W3C Workshop on the Future of Social Networking

The W3C organized a Workshop on the Future of Social Networking, with a high level goal of bringing together the world experts on social networking design, management and operation in a neutral and objective environment where the social networking history to date could be examined and discussed, the risks and opportunities analyzed and the state of affairs accurately portrayed.

Within the W3C workshop, the issues facing social networking growth could be documented and, in this workshop in particular, taking into account social networking on mobile devices/platforms with and without PC/broadband Internet services.

The workshop also explored whether it is worthwhile to consider the creation of an Interest or Working Group under the auspices of W3C to continue these discussions.

The discussions of the workshop were fed by the input of the 72 position papers submitted by the participants, and animated by the Program Committee composed of experts from the industry and academics on this topic.

http://www.w3.org/2008/09/msnws/

Net Gains: Building Nets For Social Change

This handbook provides practical advice for the growing number of people developing networks for social change.

Tech tools to eat sustainable

Two interesting iPhone applications :

Locavore

Eating local food when it’s in season is an increasingly popular goal amongst people who are interested in eating the tastiest, healthiest food while also being good to the environment. Knowing what’s available in your area at a given time of year is often difficult to determine, so we’ve taken on the task of collecting data from a variety of sources and presenting it all in the most understandable of ways. The Locavore iPhone app will come in handy next time you’re at the market and want to know what’s actually being grown near you, and what is most likely to taste the best right now.

Whether you’re just trying to become more aware of what’s in season around you, or you are fully committed to eating only locally grown food, this app will help you know what your options are.

EatRight is a simple checklist app for the iPhone and iPod Touch that makes keeping track of how many foods from each of the food groups you’ve eaten. However, personnally, I don't believe much in such a measured approach.

Another use of information technologies is to facilitate the unexpected (by the outsiders) gathering of crouds. CarrotMob has imagined how technology could combine with collective consumer action, to favor positive change by companies. Will it work?
Check out the video to give your opinion:

Le modèle transthéorique des étapes du changement

Approches et théories
Le modèle transthéorique des étapes du changement
de James Prochaska et Carlo DiClemente (1983)


Selon ce modèle, les changements de comportements, avec ou sans aide, s’effectuent suivant une progression à travers cinq stades. Les stades de changement représentent une dimension temporelle qui permet de comprendre quand des modifications de pensées, d’intention, d’attitude ou de comportement apparaissent. Ils permettent ainsi de situer la motivation actuelle du client mais non de la prédire. Ce modèle ne peut donc pas servir pour établir un pronostic quant à la durée du processus de changement. Son seul intérêt est de permettre au counselor d’adapter son intervention au besoin du client.

Le premier est le stade de pré-contemplation. À ce stade, la personne n’a pas l’intention de modifier son comportement problématique, soit par déni, soit par manque d’information et/ou inexactitude des informations reçues ou croyances.

Le second est le stade de contemplation durant lequel la personne est consciente qu’un problème existe et pense sérieusement à le vaincre mais n’a pas encore pris l’engagement d’agir. À ce stade, la personne attribue la cause de son problème principalement à des éléments extérieurs à elle-même et évalue les aspects positifs et négatifs de son comportement problématique et la quantité d’effort, d’énergie que lui coûtera sa résolution. C’est donc le stade de l’ambivalence.

Le troisième est le stade de préparation ou de prise de décision. À ce stade, la personne a l’intention d’agir dans les six mois avenir et/ou a déjà agi dans l’année qui a précédé mais sans succès.



Le quatrième est le stade d’action durant lequel la personne modifie activement son comportement, expérience ou environnement afin de vaincre son problème. L’action implique la plupart des changements comportementaux manifestes et requiert un engagement considérable de temps et d’énergie. Les modifications réalisées à ce stade tendent à être plus visibles et reçoivent une plus grande reconnaissance extérieure. On assimile d’ailleurs souvent erronément action et changement oubliant le travail antérieur préparant au changement et les efforts nécessaires pour maintenir les changements. La personne est située au stade d’action si elle a avec succès changé son comportement sur une période d’un jour à six mois. Notons ici l’importance du sentiment d’auto-efficacité et des renforcements pour que les changements perdurent dans le temps.

Le cinquième est le stade de maintien durant lequel la personne travaille à prévenir la rechute et consolide les gains obtenus durant l’action. Traditionnellement, le maintien est vu comme un stade statique. Cependant le maintien est la continuité et non une absence de changement. Être capable de rester libre du comportement problématique et de s’engager de façon continue dans un nouveau comportement durant plus de six mois, sont les critères pour considérer que quelqu’un se situe au stade du maintien. Il s’agit donc à ce stade de stabiliser le changement comportemental et d’éviter la rechute, c’est-à-dire maintenir les changements acquis et les généraliser à des situations de plus en plus compliquées.

Nous voyons comment la connaissance de ces stades peut aider le counselor à adapter son discours de soutien au client. Le counselor doit être en mesure « d’accepter » les rechutes du client et l’encourager alors, en reflétant les expériences positives déjà accomplies.

Ten Steps to Being Everywhere in Social Media

Excellent article. If you want to be everywhere on the web!

http://thepuckwrites.com/social-media/ten-steps-social-media/

6 Exceptional Web-based Image Editors

Web-based image editors have several advantages to its desktop counterparts. The most obvious benefit is that they allow you to work on any computer (that has a browser). In most cases, you can save your work online, avoid having to install desktop software, and interface with other web based services such as Flickr or Picasa. This article shares 6 of the finest, free online image editors that are capable alternatives to desktop applications like Adobe Photoshop and GIMP.

Go here

Could This Be The End Of URL’s?

An interesting info on Rev2.Org, as the Chrome browser spreads in cyberspace...

Could This Be The End Of URL’s?
By Craig Agranoff September 12th, 2008
11

It has been almost a week since I started messing around with the new Chrome Browser from Google at home. Would love to use it from work, but I have a Mac. One of the most relevant questions I had to ask myself was, could this be the end of URL’s?

Google refers to the new URL area on Chrome as an Omnibox, which is nothing more then a search field. This search field basically takes over as the address bar. The more and more I kept using Chrome, I realized that it had been days since I had to manually enter a URL into the address bar area. Most of the sites I needed, and recently visited, were already on the main page. When I actually did have to enter in a URL, Google almost completed every word I was looking for.

Will people necessarily care about the domain names they are purchasing anymore, or will any name suffice as Chrome will complete it anyways. If my living was based upon buying and selling premium domain names, I might want to consider having a back up plan.

Many publications have recently started to place bar codes in their ads which enable readers with certain software (iPhone has apps like scanlife for example) to take a photo of the bar code and be directed to the website. Once again, this diminishes the need for a premium name, since most visitors will not even notice the name of the site they have landed on.

It is not my belief that URL’s will disappear and be totally irrelevant. As newer technologies are introduced, I feel they will not play such a dominant role in the marketing of a company. Soon we will see the days of paying millions for premium domain names in the same light as paying $300 a share for CMGI back in the day.

To give an analogy: Remember a time, you actually had to memorize a phone number to dial a friend? Then a thing called a phonebook on your mobile phone suddenly appeared, and now you just click their name and you are connected. URL’s might meet a similar fate.