To Blog or Not to Blog

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To Blog or Not to Blog

• Kathi L. Vanderbilt

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Essential Questions

• What is a blog?
• Who (in the library world) blogs?
• Why blog?
• How do I get started?

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What is a blog?

• Website with dated entries
• Typically with one author
• May have many authors
• Also known as a weblog
• Quick way to post and share your thoughts and
  ideas on the Internet

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Other terms

• Blogger Someone who creates and maintains a
  blog.
• Blogging The process of creating and maintaining
  a web log.
• Blogsphere/Blogosphere Totality of blogs a
  community or social network of blogs.
• Blogroll A list of a bloggers favorite blogs,
  usually placed on the side of that bloggers
  blog.

(Crispin 2005)
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What is it?

• Easily updated
• Share personal or professional interests
• Online diary or journal
• Communication tool

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What is it?

• Forum for discussion
• Many entries on a single page
• Original content
• Links
• Quotes
• Individual or collaborative effort

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Arrangement features

• Postings or entries
• Time stamped dated entries
• Reverse chronological order
• Permanent links or permalinks
• Allow you to bookmark an individual posting
• Categories
• Way to organize and classify postings
• Comments feedback from readers

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What is a blog?

• They are also a tool to do what we've always
  done collect, categorize, and make information
  accessible.
• Blake Carver
• (Carver 2003)

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Blog Power

• Blogs break down the isolating walls of
  classrooms and media centers.
• Patrick Delaney
• Li-Blog-ary at San Francisco's Galileo Academy
  of Science and Technology

(Oatman 2005)
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Who blogs?
(Clyde 2004)
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Who blogs?

• April 2005 survey
• http//blogwithoutalibrary.net/
• 224 library blogs identified
• 12 school library blogs

(Margolis 2005)
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Why blog?

• Provide information
• Target specific audiences
• Report up-to-date news
• Print Internet resources
• Link to your school library website
• URL for blog may be different than website URL

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Why blog?

• Promote our role/mission in the school
• Promote events
• Promote book discussions reviews
• Provide curriculum links
• Provide research tips/links
• Encourage communication
• Recommendations for purchase

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Why blog?

• In a world that is often unaware of librarians'
  contributions to education, media specialists
  need to make sure parents, teachers,
  administrators, and the general public realize
  they're essential.
• Rick Margolis

(Margolis 2005)
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Why blog?

• Easy Write publish
• Easy to edit
• Free services available
• Quick
• No HTML needed

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Getting started

• Choose an easy to use blogging tool
• Software, security features
• Determine purpose
• Content scope
• Key message?
• Select your audience

(Blood 2003 Fitcher 2003)
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Getting started

• Write in a real voice on a topic you love
• Update frequently
• Establish your credibility
• Link to your sources and other blogs
• Be patient and have fun ?

(Blood 2003)
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Getting started

• Hosted weblogging service
• No software installation required
• Edublogs (free for educators)
• Blogger (free or fee)
• WordPress.com (free)
• Typepad (fee)

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Getting started

• Create a blog in minutes
• Step-by-step directions for creating a blog using
  Blogger
• Patrick Crispin (see slides 12-21)
• Crispin, P. D. (2005). "Blogging 101 Digital
  journaling and group projects." Retrieved
  December 30, 2005, from http//netsquirrel.com/pow
  erpoint/powerpoint/blogging_101.zip.

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Issues and Concerns?

• Legal and policy issues
• Acceptable Use Policies
• Type of comments
• Provide guidelines for posting responses
• Settings in blog software allow blog owner to
  moderate comments
• Comments can be sent via email for the owner to
  publish, reject or moderate

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Issues and Concerns?

• Privacy issues
• Students revealing personal information
• Blog Spam
• Comments are targeted by spiders or bots to
  increase page rankings
• Turing test (type numbers/letters from a graphic
  image)
• Require poster to be a registered member

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How to find blogs

• Clusty Advanced search
• Metasearch engine
• searches Feedster, TechnoratiTM, BlogPulse,
  Blogdigger
• Google Blog Search
• Bloglines
• IceRocket

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Questions?

• All links in this presentation are available on
  my School Library Media Speculations blog
• http//infopower.edublogs.org/

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Questions?
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References

• Blood, R. (2003). " Ten Tips for a Better Weblog
  Rebecca's Pocket." Retrieved December 28, 2005,
  from http//www.rebeccablood.net/essays/ten_tips.h
  tml.
• Clyde, L. A. (2004). Weblogs and libraries The
  potential and the reality. online information
  2004, London.
• Carver, B. (2003, December 19, 2005). "Is it time
  to get blogging?" Library Journal, 2005, from
  http//www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA266428.

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References

• Crispin, P. D. (2005). "Blogging 101 Digital
  journaling and group projects." Retrieved
  December 30, 2005, from http//netsquirrel.com/pow
  erpoint/powerpoint/blogging_101.zip.
• Fitcher, D. (2003). "Why and how to use blogs to
  promote your library's services." MLS Marketing
  Library Services 17(6).

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References

• Margolis, R. (2005). "Jump on the Blogwagon."
  School Library Journal Retrieved January 1,
  2006, from http//www.schoollibraryjournal.com/art
  icle/CA630704.html.
• Oatman, E. (2005, 8/1/2005). "Blogomania!" School
  Library Journal, from http//www.schoollibraryjour
  nal.com/article/CA632382.html.

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School Library Blogs

• Elementary school level
• Grandview Elementary
• Sope Creek Elementary
• Middle school level
• Mabry Middle School

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School Library Blogs

• High school level
• Osborne High School (2 blogs)
• Tech News Book Views
• Read, Compete, Achieve!
• Galileo Academy of Science Technology

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Additional resources

• BlogBib
• An Annotated Bibliography on Weblogs and
  Blogging, with a Focus on Library/Librarian
  Blogs...
• Blogs Without a library