In this module we will look at Web 2.0 technologies such as:

• Wikis
• RSS Feeds
• My del.icio.us, a program to tag web sites
• Library thing, a program to tag books

the last two programs are known as social bookmarking tools, that will enable you to create your own database of web sites and your personal library catalogue.

1. What is a Wiki? A wiki is a collaborative web site where anyone can edit, delete or modify the content. A document on a particular subject can be created collectively.

2. Overview of Wiki Software
The Learning Technology Centre (LTC), University of Manitoba has created a great wiki information page and also offers recordings of wiki workshops.

3. Art History Wiki.
I have created a wiki for art history where you can add research information on your favourite painter, sculptor, designer, printmaker, drawer and illustrater. There is also a section for the various periods of the history of art. See the Environmental Design Wiki page now (http://ltc.umanitoba.ca/environmentaldesign/index.php/Main_Page).

Instructions for adding to the wiki:

• Print off wiki help sheet now
• Visit media.wiki.org for help on adding contents and images

RSS Feeds

You can use RSS feeds to keep updated on your favourite environmental design web pages and databases.

How do I use RSS feeds?

To read RSS feeds, you need to install an RSS reader on your computer. An RSS reader is a piece of software that collects and displays RSS feeds in a central location. Bloglines is a free RSS reader, available on the web at "http://www.bloglines.com".

After installing an RSS reader and locating a site's RSS feed, you have to subscribe to the feed. To subscribe, right click the RSS button to copy the feed, and then paste it into your RSS reader. Alternatively, left click the RSS button, copy the URL from the page of code, and paste it into your RSS reader. Once you have subscribed to a feed, the RSS reader displays new content whenever it is added by a site. You can also set RSS readers to check feeds periodically.

Here are some RSS feeds related to your area:

MOMA: Museum of Modern Art, New York City

Art Gallery of Ontario

Oxford Art Journal

Where can I find other RSS feeds? RSS feeds are available from news services, journals, blogs and web pages., including some of the UM Libraries' web pages. You can also find RSS feeds of interest to you by searching directories like:

• Feedfinder
• RSSFeeds.com
• 2RSS.comFeedster
• Blogdigger

For more information on RSS feeds see UMLibraries RSS Feeds Help Sheet.LibraryThing

LibraryThing allows you create your own library catalogue. You can organise and tag your books by topic, essay or assignment.

LibraryThing is very easy to join. To register, just enter a user name and a password in the green box.

Simply enter some words from the title, the author or an ISBN. You don't have to type everything in. LibraryThing gets the rest of the bibliographical information from Amazon.com and over 252 libraries around the world, including the Library of Congress. Just click on the book to add it to your catalog. You can search your books, sort your books, edit book information, and apply "tags."

My del.ici.ous

My del.ici.ous is a social bookmarking website that allows you to store and share bookmarks on the web, instead of inside your browser. As a result, you can access and add bookmarks from any computer.

On del.icio.us, you can use tags to organize and remember your bookmarks. Tags are one-word descriptors like keywords or subject headings that you can assign to your bookmarks. You can assign as many tags to a bookmark as you like and easily rename or delete them later. Also, one can set up a shared account to collaborate with classmates when doing group work.