1 Update on the HESDA Digest blog or klog? Lesly Huxley HESDA Development Meeting, Bradford, May 2003

2 HESDA Digest shopping list An abstracting/review service for members Available via the HESDA Web site Semi-structured or structured information –Archivable, searchable, Potential for future community involvement Compliant with known standards

3 Digest focus: six themes Identified by the Publications Group: –Leadership, management and governance –Research (inc. research supervision, Entrepreneurship, Funding) –Quality enhancement tools (EFQM, Investors) –IT / eLearning –General issues / Skills development –The international dimension

4 Processes for Digest ‘Manager’ Identify relevant sources Subscribe to and scan sources Write abstracts Describe abstracts –Metadata (eh, what?!) Publish abstracts –How? (read on…)

5 Sources relevant to topics Professional press / bodies Academic journals (online/print) Alerting / news / mailing services Govt. and other reports Web sites HESDA internal publications

6 Tools reviewed Information gateway –(too heavy) Online journal authoring tool –(duplicating existing stuff) Collaborative publishing tool –(too complicated) RSS channels –(still possible, but not standalone) Web logs (blogs) –The most likely candidate given resources, timescales and shopping list

7 Blogs (Web logs) “although the concept and the technology are disarmingly simple, the psychology of blogging is deep and the power of weblogs is often not appreciated at first” David Gurteen, UK Online User Group Newsletter Jan 2003

8 A blog? Er, so what is it? An informal personal journal published on the Web Frequently updated Chronological postings with title, text, a URL, author and date Estimated 500,000 plus blogs Personal blogs and news blogs

9 The day of the klog Knowledge-logs For bloggers to write about specific area of knowledge Particularly useful for communities of practice / expertise Group learning tools …

10 Three key factors Enable creation of networks of like- minded ‘learning communities’ –Extensively cross-linked –Learning and sharing knowledge together Highly personal –Informal style: “bloggers cannot help but stray off subject now and then” Help make knowledge explicit –A ‘thinking’ tool: ideas are blogged, commented on and added to by other bloggers, built on dynamically

11 So how’s it going so far? Selected free blogger software for pilot ‘Soft launch’ HESDA mailing April 2003 Aim by end April : 50 entries Actual: 30 entries Underestimated time to source, scan and write HESDA team now signed up BUT guidelines needed Need feedback from members on content balance, functionality

Pilot using free, remote-host blog software at

14 What next? Add further entries until June Encourage HESDA staff to post Review feedback (if any) If comment/community functions in demand, consider pay service such as Movable Type

15 Over to you … Questions, feedback …