Mesh Day 1 - Too Wired

Couldn't make it to Mesh for day two as the babysitter didn't show, but fortunately today's episode of Tyra show is about Twitter addiction and Facebook breakups, so it's almost the same but with Tyra's sassy attitude.

Yesterday, the first day of Mesh Conference was my third year attending Mesh and the fourth year of the conference. As anticipated it is indeed Canada's web conference and the line-up of keynotes and speakers is good. The highlight keynote address yesterday was from Jessica Jackley, a founder of Kiva. In addition to helping facilitating microloans to entrepreneurs in developing nations, Jessica explains a key goal was to change the face of poverty, beyond images of helpluss pitiful creatures to allow people around the world to connect one another. She mentioned that work like this doesn't pay a lot but Jessica states "I could retire on happiness". As one who quit a good paying job in financial services to pursue more meaningful work, I can relate.

For the remainder of the day, I attended panel sessions on education & technlogy, hyperlocal media, and using the Web for good. The sessions were good, but what I found more interesting actually was following the tweets about the conference.

Tweeting and IMing during a conference is definitely a way to add interactivity to sessions and keep attendees awake (as are Red Bull, a much-loved Mesh fixture). However, the downside to tweeting and surfing during talks is that it really is hard to fully pay attention to the speakers. I found I would actively listen for awhile and then whent the speaker either said something good that I had to tweet or conversely started to bore me, my attention would turn to my computer and even after finishing my post I found it hard to follow, let alone regain engagement.

I consider myself and expert multitasker, so I'm dubious that even todays hird-wired youth can adeptly pull both off simultaneously. Granted, some conferences and classes I have attended have been so killer boring that if attendees stay awake that is a huge victory.

This was the first Web conference I've attended in over a year that had free and working WiFi, so the experience of live tweeting, blogging & IM is relatively new to me - although it is now a conference mainstay (many moderators at Mesh announced the sessions hashtag before commencing). I enjoyed tweeting during the conference immensely, I don't intend to stop, but I am curious its impact, particularly in education settings, on learning.

My Twitter feed is syndicated on the right column of my blog. But as the experience of live, running Twitter commentary was relatively new for me I thought I'd include my Mesh tweets below:

At #webgood of #mesh09 on how use web tools for good, but why aren't these used (largely) for web issue of accessibility for disabled users?

Tip to encourage online participation. Spacing gets story ideas from commenters, recruits them to write articles & has local parties

Spacing has writers who know how to write a blog post that generates comments -- I could use their advice

@sachac session went well but would been good if 1 panelist was from nontraditional learning eg. corporate learning as you mentioned

Attending #mesh09 listening to talk about Web, while IM friend, monitoring Facebook, Tweeting session & working on blog. Perhaps too wired!

People organizing pillow fights downtown don't send PR to Star but to blogs so cover it first - but do we need to cover this at all?

Hyperlocal media don't get much local advertisers (too small ad budget & not web savvy)

#mesh09 session on hyperlocal media aren't doing quality investigative local journalism, but good at aggregating user generated content

Sachua asked for speakers of #meshlearn to wrap up in 140 characters or less.

Relate to Sachua's #meshlearn point: Net allows one share school research beyond just teachers. As student like that my work is out & useful

good point at #meshlearn Canada's digital divide not just boonies but hour from major cities only dial-up or nothing so school can be vital (about 21 hours ago from web

not finding current session of #mesh09 useful - but keynote by Jessica Jackley from Kiva worth coming to entire conference. Inspirational! (about 21 hours ago from web

#meshlearn need integrate tech & education. True but today's Western youth adept at tech, perhaps school should be bastion other ways learn? (about 21 hours ago from web

At #mesh09 had great lunch, got great seat with power & leg room - think I'll stay in this spot for all sessions regardless of topic

Help Getting Started with Web Accessibility

I'm working on my thesis on web accessibility, I'm supposed to be writing it up now but I can't seem to end my literature review as there are so many resources on this topic. I think the lack of one central source of necessary information and the unorganized, dated, and at times dubious information out there is part of the problem (but that discussion is for another day & likely the thesis of my thesis).

