Community Building Through Your Web Site: Library Blogs and RSS Feeds Michael Stephens Dominican University Tame the Web

Word of the Year 2004  Merriam-Webster Inc. reports that the word BLOG, defined as “ a Web site that contains an online personal journal with reflections, comments and often hyperlinks, ” was one of the most looked-up words on its Internet sites this year. 

Blog Statistics  Technorati now tracks over 27.2 Million blogs  The Blogosphere is doubling in size every 5 and a half months  It is now over 60 times bigger than it was 3 years ago  On average, a new weblog is created every second of every day  13.7 million bloggers are still posting 3 months after their blogs are created --

Blog Statistics  Technorati.com tracks about 1.2 Million new blog posts each day, about 50,000 per hour  Blog Finder has over 850,000 blogs, and over 2,500 popular categories have attracted a critical mass of topical bloggers

What is a Weblog? (Blog!)  A Software tool  Content management system  Is organized chronologically by date (newest entries are usually at the top)  Self-archives by date (done by software)

What is a Weblog? (Blog!)  Is updated somewhat regularly with relatively short entries  Includes links, more links, and even more links  Uses a unique URL (permalink) for each posting  Provides an “RSS feed” that “syndicates” the content and lets you read posts in a separate reader called an “aggregator”

ARCHIVE - Date - Category POST 4 POST 3 POST 2 POST 1 Home Page Blah, blah, blah Yadda, yadda, yadda Blah, blah, blah Yadda, yadda, yadda

Exploring weblog features

Basic blog layout Blog Title Side Menu Blog Entry

More details Comments Posting Time Permanent Link Links to Post

A close look at a post Title Text Graphic

Side Menu Link Back Older Posts Archives

Weblog features:  Dated entries  Mission or goal statement  Categories for posts  Archives  Lists of other blogs the author(s) reads  Navigational links  Contact info

Requirements to Blog  Blog software  Server space & a bit of programming  Time  Something to say - “fresh content” (Carver, 2003)

Content???  Create a “What’s New” Blog  Happenings at your library  Programs and materials  Watch the News/Current Events  What’s HOT

Edit Blogs via the Web! No Muss No Fuss

Public Library Web Sites  1990s Landscape of PL Web presence  Static Informational Pages  POLL: Dreamweaver? FrontPage? HTML?  Does content flow stop at your Web person’s desk?

Web-based Blog Editing  Web forms & menus  Entries can be pasted in from Word, etc. (save as.txt to avoid formatting quirks)  Multiple authors throughout library  Blogger, Type Pad, Movable Type, Word Press are examples of blog software

Let’s Survey the Biblioblogosphere

Types of Library Weblogs  News from the library  Project-based blogs  Thoughts of a particular librarian  Moblogs or Photoblogs  (Clyde, 2004)

Public Library Weblogs  Library Sponsored  Marketing Blogs  Promote library services and programming as well as disseminating information a library's user population needs  Library news  New materials lists  Dynamic content

Public Library Weblogs  Library Sponsored Blogs  Topical Blogs  Address areas of interest to the library's users, such as readers' advisory, technology, and specific subjects related to the institution  Book reviews  User specific information  News for teens, Information for Seniors

Photo-blogging  Shows the vibrancy of the library  Puts it out in the community  Humanizes the library

Involving Your Community

Community Contributions to Library Sites  Ann Arbor District Library –  A Minute with Megan –  Western Springs History –  WPopac  Riverdale, IL E-Newsletter –

RSS & Community

The Money RSS Slide  Really Simply Syndication  Lets you create content in one place but display it in other places  Aggregators  Websites  Internal – portals, intranets, updates, communication  External – other websites, direct-to-user, Web 2.0  Gets you found in places you normally wouldn’t be found

Website RSS feed Machines Humans

Website RSS feed Machines Websites Humans

Coming Soon!

Course Page Example – ProQuest article citations integrated with your website

Conversations & Cluetrain

Jumping on the Cluetrain  “These networked conversations are enabling powerful new forms of social organization..”

Jumping on the Cluetrain  To speak with a human voice, companies must share the concerns of their communities.  It’s all about conversations  We shall become transparent

6 Things You Can do Now!

6 Things You Can Do Now  Read Weblogs  Check out what other libraries are doing:  Keep tabs on new developments

6 Things You Can Do Now  Start your own What’s New Blog at your library!  Update often and create an environment of dynamic content  Turn comments ON!

6 Things You Can Do Now  Appoint a “trend reporter” on your staff who watches and learns  And shares  Emerging Technology Committee

6 Things You Can Do Now  Train your PL staff to use an aggregator to read RSS feeds - it’s powerful!  Bloglines  Blog Bridge  More!

6 Things You Can Do Now  Advocate for RSS built in to products we pay for  Will allow us to place more and more content out into our communities  Makes the library discoverable

6 Things You Can Do Now  Learn about Library 2.0  Replicates user-driven and user- centered services online 