BLOG: AN INFORMATION SHARING TOOL FOR LIBRARIANS AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS TEACHERS
By
Ibrahim Usman Alhaji
National Library of Nigeria
Abuja
GSM: 08035920491
E:mail: uscoma@yahoo.co.uk
Abstract
The paper examines what is blog, advantages and disadvantages of blog in teaching, learning and disseminating information for Librarians and Secondary Teachers. The paper finally states types of blogs and give steps for creating your own blog.
Introduction
Rebecca (2000) in her write-up which was used in Wikipedia defined a blog (a blend of the term web log) as a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in reverse-chronological order. Blog can also be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add content to a blog.
Although not a must, but most good quality blogs are interactive, allowing visitors to leave comments and even message each other via widgets on the blogs and it is this interactivity that distinguishes them from other static websites. (Wang, Qing 2010).
David Parkinson (2008) in his posting said “I had a look to see what others thought of blogging, what their advantages and disadvantages are about blogs. I will list mine ……..”
Advantages of blogs
1. Freedom of speech
2. Share knowledge with other people
3. Make friends online
4. Can be used as a diary
Disadvantages of blogs
1. Need to keep it constantly updated otherwise you lose potential readers
2. Easy to start, hard to maintain
Types
There are many different types of blogs, differing not only in the type of content, but also in the way that content is delivered or written this paper would only discusses the two important blog:
i. Personal blogs
The personal blog, an ongoing diary or commentary by an individual, is the traditional, most common blog. Personal bloggers usually take pride in their blog posts, even if their blog is never read. Blogs often become more than a way to just communicate; they become a way to reflect on life, or works of art. Blogging can have a sentimental quality. Few personal blogs rise to fame and the mainstream but some personal blogs quickly garner an extensive following. One type of personal blog, referred to as a micro-blog, is extremely detailed and seeks to capture a moment in time. Some sites, such as Twitter, allow bloggers to share thoughts and feelings instantaneously with friends and family, and are much faster than emailing or writing.
ii. Corporate and organizational blogs
A blog can be private, as in most cases, or it can be for business purposes. Blogs used internally to enhance the communication and culture in a corporation or externally for marketing, branding or public relations purposes are called corporate blogs. Similar blogs for clubs and societies are called club blogs, group blogs, or by similar names; typical use is to inform members and other interested parties of club and member activities.
How to Create Your Blog
Creating a blog might seem like a daunting task, and you might not know where to begin. Truth be told, it is very easy to create a blog (for free), and you can do it in under an hour by following these four simple steps.
The most popular providers include LiveJournal, Blogger, WordPress.com, Xanga, Tumblr and Webs. These sites are pre-made with templates and push-button publishing that do not require much technical know-how. Blog hosting can be of fee service or free service. The two most popular blogging platforms are WordPress and Blogger. The Blogger at www.blogger.com or WorldPress at http://wordpress.org It should be noted here that in a free blogging service, you do not get your own domain. You get something like mygreatblog.blogspot.com (where there are a million other blogs at blogspot.com) and you do not actually own the blog. If you ever do decide to move to your own domain, you have no way to take your readers with you, because you have no control over the site.
Pre-Condition creating Blog
Let Assume you do not have Google mail account and you decided to create one. You will go to www.google.com and click Gmail and click on create an account as presented in the following diagrams
Figure. 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
Step 1: Choose free blogging software.
Choose free blogging platform at either www.blogger.com or WorldPress at http://wordpress.org Nevertheless, paper would concentrate on the Blogger and enter your email account and password you just created and click the organ button
Figure 4
Step 2: Register for an account and create your blog
Visit the Blogger.com home page and select the "Create Your Blog Now" button to begin the process to start your new Blogger.com blog. It should be noted before you start creating your blog with the blogger you must have a Google mail account or if you did not have, then you have to sign-up for one.
Figure 5
Step 3: Select Your Domain, Theme and Other Options.
During the registration process for your new blog account, you will need to choose a domain name and blog theme. You also might want to take a few minutes before you actually start blogging to customize some of the other preferences for your blog that your blogging software allows you to modify such as the author name, comment moderation process, and so on. However, you are not required to do any customization before you start publishing blog posts.
Figure 6
Figure 7
Figure 8
Figure 9
Step 4: Start blogging.
Once you have completed steps 1-3, you are ready to join the blogosphere and start publishing content on your blog. There are many more ways you can customize your blog with plug-ins, feeds, blogrolls, and more, but these four easy steps are all you need to follow in order to start a simple blog.
Figure 10
Figure 11
Figure 12
Conclusion
Librarians and Teachers can use blog to replace the standard class notice board. Instructors and Librarians can post class times and rules, assignment, notifications, suggested readings and exercise.
References
1. "Blogging goes mobile". BBC News. 2003-02-23. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/2783951.stm. Retrieved 2011-11-27.
2. "What is a photoblog". Photoblogs.org Wiki. http://wiki.photoblogs.org/wiki/What_is_a_Photoblog. Retrieved 2011-11-27.
4. David Parkinson (2008) in Ramblings http://daparky.com/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-blogging/ Retrieved 2011-11-27.
5. Jennifer Saranow (2007) "Blogwatch: This Old House", Wall Street Journal, Retrieved 2011-11-27.
6. Mutum, Dilip; Wang, Qing (2010). "Consumer Generated Advertising in Blogs". In Neal M. Burns, Terry Daugherty, Matthew S. Eastin. Handbook of Research on Digital Media and Advertising: User Generated Content Consumption. 1. IGI Global. pp. 248–261. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blog Retrieved 2011-11-27.
7. Stephan Metcalf (2006) "Fixing a Hole", New York Times Retrieved 2011-11-27.
