Class requirement: 20% of your grade
You will create your blog using the free service at Blogger.com. No knowledge of HTML or other technical skills are required. If you have questions after reading the instructions below, send me an email.
How to set up your blog
To get started, go to Blogger.com, create an account, name your blog, choose a template, and start posting. The Blogger interface is very intuitive, and most people simply follow the online prompts step-by-step.
However, if you are the type who reads instruction manuals, here are some short online videos that show you exactly how to set up your blog:
- Preparing to blog
What's a blog, really? (4:50 mins.)
Gathering your thoughts (6:44) - Setting Up Your Account
Creating your account (3:41)
Naming your blog (1:53)
Choosing a template (2:41)
You can buy a CD-ROM with 3.5 hours of video instruction on using Blogger, but frankly, you shouldn't need that for this class. Blogger is very easy to set up and use.
Requirements for your blog entries
- Daily updates are essential
A new entry must be published on your blog every day between May 31 and August 26, 2005. On occasion, you may arrange for a guest blogger (must be a fellow classmate in this course) to fill in for you on your blog, but then you must serve as a guest blogger in return. - No length requirement
Your daily blog posts can be as short as one paragraph, but your blog must be updated every day. - Subject matter
You will be graded on the effectiveness of your blog, not on whether the teacher agrees with your views. You are free to write about any topic relating to class reading or discussion. But — no blah, boring blogs, puh-LEEZE. Your audience expects you to lead a lively discussion — to discuss, analyze, editorialize, question, even criticize. For instance, if you respectfully disagree with something I present in class or that another student writes in a blog, that's perfectly OK. If you want to add links and comments to related material not covered in class, do so. When referring to sources, keep in mind that the usual rules for plagiarism apply: you are expected to produce original writing, and identify material produced by others as such. - Tone of discussion
Be courteous and collegial whether you agree or take exception. In other words, no flaming or personally offensive comments. You will receive no class credit for offensive blog entries or comments. more about blogger etiquette - Editing standards
As with any good blog, vigorous writing and careful proofreading are important. In this class, a well-written blog will receive a better grade than a sloppily-written blog.
"What a pain! Why do I have to update my blog every single day?"
This course has no exams, and the only other written requirement is a detailed plan for an Internet campaign strategy.
It is true that meeting the two daily requirements for this course — writing one blog entry and one blog comment every day — will require some commitment. However, that's how the Internet works. If your online communications become stale, you won't be effective. Learning to assume the responsiblity of daily updates will serve you very well in any future Internet campaign, whether you communicate via a blog, a campaign website, podcasts, RSS feeds, text messaging, or another format.
Guest bloggers
The good news is that you still have some flexbility. If you want to take a day or two off from your blog, you can arrange for another classmate from our class to be a "guest blogger." Such arrangements remain your responsibility. You are responsible for checking before the day ends to make sure that your "guest blogger" actually did their job. If they didn't, you are responsible for posting something yourself to make sure your blog has at least one new thread posted EACH day.
In any case, if you do invite a classmate to be a guest blogger, you should plan to return the favor at a later date, because by the end of the course, you are expected to have written, at minimum, 63 blog threads
Protect your privacy and your identity
For the online writing you do for this class, please use a screenname, not your real name. Nevertheless, always remember that you are creating a permanent public record. Because you are using a screen name, your writing probably will remain anonymous, but don't count on it. Always assume that anything you write — on paper, in an email, or on a blog — can become part of your public identity, even if it was written for a private audience, or under a screenname. Never write anything that might cause you deep embarrassment if it became widely known that you wrote it.
Week 10: Students will select the Best Blog
At the end of the course, the class will vote to select the best class blog, and the winning student will receive extra credit. So if you use guest bloggers, choose carefully.
"My blog is online. Am I famous yet?"
To answer this question, you can try checking out the Politics Attention Index on Technorati, the blog search site. The index, which is continously updated, attempts to track the hottest topics in political blogs via the rising and falling popularity of links from what it calls "authoritative" political bloggers. While the Technorati sample does not include all blogs, it is probably the largest sample at this time.
