Stand on Your Head [permalink]
In typical weblog fashion, posts are displayed in reverse-chronological order. This is great for a weblog and makes perfect sense. But, for a training exercise about weblogs - well, you get the idea.

If we want to start this workshop at the beginning we need to work from the bottom of the weblog page back up to the top. So scroll on down and work your way back to the top.

Next Steps [permalink]
Setting up a weblog is the easy and fun part. Sustaining it is tough. Develop a strategy for your weblog that will compliment the services you currently provide to library patrons. These discussion points are important to address at all stages of your weblog development.

• Who do you expect to read your weblog?
• Is the weblog a voice for the library or for particular staff members?
• Who will be the primary editor of the weblog?
• Who will be on the weblog team?
• What success measures will you use to determine the effectiveness of your weblog?
• How often will new posts be added?
• How can a weblog complement your existing website or news bulletins?

Traditionally weblogs have been seen as personal diaries or individual commentary. However, as the medium becomes more prevalent and online users choose news aggregators and weblogs as a means to quickly scan resources, blogs can be a strategic addition to information dissemination.

Libraries are posed to seize this opportunity - what better place to start than with a Readers' Advisory Weblog.

Future Research & Experimentation [permalink]
Experiment with other weblog editing tools.

If you have technical expertise and servers in-house, you might want to consider installing some of the popular weblog tools that are distributed through the open-source initiative. These include Movable Type, SlashCode, GreyMatter, and LiveJournal.

Hosted weblog services are provided at several locations including, TypePad, we::blog, Big Blog Tool, Antville, LiveJournal, Xanga, or SchoolBlogs. And of course, there is Blogger, the service we choose for this workshop. Blogger offers a Blogger-Pro version with additional features at a annual subscription cost. In fact most of these hosted services offer free accounts that can be upgraded to a paid service with more functionality.

To test drive additional tools and services, take a look at Blogging Software and Tools and remember that this is an evolving technology with new tools being released regularly.

Exercise 10 - Add a Search Option (Atomz) [permalink]
As your weblog effuses, it will be become increasingly difficult to find that post that piqued your curiosity a few months earlier. A search option makes your weblog instantly searchable.

Atomz continues to garner praise and accolades for their search services. From Atomz's Express Search:

Atomz Express Search is a free, reduced-feature version of Atomz Search that includes everything you need to integrate basic search capability on a small business Web site or your own personal site.

Register for a free account to provide an excellent search tool for your weblog. The free account is limited to 500 pages, so as your weblog entries grow, you may need to upgrade your search service.

By this time, you know the process: a) set up an account, b) configure settings and template options, c) grab some code for your weblog. Here's the HTML code inserted into our training weblog that supports searching the site:

<!-- Atomz Search HTML for Readers' Advisory Weblog Class -->
<form method="get" action="http://search.atomz.com/search/">
<input size=15 name="sp-q"><br>
<input type=submit value="Search">
<input type=hidden name="sp-a" value="YOUR_ID_HERE">
<input type=hidden name="sp-p" value="all">
<input type=hidden name="sp-f" value="ISO-8859-1">
</form>

Our search box is shown on the left. Give it a test drive.

Execise 9 - Add a Book List [permalink]
MyMediaList.com is a free hosted service that requires registration to use. The service allows you to store, edit and format your own list of music, films, books and games that can be pulled into any blog or website.

This seems like a natural fit for a Readers' Advisory weblog. The web link you enter in MyMediaList.com can direct people to any online book purchasing website and can include your affiliate code if you would like to generate traffic and potential revenue from your book list.

Using Amazon.com affiliates program, a sample web link that generates affiliate traffic from BellCow, Inc. would be formatted like this:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0596003889/bellcow

In this example the ISBN is shown in red and the affiliate code is bolded.

If you would like to include book covers with your selections, you can include an image link which could point to a remote image, an image stored on your own website, or an image generated through a service like Syndetic Solutions.

Once you've created your list, select Grab List Code from MyMediaList.com and insert the code into your Blogger template:

<script language=JavaScript src=http://www.mymedialist.com/query.php?id=815&cat=books></script>

The id you use is determined by your MyMediaList account id. The "grab your code" tool at MyMediaList will insert your specific id to copy and paste into your Blogger template.

If you are not happy with the format of your media list, go to Format Your List on the MyMediaList website. You do not need to reinsert your code, the code you previously inserted will automatically pull in your preferred format specifications.

Exercise 8 - Install AmphetaDesk [permalink]
To fully undestand the potential of news aggregators, let's install AmpethaDesk and then add our XML news feed to its list of channels.

Download the AmpethaDesk software and then take the quick tour. Add your weblog as a channel by selecting Add a Channel, type in the URL of your RSS file (e.g. http://blogtrain00.blogspot.com/rss/blogtrain00.xml), clik on the "Add This Channel" button.

Return to the Channels Home and check for the news feed associated with your weblog.

