Wiki

So we started with our wiki for the City of Cape Town libraries.  It was quite easy and interesting.  I didn't find our wiki on the web as yet, maybe we have to publish it or something? We finished our layout and decided on what our pages will be called so now we need to fill in the information. We chose a very nice looking background and the information will be very basic but I think it is a good start for a wiki.  Mabe I will change it after the project is completed and make one specifically for the Goodwood Libarary.  Just have to make sure that I don't need special permission.

A Wiki website

I will definitely love to become a wikipedian.  I have always loved to put information together in one space, even though I hardly get the time to do everything.  If only a day had 48 hours.

Last week we got to know a bit more of wiki's.  Wiki is actually a Hawaiian word meaning 'super-fast' and it refers to the website and the software that is used to keep the website going.  One of the privileges of a wiki (and in some cases a downfall) is that anyone can register to add to a wiki website and thus helping to improve the site.  In short, and according to Adele Aubrey from the University of Manchester, a wiki is ''hypertext bases, collaborative software enabling documents to be authored collectively using a web browser''.  A wiki helps team members to share, manage and navigate their knowledge on the internet.

Wiki's have advantages and disadvantages; they can be updated and the new information can be seen as soon as it is updated; links can be made to other websites to ensure that the information is easy to understand and it is probably more collaborative.  Quality control on the other hand is one of the major issues.

Various libraries over the world have a wiki website.  It is now our mission (and project) to work in a team of three and build a wiki website for public libraries.

We will have to start our own wiki so I got a little video to ensure that I am on the right track.  I know Sandy  will show us how but I need to make sure I am ready.

Podcast project

Today I am busy doing some research for my podcast project.  I will be doing the interviews next week and recording it will be a first for me.  I hate to hear my own voice on a recording or even on a home video but this is a must-do thing.  Luckily my head, Rosa Folscher, is up for the challenge and really willing to help me.

Research essay presentation

Why is it so hard to talk in front of a class of people that you talk to every time you are in class? It has been a while since I felt so nervous but I really appreciated all the complements, thank you my fellow classmates.  I really found the various topics interesting and I can't wait to hear what the others present.  All the animation in Ingrid's presentation reminded me about the time when I started playing on PowerPoint.  It was like a game to find out what else I can do or make the words and pictures do. I literally spent hours just playing around on the programme.  When I had 15 - 20 minute presentations as an Environmental Education Officer I used to make use of some of the animations to ensure that the class was kept interested for the entire talk.  Five minutes would have been a breeze... four years back! Well I feel good about my presentation, even though it felt like my heart was pounding outside my body.  Hope the rest of my classmates also enjoyed it.

Internet filtering

Internet filtering is a euphemism for censorship.  To control the information that is put on the Internet or to cut off certain sites is censorship of the Internet.  Filtering the information that is put on the Internet is needed in some ways, even though the filtering programmes are not fool proof.  The filters put itself between the sites that are blocked and your browser.  There are several types of censorship which includes moral, religious, military and political censorship. 

Censorship can occur by  censoring a specific word, phrases or images.  A filter system can also be implemented to block social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter. It can also be used to block the download of MP3's, videos and games.  Though censorship is implemented in many cases, such as public libraries, there are many ways to get around the censorship.  One such example is merely to change the spelling of the words (type pron instead of porn).

Some Internet filters that can be used includes: CleanFeed, Cyclope-Series, Instant K9 Web Protection, McAfee SmartFilter, Net Nanny, SafeSearch. Some of these filters are free but the others need to be bought online.