It's Christmas!

Time to stop blogging! This little blog is now one whole year old! To those you read this I say "why are you reading this now and not enjoying yourselves having a fantastic Christmas?" Anyway best wishes and for 2008!

Library 2.0 initiatives in Academic Libraries

This book, edited by Laura B. Cohen has apparently just been published. Here are some details :
Library 2.0 Initiatives in Academic Libraries is a hybrid book and wiki presenting twelve case studies of significant Library 2.0 initiatives in academic libraries. Following its publication, the authors will write regularly updated reports about their initiatives for at least two years on a wiki hosted by the Association for College & Research Libraries (ACRL), located at http://acrl.ala.org/L2Initiatives. The case studies describe several emerging practices of Library 2.0. These include varied uses of networked social software and open data formats to add value to and distribute library resources and services. Other cases describe 2.0 ways of pedagogy, the provision of services in physical and online spaces where students congregate, online catalog enhancements, and the creation of feature-rich interfaces for accessing digital research collections. The authors describe the use of such tools as blogs, wikis, podcasts, IM, RSS, XML, Web services, mashups, and social computing to illustrate their efforts to forge new models of scholarly communication in academic environments.
There are several interesting-sounding IL chapters inckuding:
"Building Library 2.0 into Information Literacy: A Case Study" by Susan Sharpless Smith, Erik Mitchell, and Caroline Numbers, Wake Forest University.
"Discussing Student Engagement: An Information Literacy Course Blog"
Gregory Bobish, University at Albany, State University of New York.

Two major presentations

Here are links to two major presentations given recently which I would like to draw attention to. Ellyssa Kroski at ACRL New York symposium : about the best summary of where we are with use of social software in academic libraries.
Meredith Farkas at UC Berkeley "Building Academic Library 2.0 " which is on YouTube and enables her enthusiasm to come across.

How Universities are using Web 2.0 to promote their Libraries

This was a short presentation I gave in the Pillar Room at Olympia during the Online Conference last week. Didn't manage to show any YouTube videos and the two I most enjoy highlighting are the De Montfort Induction video, which is excellent because in good Web 2.0 style it begins with the users and promotes the Library from their viewpoints : and the L-Team, which amuses me no end every time I see it : it must be the music - it's great!

I should also have shown the British Library video "From Bones to Bytes" fronted by Tim Campbell, winner of "The Apprentice"Tim Campbell, winner of the BBC's 'The Apprentice', which gives a video introduction to the British Library and what it offers to visitors and researchers.

Online Information Conference, Olympia, 4-6 Dec 2007

With 101 countries represented, this event was a sell-out this year. Web 2.0 was a pervasive theme and I felt was reaching a critical mass position.
Jimmy Wales (founder of Wikipedia) as the first keynopte speaker was inspiring. He felt he was like a "Red Cross for information" as Wikipedia was open source with no chance of being sold to Google! Funded by small donations it was not dependent on advertisments. Its popularity is becoming worldwide and is even the 14th most popular web site in Iran. He spoke enthusiastically of Wikia, which is encouraging the creation of special interest wikis, (e.g. Muppet Wiki)with over 3000 topics so far in 66 languages. This is like the long tail going onto the web and is obviously being created by enthusiasts.
Interestingly he said that he would not expect students to be citing Encyclopedia Britannica any more than Wikipedia in their academic work. Encyclopedias are not original research! He commended the use of Wikipedia in Information Literacy teaching "not as good as a book, but better than Facebook". Remember Wikipedia is a general interest encyclopedia, not an academic journal.
He doesn't believe librarians will disappear either :"Everybody has jokes, but we still have comedians!" So that's my calling!!
It was a privilege to see and hear Stephen Abram (Sirsi-Dynix)"Library 2.0 - Fact or Fiction"- this was very much as he gave at Internet Librarian with some whizzy slides and provocative future gazing. He also showed "Here comes another bubble" a very enjoyable YouTube video about Web 2.0 fads. A few points which stay with me :
We have to create effective experience everywhere users have needs.
How do we meet them instead of telling them what we want to tell them?
Are we ready for dealing with a 15 year old who pays fines via an avatar in SL?
Teach success and knowledge managemnent rather than Information Literacy.
Our transactions with students should all add something to their experience.
David Nicholas (University College, London) spoke about the SuperBook project : a few points that stick in my consciousness - 3.5 minutes found to be the common time frame for use of the e-books on the survey, with no real evidence of the prevalence long reading sessions. Importance of power browsing.
On Thursday I moderated a session on "Embracing end user behaviours for better service provision" : this included an interesting presentations from OCLC researchers Lynn Connaway, Jasmine de Gaia and Marie L.Radford, and "Observing student researchers in their native habitat" a ProQuest survey by John Law.
Final thoughts : as the profession tries to meet the google generation and therefore becomes Web 2.0 savvy we may become more like thge Web generation. There is also evidence that the silver-surfers (I havent quite reached them yet..) are spending more time on the Web than the Web generation. Guess this means that the picture is getting more complex (not just Web generation, baby-boomers, screenagers etc in categories) and that we should be among the vanguard.

