Using Blogs Effectively Within Your Organisation
Mike Ellis, Eduserv, United Kingdom
Brian Kelly, University of Bath, United Kingdom
While the benefits of blogging have been documented by the pioneers at previous MW conferences, it is now time to take a step back and look at some practical aspects associated with the establishment of a blogging service and ensuring its longterm sustainability.
This workshop will offer real user experiences with issues of using blogs and blogging in your museum. The session will provide an update on blog fundamentals (the blog services, authoring toolsandthe diversity of ways in which blog content may be viewed) and explore approaches to the establishment of a blogging service, such as installation of in-house blog software or use of third party blogging services.
The workshop will also address potential barriers to implementing a sustainable blogging service within your institution and explore ways in which such barriers can be overcome.
Advice on best practices for providing quality blog services will be provided, covering a variety of topics including who should blog, writing styles, engaging with blog readers, resource implications, staff development and training, etc. The workshop will also provide a forum for sharing experiences and discussing best practices.
The workshop will also discuss how to measure the success of a blogging service, focusing on user feedback, return on investment and impact assessment.
The workshop will conclude by exploring ways in which the bloggers in the museum sector can best share experiences, perhaps though the establishment of a community of practice and making use of appropriate social networking services.
The draft interactive workshop is given below. Note this is subject to change:
- Introduction (about the facilitators and aims of workshop) - 15 min
- About the participants (names, organisations, experiences and interests) - 20 mins
- An Introduction to Key Blog Concepts (brief overview for those new to the area) - 15 mins
- How Blogs May Be Used - group exercise - 15 mins
- Case Studies - Museum Blogs - 20 mins
- Barriers To Blogging - group exercise - 10 mins
- What About The Barriers? - 15 mins
- Addressing The Barriers - 20 mins
- Deployment Strategies - group exercise - 30 mins
- Building A Community: Embeding and Sharing Best Practices - 30 mins
- Action Plans - individual exercise - 15 mins
- What next? - 15 mins
Workshop: Blogging Effectively [Morning]
Keywords: blogs, blogging, museum 2.0, web 2.0
