Monday, 28 September 2009

1. Introduction to the Module, Blogs

I created this blog using the free Blog software available from Blogger[1], and by following the steps outlined in the YouTube tutorial "How to create a blog with Blogger"[2]. I was therefore able to create a Web 2.0 website (this Blog) with help from information on another Web 2.0 website (YouTube).

The initial set-up of the blog was straightforward - the software provides a choice of ready-made templates. It is also easy to customise it afterwards (e.g. the blog name and template can be changed at any time after initial set-up, and the blog's layout can be altered through re-positioning features or adding "gadgets".) Furthermore, blog entries can be edited even after they have been posted.

Material for the blog is generated by writing new posts and by inserting photos, videos and other images. For some bloggers, material is also generated through the comments of followers, however I decided to disallow comments as the main purpose of my blog is not to generate discussion, but to present my coursework.

Regarding the organisation of the blog, I created a label entitled "DITA" to differentiate my DITA coursework entries from other items that I might post. I could have created either a list or a "cloud" of labels, but decided that a list would look better, as I thought that I might only have a few labels.

Blog entries are not only organised by label, but are also organised down the right hand side by the month of their creation. This way, an archive of articles is readily available.

Information is presented in the blog through written posts (displayed in date order), which can incorporate photographs, images and videos. The blog is therefore very flexible in the way that information can be displayed.