Add an eventSessions at Using Social Media to Communicate (UCISA) with slides and video
Wednesday 18th January 2012
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Making the Most of Google+
The big new thing in social media for 2011 was Google+. Google+ is both a brand new social network, and a company wide initiative to add social features to Google products.
In this talk Martin Hamilton (Loughborough University) and William Florance (Google) will take a look at key Google+ features from an institutional perspective. This will include potential applications for online teaching and learning, research collaboration and IT support.
The talk will cover features that are unique to Google+, such as Hangouts and Circles. It will also discuss features that overlap with existing systems and services - e.g. the potential use of Google+ for blogging, and brand management through Google+ Pages.
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Building and sustaining a community using the Social Web
by Brian Kelly
When the Social Web first started to become popular the response from some was to look for ways to block use since there were feelings that such services were inappropriate for use in a educational context, in addition to concerns regarding performance, capacity, legal issues, etc.
However there is now a better understanding of ways in which the Social Web can be used to support legitimate aspects of University activities including teaching and learning, research and administrative work.
The term 'social' has perhaps been responsible for such confusions since it implies non-professional activities. If, however, we regarded the social Web as supporting collaborative activities we can see that it can have a role to play in supporting those working in IT Service departments as well as teaching and learning and research staff.
In this talk Brian Kelly will explore ways in which the Social Web can be used by those working in IT Service departments by supporting collaborative activities with one's peers across the sector. In many respects this is nothing new, since IT Service staff will be familiar with use of mailing lists to engage with others. However there are now new opportunities to use technologies such as blogs and Twitter to build on existing connections and contacts and enhance the development of a Community of Practice across IT Service departments.