The paper is about blogging practices and tricks for libraries.

1. Helen Nneka Okpala
[www.helenokpala.com]
Presentation done at University of Abuja Library Staff Training, 3rd May – 6th May, 2016.

2. BREAKDOWN
What is a blog?
Types of blogs
Library Blogs
What is a blog?
Types of blogs
Blogs in Libraries

3. WHAT IS A BLOG?
Blog = Weblog
= a website or webpage that is regularly updated by
one or more persons or a small group, that is written in
an informal or conversational style.
Blog =a discussion or informational site published on the
World Wide Web consisting of discrete entries ("posts")
typically displayed in reverse chronological order (the
most recent post appears first)….Wikipedia

4. WHAT ABOUT BLOGS?
• Blogs are not difficult to set up
• No need for web design expertise
• Gives room for collaboration and participation
• Blogs can be official or unofficial, personal or
organizational
• Little or No money is involved in setting up a blog.

5. BLOGS VERSUS WEBSITES
•Blogs Give The Library A Human Face Than Websites.
•Websites Are Static; Blogs Are Dynamic
•Blogs are easier to set up than websites
•Blog posts can easily be shared than website posts and pages

6. TYPES OF BLOGS
• Filters - These are blog posts that essentially
filter the web by providing links to and
commentary on interesting websites.
• Personal journals: are diary-like blogs with
postings about the author’s everyday life
• Knowledge logs – are blogs used to create
original knowledge online ….Meredith Farkas,
2007

7. BLOG POSTS
Links only – Link + Title
Link blurb – Linke + Commentary
List – Several links are grouped together in one post
on a particular topic
Short article
Long article

8. WHY DO LIBRARIES NEED BLOGS?
•To Inform People
•To Become Relevant
•To Market Their Services
•To easily reach out to their clients and interact with them
•To share their success stories

9. CREATING A BLOG FOR YOUR LIBRARY:
CONSIDERATIONS
Focus of Blog- know your audience
Hardware & Software needed -
Security issues
Level of interactivity
Blog marketing
F
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10. FOCUS
• Determine the scope, audience and focus of your library blog.
• Are you creating the blog for your university audience only or for all?
• What category of patron are you writing for?
• A blog trying to be all things to all people usually ends up being useful
to no one (Farkas, 2007).
• Think about what information your patrons need. Is it technology,
training/scholarship opportunities, new arrival of books, etc?
• You can build your library’s online presence by knowing your patrons
well enough to tailor your blog to their needs.

11. HARDWARE & SOFTWARE
• Computer, Tablet, Mobile
• HTML – Hypertext MarkUp Language
• Mobile App
• Server
• Hosting service
• Blogging Platforms

12. FREE BLOGGING PLATFORMS/SERVICES
• The two most popular Free Blogging Platforms are: WORDPRESS and
BLOGGER
• Wordpress: -
• Blogger – Powered by Google

13. WORDPRESS VS BLOGGER
Wordpress Blogger
Has Free and Secured Version Free
More technical Easier to navigate
Many plugins to suit your need Not much but enough
Google features eg. Adwords,
Adsense and Analytics.
Access to unique domain name Customised Templates can be lost
More difficult to embbed Live
traffic feed
Easier to embbed Live traffic feed

14. GOOD BLOGGING PRACTICES
• Post regularly
• Be interested in your posts
• Consider the interests of your intended audience
• Always check your facts before you write
• Keep comments open eg. Image comments, anonymous,
open comments, moderated comments.
• Make sure your blog is linking to your website, to itself, other
useful links (See Fig)
• Find ways to access your blog. Eg. Installation of hits tracker.
• Market your blog. Eg. E-mail announcement, link to your blog
from your library website, newsletter, flyers and posters,
workshops, a bookmark with the name and URL of your blog.
Torestorethedignityofmanviareading.VisitourLibrary
blog@www.libraryunn.blogspot.com

16. PRACTICAL APPLICATION OF BLOGS IN
LIBRARIES
Sharing of News – News Blog
Subject Blogs – Offers information on a single subject
Blogs to Supplement Workshops: Information on Library Orientation,
Use of databases, Tutorials on Institutional Repository and Library
OPACs, etc.
Reference Blogs – Provides links to interesting articles and web resources
Book Club Blogs
Faculty Library Blogs –

17. BASIC REQUIREMENTS TO SET UP A BLOG
• Time
• Energy
• Internet
• Ideas
• Dedication
• Staff Training And Self-training
• Connection With The Audience
• MARKETING SKILLS – Technical EG. Seo Skills And Real Marketing Skills
• Branding Techniques

18. PRACTICALS- BLOGGING WITH BLOGGER!
First, create a personal gmail account…www.gmail.com
Go to www.blogger.com
Click on ‘Create a limited blogger profile’
Type in a display name
Click on ‘New Blog’
Choose your blog title, address and select a template
Click on ‘Create Blog’
Click on ‘View Blog’
You can always edit.
Now that you have created a blog, you need to make a post. Click on ‘New
Post’ on the top right menu.
You can add pictures, videos and links to your post.

26. RSS FEEDS
• Really Simply Syndication (RSS) – helps to automate the
process of keeping up with news and information online.
• A format for syndicating content on the web
• Instead of checking on a website daily for updates, people
can subscribe to the site’s RSS feed (the method by which
RSS is delivered)

27. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION!