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Graham Lavender's presentation from Web 2.You 2010 at McGill University: Blogs and Twitter for Individuals and Institutions
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Blogs and Twitter for Individuals and
Institutions
Presented by
Graham LavenderLiaison Librarian, McGill Library
February 5, 2010
http://www.flickr.com/photos/verityatthedisco/4193432039/
• Join the conversation
• Promote yourself
WHY BLOG (OR USE TWITTER)?
“A blog (a contraction of the term "web log") is a type of website, 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.”
- Wikipedia
WHAT IS A BLOG?
TOP 10 BLOGS
• “Biblioblogosphere”
• LISWiki
• Walt Crawford’s Liblog Landscape
LIS BLOGS
• Currency
• Wide range of viewpoints
• Learn about the community
WHY YOU SHOULD READ BLOGS
• Ask your friends for recommendations1. The Annoyed Librarian
2. Librarian in Black3. Information Wants to be Free
4. LISNews• Blogrolls: read your favourite bloggers’ favourite
blogs
• Set up an RSS feed reader
• Leave comments
HOW TO READ BLOGS
1. Individual (student or professional) blogs
2. Multi-contributor blogs
3. Institutional blogs
TYPES OF BLOGS
• You are an exhibitionist• You were inspired by a really
excellent talk• You enjoy writing
• You want to impress potential employers
• You want to become a participant in the online conversation
REASONS TO START YOUR OWN BLOG
REASONS TO NOT START YOUR OWN BLOG
http://www.flickr.com/photos/remibridot/2218573670/
MY BLOG
http://inspiredlibraryschoolstudent.wordpress.com/
• Have a focus
• Write at least two interesting posts before you start advertising
• Don’t obsess over the layout at first
• Advertise, advertise, advertise
STARTING YOUR OWN BLOG
• Start with your friends, classmates, colleagues
• Add yourself to the LISWiki• Leave comments on other blogs,
especially ones on a similar topic• Write posts linking to posts from
other blogs• Add your URL to your email
signature and business card
ADVERTISING YOUR BLOG
• Visit your favourite blogs, and try to discover some new ones
• Don't worry that you always have to be 100% original and groundbreaking
• Solicit guest posts
• Don't take yourself too seriously
STAYING MOTIVATED
• Professionals want to help you
• Your blog can set you apart
• Start thinking and writing about the trends and issues they don't teach in
school
• You have more to say than you think
FOR STUDENTS
Types:• Association blogs• Institutional blogs• Conference blogs
Re:Generations Blog
Advantages:• Interaction among contributors
• Broad audience• Less pressure to post frequently
MULTI-CONTRIBUTOR BLOGS
McGill Library has two blogs:
• The McGill Library Blog (for students, faculty, and other clients)• The McGill Library Staff Blog (for
McGill Library staff)
MCGILL LIBRARY BLOGS
MCGILL LIBRARY STAFF BLOG
• Prepare a business case• Advertise, advertise, advertise
• Start with a small group of people who are ready and willing to post
• Create guidelines• Get support from the top
• Don’t worry that it will be as hard to maintain as a website
LESSONS LEARNED: THE MCGILL LIBRARY
EXPERIENCE
MICROBLOGGING (TWITTER)
Micro = very smallBlogging = blogging
• I wrote about Web 2.You on my blog• I blogged about Web 2.You
But
• I wrote about Web 2.You on Twitter• I tweeted about Web 2.You
WORD USAGE
http://www.qwantz.com/index.php?comic=1417
• Like blogging, but each post is limited to 140 characters
• Popular with celebrities and “celebrities”
• Post to Twitter through text message, browser, or desktop
application
Lifehacker’s Five Best Twitter Clients
Twitter is:
• More immediate• More ubiquitous
• Less flexible in terms of length• Less flexible in terms of content
Why not do both?
TWITTER VS. BLOGGING
• What I’m doing right now
•What I’m going to be doing in the near future
•What my friends are doing now/in the near future
•What you should be doing now/in the near future
TWITTER FOR INDIVIDUALS
•McGill Library’s Twitter account•Promote new services and events•Interact directly with students
(examples: #1, #2)At McGill:
•Tweet while working on chat reference
•Cheat sheet of possible tweets•Training (more than you might
expect)
TWITTER FOR INSTITUTIONS
• Accept that it will be scary
• Use it to join the conversation
• Use it to promote yourself
• There’s nothing stopping you – DO IT!
CONCLUSION
Thank you!
Look me up online:
The Inspired Library School Student
Twitter: @guybrariang
My shared items on Google Reader
Flickr
THANK YOU
