Just Differently Intelligent...

A large scale blogging tool for a University is a great idea! Be aware that from a technical point of view, LiveJournal is a terrible example to follow. They solve heavy load problems by throwing mountains of hardware at the problem without dealing with the fundamental issues of their poor software design. Their software is a significant part of the problem. (When you have a JavaBean based website which uses a MySQL back-end with dynamic queries for every webpage being served, there are quite a few things you can do to handle load that don't involve purchasing another half-dozen database servers.)

Thanks for the comments. I imagined something similar. I've been watching how they've organized many of the other features/functions of LJ which are rather a little strange, from a design perspective... especially when it comes to configuration and useablility. They obviously don't have someone like me hitting them with a stick. I didn't realize they were using Javabeans, however. That said, they are the only game in town, as far as I can figure out, that can pull off a large scale blogging tool with a seamless comment/friending function. It has the best tools for user governance... though some other things may be weak. But since it is open source, if it works, perhaps we can just take it, rewrite some of the bad parts and fix it up. Or do something similar from scratch using the aspects of their interaction that work.

I think this is hegemonic, controlling power mongering, which is highly unusual for you. Who says YOU get to decide which blog tool the students of the UofT get to use? I'm a UofT student; I've used LJ; I didn't like it. I want my freedom back.

As you may know, I've been setting up an MT server for our students, though on a less grand scale. One wonders (OK, I wonder) whether universities should get into the blog hosting business. They aren't so hot as ISPs, and I have a feeling this would probably be something that draws on economies of scale.

I guess my question is what value added is in a UT-LJ partnership?

I am hesitant to put anything on the university server, or rely on the university for blogs. I am sure that the university will have regulations on what to post and what not to post - else be held liable or legally responsible for the content of the blog. I have seen this happen on university list servs. I am a list owner/moderator in a dept and I have to be careful of what is posted, and who says what about who. How will a blog connected to the university be different? Will students actually be able to post their thoughts in true blog fashion?

I have had similar thoughts about trying to bring blogging to the University of Florida. Whether I lobby university-wide or just start with my college, I think that blogs have a great home an academic environment. I'm one of those saps that still think blogs foster interdisciplinary discussion & reflection.

I can relate to Julia's comment about "who are you to select the software ..." but this is done everyday. My college selected a Microsoft program for our e-mail. Their version of webmail is just horrid. But, alas, I live with it. The point is that someone had to make a decision & it was done with a whole lot of thought & compromise on what is "best" for the good of the group.

If you're looking for suggestions, you really might want to consider looking at Dave Winer & his gang at Harvard's Berkman Center. They have a university-wide blogging system complete with comments, trackback, & RSS. That is more than I have. If you haven't been to the site already, you can find it at http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/.

Regardless of what you decide: happy blogging.

Kaye

I have had similar thoughts about trying to bring blogging to the University of Florida. Whether I lobby university-wide or just start with my college, I think that blogs have a great home an academic environment. I'm one of those saps that still think blogs foster interdisciplinary discussion & reflection.

I can relate to Julia's comment about "who are you to select the software ..." but this is done everyday. My college selected a Microsoft program for our e-mail. Their version of webmail is just horrid. But, alas, I live with it. The point is that someone had to make a decision & it was done with a whole lot of thought & compromise on what is "best" for the good of the group.

If you're looking for suggestions, you really might want to consider looking at Dave Winer & his gang at Harvard's Berkman Center. They have a university-wide blogging system complete with comments, trackback, & RSS. That is more than I have. If you haven't been to the site already, you can find it at http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/.

Regardless of what you decide: happy blogging.

Kaye

"I guess my question is what value added is in a UT-LJ partnership?" MT is just too hard for me to administer. I set up over 100 MT blogs last year, and I don't want to do it again. LJ allows me to set up one server, and let the rest work itself out. LJ has its own internal governance mechanisms, which MT doesn't have. Since universities already have, and remebmer they had it before corporations had it, servers for almost every function: smtp, pop, imap, http, telnet, ssh, MOO... why not blog? They also have courseware: BSCW, InfoPop, WebCT, KNowledgeForum, Blackboard, VirtualU... so why not a self-governing tool? As well, we have my.utoronto.ca which allows students to put content online...