During my endless literature review (going on 4 plus months), I have weeded through a ton of web resources on the topic. I've compiled the best sources for those beginning in this topic. These sources cover the various crucial facets of the issue.

I've tried to only include information below that is current or that holds up to the test of time. The W3C (the internationally-recognized leader for web standards) recently released a new version of their web content accessibility guidelines (WCAG 2) upon which many, if not most, others base their work upon. Plus technology and coding practices change rather quickly. Therefore, a lot of information is dated and at times to the point of being inaccurate, so be careful of this when researching the topic.

Introductory Help
A good place to start is WebAIM's broad and brief Introduction to Web Accessibility.

Then it's best to head over to the W3C site, since they are the official source of the guidelines. Their Quick Tips to Make Accessible Web Sites is a good high-level summary of the most important techniques.

What To Do
Then there is the complete Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, it's a lot to wade through but it's the best source of what specifically to do.

Webcredible's 10 Common Errors When Implementing Accessibility will also help steer you in the right direction.

To get a sense of the human, inclusive side, there's an excellent free e-Book by Shawn Lawton Henry, Just Ask: Integrating Accessibility Throughout Design.

Why To Do It
The Internet has the power to improve people's lives (as well as disable via inaccessibility). Liz Ball's article The Internet Was Made for Deafblind People outlines how the Net has profoundly improved her life.

Software Support
If you use any Adobe products to build your website (eg. Dreamweaver, PDFs, Flash, ColdFusion) then head to Adobe's site for their Adobe Accessibility Resource Center.

In my opinion there is no good free accessibility testing software - they are too complicated, dated, or present too much and ambiguous information. Not to mention that there are elements software can't test (e.g. the alt text for an image that says "graph" may pass, but it's hardly helpful). WebAIM's Wave tester is probably the best. It should not be used by beginners as it can cause more harm (too confusing and thus intimidating) than good. But for those more familiar with accessibility, it can point out some things you may have missed.

Making a Case for Accessibility
Web developers, designers, producers, managers, this is directed at you - the article Why Accessibility? Because It’s Our Job! is a call to embrace accessibility as part of being a professional.

There are many benefits to making a site accessible, such as improved usability for all and enhanced search engine optimization. Trenton Moss' article How To Sell Accessibility is a good overview of the various benefits and how to frame them as a business case.

Caveats
If you do go ahead with accessibility and are looking to hire help then Beware the Charlatans. Accessibility expert Geof Collis describes the problems (which I have also encountered) with firms who claim to know accessibility, Collis advises on what to look out for.

Many sites that work towards accessibility will have a page on their site with details. Despite that many of these statements overemphasize the degree of accessibility, there are pros and cons as Leona Tomlinson outlines in Are Accessibility Statements Useful?.

The question over whether accessibility is legally required in Canada depends on who you talk to. There are no express laws or policy in this regards beyond the federal government requiring all their sites to be accessible via their Common Look and Feel rules. The Ontario government is moving ahead to making web accessibility required in the near future for Ontario government sites and much later for all Ontario businesses via the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act. As far as I know this is the only Canadian jurisdiction pursuing web accessibility as law. Tt does seem like this is the way the tide is turning in Canada and elsewhere, so complying with WCAG now might save time & effort later on.

Further Reading
Overall the best sources of information, news, and tools are:

• Accessify
  
• SitePoint
  
• WebAIM
  

Plus my web accessibility bookmarks on Delicious.

And the definitive source is W3C's Web Accessibility Initiative site.

If I missed an important component or if you know of a better source, please let me know.

Share your Experience with Web Accessibility

I've started my research for my master's thesis and would really appreciate your help. I'm researching why aren't more Canadian websites accessible for disabled people.

I'm talking to web professionals in Canada about their experiences and thoughts on this issue so that hopefully recommendations can be made to encourage adoption of this issue in a manner that is realistically achievable.

Please share your experiences on this issue here.
Questions about web accessibility

• What are the challenges of making a website accessible?
• What support would you need?
  
• Have you heard of W3C's guidelines (WCAG)? Thoughts?
• Is your site accessible? Why? Why not?
• What's your experience - pro or con?

Any thoughts, criticisms, suggestions, or experiences you have on this issue, I'd love to know.

Please note that comments included below may be used in my research and published. Please read more about my research and the provision of your consent to participate. Replying below indicates you agree to participate.

