Web 2.0: what's it all about?

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