Transcript Blogging for Webmasters

Blogging for
Webmasters
2005 AALL Annual Meeting
Steven C. Perkins, J.D., M.L.L.
Coordinator of Reference
Services
University of Houston Libraries
What is a Blog?
A Blog is a Web Log, an interactive web page
that allows readers to post comments on the
items posted to the blog.
 See, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blog for a
detailed explanation.
 Blogs can be used with RSS feeds to keep your
readers notified of important information.
 Many organizations use blogs to ensure that
everyone receives information in a timely
manner.
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The Evolution of Web Pages
Before there was a World Wide Web there was
Dr Ted Nelson and XANADU®,
http://xanadu.com/
 The first browser, WorldWideWeb, created
editable web pages,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WorldWideWeb
 Later web browsers did not allow you to
interactively edit the web pages on the server.
 Static web pages ruled the WWW until . . .
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The Introduction of the Wiki
In 1995, Ward Cunningham established the first
Wiki, at the Portland Pattern Repository, and
interactive web page editing was back in the
WWW, http://c2.com/cgi/wiki?WikiHistory
 29 Dec 1997 saw the first use of WebLog on the
RobotWisdom website,
http://www.robotwisdom.com/log1997m12.html
 Originally hand-coded, blogs were quickly
automated, and are now mostly maintained
through a browser-based application
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Blog Software
Three of the main software tools used for
blogging are: Blogger, TypePad, and Movable
Type
 Blogger is owned by Google,
http://www.blogger.com/
 Six Apart, owns TypePad, MovableType, and
LiveJournal, http://www.sixapart.com/
 Radio UserLand is another widely used blogging
tool, http://radio.userland.com/
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Types of Blogs
Audio blogs, includes PodCasting,
http://www.Audioblog.com/,
 http://www.Podshow.com/
 Videoblogs, http://www.videoblog.com/
 Moblogs for mobile phones,
http://go.blogger.com/mobile-start.g
 PhotoBlogs like Flickr, http://www.flickr.com/
 Klogs, Dashlogs, and Linklogs can be used to
point users to information sources
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Blog Directories
Bloglines is a blog aggregator where you can
search for blogs on the subject of your choice,
http://www.bloglines.com/
 Law Professor Blogs links to legal blogs,
“blawgs” by law professors,
http://www.lawprofessorblogs.com/
 Library weblogs can be found at
http://www.libdex.com/weblogs.html
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Questions to ask before starting a Blog
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What are you using it for?
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Alerts
Updates
Discussion
Who will manage
How many editors
Public or Private
Problems with Blogs
Most blogs are abandoned after being started.
LiveJournal has nearly 8 million blogs but only 3
million are actively maintained.
 Open blogs can be subjected to comment spam.
 Hosting a blog on your own server may be very
troublesome.
 Using an off-site host can also cause problems.
 You could get sued. See, the EFF: Legal Guide
for Bloggers, http://www.eff.org/bloggers/lg/
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Problems (cont.):
Legal problems include Intellectual Property,
Defamation, Privacy, Employment,
http://www.eff.org/bloggers/lg/
 Legal protection is Section 230 of the
Communications Decency Act of 1996,
http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/html/uscode
47/usc_sec_47_00000230----000-.html
 Bloggers reporting the news and those reporting
on public records have some protections beyond
Sec. 230, http://www.eff.org/bloggers/lg/
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Some Law Blogs:
LLRX, http://www.llrx.com/
 Legal Periodicals from W&L,
http://bloggery.wlu.edu/lawrevs/
 Law Library Technology,
http://www.lawlibtech.com/
 BeSpacific, http://www.bespacific.com/
 Lawrence Lessig, http://www.lessig.org/blog/
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Who is Using Blogs in AALL?
The AALL Annual Meeting,
http://weblog.law.ttu.edu/aallamo/
 The CS-SIS, http://cssisblawgs.blogspot.com/
 Law Libraries,
http://cssisblawgs.bloki.com/index.jsp?name=blog
s&folderId=93662
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BLOG Resources:
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Blogging and RSSing the Librarian
Wayhttp://www.sla.org/Presentations/05Toronto/DITBloggi
ngRSSingtheLibrarianWayTrends.ppt
All About Blawgs, by Robert Ambrogi,
http://www.abll.org/pdf/ambrogi.ppt
Blog Software Breakdown,
http://www.asymptomatic.net/blogbreakdown.htm
Blogger Tour, http://www.blogger.com/tour_start.g
Blogging: Reading and Creating Blogs,
http://www.law.emory.edu/cms/site/uploads/media/bloggin
g_notes.pdf
RSS the Blog helper:
RSS has several meanings
 There are different versions of RSS
 Most Blogs have the capability of automatically
generating RSS feeds
 Some web browsers can read RSS feeds:
FireFox, Safari, Opera
 Many people use separate rss readers to manage
their RSS feeds: FeedReader, and BlogLines
http://www.feedreader.com/
http://www.bloglines.com/
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Who is Using RSS for Law?
GPO:http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/fdlp/inde
x.html
 Washington & Lee Law Journals Feeds for tocs:
http://law.wlu.edu/library/feeds/
 AALL TS-SIS,
http://www.aallnet.org/sis/tssis/index.htm
 Utah State Courts, Appellatte Court Opinions,
http://www.utcourts.gov/
 Louisiana Supreme Court Opinions,
http://www.lasc.org/
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RSS Resources:
RSS for Content Publishers and Webmasters,
http://www.mnot.net/rss/tutorial/
 RSS Resources from MALL,
http://www.aallnet.org/chapter/mall/inet_rss.htm
 Blogging and RSSing the Librarian
Wayhttp://www.sla.org/Presentations/05Toronto/D
ITBloggingRSSingtheLibrarianWayTrends.ppt
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