Exploiting The Potential of Blogs and Social Networks
Discussion group 5: Institutional Challenges

Discussion Group 5: Institutional Challenges

This page provides access to the information for the discussion groups at the UKOLN workshop on Exploiting The Potential Of Blogs And Social Networks held at Austin Court, Birmingham on Monday 26^th November 2007.

About The Discussion Groups

Following the plenary talks, workshop delegates will attend discussion groups which will provide an opportunity for group discussions. Since a WiFi network is available at the venue we will encourage the discussion groups to make use of a Wiki to keep a record of the group discussions and any recommendations which may be made.

Discussion Group 5: Notes

The following wiki was used to keep a record of the discussions:

• Wetpaint Wiki for Discussion group 5: Institutional Challenges

Discussion Group Title: Institutional Challenges
Reporter: Simon Marshall & Anne McCombe

Possible Concerns Of The Institution

What concerns may the institution have concerning use of blogs and social networking services (excluding technical considerations)?

1 Compliance

• What is defamatory? When do you remove/ask to remove stuff? If material hosted outside the institution, how bad does it have to be?
• Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) not relevant to alumni or prospective students
• Copyright - many staff are not fully aware of issues surrounding copyright law (e.g. they think permission to use means they have copyright). Can no longer say, "the subject librarian will sort that out".
• Data Protection - Outsourcing to the states - data protection, cannot transfer to states. Can, if you have proper contract or permission of individual.
• Accessibility - How accessible is the third party technology that's being promoted? How accessible is the Web 2.0 software an institution adopts?

2 Controlling information

How secretive should we be? If it's really bad, people will talk about it down the pub etc, so it can't be controlled.

3 Resources

• How to do web 2.0 with existing resources?
• How many sites running own blogging service? Run by corporate systems. Now how do you use it? People using it for research.
• Departments not wishing to pay for additional services (or those that they think they can get for free)
• Pace of change

Using Web2.0 / Cultural Barriers

• Is it professional to use Instant Messaging at work?
• Resistance by management who don't want to have to police everything - we don't police email.
• Who sets up the institutional Facebook presence / Second Life presence?
• Web2.0 is something everyone knows something about. Five years ago it would be Information Technology decision - now it's public and can be a Public Relations exercise/challenge.

2. Addressing The Concerns

How should such concerns be best addressed?

Compliance:

Enforce regulations

Working with the Student's Union

Institutional cooperation and steer

Guidance on outsourcing etc. from JISC, UCISA etc.

1. If an institution feels strongly they'd have to ask their legal advisors.

Student moderators.

2. Education, training and raising awareness

3. There's a lot of stuff we can't control, e.g. for alumni.

4. Risk management

Accessibility

3. Some IT staff are now in the corporate / pr

4. If outsourcing most web2 stuff is free (Facebook etc.) Support is the resource.

Using Web2.0 / culture

Education and collaboration with Student union and departments, also between marketing and IT and top management

3 Addressing The Concerns

Which organisations, groups or individuals should be responsible for addressing such concerns?

Is it IT services responsibility?

When IT is pervasive we need to treat things differently.

Proctors may ask IT for advice. We suggest head of department, but if locally hosted service IT has to help.

How do you get in contact with Students Union.

Marketing dept looks after brand, working in partnership with IT.

We wouldn't expect IT to make decisions with brand damage, IT will help technically. IT would look after security.

Rubber stamping at high level