1. Introduction to Blogging
For Business Communicators
IABC Presentation
April 21, 2005
Presented by Alec Couros

2. What are Blogs? How can I set up a Blog?
Introduction
What are Blogs?
How can I set up a Blog?

3. Overview of Blogging
A blog (or weblog) is a web-based application that enables users to post text, images, audio or video to a webpage. Posts are (ideally) periodic, and usually arranged in reverse chronological order.
Advantages of weblogging:
Simple, assisted html production, as easy as sending an message. Publication is live and instant.
Customizable templates via CSS.
Ideal for group communications.
Simple syndication and subscription through various aggregators (no need to check page for updates).

4. Overview of Blogging (cont.)
Blogging has evolved from its early origin as a medium for the publication of simple, online personal diaries, to the latest disruptive technology, the ‘killer app’ that has the capacity to engage people in collaborative activity, knowledge sharing, reflection and debate (Hiler, 2003).
The nature of blogging engines allows for the creation of a legitimate warehousing of captured knowledge, and archiving for later retrieval (Bausch, Haughley & Hourihan, 2002).
In business, "Blogs can be valuable for storing business communications, collaborating with colleagues, and sharing information with clients and vendors” (Lawlor, 2003)

5. Anatomy of a Web Log – Moveable Type 3
Post Title
Static Address
Post Date
Notification
Calendar
Link of Interest
Feedback/ Conversation
Archives

6. Blogging Software/Services
There are various tools that allow one to publish a blog. These are often split between software and web-based services.
Web-based services
Software

7. Blogger Web-based, owned by Google
Very simple to setup (takes a few minutes)
Easy to setup group blogs, but users must be
Blogger.com members
Limited customization (just styles)
Possible to serve Blogger blogs on external
FTP servers

11. Moveable Type Software – created and supported by Six Apart
Must install on server, but easy to setup
User interface simple
Easy to create group blogs
Large user community
Used to be free to use, but version 3+ must be licensed (outside of personal use).
Much easier to customize to specific use

15. WordPress Open Source – free to use and modify
Must install on server, but easy to setup
User interface simple
Easy to create group blogs
Large user community, and many plug-ins available
Easy to customize style

16. What Makes Blogging Different?
Key Attributes

17. Ease of Use Let’s take a look at just how easy
IABC Blog –

18. Customizable
There are templates and/or themes available for many of the blog engines (e.g., Moveable Type, Wordpress, Blogger).
You can change the look, feel and style of your blog without losing any of the data. Style and data remain separate.
Wordpress, for example has many downloadable themes that are available for free. Additionally, each theme can be tweaked or modified with some technical skill.

19. GO

20. RSS RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication or Rich Site Summary.
What it means to the common user is that one can subscribe to a blog using a feed reader or aggregator.
There are many free aggregator packages. Some include:
Bloglines (web-based, great if you read from more than one computer).
Feedreader (free and works great)
Net News Wire Lite (free LE version, Mac only, very popular)
Shrook (Mac only, my personal choice)
Many other applications (browsers, clients) are integrating RSS reading into new versions of software.

23. Collaboration & Groups
It’s obviously very easy to set up a group blog.
A couple of excellent group blogs include Slashdot, and Boing Boing.
There are also some excellent sites that are not strictly blogs, but incorporate blogging technology into their services to develop shared communities. Some examples include:
Flickr (photosharing)
See examples transparent screens, “what’s in your bag”.
MSN Spaces (Microsoft integrates blogging, mail, instant messaging, photos, etc.)
Yahoo! 360 (new blogging and integrated space from MS’s biggest competitor)

24. In the larger context: The open movement.
Open Source Software: Linux (alternative to MS Windows), Open Office (alternative to MS Office), the GIMP (alternative to Adobe Photoshop)
Open Content
CourseWare and Learning Object repositories: MIT’s OpenCourseWare Initiative, CAREO, MERLOT, CLOE, DLORN.
Wikis: Wikipedia, Wikitravel, Wikibooks.
Texts: California Open Textbook Project,
Free “As in Beer” Content
Journals: Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ)
Literature: Project Gutenberg
Open Publishing
IndyMedias: Independent Media Centre, TearItAllDown
Blogging Services: Blogger, LiveJournal
Other: Student Publishing

25. Opposing Forces Open vs. Closed Broadcast vs. Conversation
Institution vs. Individual
Hierarchy vs. Network
Centralized vs. Decentralized
Product vs. Remix
Planned vs. Chaotic
Static vs. Dynamic
Push vs. Pull
From Steven Downes Utah Presentation, 2004

26. Virtual Counterparts Internet vs. Television Blogging vs. Newspapers
Fax Machine vs. Courier Services
Skype vs. the Telephone
vs. Snail Mail
Technology... the knack of so arranging the world that
we don't have to experience it. ~Max Frisch
From Steven Downes Utah Presentation, 2004

27. BlogCount Technorati reports over 4 million blogs
Web-based Blogger is currently the
most widely-used service
From Elise.com

28. Collaborative Learning Space
Types of Blogs
Social Action
Diaries
Business
Politics
Scholarly
Course Enhancement
Conference
Collaborative Learning Space
Knowledge Management ~
Photo/Moblogs
PodCasts

29. Social Action

30. Diaries

31. Diaries

32. Diaries

33. Business

34. Business

35. Business

36. Politics

37. Scholarly

38. Scholarly

39. Scholarly

40. Course Enhancement

41. Course Enhancement

42. Conference

43. Conference

44. Conference

45. Knowledge Management (K-Logs)

46. Knowledge Management (K-Logs)

47. Moving Beyond Text: Multimedia Blogging
The Future is Here
Moving Beyond Text: Multimedia Blogging

48. AudioBlogs

49. PhotoBlogs

50. moBlogs

51. Podcasts

52. Podcasts

55. GO

56. Blogging & Business
The Good & the Bad

57. Emerging Problems
Comment Spam (ugggh): Besides being illegal in some areas, commenting spam is possibly one of the biggest downfalls of having a blog. With changes to Google’s AdSense program, perhaps this will lose some of it’s steam.
SaveToby/KillToby, etc, and Similar: Such ploys get passed around from blog to blog, and as they get noticed, they get paid.
Featured Advertising: Marqui is one company which pays bloggers to feature and review their products. Bloggers sign a contract and are given a set amount depending on their popularity.

58. Word of Mouth Marketing
Blogs can be a powerful tool in promoting “word of mouth marketing”.
“Word of mouth” is a type of communication that has a higher credibility, and blogs can pass word of mouth “memes” from person to person, and create a buzz via social networks.
Gmail & FreshDirect are excellent examples of word of mouth success stories.
Burger King’s “subservient chicken” and Beer.com’s “virtual bartender” were highly popular, but didn’t’ seem to cause much buzz about product.

59. Corporate Blogs
Corporate blogs can bring about a level of closeness between corporation and consumer.
Many major companies now have corporate blogs.
Google’s blog is an excellent example.

60. Starting Places Couros Blog Wordpress site Blogger Google Blog
Wordpress site
Blogger
Google Blog
Engadget
Blogs & Wikis: Technology for Enterprise Applications? (article)
Blog to the Future (article)

61. Contact
This presentation can be downloaded at:
click ‘Presentations’, then ‘Recent’,
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