and no one at once. However, her choice to give Osier—who is the only actor to speak to the audience—a more presentational style of acting sometimes creates a disconnect; since that presentational style is never quite fully established, it is jarring when it comes in direct contact with the other two actors’ representational styles.
This difference of acting styles, however, is overcome by the actors’ considerable skill and the intriguing questions of the play itself. This is a play that will leave you thinking long after it is over.
Review by Lia Morgan and Nigel Andrews
The story revolves around the double murder of two old women: a crotchety pawnbroker, Alyona, and her gentle sister Lizaveta (both played by Lass). Porfiry (an excellently sly and pointed Moore) is the investigator assigned to the case. Osier plays Raskolnikov, a young law student consumed with the idea that humanity can be separated into ordinary and extraordinary men—and that these extraordinary men have a right to commit crimes to reach their more exalted goals. Porfiry is, understandably, intrigued by both this idea and the man behind it, and the loose structure of the play—such as it is—concerns their conversations, which move subtly into interrogations as Porfiry shows more of his suspicions. Besides the two old women and Raskolnikov’s mother, Lass’ main role is Sonia, the young woman forced into prostitution by circumstance, with whom Raskolnikov falls in love. (Lass plays each of the four women distinctly and memorably, making impressive switches between each one.)
Galen Joseph Osier as Raskolnikov and Hana Lass as Sonia.Photo by Chris Bennion.
This adaptation is highly theatrical, told partly in flashbacks, with sharp, highlighted transitions between each scene. The technical elements add greatly to this effect: the set (Carey Wong) most especially, which is composed of two walls, three doors, and semi-transparent wallpaper. The lighting (Dans Maree Sheehan) shines through the walls, sometimes amber glow, sometimes white daylight; and is used to great effect on the audience itself. The actors also contribute to the effective transitions and pace of the play; all three of them are committed and each moment, however stylized, feels honest.
It is somewhat difficult to comment on this show in an analytical manner since so much of it is centered around doubt, confusion, circumstance and hidden motives. It is intentionally difficult for the audience to walk away with a clear idea of how they feel. Daniels’ direction draws the audience into the confused investigation, as well as siding them with everyone and no one at once. However, her choice to give Osier—who is the only actor to speak to the audience—a more presentational style of acting sometimes creates a disconnect; since that presentational style is never quite fully established, it is jarring when it comes in direct contact with the other two actors’ representational styles.
This difference of acting styles, however, is overcome by the actors’ considerable skill and the intriguing questions of the play itself. This is a play that will leave you thinking long after it is over.
Review by Lia Morgan and Nigel Andrews
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Cults, Collectives and Cocooning
It's the 18th Street Art Center's birthday. The Santa Monica art center began in 1988 as the headquarters for High Performance magazine and soon grew to provide live-work spaces for approximately 30 tenants from a variety of backgrounds. Now 18th Street is a thriving exhibition and residency space and it's celebrating its 20 year mark with an exhibition curated by Ciara Ennis.
The exhibition opened on May 2nd with an lively ArtNight (the center often hosts 'ArtNights,' evenings that feature performances, screenings, or happenings). 18th Streets studios were open to the public, a performance by the LA Poverty Department, Art Karaoke, and a graffiti demonstration.
The exhibition in the main gallery, Cults, Collectives and Cocooning, imagines an LA of the near future, one in which the suburban sprawl is subverted by a return to self-reliant, village-like communities. The work included is low-tech with a Do-It-Yourself aesthetic: William Ransom's transient compost cart, Nuttaphol Ma's lemongrass tearoom, Cathy Akers' diorama made of cake. It's a fugitively optimistic array of work that doesn't pioneer a new path into the future as much as it reminds us of the sustainable options that are already available to us.
The exhibition opened on May 2nd with an lively ArtNight (the center often hosts 'ArtNights,' evenings that feature performances, screenings, or happenings). 18th Streets studios were open to the public, a performance by the LA Poverty Department, Art Karaoke, and a graffiti demonstration.
