Frequently Asked Questions
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What is Convergence Bloggers?
What is a Blog?
Who can be a Convergence Blogger?
In what language should I post to my Blog?
Microsoft Convergence 2006 already started. Can I
still submit my blog?
Do I have to move/change my blog?
What do I blog about at Convergence?
How do you choose posts for the main
aggregated feeds?
How can I start a blog?
How can I subscribe to (monitor) the Convergence
Bloggers?
Can I publish the OPML directory on my
website?
Can I publish the Convergence Bloggers RSS feeds
on my website?
Who created and runs Convergence Bloggers?
What is Convergence Bloggers?
We put up this site in hopes of connecting bloggers
interested in Microsoft Convergence 2006 and the technologies associated with
the event. We thought it would be cool to have a place to connect bloggers
interested in the event: whether or not they are attending the event. To make this happen, the Convergence Bloggers website provides the following:
-
An OPML Directory - A directory of bloggers published in a popular
format used by news aggregators. The format for the directory is based on OPML™
[?]
. You can submit your blog to the directory using the Add Your Blog on the main
page. The OPML Directory is the primary feature of this website. At a minimum,
this will allow Convergence bloggers to download the list, import and monitor each
others blogs, and enjoy enhanced connectivity with each other.
-
Aggregated RSS Feeds - We will actively monitor all blogs listed in the
OPML Directory and aggregate posts pertinent to Convergence to the various feeds
provided on this site. We've created several topical categories for readers to
monitor in addition to a Main category that will contain all aggregated posts.
The categories and RSS feeds are listed on the right side of the main Convergence
Bloggers page. Only a portion of each post will be quoted in the main feed and
then readers will be directed to your blog for commenting, linking, etc. For
quoted posts, the Comments and Add Comment links will not appear below the post
on this page and the PermaLink will point at the permanent link provided by
your feed. There may be some other ways to direct users to your blog that we
can work in as well.
What is a Blog?
Dave Winer recently created a nice breakdown of blogs
(weblogs) in an article named "What
makes a weblog a weblog?
". A recent Google search on “Blog Definition” yielded 403 results. As you have
guessed, blog definitions vary and can become quite controversial.
Who can be a Convergence Blogger?
Anyone interested in contributing their thoughts about Microsoft Convergence 2006
or associated technologies can add their blog to Convergence Bloggers. Please
note: you DO NOT have to be an attendee. However, we do check the information
submitted for obvious errors, appropriate language and valid urls before
posting it to the list. Blogs must also have content related to technology discussed at
Convergence.
In what language should I post to my Blog?
Good question, one goal when we created Convergence Bloggers was to not require any
changes to your blog and how you post to your blog. Therefore, you can post to
your blog in any language you are comfortable writing. We are sometimes able to
aggregate posts written in languages other than English to the main feed by
using http://babelfish.altavista.com/ as a language translator. Keep in mind, your
blog will be viewed by people all over the world. If you have any questions,
email info@convergencebloggers.net
.
Microsoft Convergence 2006 already started. Can I still submit my
blog?
Sure. In fact, you can submit your blog anytime during or after the event. We
will continue to aggregate posts for as long as people are still talking about
Convergence in their blogs.
Do I have to move/change my blog?
No. In fact, we don't actually host any blogs at ConvergenceBloggers.net. There are
various ways to host a blog and as long as you can provide a link to your blog
and a link to an RSS based news feed for your blog, we can aggregate it into
the Convergence Bloggers feed. We do not limit blogs to any set of service providers
or software packages.
What do I blog about at Convergence?
You can blog about the sessions, exhibit hall, auxiliary events or other
activities, parties, and crazy things you do in the evenings. You can also
photo blog if you take photographs during the event. It’s important that posts
to your blog are given some context by mentioning Convergence. Otherwise, we may
not know to include that entry in the feed.
How do you choose posts for the main aggregated feeds?
Most posts that appear in your blog that relate to Convergence or technologies
discussed at Convergence will appear in the feed as long as we can determine they
are in fact about the event. Mentioning Convergence in the post will help. There
are a few exceptions, for example, very short posts will probably not be picked
for the main feed.
Threaded discussions between one or more blogs will only appear if the replies
in the discussion add significant information to the original post. Our thought
here is that we link to the original post and then the reader can use the
various forward and backward links inherent to blogs to follow the
conversation.
How can I start a blog?
You can start a blog by visiting one of the various blogging services or by
downloading blogging software and hosting it on your own server or at your
hosting provider. Refer to the setup instructions of the blogging provider for
how to setup and get started with a blog. Here are a few blog services and
software packages that are written on the .NET platform:
MSN Spaces
How can I subscribe to (monitor) the Convergence Bloggers?
The individual blogs as well as the category feeds at
Convergence Bloggers are marked with the 
logo. This means you can use a news aggregator to regularly download and
display the current list of posts for a particular feed. Here is a list of some
popular news aggregators:
SharpReader
FeedDemon
RSS Bandit
NewsGator
Can I publish the OPML directory on my website?
Yes. If you're super nice, you'll give ConvergenceBloggers.net credit and a link.
Our thanks in advance!
Can I publish the ConvergenceBloggers.net RSS feeds on my website?
Yes. However, the RSS feeds take a lot of effort to maintain. You must give
ConvergenceBloggers.net credit and a link. Use "by ConvergenceBloggers" as the text for
the link (http://ConvergenceBloggers.net).
Who created and runs Convergence Bloggers?
Convergence Bloggers is operated by InDepth Technology.
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