Blogging Section of SLA-IT

MLA Webcast

The Medical Libraries Association is holding a webcast on November 8, 2006, 1:00 p.m.–3:00 p.m., central time entitled Moving at the Speed of Byte: Emerging Technologies for Information Management.

The program features blogs, wikis, podcasting and Web 2.0. Early bird fee until October 13, 2006 is $75 for members, $150 for non-members.

Another cool tool

In another post, I asked what cool tools people were using on their blogs and several people left interesting comments.  Today I found another tool called WhoLinked (http://wholinked.com/), which allows you to display on your web site or blog who is linking to you. 

With so many tools available, a blog  (or web site) can get overrun with extra stuff.  Finding the right mix can take some trial and error, faith, and patience.  A question to keep in mind is...are you adding all this stuff for you or for your readers? Which tools do they really find cool and appreciate, and which are just distracting?

Article on corporate blogging

Big Firms Banking on "Blogosphere" is just a short article on Canada.com on blogging in the business world but it's interesting. It mentions executives and employee blogging as well as publicity brought by new employees that are established bloggers.

And oh, a photo features one of my favorite Montréal-based bloggers, Blork (who is not a corporate blogger by the way).

"Cool Tools and New Technologies" Conference

Each year, the Darthmouth University Biomedical Libraries put up a well-attended conference for New England librarians. Surprise, surprise this year's program is a lot about social software with the theme Cool Tools and Cool Technologies.

Attendance is capped at 120 participants. The fee is a reasonable $75.

Boston Podcamp

In the Boston area and interesting in podcasting? The Boston Podcamp will take place September 9-10, 2006, at the Bunker Hill Community College. PodCamp is a FREE BarCamp-style meetup for podcasters and listeners, bloggers and readers, and new media types of all stripes. This a free event, you just need to register to get all the benefits, read "schwag" :)

New book on wikis

U.K. Publishing house Chandos just got a new book out on wikis for a library audience:

Wikis: Tools for Information Work and Collaboration. Jane E. Klobas. Oxford: Chandos, 2006, xxi, 229 p.

The book was conceived by the regretted Laurel A. Clyde. Chandos usually publishes good books in the library and information science field.

Penn State to use text messaging

The wireless service, called PSUTXT, will officially launch on Aug. 18 and be an expansion of Penn State Live, a news service that counts 360,000 subscribers.

PSUTXT will offer mobile alerts via Short Message Service (SMS) text messages on three topics: campus emergency, sports and concert information. Registration for PSUTXT is available on the Penn State Live Web site.

Full article available here.

Traveling with a laptop?

Given the new security rules for flying, especially in the UK, traveling with a laptop is not as easy as it once was.  Although the U.S. is allow laptops and other electronic equipment on board flights, it is a good idea to be prepared for changes, especially now that we know those changes can occur in the blink of an eye.

This article at TechWeb gives nine tips for traveling with a laptop.  Here are two of the tips to peak your interest:

• Carry portable storage devices, like external thumb drives, for easy access to data in case luggage is delayed or lost.
• Keep accurate records, including receipts and the computer's make, model, and serial number in a safe place for filing claims.

Perhaps the one thing not mentioned in the article, that people will consider, is can you travel without a laptop?  Could you use a PDA instead?  Could you carry the files you need on a thumb drive, then use a computer at your destination? Something to consider...

What cool tools have you implemented on your blog/web site?

There are many cool tools, with some more useful than others.  I just began using RSS Calendar both on my blog and web site, which I find cool and useful.  What tools are you using on your web site or blog that you find useful? Why not leave a comment and share that tool with us!

(For sake of arguement, a tool is something that gives you added functionality.)

Blogging Policies

At my place of work, we may finally be implementing blogs at the campus level.  As a result, I've just started compiling some blogging policies, particularly those of academic institutions.  If you  have a blogging policy you'd like to share or any thoughts on blog policies in general, I'd be most appreciative.