Social bookmarking in Plain English

Came across another little movie in the Commoncraft series : this time it's about social bookmarkiong and it makes a very good introduction to del.icio.us. As they say "We made this video because we want people to see the power of social bookmarking and how it makes web pages easy to remember, organize and share". Could be very useful to "sell" the idea to academics and to some students.

Free images

Came across several very useful posts about where to find free images for re-use.
Joyce Valenza : A picture is worth....
Search Engine Journal : 10 places to find free images
Presentation Zen : 10 links to cool, high-rez images
Hey Jude : Find free images online : my list

Convergence of literacies

There is an excellent article called "Student-content creation : convergence of literacies" by Joan Lippincott in the latest EDUCAUSE Review. In it she admits that despite years of advocacy few Universities have implemented ICT or Information Skills components throughout the curriculum. She suggests that the time is right for proposing a frameworkj which on Higher Education's need to focus on " the need to prepare students to be content creators within their disciplinary or professional specialities." She concludes
"In the way that we produce content today, it is difficult to separate out where media literacy ends and where technology literacy begins—or where information literacy begins and where technology literacy ends. There is a convergence of literacies, and they can all inform academic work in separate but integrated ways". Really interesting article and well worth checking out.

M-Libraries Conference, November 2007

It seems an eternity since I last blogged! This is because I have been on the Conference trail and have not been one of those really whizzy delegates who sit in sessions taking notes on their laptop and blogging immediately afterwards! Still in the Stone Age of taking notes in a book I have to decipher hand-writing later on...
I can report on what I think was a ground-breaking Conference held at the Open University 13-14 November about Mobile Libraries (not the vans) but those hand-held devices. Many of the presentation slides are now on the Web site.
It was great to hear and meet Joan Lippincott (Coalition for Networked Information), a true expert on the Web Generation. For the first time I came upon the term "screenager" for the latest Web generation ; interestingly many of the characteristics of the Web generation are now transferring to older generations, particularly as we acquire new skills, but the big differentiating factor, she believes, is that the Web generation is more VISUAL.
She cautioned against believing we know our student population and encouraged us to look for quantitative data, and qualitative data from focus groups, interviews and field studies.
She quoted the JISC 2007 report 'In their own words' which says "many speak oftheir personal devices as individulaised learning environments which...go everywhere with them".
Her presentation lists mobile devices and examples of how libraries are already responding to student preferences for use of mobiles.
In a trully inspiring presentation she suggested the need within an institution for a Mobile Learning Task Force to drive integration of mobile technologies, encouraging the transition of usage from recreation to student learning.
Time does not allow me to blog about the rest of the Conference but I can recommend the Conference site.
My conclusion is that this technology will become very important for delivery of IL, particularly because of its convenience throughout the world (twice as many persons can access mobile phones as the Web) and ability to provide small gems of information or advice when the student requires.

TALIS Insight07 and a Gorilla

I have just returned from the excellent TALIS Insight07 Inspiration for Change Conference at the Hilton Metropole, Birmigham NEC. With over 300 delegates from all over the UK this was far more than a LMS sales pitch. I gave a presentation on "From Google to YouTube to SecondLife : the challenge to information literacy". See Overdue Ideas blog for detailed posts on most of the presentations.
But what do I remember particularly? The use by Dave Errington of the Cadbury's (Phil Collins)Gorilla as an inspired trigger for making us think. Must try it out with some students next week...