In the long run, there is a need for educationally focussed blogging tools. I started developing one at edublog.com, but we got bogged down when my faculty position got canned by cutbacks. I'm on hold until I get a full time job again. Blogs can't handle the needs of learners and the evaluation of learning at this point. MT is too hard to set up. LJ can't handle images. Other things are too expensive... blaa blaa blaa... perhaps this is something to talk about when we get together for the AoIR conf.

"I think this is hegemonic, controlling power mongering, which is highly unusual for you. Who says YOU get to decide which blog tool the students of the UofT get to use? I'm a UofT student; I've used LJ; I didn't like it. I want my freedom back."

Julia, of course, already has her own MT on my server. And a twiki blog, so she can choose what she wants. Phhhhpt! And she's one of the elite with her own domain. By bringing in a new technology, I'm opening a dialogue, and offering a service. Same as when I brought MOOs to the general public of UofT in 1995. Not that anyone really cared much, but a couple of hundred people got involved.

Of course, if anyone wants to NOT use it, they can. There are lots of free and pay options. I'm just willing to volunteer my time and resources to make an option available. It requires some improvements, so all donations of money and programming time will be accepted.

The only reason I get to choose is that I'm willing to do it unilaterally. And blogs are not mandatory, and there are other options. When someone pays me to do it, then the choice I would *suggest* would be predicated on wide consultation of as many groups, organizations and individuals as I could access.

The KEY reason for bringing LJ to UofT is that it is the easiest to run for large numbers of students. It takes forever to set up MT, and an admin has to do it. I refuse to volunteer the time. LJ has better self governance. And it is open source. And it is free. The alternative to LJ is basically nothing at this point. Unless someone gives a pile of money. I'll tell you where to send the cheque.

And since I've already set up MT, graymatter and Twikis on campus for anyone to use, though I don't advertise it, LJ is the fourth option... just the one that I want to make most public.

As for Tracy's good point, you have to remember that there is an acceptible use policy at most universities. And anything that is acceptible to say in class or on campus should also be covered by it. Personally, I have this blog, which I host on a university computer. I also have a private blog that you can't find... The university will defend the rights of students to speak freely, just as they're defended for anything they say publically, no more and no less. And I personally would tell people to not blog something they wouldn't feel comfortable saying face to face, on their university blog.

Of course, no one posts their thoughts unmediated. And what someone will post on an A-list blog, vs blogger, vs MT, vs LJ, vs DeadJournal, etc... is predicated on the community and context. Nothing different than doing it at a unversity. Strangely enough, what is now ASSTR.org, the massive erotica archive, was orginally administered by someone at UofT, if I remember my pre-web history. Universities can often be havens for free speach, not gate keepers, depending on how it is couched.

What is 'true blog fashion'? I don't essentialize what is blogging, as you can imagine.

Thanks for all the comments. It has really been helpful, especially for my meeting this afternoon.

I hear you on the MT admin hassles. When I have time, I'm hoping to make this much simpler. This time around I figured out *most* of the structure that MT uses to represent new blogs, but not all of it. With some time, I am hoping to put together an MT administration suite. Of course, MT might beat me to it with Pro. They clearly have put together this kind of software, since that's what's running TypePad.

Why MT? Images & File upload, pinging (incl. trackback), good category support, and a lot of flexibility.

Ok, I feel suitably whipped into shape.

Not only is MT a hassle to manage (as you say, becuause obviously I don't know), it is nearly impossible for a less than high-average computer savvy person. Although it becomes barely usable for us persistent stubborn types (Ok, us whiners!!).

No, I wasn't even trying to suggest the tool at UofT should be MT -- i would never wish this on anyone!!. And besides, it doesn't manage non-English languages at all, which in my warped opinion won't do at a Unviersity.

Hey! If you can get LJ to work in Arabic (or better yet, to easily work in all of the written languages taught at UofT), I'll switch to a UofT LJ blog anytime!! ;-)

Julia raises an interesting point - people who do not speak english. And since U of T is so diverse in terms of race and ethnicity, this has to be a factor in chosing appropriate technology. We are looking at two things here - the skills to use the tech (Quote Julia "it is nearly impossible for a less than high-average computer savvy person" but also access and usability for non-native english speaking people.

ps - how did the meeting go?
pps - true blogging fashion to me is the ability to write what you feel, write what you want.
ppss - There are things that I would say to someone F2F that might not be appropriate either
pppss - I know first hand that the university does not always stand by the free speech idea!

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