The exhibition in the main gallery, Cults, Collectives and Cocooning, imagines an LA of the near future, one in which the suburban sprawl is subverted by a return to self-reliant, village-like communities. The work included is low-tech with a Do-It-Yourself aesthetic: William Ransom's transient compost cart, Nuttaphol Ma's lemongrass tearoom, Cathy Akers' diorama made of cake. It's a fugitively optimistic array of work that doesn't pioneer a new path into the future as much as it reminds us of the sustainable options that are already available to us.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Quick & Easy Recipe Tips
Instead of slaving away over a raw chicken. I like to buy rotisserie chicken. You can add some great sides or take the meat off and put it in something else. Some ideas for this would be chicken and noodles, chicken casserole with vegetables, chicken enchilada's, chicken tacos, or chicken potpie. This is a quick and easy way to prepare chicken. If you pick the enchilada's you can actually make them and freeze them for use at a later date.Most family's don't like leftovers so I try to come up with ways to make another meal with them. I don't like to waste food. Left over mashed potatoes can be used the next day as a topping for a meat loaf. If you have the meatloaf in the freezer, all you have to do is get it out of the freezer the night before and throw it in the oven when you get home, top with your left over mashed potatoes, add some cheese and there you have it.Meatballs are a great thing to freeze and reuse later on. Make some extra and then use them for another dish. Some examples are meatball subs, meatball soup, barbecue meatballs and of coarse spaghetti and meatballs. It's a quick and easy recipe!Stay tuned for all the quick and easy recipes for the dishes that I have talked about in this article. I will be including them in articles as well.Leslie PattonSign up to receive a new recipe every week!http://www.QuicknEZRecipes.com
Monday, July 13, 2009
Special issue of Applied Cognitive Psychology on eyewitness research
The latest issue of Applied Cognitive Psychology (Volume 22 Issue 6, September 2008) is a special devoted to Basic and Applied Issues in Eyewitness Research, edited by Brian H. Bornstein, Christian A. Meissner. Published to mark the centenary of the publication of On the Witness Stand by Hugo Munsterburg, one of forensic psychologys founding fathers, this issue contains a feast of articles by some of the top names in the field, and will be a valuable resource for anyone interested in eyewitness psychology.
The editors explain why the publication of Munsterbergs text is worth marking:
Hugo Munsterberg, who was one of the earliest researchers on eyewitness memory, is probably the first figure to advocate strongly for a wider reliance by the courts on psychological research& [His] efforts were largely rebuffed & and since that time, there have been repeated calls for the courts to take eyewitness research (indeed, all social science research) more seriously, accompanied by a range of judicial responses ranging from ready acceptance to outright rejection (Monahan & Walker, 2005). Nor are all psychologists of one mind on this issue. Indeed, even Munsterberg himself, who is widely regarded as one of the founders of applied psychology, at times urged caution in applying psychological research findings to real-world problems&
Bornstein and Meissner go on to highlight two other reasons to revisit the issue of applying psychology in the courtroom: First, despite the increasing acceptance of eyewitness research in the courtroom (they say the American courtroom but of course other countries judicial systems have also taken note) there remain disagreements about the quality and ecological validity of such research. And second, the editors suggest that the trend for greater acceptance of research findings by the legal system has, in the opinions of some observers, created a situation in which there is an overemphasis on practical questions, accompanied by a lack of theoretical relevance . In other words, applied researchers need to pay equal attention to theoretical and practical implications of their research.
The articles in this issue set eyewitness research in a historical context and address the specific issues associated with such research and its applications. Highly recommended.
