Blogging: The Basics and Beyond

What is a blog?

• Originally slang for web log, the word brought the two words together and dropped the “we” according to the Oxford English Dictionary

• Multitudes of platforms today. The most popular are free and globally reaching.

• Examples of platforms include Wordpress, Blogger, Tumblr, and Twitter.

Some Starting Discussion

• What is your idea of a blog?

• How do you see the purpose of blogs?

• So you already have a blog and, if so, what do you use it for?

Blogs vs. Websites

• Frequently updated

• Interactive

• User-friendly (easy to work with)

• Shared

• Sometimes updated?

• Static

• Less easy (require some skill)

• Owned

Source-based:Information is centrally-located

User-based:Information is shared

Who Blogs?

• New York Public Library– http://nypl.tumblr.com/

• GSLIS– https://publish.illinois.edu/gslis-itd/

• Library of Congress– https://twitter.com/librarycongress

• Individual Librarians– http://freerangelibrarian.com/– http://librarianinblack.net/librarianinblack/

Why Blog?

• Current

• Free

• Interactive

• You, too, as a librarian or representative of an institution have a voice

• Why do you want to blog?

• What would be your goals?

• How would you want your blog to seem to other people?

Getting Started

ContentAudienceDelivery

• Who is your ideal audience?

• Where are they located?

• What are their needs do you think?

• How can you match those needs given the different ways you can blog?

Content

• FOCUS

• Keep it concise

• Be visual

• Find your niche– What is your specialty?– What is in your collection?– What are you involved with?

Audience

• Who is it?

• What do they need?

• What can you give them?

Delivery: Blogging vs. Microblogging

Microblogging• Focuses on very short

entries• Often uses single images per entry and

hyperlinks• Examples include

Tumblr and Twitter

Blogging• Entries relatively

more textual elaborate but still

concise• Visual in layout and

uses many images per entry

• Examples include Blogger and Wordpress

Questions?

Do check out our upcoming workshops on blogs! Now you know the basics so you

can jump into more detail.