Information Literacy skills for Business students

In this YouTube video, Louise Klusek, Head of Reference at the Newman Library, Baruch College, talks about her responsibilities of teaching in Business 1000 and BPL classes, showing students how to do company research and industry research, and answering business-related questions. Speaking from her own experience as a corporate librarian working on Wall Street, Professor Klusek stresses that "information literacy skills are very important for students who are going to enter the business world...investment bankers spend 80 and 90 percent of their time doing research...they are doing the same kind of research that students are doing here."

True not many of our students from the UK will end up on Wall Street, but this little talk might have some credibility in making the connection between their studies and their future and the importance of being able to manage information searching.

Contra Costa County Library

Public Libraries in the US seem to be increasing their presence on MySpace. Its a way of outreach to younger patrons who may not otherwise use libraries. This example from Contra costa County California is worth looking at : sparkly background, loud music and all.

Web 2.0 Backpack or Web 2.0 apps for Students

Just in case you have missed this magnificent post from Read/Write Web here is the link. How far is it our job as Information Literacy teachers to tell students about the best applications? How do we keep up with them anyway? Well here's a great start! Surely its just a matter of recommending where appropraite as part of our IL "Curriculum" and also utililising them in our teaching where appropriate, working with our Academic and IT colleagues. I can hear someone sighing "if only it were that simple..."

Tags help make Libraries del.icio.us

There's an interesting article 'Tags help make Libraries del.icio.us'(for public and academic librarians) in Library Journal 15 Sept 2007 by Melissa Rethlefsen, which neatly summarises the power of tagging and includes some examples who have taken up the challenge.

Web Literacy

This Secondary ICT- Web Literacy programme is a very useful tool helping teachers to provide guidance to their pupils when using the internet for research. Vetry useful resource for schools, and possibly higher level education.
A group of Year 9 pupils at Wortley High School in Leeds are asked to look at three websites. The subject matters are Martin Luther King, the holocaust and Victorian robots.
None of the websites are what they seem. The first two are fronts for racists and holocaust deniers. The last is a good-natured spoof. None of the pupils spot any problems with the validity, reliability or authority of the sites and many say they would cut and paste information from the sites for use in homework or other projects. James Green leads a lesson that reveals the truth to the pupils, passing on valuable tips on website cross-checking and validity.

Information R/evolution

I really envy some of the bloggers whose stuff I read regularly for their dedication, but where do they get the time to do all those posts?? After a period of relative silence, imprisoned writing a book about Web 2.0 and InformationLiteracy, I can come alive again. I've just seen a little video that has made me drop everything so that I can post about it!
Michael Wesch, Kansas State University, has come up with another brilliant little video called Information Revolution.
It " explores the changes in the way we find, store, create, critique, and share information. This video was created as a conversation starter, and works especially well when brainstorming with people about the near future and the skills needed in order to harness, evaluate, and create information effectively."
This video complements the work of David Weinberger "Everything is miscellaneous" very well. Brilliant!

LibGuides at Dalhousie University

I wanted to draw attention to the collection of subject guides at Dalhousie University in Canada. They have been created by the subject librarians there using the Springshare application LibGuides. The remakable thing about them is that there are 148 of them! Yes, 148! This is not unique either - Utah State University have 53. Many libraries are now using LibGuides as an easy way to store content (including RSS feeds, custom search engines, podcasts etc.) .This must be easier and quicker than some other methods being used around Universities.....Better still Facebook has now got an add-on so that students can access the guides through Facebook: they use this to set up their chosen guide. Very interesting.

How big is Wikipedia?

Nikola Smolenski has produced a visual of what Wikipedia would look like if it was printed in book format. Take a look at the 1250 volumes and how she's calculated it. Might be useful to show to students to give them some idea of the scale : then introduce them to how it's made up, and updated.

How to spice up your presentations

Why didn't I use these wonderful tips from i-Librarian over the past few days when I was preparing my latest presentation? It's so easy to fall in with what we know and are comfortable with.... but we all know what it's like at those one day conferences ; "Death by Powerpoint" I call it. It would make a nice change for someone to stand up and speak from the heart!

Don McMillan said it all so brilliantly in this little clip "Life after Death by Powerpoint"which I've just found again : it cheered me up no end.