Contents include:
Basic and applied issues in eyewitness research: A Münsterberg centennial retrospective - Brian H. Bornstein, Christian A. Meissner
Lessons from the origins of eyewitness testimony research in Europe - Siegfried Ludwig Sporer
Hugo who? G. F. Arnolds alternative early approach to psychology and law - Brian H. Bornstein, Steven D. Penrod
Toward a more informative psychological science of eyewitness evidence - John Turtle, J. Don Read, D. Stephen Lindsay, C. A. Elizabeth Brimacombe
A middle road approach to bridging the basic-applied divide in eyewitness identification research - Sean M. Lane, Christian A. Meissner
Study space analysis for policy development - Roy S. Malpass, Colin G. Tredoux, Nadja Schreiber Compo, Dawn McQuiston-Surrett, Otto H. MacLin, Laura A. Zimmerman, Lisa D. Topp
The importance (necessity) of computational modelling for eyewitness identification research - Steven E. Clark
Estimating the impact of estimator variables on eyewitness identification: A fruitful marriage of practical problem solving and psychological theorizing - Kenneth A. Deffenbacher
Eyewitness confidence and latency: Indices of memory processes not just markers of accuracy - Neil Brewer, Nathan Weber
Münsterbergs legacy: What does eyewitness research tell us about the reliability of eyewitness testimony? - Amina Memon, Serena Mastroberardino, Joanne Fraser
Theory, logic and data: Paths to a more coherent eyewitness science - Gary L. Wells
See also:
British Psychological Society guidelines on memory
On the Witness Stand: Essays on Psychology and Crime by Hugo Munsterberg
The editors explain why the publication of Munsterbergs text is worth marking:
Hugo Munsterberg, who was one of the earliest researchers on eyewitness memory, is probably the first figure to advocate strongly for a wider reliance by the courts on psychological research& [His] efforts were largely rebuffed & and since that time, there have been repeated calls for the courts to take eyewitness research (indeed, all social science research) more seriously, accompanied by a range of judicial responses ranging from ready acceptance to outright rejection (Monahan & Walker, 2005). Nor are all psychologists of one mind on this issue. Indeed, even Munsterberg himself, who is widely regarded as one of the founders of applied psychology, at times urged caution in applying psychological research findings to real-world problems&
Bornstein and Meissner go on to highlight two other reasons to revisit the issue of applying psychology in the courtroom: First, despite the increasing acceptance of eyewitness research in the courtroom (they say the American courtroom but of course other countries judicial systems have also taken note) there remain disagreements about the quality and ecological validity of such research. And second, the editors suggest that the trend for greater acceptance of research findings by the legal system has, in the opinions of some observers, created a situation in which there is an overemphasis on practical questions, accompanied by a lack of theoretical relevance . In other words, applied researchers need to pay equal attention to theoretical and practical implications of their research.
The articles in this issue set eyewitness research in a historical context and address the specific issues associated with such research and its applications. Highly recommended.
Contents include:
Basic and applied issues in eyewitness research: A Münsterberg centennial retrospective - Brian H. Bornstein, Christian A. Meissner
Lessons from the origins of eyewitness testimony research in Europe - Siegfried Ludwig Sporer
Hugo who? G. F. Arnolds alternative early approach to psychology and law - Brian H. Bornstein, Steven D. Penrod
Toward a more informative psychological science of eyewitness evidence - John Turtle, J. Don Read, D. Stephen Lindsay, C. A. Elizabeth Brimacombe
A middle road approach to bridging the basic-applied divide in eyewitness identification research - Sean M. Lane, Christian A. Meissner
Study space analysis for policy development - Roy S. Malpass, Colin G. Tredoux, Nadja Schreiber Compo, Dawn McQuiston-Surrett, Otto H. MacLin, Laura A. Zimmerman, Lisa D. Topp
The importance (necessity) of computational modelling for eyewitness identification research - Steven E. Clark
Estimating the impact of estimator variables on eyewitness identification: A fruitful marriage of practical problem solving and psychological theorizing - Kenneth A. Deffenbacher
Eyewitness confidence and latency: Indices of memory processes not just markers of accuracy - Neil Brewer, Nathan Weber
Münsterbergs legacy: What does eyewitness research tell us about the reliability of eyewitness testimony? - Amina Memon, Serena Mastroberardino, Joanne Fraser
Theory, logic and data: Paths to a more coherent eyewitness science - Gary L. Wells
See also:
British Psychological Society guidelines on memory
On the Witness Stand: Essays on Psychology and Crime by Hugo Munsterberg
Where to find all what you want to know about your next car...
