Institutional Blogging Sharing and linking organizational knowledge, one post at a time Cornelius Puschmann University of Düsseldorf [email_address] Max Planck Digital Library 5 September 2007

Blogs? Blogging?

A blog is... Blog (n) : a website where entries are written in chronological order and displayed in reverse chronological order. blog(v) : to maintain or add content to a blog. A “web log” or online diary. Blogs have been identified as an increasingly popular source of online publication, especially regarding political information, opinion publication and alternative news coverage. A shared on-line journal where people can post diary entries about their personal experiences and hobbies

Blog (n) : a website where entries are written in chronological order and displayed in reverse chronological order.

blog(v) : to maintain or add content to a blog.

A “web log” or online diary. Blogs have been identified as an increasingly popular source of online publication, especially regarding political information, opinion publication and alternative news coverage.

A shared on-line journal where people can post diary entries about their personal experiences and hobbies

A blog is... A blog is basically a journal that is available on the web. Blogs are typically updated daily using software that allows people with little or no technical background to update and maintain the blog. A weblog or internet diary. Weblogs enable users to publish short comments and ideas instantly for other people to read. Blogging can be an effective communications tool for small groups of people to keep in touch with each other.

A blog is basically a journal that is available on the web. Blogs are typically updated daily using software that allows people with little or no technical background to update and maintain the blog.

A weblog or internet diary. Weblogs enable users to publish short comments and ideas instantly for other people to read. Blogging can be an effective communications tool for small groups of people to keep in touch with each other.

So is it... a publishing technology? a form of writing (personal diary, journal)? a way of communicating and collaborating in a group? A blog can be any or all of these things, depending on how it is used.

a publishing technology?

a form of writing (personal diary, journal)?

a way of communicating and collaborating in a group?

A blog can be any or all of these things, depending on how it is used.

A few facts Technorati (blog search engine) tracks about 70 million blogs worldwide 120.000 new blogs are created each day – that's 1.4 every second 1.5 million entries (posts) are published every day virtually every language on the planet is represented in blogs blog content is very accessible to both humans and search engines because it is usually syndicated via web feeds (RSS & Atom formats) blogging software (Wordpress, Movable Type) is open source and free to use, as are hosted services (Blogger, LiveJournal)

Technorati (blog search engine) tracks about 70 million blogs worldwide

120.000 new blogs are created each day – that's 1.4 every second

1.5 million entries (posts) are published every day

virtually every language on the planet is represented in blogs

blog content is very accessible to both humans and search engines because it is usually syndicated via web feeds (RSS & Atom formats)

blogging software (Wordpress, Movable Type) is open source and free to use, as are hosted services (Blogger, LiveJournal)

Blogs and the news

Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not

Blogging is often associated with certain stereotypes it's for teenage girls it's for the self-involved and would-be celebrities it's for people with too much spare time it's for extroverts and narcissists Really? Yes, but...

it's for teenage girls

it's for the self-involved and would-be celebrities

it's for people with too much spare time

it's for extroverts and narcissists

Really?

Yes, but...

Different ways of using blogs CorpBlawg: my research blog about corporate blogging (talk about meta!) personal knowledge management (KM) tool I write down ideas for papers and things relevant to my dissertation I can share, link and archive these ideas initially, I didn't care whether or not anyone else found my blog interesting

CorpBlawg: my research blog about corporate blogging (talk about meta!)

personal knowledge management (KM) tool

I write down ideas for papers and things relevant to my dissertation

I can share, link and archive these ideas

initially, I didn't care whether or not anyone else found my blog interesting

Use of blogs in institutions

Areas where blogs are used Business Education Law Political activism Art ...

Business

Education

Law

Political activism

Art

...

Companies that blog

Providing institutional news: UN Dispatch

Talking to clients and partners: If broken it is...

But it's public! on the Net public not longer means everyone , it means potentially anyone the smallest relevant audience for a blog is its writer is there a reason for something not to be communicated publicly? “creating connections where previously none existed” - you never know who might read (and respond to) your blog

on the Net public not longer means everyone , it means potentially anyone

the smallest relevant audience for a blog is its writer

is there a reason for something not to be communicated publicly?

“creating connections where previously none existed” - you never know who might read (and respond to) your blog

Observations a blog is a versatile publishing tool that can be used for a range of purposes blogs are compared with diaries and journals not because they always deal with personal issues , but because individuals have control over them this means that organizations can use them in the traditional way of communicating with the public in new areas that are not associated with mass media publishing (e.g. knowledge management, communication, documentation, relationship-building, crisis management, collaboration, ...) whatever the use, blogs are a cheap, fast and simple way of engaging in these activities

a blog is a versatile publishing tool that can be used for a range of purposes

blogs are compared with diaries and journals not because they always deal with personal issues , but because individuals have control over them

this means that organizations can use them

in the traditional way of communicating with the public

in new areas that are not associated with mass media publishing (e.g. knowledge management, communication, documentation, relationship-building, crisis management, collaboration, ...)

whatever the use, blogs are a cheap, fast and simple way of engaging in these activities

Thanks for listening!

Institutional Blogging Sharing and linking organizational knowledge, one post at a time Cornelius Puschmann University of Düsseldorf [email_address] Max Planck Digital Library 5 September 2007