the blogging explosion libraries and weblogs

The Blogging ExplosionLibraries and Weblogs

Darlene Fichterdarlene.fichter@usask.ca

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

Thank you! Darlene Fichter

darlene.fichter@usask.caUniversity of Saskatchewan Library