Radio Start

Sometimes newbies in Radio are a bit overwhelmed with the scope of what can be done in Radio, and how to navigate the documentation about it.  Do you remember learning the features of Word Processing, and other Computer Desk Top Appplications that are now standard today?  Radio is like a collection of interlocking applications, which you need to learn in pieces.  You may not need to use all of the pieces.

When scrolling down the names of people whose documentation soruces are linked from My Radio Doc Sources, I particularly reccommend beginners visit the documentation directories (links there) of Radio Userland; Andy Sylvester; Don Strickland; Russ Lipton; Wei-Meng Lee; Scott Johnson; Craig Burton.  I suggest you bookmark a starting point from which you can return later to visit some other documentation.

Radio is a type of Open Source, where developers independently of Userland can create add ons that plug into Radio and enhance your experience.  You know that with many Operating Systems, like Windows from Microsoft, or the larger computer IBM systems, people can aquire applications from developers independently of Microsoft or IBM, but we expect good documentation of each.  With Radio, the end user community is expected to create whatever documentation they need, and this helps keep the cost down for the core purchase.  It is a different kind of computing world than a lot of people are accustomed to.

I think it is a better e-world, a system that replaces the sins of e-mail (spam, viruses, flames, context confusion  (see Jon Udell on what's wrong with e-mail for collaboration)) with an alternate way of communicating, with built in knowledge management (You might want to read Rebecca Blood perspective on where this all came from).  We need to learn how best to deploy these new possibilities.  About com has a collection of guides to what weblogging is all about.

When we get upgrades to Microsoft, there are often problems with them, and we need to get patches to fix patches.  When we get upgrades to IBM, a lot of money has been spent to make sure that there are no problems for the end customers.  Radio is somewhere in between.  I think much closer to the IBM end of the quality scale than the Microsoft end.  I have the settings on my Radio such that upgrades automatically go onto my PC without my involvement.  This is even more transparent to the user than with IBM, but occasionally it means I get something that is now broke. 

Eventually I hope to have a "Read Me for Radio" but I am a beginner at both Radio and Radio documentation.

• Getting Started with Radio
  • What is Weblogging?
    • Weblogs Compendium has a collection of links to articles that attempt to explain what Weblogs are.
    • Look at my Blog Software Types and see how Radio Userland fits into the larger picture.

    • [McGee's Musings] is teaching a class that will hopefully turn reluctant MBAs into competent bloggers, in which he believes QUOTE There are four hurdles to pass to move from willing volunteer to competent blogger:

      • learning the technology environment,

      • developing an initial view of blogging,

      • plugging into the conversation, and

      • developing a voice.

    • These are not so much discrete phases as they are parallel tracks that can be managed.  UNQUOTE

    • See About com terminology definitions and general advice for starting a personal web site.

    • Sebastien Paquet has written a great piece that you ought to bookmark, on how these technologies are leading to new patterns of communication.
      • His first section defines weblogging.
        • It includes a brief history with examples, Blog Software players, how quality is enforced, and links to further reading resources.
      • His second section explains personal knowledge publishing.
        • This also uses examples, and links to further reading, to explain different forms of knowledge sharing, although Seb's main interest is the advantages and disadvantages of using this for research.
  • Stuff you need to know, at some level of install, use, recover,
    • What is this Radio product?
    • "Start Weblogging"
  • Learn what stuff in what sequence
  • Areas of risk of misconception
    • "Etiquette On-Line"
• After the Introductions
  • Figuring out more basics
  • Understand Radio Referers
  • Understand Radio News Aggregation
  • Understand Radio Categories
  • Know where to go for Tech Support
  • Radio Doc Sources

  There are dynamite collections of tips at dws.[RadioFAQs], for example:

  Question: I'm giving up. After hours of 'playing' with radio, I just ...

  Answer: [Brent Simmons] Start by learning about reading news:
  http://radio.userland.com/readingNews Then go to the page that teaches you how to run a weblog:
  http://radio.userland.com/weblogHowTo Then check out the rest of the features:
  http://radio.userland.com/directory/3541/features

  Answer: [Dave Feasey]You might want to check out Manila documentation: http://frontier.userland.com/tutorial/

  Answer: [Marek J] There are many parts to Radio. Let's start with one part of Radio that you probably want to make work for you: Weblog. 

  UNQUOTE [Don W Strickland: RadioFAQ]

Last update: 01/05/2003; 1:18:06 PM.