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Electronic Writing & Publishing

Fall 2007

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Mini Media Blog Project

Worth 5% of your final grade

Due: paper & blog 9/27, email of blog URL & info due 9/11 (by class), comment to classmate's blog due 9/18 midnight

Turn in on paper & online.

The purpose of this assignment is for you to become more familiar with reading and writing a particular form of online publishing: Blogs.

 

This assignment has 5 main parts:

Part 1: Figure out what you want to do your Blog on. In a brief email to me describe your blog. Tell me:

  • What is your blog about?
  • Who is the audience of your Blog?
  • What is the purpose of your Blog?
  • What genre or type of blog will you be doing?
  • What style and tone will you be using?
  • What is your engagement with the subject? Why did you choose to write about this subject?

Also, send me your blog URL with its title and sentence about the blog to share with your classmates so they can determine if they want to read your blog. I will post these online for the class to accesses, but if for some reason you do not want your classmates reading your blog let me know in the email and I will not post the URL. You may use any Blogging space you want, but you must be able to provide me a link to the Blog. You can use the Free Rhetoric and Advanced Composition at GSU available at: http://rhetcomp.gsu.edu/blogs/. Other options are covered in the blog Wikipedia reading. I'd be happy to go over these with you if you have any questions. One student in my Fall 2007 class recommended Vox, which seems to be a good blogging site that also also audio and visual posts.

Email due 9/11 by class.

 

Part 2: Find and follow a Blog of your choice (topic appropriate for class discussions) for 3 weeks (not the blog of a classmate, unless it is an established blog).

Part 3: Write you own Blog on the (appropriate) topic(s) of your choice for 3 weeks. Submit at least 4 entries (distributed fairly evenly over the 3 weeks).

Part 4: By 9/18 (midnight) post a comment to one of your classmate's Blogs. Comments should be somewhat substantive--at least be a few sentences. Email me by 9/18 (midnight) with the URL of the blog you commented on, a copy of your comment, and the title & date of the posting you commented on.

Part 5: Due 9/27, start of class on paper. Submit a paper discussing your Blog experiences. This has two main parts:

  1. Provide a summary and analysis of the Blog you viewed for 3 weeks. Discuss the types of posts, any comments, frequency of comments, type of Blog (political, personal, professional, news-based… see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Types_of_blogs for various types), audience, purpose, and tone/style. Include the URL to the blog you read.
  2. Also, reflect on your own experiences doing a Blog:
    • What type of Blog did you do?
    • How did it go?
    • Did you get responses?
    • How easy/hard was it to write entries?
    • What audience, purpose, and tone were you aiming at? Why?
    • Did your level of engagement last?
    • Why did you choose to write about this subject?

Also, discuss other relevant reflections. In addition, feel free to discuss your experiences reading and posting a comment to a classmates blog. Finally, include the URL to your own Blog.

This paper should be 1+ pages (not less than 1 full page) in 10-12 pt font single-spaced.

 

Here are some helpful blog writing sources:

 

 

Blogs of your Classmates:

  • Imran Ahmad: "My Blog is about finding good food to eat on a weekend and a movie for those who like watching a movie every weekend." http://goodcheapfoodnshow.blogspot.com/
  • Joanne Bell: "Let's Stop Playing Church". "This blog will be talking about the real issues that some Christians face today and those that they are reluctant to talk about." http://letsstopplayingchurch.blogspot.com/
  • Eric Alfred Deluca: N/A
  • Ryan Ensor: ""Motivations: Enlightening Little Theories on Life" http://sketchtheories.blogspot.com/
  • Matt Fragalle: "Asbestos Crate". "Basically a personal diary, describing the trials and tribulations of a broke ass college student that tries to balance school, greek life, a relationship and a poor paying manual labor job. " www.xanga.com/asbestoscrate
  • Tiffany Hall: "I choose to write about me because I think that I am great...:)" myspace.com/tommiterrell
  • Shahnaz Islam: "Right-Side Mole". "Leaky information on popular novels and humorous banter about the everyday idiot." http://right-sidemole.blogspot.com/
  • Jennifer Jackson: "I Guess You Had To Be There: Writing Struggles of a Poor, Sleep Deprived, College Student." ". I chose to do write about my struggles with writing because that is what is bothering me most right now. I am taking 2 english classes, 2 journalism classes and a speech class so ALL I am doing is writing and only a few weeks into school I'm beginning to struggle with it." http://sleepdeprivedstudent.blogspot.com/.
  • Coyotito Kelly: "Lets all go to the Movies" a blog on movie reviews myspace.com/coyokelly
  • Michael D. Metcalf: "Politics...". "My blog is going to be about what is going on in my personal life while discussing issues about it to promote conversation." http://www.myspace.com/mdeshawn23 (The blogs are found on the right top corner of the page)
  • Anna Moshefi: "My blog is a more public page where individuals can come and discuss ideas such as life, love and poetry." http://lifelovepoetry07.blogspot.com/
  • Paul Oresteen: "My blog will be about playing fantasy football." http://www.fantasybeerleaguefootball.blogspot.com/
  • Mary Retchko: "I am going to have my blog be humors postings about all of the wonderful compliments that my girlfriends (and boyfriends) and I receive from males that we encounter." http://twhs.blogspot.com/
  • Laura Sweat: "News coverage of the Middle East and North Africa, using sources from the region. I'll be sharing my opinions as well as posting links to stories I
    think are important." http://www.mideastpress.wordpress.com

 

 

 

 
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