Thing #5: Your Own Blog, Recording Your Progress

In Thing, #4, you created a blog using Blogger. We will be using these blogs to help track your progress on the 23 Things, see how everyone else is doing, and share what we’ve learned.

Feel free to use your blog to share your thoughts about the 23 Things. Marian Griffin, director of the West Melbourne Public Library, did. Read what she posted on her newly-created blog (called Marian the Librarian, of course!) during the 23 Things testing phase: Today is a flummox. I am sure you can relate to her frustration, and her solution! Thanks, Marian, for letting me share this.

Remember, the goal of the 23 Things is to expose you to new tools. It’s not to frustrate you. It’s okay to walk away for a while if things aren’t working according to the instructions. Sign out, log off, and take a break! Try it again later and don’t be afraid to ask for help.

In Thing #5, you will register your blog with the Brevard County Libraries 23 Things program, customize your blog, and use your blog to record your progress in the 23 Things.


Thing #5 Activity: Register Your Blog and Record Your Progress

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Fill out our online registration form with your name, email address, blog title, and blog address. Click Submit.

This will allow us to include your blog on ours, so it is easier for other participants to find. Within 72 hours, you will see your blog listed in the “Our Bloggers” section of the 23 Things blog. You will also receive a confirmation email at your gmail address.

2. Open blogger.com in a new window. Log in to your blogger account. The Dashboard for your blog will appear.

The Dashboard

3. To customize your blog, click Design in the “Manage Blogs” box. On the Add and Arrange Page Elements screen, click Template Designer.

the Add and Arrange Page Elements screen

the Template Designer screen

Experiment with different templates, backgrounds, and layouts. You can change the color scheme in Backgrounds and fonts in Advanced.


4. When you have a design you like, click Apply to Blog.

5. Click Back to Blogger.

6. Click View Blog to see your changes.

7. Click New Post in the upper right. A blank new post box appears. Add the title “Thing 5”. Write a post about Thing 5 and what you learned about creating and customizing your own blog. In the Labels box, type “Thing 5”. Tagging this post will help identify it on your blog.

8. Click Publish Post.

9. Click View Post.

10. Sign out.


Optional Additional Resources:

To do even more with your blog, check out blogger design tips from Mashable:

• 25 Great Blogger Widgets
• Blogger Toolbox: 100+ Tools and Themes

Thing #4: Blogging

Blog is short for web log. A blog is an easily updatable web page that displays entries in chronological order (like this one). If you ever kept a diary or a journal, you are familiar with the basic concept. Take that diary one step further – put it on the web for people to read – and you have a blog. Everyday people create a blog so they can share their everyday events, both ordinary and extraordinary, with the World Wide Web. Each new blog entry is called a “post”.

Blogs have a few of other features which make them a powerful way of distributing new content. You can include text, images, and links in your posts. RSS feeds (from Thing #2) allow readers to subscribe to the blog and automatically receive updates. Each post can be commented on by those who read it, allowing for feedback and further discussion.

This CommonCraft video explains Blogs in Plain English.  (Note: this links to Sharepoint and is only accessible in the library.)

Read this brief article fom Webjunction "Blogs for Libraries:  What are blogs and why should librarians care about them?"

Blogs are created using blogging websites like Blogger, Wordpress, Typepad, and LiveJournal.

Thing #4 Activity: Create a Blog

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Go to blogger.com and sign in at the top right-hand corner with your Google Account username and password from Thing #1.

2. Follow the on-screen instructions to create your own blog in these steps:

• Sign up for Blogger
• Enter a “Display Name” for your blog. This is the name used to sign your blog posts. It can be your full name, initials, or a nickname.
• Click the checkbox for “I accept the Terms of Service”.
• Click Continue.
• Name your blog
• Enter a “Blog title” for your blog.
• Enter a ”Blog address”, or “URL”. Click “Check Availability”.
• If your address is Not Available, try a variation of your blog title.
• Important: Make of a note of your blog title and your blog address. You will need them later!  For example:  My blog title is "Susan Studies 23 Things" and my blog address is http://susanstudies23things.blogspot.com.
• Click Continue.
• Choose a starter template
• Select a design. Note: This design can be changed later.
• Click Continue.

3. Once your blog is created, click Start Blogging.

4. Enter your first post. Call it “Thing #4” and tell a little about yourself. Remember, others can see your blog. Only reveal what information you are comfortable sharing with everyone!

5. Click Publish Post.

6. View Your Post.  If you can see your post, you have just completed the activity for Thing #4!

7. Click Sign Out in the Upper Right Corner.

In Thing #5, you will record your completion of Thing #4.

Optional Additional Resources:

To learn more about Blogger: Take a tour or get help.

To learn more about writing your blog, read What makes a good blogpost? by Steve Wheeler

To search blog contents, use a blog search engine like Technorati, or BlogScope.