Thing 1: Blogs

DEFINE
Chances are you’ve heard the term “blog” being used endlessly, but maybe you’re not quite sure what blogs are and how they work. The point of this Thing is to help you become familiar with blogs and even start a blog yourself. In fact, we’re asking all 10 Things participants to set up a blog to share your thoughts about the various Things we’ll be learning. The blogs will be set up using Blogger, the same easy-to-use blogging platform that the 10 Things Team used to create the website you're looking at now. Your blog will also be a way to record your progress and will allow the 10 Things Team to verify completion of each task so you can claim your gift card (if you're one of the first 100 people to complete the 10 Things) and be eligible for the prize raffle that will be drawn on Staff Day. So, dust off those keyboards and get ready to become a blogger!

Before you create your own blog, you’ll need to know more about blogging basics. One easy way to do this is to navigate through Blogger’s Quick Tour.

For those who want more info about blogs, check out this Wikipedia article.

DISCOVER
Now that you know more about blogs, you might be wondering, “How is blogging relevant to libraries?” Good question! We’re glad you asked!

Blogs are an increasingly popular means of sharing information and opinions. Many libraries use them to share information about library programs and services with their customers, and many people read blogs as an important source of news and information. Yet, it's not just about sharing information and thoughts. Blogging is also about inviting people to participate in the conversation by leaving comments.

Plus, library staff members all over the world are getting in on the action by creating blogs that focus on libraries.

Click here to read more about how librarians and libraries are putting blogs to use. Then check out these excellent library blogs:
More examples of library blogs can be found at del.icio.us and on the Internet Public Library's IPL Blog List.

DO
Now that you’re all caught up on what blogs are and how they work, it’s time to actually create your very own personal blog. If you’d like to see a video of someone creating a blog before doing it yourself, click here and press “play” to watch the "Get a Blog" video introduction to Blogger. If you’re feeling courageous and want to just go for it, follow these simple steps and you’ll be blogging in no time!
  1. Go to Blogger and log in with your Google user name and password in the top right corner, beneath the heading "Sign in to use Blogger with your Google Account."
  2. Name your blog. Your blog name will appear in your blog’s unique Internet address like this: http://yourblogname.blogspot.com/ (where "yourblogname" is the unique blog identifier you selected when you set up your account). Remember to write down your blog address!
    VERY IMPORTANT NOTE: How you identify yourself on your blog is your choice. You can blog under your real name, or you can create an anonymous screen name. However, in order to qualify for the 10 Things prizes, you will need to register both your blog name and your real name with the 10 Things Team.

  3. Select your template. This allows you to pick a color scheme and design for your blog.If you run into trouble, visit Blogger's Help Page.

  4. Create your first blog post.Add a new post to your blog describing your experience with Thing 1: Blogs. Was it easy or difficult? What did you think of the library blogs you looked at? How can Skokie Public Library make use of blogs? Do you have any other thoughts on blogs in general?

  5. Keep an eye out for the list of 10 Things participant blogs on the 10 Things @ SPL website. Read at least one blog and leave a comment.

  6. Finally, register your blog with the 10 Things Team by sending an email to skokielibrary@gmail.com. Be sure to include your name and your blog’s Web address. If you are blogging anonymously, be sure to include your "nom de blog."

BONUS CHALLENGES (optional)
  1. Create an online poll for your blog. Click here for instructions on how to do this.

  2. Visit Technorati and search for popular blogs or a blog on a topic that interests you. Add a few blogs to your blog's link list. Click here for instructions on how to add a link list and other page elements to your blog.
Now get ready for Thing 2: RSS and Feed Readers.

3 comments:

rich said...

Just heard about yet another blogging site that looks very easy to use. It's called Weebly

Camille said...

ANONYMITY
For anyone who might view this blog. Why do staff not put real names on their blogs? I can understand it if you're "out" in the blogosphere, commenting on lots of different topics. But this is for our library project. I personally don't want to comment to a nameless (therefore meaningless) blogger.

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