Online Information
Speaker of the Week
Speakers from the 2008 Online Information Conference will be featured in this new series of profiles. As well as giving you an opportunity to find out more about the industry experts who will be addressing the conference, these brief Q&A's will give a flavour of the conference and offer some advice on how to get the most out of attending.
Ewan McIntosh, Digital Commissioner 4iP (Scotland and Northern Ireland), Channel 4, UK is our first speaker to be featured. Ewan will be taking to the stage three times during this year's conference...
Day 1: Ewan will be on the panel of ‘Innovators under the spotlight'
Day 2: Track 1 - When communities create themselves, what's the role for the organisation?
Day 3: Track 2 - Information seeking behaviours in the new world
Q Which tracks would you recommend to delegates attending the conference?
Ewan: I'd go for the track or tracks that are most relevant to you and your role, but take at least one afternoon out in something you wouldn't normally have gone to. Ultimately, though, anything to do with social media is a must for almost every profile of person coming to this event. It affects your customers' lives, your neighbours... it affects you directly. If you don't think it does now, then you'll find out how much it's affected you when you're organisation is ignored by the very people it's trying to engage.
Q What are you looking forward to most about participating in Online Information 2008?
Ewan: I like thinking through things that I haven't had time, in my normal day, to get to grips with. The mix of disciplines at Online is the best reason to attend. It pushes your thinking out of whatever boxes you've found yourself falling into over the year. It has to be said: Clay Shirky is a great feature this year, and I'll love blogging about his stuff and, with any luck, sharing a word or two over a cheap plastic cup of coffee.
Q If you had to choose only one - which social network would you recommend to colleagues?
Ewan: I'd choose the one where their friends or colleagues were. Some people find that one, say Facebook, already contains most of these people. Others have no intention of mixing with workmates, so go with the place where your high school friends are, for example. There's not one that's better than the rest; they just appeal to different groups of people. If you're my friend, though, get on Facebook - it's where most of the people I care about can be found.
Q And finally, just out of interest - where are you planning to spend Christmas this year?
Ewan: Christmas is always spent with my family at home in Scotland. I'm not going to say where, though. You can just keep an eye on my Flickr photo feed to see how beautiful a place it is.
About Ewan McIntosh
Ewan McIntosh helps people understand how emerging technologies such as social media, mobile ubiquitous computers and gaming can help them learn better, work better and live better. He currently works for Channel 4 Television Corporation's Innovation for the Public Fund, as Digital Commissioner for Scotland and Northern Ireland. Previously, Ewan worked in the world of education, latterly as National Adviser on Learning and Technology Futures for Learning and Teaching Scotland, the education agency responsible for curriculum development, and a member of several advisory boards, including the Channel 4 New Media Education Advisory
Board. As a teacher of French and German in the high school sector and an educational technologist working with children aged 3-18, he frequently gives talks and workshops around the world, trying to find new and better ways of using emerging technologies in education. Ewan has also consulted for Governments around the world, and organisations including the BBC, British Council, General
Teaching Council of Scotland, RM and Scottish Enterprise, advising on how social media can be harnessed for to improve learning in the organisation, leadership and communication. More information and previous talks are available on his website:
http://www.ewanmcintosh.com/, and you can follow his take on current trends on his regularly updated blog http://edu.blogs.com/
Jenny Levine, Internet Development Specialist and Strategy Guide, American Library Association, USA is this week's speaker. Jenny is a track keynote speaker on day one of the conference...
Day 1: Track 3 New Channels, New Media and New Approaches for Libraries
Q Which are the most important topics, for you personally, due to be discussed at the Online Information Conference 2008 and why?
Jenny: The most important topics for me are the integration of user-generated content, interactivity, and syndication (RSS). I believe these three things are changing user expectations and behaviour with information and media, forcing the rest of us to adapt to these changes.
Q Which tracks would you recommend to delegates attending the conference?
Jenny: As someone who works in an association and is implementing a professional networking service for our members, I'm interested in the "Risk 2.0 or Opportunity 2.0 - hype or hope?" and "User generated content - challenging professionals" tracks. I'm also intrigued by the "Perspectives from Generation Y" and "Information seeking behaviours in the new world" ones, as I think these have an impact on our profession.
