Bloggapedia Blog
At present I have gathered together links to over 500 such blogs; quick examples of some of my favourites include a scientist who regularly posts comments and pictures from the South Pole, a call centre worker reporting on the mundane, repetitive and often insane nature of call centre work, a traffic warden waxing lyrically about the idiocy of drivers and targets set by management, and a rather cheeky look behind the scenes of an ambulance control dispatch unit.
To be honest there are far too many good work-related blogs to comment on and space and brevity prohibits the chance to promote blogs about working as a teacher, a doctor, a bus driver, a police officer, a sales assistant, a nurse. Never mind more unique blogs about working as a nightclub bouncer, a taxi driver, a stripper, and so on.
Crucially, as a person who takes significant interest in blogs about work, mainly because I believe they reveal a great deal about contemporary work that is missed out through other mediums set up to discuss work-related issues, I have also taken the time to find out why bloggers do what they do. I have done this by reading many of the blogs I link to, but I have also personally contacted bloggers and asked them why they go to such lengths, as many of you know how time consuming blogging can be.
In reading blogs and asking questions it is interesting to note that work-related blogs are not about what I have previously indicated – i.e. “bashing the boss”. Instead, what I found was people who are passionate about their work, yet until the advent of blogs lacked a means to express their feelings and experiences at work. In reality, people who blog about their work do so to set free some of their frustrations, yet other common reasons to blog about work also include the chance to write in a creative fashion, make sense of experiences, keep in touch with friends and family when working away from home, offer first-hand insights into the work that they do, using the blog as a means to develop their career (i.e. a reflective diary), educate the public about what they do, and in a way, as with blogging in general, make contact with like-minded people.
The main attraction of blogging about work is that it isn’t a means to serve one particular end – it is to serve several ends and these are almost certainly going to differ depending on what type of person you are and what type of work you do. If this interests you then have a look at some of the blogs I have mentioned, perhaps join in the discussions put forward by the blogger, or maybe even start one yourself. However, it’ll probably pay to read up on how to blog safely about work if you already do or are about to start blogging about your work.
About the author:
James Richards blogs the site Work-related Blogs and News and teaches work-related subjects at Heriot-Watt University in Scotland. During the past year or so James’s work has been commented on in a range of well-respected newspapers. When the time is “right” he hopes to undertake some serious research into blogging and other new forms of web-based communication technology.
Rain or Shine
Category:
Blog Toys
Here's a cute little 'weather pixie' you can add to your blog to let visitors know what the weather is doing wherever it is you blog from...
It's easy to add to your blog, just find your local pixie, copy and paste the HTML into your blog template, and you're all set!
It's easy to add to your blog, just find your local pixie, copy and paste the HTML into your blog template, and you're all set!
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NSA Controversy
Category:
Blogging Politics
Let's rewind a bit to 1990, when homosexuality was also a hot news topic. At the center of the controversy was a small book called "Heather Has Two Mommies", and the debate was sparked when a group of parents tried to have it removed from their children's elementary school library, on the grounds that it was "inappropriate" for children. Immediately, the country was up in arms: the book advocated homosexuality and was therefore bad, homosexuals should be treated like everyone else and therefore the book was good. I can't honestly recall what the end result was, at least as far as that particular school was concerned; I suspect the newspapers covering the story eventually got bored and wandered off to find a new sensation to write about (which says something about the quality of our country's news reporting, but I'll save that for another post).
A few months ago, I happened to come across a copy of the book, and began to leaf through it. It quickly became apparent to me that few people involved in that long-ago controversy had ever bothered to read the book. The book advocates tolerance, true; it would also not be out of place in the waiting room of a Planned Parenthood office. I'm all for tolerance, but I have to question the validity of giving 4-8-year-olds graphic descriptions of artificial insemination.
So why am I talking about a sixteen-year-old book? Because it strikes me that the current controversy over the NSA's interception of emails is breaking down on similar political divides, with hysteria running rampant and few people taking the time to step back and examine the entire issue.
"If such impersonal surveillance on the orders of the president for genuine national security purposes without court or other explicit authorization does violate some constitutional norm, then we are faced with a genuine dilemma and not an occasion for finger-pointing and political posturing." (Boston Globe)
The problem is that because the system has to rely on secrecy in order to work, and because a "war on terror" is a vague concept, such eavesdropping can easily be manipulated into persecuting ordinary Americans to satisfy some private political agenda.
My concern is that the country is wallowing in political extremes to such an extent that it's bordering on the dangerous -- we're too busy announcing ourselves as "liberal" or "conservative" to step back and take a look at the real problem. The underlying issues get buried under waves of name-calling and back-biting, and that makes us vulnerable to manipulation.
How much safety do we require, and how much do we trust those in charge to provide it? Perhaps more to the point, how much do we trust those in charge to keep us safe while not violating our civil rights as Americans?
