Rich user experience(Hipmunk)

‘Rich user experience’ is a pattern of web 2.0 generation. In particular, Web 2.0 provides an environment of network that users using nowadays and people call this environment as ‘User interface.’ As Tim O’Reilly, the founder of media, mentioned ‘Innovation in assembly’ is the generated data can be re-used by the users. However, the issue is how users can explore and reuse the data. For example, when you flip a light switch, the light goes on. In this case, ‘switch’ can be the interface to approach the electronic units of light system. Users need the environment to approach data as well.

As mentioned above, User interface, the environment to approach the data, is the main factor of ‘Rich user experience.’ Simply, Rich User experiences are the transfer of using applications installed on the desktop to web based applications. Those applications have their own interfaces and these interfaces are composed of the computer scripts such as HTML5, JQuery, Adobe Flash(Javascript2.0), AJAX, CSS, and PHP. In particular, AJAX, a combination of XML and JavaScript is uprising technology of Rich User Experience.

Innovation in assembly (Flag Counter)

When we browse the web through Google search, we can see there are various web platforms on the result page. However, when you see carefully, today’s web platforms provides rather similar widgets and similar services whether they emphasizes ‘we are special’ themselves. O’Reilly, the founder of media, mentioned the components of web and services can be re-used via web users. The today’s topic, ‘Innovation in assembly’, means reassembling ‘used commodity’ in effective ways to attempt to create a new platform and the most important role of the process of making innovation is the handy web application call API(Application programming interface).

Before explain about API, I want to show my ASP. NET script I studied.

 protected void ShowTitle(Datetime dtSelected)
{
sCalendr.SelectedDate = dtSelected;
selectedDate = dtSelected;
string titleString = “<font size =’2px’>”;

//compare values

if (dtSelected.Date == DateTime.Today)
{
titleString += “today’s Schedule</font>”;
}

else {
titleString += string.Format(“{The schedule of 0:dd/MMMM}”, dtSelected.Date);

titleString += “</font>”;
}

titleString += “<hr />”;

//control part

Label lblTitle = new Label();
lblTitle.Text = titleString;

//add the generated title on control

phSchedule.Controls.Add(lblTitle);
}

This script is a part of my ASP.NET script and it calls ‘Showtitle method.’ Simply, this code can show ‘title of web schedule record’ that user inserted. To explain procedurally, users can export the schedule title as a label after comparing between received DateTime type variable and today’s date via this method.

An Application programming interface (API) is a set of commands and functions for accessing a web-based software application or tool on the web. The script that I showed is based on object-oriented system, basically aggregated as a set of declared classes and methods. Additionally, today’s API uses a set of Javascript, JQuery, and ASP.NET. They are usually based on object-oriented concept. API is a set of functions and methods that do a task or interact with a software component. In other words, API is a graphical user interface and user gateway to access the databases and computer hardware as well. The Schedule system that I want to build is also a concept of the GUI, able to control widget via clicking and typing. However, the most important purpose is it’s re-usable anytime and implementable anywhere. In this case, I want give an explanation about the most popular free widget of web statistic checker, ‘Flag Counter.’

‘Flag Counter’ is a practical JavaScript widget for web statistic management. Every time someone from a new country visits users’ site, a flag will be added to user’s widget counter. Users can put a ‘Flag Counter’ on practically any site. In addition, it uses an advanced geo-location technology with an often updated DB, offering over 99% accuracy in the identification of countries. All that is required is that the site supports images, because this widget automatically converts a statistic to simple image as png format, so able to handle easily. Most web pages supports the media and sub-html script, so users can use ‘Flag Counter’ whenever they want without considering constraints of images.

