Source: Blogger

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Source Bloggers Dilemma by Cox Forkum
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Welcome

• Introduction to Blogging
• Kevin Lim
• Educational Technology Center
• University at Buffalo
• (2 hour workshop)

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Source Technorati Weblog - State of the
Blogosphere, February 2006 Part 1
Obligatory Chart of Blogging Explosion
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Source Technorati Weblog - State of the
Blogosphere, February 2006 Part 2
Blogs vs. Mainstream Media
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Alex Halavais Blog A Professors Blog - Powered
by Wordpress
Source http//alex.halavais.net
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Carolyns Blog COM515 Student Blog - Powered by
Wordpress
Source http//www.schoolof.info/carolynhurley/
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This is my blog Kevin Lims Blog - Powered by
Wordpress
Source http//theory.isthereason.com
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The Blogging Processvia Dave Pollards blog
Source http//blogs.salon.com/0002007/2003/07/30.
htmla346
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AgendaBlogging Workshop

1. What Why Blogs
2. How to read blogs (demo) 10 min break
3. How to write blogs (demo)
4. Open Discussion

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What is a Blog?Beyond personal journals

• Blog is short for Web Log
• A website with regular posts
• Displayed in reverse chronological order
• Has links, text, images, audio, video, etc
• Has a conversational style of writing
• Focuses on particular area of interest
• A blogger is a person who runs a blog
• Source Wikipedia - Blog

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What is a Blog?Compared to a personal web page

• A blog
• is easy to update (via a web form)
• automatically archives older content
• has a typical template structure
• usually has RSS feeds
• builds conversation (links, comments)
• lets you focus on content

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Why Do We Blog?Motivations for blogging

• Blogs to document my life
• Blogs as commentary
• Blogs as catharsis
• Blogs as muse
• Blogs as community forum
• Source Nardi, B.A., Schiano, D.J., Gumbrecht,
  M., Swartz, L. (2004). Why we blog.
  Communications of the Association for Computing
  Machinery, 47(12), 41-46 (pdf available)

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Why Do I Blog?Practical reasons for blogging

• For me, Im blogging to
• Filter relevant information (knowledge)
• Build myself as an expert in my field
• Expand my social network

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Anatomy of a BlogHow to identify the interactive
parts
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Source http//contentious.com/archives/2005/08/22
/anatomy-of-a-blog-posting
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Source http//contentious.com/archives/2005/08/22
/anatomy-of-a-blog-posting
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Source http//contentious.com/archives/2005/08/22
/anatomy-of-a-blog-posting
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Blog LanguageCheatsheet for newbie bloggers

• Blogosphere - entire blogging community
• Moblog - mobile blogging via phone / PDA
• Permalink - permanent link to blog post
• Trackback - incoming links to a blog post
• RSS - Really Simple Syndication (of content)
• Source http//www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_articl
  e15000

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RSSthe plumbing of our living web
Text
Based on Dions RSS illustration at
http//www.flickr.com/photos/dionh/62142614/
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Reading Blogsvia NetNewsWire Mac-based RSS
Newsreader
Source http//ranchero.com/netnewswire/
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Reading Blogsvia Bloglines web-based RSS
Newsreader
Source http//www.bloglines.com/public/kevinlim
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Reading Blogs (Demo)via Preetam Rais Bloglines
Tutorial
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BREAK (10 minutes)feel free to ask questions
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Blog Software Comparison Are you using the right
blogging tool?
Source http//www.ojr.org/ojr/images/blog_softwar
e_comparison.cfm
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Writing Blogs (Demo)via Redmonk - Start a Blog
(using Blogger)
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Class BloggingBenefits to blogging for your class

• act of discovery - meaning to writing
• transparent - instant gratification
• non-hierarchical - democratic
• potential for passion - ownership
• open to public - real recognition
• collective intelligence - collaborative
• permanence - searchable resource

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Getting StartedOpening up your class / research

• Start by blogging - risks lt rewards
• Connect students - via blogs, facebook
• Collaborate - via comments, trackbacks
• Blog assignments - let ego motivate
• Be lazy - let students take the lead

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Getting StartedHandbook for Bloggers
Cyber-Dissidents
Source http//www.rsf.org/rubrique.php3?id_rubriq
ue542
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ReferencesRelated Blog Readings

• These references are also available at
• http//theory.isthereason.com/?p749
• What makes a Weblog a Weblog?
• http//blogs.law.harvard.edu/whatMakesAweblogAwebl
  og
• Educational Blog Links
• http//science.uniserve.edu.au/school/tutes/blogs/
  
• Redmonk - Start a Blog (using Blogger)
• http//www.redmonk.com/wiki/index.php?titleStart_
  a_Blog_(Using_Blogger)
• Additional Blogger Templates
• http//blogger-templates.blogspot.com/
• A Beginner's Guide to Trackbacks
• http//www.movabletype.org/trackback/beginners/

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ReferencesRelated Blog Readings

• Blogs Wikis contributing to the e-dialog
• Recordings of an ETC Discussion Forum held on
  September 28th, 2005, provided by Professor Alex
  Halavais
• Weblogs and collaborative web publishing as
  learning spaces. Halavais, A. (In press). In J.
  Weiss, J. Nolan, and P. Trifonas (Eds.),
  International Handbook of Virtual Learning
  Environments. Springer.
• Handbook for Bloggers and Cyberdissidents
• Reporters Without Borders.
• http//www.rsf.org/rubrique.php3?id_rubrique542
• Communities of practice Learning, meaning, and
  identity. Cambridge University Press. Wenger, E.
  (1998).

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ReferencesRelated RSS Readings
HOW TO Getting Started with RSS http//www.paulst
amatiou.com/2005/11/13/how-to-getting-started-with
-rss/ BBC Really Simple Syndicationhttp//news.
bbc.co.uk/1/hi/help/rss/default.stm Technorati
What is RSShttp//www.technorati.com/help/faq.htm
lwhatrss Preetam Rai Using Bloglines
http//preetamrai.com/weblog/archives/2005/04/25/
bloglines-how-to-keep-track-of-hundreds-of-blogs-a
nd-some-news-and-some-podcasts-and-some-flickrs-ph
otos-etc-etc/ RamblingLibrarian 10 Points on
Blogs RSS newsfeeds http//ramblinglibrarian.blo
gspot.com/2005/04/10-points-on-blogs-rss-newsfeeds
.html