Lesson 1: Blogs
One of the major Web 2.0 themes is blogs. Simply put, a blog is a type of website that arranges information in reverse chronological order. A blog resemble an online journal or diary because each entry (referred to as a “post”) includes the date and time. Also, a blog “self-archives” its content automatically.
You may have been viewing a blog and not been aware that you were doing so; in fact, if you are reading this text right now, you are looking at a blog!
Another example of a blog is AHML Staff Choices, which highlights good reads from library employees’ perspectives.
Individuals and organizations use blogs to express themselves and share information.
You can find blogs of interest by using a specialized search tool such as Technorati or Google Blog Search.
Blogs can also foster interaction and community because they allow for “comments“.
Your first assignment:
Add a comment - - be it a remark, an observation, a suggestion, a question, an answer, a reply to another individual - - to this very blog:
Scroll down to the bottom of this entry and click on the “comment” link.
You’ll then see text that says “Leave a Reply” as well as a large box that you can type text in.
Enter your comment.
Then, you’ll be asked to enter a code - - i.e., a series of letters and numbers (referred to as a CAPTCHA). This code, by the way, prevents automated software from posting, say, product sales and announcements.
Last, click on the “Submit Comment” button.
Someone from AHML will chime in and respond to your comments and answer questions when appropriate.
May 20th, 2008 at 1:16 pm
One of my favorite blogs is a genealogy related blog from Dick Eastman available at http://blog.eogn.com/. It has lots of great news in the genealogy field with an emphasis on technology. Check it out!
May 21st, 2008 at 8:24 am
Are blogs considered serious and credible resources?
I have seen blogs rise up from seemingly nowhere in recent years. When I first came across them, they seemed to lack a certain potency, that is, they were free form journals, generally from an individual, and they seemed to be modeled after stream of conscious thinking rather than adhering to a particular topic.
May 21st, 2008 at 11:05 am
Instead of thinking of blogs as universally credible or uncredible, I think that each blog needs to be evaluated on its own merits. Who is the blogger? Are they considered an expert in the field. What are their credentials? Is the blog sponsored by a news organization and therefore (hopefully) subject to higher fact-checking standards? In the same way that there are reliable and unreliable Internet sources, there are reputable and disreputable blogs out there. Each source of information (even books) should be scrutinized and evaluated for accuracy.
May 21st, 2008 at 12:53 pm
Even Wikipedia, which is at least moderately moderated, is something to accept with at least a grain of… well, not caution, exactly, but perhaps- awareness?
And how do you feel about the Evening News? Ask Dan Rather if we should be simply hooking up a cerebral intravenous drip… I think he’s sorry he did!
In this brave new world awash with… stuff (are they facts? opinions? fantasies? psychoses?) I guess we just always need to consider what’s coming in, and use good journalistic techniques: verify, verify, verify. …after stamping everything with a big red “PERHAPS”. Of course, we all need to develop our own “Most Trusted” sources, ’cause life’s just too hard without. But even then… “PERHAPS”. In a world with infinite info access, we all bear infinite personal responsibility. *Sigh*. Just like democracy. *Sigh*.
What do you think?
May 21st, 2008 at 12:59 pm
And in a different direction… I like Blogs that are definitely Personal Viewpoints (and therefore disqualified from “Absolute Truth”). And Blogs that just tell about interesting exploits. Here’s one I just found: the Pilcrow Lit Fest. (The have a blog, and an event!) Independent publishers in the Chicago area.
Books! Publishing! Paper! Ink! (Monitors! Pixels!)
Does it get better??????? (!!!)
May 21st, 2008 at 1:01 pm
…and would ya’ like a link or fries with that???
http://pilcrowlitfest.blogspot.com/
Yeow!
May 21st, 2008 at 2:36 pm
happy to get a chance at Bakers Dozen - didn’t do it last time
May 21st, 2008 at 4:44 pm
I am part of a blog. Its an incredible feeling…
May 22nd, 2008 at 5:53 am
what’s the next step? you know, how do i set up my own blog? as you think about your answer, please also provide recommendations as to where i should go for technical assistance on setting up my blog. thanks for the info, and i look forward to seeing your response. -rd
May 22nd, 2008 at 6:07 am
What a wonderful learning opportunity. I will be folllowing along each week. About blogs — my favorites are cooking blogs. This one, http://chocolateandzucchini.com/, is written by a young Parisian woman. I also know of two local Arlington Heights blogs — one on a families “don’t buy anything for a year” compact, and what they do instead, and one on native gardening.
May 22nd, 2008 at 12:28 pm
Raul,
To set up your own blog, I’d recommend creating accounts with one of the following:
Blogger
https://www.blogger.com/start
Vox
http://www.vox.com
LiveJournal
http://www.livejournal.com/tour/
WordPress
http://wordpress.org/
Most of these services have “About,” “Help,” or “Documentation” files to address and ideally answer your technical questions.
Blogger is simple to use, and it’s possible to set up an account in fewer than 5 minutes; please note, though, that you’ll need a Google account (since Google owns Blogger) for this particular service.
Google Account
https://www.google.com/accounts/NewAccount
WordPress is probably the most complex tool of of the aforementioned resources, and it requires a download. Be sure to check out the system requirements before pursuing this option.
And believe it or not, Wikipedia is a good source for exploring blog software. See, for instance, this Wikipedia entry on WordPress:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WordPress
Hope this helps!
May 22nd, 2008 at 4:27 pm
Whups! I forgot to include the link to the Pilcrow Lit Fest blog! Here it is:
http://pilcrowlitfest.blogspot.com/
Ellen, what’s the blog on Native Gardening ?? Sounds cool! Thanks!