These are not easy questions, and I don't pretend to have answers. There's not an obvious line between national security and civil liberties, and each generation has to decide for itself where that line should be drawn; it's a never-ending discussion, as each generation has different needs in an ever-changing world. Most importantly, this discussion should be open and transparent, where all sides can be heard, not made for us in secret behind closed doors.
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It's Bigger Than You Think
Well, we KNEW they were reading our blogs...
From the blog at LJNDawson.com comes a most disturbing post entitled "Yes, the Government IS Reading Your Emails" referencing a recent article on Wired:
From the blog at LJNDawson.com comes a most disturbing post entitled "Yes, the Government IS Reading Your Emails" referencing a recent article on Wired:
"In 2003 AT&T built "secret rooms" hidden deep in the bowels of its central offices in various cities, housing computer gear for a government spy operation which taps into the company's popular WorldNet service and the entire internet. These installations enable the government to look at every individual message on the internet and analyze exactly what people are doing. Documents showing the hardwire installation in San Francisco suggest that there are similar locations being installed in numerous other cities."
Read the entire blog post here, and as LJNDawson.com suggests - spread the word.
Read the entire blog post here, and as LJNDawson.com suggests - spread the word.
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Even Easier Than RSS?
Category:
Blogging News
Not everyone can manage to stay on top of all the blogs they wish to read via RSS, say...for instance, "grandma." She's a whip in the kitchen, can talk anyone under the table when it comes to local history, and is an expert at hugs and kisses - but keeping track of a blog's comings and goings via RSS is all Greek to her.
Grandma DOES have email though - so hooray for this fabulous little addition called Bloglet - except that as we read further into the site it becomes apparent they're giving up the ghost and our excitement is short-lived.
However, Feedblitz seems to be picking up where their forefather is leaving off, and is even incorporating the original Bloglet in a way that allows current users to easily switch to the new-improved version.
Cool.
Now even grandma can simply open her email to find your new blog posts - no more messy RSS feeds to manage!
Grandma DOES have email though - so hooray for this fabulous little addition called Bloglet - except that as we read further into the site it becomes apparent they're giving up the ghost and our excitement is short-lived.
However, Feedblitz seems to be picking up where their forefather is leaving off, and is even incorporating the original Bloglet in a way that allows current users to easily switch to the new-improved version.
Cool.
Now even grandma can simply open her email to find your new blog posts - no more messy RSS feeds to manage!
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Guest Post: What Did You Do at Work Today?
Category:
Controversy
,
Guest Posts
I appreciate that thinking and talking about what you’ve done at work is not everyone’s idea of how to spend your hard-earned free time. I also appreciate that many people would not consider documenting their daily lives at work. Yet this is exactly what a growing number of people from around the world are doing.
Since the beginning of 2005 I have been on the look out for blogs that contain strong reference to what people do at work on a fairly regular basis, and before you ask, they are not people who openly bad-mouth their bosses and naming and shaming unscrupulous employers on the way to a high profile dismissal!
Since the beginning of 2005 I have been on the look out for blogs that contain strong reference to what people do at work on a fairly regular basis, and before you ask, they are not people who openly bad-mouth their bosses and naming and shaming unscrupulous employers on the way to a high profile dismissal!
At present I have gathered together links to over 500 such blogs; quick examples of some of my favourites include a scientist who regularly posts comments and pictures from the South Pole, a call centre worker reporting on the mundane, repetitive and often insane nature of call centre work, a traffic warden waxing lyrically about the idiocy of drivers and targets set by management, and a rather cheeky look behind the scenes of an ambulance control dispatch unit.
To be honest there are far too many good work-related blogs to comment on and space and brevity prohibits the chance to promote blogs about working as a teacher, a doctor, a bus driver, a police officer, a sales assistant, a nurse. Never mind more unique blogs about working as a nightclub bouncer, a taxi driver, a stripper, and so on.
Crucially, as a person who takes significant interest in blogs about work, mainly because I believe they reveal a great deal about contemporary work that is missed out through other mediums set up to discuss work-related issues, I have also taken the time to find out why bloggers do what they do. I have done this by reading many of the blogs I link to, but I have also personally contacted bloggers and asked them why they go to such lengths, as many of you know how time consuming blogging can be.
In reading blogs and asking questions it is interesting to note that work-related blogs are not about what I have previously indicated – i.e. “bashing the boss”. Instead, what I found was people who are passionate about their work, yet until the advent of blogs lacked a means to express their feelings and experiences at work. In reality, people who blog about their work do so to set free some of their frustrations, yet other common reasons to blog about work also include the chance to write in a creative fashion, make sense of experiences, keep in touch with friends and family when working away from home, offer first-hand insights into the work that they do, using the blog as a means to develop their career (i.e. a reflective diary), educate the public about what they do, and in a way, as with blogging in general, make contact with like-minded people.
