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Week 3: What Makes a Library Blog Work?
Yes, blogs are easy to create. Yes, they are an informal type of writing. But no, they should never be sloppy or unprofessional. If bloggers want to be taken seriously, they need to adhere to the same high standards as non-blogging writers do. As Schneider reminds us in The Ethical Blogger, blogs are “highly visible and globally available.” Who would take seriously a piece of writing containing awkwardly worded sentences, grammatical mistakes, sloppy citation practices, or spelling mistakes? Librarians in particular must adhere to higher standards. After all aren’t we supposed to be about education and learning? In Blogging Strategy 101: A Primer, Scout advises using credible citations in an “almost academic style.” If blogging is all about “dialogue and interaction,” let’s make sure that we as librarians pay special attention to the mechanics of linking and getting those citations right. This is something we should be able to do in our sleep.
Nielsen’s Weblog Usability: Top Ten Design Mistakes in Blogs had a number of very useful suggestions for bloggers – all ones that librarians should take note of. Simple ideas such as providing author bios and pictures are often overlooked in library blogs. Librarians pride themselves on being friendly and welcoming. They need to establish this personal touch online too. A number of the library sites we have looked at did not do this.
Blood reminds us to publish only the facts and note questionable sources (Weblog Ethics). As librarians we need to go one further – totally avoid those questionable sources. A Blogger’s Code of Ethics presents a number of useful suggestions for bloggers. Bloggers must never misrepresent or distort facts; they need to distinguish between commentary and fact; and they should respect people’s privacy when reporting. These are all really essential ideas for blogging librarians to keep in mind.
I particularly liked Fichter’s ideas in Why and How to Use Blogs to Promote Your Library’s Services. Setting up a genres blog has real merit. What about blogs on Crime and Mystery Fiction; Horror Fiction; and Action and Adventure Novels? Librarians could target patrons who love these kinds of books, post reviews of new books, and get feedback from readers. Darien Library Blogs has a Teen Book review section and Movies and Music category that looked promising, but I think could target more readers if it categorized its books by genre.
Where was MabryOnline.org blogs when my kids were in grade school? The use of blogs as a linking mechanism between home and school is a fantastic use of the format. I would love to have gone online to see what homework was posted for the days when my boys forgot specifics of an assignment or had to miss school. I could have communicated with the teacher in a fast and efficient way.
Women’s Studies Resources at Western is another example of a great use of blogs. Marg Sloan, the Subject Librarian for Sociology at Western writes, “This blog highlights news, new resources, collections, services and other related items of interest to our teaching and research community in the women’s studies field.” Wouldn’t every discipline love to have a librarian set up such a blog for their subject? The beauty of blogs is that they can be personalised for individual groups of people as Fichter points out in Why and How to Use Blogs to Promote Your Library’s Services. I sure would have loved my university library to have had an English blog when I was in the field.
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You're right about blogs needing a picture Pauline - I'm working on this :)
I also agree that blogs should have high standards of style and factuality, and that following the rules set out by Rebecca Blood and others is a good start. I still think that all of the self-monitoring one can muster is not going to be quite as effective as the checks and balances provided by editors and fact checkers - but it's an improvement. It is just so tempting to be lazy!... for professional writers as well as amateurs. As well, outside readers pick up on some of the unintended mistakes that are simply the result of awkward or unclear phrasing.
It also occurs to me that the fact that it's the Internet is a big excuse for people about using poor grammar and spelling online. A lot of people still seem to have the impression that the Web is not a document in any sense of the word, and, therefore, doesn't need to adhere to rigid grammatical constraints. Unfortunately for them, potential employers and even clients may be able to view their work on the public sphere of the Web, and they most certainly will look at an individual's writing as representative of their "true self".
"Everything I say is a lie...
... in fact, I'm lying to you right now..."
You are right, Brent. Many people do have the impression that the Web is not a permanent document. Bloggers do indeed need to be aware that what they say have can far-reaching consequences! Pauline
Great post, Pauline. You touched on all the major takeaways from last week's readings and case studies beautifully! And I love your idea for genre blogs -- they would be an excellent way to engage segments of your population and would make a lot of sense in a public library setting.