Q What are you looking forward to most about participating in Online Information 2008?
Jenny: The the networking and meeting new people who can provide me with new information and inspire me think of things in different ways. This conference certainly looks like an exciting group of people to do just that.
Q If you had to choose only one - which social network would you recommend to colleagues?
Jenny: I don't think I can recommend just one social network, as I don't believe any of them meets all of someone's needs. Instead, I think each person should create their own social network using Friendfeed, although I am discouraged that the site still cannot display Facebook updates.
Q And finally - where are you planning to spend Christmas this year?
Jenny: I'm planning to spend the holidays at home, which will be a nice break after a fall of quite a bit of travel.
About Jenny Levine
I work in both the Information Technology and Publishing units at the American Library Association. As part of my job, I blog, create wikis, bug my colleagues to instant message, test podcasting and vodcasting, teach RSS, post pictures on Flickr, explore Second Life, and do similar work with emerging technologies and new tools. I am currently organizing the 2007 ALA TechSource Gaming, Learning, and Libraries Symposium which will take place in July in Chicago. Last year, I had the pleasure of traveling around the United States and Europe to give more than 30 presentations. The "strategy guide" piece of my title is providing leadership and implementation of new technologies at ALA and in libraries in general. Learn more about Jenny by checking out her Blog http://www.theshiftedlibrarian.com/
Jeremy Gould, Head of Internet Communication, Ministry of Justice, UK is this week's speaker. Jeremy is a track keynote speaker on day one of the conference.
Day 1: Track 1 Web 2.0 After the buzz
Q Which are the most important topics, for you personally, due to be discussed at the Online Information Conference 2008 and why?
Jeremy: I'm really keen to learn more about how business can better adopt semantic web technologies.
Q Besides your own, which tracks would you recommend to delegates attending the conference?
Jeremy: Search and SEO aren't the 'sexiest'; of subjects but they're vital for business, and easily overlooked in the Web 2.0 media hype. I think there's plenty to learn there still.
Q What are you looking forward to most about participating in Online Information 2008?
Jeremy: Meeting new people!
Q If you had to choose only one - which social network would you recommend to colleagues?
Jeremy: I get more business intros through LinkedIn right now - its become my online CV
Q And finally, just out of interest - where are you planning to spend Christmas this year?
Jeremy: West coast of Ireland.
About Jeremy Gould
I am a civil servant at the UK Ministry of Justice with responsibility for digital media strategy. I lead a team of web professionals managing a portfolio of websites, developing customer-centric online communication propositions, and using social media tools to encourage online engagement. Prior to joining the civil service, I worked on web 'stuff' in wider public sector, corporate, and agency environments.
Jeremy Gould's Specialties:
- Proposition development with a technology agnostic approach
- Defining user experience - strong ability to act as an 'informed customer'
- Using social media for online engagement and delivering lean, functional web presences
- Delivering with limited resources
- Building and motivating teams - physically and virtually
- Qualified and experienced OGC gateway reviewer
Learn more about Jeremy by checking out http://whitehallwebby.com/ | http://twitter.com/jeremygould | http://linkedin.com/in/jeremygould/
Richard Wallis, Technology Evangelist, Talis, UK is this week's speaker. Richard is a track keynote speaker on day two of the conference.
Day 2: Track 2 - Catch the semantic wave - or drown in a sea of content
Q Which are the most important topics, for you personally, due to be discussed at the Online Information Conference 2008 and why?
Richard: Having spoken with several key speakers, whilst recording the Online Information 2008 podcast series, it is clear that many sessions that I am looking forward to are building on the experience of Web 2.0 and new social patterns to predict an exciting and challenging future.
Q Besides your own, which tracks would you recommend to delegates attending the conference?
Richard: The Web 2.0 after the Buzz track - because we need to take the lessons of Web 2.0 and project them forward.
Q What are you looking forward to most about participating in Online Information 2008?
Richard: Meeting both speakers and attendees to join in the physical social networking
Q If you had to choose only one - which social network would you recommend to colleagues?
Richard: It would totally depend on their area of interest - dependant on the conversation I use Linked-in, Facebook, Twitter and Doppler.
