Pimp my Blog

After kicking the tires on the brand new (and hopefully improved) arch.i.vi.us blog, I decided it was time to take the old template of The DIGITAL Archive and replace it with a brand-spanking new one, fitted with the latest in blog flux capacitors. (Okay, it's a little late, forgive my movie/pop culture references.)

I will talk a little more about the changes in another post. For now I just wanted to write something down to notify my legion of readers (yes, all two of you) that I am working on making this blog, well, better.

A new look

Testing a new look and some new features...

arch.i.vi.us Updated

I spent the last couple of hours revisiting my experimental website called arch.i.vi.us. My so-called Social Bookmarking Blog for Research Archivists has been dormant for some time, too long, in my opinion.

I believe the reason is I really have no time to 1) scan the headlines on or about digitization and digital preservation and 2) post them to the blog.

That said, I decided to not only revamp the page layout and design but to update the Blogger template from the old static version to the new dynamic layout, where one can click and drag page elements across the template. Each page element has some pretty powerful features such as being able to grab RSS feeds. It is so easy, it is dummy proof.

With the redesign I hope the blog becomes more useful because now, without any further intervention on behalf, the blog is pulling in content from across the web: news items, delicious tags, videos, etc. I love it, and I hope you will too!

Milblogs

Military blogs--or Milblogs, for shorts--are blogs that are written by members of the military who chronicle their experiences in conflicts, typically the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Blogs and milblogs are re-entering my radar because I still wonder if and how archivist intend on preserving these first-hand accounts of war that historians would love to read in the future.

Should we preserve blogs or milblogs? What would you consider historical value: the content of a blog or the blog page itself? How can we preserve blogs? What is going on out there in your part of the world?

Musical Exports

Speaking of music, Canadian rock band Nickelback is the big musical export around Washington, DC (and most likely the rest of the U.S.). Not a day goes by that I do not hear on local radio stations the Hanna, Alberta-born rockers roaring their vocals and heavy guitar chords. It's quite something, small-town Canadian band makes it real big in America.

Did you know?

From time to time (though lately the distance between time to time has been steadily growing, to my dismay), I come across an interesting bit of functionality that a piece of software can perform that is perhaps not widely known. In my last installment, I discovered an RSS reader inside Adobe Acrobat Professional.

Now this time around, I discovered--make that, I read about--a feature in Winamp (the free mp3 media player and good alternate to Windows Media Player) that is not widely known or used.

So all you audiophiles listen up.

Interested in listening to XM Satellite Radio but don't have the cash to shell for a radio receiver and a subscription? No problem. Download Winamp or, if you already have it installed, launch it and I will tell how to access free, legit XM Radio stations.

1. Download or launch the latest version of Winamp (I'm using version 5.35, the full free download).

2. Press Alt-L to open the Media Library. A two pane window should appear to the left of the Winamp player.

3. In the left most window pane, where there are clickable menus and sub-menu, click on Online Services.

4. In the middle window pane a list of available Winamp services will appear.

5. Scroll down until you see AOL Radio featuring XM. There is an unchecked box. Check the box. (See picture.)

6. Now back in the left most window pane, beneath Online Services, there should be a new sub-menu item: AOL Radio with XM. Click on that sub-menu item.

7. In the middle window pane browse through the available radio stations by musical genre or time period. (See picture.)

8. Select a station. Sit back and enjoy.

Microblogging

The microblogging space is expanding.

Microblogging, which is the blogging equivalent of a news flash, that is one is given 140 characters to describe current status and/or activities, has a new player on the scene.

Besides the hugely popular (and growing) Twitter service, there is Jaiku, a Finnish-based service offering the same microblogging capabilities but with a few more extra features, including importing blogs, RSS feeds, photos, videos, etc. I like Jaiku, but I find these extra features a little too much for a microblogging tool. Time will tell if this concept will catch on.

I suspect that Twitter will eventually add more functionality to Twitter. But I would recommend that they take it slow. I think most users, like myself, are still trying to figure out the real value of this tool. I am convinced there is something here, but like most Web 2.0 beta / gamma productions, the participation and creativeness of the consumer typically defines the purpose of the product.

For those who are just starting using Twitter (or Jaiku), I suggest using the tool as a personal "news flash" system. Here are a few examples that I have seen from fellow Twitters.

1. Notification: Notify users about an update to your blog or website
2. Invitation: Invite users to join you for an online event such as a virtual meeting in Second Life or a live broadcast on ustream.tv
3. Share: Sharing thoughts, activities. You never know who may read it and comment back.

Have more ideas? Please share.

For more information, the UMBC eBiquity blog provides a very comprehensive overview of microblogging.

The debate will continue over the "real" value of microblogging. In the meantime, open an account and dip your toes into the water.

FRIDAY FUN: Conan - Lucasfilm, Part 2

A little bit of fun for a Friday.

Interesting People, Interesting Blogs (Part 6)

In this installment of my long-running series, I found a blog called ArchivesNext. It is a blog that focuses on "what's next" for the archival field - how can new web technologies (Web 2.0) transform archives and access to archives collections.

I have not read the blog in its entirety, but I am very encouraged by its About this Blog page.

This blog will attempt to identify what might be “next” for archival institutions by:

1) Exploring Web 2.0 applications and discussing their applicability to archival institutions.

2) Identifying existing innovative uses of web technology in archives and related fields.

3) Discussing how applicable the existing archival business model is in the current and emerging information environment, and proposing modifications or a whole new model.

4) Hopefully engaging readers in a dialog about these issues–I am by no means an expert in any of these areas. I am learning and hopefully some of the four or five people who read this blog will share with me and the other readers what they know or raise questions. I can’t be the one interested in this.

5) Probably doing some other stuff as well.

Please do pay ArchivesNext a visit.

Off to UCSB

No, not me.

A big congratulations goes out to my good buddy Ryun, who recently accepted a Metadata Specialist position at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Good luck, Ryun!

What a beautiful campus - people actually work here?!