Exercise 8 - Subscribe to a Web-Based News Aggregator
If you prefer to use a web-based, hosted service which can be accessed from virtually any PC, try one of hosted services listed at AbbeNormal, listed under the Services heading. I've tried both Feedster and Bloglines.

Exercise 7 - Create an RSS feed for your Blog [permalink]
Blogger supports automatic generation of an RSS XML file through the Settings - RSS. Only items that have titles will be included in the RSS file (that's one of the main reasons we turned titles on in Exercise 2.

Our RSS feed for this blog is shown to the left of the page. The file automatically generated through Blogger for this weblog is: http://blogtrain00.blogspot.com/rss/blogtrain00.xml.

The code used to display the xml graphic and the link to the Blogger generated RSS 0.91 RSS is added in the Blogger template:

<a href="http://blogtrain00.blogspot.com/rss/blogtrain00.xml">
<img border="0" src="http://www.bellcow.com/blogspot/images/xml.gif" alt="RSS feed"></a><br >
RSS 0.91 from Blogger Pro<br>

Another way to create the XML feed is to use RSSify at VoidStar.com. You need to make a modification in your blogger template:

<span class="rss:item"><$BlogItemBody$></span>

Then add code to provide a direct link to the RSSify XML by adding this code in the template:

<a href="http://www.voidstar.com/rssify.php?url=http://blogtrain00.blogspot.com"><img border="0" src="http://www.bellcow.com/blogspot/images/xml.gif" alt="RSS feed"></a><br>
RSS 0.92 Powered by<br>
<a href="http://www.voidstar.com">RSSify at VoidStar.com</a><br>

RSS Aggregators [permalink]
The benefit of producing an RSS feed is having the ability to pull in various RSS feeds or news feeds into an application. RSS Aggregators are applications that save you time online by allowing you to configure the listing of news feeds you would like to track. The application retrieves and formats the RSS XML files into a composite listing, allowing you to quickly, within one interface, preview the headlines of your favorite blogs.

Jon Udell's Tangled in the Threads provides a good overview of RSS Aggregators and lists some of the most popular desktop news aggregators. AbbeNormal provides an extensive list of RSS Readers.

Introduction to RSS [permalink]
If you become an avid blogger, web syndication is essential to help promote your weblog as well as help you monitor all the weblogs on your daily read list.

RSS most commonly referred to as Rich Site Summary, is sometimes called Real Simple Syndication or RDF Site Syntax. The Introduction to RSS featured in the Blogger RSS Settings states:

"Rich Site Summary (RSS) is a lightweight XML format designed for sharing headlines and other Web content. Think of it as a distributable "What's New" for your site. Originated by UserLand in 1997 and subsequently used by Netscape to fill channels for Netcenter, RSS has evolved into a popular means of sharing content between sites (including the BBC, CNET, CNN, Disney, Forbes, Motley Fool, Wired, Red Herring, Salon, Slashdot, ZDNet, and more). RSS solves a myriad of problems webmasters commonly face, such as increasing traffic, and gathering and distributing news. RSS can also be the basis for additional content distribution services."

As you visit weblogs, look for the common RSS XML image which represents the presence of an RSS feed. Click on one of these links to view the raw XML data (use an XML-compliant browser, like IE to view the XML data in its native format).

Our weblog XML feed is stored in the file http://blogtrain00.blogspot.com/rss/blogtrain00.xml .

Exercise 6 - Add a Commenting System [permalink]
Enetation, annotation of all things web, is a commenting system that allows free subscriptions to the service. It is a hosting service which means that your comments are hosted on the enetation server. Several commenting system solutions exist including HaloScan, SquawkBox and others. Commenting systems include hosted services, as well as downloadable code that can be installed and configured on your own server. The Open Directory provides a list of Weblog Commenting Tools as does the WebLog Kitchen's List of Weblog Tools.

For our workshop, we will be using enetation. Each workshop participant has an enetation account that matches their weblog class account. Go to http://www.enetation.co.uk and login using your class account.

Go wild with the template design. When you are ready to implement comments on your web postings, enter the following code directly in your Blogger template. The Blogger code sample will be customized based on the account you are logged into on enetation.

Somewhere between your <head> and </head> tags place this line, replacing your enetation account name with the bolded text:

<script type="text/javascript" src="http://enetation.co.uk/user.php?user=blogtrain00">
</script>

And where ever you would like the comments link to appear place this code:

<script type="text/javascript">LinktoComments('<$BlogItemNumber$>')</script>
<noscript>
<a href="http://enetation.co.uk//comments.php?user=blogtrain00&commentid=<$BlogItemNumber$> ">
Comment</a></noscript>

IMPORTANT: Review your template code on enetation before you add commenting to your weblog. The templates are developed and released by the enetation user community. It is a wonderful shared development effort, however, some of the templates have inserted links to sites within the commenting templates. You can edit your template code at enetation to remove these additional links.

Exercise 5 - Building Permalinks [permalink]
Weblogs are replete with links to other weblog postings. The dynamic archival arrangement of blog entries makes it difficult to find a post for more than a day or so. Permalinks solve this problem by creating a permanent identifier for an entry which can be used as a link to find the post in the future.

Biz Stone provides clear examples on creating Blogger-permalinks in his book, Blogging, Genius Strategies for Instant Web Content. His general code sample is provided below, bolded text illustrates text necessary to build a permalink.

<a name="<$BlogItemNumber$>"></a>
<$BlogItemBody$><br>
posted by <$BlogItemAUthor$> on <$BlogItemDateTime$> |
<a href="<$BlogItemArchiveFileName$>#<$BlogItemNumber$>">
[permalink]</a>

When you are linking to weblog postings, use a permalink as the link whenever one exists. That guarantees that even as postings are archived, your link will direct the visitor to the original posting.

Exercise 4 - Adding Team Members [permalink]
Content makes a weblog successful and it takes quite a bit of creative energy to keep the content fresh and constantly updated. With Blogger you can add people as team members to your weblog. Depending on how much editorial control you would like your teammates to have, you can allow them to post items or to serve as an administrator (giving them full control of your weblog including access to settings and templates). For a Readers' Advisory weblog, it is highly recommended that several people in your library have the ability to post weblog entries. This will provide a shared sense of responsibility and pride in the development of this service.

Review the blogger knowledge base articles on Team Blogs and then invite someone to join you as a team member in your class blog.

Exercise 3 - Selecting a Blogger Template [permalink]
Ever spend an afternoon looking at wallpaper samples? Weblog templates are just as much fun to experiment with and can be further customized to blend in with your other library websites. Experiment with templates BEFORE you customize your template with add-on tools and formats. If you change a template you will lose any customization you have done. This can be a painful lesson - so decorate first, then get down to business.

Follow the instructions outlined in the knowledge base articles describing templates. Choose a template that suits your needs. All templates will contain an area for links, posting, and other standard areas of the weblog that we will be customizing during the workshop - so any template that pleases you should be just fine.

Exercise 2 - Modify the Settings in Blogger [permalink]
Choose a more descriptive title and summary for your weblog. Go into Settings from the Blogger toolbar and click on the Basics tab. Type in a new title and description for your weblog; click on the "save changes" button.

While you are changing the settings for your weblog, also review the Publishing, Archiving, and Email settings.

Finally, make a modification to the Formatting settings. Display the Title and URL fields for each post. Be sure to always save the changes to your weblog.

Close your browser window and log back into your Blogger weblog. The new settings should be apparent.

Exercise 1 - Create a Post Using Blogger [permalink]
Using your class account (if you do not have a class account, you can create a free account on Blogger), login to your weblog at Blogger.com. Enter the following paragraph or something similar:

"This edition of the Readers' Advisory Training Weblog contains the results of the completed exercises from http://blogtrain00.blogspot.com."

Use the tools on the editing bar to highlight the URL you typed in and create an HTML hypertext link.

Creating a Weblog Using Blogger [permalink]
Blogger is the most popular tool for weblog creation. Weblogs created using blogger can be published on a free hosting service supported by Blogger, Blogspot.com, or can be transferred (ftped) to your own website. For this workshop, we will be working with weblogs hosted at Blogspot and created using Blogger. Our workshop weblog can be accessed at http://blogtrain00.blogspot.com. Each student has their own "blogtrainxx" account to work with during the workshop.

Blogger Basics provides an overview of the features and provides "how-to" articles on using Blogger.

Books on Blogging [permalink]
Take a look at the books on weblogs provided under the links section.

Weblog definition - from Whatis.com [permalink]
weblog
1) A weblog (sometimes shortened to blog or written as "web log" or "Weblog") is a Web site of personal or non-commercial origin that uses a dated log format that is updated on a daily or very frequent basis with new information about a particular subject or range of subjects. The information can be written by the site owner, gleaned from other Web sites or other sources, or contributed by users.

History of Weblogs [permalink]
Rebecca Blood provides a look at the brief history of weblogs and their rapid rise as a viable communication medium in weblogs: a history and perspective.

Welcome & Agenda [permalink]
Welcome to the training resources weblog for creating a Readers' Advisory weblog. This blog will provide links to existing weblogs related to libraries and reading. In addition, tools will be featured which can extend the functionality of your weblog.

The workshop agenda will follow the postings of this weblog, including:
1. Overview of Weblogs
2. Weblogs in Libraries and Readers' Services Examples
3. Resources for Weblogs
4. Creating a Weblog Using Blogger
- Posting
- Modifying Settings
- Templates
- Teams
5. Permalinks
6. Commenting Systems (Enetations example)
7. Creating an RSS feed (Voidstar RSSify example)
8. Adding a Booklist (MyMediaList.com example)
9. Adding a Search box (Atomz example)