Task #1 "Flame Broiled Blogs

Library Lady Says: Grilling blogs is one of the easiest ways to enjoy a charcoal grill. With the right equipment, you can enjoy juicy blogs done to perfection every time! So follow these steps and you'll be a master Blogger in no time. 

I thought we were talking about technology, but you sound more interested in hamburgers! Is this a BBQ class or a computer class?

I'm working with a theme here. Humor me...

A blog is a diary. A soapbox to voice opinions. A collaborative space. A breaking-news outlet. A collection of links. A blog is your private thoughts. A blog is a memo to the world. A blog is whatever you want it to be. And there are millions of them, in all shapes, sizes, and colors, so there are no hard and fast rules about blogging (What’s A Blog, Blogger, 2009).

In simple terms, a blog is a web site where you write stuff (articles, or what I will refer to as ‘posts’) on an ongoing basis. New posts show up at the top, so your visitors can read what's new. They can comment on your post, or link to it, or email you about it. Or not.

Blogs are usually arranged in chronological order from the most recent post at the top of the main page, to the older entries towards the bottom. Blogs are usually (but not always) written by one person, and are usually (but not always) updated regularly.

Some blogs focus on a particular topic. Some blogs don’t.

Some people use a blog to organize their thoughts. Others use a blog to command worldwide audiences. Professional and amateur journalists use blogs to publish breaking news, while personal journalers reveal inner thoughts (Publish Your Thoughts, Blogger, 2009.)

There are blogs about anything and everything! There are blogs about favourite recipes, cake decorating techniques, and yes, BBQs; entertaining, potato chips, or where to buy the perfect hamburger (I'm not joking!) And food isn't the only topic blogs cover: photography, spirituality, job hunting, gardening, celebrity gossip, video game techniques, weddings... you name it! Blogging communities are exploding online, putting people into contact with each other and in relationships where they can learn, share ideas, make friends and even do business with others of similar interest from around the world. 

Hamburger blogs? Pfft... I don't believe you...

Well believe it. Or read about it on the blog A Hamburger Today. Just click on the link! 

Alright, fine. Someone blogs about hamburgers. But there are already thousands of websites about hamburgers and recipes and baking and photography and spirituality and weddings... What makes a blog so special? Why would I want to read a blog about hamburgers over a plain ol' hamburger website?

Good question.

Blogs have 3 unique features, separating them from the “plain ol' website,” as you put it: 

Posts: A post, as mentioned, is an entry written and published by a writer using blogging software. When I write a post (like this one) it appears at the top of the page. As it gets older and I add more current posts, this post will begin its journey down the page until it disappears. But this is not the end of the road for a post's life. It then goes into the ‘Archives’ of my blog. 

Archives: It sounds like a dusty dark place, but it’s really just an easily accessible filing cabinet for old posts. Read the ‘archives’ on A Hamburger Today using the right hand sidebar where you’ll find links to old posts which you can access by date or by category. 

Comments: Blogs are not monologues. They’re conversations. You can give me feedback on almost everything I write on Betty Blogger simply by clicking the ‘comments’ link at the bottom of each post. This will take you to a little form where you can leave your name, your feedback, comment, critique, question, essay on why you love my blog, promises of money, etc. 

*rolls eyes*

*ahem*

Blogs are an increasingly popular means of "publishing" information and opinions. Many libraries, for example, use blogs to share information about library programs and services with their customers, and many people read blogs as an important source of news and information. Burlington Public Library has two blogs: The Good Book Psychic and the StoryLining. And that's just the tip of the iceberg! For an astonishing large list of North American libraries using blogs, click HERE. 

Your Task:

Each participant in the Betty Blogger project is required to set up a free blog at a blogging website called Blogger. Your blog will be the way in which we record your progress, enabling me to monitor your work and verify your completion of the tasks.

Blogger is a free online application that makes creating and maintaining a blog very easy. There are lots of free blogging programs (LiveJournal, Drupal, Movable Type, and WordPress to name a few). Personally, I think Blogger is the easiest to use (and the most fun!) 

To complete this assignment:

1. Visit http://www.blogger.com/ and click on:

Wait! Why a blog? Why can't I just email my response to each task?

Trust me, this is the best way. Your blog will be the means through which your successful completion of Betty Blogger is recorded and verified. And it’s more fun than email!

2. Complete the registration process. 

Please Note: when the registration form asks you for your email address, please use the same email address you used to register for our Betty Blogger program. 

3. Record your Blogger username (email) and password on your information tracking sheet, included in your registration package. You will need this information to access your Blogger account each week of the Betty Blogger summer school. 

4. Write your first blog post and tell us:

On a scale of 1-10 (1 being "web 2.huh?" and 10 being "web 2.guru"), how would you currently rate your knowledge of Web 2.0 and it's applications?

5. Click Publish Post. 

6. Register your blog with me by sending an e-mail to training@bpl.on.ca. In this email, please list:

• Your real name in full (first and last name)
• Your blog pseudonym (if you have one). Mine, for example, is Library Lady.
• Your blog web address (URL)

To find your blog address, click View Blog, and copy and paste the web address found in the address bar at the top of the screen, pictured below:

The web address for the Betty Blogger blog, for example, is:

http://bettyblogger2011.blogspot.com

A link to your blog and all of your classmates blogs will be included on the Betty Blogger webpage, listed alphabetically under "Betty Blogger Gourmets".

For instructions on how to Post to your blog, click HERE.

† Research from http://www.blogger.com/ 

Further Reading:

Castro, Elizabeth. Publishing a Blog with Blogger. Berkeley, CA: Peachpit Press, 2005.



Back to the Betty Blogger Homepage.