Notes from Online Northwest 2009

Posted by Alison Aldrich on February 17th, 2009 Posted in: Technology

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Pat Devine and I attended the 26th annual Online Northwest conference in Corvallis, Oregon last Friday. This unique conference brings together technology-curious information professionals from academic, public, school, and special libraries, as well as a few attendees from outside of libraryland. We are fortunate to have an event like this in our region.

B.J. Fogg delivered the keynote address. Fogg is the director of the Persuasive Technology Lab at Stanford University. He spoke to us about using online video to influence behavior. The web is a platform for persuasion, and every web site has some sort of persuasive goal. Mega-motivation alone cannot change behavior. Behavior change requires motivation, ability and a trigger. All three must be present at the same time for change to occur. Fogg’s book, Persuasive Technology: Using Computers to Change What We Think and Do, will definitely be on my reading list.

Have a look at the official Online Northwest blog for summaries and links to other great presentations, including:

• Soapbox, echo chamber, and salon: Social media and civic engagement (Anne-Marie Deitering and Rachel Bridgewater)
• Preventing a Digital Divide: Accessibility and Online Learning (Diana Wakimoto)
• 2, 4, 6, GREAT: Handouts They’ll Appreciate (Anna Johnson)
• Library Blogs: Guidelines, Policies and First Amendment Rights (Arlene Keller and Cindy Gibbon)
• Heck with HAL: Open the Pod Bay Door to the Deep Web Yourself with Google’s Custom Search (Dale Vidmar)

Thanks to the Online Northwest planning committee for organizing such a successful event.