Inquiry based learning with Web 2.0

Increasingly I keep coming across references to slide-shows which are in slideshare. This service is a wonderful example of Web 2.0 technology at its best - allowing you to share your presentations with others, and gaining ideas from others! This particular show by Paul Reid, a teacher in Western Australia, is about how social software Web 2.0 tools can be used in inquiry based learning. There are some interesting ideas in this basic introduction of only 39 slides.

Visions of the future from 1910

At this time of stress and inductions, here is bit of light relief!

This is a must for my Information Literacy teaching this term! It is taken from a wonderful collection of illustrations Utopia: "The Quest for the Ideal Society in the Western World" by the French artist, Villemard.

See the collection here.

With thanks to Hey Jude and Stephen's Lighthouse.

Library Learning 2.0

I came across Library Learning 2.0 today. It is an interesting re-working of the famous Helen Blowers "Learning 2.0" programme. Facilitated by Carlene Walter it was intended for teacher-librarians of the Prairie Spirit School Division in Saskatchewan, Canada.
"Library Learning 2.0 is an online learning program that fosters the expansion of one's information literacy toolbox. Participants will explore, experiment with, and discover creative ways to implement into teaching practice Web 2.0 tools - emerging technologies that that are freely available on the Internet and are changing the way students, librarians, and educators access information and communicate. "The program is self-directed.

Otis College Information Literacy Tutorials

I came across this via Ellyssa Kroski's iLibrarian blog, but could not resist also posting about it. Here, on the Otis College of Art Library site are resources for students to use which take account of their different learning styles- Quick fixes, movies or interactive resouces, longer in-depth tutorials. Its a very interesting idea and a good collection of resources to view all under one banner.

Cult of the amateur

I have just been reading "Cult of the amateur : how today's internet is killing our culture" by Andrew Keen. Expecting this to be a long rant about the evils of Web 2.0 and how it was putting authors, musicians and scholars out of work, I was still entertained by his approach. Andrew Keen started out in Sillicon Valley, but became disillusioned by the Web 2.0 brigade. I recommend the book because it contains many valid criticisms of the consequences of the Web 2.0 participation culture. He concludes that we cannot put the clock back, but we can work with what he considers good outcomes, like Citizendium.

Unconference at Library Camp NYC 14 August 2007

Take a look at Ellyssa Kroski's iLibrarian account of the Library Camp held 14 August at Baruch College in New York City. The concept of an Unconference is attractive, as it avoids extensive preparation, formal presentations and allows enthiasts to get together and share their most recent experiences and concerns. By all accounts this was a very useful exchange and this conference wiki relates discussions on microblogging (twitter), Information Literacy (interesting ideas on teaching using wikipedia, Google, etc.) next generation catalogues and other topical issues.

Internet generation fan video on YouTube

By the way, my recent lack of posts was due to a summer break in our "holiday home" which has two rooms - wish I was still there....

This little video about the I Generation is made entirely from archive footage with rap music underneath and may appal some, but could be useful as a teaching tool. ..See what you think.

Wikipedia and Encyclopaedia Britannica again

Not another article comparing one with other, but instead a list of corrections in Wikipedia of errors in Britannica. They are not earth shattering but make good points about how Wikipedia can draw on a large number of experts, and can update and correct easily,

Top Ten Reasons for Libraries

Slideshare is a wonderful example of Web 2.0 in action and here is a lovely presentation by Chuck Hamaker of UNC Charlotte. Just 10 slides but such powerful images - wow!

LASSIE Project Literature Review is out!

If you haven't seen this already, I thoroughly recommend you take a look at the draft literature review "Social Software, Libraries, and Distance Learners" by Jane Secker. It defines social software, what it means for libraries, with examples of libraries using it ; a section on how this relates to distance learning; and finally a section on the topical subject of libraries as social spaces. Very useful set of references at the end too.

Scholarly vs popular periodicals

Amazingly after the last post I have found, thanks to Lauren's library blog, a little 3 minute slide show with voice over on YouTube from Peabody Library, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, which may have pedagogical value! Its about the difference between scholarly and popular journal literature. See what you think.
Then you can consider a video from the same source about Finding articles on PsycInfo...........

