Exploration 2 - Blogging

Will Require: Reading websites and setting up an individual blog
Time: @ 30 of reading; @ 1 hour to create a personal blog

A blog (short for “Web Log”) can have many shapes, forms, and functions. Some keep blogs like online diaries, typing up personal stories to share with family and friends. Other blogs provide news and information. There are blogs that exist solely to link to other blogs! Think of a topic and there is probably someone out there with a blog about it!

Librarians are out there in full force. Here are just a few library related blogs so you can get a feel for how “our people” are taking advantage of this new technology:

Maryland’s Essential Resource for Library Information Networks (MERLIN) administrator’s blog – maintained by a group of bloggers, including AACPL’s very own Matthew Aaron. (Also, check out the Library News Blogs linked on the right side of the screen.)

Montgomery County Public Library uses a blog to highlight library services and local events.

YALSA Blog - run by the good folks over at the Young Adult Library Services Association, this blog attempts to help librarians up-to-date on new resources for teens. (The American Library Association has many blogs connected to its different groups, a simple Google search can help you find a group you might be interested in).

No Flying No Tights – a graphic novel review website run by several librarians from Massachussets.

Never Ending Search – This blog, run by Joyce Valenza, is hosted by the School Library Journal website. Mrs. Valenza posts about online resources, educational tools, and library happenings in the country.

Library Lover’s community on Livejournal has many contributing members that post links to articles, blogs, videos and more.

And much much more!

Now it’s your turn. Don’t be scared, it’s easy. According to a report released by Technorati back in October 2006, there is a blog born every half a second! If they can do it, you can do it!

There are many different blog providers out there. Feel free to browse a few of the free ones offered and take your pick. If you are familiar with our Shared Collections blog, you might want to use Blogger. If you want to try something different, check out Wordpress, Livejournal or Vox. You might discover that your email provider (MSN, Yahoo, etc) also has a blogging service that you could use. The choice is yours.

Whatever you pick, take the time to look at the customize area of the blog and really make it your own – pick out your favorite colors, give your blog a title, upload a user picture to your profile, etc. Have fun! Just remember - this blog is to keep track of your Web 2.0 Exploration and you will be sharing it with your co-workers. Make sure you pick an appropriate user name. I would recommend avoiding using your full name as your username. Try to pick something fun that expresses a part of your personality.

When you are satisfied with your set up, post your first blog discussing your thoughts on this project.

Drawing a blank? Try discussing:
- your thoughts on the Machine is Us/ing Us video
- your thoughts on picking out a blog and customizing it.
- an anecdote about a personal experience with Web 2.0 and the library
- interesting blogs that you read
- your initial thoughts on “Web 2.0”

After you have posted your first blog entry, leave a comment on this page with the URL of your new blog!