Welcome to Becky’s Book Blog, a place for readers to share information about book clubs and books. As an employee of the Pikes Peak Library District, I’ll include book club information from the library as well as online sources of book information and social networking related to books.
I’ve started this blog in response to conversations and questions I’ve been asked about books. I’ll try to answer those questions, & hope to have an online conversation with you. I’ll think of this as a chance to grab a cup of coffee & chat about the stories we’re reading and how to find more books that each of us can enjoy. Please join me!
My first blog post is an introduction to blogging and social networking, with a focus on the books we love! For those readers who are familiar with blogging and social networking, please read along. This will be information just to get us all started. If you have something to add in the form of clarification or correction, please post a response to my blog. Just be polite to me and to each other, as offensive posts will be removed.
For starters, here are some terms and concepts related to blogging that you should know.
What is a blog? The term is a shortened version of “web log”, and refers to a personal home page (mine in this case), that is presented in a diary form.
That means I can add entries on a regular or irregular basis, providing updates to my original post, or entry.
Blogs are part of what is called the live web or the incremental web, which means the reader (you) can link to a web page, and even to subscribe to it, and be notified of any updates to the blog. We’ll talk about that in a later post.
Blogs are a part of the social networking that occurs as we interact through using the World Wide Web. You, as a reader, can respond to what I or anyone else posts. This ability to respond and chat with other readers online is what makes a blog different from, and more fun than a web page that just provides information. We can agree or disagree with each other, add to what has been stated, and in the process get to know each other better.
This give and take also means that we have the advantage of each other’s knowledge. If I post something that is outdated or incorrect, someone can update my entry with a correction, or I can correct it myself. The update will be visible to all readers, who will have the advantage of the correct information. This collective intelligence is central to the interactive web. We can take advantage of the knowledge of others, and can all be better informed as a result.
So that’s a brief introduction to blogging, and Becky’s Book Blog in particular. My next post will add some information about a website that is dedicated to conversations about books. Happy reading!
