JISC

The media is awash with stories about blogs, wikis and social software tools such as MySpace and Frappr. But is it all just another craze, or do these services really have the potential to revolutionise online information and mark a new era for the web?

Netskills, the training organisation funded by JISC and based at the University of Newcastle, is running a series of workshops designed to answer these and other questions and"This practical workshop aims to get beyond the hype and explain more about what these tools can do for you and your organisation" to explore the advantages as well as the pitfalls of the new technologies. The workshops will look at the changing nature of blogging, the use of other social software such as wikis, MySpace and mashups, offering real-life examples of their use.

Netskills trainer, Lucy McKeever, says that rapidly growing use of such technologies means that organisations need to think about how they can best harness them for educational uses: "This practical workshop aims to get beyond the hype and explain more about what these tools can do for you and your organisation, whether you're providing or consuming online information."

Feedback from the workshops has already been positive with delegates saying: "Content was pitched very well and stimulated interest to pursue it further…"; "really interesting and fun. It's been useful to see how people are using blogs in a variety of ways…"; " I have been surprised and - dare I admit it - a bit excited by the range of (blogging) styles"; "this is an excellent workshop! ...very informative and useful! Thanks."

Workshops are scheduled to be held at a variety of locations over the coming months. For further details please go to: Netskills