Social media, the democratisation of knowledge and physiotherapy. Can they play nice together?

• Cheating in online learning. Balanced viewpoint from Tony Bates http://bit.ly/adFoXT #
• Went back 2 Thunderbird after using Kmail for a few years. Really impressed with how it’s developed, I’m actually enjoying managing my email #
• RT @alastairotter: How the Internet is changing language http://bbc.in/95XmAo #
• @nlafferty Used 2 use Zotero until I tried Mendeley, which supported PDF import at the time. I’d love 2 try it again, but no chromium plugin in reply to nlafferty #
• Sadly, it looks like there’s no intention to port Zotero to #chromium & I’m not switching browsers just to get it http://ht.ly/2r9do #
• Zotero Basics: Getting Stuff Into Zotero http://bit.ly/97IHMV. I’m always intrigued with Zotero, I just can’t get into using it #
• Some simple points of advice on professional online behaviour for health professionals, from @rachaellowe http://ht.ly/2r8CZ #
• Teaching Professor: Thinking constructively about teaching problems http://ht.ly/2r8BJ #
• Beautiful drawings / paintings on the iPad. So much for the notion that it’s not a device for creation http://ht.ly/2r8sV #
• Technology for 21st Century Learning: Part 2 (But is it a Literacy Machine?). Using the iPad in education http://bit.ly/cwIuEx #
• @paulscott56 “Major design flaw upsets millions”. Could be a story about Facebook or twifficiency #
• 17-Year Old Twitter Spammer Scores Facebook CEO as New Friend http://bit.ly/9pGmWA #
• 08/9/10 PHD comic: ‘The Repulsor Field Explained’ http://bit.ly/cMmImF (humour) #
• Dissertation Myth # 9: It Will Ruin Your Life. Great points to put your research into perspective http://ht.ly/2qELR #
• RT @jamescun: OK. Twifficiency shouldn’t tweet your score automatically :/ Error on my behalf, I was just learning to use oAuth #
• RT @allankent: you know what would be awesome? If #twifficiency prompted me before sticking crap in my timeline. #fail #
• @cristinacost I spent some time in Hay-on-Wye when I was in the UK a few years ago. Really beautiful walks in & around town in reply to cristinacost #
• Sadly, Twifficiency is a trending topic on the home page, we can probably count on a lot more spam coming through #
• I don’t think I’ve ever seen an app (#Twifficiency in this case) generate so much bad feeling in such a short space of time #
• RT @andrewspong: Deleted the Twifficiency tweet from my feed in case others see it later, & amplify the spam. You may wish to do the same. #
• RT @cwcrawley: So all of you who did twiffiency – Go into profile & ‘revoke’ access to the app. That’ll stop it spamming in future #security #
• Facebook, By the Numbers. Interesting infographic looking at the rise of Facebook over the past few years http://ht.ly/2qCvS #
• I *hate* it when services / applications tweet on my behalf without asking me, as was the case a minute ago with #Twifficiency #
• My Twifficiency score is 43%. Whats yours? http://twifficiency.com/ #
• RT @wesleylynch:RT @shapshak: Africa’s tech start-ups break ground: iSigned (@garethochse) & Cognition (@patrickkayton) http://bit.ly/avauYZ #
• Looking 4 Buddypress-Activity-stream-type threaded conversation tool. Must be hosted & not need registration. Suggestions? #
• RT @sharingnicely: RT @myzt: The main idea of “Inception”: if you run a VM inside a VM inside a VM inside a VM, everything will be very slow #
• @weblearning Just had a look now, thanks. Not sure if it “fits”. I already follow everyone I email. More likely to “find” people elsewhere in reply to weblearning #
• @weblearning Installed #Rapportive a while ago & it has yet 2 return any info behind the email…maybe that says more about who emails me in reply to weblearning #

