#21 - The labs of Google

You may have noticed that some of the web 2.0 services we've looked at are more complete than others. In the case of the later, most of the expected service features work but the overall service has yet to be perfected. Welcome to perpetual beta, a frequent occurance in the world of Web 2.0 where services are in a constant state of improvement.

Perpetual Beta

Tim O'Reilly, originator of the 'web 2.0' moniker, describes it this way:

the product is developed in the open, with new features slipstreamed in on a monthly, weekly, or even daily basis. It's no accident that services such as Gmail, Google Maps, Flickr, del.icio.us, and the like may be expected to bear a "Beta" logo for years at a time.

(the relevant section of this article is great, though long and technical)
Google and Beta

Today we look at the officially sanctioned world of Google beta products. Why Google? They're doing some wonderfully interesting things and most of the customization functions will work with the Google ID you set up for your Learning 2.0 blog.

Yes, I'm finally learning - we're trying to save you from password fatigue.

Google's beta world is officially labeled Google Labs.

This is where you can go to see their new ideas, some old ideas that were never-quite-completed, and a list of 'graduates' that are now in wider use.

Though some of the products you'll see in Google Labs are quite complex, today's lesson and Discovery Exercise are nice and simple.

1. Head over to Google Labs
   
2. Play around with 2 or 3 of the services listed - I highly recommend Google Trends which analyzes (instead of searching) occurances of your search terms
   
3. Blog about your experiences, what worked, what didn't work, what was potentially useful

And then give yourself some silent applause - you are halfway through the third to last week of Learning 2.0.

Next up: Web 2.0 Award Winners...

#20 - Online Software

This week we'll spend our first two lessons with at least one familiar friend - Google. Today we look at online software (specifically 'productivity software' - word processing, spreadsheets, etc.) and tomorrow the Google development lab.

But don't worry, we aren't on the Google payroll - we'll also be looking at another productivity software option today, Zoho.

Productivity software

Word processing, spreadsheets, calendars, you name it - thanks to our very local company (hello Microsoft), much of the world uses productivity software loaded on individual computers or, as is the case with KCLS thin clients, a shared server.

Online versions of productivity software offer many of the same features yet are quite different from what is installed on your computer. How so?

Price

The online software we're looking at today is quite inexpensive - it's free. And there's a reason for this - it doesn't do nearly as much as the software installed on your computer. But how many of you use the power features in Excel (say, complex graphing) or Word (say, mail merge)? The core features you see in Google Docs and Zoho Writer match up surprisingly well.

Software Installation

There is none - all you need is a web browser and an internet connection. Working on a computer that doesn't have Excel? No problem.

Collaboration

It's much easier to work on projects with others - colleagues, community group members, family, friends, whomever. Say, for example, you are working with your neighborhood community council to secure city funding for a project. You post the first draft of a letter, your neighbors make edits or add text to the document, and you bring the completed letter to your next meeting. Much like using a Wiki, the 'shared workspace' means noone is accidentally looking at out-of-date content.

Freedom From File Formats

Have you ever helped a patron who can't open the resume they created on a friend's computer? Very often it's a file format problem - a document created in the word processing software that came pre-installed on the computer, for example, may not open in Microsoft Word. Online productivity software offers another way to solve this problem - you can open a wider range of file formats.

Even Better Than The P: Drive

The documents you create with Google Docs and Zoho are saved to an online account and can be accessed from any computer with internet access - disks and/or flash drives are not required.

Discovery Excercise

Best, though, to see for yourself - try out Google Docs and Zoho and see if they work for you.

Part 1: Google Docs

1. Take their quick tour to learn more.
   
2. At the end of the tour, click on 'try it out.'
   
3. Login with the Google account you've used for previous Learning 2.0 exercises (or, if you are already logged in, skip to the next step)
   
4. You choose - create a new document (for word processing) or spreadsheet
   
5. Add some quick text and save your document (there's a big 'save' button in the top right corner of the screen).
   
6. Take a look at the collaborate options (notice the 'View RSS feed of document changes' link?) and whatever else interests you.
   
7. Take a deep breath and move on to Part 2.
   

Part 2: Zoho

1. Head over to Zoho and take note of the wider range of software they offer.
   
2. Try the same type of software you used in Google Docs - click on the 'Try Now' link.
   
3. Sign up for an account (and don't worry about the email confirmation unless you want to keep the account up - if you don't respond your account will be deleted in 7 days)
   
4. Add some quick text and save your document (there's a 'save' button similar to what you see in MS Word)
   
5. Take a look at some of the options (share, history, etc) located just above your text.
   

Part 3: What do you think?

1. Let us know in your blog

Next up: Google Labs...

#18 - Search What You Like

This week's lessons are not linked very well thematically - we look at custom search engines today and at the broader themes of 2.0 tomorrow. It is with this in mind that we've decided to skip our regularly scheduled weekly podcast and head straight to the lesson-at-hand.

Today's lesson: search what you like

Do you have a group of websites that are your favorites? Or a set of online resources that are similar in scope, that you frequently use to answer homework or reference questions? If you answered yes to either question, a custom search engine may be the tool for you - they search the websites you tell them to search. Nothing more.

In today's lesson we'll be looking at two services - Rollyo and Google Custom Search Engine.

Rollyo

First off, the originator - Rollyo.

It's easy to use - you go to their website, you set up a profile, you add the websites you want to search, you get a permanent URL for your new search engine (these are called 'search rolls'). You can even invite friends or colleagues to add sites to the search engine. Or add a search box to your blog.

The drawback? Rollyo is funded by sponsored search results - you'll see these in your results.

There are hundreds of interesting Rollyo search rolls out there already. These range from the library-centric (Library Organizations, Public Domain eBooks), to the politically-charged (the left and the right), to the utterly obsessive (Everything Star Wars), to just about anything else.

Google Custom Search Engine

And then there's this little software company in California - it's called Google. Google has a relatively new service they're calling the Google Custom Search Engine. The concept is the same - you set up an account, create a custom search, add sites to it, and receive a permanent URL for easy access. Their service carries a pleasant benefit for we Learning 2.0 participants - you can use the same Google ID you've already set up for blogging.

Some existing search site examples include an Independent Film Search, a Wine Search Engine and quite a few others.

But which one should you use? That's what today's Discovery Exercise is all about - it's a custom search engine show-down...

Part 1: Compare the results

We've created a 'KCLS & Neighbors' search in Rollyo and Google - both search the KCLS website as well as those of neighboring library systems (SPL, Sno-Isle, and Tacoma Public).

1. Head over to our Rollyo Search Roll (this will open in a separate window) and try a few searches. On what? How about library card applications or branch locations or gaming programs.
   
2. Head over to our Google Custom Search Engine (this will open in a separate window) and run the same searches.
   
3. Which did you like better?
   

Part 2: Make Your Own

Choose the custom search tool you like best and create your own.

If you choose Rollyo:

1. Register
   
2. Create a search roll for any subject you like.

If you choose Google Custom Search Engine:

1. Sign in with your Google ID and set things up
   

In both cases:

Create a post in your blog about your experience and link to your search roll. Can you see a potential use for tools like this?

And that, everyone, is all for today - have fun searching.

Next up: More 2.0 than you ever imagined...