Some more photos from the workshop

Photo from the Blogging workshop

Adding an image

How to add an image.

Adding a link demo

I'm adding a link to another blog.

Related Technologies Demystified - Instant Messaging

Instand Messaging (IM) is the ability to exchange messages in real time with other people over the internet. You need to have a connection to the internet and instant messaging software.

The software allows you to set up a list of contacts who also use the programme -- and you can see who is online and start talking -- either by text, voice or video.

Several Libraries are using Instant Messaging as one of the options for a virtual reference service.

IM applications include Yahoo Messenger, GoogleTalk, ICQ, Jabber.

Mxit provides software that allows for SMSing as well as connecting to various IM applications from one's cellphone.

Your thoughts ....

Please respond by commenting:
Do you think blogging would be useful to your library?

Some related Technologies Demystified -- Tagging

Tagging is cataloguing by the author or creator of the content with the keywords selected informally and personally by the author, not according to some formally defined classification scheme. This is a folksonomy.

An item could have more than one tag associated with it. The software then provides links to other items that share those keywords and this could be between web and blog servers.

A tag cloud is a graphical representation of tags and number of uses of each tag for the web count -- showing the frequency of the use of the tag. The size of the font indicates the use of the tag -- the more often used tags are displayed with a larger font.

Some related Technologies Demystified -- Flickr

Flickr (part of Yahoo!) is a photo management and sharing technology.

A quick search on Flickr for "libraries" found 176 632 photos of that had been tagged "libraries".

Photos can be uploaded from the web, from mobile devices, from the users' home computers and from whatever software they are using to manage their photos. And made available to all (or to a select few - depending on whether you have made the photos public or private) through the the Flickr website, in RSS feeds, by email and by posting to outside blogs.

YouTube does something similar for videos.

Some related Technologies Demystified -- Podcasting

Are you the owner of an IPOD? An MP3Player? Have you downloaded music from Musica or video from the internet?

A podcast is a digital recording on the internet available for downloading. All you need is a computer with internet, software to subscribe to and download the podcast and play it, and some headphones or speakers to listen to it.

Several libraries are podcasting, using the technology to make talks presented at the library available for patrons unable to attend, story times, lectures, tutorials, library tours. Even conferences are making keynote talks available as podcasts.

Some related Technologies Demystified -- Mash-ups

Mash-ups are websites which use content from more than one source to create another source of information. Think about the way in which data from libraries might be combined and made visible in interesting and different ways. Talis held a mash-up competition this year for librarians and received 18 entries. The winner was John Blyberg's go-go-google-gadget.
Another mash-up entry combined Google Earth with the locations of public libraries in the geographical area.

Some related Technologies Demystified -- Wikis

A wiki is a technology that allows a group of people with no web experience or knowledge to collaborate in developing a web page. Any member of the community can add or edit the work of others.

A wiki can be as large scale as Wikipedia or as small as a wiki for a community with very specific interests and projects. Check out LibSuccess Wiki which is a collection of library best practices.

Libraries are using wikis for different reasons:-
* as information sources
* in LIS education providing collaborative workspaces for group work and showing cases
* has been used as a repository for Library Instruction and training resources
* Library conference wikis
* Library co-operative projects
* Subject guides and resource listings
* Set up for library staff by library staff e.g. policy manuals

Meredith Farkas suggests a list of points to consider before proceeding with a wiki.

Free wiki software is available at Pbwiki and Seedwiki

Library 2.0

Library 2.0 is the new buzzword in library circles. The term was coined by Michael Casey towards the end of 2004.

Library 2.0 is based on Web 2.0 which is the second generation of services where the web has become collaborative and interactive ... for example, web pages turning into blogs.
By using the technologies that make the second generation of services possible, we are taking our library services to where some of our users are -- maybe online. It also allows us to create new services not previously possible. It means we can reach out not only to current users, but also to new users.

Because Library 2.0 technologies are interactive, we can more easily get feedback from our users so that our services are more driven by community needs. For example, Superpatron is a blog that has been set up for library patrons who love their libraries, who take advantage of everything they have to offer, and are always on the lookout for great ideas from libraries around the world.

Recommended reading:
Michael Stephens' Web 2.0 & Libraries: Best Practices for Social Software, Library Technology Reports, 42:4. is highly recommended. This is available electronically via Ebsco.
And check out Jenny Levine's post What is new about Library 2.0? on the ALA TechSource Blogs.
There is an article on Library 2.0 in the Library Journal by Michael Casey and Laura C Savastinuk.
A more serious academic look is the paper by Jack Maness called "Library2.0 Theory: Web 2.0 and its implications for Libraries" in Webology 3 (2), Article 25.

