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use of blogs for conference communications: a look @ the asist 2005 blog. ASIST 2006 Beatrice R. Pulliam Reference Librarian & Assistant Professor Providence College 4 November 2006 AIM/Yahoo: rhodylibrarian bpulliam@providence.edu. why blog a conference?.
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use of blogs for conference communications: a look @ the asist 2005 blog • ASIST 2006 • Beatrice R. Pulliam • Reference Librarian & Assistant Professor • Providence College • 4 November 2006 • AIM/Yahoo: rhodylibrarian • bpulliam@providence.edu
why blog a conference? • promote discussion of conference and session activities among attendees • virtual broadcast of conference to non- attending members and larger community of colleagues • share personal reflections experiences and foster networking • disseminate important conference announcements and updates • provide professional development opportunities • instant marketing for organization
sorting out technical issues • investigate technology • host v. install (asist server or external?) • gauge learning curve • troubleshooting any technical glitches once blog is up and running
the birth of a conference blog: a timeline • january 2005 blogged for the inaugural PLA blog at ala midwinter in boston • february 2005 wondered why there was an ia summit blogbut no asist blog • may 2005 skype chat with steve cohen (http://librarystuff.net) about what it might take to run a conference blog • june 2005 use pla model to write a set of goals for asist conference blog and submit a proposal to dick hill • june 2005 get the okay to run the conference blog! • july 2005 set up wordpress blog on neasist server and set a target date to go “live” • august 2005 put out call for bloggers and launch the blog • september 2005 hear there is also a wiki…coordinate joint promotion
pimp your blog…the bells and whistles • rss feeds (make it easy for them to keep up) • capture candid conference moments in pictures…flickr • categories or tags?
responses to the 2005 blog • mostly positive • expressions of lament about not looking at blog until after the conference (lack of technology?) • several comments about not being very familiar with blogs or wikis
cluster map of visits to blog 2100 visits to date.. 900+ visits between November ’05 and January ‘06
2005 asist blog stats *11 public subscribers
some challenges • competing with wiki for readers and posters? • managing the blog and bloggers (aka keeping your core bloggers motivated) • what do you do when your blog ‘disappears’…technology happens • how much is too much technology…?(message board, flickr) • no conference ‘internet café’ and non- ubiquitous wireless • dealing with spam
looking ahead… • continue to offer conference goers multiple communication options • commit to how best the technology may be used and/or find a way to ‘keep the momentum’ going between conferences • insist on top-level adoption of new technologies or hands-on pre-conf workshops (the asist wiki, etc.) • blogging seems to work best as an organic and collaborative effort • other associations’ blogs (sla, pla, acrl, ala techsource)