Monday 7 May 2012

Thing 2: Investigate some other blogs

(This is Thing 2 in the programme. If you've not done so already, start off at Thing 1, here.)

Now you've set off with your own blogging, it's time to meet the neighbours: see who else is taking part and what they're saying. 

First of all, you need to let other people know that you're taking part.  Do that by completing the 23 Things for Professional Development registration form if you haven't already.  You can put as much or as little information about your location and type of work as you like.  But bear in mind that what you put will help other people to find you.


At the time of writing we already have over 100 blogs signed up: you can see an alphabetical list on our participants page. You probably don't have time to visit them all, so you can refine your choices using the country and sector tags on our Delicious bookmarks.

If you think you've signed up, but don't appear in the Delicious list after a day or two, leave a comment here and we'll check what's happened.  If we could give your blog better tags, let us know that too!

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Now, make sure that people can comment on your blog. In Blogger, click on 'settings' and then on 'posts and comments'. It's a good idea to say yes to 'show word verification for comments', because that helps to stop spam comments. If you say yes to 'comment moderation', you will receive an email (to the address specified) when someone comments - and you will have to approve the comment before it appears publicly on your blog.

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Lastly, go and visit some blogs, read some posts and leave some comments to let the authors know what you thought. What did you enjoy about their post? Do you have similar or contrasting experience to share?  Or just say hello to let them know someone is reading!

Being able to comment and discuss ideas is what makes blogging - and social media in general - so useful and valuable as a tool for personal and professional development. Comments on your own blog can offer advice and support, they might point you towards useful resources, or they might challenge your opinions and help you refine your arguments. By commenting on other people's blog you're likely to think more deeply about what you've read and what you think about an issue, you'll also be able to share some of your expertise, and you'll get your face (or, at least your moniker) more widely known.  It can be daunting to comment on the blog of someone you may never have met, but do take the plunge, even if it's just to say hello, or to say that you enjoyed a post.

To finish Thing 2, once you've explored the cpd23 neighbourhood a little, write a post on your blog about what you've read and who you've met.

Further Reading:
If you'd like to investigate the wider world of library and librarian blogging, then why not investigate the UK Library Blogs/Bloggers Wiki, and if you know of similar sources from librarians elsewhere in the world, let us know in the comments.

11 comments:

  1. Hi, I tried registering on Friday 4th May and I don't seem to be listed either here or on Delicious. My URL is http://electricsilverfish.blogspot.co.uk/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Victoria.

      Sorry about that - not sure how you slipped through the net. I definitely remember seeing your blog as I worked through the registrations, but something clearly went awry somewhere. You should be there now.

      Thanks for letting us know!

      Katie

      Delete
  2. Hi
    In Delicious my country is down as UK England. Can you change it to UK Wales please (or tell me how to do it?).
    Thanks
    Nia

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    Replies
    1. Hi Nia,

      I've made the change. So sorry about that - it was a slip of the mouse, not anything more sinister.

      Katie

      Delete
  3. Hi

    My time settings are in Pacific Time and the only choices offered are in that region. How do I change to BST or even GMT please? Or I could move to Tonga!

    Thanks

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello!

      Moving to Tonga seems like a lovely idea ;) But seriously, if you've managed to find the time settings (in the settings section (link on the left-hand side when in Blogger), under 'Language and formatting) there should be a very long scrolling list of options. The Pacific Time settings are at the top of the list, so I wonder if the scroll bar isn't appearing in your web browser (or maybe you've missed it)?

      If this doesn't make any sense then let me know.

      Katie

      Delete
  4. Hi

    I have been a bit slack, and not looked at this for a little while. However I'm sure I registered about a month ago, but cannot find my blog on your list.
    Clare O'Connor

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Clare,

      We do have 'Eclectic Ramblings...' listed on our Participants page and on Delicious, where it's tagged as a UK public libraries blog. If you're looking at the list on the left hand side of the blog, note that this shows by default only the 25 most recent posts from all of the cpd23 bloggers.

      Katie

      Delete
  5. Hi there
    I registered with cpd23 last week with my existing blog (name = we liv' in hope). I've since been doing a bit of work on thing 3 ;-) and I've set up a new blog and migrated over to that. http://beyondthetrainingroom.blogspot.co.uk/

    Would you be able to change my reg details for me? Many thanks

    ReplyDelete

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