• Academic Productivity » New paths to “research productivity” http://bit.ly/dBnPYO #
• Bloom’s Taxonomy. Useful illustration with additional information that may assist with implementation http://bit.ly/cAFYwr #
• The Cronk of Higher Education » College Art Exhibit Celebrates 30 Years of Boredom in Academia (humour) http://bit.ly/cBufLp #
• APA Style Blog: It’s All Latin to Me: Latin Abbreviations in Scholarly Writing http://bit.ly/9RELXC #
• SAIDE newletter on open and distance education in Africa « Tony Bates http://bit.ly/a2nYU8 #
• Learning with ‘e’s: 12 simple writing rules (funny but true) http://bit.ly/9ioG5q #
• xkcd: Infrastructures. Turns out ideology does matter http://bit.ly/9Iky6w #
• YouTube – Critical Thinking. Will be showing this video to all students and staff in our department http://bit.ly/bvhdmE #
• Sketchpad – Online Paint/Drawing application http://bit.ly/bnqmQL #
• the lost art of solitude | Zen Habits http://bit.ly/cF67Gw #
• Teaching Privacy: Friends Don’t Let Friends Post to Facebook. Advice to colleagues re. online privacy http://tinyurl.com/37jcjaa #
• ♻ @courosa NASA HD pic of the spill http://is.gd/chXfC #
• rocket.ly – Blog – Top Ten Reasons You Should Quit Facebook http://bit.ly/ackczW #
• Hands-on with Ubuntu’s new Unity netbook shell. Lots of potential for small screens http://bit.ly/9oXEZf #
• Tomorrow’s professor 1026. Creating and Using Podcasts Across the Disciplines http://tinyurl.com/32e3x8a #
• Networked Learning. Downes highlights aspects of the conference worth pointing out http://tinyurl.com/34foyoy #
• Sync.in – real-time collaborative word processing with cross-platform (via AIR) desktop app. http://tinyurl.com/39mrdty #
• As Faculty Finally Embrace Twitter, Students Drop the Service (humour) http://tinyurl.com/2e83ale #
• How best to use e-portfolios. Asks questions about ownership, access & continued development of the portfolio http://tinyurl.com/38el83f #
• References on Lurking. Post by Nancy White on lurking as a form of legitimate peripheral participation http://bit.ly/bwuwem #
• eModeration Blog: Twitter profiles and the three second rule http://bit.ly/cRZVr4 #

• m4Lit Project, exploring the use of mobile phones to promote literacy in South Africa http://bit.ly/aluIZS #
• Mobile Phones and Literacy in Rural Communities | A World Bank Blog on ICT use in Education http://bit.ly/cIakYu #
• The African Virtual School, offering maths, english and ICT courses to learners across Africa http://bit.ly/9aP7ln #
• @sbestbier Powerpoint as used by the US military #
• 12 simple writing rules http://tinyurl.com/24xnk4b #
• @jpbosman Thanks for the essay link, it looks pretty cool. I’d love to write something if I can find the time #
• Researchers “Addicted” to Bogus Internet Studies. Raises interesting points around thinking before believing http://tinyurl.com/2ukpyvj #
• Seems like you can’t go online these days without reading about FB privacy issues everywhere http://tinyurl.com/2vynmuj #
• Want to Know What Facebook Is Saying About You? Try This Tool http://tinyurl.com/34e4em3 #
• Facebook’s High Pressure Tactics: Opt-in or Else. More insanity http://tinyurl.com/35mbj4w #
• What Private Facebook Information Your Friends Can Publish. Seems like insanity to me http://tinyurl.com/325qq4u #
• Newton and Leibniz Duke It Out on Twitter http://tinyurl.com/3ycvtvl #

