That’s it, I’m done just lurking.
For those of you who don’t know lurking is, in this context it’s when you read blogs but don’t comment on them.
Funnily enough, I wrote a blog entry on my library’s blog today, which was deliberately aimed at seeking feedback - in this instance, for our proposed new website. The aim being to measure the success of our still fledgling blog by hopefully getting some response, but also to get some feedback on the proposed changes and maybe some things we hadn’t considered yet. I’ll let you know how that goes.
Then I went home and read David Lee King’s blog entries “Inviting Participation in Web 2.0“, quickly followed by Helen Blowers response to that at Library Bytes with “Don’t be shy… say Hi!” as part of National Delurking Week. So I dutifully responded to Helen’s call and left a comment and then realised….. I don’t generally comment and I don’t often use trackbacks (a reference back to a blog entry referenced), so how will bloggers know that I have read, appreciated and used their blog entries as a starting point to creating my own? In turn, I know I love having comments on my blog and hearing how what I have written has impacted my readers.
I am starting to write my paper for the Computers in Libraries conference in April and one aspect I am covering is Libraries building communities. How else does the bibliogosphere create community amongst library bloggers, except through comments and trackbacks?
I have posted the odd comment, but as of now, once in a blue moon is not enough. From now on, I will actively seek to give feedback to the bloggers who have inspired me and trackback to those blog entries that get me started on my own blog entries.
If you feel equally inspired, why not join me in De-Lurking month and maybe lets make it last longer than this month, lets make it a permanent thing. In the meantime, I have to go, I have comments to leave and trackbacks to organise.