-References-

http://oreilly.com/pub/a/web2/archive/what-is-web-20.html?page=4

http://money.howstuffworks.com/business-communications/how-to-leverage-an-api-for-conferencing1.htm

http://readwrite.com/2013/09/19/api-defined#awesm=~ozjExSGj9kgLEO

http://www.flagcounter.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Application_programming_interface

“Data is the next intel inside” (stackoverflow)

“Data is the next intel inside” –by Tim O’Reilly

As everybody knows, data simply means value that describes the attributes or conditions of specific entity. In addition, data doesn’t have a specific form. For example, it can be numbers, or it can be the color of box which I’m facing right now. It seems rather simple, but if we need to discuss about the era of Web 2.0, we cannot ignore the concept of data, because ‘data’, in particular, ‘data collection’, is the main method of digital intelligence communication and imperative marketing initiatives which needs the users contribution as well.

I considered for a while why Tim O’Reilly mentioned “Data is the next intel inside”, and I concluded this was deeply related to the comprehensive concept of the communication and business aspect. Today’s company like eBay, Amazon, or Google has their own DB to manage products and services practically. Data has a power to attract contributors whatever it shapes like. Even marketers consider those aspects to build a system. Rob McLeod mentioned understanding how contributors behave on network is practical way to know how to build strategy will gain traction, because ‘data’ acts as the content of commodity that company wants to identify their topic or contributors’ want to see. In web 2.0 view, contributors can be a part of marketer and also can be the participator in developed environment (dashboard or chatting, etc). They communicate and generate their own data and share with others and aggregated data upgraded as a collection which can be the identification of company or online communication environment.

According to the Arthur Smith Jr, director of Strategic Alliances at Harte-Hanks Trillium Software mentioned there are three criteria of data:

1, Useful

2, Accurate

3, Fit for purpose

He further mentioned, when data fits these three criteria, data actually become actionable information. In this case, i decided to show one of the most potential computer coding website which satisfies these criteria very well and it’s call ‘StackoverFlow.com’

[stackoverflow: http://stackoverflow.com/]

‘stackoverflow’ is a website contains coding data about C#, java, css, and so on. Rob McLeod mentioned data can support marketer to establish the characteristic of website for gain traction of contributors. stackoverflow aims to help developers who stuck with his code working and has tons of coding of each intriguing categories mentioned above(C#, java, etc).

To further mention about ‘stackoverflow’(as the view of Best Practice):

Website ‘stackoverflow’ is based on ‘supplement & complementary.’ Contributors upload their works to help other contributors’ work or introduce how to build a program efficiently for beginner. In addition, stackoverflow is again based on contributor-generated-data which has uploaded on question dashboard, so hard to say it’s easy to prove the actual source of data(copyright), but able to design data(computer language codes) for reuse.

‘stackoverflow’s data is sharable and the purpose of website aims ‘easy sharable data’ as well.

Another exceptional point of ‘stackoverflow’ is ‘vote system’. Contributors can do browse the solutions of each question and vote the most reasonable answer. The high marked answers show up first row so that visitors can find easily. Nonetheless, there is no special format for the answers. Contributors don’t have to strive hard in accordance with name space rule or index regulation to upload the answer.

 

-References-

http://stackoverflow.com/about

http://oreilly.com/web2/archive/what-is-web-20.html?page=3

http://schoolofdata.org/handbook/courses/what-is-data/

https://econsultancy.com/blog/7979-five-reasons-why-data-is-more-important-than-ever-for-digital-marketers

http://www.dataversity.net/why-data-driven-initiatives-are-more-important-than-ever/

Harnessing Collective Intelligence and Web 2.0 (WordPress)

Harnessing Collective Intelligence and Web 2.0 (WordPress)

Now we are living in the era of [Web 2.0], the technology beyond the static web page of previous web version. In early stage, Web 1.0, the role of web pages was only limited to present the simple textual page without the fluent contribution of users. Users couldn’t emphasize their thoughts and knowledge to content up-loaders even if they found an error or sensitive phrase in uploaded content. The main reason is Web 1.0 didn’t support [User Participation function], so obviously, Web 1.0 was generally called Read – only era. Although Web 1.0 refers the great leap of international web history, it’s hard to say it did enhance the user’s participation. (weblinkindia, 2010)

(Complexify, Welcome back to Web 1.0)

http://www.complexify.com/buttons/ <— Welcome to the world of [Web 1.0].

