#13 - Technorati and the search for your blog

So now that you’ve been blogging for awhile, you might be wondering just how big the blogosphere is.

Well according to Technorati, the leading search tool and authority for blogs, the number of blogs doubles just about every 6 months with over 57 million blogs currently being tracked by the site. If the blogging trend continues, it is estimated that Technorati will have tracked its 100 millionth blog in just 5 months.

Yes, big numbers. But, as you’ve already seen for yourselves, blogging is so easy that almost every industry (including libraries) have been trying to find ways to make blogging work for them.

That's why, today, we're going to look more closely at Technorati.

Do you want to make sure your blog is being tracked? Register your blog with Technorati. Do you want to tag your posts to make them easier to find through a Technorati search? Perhaps not your Learning 2.0 blog, sure, but if you owned a business and were trying to attract attention? You'd register it with Technorati.

As a blogger blogger (aka someone who uses blogger.com to blog) you are probably getting tracked by Technorati already - it keeps track of new Blogger blogs by default. But if you want to take full advantage of the service Technorati offers up, you'll need to do this more formally and claim your blog.

And the tagging in Technorati? It is wonderfully easy - you either paste a bit of HTML code into the bottom of a blog post or follow the simple directions you find when you get to the Technorati website. Once one of these are in place, Technorati will pick your tags up when it spiders (or web crawls) your blog.

So what's really popular in the blogosphere these days? Take a look at Techorati's popular page.

And now that you've seen what is incredibly popular in the wide world, we'll take a look at what is popular in the smaller library world - today's Discovery Exercise is nice and easy.

1. Head over to Technorati (link will open in a separate window)
   
2. Try a keyword search for “Learning 2.0” in Blog posts, in tags and then in the Blog Directory (use the pull down menu next to the search box to change what you are searching). Are the results different?
   
3. Now try searching for kcls27things. Check the results on this one - it's even pulling up your Flickr images.

Told you that would be nice and easy. Wanted to give you a break because we've got one more thing tomorrow.

Next up: Library Thing...

#6 1/2 (unofficial) - Check Your Blog Title

This isn't really a 'thing' but, rather, a request that you check our staff participants page to confirm that your registered blog is listed correctly (and head to the Learning 2.0 Progress log if you haven't registered yet). The blogs are now arranged alphabetically by blog title - please make sure your blog is there. If it isn't, and you have already registered, send email to 27things@kcls.org with your blog URL.

Can't remember what your blog title is? Or, seeing it displayed, do you want to change it? Here's how you check it and/or change it:

1. Log in to your blog (go to www.blogger.com and log in to the 'New Blogger' link in the top right corner of the page).
   
2. Click on the 'Settings' tab that is towards the top of the resulting page.
3. The 'Title' is the first thing you'll see.
   
4. And if you decide to change your title? Make sure you click 'save' at the bottom of the screen...

Some good news (at least for me) - the new participants page is semi-automated - any change you make to the title of your blog will be reflected on the participants page shortly after you make the change.

#4 - Keeping track & more about blogging

If you’ve made it this far, you already have 3 items or “things” completed of the 27 that are required to earn a USB MP3 player.

But how do you qualify? You'll need to register your blog and, each week, record your progress on each of the 27 things.

Where? How?

A Learning 2.0 Progress Log is on the KCLS intranet - you'll submit your information to the Learning 2.0 Team and will receive confirmation emails.

Many many thanks to Lisa at Web Services for setting this up.

The log is extremely easy to use - go the the main log page (this is a staff-only link - it's also been added to the right as part of the Learning 2.0 Link Box), enter your information, check off the 'things' that you've completed, add the URL for your weekly blog posting, and click submit.

Weekly blog posting?

That's right - starting next week you also need to include the URL for the permanent link to your weekly blog posts. Your blog postings should capture your thoughts about what you're learning and responses to any specific questions we ask about the 'things' we'll be looking at.

Permanent link?

Each blog posting has a distinct URL that displays that posting alone (without the rest of your blog postings). Depending upon the Blogger template that you selected, the permanent link for each individual post can be found either through the post’s title or through a link in the post's footer area the contains the date.

For example: The image below shows where you would find the permanent link for this earlier Learning 2.0 blog post - click on the time of posting (but in a real-life blog post, not in the image):

This is the link that you want to use when recording your progress in the Learning 2.0 Progress Log.

You can also, in most blog interfaces, click on the posting title for the permanent URL.

