the last hurrah? reflections on blogging

The final blog post. Sometimes I think the best way to approach a "final" or "last" anything is to just acknowledge the difficulty in doing so and be on with it. This is likely the last post I will make on this blog as it stands, though it is very helpful of Google to allow users to change both the title and web address of blogs even after creation and use (subject to availability, of course). That being the case, maybe there is a chance this ol' guy will see further updates down the road. Who knows.

To make and update this blog, I have been using Google's Blogger software, which really makes the whole process very easy, and yet there is also plenty of room for customization. I can change the layout and theme of my blog without headache, and I can add all sorts of little widgets (like the Google chatback badge, which actually works occasionally). I chose Blogger because I was familiar with its layout, which now seems somewhat misguided as it would have been nice to try out a new application like WordPress, which I have never used. In the end, though in the future I may decide to try a new content manager, I think it is also very likely that I will continue using Blogger for blogging because it works and works well.

Playing with this blog has been a nice experience, though I have had experience with blogging prior to this course. For the past six months or so, I have been updating the Wells' English & American Literature Collection blog semi-regularly (more on that to come) with links, collection news, and interesting literary happenings. I have enjoyed working with that blog mostly because I have a certain liberty therein (basically anything to do with humanities is fair game), but it is also good to know someone (at least) is reading what I write and might comment (admittedly most comments the blog gets are either in Chinese or link to porn, go figure). Both of these experiences have helped me see the utility of blogging and the attractiveness of being able to reach people so quickly. It is nice to feel like you have something to say, and an even better feeling to see your thoughts translated into text and in some sense permanently extant in a space outside their originating mind. It's almost ridiculous. In the world of web 2.0, more people than ever can come online and publish their thoughts, and despite how scary that sounds to some (certainly there are problems) I think it does much more good than harm. And hopefully it, along with all other social technology, merely extends, not replaces.

I definitely agree with Laura that the blogging aspect of this course was by far the best, but I think I enjoyed the actual blog-writing less than reading classmates' thoughts, be they responses to assignments or class topics or more personal. This seems to be one of the points of blogging, connecting with other people, and it was interesting to see how we responded to each other's thoughts and things already posted, sometimes without even realizing we were. There have been a number of studies and essays written about this blogosphere business, that social space created by the strangely interconnected thoughts of thousands (millions?) of people typing away into a web editor like this one, and I have really enjoyed seeing that unfold in our little microcosm of 11.

Long story short, blogging is fun and I think I'll keep it up in one form or another, here or somewhere else. I definitely intend to remain subscribed to y'all's blogs in Google Reader, so hopefully some of us continue writing and contributing thoughts to these spaces.

P.S. Who's up for doing bourbon flights with me at Irish Lion on Tuesday?

An introduction to librarything

For my online tutorial, it seems fitting that I would show someone (or many people, even) how to use Librarything, a web-based, personal library management system. Librarything is a site I use regularly to catalog, organize, and so keep track of all my books and additions to my personal library. Though certainly not perfect (it does not have the exhaustive, user-provided inventory of Goodreads or the sleek, predominately visual interface of Shelfari), I find that Librarything is the most balanced personal library website because it is easy to use, powerful in terms of customizability, and highly social. Additionally, of the three sites, it has the most powerful and accurate recommendation system, which I use often.

For this particular tutorial, it seems the best medium would be a video cast, using software that would allow me to record my screen and any actions that I perform. This way, I would be able to actually show someone how to sign up for and use Librarything’s features, leading them from one topic to another in a way that is easy to follow along with, which I think is a much better method of delivery than an audio-only podcast or a website with text and static screenshots. Though Librarything is very easy to use, I think it is certainly beneficial to see a quick tutorial such as what I have in mind, because there are a number of advanced features, such as tag watching, library-specific searching and adding, and the recommendation system, that want a thorough introduction. The most likely audience for this tutorial would be librarians, but really anyone with a lot of books or a desire to connect with other people based on reading habits could benefit from learning how to use Librarything.

To begin with, I would, as we discussed in class, give the viewer a basic introduction to just what Librarything is, how it functions as a personal library management tool, and briefly discuss the features available, a sort of “big picture” introductory discussion that would run parallel to footage of a completed Librarything profile and well-stocked library. I would then back-peddle and begin with footage of a typical desktop and show navigating to the Librarything website and the process of setting up an account. Once a profile has been created, there are a number of routes one can take, but I would begin by explaining the profile page and the various ways in which it can be edited and customized (including advanced display styles and Twitter/Facebook syncing, and the various swap site statistics, which can seem confusing at first), in lieu of going through the home view and its features.  From there, I would get into the meat of the site, which is adding and tagging books through the “Add Books” tab. Ideally, I would show the process of adding books with ten or so titles, using catalogs such as Amazon.com and the Library of Congress, and how they can be sorted into various sub-libraries of one’s entire collection. I would then show how tagging works, as well as viewing tags already associated with individual titles so as to facilitate some amount of uniformity, when possible.

Once I have introduced the management side of Librarything, I would then show how to utilize the social aspects of the site, many features of which are accessed from the home page. From there, one can see recommendations provided by the site itself and by other users based on coinciding interests and common titles, see what friends and members with similar libraries have added and rated, see statistics about one’s collection, and view tag watch updates, a feature that allows you to read member discussions concerning particular topics (as defined by book tags). I would  show how to join groups and make friends, as well as how to pick interesting libraries and connect with other members with similar tastes. I would briefly discuss widgets and common knowledge, which allows one to edit title and author information and so earn “helper” badges. I would likely end by displaying a few other fun and useful features, such as the Early Reviewers group and how to view advanced statistics (language, male vs. female, dead vs. alive, etc.).

Hopefully my tutorial, if created, would both give a comprehensive overview of Librarything’s features and promote its utility.

Screenshots! (Click to see larger images)

Introduction and statement of scope

Librarything homepage: pretty minimal so far

Adding books!

Tagging, rating, and choosing collections

Your library view with a few books

Some features of the homepage, including memberships and discussions

Just one part of Librarything's robust rating system

Statistics for your collection, including information on dead vs. alive and men vs. women (too many men)