Category: Blogging

Blogger security

Reading this article referred to by James Mullan, I can see a lot of sense in it. Although I deliberately don’t blog anything provocative, and I’ve not made great attempts to hide my identity, I feel I’m reasonably anonymous, unless I choose to give away more information / contact others.

But meeting with a colleague from another sector last week, she told me how she’d been looking for a quote about Facebook for a presentation, and found a post on a blog which seemed to say what she wanted…then she saw the name of the blog, read the profile…and a few things added up to confirm that the blogger was me. Now, that’s not a problem, I know her, she knows me, and I’m happy enough to be identified as the author of this blog (what my employers view on that may be is unknown, as yet!), but it just shows what a small world it really is…especially in the legal profession in Scotland! If I’m identifiable professionally, what about personally?

In my personal blog I’d though I was very careful about giving away personal information…but thinking about it now, I realise you can discover the first name of my partner, our cats, what city we live in, what area of that city, where my parents live / where I am from….actually, you know, I think I might be making that an invite-only blog VERY soon! One stalker in a lifetime was more than enough for me, thank you very much!

I’m back!

Between frantically finalising my portfolio for my Chartership application with CILIP, catching up before holiday, going on holiday, catching up AFTER holiday, running back and forth to vets with a suicidal cat…it’s been a busy month! Not to mention the fact that me and my library are moving to another floor as a result of expansion, which just so happens to occur when I’m on holiday, and means I’ll be crossing my fingers that it’s all packed up properly, then reshelving the whole lot in its new location, whilst covering two offices as my boss is then on her holiday next week…my firm do like us to multitask!

In the meantime, I’ve been reading about Wyoming libraries mudflap girl campaign, Sony’s ‘sexier than a librarian’ campaign, favourite library blogs have been surveyed, virtual picket lines and demonstrations in Second Life, social networking and its business usefulness / timewasting, Enquiring Minds Want to Know has moved to a snazzy new site, The Annoyed Librarian has annoyed many,…oh, it’s a social whirl!

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, James Mullan was interviewed for IWR, and kindly mentioned me as a blog he reads…I’m trying to revive my posting to make that less of a futile activity than it has been for the past month!

Also, have had my article on the pros and cons of using a wiki for a Chartership portfolio application published in Impact, the journal of CILIP Career Development Group…although access is for members only. If anyone feels an overwhelming urge to read it, just leave a comment and I’ll work out a way of getting it to you…

Now…off to continue the clearout of ‘stuff’…it’s amazing how things reappear in the library / on my desk when other peoples desks are being cleared…*sigh*

Different Worlds


I love my social media: blog-hopping, forum-chatting, IM-ing…yet there’s a large number of my friends who don’t feature on any of these. They’re not technologically averse, these technologies just don’t fit easily into their lives.

Take one friend for example: she works part-time, has two small children, and a busy family life. She’s got no spare time to spend on forums and blogs…she’d rather just pick up the phone and call me, or send a text! She misses out on little bits of my life that others don’t…my random thoughts and recent events are often posted on my personal blog, and online friends read that, so when I actually talk to them in person, they’re often quite aware of what’s going on in my life. Non-online friends aren’t, and sometimes I almost resent having to tell them about my life, as I feel I’ve already done that ‘work’ on my blog.

I wonder if, as I get more web-based in my social interactions, these friends will continue to be close friends, or whether something has to give? Will it be their lack of online presence, or will I be cutting my online activity down?

Actually, I think I’m already beginning to cut down my online activity: time with friends and family is beginning to win out against wandering the web…my time online’s becoming more focussed, and I’m becoming more disciplined about where I want to spend my time….MySpace is almost never visited, Bebo very infrequently…blog reading / posting time’s perhaps increasing, I think in response…if my friends blog, I’ll read it…but I don’t necessarily want to spend time reading the minutae of their recent activity on a social networking site, I just don’t feel it’s relevant any more.

Ohhh, I’m so backward!!!

BIALL call for papers, Dublin study weekend 2008

BIALL have sent out their call for papers for the Dublin study weekend, Thursday 12th – Saturday 14th June 2008.

The theme is:

BEYOND THE PALE

Planning for the Next Information Generation

Topics they’d like to cover include:

• The future impact of digitisation of data

• Probable trends in respect of electronic resources

• How does information become knowledge

• The growth of globalisation of legal resources

• Will librarians be needed in 2010 ?

You know, I’m even actually considering submitting for a parallel session…what’s the point of being a Web Monkey if I can’t share the fun? Now, to try and work out a topic that I know enough about, that’s useful, and that I can make reasonably entertaining…any ideas?

More information here.