Community Building Through Your Web Site: Library Blogs and RSS Feeds

Michael Stephens Dominican University Tame the Web

Word of the Year 2004

 Merriam-Webster Inc. reports that the word BLOG, defined as “ a Web site that contains an online personal journal with reflections, comments and often hyperlinks, ” was one of the most looked-up words on its Internet sites this year.

 http://www.cnn.com/2004/TECH/internet/11/30/words.of.the.year.reut/index.html

Blog Statistics

 Technorati now tracks over 27.2 Million blogs  The Blogosphere is doubling in size every 5 and a half months  It is now over 60 times bigger than it was 3 years ago  On average, a new weblog is created every second of every day  13.7 million bloggers are still posting 3 months after their blogs are created --

Blog Statistics

 Technorati.com tracks about 1.2 Million new blog posts each day, about 50,000 per hour  Blog Finder has over 850,000 blogs, and over 2,500 popular categories have attracted a critical mass of topical bloggers

What is a Weblog? (Blog!)

 A Software tool  Content management system  Is organized chronologically by date (newest entries are usually at the top)  Self-archives by date (done by software)

What is a Weblog? (Blog!)

 Is updated somewhat regularly with relatively short entries  Includes links, more links, and even more links  Uses a unique URL (permalink) for each posting  Provides an “RSS feed” that “syndicates” the content and lets you read posts in a separate reader called an “aggregator”

Home Page POST 4 Blah, blah, blah POST 3 Yadda, yadda, yadda POST 2 Blah, blah, blah POST 1 Yadda, yadda, yadda ARCHIVE - Date - Category

Exploring weblog features

Blog Title Blog Entry

Basic blog layout

Side Menu

More details

Posting Time Permanent Link Comments Links to Post

Title Graphic

A close look at a post

Text

Link Back Older Posts Archives

Side Menu

Weblog features:

 Dated entries  Mission or goal statement  Categories for posts  Archives  Lists of other blogs the author(s) reads  Navigational links  Contact info

Requirements to Blog

 Blog software  Server space & a bit of programming  Time  Something to say - “fresh content” (Carver, 2003)

Content???

 Create a “What’s New” Blog  Happenings at your library  Programs and materials  Watch the News/Current Events  What’s HOT

Edit Blogs via the Web!

No Muss No Fuss

Public Library Web Sites

 1990s Landscape of PL Web presence  Static Informational Pages  POLL: Dreamweaver? FrontPage? HTML?

 Does content flow stop at your Web person’s desk?

Web-based Blog Editing

 Web forms & menus  Entries can be pasted in from Word, etc. (save as .txt to avoid formatting quirks)  Multiple authors throughout library  Blogger, Type Pad, Movable Type, Word Press are examples of blog software

Let’s Survey the Biblioblogosphere

Types of Library Weblogs

 News from the library  Project-based blogs  Thoughts of a particular librarian  Moblogs or Photoblogs  (Clyde, 2004)

Public Library Weblogs

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Library Sponsored

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Marketing Blogs

 Promote library services and programming as well as disseminating information a library's user population needs 

Library news



New materials lists



Dynamic content

Public Library Weblogs

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Library Sponsored Blogs



Topical Blogs

 Address areas of interest to the library's users, such as readers' advisory, technology, and specific subjects related to the institution 

Book reviews

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User specific information

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News for teens, Information for Seniors

Photo-blogging

 Shows the vibrancy of the library  Puts it out in the community  Humanizes the library

http://www.rutlandfree.org/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/librarian/14645140/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/michaelcasey/sets/632151/

Involving Your Community

Community Contributions to Library Sites

  Ann Arbor District Library – A Minute with Megan – http://www.aadl.org/  http://www2.mls.lib.il.us/flossmoor/director/ Western Springs History –  http://www.westernspringshistory.org/ WPopac-  http://maisonbisson.com/blog/post/11096/ Riverdale , IL E-Newsletter – http://riverdalenews.blogspot.com/

RSS & Community

The Money RSS Slide

  Really Simply

Syndication

Lets you create content in one place but display it in other places  Aggregators  Websites  Internal – portals, intranets, updates,  communication External – other websites, direct-to-user, Web 2.0



Gets you found in places you normally wouldn’t be found

Website RSS feed Humans Machines

Website RSS feed Humans Machines

Websites

Coming Soon!

Course Page Example – ProQuest article citations integrated with your website

Conversations & Cluetrain

Jumping on the Cluetrain

 “These networked conversations are enabling powerful new forms of social organization..”

Jumping on the Cluetrain



To speak with a human voice, companies must share the concerns of their communities.

 It’s all about conversations  We shall become transparent

6 Things You Can do Now!

6 Things You Can Do Now

 Read Weblogs  Check out what other libraries are doing: www.blogwithoutalibrary.net

 Keep tabs on new developments

6 Things You Can Do Now

 Start your own What’s New Blog at your library!

 Update often and create an environment of dynamic content  Turn comments ON!

6 Things You Can Do Now

 Appoint a “trend reporter” on your staff who watches and learns  And shares  Emerging Technology Committee

6 Things You Can Do Now

 Train your PL staff to use an aggregator to read RSS feeds - it’s powerful!

 Bloglines www.bloglines.com

 Blog Bridge www.blogbridge.com

 More!

6 Things You Can Do Now

 Advocate for RSS built in to products we pay for  Will allow us to place more and more content out into our communities  Makes the library discoverable

6 Things You Can Do Now

 Learn about Library 2.0

 Replicates user-driven and user centered services online  http://www.squidoo.com/Library20