Blogging, Podcasting, Bookmarks and Wikis

Blogging, Podcasting, Bookmarks and Wikis are all ways of making use of the interactive nature of the web. In blogs and wikis text and graphics can be added to make web pages even if have no knowledge of how to develop web content as they use online editors. Podcasting allows you to add audio files and bookmarks are a way of keywording items so you can go back and find them again or share them with others!

Blogging

An easy way to write a diary or make a stream of notes on web pages in a series of dated paragraphs, sometimes with the ability for others to make comments. The website Successful Blogging has some useful links to make your blog a winner. How to Write a Famous Blog is another site. If you make your blog accessible to blind readers, it will be easier for everyone to use. BBC Ouch also has the Access 2.0 pages. Technorati is one of the largest sites about blogs. Blogger or WordPress are just two of many free places to put up your blog.

It is possible to make accessible calendars and here are 8 Tips for Accessible Blogging

Podcasts

Web based audio recordings of casual conversations, subjects that are more serious or recorded versions of radio and TV programs. The art is to keep the format enjoyable for easy listening and you will need a website or host service for your recordings. You may want some free programs to make the recordings. Podcasts can be downloaded onto MP3 players or listened on the PC in a media player. Ten tips on how to make a successful blog or podcast can be found on the ICThub website. EASI offer an audio and PowerPoint show on the subject. Some podcasting listening programs are more accessible than others. Try the freely available Juice software or WebbIE (text browser) which is screen reader accessible and has Podcatcher.

Bookmarking

A way of storing your internet resources and sharing them with others. One system is called del.icio.us which uses tags as a method for key wording or categorising items.

Wikis

Often linked to Wikipedia that has a good description and links to the software for a wiki as well as sites that you can use to make a wiki. Tiddlywiki can be a very simple way of gathering information from the web and tagging it for searching later. It is a simple web page that can be run on your computer and added to at any time as well as being shared with others.

Learn more about the many Web 2.0 social networking sites from Go2Web2.0.

Web2Access offers you an insight into which applications may have some accessibility issues for those using assistive technologies.