OK, now I feel stupid

Looking for the "tag" option on Blogger has reminded me of a lesson on tagging and folksonomy that I did in LIBE 465.  I was so focused on the word "tag" that I didn't notice the "Labels" box at the bottom of my posting area, LOL.  After posting my last entry I went to the Blogger help option and found the information in about 3 seconds.  My plan is to now go back to previous posts to add appropriate tags.

Berger and Trexler (2010) say that tagging is "at the heart of social bookmarking" (p. 45) and I am finding this to be true in my own Web 2.0 explorations.  Good tagging allows us to find information through key words but the trick is using key words that others will also use.  Some librarians, as suggested in Berger and Trexler (2010), are concerned that folksonomy should not replace taxonomy, a more traditional tagging system.  I, like some librarians, do not believe that one has to replace the other.  I believe the two can work together to make searching and finding information more effective for everyone.

Update:  As I was going through to add labels to my posts I discovered that there is a limit of 200 characters.  For my last update post I well exceeded that limit and then had to go back and remove some tags.  This was harder to do than I thought as I was really trying to cover all the topics in my post.  I wish Blogger had a "character count" like Twitter so that I can know when I am nearing my character limit.

References:

Berger, P., & Trexler, S. (2010). Choosing Web 2.0 tools for learning and teaching in a digital world. Santa Barbara, CA: Libraries Unlimited.

Blog Addition

Today I added a "Search this Blog" gadget to make finding topics on my blog a little easier.  This is a great feature as it allows my readers to find what I have posted on certain topics.  I tested it by entering "Twitter" and got a list of posts that mention Twitter.

One thing I am noticing about using Blogger that is different from my class blog on WordPress is that I don't seem to have an option of adding tags to my blog posts when I compose them.  I am now searching for this option on Blogger.  If anyone else knows how to add this feature on Blogger I would appreciate the help.

Principal's Blog

I just spent the last hour helping my principal set up her new blog.  Her vision for her blog is very similar to Neil Kamide's from McMath Secondary in Richmond.  She would like this to be a form of communication with our parents and community.  We talked quite a bit about the kinds of posts she should begin with and how to make blog posting a "habit" so that she will keep up with it.  I have encouraged her to post several short posts in the next couple of weeks just to get used to the platform.  I also said she should try posting a photo, adding more links, and play around with a couple of templates to see what she likes.

 You will notice that I am "following" her blog so that I will know when she posts.  I told her that I would be emailing her if I don't see regular posts.  She is very excited about this new venture, so I believe she will make it a priority.

I also think that this new step will encourage others on our staff to use more social media in their classes and lives.  I have already linked the principal's blog on our school web site so I am hoping that when she sees people are following and reading the blog (through the stats) she will be encouraged to keep it current.

AddThis

Another tool that I discovered as part of my inquiry is AddThis.  By adding AddThis to my toolbar I can now easily add content to Twitter, Blogger, Wordpress, and even Facebook.  When I read a blog or an article that I want to remember or comment on, I can repost it to my sites with one click.

 The tool bar is also very visual - which as I have already mentioned is important to me.

One of the things I wasn't sure about with this tool was how it would function when I have more than one Blogger or WordPress site, for example.  I like that when I click the Blogger icon it goes to post to the last blog I had been using but gives me a drop down menu to switch to other blogs I maintain.

With AddThis, one thing that surprised me is the number of options available.  When I click the "plus" sign, an incredible list of options is made available.

And this is only A-C!  Most of this available links I have never even heard of or seen.  It makes me realize how much more I have to learn, but it also makes me excited for the options I have available to me in this Web 2.0 world.