The goal is oblivion.
I have come before.
Jorge Luis Borges - "a minor poet"

There was a time when the blogging community about library and information was readily identifiable to be a handful of blogs, mostly composed of professionals or students of this profession, which were recognized as members and are linked together as a cohesive link. By then, most bloggers actively participated in the talks that they intended to comment strengthening the sense of community. But the blogosphere grew and with it new members were added, initially, like primitive that nucleus, they were professionals and students, a teacher more attracted by the weblog phenomenon, but very soon the limits and identified by that community went blotting until almost became undetectable.

The Biblioblogs, or as self-defined at first bibliodocumentaloides Bloggers, they realized that their borders are frayed, that those who accepted in their community did not feel identified in it, that those who wanted to be members in it not fit ... Very soon, some wanted to stop at the community and study, they wrote the first articles on it they would receive their corresponding reviews, good or bad probably all interesting, from within and outside this community because everyone has a voice. Everyone is listening.

But like any living community undergoes changes continuously from all its constituent parts. So, you have a core of blogs, which we call hubs, which receives the majority of surveys (links), while in the environment are distributed nodes that receive fewer links from other blogs. In addition, new nodes continuously emerge, while some old and lose their value or disappear, which also happens even with hubs that are replaced, so this way the network is kept alive. The work of identification of these hubs and discrimination of these nodes can be an arduous task sick, and sometimes fails to please all, but it is necessary to carry out a study on the logs.

Why study biblioblogosfera interesting?

One of the things that can interest on their community is biblioblogosfera is structured on a very small set of blogs. The logs that make them identify with, people that hold similar professional occupations, their subject is very similar and even the complexity between the relationship established may be more limited than other networks of weblogs. But the question that immediately arises is that the apparent simplicity and identifiability of these blogs fail soon as the biblioblogosfera, if we focus on blogs about library and information science itself does not die in building bridges with the technology blogosphere, the dedicated to communication, usability and, obviously, the world of books, to name a few.

Thus the complexity of this part of the biblioblogosfera, but it seems less is not, and is ever increasing as it enters, as you discover the bridges that are woven between the various pages that comprise it. This means that the biblioblogsfera not just in itself in no time, it is not inbred.

All studies are welcome

I personally know the details but it is obvious that to analyze a real community of weblogs, in addition to rankings by analyzing incoming and outgoing links, you must consider also the contributions in the form of comments made on blogs and conversations in the form of posts in reply that are contributing in the famous "Conversation" blogosphere.

The way that addresses the blog phenomenon may be criticized and analyzed, but should always be welcome and for this the authors of the studies and the studies (the bloggers) should seek to build bridges with the blogosphere. That is, create a conversation about "Conversation". This leads me to the study of Mariela Ferrada "Biblogsfera, community blogs whose subject relates wholly or partly on Library and Information Science".

A community?

Biblioblogosfera, Biblogsfera, bibliogsfera, docublogosfera ... We can create the names we like, imagination is not lacking, but the underlying question is: Is there something like a sphere? That is, there community? I give an answer, do not worry, from my point of view there is. The community exists from the moment that in the blogrolls of blogs often appear the same name is created from the moment that those who appear frequently in these blogrolls are read and comment often among them, and even if they do often still exists because blogs get comments because weblogs are nothing without comment and could not subsist without them (with honorable exceptions, of course.)

The researcher Mariela Ferrada is studying this community and its evolution from an ethnographic perspective as revealed in his article "Ethnography an approach to research in Library and Information weblogs" or "Weblogs or blogs: an online collaborative resource for Information Professionals ". We can always consider more or less success, with more or less message in light of its text, but his effort is laudable. First, it consumes your time with us and about us (you really deserve it?) Because it has been willing to build bridges to communicate with the bloggers who participate in this community.

I will not downplay what is already said about the lack of publicity has made the e-print of his article, that someone came by chance, someone realizes that this was something like a community or the attempt to open a debate. Mariela replied in his room following his style and approach. If it means nothing more, be content with that, but I will not deny that obviously expecting a more intelligible. In any case, we will be patient and await the end of their work if that's what she prefers.

A community not suiting

On the other hand, it also discusses the biblioblogosfera status. Alvaro Cabezas proposed a number of challenges for blogs documentaries. To me, I seem all right and sincere, but obviously we must face reality. Those who write in our biblioblogosfera are professionals, some fellows, other students, who already make enough effort to dedicate a line to a space that only aims to steal a little time. It is complicated and very hard to keep a blog, if you are studying more and more if you have a fixed occupation, we have the example of Documenta2 blog now closed.

Obviously, following the reasoning of Alvaro missing rigor, lack of quality, lack expertise, poor participation, etc.. However, it is claimed, just on the other hand, must be built every day and obviously the Biblioblogs are part of the long tail of blogosphere. Are blogs, and let's face it, boring to most Internet users and interest to a handful of people (which is a handicap for those who write in them), so it is difficult for any of them can get anything like the popularity .

My colophon

A blog is a very fragile, most do not survive the first posts published, some disappear a year or two years after opening. Communities while not showing there, although sometimes no longer see clearly and with the immediacy they wanted. The logs do not have to be in order to be fun, not have to be serious to convey seriousness, each constructs following their own criteria and instinct. It's the magic of the blogosphere, a person - a blog, no two are alike.

"We need to study blogs? I doubt, the more the better studies, since there will be major points of view have more or less virtue, but try to be a picture of what is being studied. Some may regard the work done without rigor or method, sometimes with reason, though not the first time something is published without any scientific rigor.

Well, maybe maybe, just maybe, Mariela analysis is aware that our reactions, and to paraphrase: "I know that we can never agree, but it seemed interesting to publish this study on the net to check the reactions caused in the blogosphere. Bibliobloguers do not be evil or too tough with those who try to portray you, but do not fail to be curious, the investigators made in good faith and following, I'm sure the method they consider most appropriate, but do not fail to ask why. Moreover, after all, a blog is a blog and biblioblogosfera a tiny fraction of the enormous blogosphere, this is for us a coach and some more, Let's add a little salt and let us be investigated. The worst thing that can happen is simply that we like what they say about us.