 

(Seriously, I really like this satirical penguin series, but where is my [Like] button?!)

But, thankfully we don’t have to worry about this situation, because now the trend has changed into the [Web 2.0] generation. ( weblinkindia, 2010) Web 2.0 has environment for developing dynamic entities, so developers could develop new concepts like Wiki, Widgets and Video streaming which was not possible in the first era. However, the most important thing is users can share and publish their own content and thought via few simple systematical steps. Some of these phenomena, particularly ‘participation’ era, made a new concept which called [Harnessing collective intelligence]. (Chua)

Tim O’Reilly, the person who set up the term ‘Web 2.0’, defined [Harnessing collective intelligence] as the new pattern of Web. (O’Reilly , 2006) Tim O’Reilly further mentioned Collective intelligence applications depend on managing, understanding, and responding to massive amounts of user-generated data in real time which also means the purpose of Web 2.0 is all about [Harnessing collective intelligence]. (Battelle & O’Reilly, 2009)(O’Reilly , 2006)  At a practical level, [Harnessing collective intelligence] is the aggregated knowledge of individuals and expertise across the organization via social media. Participators help, share, create and improve the quality of information for learning and teaching themselves in real time.

(Baum, Best WordPress Themes for Writers & Publishers)

To experience the relation between HCI & social media more, I decided to start the WordPress blog which is the most used blog platform in the world. WordPress is an Open source project, which means users are free to use it without paying anyone a hosting fee…except additional plugin services and font installation…….(WordPress.org)

WordPress has functions to allow users to interact and communicate with each other. As mentioned above, it provides categories like forum and [Blogger lists] for fluent communication. (WordPress.org) For example, if I want to have an ‘interaction’ then,

I can click the meta-tag which I really wanted to approach.  In addition, if I like a post or want to have a little discussion about the post, and then I can upload my comments or press the like button for uploaders. (WordPress.org)

Click the Posts, and done. Others also can visit my site and do the same process what I did previously. (WordPress.org)

 

To sum up, I realized everybody can be a contributor in the environment of HCI. As the experiment, participators can be a visitor, or they can be a writer as well and this is what HCI looking for. Now we are living in the era of transcendence. HCI is evolving too. New competencies, new development models, and new attitudes will keep appearing through the developing process as O’Reilly mentioned.(O’Reilly , 2006)

 

-References-

 

Chua, S. (n.d.). Harnessing collective intelligence. Retrieved from http://c4lpt.co.uk/new-workplace-learning/liso-fostering-collective-intelligence/

Battelle, J., & O’Reilly (2009). Web squared: Web 2.0 five years on. Retrieved from http://www.web2summit.com/web2009/public/schedule/detail/10194

O’Reilly , T. (2006, November 10). Harnessing collective intelligence. Retrieved from http://radar.oreilly.com/2006/11/harnessing-collective-intellig.html

weblinkindia. (2010, December 27). What’s the difference between web 1.0, web 2.0 & web 3.0?. Retrieved from http://blogs.weblinkindia.net/2010/12/27/whats-the-difference-between-web-1-0-web-2-0-web-3-0/

WordPress.org. (n.d.). About wordpress. Retrieved from https://wordpress.org/about/

[images]

 

Baum, H. (Composer). (2014, February 10). Best WordPress Themes for Writers & Publishers  [Web Graphic]. Retrieved from http://www.selfpublishingreview.com/2014/02/best-wordpress-themes-for-writers-publishers/

Complexify. (Photographer). (1999, October 10). Welcome back to Web 1.0  [Web Photo]. Retrieved from http://www.complexify.com/buttons/

hspence2014  (Composer). (2014, March 7). Boulder, co: Faculty director of libraries information technology, university libraries, university of colorado, boulder. [Web Graphic] Retrieved from http://uwslisjobs.wordpress.com/2014/03/07/boulder-co-faculty-director-of-libraries-information-technology-university-libraries-university-of-colorado-boulder/

Rest of images were illustrated by KP Lee. (Writer)

Peacemaker