What is going to be your next car?May be the dodge challenger ?May be you are kind of sentimental who likes oldies, but dislikes old engines...What’s better than a car that actually looks like an oldie but competes with the equally retro Ford Mustang and upcoming Chevy Camaro for the crown of king pony car?It has a tremendously powerful engine, the mid-range R/T offers a "5.7-liter Hemi engine (not bad if you care for gasoline) and it is defined by the Consume Guide as "quite potent, with ample passing reserves". Or would you prefer the hyundai genesis?That is a car I would say has a lot of Style, a little bit on the old style, but with tasteful design.As for performance, it can be a competitor to some of the top sport sedans from Germany, and if we talk about Germany, we talk about high performance.The base 2009 Hyundai Genesis comes with a 290-hp, 3.8-liter V-6 engine, which is quite good, talking about consumes. Or you are looking for a luxurious sedan like the lincoln mks It has a "bit of character that's grounded in something other than a designer's imagination."That means it has a good design, but it is still comfortable... "We're not wholly convinced that the MKS has real beauty, but it at least presents itself convincingly as a luxury car."Well beauty is something quite subjective, but if you are looking for something to be envied for, this is your car.It consumes a little bit more than other cars, but if "look" is what you are looking for...this is definitely your car...Where did I find all these details (and much more) about styling, performance, quality, safety, features?But of course in the car connection’s website!Think and you'll have the problem of disposal of ideas...
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Thursday, July 2, 2009
Cyberbullying Bill Not About Protecting Kids, It is About Shutting Down the Opposition
Kurt Nimmo
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Arianna Huffington, the liberal darling in bed with the globalist George Soros by way of the Bermuda-based Atlantic Philanthropies, has posted an article on her website penned by Rep. Linda Sánchez, the Democrat congress critter from California. Sánchez is behind the so-called Megan Meier Cyberbullying Prevention Act, an effort to impose draconian regulations on the internet.
Megan Meier, a thirteen year old from Dardenne Prairie, Missouri, killed herself in response to “cyberbullying” on MySpace. It later came out that Megan was harassed by Lori Drew, the mother of a former friend. A federal grand jury indicted Drew on May 15, 2008, on three counts of accessing protected computers without authorization to obtain information to inflict emotional distress, and one count of criminal conspiracy. She was found guilty on three lesser charges.
For Sánchez and the co-sponsors of this bill the conviction is not enough. They want the full coercive weight of the government behind a law that will punish people for the crime of “cyberbullying” on the internet.
“When so-called child’s play turns hostile and a child becomes a victim, it is time to act,” writes Sánchez on Huffpo. “When so-called free speech leads to bullies having free-reign to threaten kids, it is time to act. The Supreme Court recognizes that in some instances words can be harmful. For example, you cannot falsely yell ‘FIRE’ in a crowded theater. If you say it even once you can be held liable. Yet, you can repeatedly emotionally abuse someone with words, pictures, and false impressions online and get away scot-free.”
On April 30, law professor and blogger Eugene Volokh addressed the draconian nature of Sánchez’s bill. Volokh underscores the following language contained in the bill:
Whoever transmits in interstate or foreign commerce any communication, with the intent to coerce, intimidate, harass, or cause substantial emotional distress to a person, using electronic means to support severe, repeated, and hostile behavior, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than two years, or both….
["Communication"] means the electronic transmission, between or among points specified by the user, of information of the user’s choosing, without change in the form or content of the information as sent and received; …
["Electronic means"] means any equipment dependent on electrical power to access an information service, including email, instant messaging, blogs, websites, telephones, and text messages.
Volokh proposes a couple hypothetical situations in regard to the language in the bill:
I try to coerce a politician into voting a particular way, by repeatedly blogging (using a hostile tone) about what a hypocrite / campaign promise breaker / fool / etc. he would be if he voted the other way. I am transmitting in interstate commerce a communication with the intent to coerce using electronic means (a blog) “to support severe, repeated, and hostile behavior” — unless, of course, my statements aren’t seen as “severe,” a term that is entirely undefined and unclear. Result: I am a felon, unless somehow my “behavior” isn’t “severe.”
(…)
A newspaper reporter or editorialist tries to do the same, in columns that are posted on the newspaper’s Web site. Result: Felony, unless somehow my “behavior” isn’t severe.
“The examples could be multiplied pretty much indefinitely,” writes Volokh. “The law, if enacted, would clearly be facially overboard (and probably unconstitutionally vague), and would thus be struck down on its face under the First Amendment. But beyond that, surely even the law’s supporters don’t really want to cover all this speech.”
It is less than clear supporters of the bill “don’t really want to cover all this speech.”