The Adventures of Super Librarian

I can't resist introducing you to Super Librarian, just in case you haven't already met her. Its a 35 second promo video from McCracken County Public Library, Kentucky. This brings me to an interesting point.
We can sometimes be guilty of mistaking promotion for pedagogy when considering YouTube materials. Most of the library ones that I've seen have been more about promotion and orientation, rather than teaching or facilitating student learning. Maybe there are some new offerings out there being created with superb pedagogical credentials? Anyway Super Librarian isnt one of them!

Web 2.0 stuff recommendations

This is a recommended list of Web 2.0 tools from a history and ICT teacher in Doncaster, Doug Belshaw. Some will be familiar, others perhaps not. It's a great list worth exploring.

Social Networking in the USA

Came across this interesting chart from Forrester Research (in Business Week 11 June 2007) which gives participation of US online users for creators, critics, collectors and joiners of social networking sites. If I was in the States I would be an Older Boomer! Its a very useful visual summary.

Cult of the amateur : how today's internet is killing our culture

Here's a book I must read, which has caused a good deal of controversy. Author Andrew Keen admits that its a polemic - not a fair book, but it does make some serious points about the cult of Web 2.0. Here's a Google author interview for anyone with lots of time. Here's a snapshot entry about Keen in Wikipedia. Finally some discussion from BBC Newsnight.
Anyone read the book?

Social Networking in Plain English

Here's another in this YouTube series - very short this time. Very elementary : hope it plays for you : it wouldn't work yesterday when I tried it to introduce the subject to the Education Librarians' Group!

Back from the Conferences etc.

The last few weeks have been hectic and the blogosphere has been filled with Conference reports. Web 2.0 is certainly still flavour of the month! My presentations at the Business Librarians' Conference in Northampton and at Under One Umbrella certainly showed there's plenty of enthusiasm for embracing the new technologies.
Across the water at the ALA Conference on 25 June in Washington George Needham ruffled a few librarian feathers when he likened the academic library to a church with the altar of the reference desk! This must have been some presentation and this summary is well worth reading.

Wikis in Plain English

There's a useful little movie on You Tube called Wikis in Plain English which may be useful to explain the concept to newcomers or non-believers!

Library Tutorials from Texas

Anyone wanting to see examples of tutorials being placed on YouTube and of audio Information Literacy tutorials should look at the Alkek Library of Texas State University. This is all housed within a refreshingly clean web site. There is also an interesting page which combines all kinds of help available to students.

Google, Ken Burns and Fractal Cognitive Engagement

This little movie caught my attention because of the juxtaposition of Google and Ken Burns. For those who havent seen them, Ken Burns made my favourite documentary series about The West and the American Civil War. As anyone who has been to any of my presentations knows, I am a Western freak and cowboys have a habit of sneaking into all my Powerpoints! So what is all this movie about?
When users search Google and type in the words they are likely to be doing more cognitive activity than we librarians thought. The Central Jersey Academic Reference Librarians (who made the movie) reckon that users are in fact using the zooming in and out of photo effect of Ken Burns. Therefore we should take this into account in design of web pages. Perhaps something like Quintura would go down well with many students? Give the movie a chance : it's an interesting prompt for discussion.

Librarian video

Thanks to Phil Bradley for bringing my attention to this little movie on YouTube from Dunedin Public Library. I'm just dying to try it out with a group of first year students to see how many misbehaviours they can spot and which they think is the most serious. It might be a better way of getting across library rules and encourage a discussion rather than the librarian just keep telling them what they should and should not do. Anyhow I did enjoy the moving stack. Reminded me of the days when I used to shelve in moving stacks back at the UL in Cambridge and the fun we used to have.

What's a mashup and would you want one?

Darlene Fichter of University of Sascatchewan Library has given an excellent presentation on mashups. The slides give a good indication of many interesting sites, made up of two web applications mashed together. Its the best and most entertaining introduction that I have come across. Best of all is the opening title slide with the singing monster : this you have got to check out!

RSS in plain English

Ever had to explain RSS? I always find that this is the part of a talk about Web 2.o tools where its easy to make people glaze over! I was really glad to come across references to this slick little movie which explains it really quickly and simply. Give it a try! It's called RSS in plain English.

Video IM Instant Messaging

Slides from a fascinating presentation by Char Booth about Ohio University Library's recent Video IM project given at ACRL Cyber Zed Shed 31 March 2007. Could this be the answer to providing assistance on other floors of large libraries?

