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Essential Blogging
Blog, Blog, Blog. Recent media infatuation with the blogging effect seems to be overwhelming. It seems that newspaper journalists have just discovered the ability to post and comment messages on the Internet, while most of the computer aficionados and heavy Internet users just shrug their shoulders when told about personal Web journals that link to other articles on the Web.
Blogging Essentials is mostly a generic guide to setting up and running your own Weblog using the software available out there. It doesn't require as much technical knowledge and Unix experience as Running Weblogs with Slash, and doesn't have a nice preface by CmdrTaco, but for a person who is determined to keep a daily journal available on the Internet, it would provide helpful reading material.
What's reviewed
Blogger, Radio Userland and MovableType are the primary products discussed in the book. Each of these packages has two chapters dedicated to it, one for beginners' introduction and one for description of advanced features. The main difference between these three products is in their hosting capabilities - Blogger wants you to keep the journal entries on its Web site and provides Web interface, Radio UserLand keeps the posts on its own server as well, while providing desktop interface, while MovableType assumes the user has a Web server on which to install the blogging software. Both Blogger and Radio UserLand allow for self-hosting, which is also covered in introductory chapters.
Another chapter is dedicated to server-based Blosxom, and in the review of desktop clients such blog utilities as BlogScript, BlogApp, BlogBuddy, W.Bloggar and Slug are covered.
What's good and what's bad
While the depth of covered material is surprisingly large for such a narrow topic, a lot of book pages are spent on displaying screenshots of the blogging software, and showing other people's blogs. The only thought that never left my mind while reading this book was "Who would buy it?" Why would you need 264 pages to explain you how to set up your own journal and run it? People who find satisfaction in running their own customized versions of online journals already know most of the material, and those who don't would probably opt in for easier Web-based interface like LiveJournal.
The book seems to be just a quick walk-through of the manuals, and if you consider that all of the reviewed products have pretty good help and FAQ sections, the need for such book decreases even more. I can hardly name anyone to whom I would recommend this book.
Table of contents can be viewed on publisher's Web site.
You can purchase Essential Blogging from bn.com. Slashdot welcomes readers' book reviews -- to see your own review here, read the book review guidelines, then visit the submission page.
Isn't "Essential Blogging" an oxymoron? ;-)
A little planning goes a long way...
Yes, but does the book tell you why anyone out there would want to read a blog about your life? Or what to do with your life to make people interested in reading about it? (Short of getting your own personal stalker of course)
credo quia absurdum
From Ebay item description, circa 2004:
"Hey, remember blogging? You know, before it was so overblown by the media that you stabbed your eardrums with an icepick just to keep all of the buzzwords out of your brain? Now you can own a worthless remind of those turbulent times...this book!
86 cents, seller pays shipping."
------
Today's Top Deals
heh, heh.. and since we all posted at the same time, we are all redundant.
Best Windows Freeware
I'm surprised there's no mention of LiveJournal. I got bit by the blogging bug back in May or so, and have found LJ to be a good place to keep up with everything. I keep in touch with friends and keep a running record of my life.
Yesterday, I was discussing Alzheimer's with my co-worker, Bob, who runs bland-o-rama.com...we, like any techs, fear the loss of memory and our abilities. The factoid about nuns being highly resistant to Alzheimer's came up, and the running theory is b/c they are journaliing on a daily basis. Exercise for the memory system, I guess.
Personally, though, I'm just doing it because it's interesting to look back and see where I've been...and hopefully get a good idea of where I'm going. Plus I get to watch my friends that use LJ do the same thing.
blog |
It seems like it'd be really helpful for a lot of the people that regularly blog to have a pretty non-technical introduction to it, but I'm not sure those same people would know anything about O'Reilly or read Slashdot.
Mozilla users, check out Mozblog. It's a nifty XUL app that integrates into Mozilla. You can drag and drop links, post, and publish all from the little window without even having to visit blogger.com.
Tell me this - does it have chapters on how to propagate your page with pictures of your cat? Or how to flash your tits so that they point to your wishlist?
Schnapple
Personally, I'll just wind up using Coranto when the time comes. I've used so it (and its predecessor NewsPro) for so many different sites over the years, that it just seems the natural course of things. It's flat-text, but since it's just my diary, who cares?
"You're never ready, just less unprepared."
Essential Computing Stuff
Chapter 1: Turn the damn thing on
Chapter 2: Read what is on screen. It will ussually tell you what to do
Chapter 3: It your computer, turn it off if you don't like what it does
Chapter 4: Trouble Shooting: Shoot anything that moves
Look, if your blogging you euther know what your doing or your going to contract with someone who does.
This seems more like a FAQ on SlashCode or a give away item at shows then an actual book.