The rest&PrisonPlanet.com
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Arianna Huffington, the liberal darling in bed with the globalist George Soros by way of the Bermuda-based Atlantic Philanthropies, has posted an article on her website penned by Rep. Linda Sánchez, the Democrat congress critter from California. Sánchez is behind the so-called Megan Meier Cyberbullying Prevention Act, an effort to impose draconian regulations on the internet.
Megan Meier, a thirteen year old from Dardenne Prairie, Missouri, killed herself in response to “cyberbullying” on MySpace. It later came out that Megan was harassed by Lori Drew, the mother of a former friend. A federal grand jury indicted Drew on May 15, 2008, on three counts of accessing protected computers without authorization to obtain information to inflict emotional distress, and one count of criminal conspiracy. She was found guilty on three lesser charges.
For Sánchez and the co-sponsors of this bill the conviction is not enough. They want the full coercive weight of the government behind a law that will punish people for the crime of “cyberbullying” on the internet.
“When so-called child’s play turns hostile and a child becomes a victim, it is time to act,” writes Sánchez on Huffpo. “When so-called free speech leads to bullies having free-reign to threaten kids, it is time to act. The Supreme Court recognizes that in some instances words can be harmful. For example, you cannot falsely yell ‘FIRE’ in a crowded theater. If you say it even once you can be held liable. Yet, you can repeatedly emotionally abuse someone with words, pictures, and false impressions online and get away scot-free.”
On April 30, law professor and blogger Eugene Volokh addressed the draconian nature of Sánchez’s bill. Volokh underscores the following language contained in the bill:
Whoever transmits in interstate or foreign commerce any communication, with the intent to coerce, intimidate, harass, or cause substantial emotional distress to a person, using electronic means to support severe, repeated, and hostile behavior, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than two years, or both….
["Communication"] means the electronic transmission, between or among points specified by the user, of information of the user’s choosing, without change in the form or content of the information as sent and received; …
["Electronic means"] means any equipment dependent on electrical power to access an information service, including email, instant messaging, blogs, websites, telephones, and text messages.
Volokh proposes a couple hypothetical situations in regard to the language in the bill:
I try to coerce a politician into voting a particular way, by repeatedly blogging (using a hostile tone) about what a hypocrite / campaign promise breaker / fool / etc. he would be if he voted the other way. I am transmitting in interstate commerce a communication with the intent to coerce using electronic means (a blog) “to support severe, repeated, and hostile behavior” — unless, of course, my statements aren’t seen as “severe,” a term that is entirely undefined and unclear. Result: I am a felon, unless somehow my “behavior” isn’t “severe.”
(…)
A newspaper reporter or editorialist tries to do the same, in columns that are posted on the newspaper’s Web site. Result: Felony, unless somehow my “behavior” isn’t severe.
“The examples could be multiplied pretty much indefinitely,” writes Volokh. “The law, if enacted, would clearly be facially overboard (and probably unconstitutionally vague), and would thus be struck down on its face under the First Amendment. But beyond that, surely even the law’s supporters don’t really want to cover all this speech.”
It is less than clear supporters of the bill “don’t really want to cover all this speech.”
The rest&PrisonPlanet.com
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
do we want to know whether library blogs are succeeding in the big, bad web world?
Theres been plenty of talk around the Library 2.0 theme on the idea of evaluation or assessment. At Information Wants to be Free, Meredith Farkas says what she wanted to see come out of Library 2.0 was a greater focus on assessment. I certainly want to see libraries have a greater focus on assessment, too, and I want to see them publishing about it. (Particularly public libraries. We just dont publish enough.)
Why arent we (libraries in general) publishing about the success (or failure) of our 2.0 projects? Why is there virtually no data to be found that quantifies some of the outcomes of 2.0 projects? Weve been on this 2.0 bandwagon long enough for studies and assessments and evaluations to have been undertaken. For a movement thats intrinsically tied up with quick publishing channels like blogs and wikis, it seems strange that there is a real dearth of published studies on 2.0 projects. Why is that?
Walt Crawford had this to say in a recent post on his two blog survey books:
Maybe there’s a clear desire not to know how library blogs are doing in the real world, other than a few cherry-picked examples. I’d like to think that’s not the case. It would be unprofessional to tell people about how wonderful library blogs are, and encourage them to create such blogs, without giving them honest and broad-ranging information on what’s actually happening with such blogs.
