Blog has become entrenched in web-speak to the extent that a recent Microsoft Press title on the subject of blogging does not even mention that the term is a truncation of weblog, which was coined by Jorn Barger in 1997. It has become a popular vehicle for web publishing and has enriched web content, even though many blogs serve the ego of their respective creators rather than contribute anything useful. The blog has provided an opportunity for online communities to develop, and provide independence from mainstream media.

Blogging has been around for a while, but didn't achieve 'mainstream' status until 2004. When it first appeared in 1999 a few books about blogging were published, then a small flush of titles appeared in 2004. Since then blogging tools have improved greatly, as reflected by the release of new texts in 2006.

To use blogging facilities it is very likely that you will need to make the acquaintance of PHP (a widely used scripting language) and MySQL (a database).

Blogging Microsoft style

Share Your Story: Blogging with MSN Spaces is a "book to get you started" using MSN Spaces, which is a service provided by Microsoft. A label on the back of the book cautions that it is "based on 'Beta'. Some MSN features may have changed since book publication or may be forthcoming".

MSN Spaces requires an intending user to sign up for a Microsoft Passport Network account, which is free; the passport sign-up formalities can be done on the MSN Spaces home page http://spaces.msn.com. The book explains step-by-step how to establish a 'space' for your blog and how to configure its settings.

The reader is then walked through the process of setting up a profile; adding and editing blog entries; sharing photos and music; customising one's `space'; connecting spaces and creating a community; and "getting your space noticed". Appendices include an explanation of RSS and some likely new developments.

This is a nicely presented user manual in which the text is supported by screen shots and boxed items (tips and cautionary notes). The overall design is pleasing: it looks good, the writing is clear, information is easy to find, and the coverage is sufficiently comprehensive to cover the needs of novices and intermediate-level users. If you are happy to go with MSN Spaces this book will get you up and running.
 

Katherine Murray and Mike Torres: Share Your Story: Blogging with MSN SPaces ISBN 0-7356-2241-8 Published by Microsoft Press, 196 pp., RRP $44.95 incl. GST

Blog Design Solutions

Friends of Ed (rendered as 'friendsofed') is part of Apress; I am not sure of the significance of a separate entity, but the friends of ed titles focus on design and readers are invited to join its forums  http://www.friendsofed.com/forums where one will "discover useful technology tips and tricks, or get a helping hand on a challenging project".

In this text, Blog Design Solutions, several authors have collaborated to present a thorough treatment of setting up a blog, creating a testing environment for blog development, how to customise blog design, and how to build a blog engine from scratch.

The book covers blog design under Windows and Mac OS X, but even though Linux is not specifically mentioned "you should be able to get most of the examples to run on Linux ...". All the software mentioned is open source and freely available; URLs are provided. Extensive use is made of example code, which can be downloaded from a companion Web site.

If you don't want to be locked into a Microsoft environment there are several open source applications, of which four are described in detail: ExpressionEngine, Movable Type, TextPattern, and WordPress.

The first chapter covers introductory matters and lays out the options available to bloggers.

Chapter 2 shows how to create a local test environment for your blog and shows how to: set up and configure Apache and PHP on Windows and Mac OS X; install and secure MySQL; install and use the phpMyAdmin user interface for MySQL; create MySQL user accounts; and back up and transfer a blog to another server. Being able to test a system, as it is developed, within the confines of your own machine saves much time and effort. It is an effective way of learning, especially with the aid of this chapter that provides a thorough description of the various software elements, the function of each one, and how they are all put together.

The following four chapters each deal with Movable Type, ExpressionEngine, WordPress, and TextPattern. The focus is on design rather than how-to-use, something that readers need to appreciate. The information is relevant to the use of each application, but is not intended to be a tutorial for first time bloggers who are looking for easy entry.

The last chapter, Write Your Own Blog Engine, is an in-depth explanation of how a blog engine works and how to put one together. It is technical and uses a lot of example code and scripts, but informed lay readers should have no trouble in following the discussions — familiarity with programming would be most helpful, but not entirely necessary.

A particularly well written text and an important contribution to blog literature. Not for novices who simply want to see themselves on the web, but an essential resource for those who want to make an impression and who are prepared to put in the work.
 

Andy Budd et al.: Blog Design Solutions ISBN 1-59059-581-5 Published by friendsofed, 348 pp., RRP $74.99 incl. GST

Drupal, phpBB, and WordPress

Building Online Communities with Drupal, phpBB, and WordPress is a title from Apress, which describes itself as a publisher of "books for professionals by professionals". The Apress titles I have seen are all of a high standard in respect of content and presentation. They have the technical depth that a professional in the particular field would expect, but without being abstruse.

In this instance three open source applications are described, each of which serves a particular purpose within the field of building online communities. In an introduction the lead editor, Matt Wade, says, "online communities [are] primarily based on three different types of applications: content management systems, bulletin boards, and blogs". The book has three parts that respectively cover Drupal, phpBB, and WordPress.

Drupal is a content management system (CMS) that consists of a set of PHP scripts. It lends itself to being used for "a forum, a blogging tool, and an organiser of information". Drupal is extensible, enabling custom modules, and provides "a set of programming APIs that allow web developers to create custom we applications ... rapidly and efficiently".

phpBB is an open source forum script that replicates the old bulletin boards. It is more sophisticated, enabling modern security features.

WordPress "is a state-of-the-art, semantic, personal publishing platform with a focus on aesthetics, web standards, and usability. ... it is semantic because it generates XHTML markup with meaning [and] produces web pages that work without any style applied ... [which] makes for lightweight pages that download faster ... ". WordPress has a built-in presentation facility that takes care of design, leaving the user to focus on content.

This is not a tutorial for novices who have an urge to set up a blog — especially here, now. Readers are assumed to know the fundamentals of HTML, PHP, and MySQL, or be able to acquire that knowledge (there are plenty of good introductory texts on each of them). However, a knowledge of programming is not necessary to understand the book's content or set up a blog, forum, or web site with the applications described. All the software required is open source and URLs are provided for download sites.

Open source software does not come with printed manuals (neither do many of the — usually expensive —proprietary applications); Building Online Communities is not a user manual for Drupal, phpBB, and WordPress, but is the only in-depth treatment of them that I have seen. The book is an invaluable resource for anyone, or any group, wanting to assess software for building online communities.
 

Robert Douglass, Mike Little, and Jared Smith: Building Online Communities with Drupal, phpBB, and WordPress ISBN 1-59059-562-9 Published by Apress, 530 pp., RRP $90.00 incl. GST

Reprinted from the August 2006 issue of PC Update, the magazine of Melbourne PC User Group, Australia

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