Some related Technologies Demystified -- RSS

* RSS or Really Simple Syndication sounds very geeky, but in fact is the one of the most useful ways of floating on the information deluge. Instead of spending time constantly checking favourite websites and blogs for updates or having alerts clogging up email box, you have that information come to you in one place.

The geeky explanation is that it is XML format created to syndicate news and in that way share content of the web. The Backinskinnyjeans blog explains RSS in Oprah-speak as "Ready for Some Stories" where one subscribes to a site or blog and gets "fed" all the new headlines.

You need to have an RSS reader which gathers all the feeds (or headlines) from all the websites -- if you have a MyYahoo, MyMSN or Gmail accounts, you have a reader. Bloglines is another free webbased reader.

What about making the content of your blog available as a feed? Two "feedmaking" sites that we recommend are Feedburner and MultiRSS.

State of the Library Blogosphere 2006

How many libraries are blogging? A survey has been done over the last two years of libraries blogging in the States. The graph reflects the number of institutions blogging, as opposed to the number of blogs -- an institution may well have several blogs.

Legal and Ethical Issues of Blogging

Blogging raises several ethical and legal issues including:

1) Should bloggers adopt a journalistic code of ethics?
Rebecca Blood argues in favour of journalistic ethics for bloggers. Apple sues a blogger to reveal his sources.

2) Who owns the copyright on a blog?
There are some useful hints and guidance in 14 Copyright Tips for Bloggers. Bloggers FAQ provides further advice on Intellectual Property and explains the Creative Commons Licence.

3) What forms of legal sanction might bloggers face?
These include being sued for libel or even for comments from readers revealing confidential information.

Bloggers have been arrested in several countries including France, Egypt, Iran and China. Journalists in Zimbabwe face problems as well.

Sometimes blogs which are critical of government policies become invisible or inaccessable , including recently in Ethiopia.

In the USA bloggers may lose their jobs if they blog about their work.
In France very recently where a blogger was sacked because of her personal blog -- she in turn is taking her ex-employer to the employment tribunal. Perhaps she needed to read "How Not to get Fired for Blogging".

4) Is it possible to blog anonymously?
It may be according to the "Handbook for bloggers and cyber-dissidents" from Reporters

Guide to Good Blogging

This is a presentation by our colleague, Andrea Ressell from UCT's Centre for Educational Technology, on 10 steps to better blogging.


1. On your blog, provide a biography - your readers want to know who you are.
2. Write descriptive titles to your postings.
3. When you link to something, name that link meaningfully.
4. Provide context and structure to your blog.
5. Emphasise key postings.
6. Use permalinks.
7. Publish regularly.
8. Who is your audience?
9. Tighten your topics -- if you want to write about libraries and gardening, then create two separate blogs
10. Protect against spam.

So what's your blog about?

Dear Fellow Bloggers
Please reply to this (by commenting) sharing the address of your blog and what it is all about.

Blogs in Libraries

So how can we use blogs in libraries?

In the sidebar of this blog, there are links to different types of libraries -- academic, school, public, special -- with examples of blogs.

Blogs in libraries can be used for:-

–News and information for users
–Links to recommended resources
–Book reviews, book discussions, book clubs
–Research tips
–Marketing library services & promote library events
–Internal communication and knowledge management such as reference desk discussion
–Community News, support and building new ties

History and Genres of Blogging

The history of blogging can probably be tracked back to the What's New lists of interesting and recommended websites. At the start of 1999, weblogs (as they became known) only numbered 23. And now the figure is somewhere around 50 million sites and growing daily.

There are different types or genres of blogs:

• Online Journals
• Citizen Journalism
• Bridge Blogs
• Teaching Blogs
• Research Blogs

What these blogs all have in common are a separation of content from appearance, easy updating, listing of postings from most to least recent and a collection of recommended links (often other blogs)

Workshop Outline

The half-day workshop has been divided into four parts during which delegates will register and set-up a blog for themselves, and add content to those blogs.

The venue is the St Georges Hotel.

The times listed below are estimated.

Registration: 8.30 am (to start at 9am)

9 am
Introduction and goals of workshop
Blogs: history and genre
Blogs for Libraries
Start your own blog: Registration, set-up and first posting


9:45 am
Examples of different genres of blogs from blogosphere
Guidelines to good blogging -- the do's and don'ts
More blogging: Adding links to your blog

TEA TIME

11 am
Advanced blogging -- permalinks, trackbacks etc
Legal & Ethical issues
More blogging: uploading images to your blog

11:45 am
Related technologies including RSS, tagging, Flickr, podcasting, wikis, mash-ups demystified.
More blogging: Adding more content -- and a little more advanced Blogging

We should end at about 12.30 pm.