Scott Leslie

Hi Rick, good opening question! I have to admit - I have yet to have an eBook experience I've really enjoyed. Which I find interesting as I spend 8-12 hours a day reading electronic text! I have 3 devices I read with, and I think this is part of the issue. I have an iPhone with a bunch of different readers installed. Of these, Stanza has worked best for me. But it has not been a great experience in general - I doubt I've wanted to read for more than 15 minutes because of the small screen size, both because of general legibility (I finally broke down and got glasses last month!) but also because of how the small screen really doesn't handle flowing text well.

Christmas '10 I was given a Sony eReader. I was looking forward to this, and it does have a bigger screen than the iPhone, but at 7" it still doesn't feel like a great experience and I have found myself similarly bailing after 15 minutes or so of reading.

Finally, I read on ym Mac laptop. I read both ePubs (using a number of readers but also the Firefox plugin ePub Reader, which I do like), PDFs and of course just through the web browser. So far, honestly, the ones that have worked best are PDFs where someone has paid attention to the font and layout, and web-browsers using the Readability bookmarklet.

I do think some other platforms have dealt with the general readability issue better - lots of folks seem to love their kindles, and the few times I've used various tablets, the larger screen size and crisper graphics have made a big difference. I think part of the issue too is that I haven't availed myself of too many of the additional features that eBooks offer - I am not a big note taker and so the annotation and note features are often lost on me, and I don't commute so lots of the mobility advantages aren't as big a deal for me.

In terms of favourite experiences reading an eBook, right now the book/experience I am enjoying the most is Kevin Kelly's "What Technology Wants." I am just reading it as a PDF on my laptop, but someone really paid attention to the page and font design, and it is a joy to read, plus an amazingly thought provoking book.

How about others? Anyone else out there have experiences trying a few different platforms before finding one that worked for them? Or anyone else finding that some of the new affordances of eBooks really tipped the scales for them?

Cheers, Scott

Hi Barbara, Apple's announcement did get everyone's attention in this space, and probably for good reason - they sure do have a history of disruptive innovations that shake up established markets.

There's a lot of confusion swirling round about their iBook publisher and potential pitfalls. Here is my take:

- one of the issues is around their end user license agreement (EULA) and what it permits and doesn't permit. The consensus now seems to be that if you use their iBook authoring tool and want to SELL your book, you are required to do so through their iBooks store. If you want to GIVE your book away for free (for instance, if you are involved with the open education/open textbooks movement) then no such restriction is placed on you.

- the other consideration which isn't getting as much press is Apple playing a bit fast and loose with standards. Currently the most widely adopted open standard for eBooks is ePub. ePub, however, does not currently handled rick media embedded in books. This is something Apple wants to promote as part of their vision for next generation electronic books. This is admirable. But instead of waiting for the standard to evolve, they have gone ahead on their own and so this tool with produce a new type of file. As this unfolds, it may well turn out that Apple leads the way and the open standard incorporates their innovations. This can often happen. But until then, books authored on Apple's free iBook authroing tool will only open in its reader. It is also possible that other readers will start to support this format, but this is a dangerous precedent in my eyes.

Love to hear if other people have a different read on this. I can dig up references if you like.

 

Scott Leslie

For those driving, this may also be a useful link

http://www.roundhouse.ca/index.php?module=pagemaster&PAGE_user_op=view_page&PAGE_id=18

Apparently there is underground pay parking is available (access off Drake) $1.5/hour until 6pm

Well, since you are asking, I can't eat chicken or turkey. Often not an issue for if it's sandwiches there are usually a few other choices, but you did ask.

Synposized Notes (after group discussion)

• community are people not places
• two real benefits of comunities ove r networks might be are that the boundaries can help people otherwise reluctant to jump in, and the offer more opportunities for "bumping into each other", ability to achieve a specified goal, they tap into a natural desire to belong
• rather than "look at what you can get" flip it around to "hey, you could help give"
• rather than "online community" "online spaces to support communities
• a size issue - after a certain point, you need "communities" not "community""
• networks may envcourage echoes whereas communities may encourage encountering diversity
• communities don't necessarily scale, networks do; networks can augment communities

Raw Notes - Our Space vs My Space(s)

• digital identity (harvesting)
• personal brand management / lifestreams
• portable identity
• value in having different identities
• role instead of identity
• facets
• "networks in spaces you go to" -
• communities can conceivably be consensually defined instead of centrally defined
• project with a real aim that united us
• projects can get funding, networks have a harder time
• individual campus communities want to retain their individual identities
• "go beyond" - go beyond initial committments, go beyond initial community, helps them be a part of a larger collective
• network can be less focused and longer duration
• showing that we are all united, the "movement" that unites these individual actions
• anecdote - allowing people to attach a personal photo to individual news stories helped increase sharing aross Go Beyond community
• "we are interested in sustainability, what's your major" based on response, enlist them in that particular role
• rather than "look at what you can get" flip it around to "hey, you could help give"
• affinity, learn from others
• collective identity that is lost
• part of something bigger than yourself; belonging, fundamental to huma nature
• community is much bigger committment
• "online community" is a terrible phrase; rather "online spaces to support community"
• a size issue - after a certain point, you need "communities" not "community"
• bumping into each other - multiple casual interactions; hallway conversations
• increased diversity of interactions in communities
• what is a measure of success? not sheer number; effectiveness towards a common goal
• bounding an event in time or space can actually enable people to go further