"Blog" is the short form of "web log," is online journal that is updated frequently and is usually available to the general public. Blogs can be used to document news items, upcoming events, thoughts, and more. Blogs can be used to share information with the public or with only a select group of individials. Watch this quick video from The Common Craft Show to learn more about Blogs in Plain English.
The term “weblogging” was first coined by Jorn Barger, a computer scientist and artificial intelligence specialist, in late 1997. A “weblog” – or “blog” – is a dated and reverse-chronological archive of information entries (text, audio, video, images, and files), called “posts,” that are uploaded, or “posted” to a webpage. The process of creating and updating a blog is called “blogging”, and a person who does so is referred to as a “blogger.” Often, blogs have interactive features which allow readers to publish comments about the posts directly on the blog. A basis of the Read/Write web (or Web 2.0), blogs allow users to easily publish and communicate on the web without advanced knowledge of code or computers.
Jennifer Vass and James Mullan of the BIALL Blog take a look at the UK law librarian blogging scene, dispelling some of the myths associated with blogging before asking, “Where do you want to go today?” A good overview for all beginners and librarians.
A non-profit marketing professional provides positive stats and other tidbets on blogging. Be sure to click on the "blogging" tag to read her related posts.
Applications Available
Several options for blogging tools are available. Among the most popular and easy to use are:
Perhaps the easiest and most flexible of free blogging tools, Google-owned Blogger provides users a simple and free web-based interface for starting, hosting, and managing their blogs. Bloggers can add text, photos, and videos to customizable templates. Blogger blogs can be hosted online by Blogger (at their Blogspot) or can be hosted on your own domain. For more information about all of the features Blogger has to offer, visit http://www.blogger.com/features.
WordPress.com provides a free online blogging interface and hosted sites, similar to that of Blogger, but with less free features. WordPress.com does offer premium features, but at a cost. Links in Technology Training Wheels refer to WordPress.com.
(Alternatively, WordPress also offers WordPress.org, a downloadable, open source platform to create and integrate blogs into existing sites. While the software provides more flexibility than the WordPress.com product, software must be installed, and the blog must be hosted at the user's web site. WordPress.org requires more advanced IT skills than the free online software offered through Blogger or WordPress.com.)
Edublogs hosts hundreds of thousands of blogs for teachers, students, researchers, professors, librarians, administrators and anyone and everyone else involved in education. Edublogs are free, are powered by Word Press software, and come with many features. A separate product, Edublogs Campus, caters to schools and universities looking to create, manage and control blogs at their own web domain.
Creating a Blog
Creating blogs using Blogger, WordPress.com, and Edublogs is a simple process.
SupportBlogging! uses another Web 2.0 technology, a wiki, to encourage educators and provide support documentation about using blogging as a learning tool.
The Educational Bloggers Network provides a collaborative space for educators and organizations using blogs in educational settings from kindergarten to post-secondary schooling. The forum offers solutions related to the integration of blogs and digital technologies into education.
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