• Google and Wikipedia — Separated at Birth? http://tinyurl.com/yzxj3az #
• @patrickkayton I liked the cartoon look #
• YouTube – Students Helping Students. A video by Michael Wesch http://bit.ly/cE7aDL #
• I know it’s ridiculously early, but I’m already looking forward to SAAHE ’10 at Wits in July this year http://bit.ly/9CGOA6 #
• @Sallykenyon12 Not on it at all, just saw a random tweet and followed it up. Don’t know if I have enough voyeur / time to watch other people #
• How to Destroy the Book, by Cory Doctorow (part two) | theVARSITY.ca http://bit.ly/awIOZX #
• Race Shapes Teen Facebook and MySpace Adoption, says danah boyd – ReadWriteStart http://bit.ly/c55Brc #
• Mohamed Amine Chatti’s ongoing research on Technology Enhanced Learning http://bit.ly/bPCgyp #
• Gumption: Clinical Wisdom: Knowledge, Experience, Compassion, Creativity and Honesty http://bit.ly/d8S9lF #
• Kevin Smith’s Plus-Sized Predicament : NPR http://bit.ly/axsayt #
• Chatroulette – only mildly disturbing http://bit.ly/bRdeWy #
• @cristinacost thanks for the offer, i’ll think about it and get back to you #
• @cristinacost at this point, a #diigo educators account is all I want. I’m tired of asking them for one #
• RT @pgsimoes: Building a #PLE – 15 Must-Have Web Apps for Students – http://ow.ly/197p0. Didn’t know about most of these…thanks #
• RT @acedtect: Don’t just shorten your URL, make it suspicious and frightening! http://www.shadyurl.com/index.php. This is awesome #
• Filesharing is illegal, but not wrong. Winning essay by Canadian 12th grade student http://tinyurl.com/****** #
• RT @openednews: News: OpenCourseWare Consortium Panel Recap http://bit.ly/aVkMia (apologies for the shameless self-plug) #
• School Accused Of Spying On Kids In Their Homes With Spyware That Secretly Activated Webcams | Techdirt http://bit.ly/c6Wn4e #
• xkcd: Science Valentine. This is awesome http://bit.ly/9nbXs9 #
• The tool for the 21st century classroom. I use Docs, I collaborate with Docs, but this lady is way ahead of me http://bit.ly/cBRrB8 #
• I really like using KJots and it seems as if it’s going to be getting some very cool new features http://bit.ly/bZr2Lc #
• ♻ @pgsimoes: RT @antoesp: RT @Czernie Interesting: ‘A #Research Revolution: The Impact of Digital Technologies’ http://tinyurl.com/ydr63lu #
• @amcunningham he is, my comment is “saved, awaiting moderation”, it’s only short one, sent from phone between shop and office #
• Public Collections Empathy in Medical Education – Anne Marie Cunningham | Mendeley http://bit.ly/b5o2xV #
• @patrickkayton I think that’d be a great use of #cognician why don’t you whip something up for us quickly #
• @amcunningham done, exciting stuff, we’ll have to come up with a cool name for this type of project…extreme writing or something #
• @amcunningham If you mean lit. rev. online with docs, etc, I’m super-keen #
• Arin’s Blog: How to write a literature review using only the web http://bit.ly/cVn4S2 #
• @marlonparker complete loss of speaker’s credibility #
• RT @clebe05: @wesleylynch did a cool interview on #TheDigitalEdge podcast – have a listen and share your thoughts – http://ow.ly/17OPS #
• Journals as Filters and Active Agents | Virtual Canuck. Make sure to read the comments as well http://bit.ly/b7CxPk #
• @cristinacost I like Carrington (http://bit.ly/bBhPef) on my WP site (www.mrowe.co.za/blog) #
• Great interview with Salman Khan (khanacademy.org) on his response to a crisis in education http://bit.ly/cPcLIb #
• Siemens – Teaching in Social and Technological Networks http://tinyurl.com/yknuclq #
• Developing a Pedagogical Framework for Web 2.0 and social software http://tinyurl.com/y9zsddj #
• @wesleylynch thanks, finding the stuff I’m working on at the moment quite a challenge #
• Aligning outcomes, content and assessment to more accurately measure competence and facilitate meaningful learning…this stuff is hard #
• @sharingnicely I’m pretty happy with my coverage from Vodacom, haven’t been anywhere yet that doesn’t have it. Can’t speak for US tho #
• ♻ @p2pu: Breaking News: The new http://www.p2pu.org is live, and beautiful. Sign up for your course today! Congrats Bekka, it looks great #
• A critique of Tapscott and William’s views on university reform, in Educause Review (see previous tweet) http://bit.ly/bUDcP2 #
• Innovating the 21st-Century University: It’s Time! (EDUCAUSE Review) | EDUCAUSE http://bit.ly/bkMYbo #
• Getting excited about the upcoming SAFRI (medical education) session in a few weeks http://bit.ly/99ULI7 #
• Just upgraded to #Kubuntu Lucid running #KDE 4.4 – better stability & nice new features, enjoying it so far http://bit.ly/ayygg0 #
• Facebook Driving More Traffic Than Google. Hard to believe & only 1 metric but is it a sign of things to come? http://tinyurl.com/ybxcwol #
• Peer-To-Peer Recognition of Learning in Open Education by Schmidt in the IRRODL journal http://bit.ly/bFVpMd via @addthis #
• Alternative Grad School: creating a do-it-yourself higher learning experience http://bit.ly/cBuCVM #
• Mobile platforms are proliferating. Check out MeeGo (merged Moblin & Maemo) http://bit.ly/d69pLv #
• Thought Leader » Eve Dmochowska » The web’s unavoidable sharp learning curve. Interesting comments http://bit.ly/9OPmrE #
• RT @maggiev: TESSA – Teacher Education in Sub-Saharan Africa (lovely resources here) http://bit.ly/dtb6rU #
• RT @patrickkayton: About to present Cognician to postgrad students and academics at CPUT. Smart crowd! #
• ♻ @cshirky: RT @pomeranian99: Length of Britannica’s entry about Wikipedia: 913 words. Length of Wikipedia’s entry about Britannica: 6,804. #
• Finalising details of collaborative project with Irish physio students on Physiopedia #isp1 http://bit.ly/dz2UGb #
• 21st century literacies (HASTAC), 10 additional literacies over and above the 3 R’s http://bit.ly/dtFcJt #
• Effective Pedagogy – rubric based on the structure of observed learning outcomes http://bit.ly/bV6dvv #
• OpeningScholarship Project | Centre for Educational Technology at UCT. Lots of interesting content http://bit.ly/brrRKk #
• UCT OpenContent portal now live. Congratulations to all involved http://bit.ly/dfAeCH #
• I’m on the #microecop programme committee (http://ow.ly/176eM), but sadly not on the list yet #
• For The Love Of Culture – post by Lessig on issues around copyright and rights clearance http://bit.ly/bxsNCn #
• @gsiemens I’ve been using Chromium for a few months and now find FF slow and clunky #

