Transcript Blogging and Instant Messaging A very brief introduction! SUNY Potsdam IT Fair 2005 Jenica P. Rogers August 25, 2005

Blogging and Instant
Messaging
A
very brief
introduction!
SUNY Potsdam IT Fair 2005
Jenica P. Rogers
August 25, 2005
What I’ll cover today:

What is a weblog?
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How are weblogs created?
What kind of information do weblogs provide?
RSS feeds
Implementation in Higher Ed
What is Instant Messaging?
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Who uses IM?
Why use IM?
Implementation in Higher Ed
Weblogs (Blogs): What are they?
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Wikipedia definition:
“A weblog, web log or simply a blog, is a web
application which contains periodic time-stamped posts on
a common webpage.”
“Blogs run from individual diaries to arms of political
campaigns, media programs and corporations, and from
the writing of one occasional author to the collaboration of
a large community of writers.”
“Many weblogs enable visitors to leave public comments,
which can lead to a community of readers centered
around the blog; others are non-interactive.” All above
from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blog
Also see: BusinessWeek article:
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/05_18/
b3931001_mz001.htm
What kind of information is on
blogs?
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Extremely varied!
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Personal journals
Collections of interesting news on a single topic
Editorial-type content
Essays, ramblings, rants – some more
compelling than others
Photographs
Audio files
You name it: You’ll find it’s been blogged.
Key Features of Blogs
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Sequential periodic posting of content to a
static page
Extremely dynamic in content and style –
easily changed
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Content is updated weekly, daily, hourly…
Time, date, and author stamps on content
Often allow reader comments
Often informal in tone
Like this:
http://potsdamreference.blogspot.com/
How are blogs created?
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VERY simply.
Web-based interface for publishing
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User name and password
Interface operates inside your browser
Interface ‘feels’ like a word processor
Free services:
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LiveJournal, TypePad, Blogger (and
more!)
all will provide the interface for posting
and the website hosting for free.
Blogs in Higher Education
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A blog about blogs in HE:
http://www.mchron.net/site/edublog.php
http://radio.weblogs.com/0114870/”This weblog focuses
on locating, evaluating, discussing, and providing
guidelines to instructional resources for faculty in higher
education.”
http://weblogs.ucalgary.ca/aggregator/sources/9
“University of Calgary's student newspaper online”
http://blog.educationforadults.com/
http://www.crookedtimber.org/ a broad-ranging weblog
contributed to by (mostly) academics
 Maintains a listing of subject-specific weblogs in
academia: http://crookedtimber.org/academic-blogs/
Blogs in HE libraries
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OURS:
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Potsdam Reads:
http://potsdamreads.blogspot.com
College Libraries News:
http://potsdamlibrariesnews.blogspot.com
Binghamton University Science Library:
http://library.lib.binghamton.edu/mt/science/
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Moraine Valley Community College Library:
http://www2.sls.lib.il.us/MVCC/librarynews/
Webfeeds: What are they?
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Referred to as “RSS feeds”, labeled
with little orange buttons that say
“XML”
RSS stands for Really Simple
Syndication
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Blogs produce ever-changing content
Feeds supply the user with that
information as it is changed
RSS saves the time of the user/reader –
it tells you when something’s new since
you checked last.
Examples of Webfeeds
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Chronicle of Higher Education:
http://chronicle.com/help/rss.htm
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New York Times Headlines:
http://www.nytimes.com/services/xml/rss/index.html
NASA news feeds: www.nasa.gov/rss
 TV shows… sports teams… the possibilities
are vast.
AND:
 Nearly ANY blog.
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How do you use a webfeed?
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“To read webfeeds (often called RSS
feeds), you need a software tool
called a feed reader (also called a
news reader or an aggregator). Your
feed reader maintains a list of your
favorite webfeeds, checks them
regularly for updates, and displays
their contents.”
Newsreaders:
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Stand-alone software:
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NetNewsWire:
http://ranchero.com/netnewswire/
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Web-based aggregators:
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Browser plug-ins:
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Bloglines: http://www.bloglines.com/
Pluck, for IE: http://www.pluck.com/
A list of available readers:
http://allrss.com/rssreaders.html
What Is Instant Messaging?
Who uses IM?
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Our students.
Pew Internet & American Life report on
teen internet use:
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“To [teens], email is increasingly seen as a tool
for communicating with “adults” such as
teachers, institutions like schools, and as a
way to convey lengthy and detailed
information to large groups. Meanwhile, IM is
used for everyday conversations with multiple
friends that range from casual to more serious
and private exchanges.”
http://www.pewinternet.org/PPF/r/162/report_
display.asp
Why Use IM?
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The short answer:
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It’s where your students are. Go to
them.
The longer answer:
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IM will not replace other
communication technology
But IM broadens our ability to connect
with students in a way that is
meaningful to them
Implementation in HE
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Libraries:
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Online courses:
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Online reference service
User feedback shows students prefer IM to
email or telephone
Can provide online real-time communication
capability to remote students
“Virtual” office hours:
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Students with questions can ask them… and
you can answer
Thanks for your interest…
…any questions?
This presentation is online at
http://www2.potsdam.edu/rogersjp