Abstract
Weblogs, commonly known as “blogs,” are Web sites that feature a series of dated posts appearing in reverse chronological order. They may be authored by individuals, groups, or organizations, and may be used to share writing and Web-based media of any kind. Although there is nothing inherent in the basic technology behind blogs specifically to facilitate community, as with many other technological media, blogs have been used to support e-collaboration and have become known as a form of Web-based discourse (Fleishman, 2002). This article discusses how blogs and their various enabling tools and technologies can be used to foster and maintain e-collaboration.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Blogger: A person who maintains a blog.
Blogroll: A list of favorite sites posted on the blog.
Feed: A feed is a source of syndicated information. Blog posts and comments may be available to users via feeds that are updated each time something new is published.
Comment: A message appended to a blog post which may be left by a reader.
Web Annotations: Annotations left on Web pages by readers. The annotations exist in a layer separate from the Web page and do not change the page itself in any way.
Trackback: A feature that helps bloggers link their posts to related posts written by other bloggers.
Tag: A word or term used as a bookmark. Tags are used to help flag and retrieve Web-based content on particular topics
E-Collaboration Technologies: Electronic technologies that enable collaboration among individuals engaged in a common task.
RSS: Really Simple Syndication, an easy way to track new entries in a Web log; once subscribed to RSS feed, the user simply clicks on the link conveniently located on the toolbar and receives a list of the site’s most recent posts.
Blogging: An act of posting entries to one’s blog.
Blog: Short for Web log, a frequently updated Web site containing date-stamped entries posted in reverse chronological order, often consisting of ideas, brief essays, photos, and hyperlinks to other Web sources, and allowing users to post comments.
Social Bookmarking: The act of organizing one’s personal Web bookmarks and sharing them with others.
Edublogs: Blogs used in educational settings.