Web 2.0 videos

This site collects together a number videos and Powerpoints about Web 2.0 which could be very useful for teaching and demonstrations. Some of them are very entertaining. It is an offshoot of the Shambles in SE Asia (The Education Project Asia) which aims to help international schools find resources.

Coming of Age : an introduction to the new World Wide Web

This free publication available since last year is edited by Terry Freedman with chapters by 14 authors from UK, USA, Canada and Thailand, set out to inspire teachers to use Web 2.0. There are some interesting insights in its 92 pages and school librarians should find it very exciting!

Library 2.0 social network

In a rush of enthusiasm I have joined my first social network Library 2.0, powered by Ning. It has only been running a month and already has 930 members!!! I guess they are mainly from the States but this may change. Give it a try! This shows the level of interest and first impressions are that it is a very interesting place to gain new ideas and run discussions.

Back from LILAC, Manchester, 26-28 March 2007

Returning from Conferences always means a pile of e-mails and now also a host of blog posts to read. Then there are the freebies, pens, publishers' handouts about abstruse databases to unpack, and thinking about reading all the notes I've made (and now can't quite decipher) ; and the memories of Alfred Waterhouse's Town Hall. Yes, it was a great Conference and Sheila Webber has blogged about some of the sessions already. The LILAC site will contain the Powerpoints in due course.

Web 2.0 on YouTube

This post from the Learning and Teaching in the 21st Century blog draws attention to several resources on YouTube about Web 2.0 in addition to "The Machine is Us" and may be useful aids to discussion.

Judgement and Web 2.0

This very thoughtful post from Judy O'Connell is well worth reading. In our enthusiasm about Web 2.0 we must not forget the importance of using the technology for deeper learning. Its not gimmicks : its really about helping student learning.

Ms Dewey

Reflecting on the LILAC Conference In Manchester I suspect that those who heard my presentation on "From Google Scholar to YouTube" will remember most the heckling voice which interrupted my Powerpoint delivery! Setting up Ms Dewey on the Web to sit beneath my Powerpoint I did not expect it to launch! The results were found to be hilarious because no-one could understand where the voice was coming from!
Anyway, for those of you who have never met Ms. Dewey, the experimental Microsft search engine here is the link
http://www.msdewey.com/

Introducing the Book - again

This wonderful little video has now been moved on YouTube to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFAWR6hzZek

Introducing the Book

The BOOK? On a site about Web 2.0? Before we get too serious on this site lets have some fun! This wonderful little video on YouTube is about the discovery of the book in medieval times and should be watched by all enquiry desk librarians. I'm wondering if I could get into one of my teaching sessions....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRjVeRbhtRU

Video about Web 2.0

A number of blogs are reporting on a very interesting and useful video hosted on YouTube, by Michael Wesch of Kansas State University. In a few minutes it manages to demonstrate the importance of how the web is developing in the Web 2.0 era. Find it at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gmP4nk0EOE&eurl=

Google Fun

For a bit of fun you can now compare the popularity of one keyword or phrase against another via GoogleFight http://www.googlefight.com/or GoogleBattle. http://www.googlebattle.com/The little graphics make this quite entertaining. Maybe we can use this to help students understand about use of different keywords to describe the same thing. e.g. murder versus homicide. Thanks to Miguel Guhlin for drawing attention to this.

DEMOS Report

The importance of the school sector in the changes being brought about by Web 2.0 is likely to be a recurrent thread in our discussions.
The influential thinktank DEMOS have recently published a pamphlet called Their Space : education for a digital generation. http://www.demos.co.uk/publications/theirspace
Written from the perspective of the young learner the insights can inform us about the value of the new media, how they use them and, I guess, challenge us to adapt our teaching approaches in schools and throughout education.

Library Videos

I read in lauren's library blog about JumpCut, http://www.jumpcut.com/ a website that allows you to load your movies and audio and do editing yourself.This sounds like another great Web 2.0 application : a further case of something you may be able to do yourself rather than involve colleagues and expensive software. It all depends on time and your own enthusiasm!

I can also recommend Library Videos - the best of... http://libraryvideos.blogspot.com/
This is a new blog, begun by Nancy Dowd of Trenton, New Jersey. You are invited to submit the link to your video or comment on others. Many are using YouTube. Here is great new place for us to share new ideas and experiences.