Web Accessiblity Research

Consent to participate in research project

My name is Glen E. Farrelly, and this research project is part of the requirement for a Master’s of Arts in Professional Communication at Royal Roads University. My credentials with Royal Roads University can be established by contacting the Communication Department of the university at 250-391-2600.

This document constitutes an agreement to participate in my research project, the objective of which is to help promote the spread of website accessibility for disabled people.

Nature of research
This research will consist of online discussion via email or forums.

Confidentiality
All information gathered will be kept strictly confidential. At no time will your name, employer’s name, or other identifying details be used in the final report or subsequent publications. Please be aware that participating in a discussion via an online forum or blog may identify you (for example, by revealing your username or IP address), yet at no time will I use your name or any identifying details in my final report or subsequent publications.

Publication and distribution
A copy of the final report will be published. Access and distribution will be unrestricted. A copy of the report will be housed at Royal Roads University, available online through UMI/Proquest and the Theses Canada portal and will be publicly accessible. I will also be publishing my research findings on my blog, plus possibly in additional academic and conventional media.

Voluntary participation and permission to withdraw
You are not compelled to participate in this research project. If you do choose to participate, you are free to withdraw, but any data gathered prior to that point may still be used.

Please contact me here via commenting with any questions.

Any response you may post in the discussion indicates that you have accepted these terms and consent to participate.

Two Journal Articles of Mine Published

Last month, two essays I wrote about Internet topics for Royal Road classes were published in journals. Researching Delicious and Rotten Tomatoes (see below) was a blast and proved a fertile source for a lot of interesting stuff. Hopefully as my academic careers progresses, I'll be able to continue to write and publish on Internet topics.

I was just accepted into University of Toronto's Faculty of Information PhD program, so I think I'll have the venue and opportunity for some cool research (stay tuned).

Here are the journal article links and abstracts:

Does Rotten Tomatoes Spoil Users? Examining Whether Social Media Features Foster Participatory Culture

Participatory culture existed prior to the advent of the World Wide Web. Now, due to the increasing popularity of social media tools, participatory culture is flourishing online as well. One popular movie review website, Rotten Tomatoes, demonstrates this trend. The website includes a suite of interactive, social media tools. Based on an ethnographic observation, participatory culture was seen to be occurring on the site. The power of the website to provide an open and accessible means of cultural dialogue and to encourage civic participation can be observed particularly when online user activity moves beyond discussions of film aesthetics to encompass larger societal and cultural issues. However, despite the site’s intriguing potential, there are various flaws observed that prevent a greater flourishing of participatory culture.

On Tags and Signs: A Semiotic Analysis of Folksonomies

The practice of tagging resources on the Internet has become a popular activity on such websites as Delicious, Flickr, Technorati, CiteULike, and LibraryThing, making tagging a key method to enable online information retrieval and sharing. When tagging is done by members of the general public, it is known as a folksonomy. Folksonomies, unlike many other forms of communication, are created by individuals acting in isolation from one another and with no coordinated effort. Yet when the individual practice of tagging resources is shared openly difficulties in meaning arise, due in part to the lack of sufficient message coding and ambiguous connotations.

My Submission to CRTC on Net Neutrality

I am very concerned about ISPs' Internet traffic shaping actions. While I am not completely opposed to traffic shaping, for example as we engage in more e-Health practices, it is acceptable if this type of Net usage is allowed to proceed in a quicker fashion. However, I strongly object to ISPs indiscriminately filtering traffic. If some Net users consume much more bandwidth than others, they should pursue this through other means, such as setting monthly bandwidth limits. The CRTC must guard against ISPs being allowed to have their or their partners' content download faster to their customers or slowing down access for non-customers. My main concern is that the Internet not end up like cable television in Canada, where instead of any real choice consumers are forced to purchase (at very costly rates) packages that reflect profit-maximization for companies and not consumer preference. The CRTC must preserve and facilitate the Internet's open model of access to information and freedom of choice as this is so foundational to our Canadian society and the future of innovation in Canada.

