Brian Kelly, UKOLN Communicating With Users Case Study: The UK Web Focus Blog IWR Information Professional of the Year Resources bookmarked using ‘ ucisa-2008-02 ' tag UKOLN is supported by: http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/web-focus/events/workshops/ucisa-2008-02/ This work is licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 licence (but note caveat) About This Talk This talk describes the approaches taken in setting up the UK Web Focus blog and describes strategies for IT Service departments in using blogs for engaging with their user communities.

Contents About Me The UK Web Focus Blog Setting Up The Blog Blog Policies Delivering The Blog Evaluation Blogs For IT Service Departments Who’s Doing It? A Vision Conclusions

About Me

The UK Web Focus Blog

Setting Up The Blog

Blog Policies

Delivering The Blog

Evaluation

Blogs For IT Service Departments

Who’s Doing It?

A Vision

Conclusions

About My Past Employment History Initially employed in Computer Centre at Loughborough University from 1984-90 Information Officer at University of Liverpool (1990-91) and University of Leeds (1991-5) Senior Trainer at Netskills (1995-6) UK Web Focus at UKOLN, University of Bath from 1996- UCISA Involvement Committee member of IUCC IUIC, ISG, TLIG, SDG, … in 1980s and 1990s Speaker at UCISA Management Conference, 2004 and 2008 and various UCISA TLIG/SDG events Background

Employment History

Initially employed in Computer Centre at Loughborough University from 1984-90

Information Officer at University of Liverpool (1990-91) and University of Leeds (1991-5)

Senior Trainer at Netskills (1995-6)

UK Web Focus at UKOLN, University of Bath from 1996-

UCISA Involvement

Committee member of IUCC IUIC, ISG, TLIG, SDG, … in 1980s and 1990s

Speaker at UCISA Management Conference, 2004 and 2008 and various UCISA TLIG/SDG events

About My Present UK Web Focus: Discovered the Web in Dec 1992 Web evangelist in 1993-4 Currently employed as UK Web Focus: Highlighting innovations to community Encouraging take-up of best practices Building sustainable Web management community Promoting use of Web 2.0 to support institutional objectives Addressing barriers to innovation Background

UK Web Focus:

Discovered the Web in Dec 1992

Web evangelist in 1993-4

Currently employed as UK Web Focus:

Highlighting innovations to community

Encouraging take-up of best practices

Building sustainable Web management community

Promoting use of Web 2.0 to support institutional objectives

Addressing barriers to innovation

The UK Web Focus Blog UK Web Focus blog: Set up on 1 Nov 2006 Hosted at wordpress.com Response to embarrassment at Web 2.0 panel at ILI 2006 conf ‘ Skunkwork’ (avoiding slow-moving editorial processes) About The Blog

UK Web Focus blog:

Set up on 1 Nov 2006

Hosted at wordpress.com

Response to embarrassment at Web 2.0 panel at ILI 2006 conf

‘ Skunkwork’ (avoiding slow-moving editorial processes)

Setting Up The Blog Steps: Register Select name & appearance Publish Next: Publish posts Register in Technorati Publicise (email, Web pages, comments, …) This is the easy part About The Blog

Steps:

Register

Select name & appearance

Publish

Next:

Publish posts

Register in Technorati

Publicise (email, Web pages, comments, …)

This is the easy part

Blog Policies How to transition from ‘skunkwork’ to embedded service: Establish: Blog policies Scope of the blog Target audience Writing style Procedures Change control UK Web Focus blog is written by an individual and has a conversational writing style. Feedback mechanisms and professional reputation helps to ensure suitability of contents. About The Blog

How to transition from ‘skunkwork’ to embedded service:

Establish:

Blog policies

Scope of the blog

Target audience

Writing style

Procedures

Change control

Blog Content How Do You Get Content? Lots of things happening in Web 2.0! Read blogs from peers and contextualise How Do You Make It Interesting? Aim to be a ‘thinker’ and not a ‘linker’ (there is a role for linkers, though) Engage in discussion (“ X looks interesting, but it might mean Y. What do you think ?”) How Do You Find The Time? Blog posts related to other work activities – feedback improves quality of work Speculation (“thinking out loud”) provides opportunity to see if others have similar views Can I afford not to blog; not to engage with my users? About The Blog Blogs

How Do You Get Content?

Lots of things happening in Web 2.0!

Read blogs from peers and contextualise

How Do You Make It Interesting?

Aim to be a ‘thinker’ and not a ‘linker’ (there is a role for linkers, though)

Engage in discussion (“ X looks interesting, but it might mean Y. What do you think ?”)

How Do You Find The Time?

