Blogging Basics

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• Blogging Basics
• A Speedy Introduction
• By Sophie Brookover
• www.nexgenlibrarian.net/popculture
• sophietrains.blogspot.com
• May 12, 2005

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What Were Doing Today

• Talking learning about blogs. . .
• Creating blogs of our own, using Blogger
  software. . .
• . . .All with a view towards applying this
  technology at your libraries.

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What Is A Blog?

• Blogs, or weblogs, are frequently updated
  websites.
• Blog entries are arranged in chronological order
  (the most recent entry at the top of the page)
• Blog entries are usually brief, and include (lots
  of) links and commentary.

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What Is A Blog?

• Blogs can have one or more contributors.
• Blog entries are saved with a unique URL (web
  address), and can be categorized and searched.
• Blog entries are archived automatically by the
  software that you use.

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How Can My Library Use Blogs?

• Marketing services, collections, programs, and
  more!
• Project management no lost e-mail, transparent
  process, searchable by sub-topic.
• Collaborative communication less cumbersome
  than a listserv, easier to track conversations

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Who Can Blog?

• Anyone!

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Who Should Blog?

• Everyone!
• (and they do)

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Some LIS Blogs I Love

• The Shifted Librarian www.theshiftedlibrarian.co
  m
• Library Stuff http//librarystuff.net
• Librarian.net www.librarian.net
• Blog Without a Library www.blogwithoutalibrary.n
  et
• Librarian in Black http//librarianinblack.typep
  ad.com
• and many, many more!

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Some Public Library Blogs I Love

• Waterboro (ME) Library Blog www.waterborolibrary
  .org/blog.htm
• Saint Joseph County (IN) Public Library Lifeline
  http//lishost.org/sjcpl/
• Marin County (CA) Free Library Blog
  http//marincountyfreelibrary.blogspot.com
• More public library blogs can be found at
  http//www.blogwithoutalibrary.net/?page_id94

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School Library Blogs I Love

• Hunterdon Central Library http//central.hcrhs.k1
  2.nj.us/imc/
• Whippany Park Library News http//whippanylibrary
  news.blogspot.com/
• Northfield Mount Hermon School
  http//nmhlibrary.typepad.com/
• More school library blogs http//www.blogwithout
  alibrary.net/?page_id94

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Blog Software

• Movable Type www.sixapart.com/movabletype/
• WordPress http//wordpress.org/
• Radio Userland http//radio.userland.com/
• Pitas http//pitas.com
• Blogger www.blogger.com/
• Were going to get started with Blogger.

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Blogspot Account Set-Up

• Open Internet Explorer.
• Type this URL into the address bar
  www.blogger.com

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Blogger Account Setup

• Click the Create Your Blog Now! link

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Blogger Account Setup

• Create Your Account page
• Tip dont get hung up on your username. Your
  first initial surname is easy to remember.

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Blogger Account Setup

• Complete all fields.
• When youre done, click the orange arrow marked
  CONTINUE at the bottom of the page.

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Blogger Account Setup

• You may have picked a blog address that is
  already in use.
• If this happens, pick another blog address, and
  remember to fill out the Word Verification field
  properly.
• Click the Continue arrow when youre done.

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Choose a Template

• No confirmation page.
• Go directly to Step 3 template selection.
  Scroll down the page to see what you like.
• Click the view magnifying glass icon to see a
  full-sized version of the template.

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Template Selection

• This is what the Minima Black template looks
  like, full-sized.
• When youre done inspecting a sample, close the
  window and go back to the template selection
  window.

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Template Selection

• When youve found the template you want, click
  the radio button under the template.
• Scroll down to the Continue button, and click it.
  
• Dont worry If you decide later that you hate
  it and want to change it, you can!

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Posting

• Blog title field is at the top of the page.
• Posting tab has three sub-tabs Create, Edit
  Posts, and Status. Were in Create.
• Title Headline. Use text only (no links).
• Big White Box heres where you type the text of
  your post. Try a Test post first.

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Test Post

• Play around with font size using the drop-down
  menu above the Post box.
• Change date time using drop-down menus.
• When youre satisfied with the post, click the
  Publish Post button.
• Comments yay or nay? Im not going to allow
  comments to this post.

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Viewing The Blog

• I always view my blog in a new window its
  easier than keeping track of what window I was
  publishing from.
• Close the new window when youre done looking at
  the blog its new post.

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The Other Tabs

• And were back to the Status page.
• From here, you can create new posts, edit the one
  you just wrote, change settings or template.
• Lets change the settings so Blogger knows were
  all living on the East Coast.
• Click the Settings tab.

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Settings Tab

• Eight sub-tabs Basic, Publishing, Formatting,
  Comments, Archiving, Site Feed, Email, and
  Members.
• Start with Basic. Youll see the title of your
  blog in the Title field, at the top.
• Write a brief description for your blog.
• Public listings if you dont want your blog to
  be listed in your profile, select No. (The blog
  will still be on the Internet, but readers would
  have to find it via a link from you, or via a
  search-engine.)

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Settings Tab

• Confirmation message should be visible on next
  page.
• No other changes? Click the navy blue Republish
  button to see them in your blog.
• More changes? Move on to the Formatting sub-tab!
  

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Formatting

• Change headings time stamps of posts. Make the
  selections that make the most sense to you.
• Time Zone change the timestamp to reflect EST.
• Click the orange Save Settings button. You
  should now see a Settings Saved confirmation
  page.
• Click Comments sub-tab.

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Comments

• Comments can be disabled or enabled on a
  post-by-post basis.
• Control who can post comments by changing your
  options in the Who Can Comment? field.
• You may eliminate comments altogether by setting
  the Default for Posts to New Posts Do Not Have
  Comments.
• Scroll down to view the other options on this
  page.

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Comments

• Comment Notification Address field instant,
  e-mailed notification of comments to posts.
• When finished, click Save Settings, and you
  should once again see a confirmation message.
• Click the Archiving sub-tab.

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Archiving

• Change your archive frequency, if desired.
• Enable Post Pages function creates a unique web
  page for each post, so others can link directly
  to a post of interest leave this on its default
  setting.
• When youre done, click Save Settings, then Site
  Feed sub-tab.

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Site Feed

• Site Feed allows perusal of your blog using a
  news aggregator, such as Bloglines or Feedster.
• If you dont want to give potential readers
  access to your blog via a news aggregator, select
  NO under Publish Site Feed.
• When youre done, click Save Settings, then click
  the E-mail sub-tab.

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E-mail

• BlogSend field instant blogging updates for one
  lucky reader!
• Mail-to-Blogger function allows you to post to
  your blog from any of your e-mail accounts, by
  sending your post to the e-mail address you
  choose below. Guard this address the way you
  would a PIN.
• Click Save Settings when done, then click Members
  sub-tab.

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Members

• Team Members only you, for now.
• You are the Administrator, so you (and only you)
  are empowered to make the kinds of settings
  template changes weve been making.
• Click Add Team Member(s) to see the next page.

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Members

• Invite other contributors Enter e-mail
  addresses (one per field)
• Invitees will receive an automated e-mail
  invitation message from Blogger.
• The invitation e-mail is on the next slide.

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Members

• Its pretty standard boilerplate, and all
  instructions are included in the e-mail.
• When youre done with this sub-tab, click Save
  Settings.
• Click the Posting tab, and then click the Status
  sub-tab.

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Status

• You may not see the same message as I did I had
  to log out log back in, and didnt publish any
  posts in the interval. Dont panic!
• Lets click Republish Entire Blog to see settings
  changes take effect.

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Publish Status

• You should see the friendly confirmation message.
  
• Click the In A New Window link to see your blog
  in a new window.

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Viewing The Changes

• Some settings changes will not be visible to site
  visitors.
• Some, like the Date Timestamp or Comments
  enabling or disabling, will be visible.
• Close this window when youre done admiring your
  handiwork.

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Test Drive New Settings

• Create a new post.
• Use some of the formatting tools available in the
  toolbar above the post field.
• Most of these tools should be recognizable to you
  from using MS Word.
• Click Publish when youre done.

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Inserting Hyperlinks

• Have at least two Internet Explorer windows open,
  and point the second one to the site you wish to
  link to.
• Select and copy the URL of the site.
• Type your linking text, such as The New York
  Times. Select the linking text.
• Click the Hyperlink button, than paste the URL
  into the dialog box and click OK.

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Enumerated Lists

• Press Enter, to start a new line.
• Click the Numbered List button above the Big
  White Box to begin.
• Type your list of items.
• When youre done, press Enter twice to stop the
  list.

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Publish Post!

• When youre done with your post, click the
  Publish button.
• Remember to view your blog in a new window, as
  shown in the next slide.

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Viewing the Post

• And heres my post!
• To link to this specific post, scroll down see
  how the time stamp is a highlighted hyperlink?
• Click it!

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Permalinks

• The post is now shown in isolation, as a
  permalink.
• Permalinks allow other bloggers to link to the
  specific posts at your own blog.

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Wrap-Up

• Questions? Ask em!
• Please keep re-use these handouts!
• Please contact me with any questions that may
  arise sophie.brookover_at_gmail.com.
• More questions? Nows the time!
• Thank you!

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Beyond Blogs RSS

• Beyond the scope of this workshop.
• The next step in connecting to the LIS
  blogosphere.
• An excellent marketing tool for your blog your
  library.
• Learn more at my training blog
  http//sophietrains.blogspot.com