While playing around with Google Reader, I found a "breaking news" feed from the School Library Journal website. Since I use SLJ to screen new book selections, it seems natural to include their news feed as part of a professional Google Reader portfolio.
A blog that I have recently taken an interest to is George R.R. Martin's Not a Blog, where the author discusses everything related to his writings, including his Song of Ice and Fire series and the upcoming HBO series, Game of Thrones. Can't wait! You see the blog here:
http://grrm.livejournal.com/.
I found the SLJ feed by doing a key word search using Google Reader. I found George R.R. Martin's blog via his Facebook page. In fact, Facebook seems very much a "reader" too, though more focused on social connections. But a reader nonetheless!
Finally, to be honest, I see readers and feeds being pretty useful to me personally, but not to my library's blog page. With an uncontrolled fountain of information flowing in, I think my students would become flooded with random information posts, many of which would likely not have any value to them. At least not within the context of the library. To that end, I can see myself monitoring feeds, gleaning out the good stuff, and then filtering that through my library blog as I see fit.
But I wouldn't just turn on the fountain.
Monday, June 14, 2010
Task 2: Create a Blog
The best thing about maintaining a blog is that it's a fast, efficient means to communicate with staff and students. By its very nature, a blog provides constant, passive communication: I post when I have time, students and staff read the posts when they have the time.
The greatest challenge? Attracting an audience! The greatest content in the world is wasted if no one ever visits the site. On nearly every occasion that a class visited the library, I had a projector set up so that I could show them the latest blog posts. At the very least, I know they have seen the blog while visiting the library. My hope is that they walk out the door and then later think to visit on their own.
Another challenge is finding the time to post regularly. This is also closely linked to attracting an audience. If a blog is not maintained consistently, or includes sporadic posting, it becomes all the more difficult to attract and keep an audience. To the end of consistent posting, I established that on certain days of the week, I would always post certain content. For example, Mondays were always Book of the Week, where I would recommend and discuss a favorite book. Wednesdays were always Library Tip of the Week and Fridays New Arrivals! Having that structure in place really helped me consistently update the blog, even when time was really tight.
The greatest challenge? Attracting an audience! The greatest content in the world is wasted if no one ever visits the site. On nearly every occasion that a class visited the library, I had a projector set up so that I could show them the latest blog posts. At the very least, I know they have seen the blog while visiting the library. My hope is that they walk out the door and then later think to visit on their own.
Another challenge is finding the time to post regularly. This is also closely linked to attracting an audience. If a blog is not maintained consistently, or includes sporadic posting, it becomes all the more difficult to attract and keep an audience. To the end of consistent posting, I established that on certain days of the week, I would always post certain content. For example, Mondays were always Book of the Week, where I would recommend and discuss a favorite book. Wednesdays were always Library Tip of the Week and Fridays New Arrivals! Having that structure in place really helped me consistently update the blog, even when time was really tight.
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What's this blog about? Picture your average lounge lizard, only in a library setting!
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