Introduction
Have you ever kept a journal, a diary, a simple log of what you’ve been up to? A blog (or “web log”) is simply an online version where you can record your thoughts and musings in online posts. You can write about any topic that interests you—education, libraries, travel, food, your kids, in a word—anything!
Blogs take you one step further than a simple diary, with the ability to share what you’ve written with the world, invite comments and questions (or not!) through the commenting feature. Blogs are a wonderful way to connect with other people with similar interests. Blogs can be a great way to develop your professional network and are also wonderful for helping you to remember events and projects in the future and to reflect upon them as you go.
Blogs let you do all these wonderful things without the pesky need to master (or even think about) HTML or web page creation. Additionally, they are usually free to create and maintain!
For more information, check out this short video about blogs from the Commoncraft Website.
How does this help me?
Blogs sound great and all, but how can they help you? You can use a blog to
- Connect with members of your community
- Share book recommendations and reviews
- Showcase student writing projects & portfolios
- Share interesting new tools and technology
- and much more!
This article from WebJunction has 6 great reasons why you should consider blogging. I particularly like reasons 1: "Writing a blog keeps you current" & 2: "Blogs are an advocacy tool." We work hard as librarians to stay current and keep up with the constantly changing landscape. We are (or should be) constant advocates for our own library programs and for libraries in general. One more tool in our toolbox is always handy!
Here are some examples of library blogs in action:
There are plenty of different blogging tools to choose from. Some are more full-featured than others, some are more a quick-start. Poke around and see which appeals to you! These are all free options.
Your first task is to create your own blog. This will help you to keep a record of what you’re learning during this project. It will also serve as a way to communicate with other participants. You can use any of the blogging platforms we’ve mentioned, or another if you prefer. If you’re new to blogging, try Blogger.com.
First: Choose your platform and create your blog!
Posterous | Blogger| WordPress | Edublogs
Important stuff: You must have a blog specific to this project. Please don’t register your library’s blog, or a blog that you’re using for another topic/purpose. We will be looking at your blogs to see how you’re doing with each topic and to track your progress through the project.
More important stuff: Don’t forget to write down your account info! Login, password, URL, blog name.
Next: Create your first blog post!
Tell us who, what, where, why!
And then: Register your blog here
We’ll use this to create a list of participants' blogs so everyone can read each others blogs and share their tips and ideas. Your blog entries will also be the basis for earning professional development credit.
Finally: Comments
Check the list of participants' blogs. There is a list on the Participants' Blog page, and they are also listed under the 'My Blog List' widget on the right side of this page. Take a look at other people’s blogs and leave a comment or two on anything you find interesting. Keep in mind that this is a way to share your ideas, react to another writer’s thoughts and to make connections with other people. When commenting on a blog post, remember to be respectful and courteous, even if you disagree with something they’ve posted. Next week we'll work on how to organize all these blogs!
Comments, part the second:
Leave a comment on this blog post as well, if you like. You can say hello, post a link to your own newly created blog or let us know you're here and planning to join us. Welcome!
Here are some examples of library blogs in action:
- Stillwater Free Library Book Club (Public Library)
- Librarian Nagler (school/public librarian)
- Schuylerville Public Library (Public Library)
- Unquiet Library (High School Library)
- Librarydoor (SLS Coordinator's blog)
- BMS Library 100 Book Challenge (Middle School blog)
Stuff to check out
There are plenty of different blogging tools to choose from. Some are more full-featured than others, some are more a quick-start. Poke around and see which appeals to you! These are all free options.
- Posterous. Super minimalistic, Posterous can get you off to a quick start. Two neat things you can do with Posterous: create a post via email and easily share your posts with your Facebook and Twitter friends/followers.
- Blogger, WordPress and Edublogs are full-featured blogging tools that allow for more customization. You can get started quickly and easily, but can also poke around in settings and make the blog more personalized over time.
Vital Task
Your first task is to create your own blog. This will help you to keep a record of what you’re learning during this project. It will also serve as a way to communicate with other participants. You can use any of the blogging platforms we’ve mentioned, or another if you prefer. If you’re new to blogging, try Blogger.com.
First: Choose your platform and create your blog!
Posterous | Blogger| WordPress | Edublogs
Important stuff: You must have a blog specific to this project. Please don’t register your library’s blog, or a blog that you’re using for another topic/purpose. We will be looking at your blogs to see how you’re doing with each topic and to track your progress through the project.
More important stuff: Don’t forget to write down your account info! Login, password, URL, blog name.
Next: Create your first blog post!
Tell us who, what, where, why!
· Who are you?
· What have you learned in the program so far?
· Where do you work?
· Why are you taking part in this program?
Since this is an official weekly post (you can write more than once a week if you want), please title it “Virtual Vital: Blogging”.And then: Register your blog here
We’ll use this to create a list of participants' blogs so everyone can read each others blogs and share their tips and ideas. Your blog entries will also be the basis for earning professional development credit.
Finally: Comments
Check the list of participants' blogs. There is a list on the Participants' Blog page, and they are also listed under the 'My Blog List' widget on the right side of this page. Take a look at other people’s blogs and leave a comment or two on anything you find interesting. Keep in mind that this is a way to share your ideas, react to another writer’s thoughts and to make connections with other people. When commenting on a blog post, remember to be respectful and courteous, even if you disagree with something they’ve posted. Next week we'll work on how to organize all these blogs!
Comments, part the second:
Leave a comment on this blog post as well, if you like. You can say hello, post a link to your own newly created blog or let us know you're here and planning to join us. Welcome!