Q And finally, just out of interest - where are you planning to spend Christmas this year?
Richard: A few old fashioned web-less (with the exception of iPlayer) days at home with the family and lots of food.
About Richard Wallis
Richard's thirty year plus career in the computer information industry, the last eighteen of which has been with the UK's leading Library Systems and Semantic Web technology company, Talis, coupled with his passion for and involvement with new and emerging technology trends, gives him a unique perspective of the issues challenging Libraries, and Information professionals today. Richard has been at the birth of several major System Developments, as architect, research and technical lead. As Technology Evangelist he is at the forefront in promoting, explaining, and applying new and emerging Web and Semantic Web technologies in the library and wider information domain. Richard is an active blogger on Panlibus, a regular podcaster in the Talking with Talis series, and host and chair of the Library 2.0 Gang.
Kate Stanfield, Head of Knowledge Management, CMS Cameron McKenna LLP is this week's speaker. Kate is speaking on day two of the conference.
Day 2: Track 3 - Information professionals surviving and thriving in the new age
Kate comments here on her session: Hybrid professionals mean a thriving library; the experience of a European Law Firm
"All too often some members of the information profession feel that they are not given credit or are fully valued for their expertise, although this is a generalisation - this can result in a defensive attitude and at it's worst, a perception of that professional as a "cannot do" rather than "can do" person. They may do their job well, but will not "stretch" or step outside their comfort zone, and gradually the more interesting work is not brought to the information function. This vicious circle can sometimes be broken if new and complementary roles can be taken on, to demonstrate the skills and value of an information professional.
"I have been lucky in my career, in that I have been able to stretch the boundaries of my scope - I have had to include some boring tasks as part of that, but it has usually improved my credibility and increased my understanding of organisational needs, strategy and goals. The result has been a more fulfilling job, and a role valued by my organisation."
Q Which are the most important topics, for you personally, due to be discussed at the Online Information Conference 2008 and why?
Kate: Collaborative working - we are finding web 2.0 technology can be applied to such good effect within so many communities of practice, but this is fraught with issues - policies, protocols, longevity and archive storage of knowledge. I hope to find out more about how other people are tackling this - and what to avoid!
Q Besides your own, which tracks would you recommend to delegates attending the conference?
Kate: Track 2: Order out of chaos - creating structure in our information universe - so much in all of the tracks, but the semantic search is such a key thing for me going forwards - this could make such a difference to information retrieval.
Q What are you looking forward to most about participating in Online Information 2008?
Kate: The discussions! Knowledge is all about the people, so to hear what such a great range of experts are doing will be most interesting.
Q If you had to choose only one - which social network would you recommend to colleagues?
Kate: LinkedIn probably, it is becoming really well populated now.
Q And finally, just out of interest - where are you planning to spend Christmas this year?
Kate: At home - we are renovating an old house and with eight coming to Christmas dinner, I aspire to have a cooker by then, a whole kitchen would be nice
too but....
About
Kate Stanfield
Kate Stanfield is the Head of Knowledge Management at CMS Cameron McKenna LLP. Her background is that of an Information Manager, she joined the firm in 1990 having spent 7 years in public and business libraries. A Chartered Librarian with over 20 years experience she has implemented several knowledge systems, including electronic systems for sharing information. Kate received the Lexis Nexis Butterworths award for excellence in 2005.
Kate has helped several clients with knowledge and information services, ranging from carrying out knowledge sharing audits, helping to create a knowledge strategy, through to developing taxonomy for the business.
Chris Sherman, President, Searchwise, USA is this weeks speaker. Chris is a track keynote speaker on day one of the conference..
Day 1: Track 2 - Breathing new life into search
Q Which are the most important topics, for you personally, due to be discussed at the Online Information Conference 2008 and why?
Chris: The sessions discussing the semantic web. After years of hearing that "it's almost here," I've been seeing solid evidence that the semantic web has in fact, arrived, and is set to dramatically change the way information professionals work on the web. This isn't incremental change - it's truly a new paradigm (as much as I hate to use a cliche), and I find the whole area very exciting.
.Q Which tracks would you recommend to delegates attending the conference?
Chris: I'm biased - the Breathing New Life into Search and Order out of
Chaos- Creating Structure in Our Information Universe tracks.
