Latest Teaching Blog Posts

Strangely, there aren’t many open-source social network packages out there. Some commercial packages such as PHPFox will give you access to an “unlocked” code base, but are built off of antiquated technologies (such as using tables for layout) and are not free. Few are truly open-source, free, well-designed, and use sane development standards. Most are rather limited and are cashing in on the now well-established popularity of social network sites.

Last week, the Associated Press (AP) took a stance against quotations by bloggers they felt were inappropriate. The company requested that the Drudge Retort remove seven quotations of AP articles, ranging from 39 to 79 words in length. Since then, they backed down and rescinded their request in light of criticism. Jim Kennedy, vice president and strategy director for AP, said, “We are not trying to sue bloggers,” and voiced a desire to keep looking for viable solutions.

Last semester I taught a groundbreaking course in the Annenberg Program on Online Communities at USC’s Annenberg School for Communication. It’s the first (and as far as I know, the only) one-year MA program that focuses exclusively on building and cultivating online communities. Titled “Technologies for Online Communities,” it’s a grad-level introduction to technical concepts and managerial/collaborative methodologies.