To Blog, Or Not To Blog
http://www.users.muohio.edu/burkejj/blog.html
A TLTR Workshop
John Burke
April 6, 2005
What is a blog?
Short for “web log”
An online journal or diary
Combinations of original writing/abstracting with
links to other resources
Reverse chronological order
Individual author; audience comments; group
authors
Searchable archives
Example: the InfoMan’s blog
What’s a blog for?
Outlet for expression of all kinds
Personal, professional, political, etc.
Current awareness updating
Commentary on others’ comments
Collaboration and group discussion
Organizing information (text, images, links)
with individual links and posting dates
Blogs in teaching and learning: why
Posting drafts for comment
Journaling
Online creation experience
Group editing of documents
Group discussion for a project
Publishing and sharing work
Tracking research developments
Examples:
Georgia State University Library
America and the World
Setting up my own blog
BlogSpot (blogger.com)
LiveJournal.com
Available at Middletown in the near future
Xanga.com
Various other sites (free and fee-based): see this link
What choices do I have with blogs?
Can be public or private
Templates, links, layout
Single voice: one author
Multiple authors
RSS/Atom feed
Comments (on/off)
Archiving
How can I read blogs?
Go directly to the blog’s site
infomanjjb.blogspot.com
www.livejournal.com/~librarianator
Use an RSS feed reader/news aggregator:
List at www.lights.com/weblogs/rss.html
Bloglines (www.bloglines.com)
Use/create a page that lists blog post headlines
(using RSS)
www.mid.muohio.edu/library/thehap.cfm
www.users.muohio.edu/burkejj/blogrss.html
What is RSS?
Really Simple Syndication or Rich Site
Summary
The feed: a list of items – headlines, postings,
etc. – with links
Uses XML (eXtensible Markup Language) –
feeds often have .xml ending
Newer, enhanced version is called Atom
Bonus: what’s a wiki?
Blog-like
Flexible arrangement
Key difference: anyone can edit posts/info.
All revisions are archived
Collaborative creation and editing
Examples:
Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org)
JuggleWiki (www.jugglingdb.com/jugglewiki/)
Romantic Audience Project (ssad.bowdoin.edu:8668)
Bonus: what’s podcasting?
Audio blogging: iPod + broadcasting = podcasting
Recordings posted for download; marketed through
RSS feeds – see iPodder.org for a directory
Listen at computer, or on MP3 player
More information at
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Podcasting
Where can I find blogs?
Technorati (www.technorati.com)
Directory at Livejournal.com
BlogStreet (www.blogstreet.com)
Many searching options:
(www.lights.com/weblogs/searching.html)
Blogpulse (www.blogpulse.com) – indicates posting
trends
Feedster (www.feedster.com) – RSS feed directory
Blogs in teaching and learning: where
Weblogg – ed (www.weblogg-ed.com/)
Into the Blogosphere
(blog.lib.umn.edu/blogosphere) – UThink
Weblogs in Higher Education
(www.mchron.net/site/edublog.php)
Shedding Light: BLOG-MANIA
(www.oln.org/teaching_and_learning/shedlig
ht.php)
Where can I find more general
information on blogs?
Wikipedia “Weblogs” entry
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blogs)
Weblogs Compendium (www.lights.com/weblogs)
About.com (weblogs.about.com)
Books at Miami (and beyond) – ugly link