The main attraction of blogging about work is that it isn’t a means to serve one particular end – it is to serve several ends and these are almost certainly going to differ depending on what type of person you are and what type of work you do. If this interests you then have a look at some of the blogs I have mentioned, perhaps join in the discussions put forward by the blogger, or maybe even start one yourself. However, it’ll probably pay to read up on how to blog safely about work if you already do or are about to start blogging about your work.
About the author:
James Richards blogs the site Work-related Blogs and News and teaches work-related subjects at Heriot-Watt University in Scotland. During the past year or so James’s work has been commented on in a range of well-respected newspapers. When the time is “right” he hopes to undertake some serious research into blogging and other new forms of web-based communication technology.
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Press Release: Announcing the Birth Of Bloggapedia!
Category:
Blogging News
Announcing the birth of Bloggapedia, the human-edited blog directory and online community with categories from A to Z, and then some!
Bloggapedia.com was born April 10, 2006 at 2:30 p.m. after an intense three week labor.
At approximately 20,000+ lines of code, and a healthy 300+ registered users Bloggapedia came into the world with gusto and promises to grow into everything its proud parent LJNDawson.com dreams of for the future.
Bloggapedia boasts all requisite appendages including: an extensive blog directory, bloggers forum, news resource, blog toolbox, and of course, its very own blog.
About Bloggapedia.com:
Bloggapedia is a human-edited directory of blogs. Bloggapedia's directory is easy to use, and if you don't want to browse, we have a keyword search box. But Bloggapedia is more than just a directory. It's also a one-stop shop for all things blog. Bloggapedia offers tools, resources, information, and news - everything you need to create, develop, upgrade, and rocket your blog through the mayhem of the blogosphere.
Bloggapedia.com is parented by:
Laura Dawson has developed databases and taxonomies for Muze, Barnes & Noble, and Newstex. She currently runs LJNDawson.com, a digital content consulting company. In her free time, she categorizes things.
Her house is very neat.
Rachel Rushefsky has worked for Barnes & Noble for nearly a decade, specializing in data management: analyzing data, correcting data, soliciting data, and working with publishers so that they can send better data in a more timely manner.
She lives in New York City, and when her home computer isn't used for adventure games, it's used to categorize blogs.
With midwifery, surrogacy, and ongoing support provided by thesuperheavy.com and Hamidof.com.
About LJNDawson.com:
Laura Dawson is an 18-year veteran of the book industry. She has directed database and content development at Muze, Inc. and Barnes & Noble.com.
She was a founding member of the ONIX Committee and continues to serve on the BISAC Metadata Committee which further develops the ONIX standards.
In 2001, Ms. Dawson moved to Sirsi Corporation, where she developed content for library interfaces. She has given numerous presentations on patron usage, industry standards, and content development for libraries.
In 2004, she became an independent consultant to the book and e-commerce industries.
For more information, or to submit questions or comments please contact Tess Strand Alipour, assistant to Laura Dawson.
At approximately 20,000+ lines of code, and a healthy 300+ registered users Bloggapedia came into the world with gusto and promises to grow into everything its proud parent LJNDawson.com dreams of for the future.
Bloggapedia boasts all requisite appendages including: an extensive blog directory, bloggers forum, news resource, blog toolbox, and of course, its very own blog.
About Bloggapedia.com:
Bloggapedia is a human-edited directory of blogs. Bloggapedia's directory is easy to use, and if you don't want to browse, we have a keyword search box. But Bloggapedia is more than just a directory. It's also a one-stop shop for all things blog. Bloggapedia offers tools, resources, information, and news - everything you need to create, develop, upgrade, and rocket your blog through the mayhem of the blogosphere.
Bloggapedia.com is parented by:
Laura Dawson has developed databases and taxonomies for Muze, Barnes & Noble, and Newstex. She currently runs LJNDawson.com, a digital content consulting company. In her free time, she categorizes things.
Her house is very neat.
Rachel Rushefsky has worked for Barnes & Noble for nearly a decade, specializing in data management: analyzing data, correcting data, soliciting data, and working with publishers so that they can send better data in a more timely manner.
She lives in New York City, and when her home computer isn't used for adventure games, it's used to categorize blogs.
With midwifery, surrogacy, and ongoing support provided by thesuperheavy.com and Hamidof.com.
About LJNDawson.com:
Laura Dawson is an 18-year veteran of the book industry. She has directed database and content development at Muze, Inc. and Barnes & Noble.com.
She was a founding member of the ONIX Committee and continues to serve on the BISAC Metadata Committee which further develops the ONIX standards.
In 2001, Ms. Dawson moved to Sirsi Corporation, where she developed content for library interfaces. She has given numerous presentations on patron usage, industry standards, and content development for libraries.
In 2004, she became an independent consultant to the book and e-commerce industries.
For more information, or to submit questions or comments please contact Tess Strand Alipour, assistant to Laura Dawson.
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