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A little while ago I was wondering what platform I could use to aggregate my various online properties (Flickr, Delicious, Twitter, etc.) in a so-called “lifestream” and someone suggested that Friendfeed might be feasible. I looked into it for a while, but couldn’t commit to it because something didn’t feel right about using one service to point to all the other services.

With the recent Facebook acquisition of Friendfeed, I figured out what I didn’t like about using Friendfeed as a gateway, and that is that it’s not mine and never will be. It’s unlikely, but what if Facebook decided to kill Friendfeed? That in itself wouldn’t make a huge difference because Friendfeed would only be aggregating my content that is hosted elsewhere. But the principle is that building on a platform I don’t control just seems like a bad idea.

Which brings me to the blog…or at least, the self-hosted blog. With all the plugins available nowadays, it’s possible to incorporate virtually any content from most of the popular services, directly into the blog. I’ve had my Twitter and Flickr streams on /usr/physio for ages, and in the last few months have included additional content from Slideshare and Scribd. My blog is not going to go away anytime soon because I control the platform, down to the version of the software I run. No matter what services crop up that I decide to make use of, it’s only a matter of time before someone writes a plugin that I can use to incorporate that content into my site.

Of course there are issues with interaction on the blog, with most commenting systems incapable of integrating with each other (i.e. my Twitter feed is displayed on my blog, but any reader can only respond via Twitter, rather than directly from the blog…and the same goes with any other services that I’m using). But this problem would exist with any current “lifestreaming” platform.

So, is the blog going to make a comeback?