the blogging explosion libraries and weblogs darlene fichter [email protected] university of...
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The Blogging ExplosionLibraries and Weblogs
Darlene [email protected]
University of Saskatchewan
Computers in Libraries
Washington, DC
March 14, 2003
Overview
What are blogs? A little history Blog dissection class Blogs & emergent information Blog features and software 10 ways to use a blog How to find out more
What is it?
Blog / Weblog is A web page containing brief entries
arranged chronologically Can be like
A journal or diary ‘What’s New’ page Interesting links page
“To me, the blog concept is about three things: Frequency, Brevity, and Personality.”
Evan Williams (creator of Blogger)
Terminology
Blogger – person who maintains a blog Blogging – the act of creating a blog Blogrolling – moving from blog to blog Blogrolodex – a listing of other blogs Blogorrhea – hundreds of posts per day
about anything Blawgs, Klogs … See discussion of terminology on
MetaFilter
A peek at the past
NCSA’s What’s New page June 1993 Netscape’s What’s New 1993-95 Librarians' Site du Jour – Jenny
Levine, 1995 Dave Winer 1996 Cam World 1997
Created and coded by hand
Simple chronological lists
Librarian’s Site du Jour
November 30, 1995 --You've used their publication manual, now visit their web site. Yes the American Psychological Association has launched PsychNET, with lots of good stuff for non-APA members …
http://www.jennyscybrary.com/1995/november.html
Blogs today
Range from the simple to the sophisticated
Few features to chalk full on add-ons and little wizards
Interesting and useful to mundane and completely irrelevant
Blogging explosion
2000-2003 Tools that made it easy to publish No need to know HTML No need to know FTP Add / edit content anywhere, anytime
Dozens of features – dynamic, quick and easy to develop
Millions?? worldwide
Can you guess what South American country is a hotbed for blogs?
In the limelight
Lots of media hype Google bought blogger Tripod, the Web publishing unit of Terra
Lycos AOL is supposed to provide tools
Dissecting a web log
beSpacific.com Accurate, focused law and technology
news www.bespacific.com
Blog entry
Other features
Time stamp Comments Draft mode Timed release
Blogging add-ons
MyMediaList manage book, music lists
AudioBlogger & AudBlog phone and leave audio clips
Bloglet set up a email subscribers option
Blogarithm blogs that changed each day
Blogrolling Bookmarklet to add links
Pop open the hood
3. Post and publish
Feature rich blogs
Powered by PHP, perl or some other scripting language and back-end database
Two examples: Movable Type Pmachine
Pluses
Timely Get to the point Quick to skim “Human filter” Contextualized What’s “Hot”
www.daypop.com
Minuses
ROT Redundant
All posting the same stuff Obsolete
Links expire Best before date!
Trivia “my cat coughed up a fluff ball”
Misinformation Rigor of validating information (rumor) varies
greatly Bias
Resource for emergent information
Source for “emergent information” Many times daily Often before it hits the newsstands e.g.
Viruses and hacks – slashdot Biz News – Jeremy Allaire’s
Talks about the fact he is leaving Macromedia Nothing official on Macromedia site where it
says he’s CTO
Searching blogs
Google indexes many Rise of “Google bombs” – a brilliant gag by
Adam Mathes called his friend a “talentless hack”
Directories at www.lights.com/weblogs Blogdex (MIT) http://blogdex.media.mit.edu
LinkhypePopdex
Ecosystem Daypop Waypath
Blogwise – geographic categorical index
Choosing a blogging solution
Lots of options Dive in and try a few for free:
Blogger, Onclave,Web Crimson
Types of blogs
Solo Community blogs
Slashdot – news for nerds LISNews.com
Hosted locallyor remotely
Hosted Antville Blogger LiveJournal Onclave
Local Server PMachine Movable Type Grey Matter
BlogComp
http://www.urldir.com/bt/
Client solutions
Clients FogCreek’s CityDesk, Windows
http://www.fogcreek.com/CityDesk/ Eastgate’s Tinderbox, Macintosh
http://www.eastgate.com/Tinderbox/
Just a few of the factors
Types of blog Features and functions Server platform
Unix or Windows or MAC IT help Scripting languages
Security and privacy
Blogging Software for Intranet Applications. ONLINE, January 2003
10 ways to use blogs
1. New Stuff to Share Recommend internet sites & tools
Promote it!
2. Marketing Promote library events and programs Let visitors subscribe via email Distribute headlines (RSS)
My Pick: Announce movies, link to trailers, reviews
Get interactive
3. Talk back Books you like Let users post reviews and comments
10 ways …
4. Staff development Fact sheets on new electronic resources Tips and tricks
5. Share knowledge - KM Best practices – “know-how” Use for a committee, enable the
“comment feature” Presentation
Blogging for Knowledge Exchange
IT and budget crunch?
6. Automate Managing Links Track web site links under review for
adding to catalog or best sites Tips:
Enable the comment button. Choose a blog that archives by “topic” and
use it for your links
10 ways …
7. Professional / personal development Reflective nature, adds focus
8. Résumé Professional blog Write about your interests and what you find
interesting
Solve email overload
9. Project Tracking and Management Provides a record in one place for a team of
decisions, next steps Points for discussion or comment
Be a leader
10. Community information Collect and syndicate local [city] news and
events or university or college happenings Be everywhere.
Blogging and libraries
Lots of opportunities for libraries and librarians
Lightweight content management solution Easy to publish Inexpensive (free) Multiple contributors Lighten web maintenance workload
Library related blogs
Gary Price – The ResourceShelf Jenny Levine - Shifted Librarian Jessamyn West - librarian.net Stephen Cohen – Librarystuff.net
Complete List of Library blogs www.libdex.com/weblogs/
For fun type in “librarian” in Google
Finding out more
Weblogs Compendium Articles:
Darlene Fichter - Blogging Your Life Away. ONLINE, May, 2001
Darlene Fichter. Blogging Software for Intranet Applications. ONLINE, January 2003
