Mark Greenfield

The uwebd social site hit another milestone today with the addition of the 700th member. Activity on the site continues to grow at a steady rate. There are now 36 groups, 18 videos, and 256 discussions in the main forum. Over the past month, we’ve had 4,608 visits, 19,953 page views, and visits from 80 countries

Ning has been in the news recently as well. The EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative (ELI) recently highlighted Ning in the “7 Things You Should Know About…” series These briefs focus on a single technology and describes what it is, where it is going, and why it matters to teaching and learning. (see 7 things you should know about Ning)

The cover story for the May 2008 issue Fast Company magazine is Ning’s Infinite Ambition. The article focuses on Ning’s business model and provides a nice overview of the history of the company. IMHO, Ning will be a major player on the web. Niche social networks are the future and Ning is a great platform to allow people to connect and coolaborate.

In 2005 I gave my first presentation on “Emerging Technologies” and talked about RSS, blogs, wikis and podcasts. Given the exponential change of the web, calling these emerging technologies today seems behind the times

As we look down the road, I’ve been thinking about what are the new technologies. Here are my initial thoughts. As far as general concepts, I would start with the social graph, lifestreaming, aggregation and niche social networks. Tools/sites would include twine, Ning, friendfeed, spokeo, and grou.ps

I’m looking for your help to build this list. So here in April 2008, what are the new “emerging technologies”?

Here’s another excellent video on how the Internet is changing society.

I particularly like the following quote:

In the past, you were what you owned.
Now, you are what you share.

Put another way, we are seeing a move from hoarding information to sharing information. Traditionally, those in power held onto information because knowledge was power. The connected age reverses this. Now sharing knowledge is power.

As always, let me know what you think.

Jeremiah Owyang is one of my favorite commentators on Social Media. I have been thinking about his post Web Strategy: How to evolve your irrelevant corporate website for quite some time and if this is applicable to higher ed sites.

The basic premise is that the corporate website (yourcompany.com) is becoming less relevant and marketing is no longer about your domain and Google search results. In the spirit of Cluetrain:

People are tired of the corporate website and all its happy marketing speak, stock photos of smart looking dudes or minority women crowded around the computer raving about your product, the positive press release, the happy customer testimonials, the row of executive portraits, the donations your corporate made to disaster relief, the one-sided view never ends.

The growing trend, especially with the millennial generation, is that decisions are made before people visit the corporate website. This is certainly the case for me. Whether it’s the purchase of a new car, a tennis racket or a bike, I’m making product decisions based on feedback from my peers on consumer rating sites, social networks, discussion forums, etc., not on information from a corporate website.

Owyang goes on to say that in order to stay relevant, future corporate websites will have to have customers building them along with employees. He goes on to say:

The corporate website of the future will be a credible source of opinion and fact, authored by both the corporation and community. The result? A true first-stop community resource where information flows for better products and services.

So my question for you is will this concept apply to higher education websites? Will yourschool.edu become irrelevant? I think it will. Not totally irrelevant, since marketing is just one aspect of a university website (online services and academic support being others.) But as far as marketing the school, we will continue to see more emphasis outside the .edu domain. Think about the numbers of colleges and universities that have created a web presence on Facebook, Youtube, Flickr, Ning and Second Life. Progressive higher ed sites have been following Owyang’s advise by providing an open, authentic and transparent view with tools like blogs and wikis.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this topic. Will .edu sites become less relevant with the continued growth of Web 2.0 and Social Media? What strategies should we employ to stay relevant? And if prospective students are making their choice on what college to attend using non .edu sites, what sites are they using?

(Please note that this post is slightly off-topic)

I am in the process of hiring another staff member to join our team at the University at Buffalo (UB). For those of you not familiar with UB, we are a large, public research university with over 28,000 students. UB currently has 13 schools offering 78 undergraduate degrees, 177 master’s degrees and 82 doctoral degrees. My office reports through the Office of the Provost.

Below is the official job posting. The salary range is $37,662 - $45,000. Closing date for receipt of applications is May 14, 2008. Resume, cover letter, and application must be submitted online at www.ubjobs.buffalo.edu referencing posting #0800156. Be advised the application process is cumbersome. UB uses third party software that has many usability issues. If you would like more information, feel free to e-mail me directly at markgr [at]buffalo[dot]edu.

Job Title - Assistant Director of Web Services

Job Description

The Office of Web Services is responsible for the strategic planning, design, development, support and evaluation of Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education and select Provost’s Office Web sites. Reporting to the Director of Web Services, this position acts as the content lead and is directly responsible for developing and managing online content, balancing technical proficiency with artistic and editorial creativity. Responsibilities include maintaining editorial writing quality and monitoring online content for appropriate style. The incumbent acts as the liaison between Web Services and unit content managers. Additional responsibilities include assisting with the overall planning, development and maintenance of sites.

Minimum Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree in English, journalism, communications or a related field, plus three years of relevant experience, preferably in higher education. A combination of education and experience equivalency will be considered. Must have excellent writing, editing and proofreading skills. Must have strong creative and artistic ability and advanced knowledge of Web design practices and techniques. Expert knowledge of XHTML and CSS required. Strong interpersonal skills and excellent oral and written communication skills are essential.

Preferred Qualifications

Experience with relevant software including image editing, graphic design, page layout, and web authoring. Experience with emerging technologies including RSS, blogs, wikis, social networks and rich media. Proficient with diverse computer operation systems including Windows, Mac OS and UNIX.

Registration for the 2008 eduWeb Conference is now open. The conference is scheduled for July 21-23 at the Trump Marina Hotel in Atlantic City. The conference program is also available. In addition to giving the opening keynote speech, I will be conducting a three hour workshop with my colleague Brad Ward from Butler University. Here are the titles and abstracts for both:

Opening Keynote

Title: It’s the End of the Web as We Know It Redux

Abstract: A seismic shift is underway. Exponential change will make tomorrow’s technology unrecognizable. The mobile web is making always on – always connected a reality. Prosumers are driving the move from Mass Media to My Media. The weapons of mass collaboration have laid the groundwork for the Participation Age. It’s no longer about one-way communi-cation to an audience. It’s about two-way conversation with a community.

It’s time to rethink a few things.

Completely updated for 2008, this award winning presentation will focus on the (r)evolution of the web and the implications for higher education web professionals. A review of the latest trends will be followed by strategies on how to fully leverage the full potential of emerging technologies.

Workshop

Title: Join the Conversation: Social Media in Higher Ed

Abstract: The social web is here. Dialogue has replaced monologue. The conversation is the message. Communities dominate brands. It?s time to join the conversation.

This workshop will provide an in depth look at how higher educational institutions can leverage the full power and potential of social media. In addition to examining the many advantages of social media and an analysis of the current tools available, case studies will be reviewed on a social site built for prospective students, and a niche social network created for higher education web professionals. Learn first hand the experiences that Mark and Brad have had in launching these successful social media sites and how this knowledge will help you in your social media efforts.

I look forward to seeing you in Atlantic City this summer.