Week 2: Blogging

I've just created this blog and am 'feeling the power' of instant publication and the possibilities of creating 'news'.  Mmmm, what will I do with this new power?  Watching the video 'Blogs in Plain English'  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NN2I1pWXjXI I was astonished to learn that over 70 million blogs have been created since 2003!  Is this why there is a shortage of URL's?  Was blogging one of the first Web 2.0 technologies as they made 'news' a two way street for the first time since Letters to the Editor style feedback? Just thoughts...

I have dabbled in blogs before to see what they were and how they worked but hadn't realised just how much they had taken off and how widespread these "communities of bloggers inspiring and motivating each other" had become.  I must say that my eyes really have been opened to the possibilities of utilising blogs and blogging for libraries having reviewed the examples of how other libraries are using blogs.

Here is another interesting one I found searching on technorati (I didn't realise that this is you where you search for blogs and posts so I have learned something very new today):
http://mooneevalleylibraries.blogspot.com/

Also, I thought this one was interesting:
http://wallerawanglibrary.blogspot.com/
as it's creator has been approached by management to cease blogging in the name of the library by the associated council as they have no social media policy.  Me thinks all councils will be in need of one of those, especially for their libraries. And the blog is still there.  What are the implications of that?  Must go and run through Blogger's Quick Tutorial to check to see if a blog can be deleted once it's been created.

Next week: Sharing images.... 
PS Loving Learning

NSW Public Libraries Learning 2.0 Ecourse - Week 1: Let's get started

We are living in a 'screenage' where we connect, collaborate, share, comment and interact in ways that only this generation has been able to/can do. The possibilities seem endless. However as the users are contributors and we are 'teaching the machine' (as Michael Wesch says in The Machine is Us/ing Us)we will need to rethink a few things, or almost everything (including ourselves as he leaves us with at the end of the clip). It only makes sense that Librarians and Libraries embrace these technologies as well as they are not going away and our service consumers familiar with and utilising them is growing exponentially. Let's all Librarians commit to Life Long Learning (taking it as seriously as an oath) and embrace change in order to stay current and preserve our profession and the places in which we can provide current and informed services. Maybe we could ask Stephen Fry to be our ambassador to encourage the embracing of change and moving with the times (and the benefits of Web 2.0 - one of them being to never miss an episode of your favourite TV show ever again! ;))