Blog posts related to other work activities – feedback improves quality of work

Speculation (“thinking out loud”) provides opportunity to see if others have similar views

Can I afford not to blog; not to engage with my users?

Measuring Usage Usage Steady growth in usage in first 6 months Views by RSS not measured (likely to be high) Views in other aggregated services also not measured Links Steady growth in nos. / status of links by blog in first 6 months Dapper service used to visualise trends in Technorati statistics About The Blog

Usage

Steady growth in usage in first 6 months

Views by RSS not measured (likely to be high)

Views in other aggregated services also not measured

Links

Steady growth in nos. / status of links by blog in first 6 months

Dapper service used to visualise trends in Technorati statistics

Evaluation Survey in Aug/Sep provided very useful feedback and confirmed that blog is providing a valuable service … … About The Blog But what are the implications of these experiences for the wider community?

Survey in Aug/Sep provided very useful feedback and confirmed that blog is providing a valuable service

Vision For IT Services A number of senior managers use blogs Michael Webb, University of Wales, Newport Mark Sammons, University of Edinburgh and some blogs from support staff: Shouldn’t IT Service departments be leading use of blogs at strategic & operational level, for engaging with users & sharing best practices? Blogs & IT Services John Dale, University of Warwick Chris Sexton, University of Sheffield

A number of senior managers use blogs

Michael Webb, University of Wales, Newport

Mark Sammons, University of Edinburgh

John Dale, University of Warwick

Chris Sexton, University of Sheffield

Challenge For IT Services http://ukwebfocus.wordpress.com/2008/01/16/ucisa-award-for-uk-web-focus-blog/#comment-63841 Blogs

http://ukwebfocus.wordpress.com/2008/01/16/ucisa-award-for-uk-web-focus-blog/#comment-63841

What Should We Prioritise? Do we do the work and tell our users what we’ll do or won’t do .. Blogs? IT Services says no Folksonomies? Library says no Skype? UKERNA says no Nobody Like Us! Yer, like blog are well cool, but, OK so I swore at Kylie on her blog cos she’s a real slapper cos … Images from BBC Yer, but, no, but, yer .. or engage with our users & acknowledge the ambiguities described by Vicky Pollard Do we assume all our users are like Vicky and plan for that?

Do we do the work and tell our users what we’ll do or won’t do ..

Blogs, Emails And Talks A blog can be like an email I haven’t got the time!!!

A blog can be like an email

Blogs, Emails And Talks A blog can be like an email or a slide in a talk The opportunity: IT Service blogs can be used to engage more effectively with user communities IT Service departments need to communicate more effectively with users The challenge “ We haven’t got time” Some answers Regard a blog post as email or a talk – you have time for that Share and discuss within the community

A blog can be like an email or a slide in a talk

The opportunity:

IT Service blogs can be used to engage more effectively with user communities

IT Service departments need to communicate more effectively with users

The challenge

“ We haven’t got time”

Some answers

Regard a blog post as email or a talk – you have time for that

Share and discuss within the community

Blogs, Emails And Talks A blog can be like an email or a slide in a talk Do you not have the time to write emails or give talks?

A blog can be like an email or a slide in a talk

Supporting Each Other Briefing documents which give advice on best practices for blogs are available (with Creative Commons licence): Blogs & IT Services Launching Your Blog Evaluating Your Blog Building A Blogging Community Addressing The Barriers Quality Processes for your Blog Content Technical Issues For Your Blogging Service Library Uses For Blogs ..

Briefing documents which give advice on best practices for blogs are available (with Creative Commons licence):

Launching Your Blog

Evaluating Your Blog

Building A Blogging Community

Addressing The Barriers

Quality Processes for your Blog Content

Technical Issues For Your Blogging Service

Library Uses For Blogs

..

Conclusions Institutional Perspective Setting up a blog is easy Sustaining a blog needs content and motivation A blog can (should) relate to other activities (listening to users, floating ideas, etc.) Don’t spend too much time evaluating blogs, worrying about AUPs, … Cross-Institutional Potential Blogs can be for communicating with one’s peers and not just end users We have good channels for sharing (e.g. UCISA) – blogs can build on this Let’s do it!

Institutional Perspective

Setting up a blog is easy

Sustaining a blog needs content and motivation

A blog can (should) relate to other activities (listening to users, floating ideas, etc.)

Don’t spend too much time evaluating blogs, worrying about AUPs, …

Cross-Institutional Potential

Blogs can be for communicating with one’s peers and not just end users

We have good channels for sharing (e.g. UCISA) – blogs can build on this

Let’s do it!

Questions Any questions or comments:

Any questions or comments: