Wednesday, September 08, 2004
Sports Blogs
I don't think I mentioned sports blogs specifically in the unit project prompt as an area you might explore, but I think sites that purport to analyze sports teams or leagues would be perfectly acceptable as a subject for your unit 1 project. If you think you'd be interested in writing on a sports blog, check out the site sportsblogs.org. This site syndicates content from hundreds of different individual blogs and a few minutes of poking around will yield a ton of different potential subjects for your paper.
If anyone else has found good ways of locating blogs on different subjects please help out your classmates by posting links in the comments for this post. You would also help your classmates out a great deal by doing your first blog assignment for this week right away so that people who are stuck can get suggestions on how to search for blogs.
I don't think I mentioned sports blogs specifically in the unit project prompt as an area you might explore, but I think sites that purport to analyze sports teams or leagues would be perfectly acceptable as a subject for your unit 1 project. If you think you'd be interested in writing on a sports blog, check out the site sportsblogs.org. This site syndicates content from hundreds of different individual blogs and a few minutes of poking around will yield a ton of different potential subjects for your paper.
If anyone else has found good ways of locating blogs on different subjects please help out your classmates by posting links in the comments for this post. You would also help your classmates out a great deal by doing your first blog assignment for this week right away so that people who are stuck can get suggestions on how to search for blogs.
Tuesday, September 07, 2004
Blog Assignment Week 3
For your first assignment, post a link to the blog you will analyze for your unit project. Pasting the URL (i.e. the "address") of the site into the "Link" field when you create your post should accomplish this quite easily. In addition to your link, post a short narrative about how you came to find the site and select it for your unit project. Include the names of (and if you're feeling ambitious, links to) any search engines you used as well as search terms you entered into those engines. Also mention other blogs you may have looked at and why you ultimately decided not to choose them for your project.
For your second blog assignment this week, write an assignment about your biggest anxiety as a writer. Are you afraid that your thesis statements aren't up to snuff? Have you always thought your organization was suspect? Choose one aspect of your writing and talk about how you think you fall short and what you plan to do to improve it.
These assignments must be completed and posted by class time on Tuesday, September 14.
For your first assignment, post a link to the blog you will analyze for your unit project. Pasting the URL (i.e. the "address") of the site into the "Link" field when you create your post should accomplish this quite easily. In addition to your link, post a short narrative about how you came to find the site and select it for your unit project. Include the names of (and if you're feeling ambitious, links to) any search engines you used as well as search terms you entered into those engines. Also mention other blogs you may have looked at and why you ultimately decided not to choose them for your project.
For your second blog assignment this week, write an assignment about your biggest anxiety as a writer. Are you afraid that your thesis statements aren't up to snuff? Have you always thought your organization was suspect? Choose one aspect of your writing and talk about how you think you fall short and what you plan to do to improve it.
These assignments must be completed and posted by class time on Tuesday, September 14.
What Is a Blog?
A couple of you approached me during class this afternoon with some anxiety about whether you could differentiate blogs from other types of web sites. Google's little-known glossary feature yielded this definition of a blog:
As you can see that leaves a lot of leeway as to what might be considered a blog, but as long as you include the word "blog" in your search terms when you're looking for a site you should be okay. However, if you'd like to make sure that the site you'll be working on for you unit project is, indeed, a blog, feel free to email me.
A couple of you approached me during class this afternoon with some anxiety about whether you could differentiate blogs from other types of web sites. Google's little-known glossary feature yielded this definition of a blog:
A blog is basically a journal that is available on the web. The activity of updating a blog is "blogging" and someone who keeps a blog is a "blogger." Blogs are typically updated daily using software that allows people with little or no technical background to update and maintain the blog. Postings on a blog are almost always arranged in cronological order with the most recent additions featured most prominantly.
As you can see that leaves a lot of leeway as to what might be considered a blog, but as long as you include the word "blog" in your search terms when you're looking for a site you should be okay. However, if you'd like to make sure that the site you'll be working on for you unit project is, indeed, a blog, feel free to email me.
Monday, September 06, 2004
No IM office hours today
I just wanted to let everyone know that I will NOT be holding IM office hours today, September 6. If you have any questions about your assignments please feel free to email me, but I may not get back to you until just before class tomorrow.
Also, there are a few of you who STILL haven't gotten me links to your blogs. Your blogger assignments will comprise a significant part of your grade, so I suggest you don't let this slip any longer.
I just wanted to let everyone know that I will NOT be holding IM office hours today, September 6. If you have any questions about your assignments please feel free to email me, but I may not get back to you until just before class tomorrow.
Also, there are a few of you who STILL haven't gotten me links to your blogs. Your blogger assignments will comprise a significant part of your grade, so I suggest you don't let this slip any longer.
