To blog or not to blog?

To blog or not to blog?

Sue Manuel

s.manuel@lboro.ac.uk

Session overview

Introduction to weblogs: weblog systems, RSS (Rich Site Summary)

and news feeds. Loughborough University Library staff weblog

use: work of the team; why a weblog format; team experience and views; weblog review – future developments.

Definition

"Blog/WebLog: a web page containing brief, chronologically arranged items of information. A blog can take the form of a diary, journal, what's new page, or links to other web sites."

Peter Scott - http://library.usask.ca/~scottp/il2001/definitions.html

Peter Scott’s weblog compendium is a useful resource

http://www.lights.com/weblogs/

Weblog systems

hosted or installed - availability of technical support;

depends on your needs – features list; installed – Movable Type, WordPress; hosted – Typepad, LiveJournal; iBlog – desktop software for MAC OS X.

Resources

Have a go with Blogger – http://www.blogger.com/;

Biz Stone’s blogging software comparison - http://safari.peachpit.com/?xmlid=0-73571-299-9/app01;

And Blog software breakdown - http://www.asymptomatic.net/blogbreakdown.htm.

RSS (Rich Site Summary)

text file (XML format) – summary of weblog post; look out for the orange buttons; feed into news aggregator services; benefit – all sources available in one place; Web based services – Bloglines or, News Is Free; download to desktop:

Amphetadesk - http://www.disobey.com/amphetadesk/; Feedreader - http://www.feedreader.com/; NewzCrawler - http://www.newzcrawler.com/.

Resources

Have a go with Bloglines - http://www.bloglines.com/;

Library RSS feeds - http://www.lisfeeds.com/.

Weblog uses in libraries

Communication of information: news page; new books list; project management tool; knowledge sharing……..

Library case study

Could a weblog be used to assist staff at

Loughborough with Information Enquiries work?

Capture tacit knowledge – word-of-mouth; clear theme or purpose; create an information centre.

Information enquiries at Loughborough

The makeup of the team: virtual team; mixture of staff grades and specialisations.

What do we need for the Enquiries Service: differing demands for content; communication issues.

Information alerting systems

What we had in place:

central email list; ad-hoc current notices folder; word-of-mouth.

Weblogs – an alternative system

Online system - information repository: quick and easy-to-use; regular updates; collaborative; available to all; index content; search facility.

Facilitate the sharing of information.

The blog tool selected

Movable Type:

popular system; maintained and developed by its creators; search facility; categories – indexing of content.

Posting tool

Web based; easy to use; text formatting options; preview entry; email notifications.

Administrators privileges

system configuration; ban IP addresses; access and create templates; add users – allocate permissions; View activity log – records entries and

searches.

Staff weblog access habits

some open the weblog at the beginning of a desk session to: read contents and/or; access links.

some also refer to it from their office and home;

others use the weblog occasionally or not at all.

Comparison usage statistics

Entries - 9 Accesses – 250 Searches – 3

Estimated weekly averages for Oct ’03 - Mar ’04.

Entries - 12 Accesses – 434 Searches – 12

Weekly averages for Oct ’04 - Mar ’05.

Staff early weblog usage

Content of entries; links secondary feature.

Benefits to weblog use: presentation assists information discovery; easier than email; content management features a bonus.

Staff comments - positive

‘Good as a reminder, also for searching and links.’

‘Easy to track a particular issue or thread, this is a lot more difficult with email.’

‘As a part-timer it is an excellent means of accessing developments whilst off-campus.’

Staff comments - negative

‘Why can’t I put anything on it?’ ‘Nothing new on the weblog.’ ‘Regular use would add to my workload.’ ‘I make use of other sources to get

information and updates.’

Weblog Vs. email (1)

Opinion divided between the merits of the weblog and email.

“The only way the weblog will work is if current

emails cease and people have to go to the

weblog for information.”

Weblog Vs. email (2)

Information Enquiries messages can be separated - a dedicated source has benefits: weblog can be consulted before a duty; current information is in place; check weblog at intervals during duty; reduce information overload.

Retaining visitors

Keeping the weblog up to date: accuracy of information; currency.

Variety of content: team participation; some reluctant to participate.

Recent developments

Extended coverage - staff inclusion; single source of information for the team.

Weblog review

The focus of the weblog was considered. Searching is on the increase:

greater numbers accessing; more information on the weblog; does a larger repository makes information

difficult to locate? Comments facility remains underused.

The focus of the weblog

retain as a dedicated Information and Enquiries tool;

question and answer forum; training tool; links to general Library documents.

Summary

The answer to my original question – Yes; weblog use is part of our daily routine; primary source of information alerts for the

team; room for improvement.