Comments on: Everyone’s a winner? http://www.meanboyfriend.com/overdue_ideas/2009/10/everyones-a-winner/ Ideas linking Libraries, Computing, E-learning, and anything else that springs to mind. Tue, 27 Dec 2011 12:03:05 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: ostephens http://www.meanboyfriend.com/overdue_ideas/2009/10/everyones-a-winner/comment-page-1/#comment-375 ostephens Sat, 24 Oct 2009 13:58:37 +0000 http://www.meanboyfriend.com/overdue_ideas/?p=549#comment-375 I'm sure the winner appreciated the cash prize :) If you look at Alex's website http://users.ecs.soton.ac.uk/ajp3g08/ you can see he has done several projects over time and clearly (I think) these are things that he finds enjoyable in and of themselves - that his he is already very motivated to hack around with interesting ways of exploiting technology. My interpretation is that the competition gave him a focus on this particular project - which I think is a win for the MOSAIC project, and one of the key things a competition like this can achieve. It's good to hear that the work is being taken forward - I wonder if some of the work might also be of interest to build on at future mashed library events (http://mashedlibrary.com/wiki) I’m sure the winner appreciated the cash prize :) If you look at Alex’s website http://users.ecs.soton.ac.uk/ajp3g08/ you can see he has done several projects over time and clearly (I think) these are things that he finds enjoyable in and of themselves – that his he is already very motivated to hack around with interesting ways of exploiting technology. My interpretation is that the competition gave him a focus on this particular project – which I think is a win for the MOSAIC project, and one of the key things a competition like this can achieve.

It’s good to hear that the work is being taken forward – I wonder if some of the work might also be of interest to build on at future mashed library events (http://mashedlibrary.com/wiki)

]]> By: Joy Palmer http://www.meanboyfriend.com/overdue_ideas/2009/10/everyones-a-winner/comment-page-1/#comment-373 Joy Palmer Sat, 24 Oct 2009 10:10:23 +0000 http://www.meanboyfriend.com/overdue_ideas/?p=549#comment-373 Certainly would agree with all your suggestions for future competitions or similar initiatives (maybe JISC developer days? There's potential here for service teams too, as long as conflict of interest issues an be dealt with!). To be honest, I think this competition was a just one quick and innovative way to get ideas, but with clear limitations, of course. On a very basic level, I wonder if the winner would have been motivated if there wasn't a reasonable prize at the end (and I have absolutely not evidence of this!) As an undergraduate, a nice cash prize can't be too bad a win. The question now, as you say, is what we do with this demonstrator. I'm involved in getting some of the MOSAIC usability work done, and we're hoping to put Book Galaxy in front of about 50 undergrads next month. I guess we'll see where things go from there. Certainly would agree with all your suggestions for future competitions or similar initiatives (maybe JISC developer days? There’s potential here for service teams too, as long as conflict of interest issues an be dealt with!). To be honest, I think this competition was a just one quick and innovative way to get ideas, but with clear limitations, of course. On a very basic level, I wonder if the winner would have been motivated if there wasn’t a reasonable prize at the end (and I have absolutely not evidence of this!) As an undergraduate, a nice cash prize can’t be too bad a win. The question now, as you say, is what we do with this demonstrator. I’m involved in getting some of the MOSAIC usability work done, and we’re hoping to put Book Galaxy in front of about 50 undergrads next month. I guess we’ll see where things go from there.

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