What are some of the things libraries should consider before starting a blog?

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Farkas (2007) offers important practical considerations before creating a blog:

FOCUS 

“A blog trying to be all things to all people usually ends up being useful to no one” (p. 19).

First, you must determine who you are writing this blog for. Undergrads? Faculty? Library staff? Determining your audience will inform your focus.

“The institutional culture at your library and the interests of your colleagues should determine your focus” (p. 19)

Once you know who you are writing for, determine what you can write about that will interest this audience.

“People will not read a blog that doesn’t interest them, even if you think the topic would be good for them” (p. 20)

You must also consider the fact that you will have to post frequently and regularly. It is very hard to post regularly on a topic that does not interest you.

“…consider whether you can imagine yourself writing on this topic for years” (p. 23).

Once the focus of the blog has been determined, you must be able to impart this focus to your audience in an understandable and concise way. This can be done using a statement of purpose strategically placed in a very visible place on your blog – so people have an idea of what to expect from your blog.

“If you know your [audience] well enough and tailor your blog to their needs, you can make your blog an integral part of your library’s online presence” (p. 20)

SOFTWARE

Investigate the numerous blogging software platforms to determine the right one for your purposes. The first step is to figure out where your blog will be hosted. On the library’s own server? Hosting company’s server? Software company’s server? There are pluses and minuses to each of these choices:

Library’s server	Hosting company’s server	Software company’s server
Free	Monthly fee	Free (most)
Complete control	Choose software platform that gives you the most control blog	Easy set up
Ownership of  your data	Ownership of  your data	May be difficult to move data
Library responsible for updating software; must deal with unforeseen technical snafus	They handle upgrades and technical snafus	High volume can slow down servers
		Some may add advertisements

Important things to have considered before choosing software:

·      Software documentation

·      Spam protection?

·      Help contact

·      Customizable? Can blog match style of rest of library site?

·      Easy to create and delete posts?

·      Archives? Categories? Searchable?

·      Comments? User have to register before commenting?

·      Permalinks?

·      Back up and store data? Data portable?

AMOUNT OF INTERACTIVITY

You will be posting consistently, but how much interaction with the users do you want?

“The focus and audience of your blog will determine in you want to keep comments open” (p. 23)

MARKETING

“Blogs don’t often attract a significant number of readers without marketing….Marketing is an essential part of starting a blog” (p. 25).

There are numerous easy ways to do this:

·      email announcement (including link)

·      include it in newsletter, on the library website, intranet

·      posters, fliers, bookmarks

·      RSS

“The best way to increase traffic to your blog is to create frequent, interesting, and well written posts” (p.25)

Farkas, M. 2007. Social Sfotware in Libraries: Building collaboration, communcation, and community online. 

      New Jersey: Information Inc.

Not all blogs are created equal

 

In cruising around the five assigned blogs, I noticed:

1.   Some were written by men (David Lee King and The Distant Librarian), some by women (Librarian by Day, The Librarian’s Commute), and one had multiple authors from both sexes (In the Library with the Lead Pipe).

2.   Some are written more like the blog is their diary about their library-related musings (DLK and L by D,and to a lesser degree The Commuting Librarian)

3.   Some have posts that provide personal information, not library related at all. The Distant Librarian’s most recent post was about time with his family at a Calgary event. David Lee King mentions his friend’s tumour of the “manly parts” in one of his posts. King also likes to talk about himself a lot.

4.     Some seem to be there to pass information along, but not necessarily discuss it (Distant Librarian) and others love to discuss and offer opinion (DLK and L by D), and some find the middle road (The Commuting Librarian and In the Library with the Lead Pipe)

5.     Some are very web, digital, and emerging technology based: DLK and L by D. These blogs are also the most visually interesting to browse, with lots of images and eye catching post titles.