Social Media Marketing Conference

Today was the first day of OpenDialogue's Social Media Marketing conference in Toronto, at the Old Mill, where amidst the old world eclectic setting, we tried to make sense of the new media chaos that is social media. As if symbolizing the lingering role of old technology disrupting the promise of the digital age, an ornate chandelier obstructed the PowerPoint presentations from being fully viewable. Still, the Old Mill is the best location of any Toronto conference I have ever been to, not only for the beautiful building, natural setting, proper tables, but most importantly: comfy chairs and ample personal space. (Here’s a cardinal rule for conference organizers: if you expect people to sit all day, do not have crappy, hard plastic chairs stacked so tightly together I can’t exhale without knocking over my neighbour’s knee-straddled laptop.)

As one who follows social media developments, I’ve heard a lot of hype but haven’t seen a lot of proof on how it is actually transforming business. Today’s speakers presented case studies of impressive use of social media delivering business results and offered useful best practices and insight into the medium. I’ll focus on the points that particularly intrigued me.

NutriSystem presented on their Canadian launch. They recruited Canadian bloggers to try their products, for free, and blog about the results. That takes a lot of courage as bloggers are known for being opinionated and irrational at times (not this blogger of course). NutriSystem, and the bloggers themselves, were open and transparent about this arrangement, and NutriSystem did not direct or influence what the bloggers had to say, so there were no charges of “pimping”. According to NutriSystem, the bloggers delivered messages consistent with the company’s and were effective in generating interest and sales.

Perennial conference presenter Bryan Segal from comScore presented impressive statistics on Canada’s adoption of social media. Canadians have the highest rates of social media page views and visit durations and “Canada is a Facebook and YouTube nation” declared Bryan. I was dying to know why he felt we have such fondness (or in my case addiction) of social media, but figured it was too academic a question for this marketing-focused crowd.

Adrian Capobianco of Quizative offered a lot of useful guidance on social media, so I’ll just bullet his words:
• The Pope is into social marketing, are you?
• Should you be listening to social media? Absolutely? Should you be participating? Maybe.
• Social media is changing so fast it’s like running on sand instead of concrete
• Social media is popular as it is relevant, immediate, self expression, conversational, real, human
• To maximize engagement, reward contributions with badges/visibility, rankings, points, contests, discounts, gifts, cash
• Marketing structure is often campaign based, but social media is iterative & ongoing
• Companies using social media need to have an employee anointed to listen and empowered to respond

Focusing on the rewards of online niche marketing , Andrew Cherwenka from Trapeze described how highly targeted social networks are present in the mass social networks, like Facebook. I was impressed by his campaign he described for a car company. For a relatively small sum of money, they launched a microsite for a specific car, accessed from the main car company site. That microsite then feed to channels/groups on Facebook, YouTube, and Flickr where user fans could post their own content in an organized, social fashion. They advertised to initially get word out but then involvement snowballed.

Making similar innovate use of existing social media, Wayne MacPhail, presented how an Ontario charity made incredible use of wikis, delicious, Google, and Flickr, to enables individual across its many local chapters to organize and produce their own content. As he pointed out, what resulted was the “opposite of the tragedy of the commons” as there was a high degree of participation and surprisingly little negative behaviour. To get this level of involvement, they did have to do some one-on-one in-person training and have instructional aids, but with some inventive use of existing, free services (such as Flickr’s slideshows, Google Maps, RSS feeds from delicious) the users themselves were inspired and able to do it themselves.

Overall, the conference today had a lot useful advice to offer companies on how to enter social media, but the examples cited today and, in generally hyped by social media enthusiasts are that it enables companies to now have earnest conversations and responsive action with their customers. This is rather utopian and not new, as companies have been able to do this through their telephone and email customer support - and we all know how mixed this media service has been. We are at a social media conference, so we do need to hype cases where companies did have the culture to be open to this, but as some presenters acknowledge social media participation (everyone should be monitoring) is not for every company – and this, I would argue, is the main reason why.

I opened this post describing the irony of discussing new media at the Old Mill. In another old vs. new analogy: before I left for the conference this morning my four year old daughter asked me incredulously if I was going to be talking about YouTube for my work (she LOVES it, BTW). As an Internet vet (ten years last month) it makes me so happy that I can reply to her that yes I was going to talk about YouTube and yes this was my job – how cool is that!