Library Stuff

I’m going to have to study these a bit further, but here are a few peer-reviewed papers on weblogs that came out of the International Symposium on Online Journalism Synposium held in April:

Blog, Blog, Blog: Experiences with web logs in journalism classes [PDF]
Eric M. Wiltse, Senior Lecturer, University of Wyoming
“This ethnographic educational evaluation examines how students create Web logs or blogs and how blogs can help students learn about journalism topics. Data analysis revealed three themes: technical problems, interaction, and writing style. Students learned to create blogs through modeling and social interaction. Blogs helped students learn about web design and current events. Writing in blogs helped students focus on class presentations. Results support social-cognitive learning theory.”

When the Audience is the Producer: The Art of the Collaborative Weblog [PDF]
Lou Rutigliano, Masters Student, University of Texas at Austin
“Collaborative group weblogs, which rely on the participation of tens of thousands of members for their content, are often cited as a format of journalism that is new and untapped. In the English language, the most popular and respected practitioners of this format are MetaFilter, Plastic, Kuro5hin, and Slashdot. This paper analyzes these four weblogs to determine how each balances audience freedoms and administrative control in their efforts to increase participation and interactivity without chaos.”

Weblogs and the Search for User-Driven Ethical Models [PDF]
J. Richard Stevens, Doctoral Student, University of Texas at Austin
“The freedom of the Internet has led to the rise of “amateur reporting” in the of weblogging. Around the world, thousands of individuals record their experiences, perspectives and opinions in online forums that reach large audiences. But are bloggers journalists? Some claim they amateur journalists, others they are something very different. Do they need their own code of ethics? How do traditional codes of journalism ethics translate to the Weblog environment? Can blogs contribute responsibly to the world of journalism, if they don’t follow the Journalism Code of Ethics? This paper sought to answer these questions in a qualitative fashion by reviewing the history of journalism ethics to better understand why journalists felt the need to establish their codes and determine how these reasons apply to the blogosphere.”

(via slashdot)

Interesting article from Fast Company entitled, “Technology’s Time Compression”:

“Time compression is the driving force behind many lifestyle changes. Just 15 years ago, most people, when asked how they were doing, would say “good.” Today’s answer is much more likely, “busy.” The state of mind has become a state of time.”

“People used to plan sending mail weeks ahead. Now, it’s fashionable to wait until the last minute, emailing at the eleventh hour or making FedEx look like a post office at Christmas around 5:30 p.m.”

“Technology, of course, is the chief engine propelling time compression. While the trend began some 150 years ago with the introduction of time zones, it got a big boost in the ’40s with the debut of fast food and the microwave oven, instant photography, and commercial jetliners. The jet age helped compress time zones, an advancement that unfortunately came to a halt with the demise of the Concorde.”

Combine time compression with the new economy depression syndrome and you have one busy world that is need of slowing down and, well, smelling the roses. This has kind of been my mantra lately. And it’s working.

A neat article from Time on “vlogs” or video blogs:

“Boston-based music-video producer Steve Garfield, 46, is no ordinary blogger. Instead of simply posting his thoughts online in a chatty weblog like millions of others around the world, he links a Canon GL2 digital video camera to his laptop and uploads short clips of protest rallies, traffic short-cuts and even news events onto his personal Internet site.”

Librarians, think of the possibilities of using video clips in your weblogs. There can be real-time tutorials on how to use the online catalogs and fee-based databases, or a tour of the library (just a few that popped in my head).

It’s unofficial, but you can now get updated information on Ask Jeeves via the Ask Jeeves Weblog. Yes, there is a feed. (link via Syndic8)

I just subscribed to my first non-english RSS Feed. iFeedYou seems well worth the language barrier. Half of the RSS resources that it points to are in english. Apparently, they used to have the feed in english, but it is inactive at this time. Oh well.