Some Basic Definitions:

• Blog: Short for Web-log. A frequently updated website with entries usually in reverse chronological order, so that the most recent information is at the top of the page. Blog posts may also include images and hyperlinks to other resources.
• Blogroll: a hyperlinked list of an individual’s web-feed subscriptions. Often shown as a list on one side of a blogsite.
• Feed (aka web-feed): a machine-readable file (often XML-based) containing content items. Feeds can be blogposts, news, weather data, updated lists, shipping information, etc.
• RSS: an acronym for Really Simple Syndication, an a XML formatting language which allows users to subscribe to Web sites that offer ‘feeds’ of new content.
• RSS Reader (aka webfeed aggregator): A software application or online service that pulls together and presents the feeds (subscriptions, blogs, etc.) that the user has subscribed to.
• Blog-reading: what you do when you look AT a blog post or site.
• Blog-writing (aka blogging): what you do when you post/write an entry FOR/TO a blog

Why? How?

1. You discover that someone is writing/publishing a blog which you want to read on a regular basis.
2. Rather than having to (remember to) go to that site to see if/when new content has been added, you use an RSS Reader to subscribe to the feed for the blog you want to keep reading.
3. Now every time something new is added to that blog (and as many other blogs you want to keep track of), that RSS Reader will collect the information and hold it for you to look at.... at your convenience.
4. When you have time, you log in to your RSS reader to skim the new posts that it has collected for you.

I recommend using a free, web-hosted  RSS reader such as Google Reader  or  Bloglines  because:

• There is no software to download or install, and you can access your account from any computer, at any time.
• These online services let you:
• Save articles to a clipping file so that you can read and/or annotate them later on,
• Share/email articles to other people, with personal comments, and even
• Publish your own linkblog, where you can post comments about stuff you found via your RSS feeds.

Almost all blogs can be categorized as some variant of these 3 types:

PERSONAL/ POINT OF VIEW: an online journal or diary, to record a set of events or self-reflections, e.g,:

-- http://drmabell.blogspot.com/

-- http://www.uni.uiuc.edu/library/blog/index.htm

 

PURPOSEFUL/PRACTICAL: instruction, links, etc., e.g, to provide info for others to use, e.g.:

-- http://www.mullerinthemiddle.blogspot.com

-- http://lifehacker.com/

 

POLEMICAL/ PHILOSOPHICAL: a site/format for addressing and considering big ideas on a topic, e.g,:

-- http://blog.designofknowledge.com

-- http://davidwarlick.com/2cents/

 

Explore the Edubiblioblogosphere: Check out my EduBiblioBlogList for recommended blogs for school and public librarians.

Also see the ongoing updates of the Blogs page at Joyce Valenza's http://teacherlibrarianwiki.pbwiki.com

Read More About It

Abilock, Debbie. Library-Centered Content Management ...and more.

http://www.noodletools.com/debbie/consult/collab/strategies.html

Alling, Emily. RSS and Blogs in Libraries.

http://umass-blogs-rss.pbwiki.com/FrontPage

Educause Learning Initiative. 7 things you should know about blogs.

http://www.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ELI7006.pdf

Fichter, Darlene. Finding Blogs, Blog Posts, RSS Feeds and RSS Entries.

http://library.usask.ca/~fichter/weblog/

Mckiernan, Gerry. This Just In: Web Feeds for Enhanced Library Services. Knowledge Quest, January/February 2005.

http://www.ala.org/ala/aasl/aaslpubsandjournals/kqweb/kqarchives/v33/mckiernan.pdf

Richardson, Will. RSS Quick Start Guide for Educators.

Just be forewarned...

Reading blogs is like eating potato chips.

One link leads to another, and another, and ...