6.     The posts of In the Library with the Lead Pipe are actually articles (including references and review by at least one peer) 
7.     Some of the blogs are much more complex and organized than others. DLK, L by D, and In the L with the L P have original and descriptive top horizontal menus; not just links to Twitter, Facebook, etc., but also updates from various social media sites; posts organized into categories; voluminous tags; "Popular Posts" and "Popular Comments" lists; etc.
8.     Others are downright boring to look at: The Commuting Librarian and the Distant Librarian (note I said boring to look at, not to read). 
9.     There is a variety of librarianship represented by the different blog authors and, therefore, a variety of different focuses for the blogs: academic (Distant Librarian and Librarian's Commute), reference (Librarian's Commute), digital (DLK and L by D), emerging technologies (DLK and L by D), a bit of everything (In the L with the L P)
10.   There is are also a wide variety in 'job titles' amoung the authors: reference and instruction librarian (Librarian's Commute), digital services director (DLK), public services systems librarian (Distant Librarian), and In the L with the L P has posts written by a library directors, reference librarians, an outreach librarian, and a scholarly communications librarian,

My faves out of this bunch.......

Librarian by Day and David Lee King. I found these blogs to have the most ‘personality’ and were the most fun to read, but for different reasons. Even though I like fishing through DLK’s blog - I have to do lots of fishing: the guy likes to talk and talk and talk (or video blog). But I think he’s got some innovative ideas (like libraries using something like the ‘free song’ cards they give out at Starbucks) so I’m willing to put up with the long - windedness I find in many of his posts. Librarian by Day, on the other hand, I find a really entertaining read. She is modern and funny and a good writer. She covers a wide variety of topics on which to muse, as is evidenced on her “Popular Posts” tab. I really enjoy the way she has organized her blog, including her categories list, and the Popular Posts tab. I also really appreciate the links she provides to her presentations on Slideshare. Both of these blogs do more than pass along info.They organize it and bring attention to it in interesting ways: video blogs, creative post titles, creative lists of posts, etc. They also offer food for thought with their creative ideas and library related insights. They seem to have a natural way of setting themselves apart from other blogs. They also come across as being quite the experts in their fields. I feel like they are someone I should be listening to. 
      In the Library with the Lead Pipe deserves honorable mention as I think the idea of multiple authors and a 'peer reviewed' article - like format is great - if only for the references! It is definitely a blog I will keep in my reader. 
      Although the Distant Librarian and Librarian's Commute do not appeal to me aesthetically or in the style of writing (kinda boring), I will still be keeping each in my reader. The Distant Librarian actually provides resources to many conferences/events that I have been unable to attend (in Canada). The Librarian's Commute has a focus on reference librarianship - just like me, and I do find some of her posts worth reading (even though the blog itself is plain toast - like).

My personal faves... 

 Librarian in Black. In her own words, her blog, “was born out of my displeasure at having to wade through dozens of websites, blogs, & RSS feeds related to librarianship, technology, web services, and current trends to find those few posts that applied to my work.  I hope this site can continue to help others find information on library web & digital services.” I first encountered this blog in one of my first MLIS classes, LIBR 200 with Boyd. Her tagline says it all: Amazingly informed & therefore properly opinionated. I think she rocks. I love sarcastic wit and dry humour. I also find these qualities tend to be associated with very smart people. All things I find in the Librarian in Black. And she’s not scared to swear. 

Agnostic, Maybe. Andy Woodworth, a librarian in NJ writes on the “the neverending reference interview of life.” This librarian is hilarious and out spoken on may topics relating to libraries, public libraries in particular. From overpriced ebooks (see the post on Hatchette), to copyright, to words of wisdom to new MLIS students, AndyW. writes with wit, humour, and common sense. 

The ‘M’ Word - Marketing for Libraries. This blog is mentioned on library top ten blog sites all over the place and on the favorites list of many of the above authors. I am always looking for new and creative ways to engage the academic community with the campus library(ies). This blog has fantastic ideas and incredibly helpful insights on how to properly market libraries. Because of the digital age and all the new ways to retrieve information it has born, libraries need to be 'in the know' on how to market themselves to the public in effort to remain relevant in the public's eyes. This blog should on any librarian's reader who is interested in keeping the library relevant to the majority.

To me, successful blogs are...

