Blogs are increasingly becoming an important form of communication with academics recognizing the value of establishing research communities. UNE staff and students now have the opportunity to utilize the latest blogging software to share their ideas with the world.
Blogs, or web-logs, are user-generated web sites that consist of a number of ‘posts’ usually presented in reverse chronological order. Recent estimates put the number of blogs on the web at close to 60 million. Blogs come in a variety of forms, some blogs focus on a particular subject matter or issue while others are more personal. Many researchers are establishing knowledge logs or k-logs as a way of sharing their research and ideas and establishing knowledge communities.
Prof. Klaus Rohde thinks that blogs have the potential to become valuable research tools particularly when it comes to cross disciplinary research. “ It gives me the opportunity to communicate my ideas to a wider public, with the possibility of getting feedback.†Prof. Rohde’s blog is dedicated to discussing various aspects of science, particularly ecology and evolution and exploring links to other fields of knowledge.
Blogs also allow people to form communities around common intersts. Judy Redman, Uniting Church chaplain, has set up the Uniting Church Chaplaincy News blog. “I’ve been enjoying reading a blog that a friend has set up while she’s studying overseas for 6 months and a number of other people I know use blogs for a range of things, so I thought I’d give it a go.â€
“My main aim is to provide information about peace, justice and environmental sustainability from a Christian perspective, with a particular focus on activities that people can be involved with on campusâ€
ITD now provides staff and students with everything they need to set up their own blog. To set up a blog, or read other UNE-blogs, simply visit blog.une.edu.au. The blog editing interface WordPress Mu makes starting a blog simple. All you need is a UNE username and password. If you want to know more about how to get blogging contact ross.bennetts@une.edu.au.