This document outlines a 5-session module on reading and commenting on blogs. Session topics include how to use blogging platforms, the art of blog writing, building a blog network, and incorporating multimedia. Participants are instructed on how to set up an RSS reader to efficiently organize blog subscriptions. They are given tips on finding relevant blogs through blogrolls, comments, search engines and adding them to their reader. The importance of commenting thoughtfully on blogs to further conversations is also discussed. Participants are assigned tasks to set up a reader, add various blogs and develop a strategy for managing their blog subscriptions.

1. Module 1:
Reading and Commenting
on Blogs
Beth Kanter, Beth’s Blog

2. Beth Kanter, Presenter
Photo by Steve Goodman

3. The Big Picture Frame
• Presentation
• Follow up Assignment
• Reflection Questions
• 5 Sessions
• Web Resource Page

4. Session 2: How To Use Blogging Platform
Session 3: The Art of Blog Writing
Session 4: Blogging: Building your
blogsphere radar
Session 5: Incorporating Bookmarks,
Photos, and Videos

5. Learning Objectives
• Why reading/commenting important
• How to use RSS Reader
• How to find blogs to read
• How to comment thoughtfully on blogs

6. Blogs are Social Media

12. The Trust Factor

13. Blogging is more than the act of writing

14. Blogging is not a monologue

15. It’s a dialogue!

16. Transparency

17. Source: Alan Levine – CogDog Blog

19. Defining Your Beat
List your top three topics in your
beat
For each one, get more specific and
list three top sub-topics in that
beat
Extra credit: If you are already
reading blogs, include three blogs
that you enjoy reading about
your topic and why.

20. Starter Pack

21. Blogs will flow through your beat ..

22. Reading Blogs

23. There are two ways to consume information on the web

24. RSS Reader

25. • How to set up bloglines
• How to add the subscribe
bookmarklet to their browser
• How to subscribe to a blog
• How to organize and
reorganize folders

26. 1. Sign Up

27. 2. Subscribe Tool
On Browser

28. 3. Add Blog Subscriptions to Your Reader

30. 4. Organize Feeds

31. Live Demonstration
•Starter pack of feeds
•Adding and organizing

32. Reflection Question:
What is the best way to organize your
feeds for reading?

33. Good RSS Habits
• Set up aside a small block of time to read
your feeds everyday
• Clean house often, RSS subscriptions
tend to pile up
• Don't feel like you have to read every post
on every blog, use the quot;Mark Readquot; option

34. How To Find More Blogs

35. Do this first …
•Check out the blogrolls of
blogs you are reading
•Follow the links to other blogs
from the blogs you are reading
and add them to your reader
•Follow the links to other blogs
from people who comment on
the blogs you are reading

36. And add the good ones to
your reader ..

37. • Who's the author?
• Is the blog updated often?
• How long have they been blogging?
• How many community affiliations? (Flickr,
widgets, blogrools, badges, etc)
• Are there lots of comments?
• Is the writing good?
Accurate? Authentic?
• Is there content that you might
incorporate into a blog post?
• If you decide to add it to your reader,
check the side bar (or blog roll) for other
similar blogs

38. Two excellent places to search …
Technorati
Google Blog Search

39. Before you start searching
Keyword Why? What do you want
to know?
RSS Reader Improve organization of How can I be efficient
feeds reading blogs? How to
organize my feeds?
Create a spreadsheet or open a word document so you can take notes

41. How is this different Google Search?
•Fewer Results
•Easily filter results to see what
people are saying within last hour
•You can subscribe via RSS

43. Commenting on Blogs

44. It’s a conversation, not a monologue

46. • Commenting is the life blood of blogging
and key to building a community
• They’re a way to get more minds into the
story.
• They’re a way to annotate someone’s
thoughts such that the ideas can take on
another dimension.

50. Read someone's blog post and start a
conversation:
Before you leave a comment, ask yourself:
•What did they say well?
•What did they miss?
•Answer questions
•What are other people saying
•How does it apply to you
•Look forward
•Look backward
•Ask what if?

51. ASSIGNMENT FOR NEXT TIME
1. Set up a RSS reader if you don’t already use
one
2. Add at least 5 blogs to your reader using the
starter pack
3. Think about a strategy for organizing,
adding, and pruning
4. Add at least 5 blogs by referral
5. Add at least 5 blogs by searching on
Technorati or Google Blog Search
6. Add one or more Google Blog Searches to
your feeds