Blackboard has released new social networking features and functionality in Scholar® that allow users to build their relationships and network with other Scholars.

Launched in February 2007, Scholar is built on the principles of Web 2.0, delivering cutting-edge resource-sharing capabilities. Users can save or “bookmark” favorite Web sites and classify, or “tag,” them any way that works for them. Their bookmarks then are added both to their personal list and the overall repository where others can see them. This enables students and instructors toleverage each other’s classifications.

And because it's built into the Blackboard Academic Suite™, Scholar offers students the ability to create a Blackboard "account for life," so  they can take to college the resources and settings they have already developed. The same concept applies to teachers and their professional development.

New features were built into the existing Scholar framework so the social bookmarking features and functionality users have become accustomed to will not change. Users will see new content and controls on their homepage that allow them to access social networking features while still storing and sharing their resources as they’ve always done. No upgrade is required, so users will see all the new features the next time they log in to Scholar.

New features and functionality include ways to:

• Create your network – Build relationships with other Scholars and create your Network of Friends, Favorites and Fans.
• Expand your profile – Provide more information about yourself, including your picture, Contact Information, Interests, Education and Work History.
• Find other people with similar interests – Tag your profile with "Interests" and find people with similar interests.
• Update your status – Keep your network up-to-date on what's going on with you. Every time you update your status message, your network will be notified.
• Customize your new homepage – Your new Scholar Home gives you a window into all of your Scholar features, including your streams, Tag Cloud, Profile, Network and Notifications. You can drag-and-drop them to set up the page in whatever way you prefer.
• Search better – Try the new user search feature to find other Scholars or filter bookmark searches by your Network.
• Invite people to join Scholar – Start sharing resources and building relationships.

Access to Scholar is delivered by a Blackboard Building Block™ or Blackboard PowerLink™. The Blackboard Building Block and Blackboard PowerLink are available now to system administrators on Behind the Blackboard™. Once the Blackboard Building Block or Blackboard PowerLink is installed and enabled, your faculty and students can start managing and sharing resources through Scholar.

See the full list of new features on the Scholar wiki.

To learn more about Scholar, visit http://www.scholar.com.