How healthy is your blog?

Nicky Hayward-Wright
Alzheimer’s Australia NSW
Slideshow: http://www.slideshare.net/NSWHLF2007/how-healthy-is-your-blog-nicky-haywardwright/

ISSUE
With the emergence of Web 2.0 technologies, libraries are creatively using various social software to engage clients or more easily capture clients attention; for example using a Weblog (blog) to promote new resources, services and events of a library. Whilst there is flexibility in some free blogging software, blog creators generally are limited in layout and design, and have to look at either add-ons or non-online methods of site monitoring, evaluation and promotion.

DISCUSSION
As creators using free blogging software are we being too quick in setting up our blogs and not paying attention to some of the more traditional guidelines associated with development and management of websites and intranets such as needs analysis, user analysis, metrics for site evaluation and the use of user-centred design principles?

The limitations of free blogging software means that we have to pay more attention to the principles of user centred design; seek out free software that allows us to monitor our site to better understand users and site usage, as well as adapting traditional marketing methods to promote our site.

In the face of user acceptance and take up of the new technology, do we have organisation acceptance? In order to get our IT departments or other key stakeholders on board, we have to be able to negotiate and influence.

CONCLUSION
In order to create a ‘healthy blog’, you need to ‘expand the Web 2.0 experiment’ by establishing guidelines that will ensure the creation of a user-centred site, which means adapting the more traditional tools and guidelines associated with website/intranet development, management and marketing for the Web 2.0 environment; creatively and smartly using various Web 2.0 tools; and negotiating and influencing to obtain organisational acceptance of your blog.