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Tuesday, October 07, 2003
Why are blogs different than regular websites
From your experience so far, you might think they're not, only maybe a little messier. But read on to see one of the main reasons why we think they're different, and why interacting with blogs in a new way can radically alter you current information overload... Continuing reading the story
Posted by Scott Leslie at 08:00 AM in Getting Started on Your Own | Permalink
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Hi folks,
This discussion seems to be moving somewhere between a runaway bus and a bat out of hell. I'm not even sure which posting to add my comment to!
I understand a bit about the phenomenon of blogging, how to use the various tools like bloggers and newsreaders. (I'm reading this blog on my newsreader rather than on the website for example -- I use Awasu). But I have to say it took me months to get a sense of how to incorporate blogging into my own daily activities, especially as I am naturally a lurker type rather than a posting type.
One thing I liked about figuring it all out on my own is that there was no need to get up to speed with my blogging habits compared to my reading (of blogs) habits. My first blog on Blogger's "blogspot" had no comments, no trackback, no rss, didn't involve newsreaders, and was hosted by someone who knew what they were doing. It was very easy to get hold of the concept. Of course, once you get to know these extras, the use of blogs becomes more interesting, but at first I can see the whole phenomenon at its current state of usage being strange, remote, esoteric, and a bit geeky.
Two days in and there's lots to think about...
Dave
Posted by: Dave Smulders at October 7, 2003 09:26 AM
Hey Dave, can you elaborate more on some of the steps you went through "to incorporate blogging into [your] own daily activities?"
Posted by: Scott Leslie at October 7, 2003 09:44 AM
Mostly I'm referring to seeing what people are up to, what are the new developments in the field (e.g. online learning, distance ed, ed tech), just trying to stay in touch. Sometimes I want to contribute as well by pointing something out that seems of use to us here at BCIT.
For our newsletter, Sidebars, the idea was to use the blog space to do rough work, i.e. gather articles and web resources that we could then include as part of our coverage of some theme related to online learning. It's like a place to doodle.
Posted by: Dave Smulders at October 7, 2003 12:29 PM
Just as a follow up to Dave's point, in terms of the potential for blogs as a source for information and personal learning, it's maybe not been made clear yet how many sources are actually out there. To give some examples:
- the Goggle directory lists 88 different blogs dedicated to Science and Culture;
- Jill Walker maintains an impressive list of blogs being used by researchers and academics as a part of their research practice
- EatonWeb, a largish blog directory, lists 428 different blogs in the category of Educational Research
Are all of these worth reading? DEFINITELY NOT, and learning how to distinguish the difference is both something that the technology surrounding blogs can help with (more on this latter) as well as a potentially useful exercise in "information literacy" for students and instructors alike.
Posted by: Scott Leslie at October 7, 2003 04:01 PM