Id like to think thats not the case, too. But I wonder. I wonder a few things:
Is the lack of publishing indicative of a lack of success? (And a fear of talking about it?)
Is the lack of publishing indicative of a perceived lack of success, a perception that might be formed because were not collecting the right data? (eg. How are we measuring ROI? Do we just count comments on blog posts? Or do we look at exit links, time spent on the page, holds on titles blogged about, impact on online resource usage stats&? I certainly hope all of these metrics and more are informing libraries evaluations of their blogs, because if were just relying on comments to measure user engagement, then were not seeing the full picture.)
Is the lack of publishing indicative of a lack of evaluation? (And if so, why arent we evaluating? Because we dont know how? Because we dont have time? Because we dont want to know?)
Or, is it just that were not publishing about our evaluations?
Ive got a blogging project in the pipeline at mpow. Its germinating quite slowly, because I want to see it well planned. We want a well planned implementation, but also a well planned, multi-faceted evaluation. If it works, I want to know about it, and I want us to be able to reflect on what we did and make links to what worked. If it doesnt work, I want to know about it just as much (if not more), because I want to be able to reflect on what we did, look for ways we could improve, and ultimately, pull the pin if thats what we need to do.
Blogs (and all things shiny and 2.0) are just great. Theyre fun for staff to work on, and have huge potential to engage our users. But none of us have time to run services that dont work. If we dont evaluate, we have no ability to know whether
We know that because we always did it that way is not a good reason to keep doing the things weve always done, whether they work or not. But neither should a failure to evaluate be the reason we keep on keeping on with our 2.0 services.
If you have evaluated your 2.0 service, publish about it! And if you have published, Id love to receive some links.
Why arent we (libraries in general) publishing about the success (or failure) of our 2.0 projects? Why is there virtually no data to be found that quantifies some of the outcomes of 2.0 projects? Weve been on this 2.0 bandwagon long enough for studies and assessments and evaluations to have been undertaken. For a movement thats intrinsically tied up with quick publishing channels like blogs and wikis, it seems strange that there is a real dearth of published studies on 2.0 projects. Why is that?
Walt Crawford had this to say in a recent post on his two blog survey books:
Maybe there’s a clear desire not to know how library blogs are doing in the real world, other than a few cherry-picked examples. I’d like to think that’s not the case. It would be unprofessional to tell people about how wonderful library blogs are, and encourage them to create such blogs, without giving them honest and broad-ranging information on what’s actually happening with such blogs.
Id like to think thats not the case, too. But I wonder. I wonder a few things:
Is the lack of publishing indicative of a lack of success? (And a fear of talking about it?)
Is the lack of publishing indicative of a perceived lack of success, a perception that might be formed because were not collecting the right data? (eg. How are we measuring ROI? Do we just count comments on blog posts? Or do we look at exit links, time spent on the page, holds on titles blogged about, impact on online resource usage stats&? I certainly hope all of these metrics and more are informing libraries evaluations of their blogs, because if were just relying on comments to measure user engagement, then were not seeing the full picture.)
Is the lack of publishing indicative of a lack of evaluation? (And if so, why arent we evaluating? Because we dont know how? Because we dont have time? Because we dont want to know?)
Or, is it just that were not publishing about our evaluations?
Ive got a blogging project in the pipeline at mpow. Its germinating quite slowly, because I want to see it well planned. We want a well planned implementation, but also a well planned, multi-faceted evaluation. If it works, I want to know about it, and I want us to be able to reflect on what we did and make links to what worked. If it doesnt work, I want to know about it just as much (if not more), because I want to be able to reflect on what we did, look for ways we could improve, and ultimately, pull the pin if thats what we need to do.
Blogs (and all things shiny and 2.0) are just great. Theyre fun for staff to work on, and have huge potential to engage our users. But none of us have time to run services that dont work. If we dont evaluate, we have no ability to know whether
We know that because we always did it that way is not a good reason to keep doing the things weve always done, whether they work or not. But neither should a failure to evaluate be the reason we keep on keeping on with our 2.0 services.
If you have evaluated your 2.0 service, publish about it! And if you have published, Id love to receive some links.
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