A new sidebar widget

Hidden amongst the ALA Conference postings is this brief explanation of a new sidebar widget for Library Cloud. The Technorati Blog Widget works in conjunction with Technorati Tags added to our posts to create the Top Tags on Library Cloud displayed in the sidebar. This cloud differs somewhat from both the ZoomCloud already in place; it feeds from all of the words in our posts, and the Blogger post labels added by both intrepid Library Cloud bloggers.


Tags: Sidebar widget, Technorati Tag Cloud, Blog Widgets, Tehnorati Widgets

Blog layout changes

Rebecca and I are email discussing layout and format changes to Library Cloud (we really should do IM). There are currently some things we do not really care about any more, specifically the LibraryThing and Technorati search boxes, and other elements we would like to make better use of, like the new Blogger labels. According to Blogger, switching to the "new" Blogger template will afford us "drop and drag" options on the sidebar. Bear with us as we organize to our hearts content. After all, we are librarians!

Update: later that same afternoon ...

The template changeover is complete, but I still need to get our blog log back into the header where it belongs. This may be a good opportunity to clean up the logo a bit because I have since learned a bit more about working with Macromedia Fireworks. Now the sidebar orginization will commence. Wonder if we can make the cloud bigger and switch out the LibraryThing sidebar widget to display titles more attractively.

Cranky update: even later ....

All of the changes we envisioned have taken place with the single, and obvious, exception of the library cloud logo. I have cleaned the png and exported it as a jpeg. Unfortunately the same great template that affords ease of drop and drag also changes the look of the html and css template elements. I'm searching to see where to drop in the logo in the existing "new" html. Any tips and/or advice is welcome.



Update: 2/22/07

Not to be thwarted by the new blogger template, I determined the easiest way to put the logo back where it belonged would take two steps; inserting the newer jpeg logo into the blog so there would be a reference point and editing the css/xhtml within the template. Editing the template in Dreamweaver first and then editing the actual blooger template was relatively painless. Adjusting the logo jpeg was not as sizing issues caused it to become fuzzy. The current logo, properly placed and sized, is the old logo. Imperfect, but in place.

Tags: Blog labels, Blogger beta, Blog layout

Pew Internet & Tagging

It was with some interest I read a recent Pew Internet Online Activities and Pursuits report (1/31/07) focused on Tagging.

“Just as the internet allows users to create and share their own media, it is also enabling them to organize digital material their own way, rather than relying on pre-existing formats of classifying information. A December 2006 survey has found that 28% of internet users have tagged or categorized content online such as photos, news stories or blog posts. On a typical day online, 7% of internet users say they tag or categorize online content.” (Pew Internet, 1/31/07)

The report itself is not lengthy; a total number of 1623 were interviewed and basic information regarding how tagging works and traffic data from popular tagging sites Flickr (photos) and Del.icio.us (social book marking) is presented. It concludes with an interview with author, researcher, and blogger David Weinberger with reference to his research and forthcoming book Everything is Miscellaneous: The Power of the New Digital Disorder. But their profile conclusions regarding “Who the taggers are” were interesting: “Taggers look like classic early adopters of technology. They are more likely to be under age 40, and have higher levels of education and income.”

Since moving Library Cloud to the “new” Blogger, we have been taking advantage of the internal tag, or label, system for our posts in addition to the existing Technorati labels. As mentioned when we began using the labels, they would not replace Technorati tags since each had its own specific use, labels internal post links and tags external post links. Though our blog template has not been switched to the custom design template, the labels are helping us to organize by topic. Over the last few weeks, I have learned using these labels is not something to be done lightly.

In my zest to be concise with labels on each and every IRC blog post, I noticed a disturbing trend; there were too many labels with only one post attached. My categories were too broad. For example, with juvenile book posts I was using three different labels to identify picture books and two for non-fiction. I had taken catalog subject headings from books and used them to label posts; this is great for catalogs, but not so much for blogs. I pared back, chose three different categories for juvenile books (picture books, juvenile literature, and juvenile fiction) and viola; the labels not only made more sense but were also user friendly. At least in my own estimation they are more user friendly, which brings to light an interesting concept mentioned in the interview with Weinberger, “tagging lets us organize the vastness of the web” and taggers are “using the categories that matter to us as individuals.”

Tags: Pew Internet Report, Tagging, Blog labels, David Weinberger interview

Confessions of a post label convert

I had no blogging plans today. I normally do not have that much to say. But I spent some time doing backup on the IRC blog, posted a DVD, and noticed the labels ...

Used mostly as an informational tool for collection development purchases, the IRC blog replaced not only my IRC "what's new" web page, but also numerous email notifications to faculty regarding said purchases (specific requests still get email). Furthermore, it saves me countless hours by not having to compile and post end of term book lists. But I digress. This morning I added a DVD, used the labels for this post option, and checked out the blog. Pleased, I went back and added labels to the most recent 50 posts. I viewed my efforts, clicked on the post links, and am now quite enamored with the post labels. My organizational librarian soul is hooked.

Why use these labels instead of Technorati or other tags? Because the IRC blog is basically an in-house tool, I do not particularly care if anyone outside of the AU community views it and nixed that tag option. I am not trying to increase readership from the blogosphere as it is not that kind of blog. If they find it (and people have done so), great. What I am interested in is making the blog more effective for my users/patrons. Since the post labels link within the blog, any post tagged "juvenile books" will link to all subsequent posts tagged the same. Each item within an individual post is displayed with its call number and linked to the catalog. The blog sidebar has a catalog search widget to facilitate locating other like titles or just searching from the blog. Now, the 50 most recent blog entries themselves are linked.

No, I'm not saying I will go back and tag all 370 posts remaining ...

(I just finished spell checking and it's pretty cool, highlighting the suspicious words and providing options on mouse-over.)

Tags: Blogger beta, New Blogger, Update blog templates