Blogs: If You Write It, Will Anybody Read It?

Here I am starting another round of "23 Things" with the first topic being blogs. I spent some time exploring how blogs are being used by archives and special collections. First, there were the official blogs of special collections and archives that announced events, new acquisitions, collections recently processed, or highlighted collections relating to a particular theme. It is a good alternative to a newsletter but reaches a smaller audience generally than a social networking application such as Facebook. However, it does give you the option of writing more substantial information about the event or collection than the social networking applications. Many organizations are using a combination of both or a combination of several Web 2.0 applications. An excellent example is the Deseronto Archives in Ontario.

Another group of blogs in the profession concentrate on professional practice and issues. Blogs in this second category can cover a variety of issues or concentrate on a single issue such as conservation or an audience category such as NewArchivists, aimed at archivists entering the profession. One that I try to follow is ArchivesNext, a blog that explores the use of the latest technology by archivists. For those less serious moments, I turn to Derangement and Description, a comical perspective to the archives profession. Finally, there are blogs that are written more from the personal perspective of the blogger. These are sometimes useful but some times fall into the category of "Who Cares." I have to admit that the last category describes my own personal blogging so far. I assumed no one would notice.

Blogs can be very useful to archival institutions, but you have to be aware that they have limited audience and require some effort to keep current. Bloggers often get weary of it and drop out for a few months or years or just stop.

The Deal: Appalachia and 23 Things

Sorry to be away for so long. The garden and canning and the new job have just consumed my life. I know--excuses, excuses. You can see the products of our labor in the picture to the right. This is just the "ready room." You should see the root cellar. Enough beans, corn, tomatoes, tomato sauce, pickles, grape juice, peaches, and potatoes to last through the winter. Those heirloom seeds really produced when gardens around us were doing nothing. Now it is time to dry some apples and put back some cider.

So, what brought me back to the blog? Today, after a long day, I learned that the library at Appalachian State University is launching a group effort of "23 things." That is how this blog started last year when I signed up to do 23 things with the Society of American Archivists. I did it because I wanted to learn more about the new technology that is out there. I admit, I learned a lot. I also came to realize that I wasn't so comfortable with accounts with my information stored in the clouds and displayed all over the internet. I also wasn't very good at checking all the different e-mail accounts, twitter accounts--you name it. You think it is anonymous and that there are so many blogs and wikis out there that no one would notice yours--it was about archiving for goodness sakes. But find me, some people did.

Now the question becomes: Should I do it again? It is a different list of 23 things. It might be good for me. This program is giving us two weeks to do the designated "thing" instead of one. I guess I might as well do it, but here is the deal. I am going to talk about the experiments with the new technology tools, but I am also going to be talking about Appalachia. With each passing day, we lose a little more of the "old knowledge" of our ways. Archivists, more than anyone, understand how much is forgotten. Perhaps by making a practice of some of these "old ways"-- using heirloom seeds, canning, sulphuring apples--something will survive beyond me. I like the combination of technology and traditional culture.