If you visit any library in the world tomorrow and ask to see the detailed record for International Standard Serial Number 0099-9660, the librarian will print you the database information for The Wall Street Journal. Ask for ISSN 0882-0325 and you get Russian newspaper Pravda. Ask for ISSN 0032-1478 and you’ll see Playboy.
Any periodical can request an ISSN from their national registrar. The United States Library of Congress acts as the registrar here, and they assigned me ISSN 2159-3167 after receiving and approving my application.
That’s right, folks. The Library of Congress agreed AriWriter is merited to join the ranks of other periodicals like Pravda and Playboy and be cataloged with an ISSN in the worldwide standardized encyclopedia of periodicals known as the OCLC.
OCLC’s WorldCat database lists me as follows:
Access: http://ariwriter.com/
Title: Ari writer
successful strategies and tips in social media marketing.
Author(s): Herzog, Ari
Publication: Newburyport, MA : Ari Herzog
Year: 2007-
Frequency: Daily
Description: Began with: May 26, 2007
Language: English
Standard No: ISSN: 2159-3167; LCCN: 2011-201599
Class Descriptors: LC: ISSN RECORD; Dewey: 302.231
Other Titles: Ari writer; Ariwriter
Material Type: Document (dct); Periodical (per); Internet resource (url)
Document Type: Internet Resource; Computer File; Serial
Date of Entry: 20110103
Update: 20110103
Accession No: OCLC: 694803003
Database: WorldCat
OCLC inclusion establishes both legitimacy and indexation, opined Joe Clark in 2003 why blogs should have ISSNs.
Weblogs meet the definition of “serial” (periodical) under the so-called Anglo-American cataloguing rules. This Canadian phrasing is typical:
A “serial” is a publication, in any medium, issued in successive parts and intended to be continued indefinitely. This definition includes periodicals, newspapers, annuals (reports, yearbooks, directories, etc.), journals, memoirs, proceedings, transactions of societies, monographic series, and unnumbered series.
I read the background and arguments on his page and followed the links to the LOC’s ISSN page to complete an application.
But how many bloggers have done what I’ve done? How many librarians care? When LOC employee Matt Raymond asked in 2007 about the necessity of describing blogs as serial, dozens of people commented. Perusing their thoughts, it’s anybody’s guess to the best answer.
Maybe bloggers don’t need an ISSN or an Internet Blog Serial Number.
Or, do they?
“As far as librarians are concerned,” Joe Clark wrote, “If it doesn’t have some kind of number, it doesn’t exist.”
Makes sense to me. How about you?
About Ari Herzog
ISSNs are waste of your precious time that you asked. Such inclusion doesn’t establish neither legitimacy nor indexation that matters. Do I go to the newsstand and ask the guy to pass me a copy of 0032-1478? Same here for blogs. For Joe Clark, it is important. For 99.99% of people, it doesn’t even register. So why should I care, Ari?
I have same think with you !
Ari, this indexation looks like directory submission. I guess the use is little but if it doesn’t hurt why not try it? I will do it with my blog.
I dunno. Honestly not sure.
I don’t really get what it is?
Just because something isn’t assigned a number doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. Everything is a number now, you as a person are given all sorts of numbers, its a little impersonal if you ask me.
“AriWriter is merited to join the ranks of other periodicals like Pravda and Playboy” – yeah, right, lets just hope it doesn’t become like them, especially the latter! Just Kidding
Who cares if it isn’t that useful, it’s still a pretty cool thing to see yourself published!
This quote here sums up why I’m not too bothered about it:
“As far as librarians are concerned,” Joe Clark wrote, “If it doesn’t have some kind of number, it doesn’t exist.”
So because one sub-section of professional people think it doesn’t matter, we should all think that?
Tell that to the folks that have sold lengthy book careers from their blogs; or tell that to the folks that have used their blogs to foster the chance of millions being raised for charity; or the folks that use their blogs to share information that some libraries won’t stock because of political or gender issues.
I’ll stick to my non-recognized blog, and the librarians and Joe Clark can get back to their indexing.
Fair enough, Danny, but do you disagree then that there should be a cataloging system (whether ISSN, IBSN, Technorati, whatever) for blogs?
It’d be too difficult to maintain, Ari. How does an organization keep track of when a blog becomes obsolete, or discontinued by its author? Or how does it recognize what’s a blogging platform, and what’s not? Would it discount MySpace blogging, for example?
If folks want to register their blogs, there are already a ton of options available (like Technorati, as you mention, and many more).
I think the big difference is, while there are search engines and indexed pages, blogs will forever be able to be found. You can’t say the same about a library book when that library closes down.
To me, that’s the key differentiator on why blogs don’t need to be looked at the same way as books are.
Hmm, you write from Canada where the national government does not block websites.
Your blog may (and I honestly don’t know) be blocked in Bahrain, China, Iran, or other nations. I know of other blogs and websites that are blocked in such nations.
If a blog is blocked, it’s essentially not found. But if a system can get around the block, having a number to find it can help.
Libraries and librarians don’t work the same way they once did. Libraries are being forced to change to keep up with the digital world and remain useful. The digital world shouldn’t change to keep up with libraries.
However, I’ve often thought that blogs need to be archived so they will be preserved into the future. Future generations won’t have a full understanding of our society without a record of what we saw on the Internet.
If a blogger dies today, how long does his blog remain online? For most of us, it’s until our hosting service expires.
Gip
Hi Ari
I’m a little lost as to why I should register.
Would I just be seeing if it can be done?
Would it help my blog’s pagerank?
Is it the same as being indexed by dmoz?
Or is it none of the above?
Pride, vanity, ego, take your pick.
Do you gain anything? Depends who you ask.
The fact the Library of Congress provided me an ISSN number that is now retrievable as a record when I search for it via my local library’s online database, that’s something worth sharing as yet another way to promote myself.
Blogger Gina Ferrari has been included in the UK Webarchive.
I presume the US has a similar solution. With technology rolling on, a library’s archival role, which was once covered by the daily newspaper needs to include blogs. What’s with the hissy fits about a number? I’m guessing what our human eyes see as ariwriter is just another number to the computer? Do you have to pay to register an ISSN? I think authors have to pay to register an ISBN?
There is no cost to request an ISSN.
FYI: I have deleted a comment that previously appeared here. Please take another look at the comment policy, which is linked in the above section before the submit button and note that ad-hominem attacks are not allowed.
I will continue to delete comments that abuse the policy.
Thank you.
- The Editor
For me this is cut and dry– anything that might bring bloggers more recognition is a good thing.
Thx Ari.
If your blog writing about e-book or book, you should make it like that. But if not, why we must to do that ? I just simple using category name in there.
I really don’t think it is needed. I mean the only one that would remember it is the owner of the site.
Search engines are can be utilized so much that the need for ISSN won’t be needed. Only librarians use them and even them cannot memorize a series. 