Week 3: Blogs and blogging

Many of this week's readings address ethical issues that need to be remembered when creating and evaluating blogs. Setting out these ethical pitfalls increases awareness, emphasizing the impact unethical blogging can have on such a wide audience. Perhaps naively, I was a little surprised at the implication that many bloggers don't take care in what they write. I would expect that, assuming there is no ulterior motive, the act of putting thoughts and ideas out on the web for everyone to read should encourage responsibility and increase quality.

Using multiple blogging contributors has the advantage of a wider knowledge base and diverse viewpoints to attract and retain readers. Disadvantages might include less of a personal connection with the blog, inconsistent blogging practices, differences in tone, conflict between contributor opinions or perhaps differences in blogger popularity. Clear blogging standards that address the broader goals of the blog and the technicalities of individual posts, as well as regular communication between bloggers, should help with consistency and reduce conflict.

I enjoyed browsing through this week's case studies while keeping in mind the guidelines from Nielsen's Weblog Usability: Top Ten Design Mistakes in Blogs and Fitcher's Why and How to Use Blogs to Promote Your Library's Services. Identifying reasons why I am drawn to some blogs and annoyed by others is helpful for working out what to look for when creating and reading blogs. The idea that blogs are more effective when they focus on a specific audience or topic seems like common sense, but isn't something I had previously accounted for in my blog reading behaviour. That said, while my first impressions of the Garfield County Public Library System's library lounge were relatively positive, the focus of the blog is very broad and the amount of scrolling required to access all of the blog's features is off-putting. I expected to find an interesting and modern approach at the St. Joseph County Public Library GameBlog site, but its basic design and unexciting entries leave a lot of its potential unfilled. The Virginia Commonwealth University - Library Suggestion Blog avoids many blogging mistakes, but I remain confused by the way each blog post ends with the same author name appended to it rather than a simple "anonymous."