Flickr, the coolest on-line photo site there is, has always encouraged outside developers to build their own applications that utilize the massive Flickr public database.  I have had a Flickr account like forever, before Yahoo bought them — and have used some WordPress – Flickr plug-ins that utilized the API.  But the problem was you had to find the apps yourself, spread around on developers own web pages.  Well Flickr just launched a new page that provides an easy way to find apps.  I found a cool Facebook app that will display my latest Flickr uploads on my Facebook page — very handy.

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OK, so we’re all trying to figure out what, if anything, social media is useful for — other than having fun and wasting time with friends and family.   The New Media Consortium has put together a site reviewing what they’ve been experimenting with.  We have a group here that is viewing a webinar on October 27 on Effective Use of Social Media for Student recruitment ( if you’re in New Haven and want to join us just let me know.)  I’ve had some success with Twitter in advancing business interests, but nothing I’m ready to wrap an official company strategy around.  I really like LinkedIn (especially for helping students/alumni with career networking), but it seems like Facebook gets all the attention.  And don’t forget blogs — not quite as sexy as Twitter or Facebook perhaps, but still finding a place in college communication efforts.  Talking with peers, experimenting, and exploring — that’s a type of progress, right?

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What is a favicon? No not something from the Transformers universe!  According to Wikipedia “A favicon (short for favorites icon), also known as a website icon, shortcut icon, url icon, or bookmark icon is a 16×16, 32×32 or 64×64 pixel square icon associated with a particular website or webpage” – wikipedia.  But it is also fun — and easy to create utilizing Photoshop or other graphics programs.  All the best-dressed web sites have one.  In helping someone get up and started with the ICO format I came across this really helpful free photoshop plug-in.  If you are favicon-challenged give it a try.

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Why is the Creative Commons idea important?  What is Creative Commons?  I’m not sure I can give it to you in a twitter-like 140 characters, but I’ll try for the elevator speech.  Did you know that under current US copyright law and content you post on the internet is automatically copyrighted?  In fact anything you publish in some fixed format is automatically copyrighted, whether you actually intend to copyright it or not.  But what if you want to encourage people to use your ideas, expand on them, and use them to build new ideas/artwork/music or whatever type of creative expression?  Enter Creative Commons.

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The Twitter staff numbers under 30 people — which makes the impact of the social media platform all the more surprising.  A simple, open tool with a tiny feature set – mobile enabled — flexible.  It has spawned all types of support projects, from twitpic to twibble to TweetDeck.  Al Gore uses it (of course, didn’t he invent the internet?) and most recently Oprah.  It is catching on.  And while I resisted in the past, since making the plunge I am finding all sorts of benefits.

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Facebook, Wikipedia, the photo sharing site Flickr and others are household names, crucial resources in people’s daily lives.  These web applications have vibrant development communities extending their core functionalities, building greater value and encouraging even wider adoption.  Application development in much of higher education has been slow to adopt the successful technologies and strategies used by these leading web companies.  But with the maturing of key technologies, rise in user expectations, and cost sensitivity brought on by the current economic crisis the time is now.  Corporate, or in the higher-ed world central IT units need to start learning from, and adopting these practices.

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