My Empty Reference Desk

This is a reblog of my last post from the WordPress version of this blog. It includes a modicum of my frustration with WordPress.

 This post is inspired by Sarah Ludwig's guest lecture on the Hyperlinked Library MOOC which is a non-credit course primarily for librarians that I'm taking at San Jose State University SLIS in addition to my for credit courses this semester. Sarah Ludwig pointed out that failing to maintain your social media that you've established for professional purposes is like allowing your reference desk to be empty. This is my professional blog. I haven't posted here since last semester when I was expected to blog as a peer mentor for LIBR 203. This blog was linked to the LIBR 203 class blog feed. This semester I have a Hyperlinked Library MOOC blog that I'm maintaining instead, but what about my empty reference desk here?

 I decided that this would be an appropriate post to write on Information Metamorphosis and re-blog to Linda's Liminal Log, my Hyperlinked Library MOOC blog. Why do I blog less here than I do on my review blog on Blogger? Well, part of the answer is that The Unmasked Persona's Reviews is on Blogger. I prefer Blogger over WordPress. WordPress has usability problems. The biggest problem is having to fiddle with code way too much on WordPress. I can do it, but I'd much rather not take the time. Images don't display properly when I copy them from my hard drive. I never have problems with displaying images on Blogger. I could go on about WordPress's usability problems at great length, but I'm blogging before work today and my time is limited.

 I also blog more on my review blog because I'm a natural blogger about books. Books are my passion. Blogging about books is like breathing for me. I don't naturally think of topics for this LIS blog. I've also been really engaged by blogging on Net Galley books, and books sent to me by an authors' publicist who discovered The Unmasked Persona's Reviews, and likes what I write. My book blog is really taking off. I want to feel as motivated about writing for Information Metamorphosis. Last semester, I re-blogged a review dealing with a book about a librarian which was the last post to appear here. The problem is that I don't read LIS oriented books recreationally very often.

  I am now resolved not to allow this blog to be the equivalent of an empty reference desk. I'm trying to work on solutions to this problem. Re-blogging from Linda's Liminal Log this semester is a sub-optimal solution. I don't like to merely copy posts without added value, but maintaining two LIS blogs with original content in both simultaneously may be too much of a challenge.

Addendum:  My decision to move Information Metamorphosis to Blogger should  allow me to blog better and more frequently than I did on WordPress.  It's an unqualified win for this blog.