US info pros plug into Web 2.0 computing

A survey into the technology use of information professionals in the US has revealed that Web 2.0 resources are fast catching up with more traditional internet-based sources.

The research by legal and business information aggregator LexisNexis found that nearly four in 10 information professionals accessed blogs on a weekly basis and more than a third used wikis.

News and company websites were still the most used internet resource, however, with 92% and 93% respectively of those surveyed visiting them on at least a weekly basis. Some of the “new generation” tools are rarely used, though, with only 16% and 15% accessing video and audio podcasts respectively.

The research also found that those surveyed made good use of intranets for managing and distributing information, with up to 60% seeing collaborative and wireless workspaces as “very important” for the future.

The Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC), which promotes technology in education, said the picture was the same in the UK. Lawrie Phipps, programme manager for users and innovation at JISC, told IWR: “We are seeing evidence of this popping up all over the place. Academics, librarians and students are finding new ways to get information out, new ways to have discussions, and new ways to publish.”

Phipps said attitudes had moved on enormously even since late last year, when a report by the Research Information Network found that although librarians, researchers and information officers made regular use of general and specialist search engines, hardly any used Web 2.0 technologies such as blogs.

Academics were increasingly making use of blogs, forums and social networking sites like Facebook to communicate with students. Phipps pointed to Nature’s new Nature Network (http://network.nature.com), which uses forums, groups and blogs as an example of how publishing firms were responding.

Like this story? Spread the news by clicking below:

 del.icio.us     Digg this     reddit!