            First, they have to have topical information of interest to someone, or more to the point, to many. But the truly successful blogs will disseminate that information in an interesting, creative, and original manner. I don’t just want to be passed information, I want someone to discuss it, stick their neck out and give an opinion about it. An informed opinion, though. Not just someone’s rant for the sake of ranting. And I don't mind a bit of personal info/background AS LONG AS IT IS RELEVANT (note to DLK: keep your friend's balls out of your blog). Of less importance than the main content/subject matter, is the extra info that can be found on successful blogs and the 'browse-ability' of the blog. Links to the author's favorite blogs, posts organized by topic, lists of popular posts, as well as links to the author's presentation materials are all items that will keep me coming back.

What should librarians be doing to manage their library's brand?

Anything and everything they can.

Words (ie. opinions) seem to travel faster than the speed of light these days. And there are an overwhelming amount of opinions on anything and everything - including libraries - out there in the digital ether. Fortunately, there are a number of ways/tools to keep track of what is being said about you or your library. Aaron Tay, senior librarian at the National University of Singapore, provides library staff with an arsenal of 'scanning' tools/techniques for keeping a pro-active eye out for digital gossip about your library (or you). He mentions the likes of Google alerts and Twitter and Facebook 'searching.' He offers very powerful tips and tricks for getting the biggest bang for your brand monintoring buck.  His posts include how to set up alerts and how to effectively search certain sites (Twitter, Facebook), even how to search using "geotags." Imagine the shock and awe a patron would feel if a librarian were to contact them to see how they could help after coming across a complaining/unsatisfied Tweet. I stongly suggest anyone interested in doing everything they can to keep their users happy and overjoyed check Tay's blog postings (and don't miss the comments at the end:

1. Scanning mentions of the library - Twitter, Google alerts & more, March 2010
2. Environment scanning for libraries - Facebook, May 2010
3. Why libraries should proactively scan Twitter & the web for feedback - some examples, June 2012

Personal note: his posts on this topic are now two years old and I believe Google alerts is way improved now.

I have checked out few other monitoring tools (see the TopRank online marketing blog), but have only found one other that I really like: Keotag.com. It allows you to search a variety of popular social media sites. This is the only monitoring tool I found so far that is useful other than those mentioned by Tay.

Good luck and get on it - now.

Web 2.0, not just for our users

When I first started thinking about Web 2.0 technologies and the library I was very focused on using these technologies for the purpose of connecting to and engaging with library users. As I proceeded through some of the literature on Web 2.0 and libraries I realized I had been ignoring the potential uses of these technologies for the professional development, collaboration and communication of librarians, not just our users.

Cooke (2011) writes about 2.0 as a way of developing PLNs (personal learning networks) as a means for librarians to continue professional education (CPE):

"With the rapid development of Web 2.0/social software tools, many librarians are supplementing, and even substituting, formal CPE for online tools such as blogs, wikis, and social networking communities" and "they are free, do not require dedicated blocks of time or travel and they offer the potential to create lasting learning communities that foster ongoing professional development" (p. 5).

Meredith Farkas's article in the Sept/Oct 2012 American Libraries demonstrates the power of librarians fully engaging with Web 2.0 technologies for the exchange of professional information and learning.  She uses the  Library Society of the World on FriendFeed and ALAThinkTank on Facebook as examples of the "bringing passionate and tech-savvy librarians together for mutual support" (p. 19). Farkas, along with four other librarians, have gone so far as to create a free online learning program "designed to teach librarians about social media through experiential and reflective as well as individual and group activities" (p. 19). This is the perfect example of the use of Web 2.0 tools for professional development means/communities that Cooke was describing.

This is not to say that I don't view 2.0 technologies as resources to reach out to and engage with our users. David Lee Kings's article Facebook for Libraries offers many examples of libraries (mainly public libraries) using Facebook with excellent success at engaging with new, and returning, patrons.
But we must remember to not use these tools simply for the sake of using these tools. Farkas (2007) and Mercun and Zumer (2011), have both authored entire chapters dedicated to how to determine whether or not a 2.0 tool is right for our library, as well as guidelines and things to consider for successful implementation. Both chapters how important it is to know your population and recognize that different populations have different needs that will determine which tool is appropriate, if any tool at all.