Q What are you looking forward to most about participating in Online Information 2008?
Chris: Meeting with my UK and European information professional colleagues.
It's always a pleasure to get the perspectives of info pros throughout the world, to compare and contrast their issues and concerns.
Q If you had to choose only one - which social network would you recommend to colleagues?
Chris: LinkedIn. While I am a member of other social networks, LinkedIn is the only one I find truly valuable, primarily because it has a professional focus, and the people who participate are more interested in sharing useful information than playing games or dithering away on trivial topics (heh - sorry I don't have a stronger opinion about this... :-)
Q And finally, just out of interest - where are you planning to spend Christmas this year?
Chris: With my wife's family in the Northern Neck area of Virginia. The community they live in is the oldest settled area in the U.S., and the local dialect has more in common with Elizabethan English than contemporary U.S. or U.K. English, so it's always a special treat to be there.
About Chris Sherman
Chris Sherman is President of Searchwise, a web consulting firm based in Boulder, Colorado. He is also Executive Editor of SearchEngineWatch.com, penning a daily newsletter and serving as chair and organiser of Incisive Media's international Search Engine Strategies conferences. Chris writes regularly for Information Today, ONLINE, and other information industry journals.
Email: info@searchwise.net
Salvatore Reina, Programme Manager, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLC, UK is this weeks speaker. Salv is a track keynote speaker on day one of the conference.
Day 1: Track 1 - Web 2.0 after the buzz, Innovators under the spotlight – who stayed the distance
Q Which are the most important topics, for you personally, due to be discussed at the Online Information Conference 2008 and why?
Salv: For me it's how social tools can help businesses get the most bang for their buck as we enter more austere times. Quantifying the ROI is key where possible. The other key areas for me are both search and how social tools will affect the role of the information worker.
Q Which tracks would you recommend to delegates attending the conference?
Salv: It would of course very much depend on what line of business you are in as to which tracks are most useful, but there are several tracks that are relevant for all. Web 2.0 - After the Buzz is a good one as it has a focus on business value and ROI. Also, Understanding Behaviours is relevant for all as it looks at Generation Y..
Q What are you looking forward to most about participating in Online Information 2008?
Salv: First of all, it's a great opportunity to hear from a range of experts and to have a chance to discuss the latest thinking in our field. Secondly, good old fashioned web 0.0 networking! Meeting people face-to-face, sharing ideas, thoughts and creating opportunities.
Q If you had to choose only one - which social network would you recommend to colleagues?
Salv: It would be micro-blogging. When I first saw this idea, I thought it was an irrelevance and I dismissed it. Then I started blogging internally at work and thought that the idea of mini status updates, posted to my site, could be useful. This proved true when I posted an update to say I was going on a conference. A loosely connected colleague saw this and subsequently joined me at the event as he shared an interest. I also started following others and quickly found that I had a very good sense of what key people in my network were doing.
Q And finally, just out of interest - where are you planning to spend Christmas this year?
Salv: This year I will be at home with my family in Surrey. As well as the usual Christmas activities, we'll probably spend a bit of time wandering around the North Downs and taking in some of the winter sights in Guildford.
About Salvatore Reina
Salv has worked for PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) for 12 years in a number of technology related roles. In recent years he has specialised in Knowledge Managment (KM), seeking out opportunities to maximise the business value from KM technology implementations. He currently heads up a number of programmes aimed at making it easier for PwC people to connect with each other and to find useful knowledge.
This has led him to explore the world of social media. Salv believes that social technologies provide huge potential for organisations to help their people connect with each other more effectively. He has led the development of a number of innovative products that are testing the extent to which PwC can derive benefit for important business scenarios; scenarios that include client engagements.
Salv is also at the forefront of the User Profile work currently in progress in PwC globally (the facility for people to store and access expertise, interests, networks and etc). He is keen to develop the firm's capability in this area as he sees the strong connection this has with social media and the benefit that this linkage would give.
Salv runs an internal PwC blog in which he comments on the world of social media and profiling.
