How can we share our information more effectively?
Blogs |
A blog (short for weblog) is a web-based publication usually consisting of a series of articles, like diary entries, in reverse chronological order. Blogging software is very easy to use, and most blogs can be updated using a standard web browser (e.g. Internet Explorer or Firefox).
Blogs often focus on a particular subject, and can be useful as a form of content management system on a website, providing an easy way to add press releases or news in general. A typical blog can easily combine text, images, and links to other web pages and other media related to its topic.
Blogs can support collaboration in several ways. Readers of blogs are usually able to comment on individual postings, although this can be disabled by the owner. Several contributors (authors) can input into one blog, and links can be made between several blogs on similar subjects. In addition, most blogs use a technology called RSS (Really Simple Syndication) which enables users to aggregate and track the rapidly changing content on multiple blogs in a very personal and time-efficient way. The latest website Content Management Systems can take advantage of RSS to enable blog content to be displayed on multiple websites
Blogs can be hosted by dedicated blog hosting services, such as Blogger or WordPress which are free, or TypePad which charges a fee. Alternatively, they can be run using blog software (such as Moveable Type on regular web hosting services. In both cases some technical expertise will be needed to set up the software, but once done blogs can then be very easily maintained by anyone with basic computer skills.
Pros |
Cons |
Beware |
Easy and cheap (often free) to set up and update |
Must be monitored for spam comments |
Hosted services may not be tailored as much as blog software that you can run yourself |
Regularly updated parts of a website can be easily transferred to a blog |
If posts are not regular the blog can look moribund, and an alternative tool like email should be considered |
Content posted on a blog is usually 'live' immediately |
Case-study on blogging: ruralnet|uk
ruralnet|uk is a rural regeneration charity which promotes a living and working countryside and finds new ways to help rural communities improve and strengthen their local economies. It has specialist skills in Information, Communications and Collaboration Technologies (ICCTs) and wide experience covering their potential and appropriate use for rural areas.
A year ago, they started experimenting by putting their daily online digest of development news, xPRESS Digest, in the form of a weblog. Although still in prototype form, several users are already pulling xPRESS Digest's RSS feed into their own news information systems. A future development could be the opening up of the editorial control to allow several organisations to contribute content to the xPRESS Digest Service.
Blogs have been developed for online consultations, as they enable users to input their views easily by posting comments and feedback.
Following on from this, they 'blogged' their annual Conference, ruralnet|2005. In future years the ruralnet|uk conference weblog will be used to enable delegates to car share.
Case-study on blogging: ICT Hub and the Media Trust
The ICT Hub and the Media Trust are working together to promote the use of “new media” technology - technology which helps organisations to communicate using the internet - to the voluntary and community sector. This aims to help the voluntary and community sector communicate more effectively and efficiently with its stakeholders, and offer services in more innovative ways. They are running a series of seminars around the country on topics such as blogging, podcasting and wikis.
The Media Trust is using a blog to update its development news. It provides access to information about the seminars on new media which have been run around the country, some of which are available as podcasts, thus demonstrating how easy it is to do.
Further reading: ICT Hub's knowledgebase, Wikipedia