BubbleShare? Why Not?

I started out building web pages using simple text and notepad back in the days we dreamt of doing cool things on a web page. For several years, I chased the “cool factor” looking to one up the next page with some effect that WOW my audience. (Gee, as I write this, I sound like a kid learning to use the effects and transitions in PowerPoint. <Smile>) Like many people it dawned on me that content is king and I went back to basics. Text on the page that said something and I was happy. I also have be fair and point out the fact I have no artistic talent, which meant I was quickly outclassed when some of the new tools starting hitting the market.

The last few years, we have seen a plethora of new social tools hit the market, (Blogs, Social bookmarks, image libraries etc…) during this time, some of us have sat on the side line watching these develop while other have jumped in and started playing. Where are you?	This album is powered by BubbleShare - Add to my blog
I am one of those folks that look at some of this stuff and have to ask WHY? I can see it is cool, easy to use and even fun, but still ask why and how long will this remain free? (Side note - I lived through the first .com bust <sad face> and it was not fun.)

This album is powered by BubbleShare - Add to my blog

Recently on a Skype call with friend Peggy George, I learned about Bubbleshare.com. As she told me about it, I said it sounds much like Flickr and I was wrong to a point. I do like my Flickr account and the fact I can post images online and easily share them with the world, Bubble share does allow me do this too, plus a few other things like place a hat on my daughters head or put up a silly comment in a comic book style thought bubble. If that was not enough,BubbleShare gives me four different ways to share my album on my Blog or any other web site, and do this easily. Would this be possible to do without BubbleShare? Sure, I could take the image into Photoshop or some other image editing software and make my edits. I could find some script on the web that would allow me to create some of the affects that BubbleShare allows. Then I could post these on my ISP’s server and update my web page to display these cool new items. But… I wouldn’t do it because it is just too much work.

This album is powered by BubbleShare - Add to my blog

If you just read that paragraph and are wondering what I just said, you are not alone and that is the reason some of these tools exist and why they are so popular.

This album is powered by BubbleShare - Add to my blog	So why did I write this today? I sat down and started playing with BubbleShare this morning and thought it was cool. Once I had my album created, I wanted to share it with the world.
My blog seems like a good place to do this. Why the text? Well,it would just be strange to post only images on a blog entry. Or would it? If you have not explored BubbleShare or Flickr, give them a look. I know I have left out a few other tools in this post, if you know of any, please comment and share the your knowledge.

Go Ahead… Make My Day!

And that is just what Chris Smith of Shambles fame did today.

We all know a friendly or memorable URL can make or break a web site and let’s face it, there was nothing friendly about goodbaduglyoftheinternet.wikispaces.com. In fact, after I set up the site, I started looking at the URL and even called myself a few choice names thinking I should have come up with a name that would roll of your tongue. Thanks to Chris Smith, we can now do just that. Can you remember www.thegoodbaduglyinternet.info? (The Good Bad Ugly Internet .Info) You sure can and guess where that address will land. That is right. Smack dab on “The Good the Bad and the Ugly of the Internet” Wiki site.

So… What should you do now?

• Click the link www.thegoodbaduglyinternet.info and of course book mark it.
• Those with a del.icio.us account please book mark it there as well.
• If you are apt to blog about it, I am asking Bloggers to use GBUI as the tag for the site.
• Join the www.thegoodbaduglyinternet.info Wiki and help build a resource we can all benefit from.
• Last but not least… Tell your friends about www.thegoodbaduglyinternet.info.
  
  Education, K-12, Shawn Wheeler, Chris Smith, Shambles, GBUI, Web 2.0, Web 2

Welcome to the Good the Bad and the Ugly of the Internet

Recently I was reading a few of my favorite blogs when I came across a post on the blog site John Evans (http://nlcommunities.com/communities/joevans) titled RSS Information where John spoke about the newly create Image Wall on Bloglines.com and his concern over some of the content on this site. Fortunately Bloglines.com listened to the many concerned people who use this site and created a new domain name for the image wall (http://www.bloglinesimagewall.com/). John published another post titled A Bloglines Update which got the two of use talking. Our comment went something like this:

John said:
Thanks Shawn for the heads up on this. I hope this
implementation by Bloglines does what they claim it will do. I have yet to test
it on our school filters. What still concerns me is the fact that while it may
be blocked by school filters, the Image Wall is still accessible from
non-filtered computers such as their home computers. It brings to the forefront
our need to educate our students and their parents on the safe use of technology
in their daily lives.

Shawn said:
John, I think you hit on the most important part.
Filters serve a purpose but the most important thing we can and need to do
it educate our children and I am beginning to think their parents about the
internet. Sure, they know about the web but can they (students and
parents) discern factual information from exercises in creative writing?

I know most of us have enough items of our plates, but
what would a community service class for parents and students on internet tools
look like. Call it “The Good the Bad and the Ugly of the internet.
How to find the roses among the manure” content could include searching
strategies and techniques, Web 2.0 tool, Social Network site etc…

Random thoughts before I head off for work.

Shawn

John said:
Shawn, You have the beginnings of a great idea. Wonder
how we and others could collaborate on a session such as that? Perhaps put it on
a wiki or find something that someone has already done. I know Wes Fryer has
done many workshops with this theme included in them.

John

Later that day, a new Wiki was born. I would like to invite you to view and participate in “The Good the Bad and the Ugly of the Internet” Wiki.

This site is JUST coming out of the ground so we are looking for people to contribute to the space.

K-12,Shawn Wheeler, John Evans, Bloglines, Students, Web 2.0, Web 2, Filtering, On-line Safety