Mathemagenic

[via many from my newslist] George Siemens releases two parts of The Art of Blogging:

The Art of Blogging - part 1

• Introduction
• What is blogging?
• Uses for blogging - new (for me) list of uses
• Benefits 
• Implications - think about it. Who knows how blogs will change our future? :)

The Art of Blogging - part 2

• Getting Started - could save me a lot of time two weeks back :)
• Examples
• How to blog
• Tools for blogging
• Extending blogs - aggregating
• Conclusion

Bits of pieces from the both parts:

...As a disruptive technology, blogging is altering (or perhaps responding to?) many aspects of information/content creation and use.

...The ecosystem of blogging is more important than the content being generated.

...The best way to learn to blog is to blog. Fortunately, getting started is fairly simple.

...The simplest innovations are often the most effective in responding to ground swells of trends and change. The potency of the blog phenomenon is two fold: perfect match for its medium and ease of use.

It's so nice if someone writes about the same thing you wanted to write, so you can just cite it :)

Valdis Krebs maps the blogspace/ryze social network.

The continuation of something interesting. Valdis Krebs is mapping the confluence of blogspace social networks and the social networks developed through the Ryze experience. See it in Valdis' Ryze Room.

If you want to make a difference at your company, understand social networks and informal organizations. Valdis is building the tools you need to do it. [a klog apart] 

I wrote in Valdis' guestbook few days back:

Valdis, one more idea for mapping bloggers: in a future would be great to see your maps coupled with blog search/databases at Ecosystem or Blogstreet. I would love to have my "in" and "out" blog links to be visualised!

In a follow-up of KnowledgeBoard discussion about the value of blogging Chris Kimble points to the discussion about blogs in Yahoo Group on Communities of Practice. He writes there about being surprised with fast speed of a feedback loop in blogs:

Has anybody else noticed this happening before or have I just been missing the obvious (or am I simply missing the point of blogs?)

I am really quite surprised at how quickly an idea can spread. Does anybody have any thoughts on the role of blogs in communities of practice and/or KM?

This discussion is worth mentioning not because it's something new (it's not - e.g. see How Weblogs Can Turn an Idea into an Epidemic), but because it's a sign of CoPs people are becoming aware of weblogs value :)

I would comment there, but I'm really afraid of subscribing to one more maillist: I have too many already.