WebJunction

Got blog? According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary Web site, a whole lot of us were thinking about getting it last year. The word blog was the number 1 lookup during 2004. It is "short for Weblog (1999): a Web site that contains an online journal with reflections, comments, and often hyperlinks provided by the writer." ABC News called bloggers People of the Year for 2004 and Time Magazine listed 10 Things We Learned about Blogs. PC World considered 2004 a big year for blogs. The Pew Internet and American Life Project investigated the state of blogging. And if you don't have a blog or RSS, read why RSS is important as well as a history of the RSS movement.

Remember when you first started to use the Internet, and content was organized by something called a gopher? And now Internet content comes from Web pages, browsers and email spam? Well, think of blogging as a Next Generation way of receiving, sending, and organizing electronic content without things turning into a Little Shop of Horrors. 

By now, you are probably asking yourself: “Why write a blog for my library?”   Before answering that question, it might be useful to gather some experience by becoming a blog reader first.  Here are several items to consider.

Reading Blogs

1. Do I want to use an aggregator on my computer or on the Web to read the blogs in which I am interested?
   A lot will depend on whether you want to download software to use on your computer, or whether you want to read blogs using a free online service such as Bloglines. If the former, CNET, PC World, and RSS Compendium list several choices of RSS readers/aggregators.
2. Where do I find out all the blogs that are available?
   Sources include directories such as Newsisfree and Syndic8. If you prefer a search engine approach, consider Feedster, PubSub, and Complete RSS.   For blogs covering topics that may help you be a better librarian, look through the Open Directory Project list or Peter Scott’s list of library blogs.
3. Can I read blogs at work?
   This depends on your library, its resources and policies.
4. Do I want to spend my time at home reading blogs?
   Good question. That is something you will have to think about in this 24/7 information world and decide for yourself.
5. Will becoming a blog reader via Really Simple Syndication (RSS) help deal with listserv e-mail?
   Yes, if Steven Cohen of Library Stuff is right. Speaking at the 2004 Internet Librarian conference in Monterey, California, he stated that "listservs are dead".   Such a development would also decrease potential exposure to viruses and other Internet bad things.

Writing Blogs

Now that you have some experience as a blog reader, are you going to be a blog writer? If so, what content would you want to make available via RSS? Here are some things to think about.

1. Do I put on a Chief Blogger hat, in addition to all the others?
   If so, there are ten things a blogging librarian must do.
2. Do I have the time to update it on a regular basis?
   Steven Cohen of Library Stuff thinks so and Anne Davis of eSchool News summarizes the points in favor of such a use of one's time.
3. Do I have the content to update it on a regular basis?
   Many libraries are doing good things.  Government agencies produce RSS, in case you need to convince others about the benefits of such a combined effort.
4. What about a blogroll? Will that keep my links linked ?
   Think of blogrolling as a variation on the concept of shared cataloging records. It will help link to other blogs and provide additional content.
5. Will I have to hire somebody?  
   If your library does not have computer support staff, consider using a hosted service for producing your blog such as Blogger or Typepad. If you have an available server and computer staff, consider using Moveable Type or Blosxom. Your library’s computer staff may also be interested in XML and XML editors.
6. What about making other content available via RSS?
   Kansas City Public Library puts subject guides on their Web site in RSS. A good example is the Crafts and Hobbies Guide. Click on the orange XML at the bottom of the page. That gives you a URL to put in the RSS aggregator of your choice.   If you are using the Mozilla Firefox browser, the Minneapolis Public Library makes live bookmarks available via RSS.  A selection of tools to generate an RSS feed includes Blogstreet RSS Ecosystem, ListGarden, RSSgenr8, and FeedForAll.

In addition to all of the above, there are other possibilities for blogging and RSS.  A variation on content delivery could utilize podcasting or audio blogging.  Another possibility is RSS from library vendors such as Sirsi or Project Bluebird from Talis.  And remember. In your future job interview, you, too, can say that you know how to set up an RSS. 

Books

Blood, Rebecca; The Web Log Handbook: Practical Advice on Creating and Maintaining Your Blog, Perseus Publishing, 2002 ISBN: 073820756X

Doctorow, Cory; Dornfest, Raael; Johnson, J. Scott; Powers, Shelly; Trott, Benjamin; and Trott, Mena G.; Essential Blogging, O'Reilly, 2002 ISBN: 0596003889

Stone, Biz; Who Let the Blogs Out? A Hyperconnected Peek at the World of Weblogs, St Martins Griffin, 2004 ISBN: 0312330006

Clyde, Laurel Ann; Weblogs and Libraries, Chandos Publishing, 2004 ISBN: 1843340852 Review 

Gladwell, Malcolm; The Tipping Point-How Little Things Can Make a Big Diference, Little, Brown, 2002 ISBN: 0316346624

Other

Libraries Get Hip to RSS [requires RealAudio]

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