Fwd: [Web4lib] Successful book discussion blogs, anyone?

[Kyla Tew]

I accidentally sent this just to Alicia.  Sorry Alicia!

I love blogs, and I read a significant number on a regular basis.
However, I do not quite understand how they could be the most "natural
way for libraries to interact with their reading public;" especially
if you a trying to foster discussion.  However, that would depend on
the type of discussion you want to achieve and how "in-depth" you want
the discussion to be. I personally look at blog entries as a way to
raise someone's attention to something, relay news, etc. I see them,
even blog posts with hundreds of comments, as more one sided than
truly fostering discussion. The university library I work at uses
blogs in a variety of ways, and one of my favorites is one that the
library staff picks books from the collection, and writes a review of
it for the blog.  It does not produce many comments, but I find it
interesting because it is kind of another way of serendipitous
discovery.  http://blog.vcu.edu/bookremarks/

>From the blogs (and other types media that allow comments in a similar
fashion) that I read, comments are usually fairly superficial;
especially in relation to what I consider a discussion is.

There have been some studies done on the low participation levels in
most blogs, etc.  I cannot remember them of the top of my head, but
here is an article that talks about a study.

http://www.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUSN1743638820070418

On 7/12/07, Abramson, Alicia <AAbramson at ci.berkeley.ca.us> wrote:
> It is possible that a forum would be a more powerful tool, but what I'm
> really getting at is the use of blogs for book discussions in
> particular, since that would seem a natural way for libraries to
> interact with their reading public.  As countless examples on the Web
> show, blog writing can and does attract a fair amount of conversation in
> the form of comments about postings, from communities interested in the
> author and/or subject matter of the blog.
>
>
>
> However, in the brief research I've done, visiting public library book
> blogs listed at the "Blogging Libraries Wiki"
> (http://www.blogwithoutalibrary.net/links/index.php?title=Public_librari
> es) I haven't seen any examples yet of book related blogs that seem to
> be generating much interaction from the public.
>
>
>
> I guess a larger question is about library use of social technologies
> and/or Web 2.0 technologies and whether they are living up to the hype
> as far as user engagement and "connection" are concerned.  I say this
> with the understanding that blogs emerged before the concepts of either
> "social networking" or "Web 2.0" were fully formed or embraced by the
> library community, but all the same are a newer way of achieving a back
> and forth than the static Web.
>
>
>
> Alicia
>
>
>
> Alicia Abramson
>
> Manager Library Information Technology
>
> Berkeley Public Library
>
> aabramson at ci.berkeley.ca.us
>
> 510-981-6131
>
> ________________________________
>
> From: David Rothman [mailto:david.rothman at gmail.com]
> Sent: Thursday, July 12, 2007 12:28 PM
> To: Jami Haskell
> Cc: Abramson, Alicia; Web4lib at webjunction.org
> Subject: Re: [Web4lib] Successful book discussion blogs, anyone?
>
>
>
> Might a forum perhaps be a more powerful tool for facilitating book
> discussion than a blog?
>
> On 7/12/07, Jami Haskell <jamihaskell at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Great question, Alicia! I would be interested in these responses as
> well. We
> are hoping to implement blogs for book discussions in the very near
> future!
> Best,
> Jami Haskell
>
>
> On 7/12/07, Abramson, Alicia <AAbramson at ci.berkeley.ca.us> wrote:
> >
> > Does anyone have an example of a library-based book discussion blog
> that
> > you would identify as successful?  We are doing our second attempt at
> > one here at the Berkeley Public Library for our "Reading in Common"
> > (i.e. citywide book reading) event:
> > http://www.berkeleypubliclibrary.org/readingincommon/
> >
> >
> >
> > Last year's blog had a total of 8 comments over a 4 month period...and
> I
> > would like to see a more engaged discussion this year.
> >
> >
> >
> > I would like to learn more about what the ingredients are of a
> > successful online book discussion, and how have others managed to
> > successfully engage their communities in the usage of blogs for book
> > discussions.
> >
> >
> >
> > Alicia
> >
> >
> >
> > Alicia Abramson
> >
> > Manager Library Information Technology
> >
> > Berkeley Public Library
> >
> > aabramson at ci.berkeley.ca.us
> >
> > 510-981-6131
> >
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > Web4lib mailing list
> > Web4lib at webjunction.org
> > http://lists.webjunction.org/web4lib/
> >
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