It’s a Blog World After All
By Michelle Devins, Regional Library Computer Center, Birmingham Public Library
Remember when email was new and no one had ever heard of a blog? My introduction to the term "blog" came about 2003 while reading a crafting magazine (hardcopy, no less). There was a blurb about this ‘new way to share family memories and milestones on the web’- the blog. I racked my brain at first to come up with a way to incorporate this new modus operandi into my life. Soon, however, my first blog was born. It was a photo journal of my infant daughter’s growth.
Search the web and you will find blogs about every conceivable topic. The term blog is shortened from ‘web log.’ Blogs first existed as a resource for people to create online journals (or logs). Since then they have morphed to become much more than a journaling tool. There are blogs about art, politics, sports, family, hobbies, animals, places, cartoons, food, videos, music, organizations, schools and yes, there are even blogs about blogs. Do you have a favorite TV show? There is probably a blog about it!
Take a tour of some great blogs created in Jefferson County.
Find out what’s new at the Birmingham Public Library with the BPLBlog. http://bplolinenews.blogspot.com is updated almost daily.
The Regional Library Computer Center offers much more than free access to computers. Get computer tips and class information at http://rlccbpl.wordpress.com.
The Birmingham Genealogical Society also has a home in the blogosphere. Find out about meetings and important genealogical events at http://birminghamgenealogy.wordpress.com.
The Terminal is a web publication that focuses on Birmingham, Alabama and the surrounding region. Check out their Timetable Blog at http://bhamterminal.com/timetable.
The Emmet O’Neal Library in Mountain Brook regularly posts local and regional events in their blog at http://eolib.blogspot.com.
Other blogs to check out include ‘I Can Has Cheezburger?’ Visit this award winning and funny selection of animal photos at http://icanhascheezburger.com. If you want an eye opening experience, visit Post Secret at http://postsecret.blogspot.com. This is an ongoing art project where people mail in secrets anonymously on homemade postcards.
A good place to begin looking for blogs is Technorati. Visit http://technorati.com/pop/blogs to find a list of currently popular blogs. Technorati also offers articles on all the latest social media and links to other popular sites.
Why not start your own blog? They are often free to make and easy to use. No HTML knowledge is necessary. You can post almost anything from photos, to videos to your opinions on last week’s game. What a great way to reconnect with family living far away! Just start a blog with recent photos and family information and it’s like having a virtual family reunion. Some services offering blog space include, WordPress, Blogger, MySpace, and LiveJournal. Use a search engine to find other blog services. Take a look at several to find the blog service that offers the features that you like. Even though blogs will probably not replace email, they fill an ever growing niche as an alternative form of communication.
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