InfoSoup Development Blog

At the InfoSoup Brainstorming meeting that was held last Fall, we decided we would try an InfoSoup blog that would feed into the 3 homepages I edit fairly regularly. The blog would contain highlights about new booklists or services, database tips, search tips, contests, etc. I'm getting ready to set up the blog so we can give it a try, but I'm stumbling on a name.

I came up with "Think Inside the Bowl" and "In the Stew." What do you think a good name would be? Submit your ideas in the comments by Friday, March 14th.

Thanks!
Beth

Okay everyone, think back, waaaaay back to the brainstorming meeting we had last November. We talked about creating a blog to feed into the 3 InfoSoup homepages. Here's the bit from the meeting summary:

"We discussed starting an InfoSoup Blog which would be fed into the homepage (the 3 homepages, actually). It would replace the column on the left of the homepage and would include similar items as are in that column at present: new booklist highlights, contest news, database highlights, search tips, etc. This will not only make it easier for me to update the 3 homepages more seamlessly, but would allow us to test how/if patrons will use a blog. An added advantage is that the blog could easily be fed into any OWLSnet library web site for live content about InfoSoup. I will create the posts as I already do on the homepage and will moderate comments, making it obvious that I am responding as "InfoSoup" rather than a particular library. If comments are obviously from a particular library's patron and requires specific follow-up, I will contact that library to have them respond. This will be a test and can be shut down if needed."

Now think back, not quite as far, to the blog naming contest we had last March. Elizabeth Timmins came up with the winning name, "What's Simmering?"

Now stop straining your memory and come back to the present. I'm happy to announce that I have a draft of an InfoSoup blog named "What's Simmering?" ready for you to look at! You can visit the blog at http://info.infosoup.org/simmer/. It will be fed into the 3 homepages, and you can see how that will look in Staging at http://www.infosoup.org:2082/.

Please take a look and let me know what you think. Post your comments and questions here on the blog by Wednesday, June 25th, and we'll go from there.

Thanks! Beth

It looks like we can successfully access submitted community reviews at long last. Woohoo!

I have Community Reviews enabled in Staging, so you can take a look at it and remind yourself how it works. (Let me know if you have any questions.) If all looks well, I'd like to take a few days to create screencasts on how to use it and the ratings feature (if we decide to enable that, too).

If all looks well with "What's Simmering" then I could announce both new services in the blog, including screencasts on how to use them, and enable the blog feed on the live InfoSoup homepages late next week. It would be a nice way to get the blog off to a good start, as well as the new interactive features.

Sound good? Let me know what you think!

Thanks, Beth