Email: salvatore.reina@uk.pwc.com
Neil Infield, Manager, The British Library, UK
Day 1: Track 3 - ROIP (Return on information professionals) or RIP (rest in peace). Neil will speak specifically on ‘Moving from readers to customers and clients in the business and IP Centre at The British Library'
Q Which are the most important topics, for you personally, due to be discussed at the Online Information Conference 2008 and why?
Neil: I am interested in practical applications of Web 2.0 technologies. Something we are experimenting with in the Business & IP Centre.
Q Apart from your own, which tracks would you recommend to delegates attending the conference?
Neil: I always find Mary Ellen Bates informative, challenging and entertaining.
Q What are you looking forward to most about participating in Online Information 2008?
Neil: A great networking opportunity with old and hopefully new contacts.
Q If you had to choose only one - which social network would you recommend to colleagues?
Neil: Facebook is great for keeping up with friends and family. I have found blogging to be slowly addictive (although I'm not sure my readers would agree).
Q And finally, just out of interest - where are you planning to spend Christmas this year?
Neil: I used to go skiing religiously, but after several years of terrible snow conditions I plan to stay at home and probably have to cut my winter grown lawn between rain showers.
About Neil Infield
I am the Manager of the British Library's Business & IP Centre.
Until 2005 I was manager of Business Information Services (BIS) at Hermes Pensions Management (the principal fund manager for the British Telecom and Post Office pensions schemes). During my time at Hermes I developed the BIS far beyond its traditional library services. I have been active in SLA Europe for over 15 years. Having previously been President, I now edit their newsletter and manage the website.
Neil's Blog.. http://britishlibrary.typepad.co.uk/inthroughtheoutfield/
Hazel Hall, Reader Napier University, UK. Hazel is a track speaker on day two of the conference.
Day 2: Track 1 - Risk 2.0 Or opportunity 2.0 - hype or hope
Q Which are the most important topics, for you personally, due to be discussed at the Online Information Conference 2008 and why?
Hazel: Topic: Social computing tools and their application in business to support collaborative work practice. Why: my main research interest is information sharing in online environments, in particular how to motivate people to information share. Social computing tools have great potential here.
Q Apart from your own, which tracks would you recommend to delegates attending the conference?
Hazel: Clay Shirky's keynote (I would recommend delegates read Here comes everybody over the next few days); immediately afterwards track 1 "Web 2.0 after the buzz: Innovators under the spotlight - who stayed the distance" (to find the two Euan/Ewans simultaneously on stage together is a treat not to be missed); track 1 on Wednesday 11.45-13.00 "New ways of working: socialising, collaboration and innovation - exploiting social networks".
Q What are you looking forward to most about participating in Online Information 2008?
Hazel: Catching up with colleagues/friends from the industry. I particularly enjoy seeing graduates from Queen Margaret and Napier University who are now in established careers. For many of them, their first ever contact with Online was to attend with me as students, and in some cases the three days in London very much influenced their later career choices. I'm hoping to see as many of the graduates as possible together this year at 15.30 on Wednesday 3rd December in the bar/café next to Theatre F.
Q If you had to choose only one - which social network would you recommend to colleagues?
Hazel: I'm a Facebook fan.
Q And finally, just out of interest - where are you planning to spend Christmas this year?
Hazel: On one of the big sofas at my parents' house in Northumberland, in front of the fire, with a pile of novels, a ready supply Viennese truffles and weak black tea at hand, and an eye on the window to watch out for the red squirrels scampering across the lawn.
About Hazel Hall
Reader
Napier University
Dr Hazel Hall is Reader in the School of Computing at Napier University, Edinburgh. Her main research interest is information sharing in online environments. She has published widely on this theme, and most recently was involved in a project exploring risks and opportunities of the adoption (or non-adoption) of social computing tools within organisations for collaborative working from the perspective of the priorities of information and knowledge management. The main sponsor of this work was TFPL Ltd, to whom Dr Hall was seconded in 2006, supported by a grant from the Royal Academy of Engineering. As well as maintaining an active role in the external academic community, Dr Hall has worked with a number of organisations on information and knowledge management projects. These include public sector bodies such as Scottish Enterprise, large companies such as KPMG and Sun Microsystems, and small and medium-sized enterprises.
http://www.dcs.napier.ac.uk/~hazelh/esis/hazel.html
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