Technology Tuesday Webcast Series:
March 9, 2004
Presenter: Lori Bowen Ayre
Want To Go Blogging?
Agenda
What are Blogs and Bloggers?
Blogging and Libraries
Planning Your Library Blog
Best Practices
Reading Blogs and RSS Feeds
Where to Learn More
Bloggers
Residents of Planet Blogistanor
Web + Logs
In The Beginning…All Blogs Were “Personal”
chronological lists of links to stuff that interests the author (blogger), interspersed with information, editorializing and personal asides
often impassioned and sometimes sloppy; they frequently surprise and just as frequently lose focus
-Rosenberg (1999)
Today, Web Logs Are…
also a tool to do what we've always done: collect, categorize, and make information accessible. After all, adding a blog to your library's site is free and easy. It is also a quick way for you and your staff to communicate information to your public and, if you choose, to provide a forum for your public to join the
discussion.
-Blake Carver (2003)
Library “Organizational” Blogs news about the library or community new arrivals: books, VCRs, CDs, DVDs list of upcoming events staff picks for the week most circulated/requested books new in the children’s department teen book club
Blogging and Libraries
Why do I care?
How Public Blogs Benefit the Library
1. website can be a destination for library and community news
2. can be responsive to patron feedback
3. can quickly respond to current events
4. can allow for interaction between patrons and library using comments
5. more involvement with website by multiple staff members
Escondido Public Library
Library Provides Online BookClubFor Kids
http://bloggerbookclub.blogspot.com/
Library’s Genealogy Blog “Enriching Lives with Ancestral Ties”
http://www2.sls.lib.il.us/mt/enriching/
Redwood City Liblog
Planning Your Library Blog
Components of a Blog
sequential entries most recent on top updated frequently
informal feeling clear theme or purpose available for syndication
Marin County Free Library Blog
Blog Planning Steps define purpose of blog set expectations
who will post entries? are comments from public allowed?
if so, what is policy on deleting posts?
how often will blog be updated?
define style and accessibility guidelines define how posts will be archived consider getting help with set-up
easier to “blog” than set up a “blog”
Purpose of Blog who is it for
the community your patrons other librarians
what kind of information can visitors count on finding acquisitions news readers’ advisories news about events at the library / in the community / in
the library world book reviews opinions and editorials
Expectations of Bloggers
decide who will be the authors define topics/events for each author schedule how often does each person posts provide guidelines for length of posts decide if links will launch in same window or
new one -- make sure authors know how to do it if using images, make sure authors know how to
upload
Expectations of Public
provide mission statement purpose theme frequency of updates
can public provide feedback? comments email
Archiving Blog Entries
old entries always available by date
can also be available by topic
define topic categories before starting should relate to mission limit number of topics to
10 or less
Source: http://homepage.mac.com/mstephens7/B143020931/
“Tame the Web:Libraries and Technology”
Archive Categories
Choosing the Right Technology
can you answer “yes” to following questions? we have a server that can be used for our blog we have a person who can download and configure blogging
software we have a person who can integrate our existing website with
new blogging page so blog page has the same look and feel and we have links between home page and blog page
if you can, you can install blogging software if you cannot, you should use a hosted service
Blogging Software
Movable Type http://www.movabletype.org/ desktop blogging software free for non-commercial use MT provides installation services too
Typepad http://www.typepad.com/site/features/ desktop blogging software -
inexpensive but not free Pmachine
http://www.pmachine.com/ content management software or
available as hosted service iBlog
http://www.lifli.com/Products/iBlog/main.htm
desktop software for Max OS X
Hosted Blog Services
Blogger.com http://www.blogger.com/ yourname.blogger.com or you can host blog on your own
domain Blogspot.com
http://www.blogger.com/blogspot-admin/ yourname.blogspot.com
tBLOG http://www.tblog.com/ yourname.tblog.com
Xanga http://www.xanga.com/ xanga.com/you
…for more see http://www.lights.com/weblogs/hosting.html
Advantages & Disadvantages of Hosted Service advantages
no setup anyone with login can
contribute great way to try it out
disadvantages templates are
restrictive URL not on your
domain (usually) free services are
limited
Best Practices
Each blog entry should….
have a title be dated
be signed by author optional: visitors can
post comments
Source: http://www.theshiftedlibrarian.com/
Most Recent Entries are Always At Top of Page
Source: http://www.lessig.org/blog/
Archived Entries Available by Date and Topic
Source: http://www.workingfaster.com/sitelines/
Frequent Postings
blogs should be updated 2 or 3 times per week
the more frequent the updates, the more likely people are to return
Available for RSS Readers
an RSS reader (or news aggregator) is software that allows user to collect all new blog entries (RSS feeds) in one place rather than visiting each web log sequentially
a blog is “syndicated” when it can be read by RSS readers
formats that can be read by RSS readers are: XML RSS 1.0 RSS 2.0 RDF
the blogging software usually makes “syndicating” very easy to do
Reading Blogs
Staying in the loop with RSS Feeds and Blogrolls
Benefits of Reading Blogs
increase awareness of library issues networking opportunities venting
“…weblogs have become an outlet for the average librarian to connect with others around the world, exchange ideas, and belong to a group.”
• Steven M. Cohen’s November 9, 2003 Library Stuff post entitled “The ‘New Breed’ of Library Weblogs”
Steven M. Cohen on RSS feeds:In order to keep current, like many librarians I had all of the web sites that I visited daily bookmarked (about 50) in my browser at work and I would painstakingly visit each site throughout the day [….]
Now, I get almost all of the content I want from all of these sites delivered to one place as soon as the site is updated, saving precious time.
The most amazing part is that I am notified when any of the sites I subscribe to are updated within minutes. And I didn't have to be an experienced techie to set-it-up.
Subscribing to an RSS Feed
copy the link
paste in “subscribe” box of your RSS Reader
A Peek at an RSS Feeder: Bloglines
Blogrolling
definition: (noun) The section of a weblog that lists the sites that the blogger reads on a regular basis. This is usually located on the side of a blogger's frontpage, or on a separate page linked off of the frontpage.
Source: http://www.microcontentnews.com/resources/glossary/
benefitsgreat way to share RSS feeds the new “bookmarks” or “favorites”
How to Learn More
Online Course: “The Beginner’s Guide to Weblogs and RSS”
Steven Cohen online course via Learning Times
4-week course - live online session once per week sessions: April 6, April 13, April 20, and April 27, 2004
from 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm EDT (GMT -4) $150 http://www.learningtimes.com/rss115.shtm
Good Books on Blogging
Essential Blogging by Powers, Doctorow, Dornfest, et al. O’Reilly & Associates, 2002. $29.95 http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/essblogging/
We Blog: Publishing Online with Web Logs by Bausch, Haughey & Hourihan. John Wiley & Sons, 2002. $29.95.