You say things that offend me and I can deal with it. Can you?
I'd be much more interested in a novel that charted the historical and cultural development of the blog. I've never been too sucked in, but there is definitely a distinct and unique culture that has developed in the blogging scene. When someone is running for government office on a blogging platform, it says something. What, I'm not sure, but something.
Of course, it is easy to ridicule and mock the blogging scene, but an indepth look at it could be both honest about the shortcomings and faults, as well as the many lessons blogging has taught us. Google bombing anyone? And has anyone been more on the forefront of accessibility pages than blogs?
Maybe someone's already done this for some sort of masters thesis; if so, point out the links, I'd like to see some serious scholarship on the issue.
but you're just a prominent moron
You're only half right. I'm not prominent.
Best Windows Freeware
- Windows for Dummies
- Yahoo Messenger Unleashed
- Hop On Pop
MarkI hadn't heard of the safari before. Looks like you subscribe to a number of points per month, then you can swap out books up to your point level once every month. If you get the $10/mo you get 5 points, which is five 1 point books per month. To purchase those books you'd pay about $150, so this subscription sounds good for those who only need a particular reference for a few months at a time, as well for those books that have little or no future reference value. It also allows for the fact that too many technologies change, evolve and disappear within 15 months.
Still, I like collecting books. I wonder if they'd give a discount on the sale of previously subscribed titles. Reading a book on the computer isn't as nice as holding it in one's hands, either, but overall it's as good a deal as leasing a car - obviously not for everyone - good for many.
-Adam
An organization that is looking at the different Blog options. They will use it for self-promotion/feel good stuff, and show how every day they do something that brings them closer to their goals, or looks good in the public eye.
xan
jonathon
That which is, is not.
That which is not, is.
With repect to this book, I would have to agree with the reviewer. Who would buy it? If you are familier with blogging, then you know what you need to know. If you are not, then you're more likely to buy a book entitled 'Websites for Beginners' or something. This book seems to be searching for a market where there most likely is none.
--CTH
--Got Lists? | Top 95 Star Wars Line
even if it is indicative of using MS Word, "smart quotes" (“ and ”) are typographically correct, rather than the double-prime symbol (").
I really hate signatures, but go to my website.
The only blogs I've found useful over the long term are from good journalist and some professors. By definition a journalist is a professional writer. they'll have decent style and cut the trivia. I like college professor blogs where they accumulate their research results.
Once upon a time people would buy diaries - books of blank paper, in which to pour out their thoughts, woes, tributes to their cats, bad goth poetry (is there any other?) etc. They'd then put the diaries under the mattress or in a drawer, and probably forget about it after a few weeks.
But now in this brave new world, people get blogs or livejournals, and witter pointlessly about things that nobody gives a fuck about but them. Tributes to their cat, goth poetry, brainless gibberish.
It's a horrible waste of technology...!
"Information wants to be paid"
would you buy a book "how to keep a journal"? this seems like it could be summarized in a one page list of "hints and tips"
...kept a diary and how you had to sneak into her bedroom and search through the drawers to find it. And remember how she freaked out when she caught you and your mates reading about what she'd like to do behind the bike sheds with Bobby Jones.
Nowadays she'd be publishing it all over the web and anybody can read it.
Sure takes the fun out of life!
----------------------------------- My Other Sig Is Hilarious -----------------------------------
...that tells us that the author doesn't think much of blogging to begin with, that the book has too many pictures for his tastes, and that he can't fathom why anyone would want to use the three highlighted tools in the first place.
How about installing and using the tools, per the book, and telling us how if the instructions work?
And, why the gratuitous plug for the Slash book? And why the implied slur of anyone who wants a blog but doesn't need, want, or have time to wade through Slash? He might as well have said "Why would anyone not smart enough to understand Perl code even pretend their smart enough to use these tools?"
Next time, I'd like to learn about the book, not the author. This "review" is just another example of geek bias and elitism.
-- Slashdot: When Public Access TV Says "No"
Get a webserver and the Python code on my site (see my homepage). It doesn't let the reader leave any comments, but that's the way it should be.
+1 (Shameless self-promotion)
If tits were wings it'd be flying around.
... because there are plenty of free hints/tips for writing 'effective' weblogs.
Write the Living Web by Mark Bernstein
How to Write a Better Weblog by Dennis A. Mahoney
How to be Soopafamous by W.K. Lang
A Case for Web Storytelling by Curt Cloninger
Those links are just for a quick scan at Alistapart. I'm sure a little more work and you could build up a huge directory of 'good weblogging' links (or just read Zeldman).
As for the blogging systems themselves, can the people who buy this book not deal with README files? I've used Blogger and MT in my weblogging time and both have had excellent online documentation or readme files respectively.
This seems to me like a book for people who really don't want to try to learn anything for themselves, and need it all presented for them. There is so much more to be gained by finding out stuff fo yourself.
--Jon
Cleanstick.org: Dumb weblog about nothing
Here's the description of today's show:
Work for Change & GET PAID!
The numeric rating really seems disproportionate, as the reviewer did have some good things to say:
- "for a person who is determined to keep a daily journal available on the Internet, it would provide helpful reading material"
- "the depth of covered material is surprisingly large for such a narrow topic"
The reviewer appears to think that people are either hackers, or will use LiveJournal (a system we didn't cover in depth in book). I take issue with that.The primary audience for Essential Blogging is someone who is new to blogging. If you already use a blogging system like Movable Type, you'll learn something from the book (Ben and Mena, the authors of Movable Type, wrote a lot of new material for their chapters), but you are not the primary audience. We even say this in the preface, and the back cover pretty clearly states what's inside: "Essential Blogging helps you select the right blogging software for your needs and shows you how to get your blog up and running."
Someone new to blogging can read Chapter 1 to learn about the different aspects of a blogging system; the pros and cons of self-hosting vs hosted, desktop vs server; and ultimately decide which web journal system to use. Then they can read the chapters specific to their chosen system to get started, and return when they're ready to customize the appearance of their blog.
While working on the book, I kept my Dad in mind. He's technical, not stupid, and if he wanted to start a blog, what I want him to know about? The audience also explains the screenshots--if you're new to blogging, you don't to know what to expect nor what the possibilities are. Although it's hard for the reviewer to imagine there are people who haven't been hacking web sites and writing their own blogging systems since 1996, such people do exist.
But even people who already blog and are entrenched in a particular blogging system should check out the others. I'm a Movable Type user myself, but it was a real eye-opener to use Radio Userland for a while. The whole approach to software and blogging is different in Radio Userland, and it makes you look at your own setup in a new light. I'm not saying you need to buy Essential Blogging to do this, but such comparisons are a benefit of having multiple systems presented side-by-side in the one book.
About the only thing I agree with the reviewer wholeheartedly on is that it's a shame we don't cover LiveJournal more. When the book was being developed, I didn't see the geek interest in LiveJournal that I see now. Perhaps in the second edition we'll have chapters on LiveJournal.
So to conclude, I sure hope the old saying that there's no such thing as bad publicity is true. I hope the next book gets a real review (more than six paragraphs) by someone who reads the preface :-).
--Nat
(blogs on O'Reilly Network and use.perl, as well as several Movable Type installations for family, and a Blossom blog for work)
One option, since its one of those books you only need for a little while to select and set up your software, would be to "rent" the book online for a month from Safari at O'Reilly's website, then either unsubscribe from Safari or switch to a more interesting book later.
"But remember, most lynch mobs aren't this nice." (H.Simpson)
-- Joe
This book is written for non-coders. You kow, the people coders are supposed to be working for....
-- Slashdot: When Public Access TV Says "No"
Purpleman51: We have already apologized to you via email for not responding to your original email in the timely matter your expected. The lack of response was an oversight on our part -- one that is regrettable but not common. However, we've been finished with our two chapters for months so the book had nothing to do with support. Please stop assuming you know how we spend our time and consider that sometimes people just make mistakes occasionally.
They're not, anymore than you are likely to sift through the reams of data that have been produced on DOS-formatted floppies, DAT tapes, reel-to-reels, punch cards, or paper spools.
Those letters you mention were written on a relatively durable medium (old paper) which does not require a special machine for decoding. This is not true of hard drives, optical storage, etc. Even modern paper is bad, unless it's acid-free.
And don't expect Google's "wayback" machines to be around 100 years from now. Companies disappear. Technology changes.
If you want your words to survive for 300 years, I suggest you print them out on acid-free paper and staple the hardcopy to the back of a large and very tasteful painting. Or chisel them into a big rock.
BTW, an excellent book on the durability of information -- and the astounding benefits of transparency -- is "The Clock of the Long Now".
I'm a bloodsucking fiend! Look at my outfit!
http://www.livejournal.com/download/?platform=Mozi lla
true enough, i tried it in my win2k dos prompt with perl 5.6.1 and it gave me the same thing. must be the way dos handles the input... it thinks i'm trying to access \$_ instead of $_... i'll see what i can do
perl -e"$_=q#: 13_2: 12/'{>: 8_4) (_4: 6/2'-2; 3;-2'\2: 5/7\_/\7: 12m m::#;s#:#\n#g;s#(\D)(\d+)#$1x$2#ge;print"
apparently, the dos shell doesn't replace "$variables" like bash does... just when you though cross-platform sigging was easy! :P