|
 |
 World-class quality, friendly local service. |
|
About Weblogs and Blogging A Burgeoning Online Phenomenon ... or Not. Depending on your point of view, weblogs are either one of the most important Internet phenomena of recent years, or possibly the silliest. On the one hand, it is claimed that weblogs are empowering because "anyone" can create one to share their thoughts and ideas with the world. On the other hand, it is also claimed that weblogs add considerably to the already large amount of "vapid" content on the Web, making it harder to find valuable material. There is a sense in which both perspectives are true: there are some well-maintained, high-quality weblogs that provide a valuable service, but there are also many weblogs that serve no apparent purpose apart from providing the owner with an online public space. Sheer numbers, though, suggest that weblogs cannot be ignored. It is an interesting thought that more or less the same arguments were advanced for and against the Web itself not too long ago, as are now being advanced for and against weblogs. The Web made it possible for millions of people to develop Internet content and to communicate their ideas via a home page. Software developers produced tools that would enable them to do this more easily, and the result was an incremental increase in the number of Web pages. Despite the large number of questionable Web sites, the Web has become more and more important as a medium of publishing and communication, and search engines and directories have emerged that help people to find information amongst the billions of Web pages. Weblogs are very much a part of the Web, and likely to follow the development path that the Web itself has taken. Peter Scott, a librarian at the University of Saskatchewan, has developed a widely-accepted definition of a "blog" or "weblog": it is, he says, "A Web page containing brief, chronologically arranged items of information". At this point, though, agreement about weblogs ends. Most weblogs display material for the current month or the current week, with older material being archived on the site for browsing and/or searching. Some weblogs have other useful features - for example, links to similar weblogs, or links to the most important Internet resources in the field of coverage of the weblog, or a way to make contact with other people who read the weblog, or access to software and services. Many claims have been made for the usefulness of weblogs. At their best, they can help readers cope with an information avalanche by highlighting and summarising useful material. They can also "contextualize" an article by listing it among related articles from different sources, so that each article, considered in the light of the other, may take on additional meaning. Weblogs may bring to the attention of the reader, material that would otherwise have been missed. On the other hand, weblogs are part of the "information avalanche", and perhaps part of the problem. Only time will tell. Read All About It - Books on Blogging. A rash of books about blogging is hitting the shelves this season. The term, if not the whole phenomenon, has really come into its own the past year, so much so that even some corporations are hurriedly jumping on the bandwagon and trying to use blogs as a way to keep in contact with their customers. The Cluetrain folks must be so proud. Here our pick of the litter:  Essential Blogging Shelley Powers, Cory Doctorow, J. Scott Johnson, Mena G. Trott, Benjamin Trott, Rael Dornfest. O'Reilly & Associates, 2002This book is a fine introduction for anybody who is serious about setting up and running their own blog and who wants more control than the cookie-cutter blog-hosting Web sites offer. It addresses popular blogging software, and covers the installation, set-up, and maintenance of blogs. It's basically a technical guide for serious bloggers that lets you choose the best software for your purposes and wring the most out of its features. Buy this book now!
Weblogs We Follow. BlogBib Annotated review of the literature and resources on blogs, especially library-related blogs. Only occasionally updated. Microcontent News Covers the microcontent sector: weblogs, Webzines, email digests, and personal publishing, as well as how weblogs combine to form the Blogosphere. Also covers the business side of microcontent, including text-based microads and corporate blogging. Publishers Lunch The book industry's self-described "daily essential read". Gathers stories from all over the web and print of interest to the professional trade book community, along with original reporting, plus a little perspective and the occasional wisecrack added in. Speak Up Features excellent aliased graphics and animation, and some great links of interest to designers and typographers alike. Internet Scout Weblog is a welcome addition to the Internet Scout Report of the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Department of Computer Sciences. An essential reference to interesting Internet sitings. Okanagan Bookworks | books@booksokanagan.com | 250.870.2690
[ Home | Publishing | Services | Process | About Us | Coordinates | Directory | Contact ] | |
|
There is a very good reason for you to order books through this site. Amazon gives us a small percentage of the purchase price, and we learn how to manage an affiliate program, which has proven very useful for several of our clients. Please note that the price you pay is generally less than retail price - and there is no markup. If you prefer to purchase books at a local bookstore near you, you can find one through