Venturing into the Blogosphere

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Venturing into the Blogosphere

• Technology Brownbag
• University of Michigan-Flint
• Wednesday, November 16, 2005
• Presented by Debi Rowden, ITS

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What is a Blog?

• Blog is short for weblog
• A weblog is a journal (or newsletter) that is
  frequently updated and intended for general
  public consumption
• Blogs generally represent the personality of the
  author or the Web site

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How do Blogs work?

• A blog is normally a single page of entries
• A blog is organized in reverse-chronological
  order, from most recent entry to least recent
• A blog is normally public -- the whole world can
  see it
• The entries in a blog usually come from a single
  author
• The entries in a blog are usually
  stream-of-consciousness

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Why Blog?

• Even though blogs can be completely free-form,
  many blogs have a focus
• There are people who use their blogs simply as a
  scrapbook -- a form of online memory
• A blog can be anything the author wants it to be

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How to Blog?

• Creating your own blog is now easy because there
  are Web-based toolsets that make the management
  of your blog incredibly simple
• There is also software to help you create and
  self-publish your blog with even more
  customization
• Movable Type http//www.sixapart.com/movabletype/

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Example Blogs

• Debis test blog on Sharepoint
• http//portal.umflint.edu/blogs/drowden
• Test blogs on Blogger.com
• http//techbrownbag.blogspot.com
• http//www.umflint.edu/drowden/blog/

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Where to Blog?

• Blogger (www.blogger.com)
• LiveJournal (www.livejournal.com)
• Wordpress.com (www.wordpress.com)
• Type Pad (www.typepad.com) 
• BlogEasy (www.blogeasy.com)

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The Blogosphere

• One thing about blogs that is so fascinating is
  the interlinking
• The Blogosphere consists of all the cross-linked
  blogs
• Many blog readers enter the Blogosphere and find
  one (or a few) bloggers they really like

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How to find blogs

• http//blogsearch.google.com/
• http//www.blogpulse.com/
• http//www.daypop.com/
• http//www.technorati.com/
• http//www.feedster.com/
• http//www.icerocket.com/

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Best Blogs

• Here are several "best of" lists to get you
  started
• Forbes.com Blogs That Matter http//www.forbes.c
  om/bow/
• Guardian Unlimited The Weblog Guidehttp//www.gu
  ardian.co.uk/weblog/special/0,10627,744914,00.html
  
• Globe of Blogs http//www.globeofblogs.com
• Webby Awards Best Blog Nomineeshttp//www.webb
  yawards.com/webbys/

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Organizing Blogs

• RSS or Really Simple Syndication is a useful tool
  for keeping updated on your favorite websites.
• Newsgator RSS Readerhttp//newsgator.com

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What is a Wiki?

• A wiki (ltwee-keegt , ltwick-eygt, also why-kie )is a
  group of Web pages that allows users to
  collaboratively add content, but also permits
  others (often completely unrestricted) to edit
  the content
• Definition adapted from . . . http//en.wikipedia.
  org/wiki/Wiki

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Blogging in the Classroom

• Faculty Blogs
• Student Blogs
• Blackboard blogs wikis

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Any Questions?

• Contact Debi Rowden in ITS
• drowden_at_umflint.edu
• 237-6631

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