Using Weblogs as Project Management Tools, Sounding Boards, or Everyday Journals Clancy Ratliff Department of Rhetoric University of Minnesota

Overview Definition of Weblog If You Write It, They Will Come (Not!): Networking, Linking, Entering a Conversation Who Reads This Thing? Knowing Your Audience Uses of Weblogs: Project Management, Knowledge Management, Citizen Journalism, Personal Journaling Legal and Ethical Considerations Related to Blogging Activity

Definition of Weblog

If You Write It, They Will Come (Not!): Networking, Linking, Entering a Conversation

Who Reads This Thing? Knowing Your Audience

Uses of Weblogs: Project Management, Knowledge Management, Citizen Journalism, Personal Journaling

Legal and Ethical Considerations Related to Blogging

Activity

What Is a Weblog? A frequently updated web site consisting of dated entries in reverse chronological order “ The unedited voice of an individual” -- Dave Winer Anatomy of a weblog Posts Comments Blogroll

A frequently updated web site consisting of dated entries in reverse chronological order

“ The unedited voice of an individual” -- Dave Winer

Anatomy of a weblog

Posts

Comments

Blogroll

If You Write It, They Will Come (Not!): Networking, Linking, Entering a Conversation You have to promote your weblog if you expect anyone to read it Find other people’s weblogs by doing searches in Google Blog Search and Technorati; when you find one weblog, go to that person’s blogroll and click around Leave comments on other people’s weblog posts Link to other people’s weblogs (they’ll see you in their http referrers)

You have to promote your weblog if you expect anyone to read it

Find other people’s weblogs by doing searches in Google Blog Search and Technorati; when you find one weblog, go to that person’s blogroll and click around

Leave comments on other people’s weblog posts

Link to other people’s weblogs (they’ll see you in their http referrers)

Who Reads This Thing? Knowing Your Audience How do you find out who’s reading your weblog? Get your reader statistics (Sitemeter) Search for your weblog on Technorati Put an email address on your weblog; make it easy to find (so readers can contact you!)

How do you find out who’s reading your weblog?

Get your reader statistics (Sitemeter)

Search for your weblog on Technorati

Put an email address on your weblog; make it easy to find (so readers can contact you!)

Uses of Weblogs: Project Management Make notes about projects you’re working on Make notes about the texts you’re reading (especially if they’re online!) Use a weblog as a centralized location for you and your team to communicate -- everything’s in one place, unlike 1000 email messages Upload and discuss images, charts, graphs, drafts Don’t worry about having your ideas stolen

Make notes about projects you’re working on

Make notes about the texts you’re reading (especially if they’re online!)

Use a weblog as a centralized location for you and your team to communicate -- everything’s in one place, unlike 1000 email messages

Upload and discuss images, charts, graphs, drafts

Don’t worry about having your ideas stolen

Uses of Weblogs: Citizen Journalism Report on city council meetings, court cases Cover local and national issues

Report on city council meetings, court cases

Cover local and national issues

Uses of Weblogs: Personal Journaling Childhood memories Online baby book Movie/book reviews Creative work (poetry, fiction, photography) Daily activities Personal thoughts, dreams, fears Personal struggles (weight loss, addiction, disease)

Childhood memories

Online baby book

Movie/book reviews

Creative work (poetry, fiction, photography)

Daily activities

Personal thoughts, dreams, fears

Personal struggles (weight loss, addiction, disease)

Legal and Ethical Considerations Related to Blogging Defamation Intellectual Property (Copyright/Trademark) Trade Secret Right of Publicity Publication of Private Facts Intrusion into Seclusion Shield Laws (March 2005 case, Apple corporation) (Source: Electronic Frontier Foundation’s Legal Guide for Bloggers, available at http://www.eff.org/bloggers/lg/)

Defamation

Intellectual Property (Copyright/Trademark)

Trade Secret

Right of Publicity

Publication of Private Facts

Intrusion into Seclusion

Shield Laws (March 2005 case, Apple corporation)

(Source: Electronic Frontier Foundation’s Legal Guide for Bloggers, available at http://www.eff.org/bloggers/lg/)

Publication of Private Facts “ Some jurisdictions allow lawsuits for the publication of private facts. In California, for example, the elements are (1) public disclosure; (2) of a private fact; (3) that is offensive to a reasonable person; and (4) which is not a legitimate matter of public concern. Publication on a blog would generally be considered public disclosure. However, if a private fact is deemed ‘newsworthy,’ it may be legal to print it even if it might be considered ‘offensive to a reasonable person.’” If the private facts are newsworthy, though, it’s legal. (Source: Electronic Frontier Foundation’s Legal Guide for Bloggers, available at http://www.eff.org/bloggers/lg/)

“ Some jurisdictions allow lawsuits for the publication of private facts. In California, for example, the elements are (1) public disclosure; (2) of a private fact; (3) that is offensive to a reasonable person; and (4) which is not a legitimate matter of public concern. Publication on a blog would generally be considered public disclosure. However, if a private fact is deemed ‘newsworthy,’ it may be legal to print it even if it might be considered ‘offensive to a reasonable person.’”

If the private facts are newsworthy, though, it’s legal.

(Source: Electronic Frontier Foundation’s Legal Guide for Bloggers, available at http://www.eff.org/bloggers/lg/)

Remember… Anyone and everyone can read your weblog unless it’s password-protected! Don’t publish anything on your weblog that you wouldn’t want published on the front page of your local newspaper, especially if you blog under your real name.

Anyone and everyone can read your weblog unless it’s password-protected! Don’t publish anything on your weblog that you wouldn’t want published on the front page of your local newspaper, especially if you blog under your real name.

Weblog Ethics Publish as fact only that which you believe to be true. If material exists online, link to it when you reference it. Publicly correct any misinformation. Write each entry as if it could not be changed; add to, but do not rewrite or delete, any entry. Disclose any conflict of interest. Note questionable and biased sources. Source: Rebecca Blood, “Weblog Ethics,” available at http://www.rebeccablood.net/handbook/excerpts/weblog_ethics.html

Publish as fact only that which you believe to be true.

If material exists online, link to it when you reference it.

Publicly correct any misinformation.

Write each entry as if it could not be changed; add to, but do not rewrite or delete, any entry.

Disclose any conflict of interest.

Note questionable and biased sources.

Source: Rebecca Blood, “Weblog Ethics,” available at http://www.rebeccablood.net/handbook/excerpts/weblog_ethics.html

Still Want to Do It? Find a newspaper story online -- startribune.com, minnesotapublicradio.org, nytimes.com, etc., and write a response to it. Be sure to link to the story. Write a post about your most memorable Valentine’s Day. Write a post that describes your thoughts about blogging in general, what you think you’ll use it for, and/or what decision you’ll make about anonymity and why. Or write about a different topic, whatever you want! It’s your blog; why let me tell you what to write about? :)

Find a newspaper story online -- startribune.com, minnesotapublicradio.org, nytimes.com, etc., and write a response to it. Be sure to link to the story.

Write a post about your most memorable Valentine’s Day.

Write a post that describes your thoughts about blogging in general, what you think you’ll use it for, and/or what decision you’ll make about anonymity and why.

Or write about a different topic, whatever you want! It’s your blog; why let me tell you what to write about? :)