Here's how you would record your blog URLs in the Learning 2.0 Progress Log:


The Learning 2.0 Team will be reading your blog postings and, on occasion, giving you feedback via your blog entry's comments field.

Yes, comments. That's the beauty of blogging - your readers get to respond to what you've written. The Learning 2.0 Team will be commenting for sure, though you never know what your co-workers will have to say - everyone's blog will be posted to the Learning 2.0 KCLS Staff Participants page (but don't worry - we'll be listing these by your anonymous blog name). And don't forget - you can respond to a comment with a comment of your own. Me, I'm not yet sure how to respond to this one...


Comments are all about interacting and collaborating. Leave us a comment today or, better yet, start reading your co-worker's blogs next week and leave comments for them.

But first things first - it's time to take care of today's Discovery Exercise.

Discovery Exercise - record your first 4 completed things.

1. Head over to the Learning 2.0 Progress Log
   
2. Record your first 4 completed things (including filling out the log for the first time).
   
3. Click submit.
   

And with that you have just 23 more things to go...

Next up: Flickr...

#3 - Hey you (yes YOU), start a Blog

Now that you’ve done some exploring around this website and learned some more about our emphasis on Lifelong Learning, it’s time to start messing around with these web 2.0 technologies. Today you'll set up your very own personal blog - this is where you'll record your thoughts on Learning 2.0 discoveries and the exercises you take part in.

Your Learning 2.0 Blog should be set up using Blogger, a popular free online blog hosting service that is extremely easy to use. How easy? It's so easy that the Learning 2.0 Team figured it out - this blog you're looking at is also on Blogger (look at the blog URL - it starts with http://kcls27things.blogspot.com).

Now to the big question - what possible use could a blog be in the KCLS work environment? Listen to this week's podcast for one great idea - David talks to Zina Stockinger about her blogging experience at the Woodinville Library.

Click the Play button above
to hear this week's Podcast (2:49)
Now get to it...

Discovery Exercise: Get yourself a blog and start blogging

1. Go to the Blogger website: www.blogger.com
   (this will open in a separate window).
   
   
2. Scroll to the bottom of the screen and click on
   'Create Your Blog Now'
   
   
3. This is what you'll see:
   
   
   

   
   You'll need to set up a Google Account to use Blogger - follow the instructions and click 'continue.'
   
   Some notes:
   - Feel free to use your KCLS email address for this sign-up.
   - Your display name does not have to be your real name - yes, you can go anonymous. The Learning 2.0 Team are the only staff members who need to know your true identity (and we'll ask for it later this week).
   
   

4. Name your blog.
   
   This is what you'll see:
   
   
   
   Your blog title? Be as creative as you like - remember, noone but the Learning 2.0 Team will know who you are.
   
   Your blog URL? The easier to remember, the better. And WRITE THIS DOWN...
   
   
5. Select a Template.
   
   This is what you'll see:
   
   
   
   There are plenty of options - go for the look that's right (yes, I'm quoting an 80's Jordache Jeans slogan). The blog you're reading now is using the Thisaway template.
   
   
6. Author and publish your first blog posting. This is the fun part - just click on the 'start posting' link and go...
   
   
   
   What do you write about? Try something on the theme of Learning 2.0. What do you hope to learn from the program? What do you think about Lifelong Learning? What's more likely - you completing all 27 Things to earn an MP3 player or the Mariners making the playoffs?
   
   The Learning 2.0 Team will be reading your blogs regularly and we'll ask you to send us your blog URL in tomorrow's lesson.
   

That, everyone, is the end of the Discovery Exercise.

But how do you get back to your blog, to add future postings?

1. Go to your blog
   (we, for example, go to http://kcls27things.blogspot.com)
   
2. Look to the top right corner of the screen and click on the 'Sign In' link
   (If you've forgotten your blog URL, head to www.blogger.com and continue with the next step)
   
3. Look to the top right corner of the screen and click on the 'New Blogger' link
   
4. Log in with your Username and Password (these will be tied to the Google account you set up a few minutes ago)
   
5. Find your blog on the 'Dashboard' and click on it's 'New Post' link
   
6. Blog away...
   

Once you've logged in you'll also be able to change your blog settings - there's a series of 'Manage' links in your 'Dashboard.'

Should you run into problems and/or would like more information about blogs and using Blogger , take a look at Blogger’s Quick Tutorial - just keep clicking on the 'continue' buttons at the end of next screen to keep going...

Next up: Tracking your progress, permanent blog URLs and comments