Friday, December 09, 2005
Time to Dust Off the Teaching Blog: Creating Content!
Ooooh, when the pressure to blog and be clever is on, how tough it is.
I just read, recently, that the University here has made Moveable Type blogging software available to people on campus so that they can create blogs. What a great way to invite people to learn new technological skills, and at the same time, a great way to create online content and to create community.
One of my mentors here at the Library once said something very wise about having a website online: 'you must create original content, as well as linking to other online resources. If all your online content sends people elsewhere, then what reason would they have to come back to your website?' She's right, and this works for blogging too. The best blogs to read (I suppose this is a subjective opinion) are the ones that say something original. If all your posts direct people somewhere else, people might get bored with your site and start 'cutting out the middle man'.
I just read, recently, that the University here has made Moveable Type blogging software available to people on campus so that they can create blogs. What a great way to invite people to learn new technological skills, and at the same time, a great way to create online content and to create community.
One of my mentors here at the Library once said something very wise about having a website online: 'you must create original content, as well as linking to other online resources. If all your online content sends people elsewhere, then what reason would they have to come back to your website?' She's right, and this works for blogging too. The best blogs to read (I suppose this is a subjective opinion) are the ones that say something original. If all your posts direct people somewhere else, people might get bored with your site and start 'cutting out the middle man'.
