Blogs

=Blogs= According to Wikipedia (accessed August 22, 2006), a **we'blog**, which is usually shortened to '**blog**, is a type of website where entries are made (such as in a [|journal or diary]), displayed in a reverse [|chronological order]. 'Blogs often provide commentary or news and information on a particular subject, such as food, politics, or local news; some function as more personal online diaries. A typical 'blog combines text, images, and links to other 'blogs, web pages, and other media related to its topic. Most 'blogs are primarily textual although some focus on [|photograph] ([|photo'blog]), [|videos] ([|vlog]), or [|audio] ([|podcasting]).

Both amateurs and professionals interested in recording and sharing thoughts and reflections use blogs to do so. Blogs range from the intensely personal to the highly political, and you may find (or start) a blog on almost any topic that strikes your fancy. An advantage of blogging is it's easy to use and has the feel of a website without the complications of having to learn a sophisticated program. A good blog has a regular publication schedule with frequent updates, is organized by categories, has links to related content, websites, and other blogs, stays faithful to the specific focus of the blog, allows for communication through comments, and is available through RSS subscription feeds (Linda Braun, Long Island Library Conference, May 2006).

Search for blogs on Technorati (http://www.technorati.com/) and Google ([|http://blogsearch.google.com).] You may locate a blog on a specific topic by entering the term into a search engine and following it with the word "blog."

Ideas for Blogs:
Class discussions Class notes Book reviews Book/movie discussions Content review Reflections on a class trip Issues debates Promote services Class assignment support

Examples of blogs:
http://www.familyresource.com/blog/ http://yaarc.blogspot.com/ http://unhq-appspub-01.un.org/lib/dhlrefweblog.nsf http://thisweekineducation.blogspot.com/2006/12/top-100-education-blogs.html http://www.bayareawritingproject.org/k12blogWrite/ http://stream.minot.k12.nd.us/blog/craig/
 * Family Resource Blog**
 * Young Adult Arcs**
 * UN Pulse**
 * Best Education Blogs**
 * k12 Blog Write**
 * Craig's TechTalk Blog**

Blogging Software

 * Blogger.com** [|http://www.blogger.com]
 * Live Journal** http://www.livejournal.com/
 * Easy Journal** [|http://www.easyjournal.com]

Blog Filters

 * Monitor the activity in the blogosphere with filters that pull out the best:**
 * Memeorandum** http://memeorandum.com/
 * Findory** http://findory.com/
 * Blogniscient** http://blogniscient.com/
 * Topix.net** http://www.topix.net/
 * Tailrank** http://tailrank.com/

Blog Search Tools/Indexes
Technorati http://technorati.com/ Blogwise http://www.blogwise.com/ Blogarama http://www.blogarama.com/ Google Blog Search http://www.google.com/blogsearch