Even among the five blogs assigned to us, there was a lot of diversity in content and form. The first, In the Library with the Lead Pipe by Emily Ford, deals with various issues in the library workplace, focusing mainly on personal well-being. Posts are in an essay-like format, with structured discussion based on evidence and references. The author maintains an enjoyable light-reading quality by inserting personal anecdotes and reflections, and the posts remain entertaining despite their length.
Olivia Nellums, the author of The Librarian's Commute, is a community college librarian. Her posts tend to relate her personal experiences in the workplace. She then uses these experiences to reflect on larger issues in the LIS field. The posts are a bit more personal than in Ford's blog, and quite a bit shorter. They are also very readable, and their brief nature makes them a quick and enjoyable read.
The Distant Librarian consists mostly of short blurbs discussing interesting books, articles, current events, etc.-- often technology related--that may be of interest to libraries or librarians. Links are provided to whatever is referenced, so the reader can go to the site and check out the buzz for themselves. Posts are usually one to a few paragraphs long, and provide (sometimes amusing) commentary and useful information.
In Librarian by Day, Bobbi L. Newman provides links of interest for libraries and librarians. Posts describe and give context for the links, and run from one paragraph to several. Some posts contain one link, some contain quite a few. Newman explains each link and points out its usefulness to libraries. The posts are short enough to read through fairly quickly.
David Lee King's self-named blog is sort of a mix of several of the above. Some of his posts are short discussions about and links to interesting articles or videos. Some are reviews and insights about new technologies, and some are instructional, like his series 10 Tips to Do Presentations Like Me. This blog doesn't really have personal anecdotes like most of the others, but it is still written in an easy-going, personable voice that is quick to read and engaging.
Of these five, the ones I find most appealing to read are those that have a personal touch. I enjoy the descriptions of others' experiences in their work. I also enjoy the shorter posts that point me to longer articles/websites. I can choose to either read the author's short interpretation and discussion of the article, or I can look at it for myself.
The three blogs I decided to subscribe to were librarian.net by Jessamyn West, Librarian in Black by Sarah Houghtan-Jan, and Tame the Web by Michael Stephens
Librarian.net gives short blurbs with links. The links connect the reader to a wide variety of library-related fare, from current issues to interesting stories and helpful information.
Librarian in Black is similar in structure to librarian.net, with blurbs and links, but with a definite focus on technology. Mixed in are personal notes, embedded videos, and some information of general interest (not necessarily having to do with technology).
The posts in Tame the Web vary quite a bit in format. Sometimes they are excerpts from articles, sometimes they are just an embedded video. They deal with all sorts of library issues, with a focus on links and resources available on the web.
After reading all of these blogs, I believe that successful blogs share at least these featrues:
- Personality. All of the blogs have a personal voice, whether or not the content relates to the authors' personal life or not. Even though some of the blogs were fairly formal in structure, their "voices" were still personable and engaging.
- Up-to-date information and constant posting.
- Timeliness--information that is relevant and currently of interest to librarians.
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