I started this blog on September 6th, 2007. When I began, I had no idea how my writing would change. I started out experimenting with embedded video, but only gradually did I integrate media with writing. Let’s take a look back, back into time, and review how things have changed over the past four months.
Writing
My very first blog entries read like extended essays. My paragraphs are much too long. Over time however, I begin to make use of things like typography and lists to separate out long sections. I start to provide links to relevant material. My blog “voice” becomes less stodgy and more familiar.
My favorite entry is the post on social bookmarking. My writing style is the perfect mix of scholarly and familiar. At this point I’ve achieved the style I want to use in my blog. I use images and links appropriately and remembered to keep the paragraphs short and relevant.
Another entry I’m proud of is the one on usability. This is an issue that I’m very familiar with, since this topic comes up again and again in my professional career. I enjoyed reading research on some attempt to measure usability by using Eye-Tracking studies. I need to keep abreast of new research and concepts in the field. Consequently, I was able to relate the assignment directly to an issue in my workplace. Now I just need to apply what I’ve discussed to solve the situation.
As I progress and continue to update this blog, I need to keep the lessons I’ve learned in mind. My writing should be intelligent and relevant, however, I should not forget the format. Also, it is important to consider is how people read on the web. I don’t want to bore my readers or keep them from engaging in my information because of how I crafted my blog entry. I need to take advantage of the nature of the web and include images, links and media such as embedded video.
A note on embedded video: I’ve included it at least twice in my blog, however, when viewing my blog through a reader such as bloglines, the video does not show up, although the images do. I should indicate that embedded video follows for those who follow on such readers.
Design
The blogger template I chose when I began is called Scribe. I liked the look of an old manuscript. I’m a fan of reproducing the joy of paper documents in online form. Also, I like the irony – I’m writing a blog about technology and the future, but I’m keeping in mind the history of the library, like the library at Alexandria, which contained only manuscripts.
I also liked that this template didn’t look like every other blog on blogspot. Several blogs I follow all seem to have the same design. I liked the left hand navigation, which is different from so many others I’ve seen. I resisted the temptation to make the entire background purple. As you can see from my portfolio I have a great affection for the color purple.
I modified the design in several ways from the standard Blogger template. I started out by adding a few widgets, namely del.icio.us and Twitter. I’ve been experimenting with Twitter, since it’s a new technology, but didn’t intend for it to be anything more than a simple widget to add to my sidebar to fill up the blank space. Since I started blogging and Twittering, I’ve had two people “follow” me on Twitter. I can only assume they like what they saw on my blog.
As the semester went on, I added a few more items. First I added my personal logo. Although I
created two, I felt that the first one fit in better with the style of this blog. My other logo, which you can see to the right, was fun and interesting, but not quite right for this color scheme. Recently, I just added an avatar picture of myself, which you can now see under my logo.After reporting about how much I loved Library Thing I found I was able to add a widget for that service here, so I did. I like how the widget adds some color to the blog with the book covers. It’s visually interesting, and it entices readers to click on my collection.
My biggest success was changing the way bulleted lists look. Originally lists were designated with a tiny flower, probably to match the background image. I’ve changed this image to be a little book instead, which you can see in the following list:
- start a blog
- write
- have fun!
Intellectual Concepts
I think I was most successful relating key concepts to my professional work as a librarian. That is one of my goals in taking part in this graduate program. I want to integrate these new technical skills in what I already do every day. There’s a lot of publicity with web 2.0 and libraries these days, and I like to cut through to what’s really useful.
Even when a concept wasn’t directly related to something I could apply to my work, I found it interesting for the sake of intellectual curiosity. Some of my early posts on paintings and typography may seem unrelated, but that doesn’t take into account how much these concepts actually affect my work. For example, I never paid much though to the typography of a handout I designed, or how to effectively use the space on the page. These discussions help to engage my interest and help me to do my job better.
The Future
The only thing left to discuss is where to go from here. What are the lessons I’ve learned in my four months of blogging?
- Keep it short, but relevant
- Remember to use the nature of the web: include plenty of links, and media
- Stay informed of web 2.0 trends, but don’t blindly accept the latest gadget as the best
- Respond to comments
- Constantly rethink and re-vision – both my own writing and the entire blog design
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