Paul Shabajee (ILRT, University of Bristol)

1. The Perspective From A Research UserBeyond Email - Strategies For Collaborative Working In The 21st Century Weetwood Hall, University of Leeds22nd November 2004 Paul Shabajee (ILRT, University of Bristol)

2. Overview • ILRT and IRC • WWW2003 & BlogTalk2003 • Colston Symposium Live Blogging & IRC • IUGO Project • Questions

3. IRC & ILRT IRC (Internet Relay Chat) Real-time Internet-based text chat system (~1988) Users use a piece of software called an IRC client to join and take part in discussion channels. ILRT – Open Channel Online & Telecon Meetings Generally in multiple… Screen Dump of mIRC client with two channels open

4. IRC at WWW2003 • At WWW2003 (Wireless & IRC) • As presenters talked: • Looked up quotes/projects/refs • Posted relevant links to the channel • Listened in on other parallel sessions • Discussed contributions (politely) • Talked to people back home • Had one to one chats • Reactions to this? IRC Log from WWW2003 (http://www2003.xmlhack.com/) Image from http://www.hebig.com/blogtalk/

6. IRC Bot to Blog • IRC channel captured as an blog • Using Daily Chump Bothttp://usefulinc.com/chump/ • The IRC channel has a bot (Software Robot) called dc_www2003 • It appears as a user in the channel list. • It monitors the entries into the channel and when it gets commands it understands it adds text to a ‘chump’ blog page • e.g. If a raw URL is typed into the channel it will add it to the ‘chump’ blog page and titles and notes can be added

7. ChumpBot Blog at WWW2003 • More sophisticated Bots e.g. Zakim of W3C (http://www.w3.org/2001/12/zakim-irc-bot.html)

8. Blogging Example? In real time & with blogging software. • At the same time as WWW2003 • At BlogTalk 2003. Live Blogging of the presentations “I understand Maria’s concern about the presenter but… maybe it's just a matter of adjustment. Personally, I had no problem with it. Although maybe the people I fondly imagined were real-time blogging my talk were catching up on their email. Or playing Quake” (Steve Cayzer) "I can say sincerely that it was not a pleasure [It is] a particular kind of stress when you are not really afraid of what you say or who you are but much more of what they are going to write about you." (Maria Milonas) Images from http://www.hebig.com/blogtalk/

9. Article Shabajee, P. (2003) 'Hot' or Not? Welcome to real-time peer review, Times Higher Education Supplement (London), 01 August 2003, pp. 20-21.

10. Colston Symposium 2004 Dr Bonnie Nardi at Colston symposium From Libby Miller (mobile)Posted by robot at 10:52 AM Gilly Salmon and washing machine From Libby Miller (mobile) Projected IRC & Blog during the presentations(Pictures Mo Blogged from her phone by Libby Miller) Posted by robot at 03:50 PM Colston Symposium 2004 Web site: http://www.ilrt.bris.ac.uk/news/conferences/colston2004/

11. IUGO Project  JISC VRE Project System to… provide a means for the integration and identification of content [from across the web] related to conferences, sessions and individual conference presentations e.g. papers, presentations, blog entries, images, irc logs, etc. and make that available via… … via a portal (portlet) interface website …searchable based on multiple criteria (e.g. topic, dates, projects, people, etc.) … altering services… Work packages are mostly non-technical in nature.

12. So… • Virtual communities… use what ever tools are around… at ILRT and many other places people use IRC, IM, Blogs, Wiki, tele & video conferencing, etc. as it feels appropriate • It is a day to day thing • Different tools supports different kinds of one to one, one to many and many to many interactions in different contexts • Wireless access can add new dimensions… esp. as more and more access points are placed in public spaces – regularly get people on IRC from cafés and airports. • Many tools and systems are free :-) • … but you need time to play

13. Questions • ?