May 23rd, 2008 at 12:39 pm
I just started blogging about a year ago about the process of tearing down an old house and building a new one - a much bigger challenge than I ever thought! I use WordPress and have found it to be pretty easy to use. I am also surprised at the number of people who stumble upon my blog, as well as the blogs I have stumbled upon myself. There are truly more people with more interesting things to say than I ever thought!
May 23rd, 2008 at 12:44 pm
Are blogs credible? The answer depends on the blog! Blogs are like any other information source: sometimes they are published by a highly qualified organization or individual and sometimes they are not.
As an academic librarian, I spend a lot of time teaching students how to critically evaluate sources, including blogs (we call this information literacy).
In the age of the Internet, and especially since the dawn of Web 2.0, everybody needs to be able to critically evaluate the information they use. It’s not always as easy as you think! Here’s a handy guide for evaluating sources: http://www.mchenry.edu/library/PDF/EvaluatingResources.pdf
May 23rd, 2008 at 8:55 pm
A bit of anticipation hoping to acquire some computer literacy.
May 24th, 2008 at 12:55 pm
Javier,
Welcome, and what specifically are you hoping to learn on the computer and Web?
The library does offer computer classes, which will resume in the fall (September).
You’ll see these offerings listed on our Programs and Events calendar in the future:
http://www.ahml.info/programs/default.asp
May 24th, 2008 at 3:54 pm
I just spent some time studying the phenomenon known as information literacy in my second semester in the MLIS program at San Jose State University. I will be watching this to learn more about blogging and web 2.0. I have come a long ways to overcome computer phobia and am beginning to see that without information literacy we will be lost insofar as contending with navigating this world. I appreciate all your comments.
May 26th, 2008 at 6:38 am
Here are the two local blogs I mentioned earlier. I wanted to ask the authors whether it was ok for me to tell people about their blogs before I posted links. Of course they did — they have a message to get out and the more people who see it the better.
http://suburbanagrarian.blogspot.com/
http://wedontbuyit.blogspot.com/
May 28th, 2008 at 7:29 am
What is the difference between commenting on a blog and posting to a blog? I am trying to set up a blog for a coming school class reunion and it appears more difficult for others to post than to comment. Thanks.
May 28th, 2008 at 8:48 am
rhobro,
Thanks for your question. A blog “comment” is simply a reply to a blog “post” (or main entry . . . journal entry, diary entry . . . whatever you want to call it).
Usually the individual who set up the account for the blog is the person who can create posts.
However, it is possible to set up more of a collaborative blog, which may better serve your purposes for coordinating your high school reunion.
For some background information on collaborative blogging, you can check out this entry on it from Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collaborative_blog
Also, have you given a thought to setting up a wiki for your high school reunion?
Again, here’s some background information on wikis from Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiki
There are tons of free wiki applications for you to use; one is called PBwiki:
http://pbwiki.com/
A great article that compares wiki software is “Which wiki is Right For You?”:
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6438167.html
May 30th, 2008 at 12:37 am
Blogs are a huge source of information, but I find blog indexing to still be an after-thought of search engines. Do any search engines focus on indexing blogs?
May 30th, 2008 at 9:04 am
Preston,
Great question. Interestingly, Google — undoubtedly the most heavily-used search engine - - has developed Google Blog Search:
http://blogsearch.google.com/
There’s also a real-time search tool called Technorati, which claims to track 112.8 million blogs; here’s the direct link to their blog directory:
http://technorati.com/blogs/directory/
The following Wikipedia entry on search engines list a few other blog-specific indexers:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_search_engines#Blog
June 4th, 2008 at 3:36 pm
Thanks to Ingrid for getting me started. Hi from Bayfield!
Do you search for blogs by topic? Names?
June 4th, 2008 at 3:46 pm
Welcome, S. Keachie,
Bayfield, WI?
Yes, you can search for blogs by entering keywords - - be they topics, subjects, names, etc.
Have you tried Google Blog Search?:
http://blogsearch.google.com
It works just like the regular Google search engine, except that it’s only searching the universe of blogs known as the “blogosphere”.
June 6th, 2008 at 12:04 pm
I did find the Google blogsearch and just got back from 2 hours of finding out most interesting things. Unfortuneatly I’m supposed to be looking into the blog as a marketing tool - for my job! We have low impact cottage communities in the Apostle Islands area and would like to get a blog going on our web site for Q&A, feedback, and for a way to have existing owners comment on their experience. I’d like it to replace a Newsletter format that is difficult to use and not interactive. Does this seem like a practical idea for the use of a blog?
June 6th, 2008 at 2:25 pm
S. Keachie,
Yes! A blog is an definitely an excellent marketing tool. Consider it to be the equivalent to an online newsletter . . . and an interactive one @ that.
You can post announcements, press releases, etc. In short, you can include the same copy and content of a traditional newsletter in a blog.
It will be important to let people know that the blog exists. For instance, you can include the web address for the blog in your email signature.
Random thought: a blog is also “green”; that is, it cuts down on the amount of paper used for printing and mailing newsletters.
November 9th, 2008 at 8:14 pm
What info do I enter at website
November 9th, 2008 at 8:15 pm
Is this easy?
November 14th, 2008 at 4:53 pm
Susie A.,
Yes, it really is easy.
February 4th, 2009 at 1:23 pm
Better late then never!
February 4th, 2009 at 4:50 pm
I just discovered the Baker’s Dozen. It’s great! It will help me take all the bits and pieces I know about Web 2.0 and put it all together. When will the next installment be posted?