Week 1: More about Social Software, and Blogs

An easy flight west again to San Jose's Dr. King Library and San Jose State University on whose campus we hope to meet a famous peregrine falcon family. "Does this library have a blog," asks Zhar. "There are several branch blogs on this library's tree: Almaden and Seventrees. I expect every branch will have one, once library administration has come up with a design template, guidelines for content, a plan for sharing skills and responsibility for weekly postings." This sort of complicated planning always delights a byzantine bird. "The SJLibrary.org website," I explain, "is very complex because it provides information about two different entities: a public library and a university library. Imagine two trees grafted together which still branch out to produce different fruit." (Oops, Zhar is looking hungry again.) "The website is shared wood, but blogs could be the several sorts of fruit, satisfying very different customer needs." "Immediate needs," murmurs, Zhar, eyeing a campus fig tree. "Blogs are a comfortable way of making friends," I continue, ignoring his hint. " I suppose it's a question of deciding which communities of friends a library wants to attract. There could be a blog for seniors (sort-lived humans have serious problems with aging), for children (Conroy Cougar can earn his keep), for business-minded city citizens, for parents who never have enough time or resources, and a blog to assist students find their library footing, and so on." "I might have an idea, too," suggests Zhar, "if I just munch a fig or two." Well, that's a firebird's genetic relationship to a kitchen stove for you.

Week 1: Social Software, and Blogs

Anticipating a strenuous trip of four weeks, Zhar insisted on a short detour to hunt some lizards for his satchel while I read Time to Check: Are You Using the Right Blogging Tool? by Susanna Gardner. This left me wondering if I should change my present nest to one on a WordPress tree. Again provisioned we took off to Ann Arbor District Library Directory's blog, the first stop on our flight plan. I was very impressed by the pleasing orderliness of this library's site design (I am still reorganizing my roost to achieve this). I felt welcomed and fed with interesting tidbits, lingering to explore AXIS which was promoting an event featuring one of my favorite poets, Rumi. Zhar flushed with enthusiasm darted off to New Jersey's Old Bridge Library Weblog, where he misjudged his landing, and, plumage and spirits river-dampened, had to flutter awkwardly back west to dry off in Marin County Free Library blog. I also ventured east to visit Binghamton University Science blog and Ohio University Libraries Business blog. Not being a scientific or entrepreneurial minded avian, I can only imagine how useful these tools are for a human student. I have collected my rumpled colleague for a luncheon break of black tea and some California smelt sandwiches, which, of course, we will compare with our delectable ones made of Riga smelt. Now fortified for further flight, we agree that Ann Arbor Library is a roost to return to.