Using a Blogas your library Web Site
Ross ThomsonHalton District School BoardOLA SuperConference 2012
My talk today: Welcome! Feel free to leave! Ask questions anytime!
The back story Pros & cons: Blogs vs. HTML Considerations before you begin Tour of my library blog site Step-by-step demo of how-to create
your blog site
The Back Story
E.C. Drury High School Library
Website 1.0 [2001 – Straight HTML] Website 2.0 [2007 - HTML/First Class] Website 3.0 [2010 – Blogger]
1.0: Straight HTMLMaking changes:
Open editor Open file Make changes Save file Upload file Test live Close editor
Simple WYSIWYG
Editor
(Claris Home Page 3.0)
2.0: HTML/First Class BlendMaking changes:
Open client Open file Make changes Close file Test live Close client
Simple Document
Editor
(First Class Client)
Disadvantages of HTML Time consuming Labour intensive Requires specialized knowledge Requires ongoing training /
awareness Product more static than dynamic Change / edit hassle Difficult to generate Web 2.0 content Difficult to gather feedback
Advantages of a Blog Easy to add / edit content Changes reflected immediately online Easy, seamless integration of
multimedia SEO friendly (faster crawling &
indexing) Offer easy integration of web 2.0
features (feedback, RSS) Automatic formatting for mobile
platforms Analysis available (traffic / page
views)
Why “Blogger”? Familiarity & experience Ease of use Integration with other Google apps
used(eg: Picasa Web)
[Research & choose what’s best for you]
E.C. Drury H.S. Library Demo
Blog-based ECDHS Library Web Site:
TextStill PicturesSlideshowsEmbedded
VideoExternal Links Internal Links
How do I do that?1. Go to Blogger.com2. Get a Google account / sign in3. Start designing your home page4. Add static pages5. Add content6. Add / edit content as required7. Repeat Step 6
Before you do that…Board rules for “school” websites?
Does content need to be hosted on a Board server?
Can you link externally to the blog site?
Can you redirect your current URL to the blog site?
Check policies before you invest time!
Let’s do that! A start-from scratch, do-it-yourself
demo!
We did that! A start-from scratch, do-it-yourself
demo!