Why is the session called the "Battle of the Bloggers"?

Ellen Wagner: The title certainly generates interest. Several of us will be blogging about activities, sessions, and other things that capture our attention while at Online Educa Berlin. From the sound of it, I think our hosts are expecting that perhaps Mr. Shepherd, Mr. Clark, and I, and others who will be joining us, won't be seeing things from similar points of view. We've seen recent examples where the back-channel conversations via social media at conferences prove even more interesting than some of the face-to-face sessions.

I'm not sure if it will be a true battle, but who knows? Sometimes we bloggers are feisty and opinionated. Some might even tell you that those are two prerequisites for being a blogger!

Is it a battle of opinions, status of experts, access rates, or something else?

Ellen Wagner: For me, it's more like thinking about columnists from various news sources, and trying to be a reliable source of information in return. These days, my
iGoogle home page serves as my daily newspaper. It presents me with instantaneous links to my favorite blogs - news, reflections, rants, and more. I look for interesting topics, well-considered opinions, and thoughtfully articulated points of view. I want to read people whose opinions I value and statistics I trust that can teach me new things. And graphs - I love sites with graphs.

Those who are highly proficient in the science of social media will most certainly be able to cite all kinds of statistics about visitor loyalty and bounce rates, the number of subscribers, and so on. And of course all of these things can matter a great deal. It really depends on the motivation for a blog and the metrics the owner uses to see if it meets its goals.

Some blogs are the reflections of individuals, while others compile works by various contributors. Some are portals, with links to other people's work; others are more like a "destination". Some are conversations; some are more monologues. With more than 636,000 blog posts published to the web every day, there are certainly many blogs to choose from.

How much time do you spend reading or writing blogs?

Ellen Wagner: I currently subscribe to forty or so blogs. The headlines for each new story show up as an active link on my iGoogle home page. I subscribe to "news alerts" for a number of different topics, companies, trends, and events that arrive throughout the day. These days I get lots of links to blog posts shared by people I follow on Twitter, which is a great source of information that has proven itself well worth the time. So how much time do I spend reading in total? Hours - usually a few every day. Is it worth it? Absolutely.

As far as time spent on my own blog, I try to post one or two entries a week. I'm usually pretty good about it. I write about things that are directly relevant to me, and what we're working on. I'm fairly opinionated, but like to believe my opinions are fairly well informed. I'm trying to keep my posts shorter - crisp and to the point. Sometimes I'm successful.

What does a blog need to make you read it more than once?

Ellen Wagner: Posts need to be thoughtful. Broad sweeping statements should be documented with empirical evidence. Research needs to be valid, reliable, and well documented. Posts shouldn't be too cranky unless there is a good reason for being cranky. Pompous self-important writers are a little hard to take.

What do you mean? Why are blogs and bloggers so much better accepted in Anglo-Saxon countries than in France, Italy, or Germany?

Ellen Wagner: Maybe it has something to do with a common language. I've looked at the maps showing where my subscribers come from and whom I follow. Not surprisingly, most come from the US and Commonwealth countries. We all speak some reasonable recognizable version of English. The world may be flat, but language and culture still provide some interesting challenges when it comes to sharing ideas and information.

You can find Ellen Wagner in the session "Battle of the Bloggers" on Friday, 04 December 2009, 14:15 - 16:00, room "Potsdam I"