Blogging and Instant Messaging

1. Blogging and Instant Messaging A very brief introduction! SUNY Potsdam IT Fair 2005 Jenica P. Rogers August 25, 2005

2. What I’ll cover today: • What is a weblog? • How are weblogs created? • What kind of information do weblogs provide? • RSS feeds • Implementation in Higher Ed • What is Instant Messaging? • Who uses IM? • Why use IM? • Implementation in Higher Ed

3. Weblogs (Blogs): What are they? • Wikipedia definition: • “A weblog, web log or simply a blog, is a web application which contains periodic time-stamped posts on a common webpage.” • “Blogs run from individual diaries to arms of political campaigns, media programs and corporations, and from the writing of one occasional author to the collaboration of a large community of writers.” • “Many weblogs enable visitors to leave public comments, which can lead to a community of readers centered around the blog; others are non-interactive.” All above from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blog • Also see: BusinessWeek article: http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/05_18/b3931001_mz001.htm

4. What kind of information is on blogs? • Extremely varied! • Personal journals • Collections of interesting news on a single topic • Editorial-type content • Essays, ramblings, rants – some more compelling than others • Photographs • Audio files • You name it: You’ll find it’s been blogged.

5. Key Features of Blogs • Sequential periodic posting of content to a static page • Extremely dynamic in content and style – easily changed • Content is updated weekly, daily, hourly… • Time, date, and author stamps on content • Often allow reader comments • Often informal in tone • Like this: http://potsdamreference.blogspot.com/

6. How are blogs created? • VERY simply. • Web-based interface for publishing • User name and password • Interface operates inside your browser • Interface ‘feels’ like a word processor • Free services: • LiveJournal, TypePad, Blogger (and more!) • all will provide the interface for posting and the website hosting for free.

7. Blogs in Higher Education • A blog about blogs in HE: http://www.mchron.net/site/edublog.php • http://radio.weblogs.com/0114870/”This weblog focuses on locating, evaluating, discussing, and providing guidelines to instructional resources for faculty in higher education.” • http://weblogs.ucalgary.ca/aggregator/sources/9“University of Calgary's student newspaper online” • http://blog.educationforadults.com/ • http://www.crookedtimber.org/a broad-ranging weblog contributed to by (mostly) academics • Maintains a listing of subject-specific weblogs in academia:http://crookedtimber.org/academic-blogs/

8. Blogs in HE libraries • OURS: • Potsdam Reads: http://potsdamreads.blogspot.com • College Libraries News: http://potsdamlibrariesnews.blogspot.com • Binghamton University Science Library:http://library.lib.binghamton.edu/mt/science/ • Moraine Valley Community College Library:http://www2.sls.lib.il.us/MVCC/librarynews/

9. Webfeeds: What are they? • Referred to as “RSS feeds”, labeled with little orange buttons that say “XML” • RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication • Blogs produce ever-changing content • Feeds supply the user with that information as it is changed • RSS saves the time of the user/reader – it tells you when something’s new since you checked last.

10. Examples of Webfeeds • Chronicle of Higher Education: http://chronicle.com/help/rss.htm • New York Times Headlines: http://www.nytimes.com/services/xml/rss/index.html • NASA news feeds: www.nasa.gov/rss • TV shows… sports teams… the possibilities are vast. AND: • Nearly ANY blog.

11. How do you use a webfeed? • “To read webfeeds (often called RSS feeds), you need a software tool called a feed reader (also called a news reader or an aggregator). Your feed reader maintains a list of your favorite webfeeds, checks them regularly for updates, and displays their contents.”

12. Newsreaders: • Stand-alone software: • NetNewsWire: http://ranchero.com/netnewswire/ • Web-based aggregators: • Bloglines: http://www.bloglines.com/ • Browser plug-ins: • Pluck, for IE: http://www.pluck.com/ • A list of available readers: http://allrss.com/rssreaders.html

13. What Is Instant Messaging?

14. Who uses IM? • Our students. • Pew Internet & American Life report on teen internet use: • “To [teens], email is increasingly seen as a tool for communicating with “adults” such as teachers, institutions like schools, and as a way to convey lengthy and detailed information to large groups. Meanwhile, IM is used for everyday conversations with multiple friends that range from casual to more serious and private exchanges.” • http://www.pewinternet.org/PPF/r/162/report_display.asp

15. Why Use IM? • The short answer: • It’s where your students are. Go to them. • The longer answer: • IM will not replace other communication technology • But IM broadens our ability to connect with students in a way that is meaningful to them

16. Implementation in HE • Libraries: • Online reference service • User feedback shows students prefer IM to email or telephone • Online courses: • Can provide online real-time communication capability to remote students • “Virtual” office hours: • Students with questions can ask them… and you can answer

17. Thanks for your interest… …any questions? This presentation is online at http://www2.potsdam.edu/rogersjp