|
Blogging, which started as a mostly personal and introspective phenomenon, has gained wide acceptance in the spheres of news and politics, is being used for public relations1 and is gaining traction in higher education2 and science.3 By lowering the technological and monetary barriers to web publishing, blogs are changing communication and collaboration patterns on the Internet. The flip side: lowered editorial barriers mean you'll need patience to hunt for quality.
What are blogs?
Blogs (short for weblogs) generally:
- consist of brief, time-stamped entries-newest first
- are frequently updated
- comment on and link to other web content
- are written in an informal, personal tone
- are written by one or multiple contributors
- allow reader comments
- automatically archive and provide permanent links to older entries
- provide an XML feed allowing readers to monitor updates
- are textual, but can be in other media: photoblogs, podcasts, videoblogs
- do not require technical expertise to write
- are free or inexpensive to maintain
Fig. 1. This sample blog entry demonstrates several standard blog features: two reader comments and three trackbacks, other blogs commenting on this entry. Permalink provides a persistent link to this post.4
Consider reading blogs or writing one of your own for professional development, to enrich class discussion, or improve project communications. You can get started on your own blog in a matter of minutes at free blog hosting sites such as LiveJournal5 or Blogger.6 If you're blogging about work do so responsibly. Technical options exist to restrict who can read your blog, but use common sense and don't write anything you wouldn't want your employer, coworkers or family to read.7
Tip: Sharing a blog entry with a colleague
Want to share a particular blog post with a colleague? If the blog does not provide an email link, click the “permalink”, and pass along the resulting page's URL. This will take your colleague back to the relevant post so they won't have to hunt through other entries.
Blogs to try
How to find more
- Medlogs.com - aggregates over 200 non-commercial, medical blogs grouped into sections including: physicians, nurses, patients, health biz, med news, residents/students
- Technorati - Find posts using this specialty search engine
- Feedster - Another specialty search engine targeting recent blog posts. Includes a “feed of the day”
What are you reading?
Do you know of a blog that might be of interest to other Jeffersonians? Go ahead, suggest it in the comments.
1 GM FastLane Blog http://fastlane.gmblogs.com/
2 Maag, M. The Potential Use of “Blogs” in Nursing Education. CIN: Computers, Informatics, Nursing, 2005; 23(1):16-24.
3 Secko D. The Power of the Blog. The Scientist, 2005; 19(15):37.Retrieved August 3, 2005 from http://www.the-scientist.com/2005/8/1/37/1
4 Lunch, Z. Blogging Begets Better Brains. Brain Waves [blog]. Retrieved September 12, 2005 from http://www.corante.com/brainwaves/archives/2005/03/07/blogging_begets_better_brains.php
5 LiveJournal http://www.livejournal.com/
6 Blogger http://www.blogger.com/start
7 How to Blog Safely (About Work or Anything Else). Retrieved September 13, 2005 from http://www.eff.org/Privacy/Anonymity/blog-anonymously.php
8 Gallagher, R. On Your Mark, Get Set, Blog! The Scientist, 2005; 19(15):6. Retrieved August 3, 2005 from http://www.the-scientist.com/2005/8/1/6/1
|
