Class: December 2, 2010

Today your goal is to produce the best written post of your life. It's a lot of pressure. Hopefully, you brought a draft of a post in with you to work with, but if not, you can start from scratch. As you are writing, I would like you to consider the following things we have talked about over the semester:

• Paragraph organization
• Sentence structure
• Word choice
• Concise Writing
• Grammar

Good luck! Write a post that your mother would post on her refrigerator!

Class: November 30, 2010

Today we're talking about professional blogging in two senses. First, the ability of bloggers to make money off of their own blogs. Check out these two articles:

• Will I Grow Rich By Blogging?
• How Much Money Do Bloggers Make Blogging?
• Top Earning Blogs

The other sense of professional blogging is blogging done by corporations to reach consumers. Blogging has become a vital part of corporate marketing. I would like you to find a company with a blog and post a response in the comments to the following questions based on Chapter 6 of Say Everything:

1. The Cluetrain Manifesto argues that markets are conversations, and that human conversations sound human - that is "open, natural, and uncontrived" in a way that can't be faked (168). What is the voice of the corporate blog? Does it sound human?
2. Cluetrain Manifesto co-author Doc Searls draws a distinction between making money with a blog and making money because of your blog - that is, using the blog to build attention and reputation for a money making venture. How does the corporate blog you found generate money? How does it seem to fit into the overall profit scheme of the company?

Post your answers below, and then we'll discuss them.

Class: November 9, 2010

Word! Today's class focused on Ross-Larson's advice about words. Let's start by doing a little writing about this prompt:

1. What's the best advice in Ross-Larson's word section?
2. What's the advice that you most needed personally or the rule that your blog breaks the most?
   
3. Find three examples on your blog of a place where you should have taken Ross-Larson's advice.
   

After we discuss your responses, I'm giving you a chance to write another post in class. This time, I want you to write trying to follow the advice on words as closely as possible. As you compose your post and after you finish the draft, check it carefully to ensure that all of your words are carefully and deliberately chosen.

UPDATE: Read Concise Writing on the Purdue OWL. Use this to edit the draft of your post online.

Class: November 9, 2010

Most of class today will be spent commenting on blogs to bump up your readership. But first, I wanted us to explore a recent event that is of relevance to blogging.

1. First, check out this blog post.
2. Next, check out the Cook's Source Facebook Page.
3. Then, read this statement by Cook's Source.
4. Then, check out this page about protecting your blog.
5. And then, look at Creative Commons. Let's all make Creative Commons licenses for our blogs!
6. Finally, check out the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.

Once we finish this, get to commenting!

Class: November 4, 2010

It's sentence day! Inspired by Ross-Larson, we are going to write better sentences.

1. First, check out the list of opening sentences in the post below, and choose your five favorites.
2. Then, look at your own blog. Choose your two least favorite sentences and re-write them. Be ready to read the old and new versions to the class.
3. Take some time in class to write your post. I will be grading this post specifically on the quality of its sentences, so take time to craft really great sentences. In addition, please use at least two of the sentence strategies from the Ross-Larsen section 6 on sentences.
   

Class: November 2, 2010

Today's class is about Net Neutrality. First, we'll have a short discussion about net neutrality, covering both what it is and what it means.

Second, I'd like for each student to help us expand our discussion of net neutrality. The articles I picked are only the tip of the iceberg on this complex issue. Each student should find an article, commentary, or website related to net neutrality and present it to the class. What is the article about? How does it contribute to our knowledge of the issue?

Third, let's talk about how you think the issue should be addressed. How do you think consumers, the government, and internet providers should respond to this controversy?

Class: October 26, 2010

Today's discussion revolves around what people can and can't say online, and what they should and shouldn't say online. In preparation, I had you read Chapter 8 of Say Everything as well as these sites:

1. Student Suspension for Myspace Profile
2. The Rutgers Suicide and Social Networking
3. Wikileaks
   
4. Pentagon Asks Media Not to Publish War Leaks

Each site presents a free speech dilemma created by the internet. In addition, Say Everything mentions several instances of potentially troubling online speech. Choose one instance from the articles or book chapter and write a response comment to the following questions:

1. First, how do you view the speech? Is the action something that should be permitted? Encouraged? Frowned upon but allowed? Give us your reaction to the speech act.
2. Second, how should we as a society respond to the speech? If it is negative, can and should we prevent it? If it's positive, how can it be encouraged/protected?

After you finish writing, post a response comment to another student by using the @ symbol. If possible, respond to someone who wrote about the same situation that you did.

Also, here's more info on the Myspace student suspension.

Class: October 19, 2010

In today's class, we're talking about Shirky Chapter 8. After a brief discussion of the text, I want to talk about the formation of social groups facilitated by the internet. Here are a few examples to get things started:

• Perverted Justice
• Operation Beautiful
  
• We Will Offer Weezer $10 Million to Break Up
• PostSecret
• FlashMob.com
• Ex Jehovah's Witness Forum and Recovery Site
  
• HotOrNot.com
• Freecycle
• Heartwarmers
  
• Penn State Anonymous Confession Board
• Craigslist Missed Connections State College

Look at the groups that interest you, and you can also include groups not listed here that you would like to discuss by including a link in the comments. For each group, consider a few questions:

1. Is the group something new or something old done in a new way?
2. Does the group build social capital?
3. Does the group operate under "The Shadow of the Future"?
4. Can we make a judgment about whether this group is positive or negative?
   

Once we finish talking about this, let's check out meetup.com, which Shirky mentions in his chapter (not surprisingly, he also serves on the board of advisers). Search the site, looking in particular for meetups relating to your blog discourse community.

Class: October 14, 2010

Today's class is all about the paragraph! For our exciting exploration of this friendly organizational unit, complete the following tasks:

1. Discussion of Ross-Larson Section 5
2. Find the topic and point in every paragraph you wrote last week.
   
3. Choose your favorite and least favorite paragraph that you wrote last week.
4. For both paragraphs, answer the following questions: 1) Do you stick to one subject and verb form? 2) Is your terminology clear and consistent? 3) Does each sentence build on the last? 4) Do you signal the relationship between sentences?
   
5. Choose the best paragraph written by one of your classmates.
6. Discuss paragraphs.
7. Rewrite your least favorite paragraph from your blog (in Word, not on the blog).
   

What fun!

Class: October 5, 2010

Today's class will involve a discussion of the Kelly/Keen exchange Can We Save the Internet? To prepare for the discussion, please answer the following questions in Word or in an email to me.

1. What is the most important issue the two writers discuss?
   
2. What is Keen's best point?
3. What is Kelly's best point?

Email me your answers, and prepare for an exciting discussion.

Class: September 30, 2010

Today's class finishes a few tasks left over from last session and involves a discussion of Larsen:

1. Look at Google Reader
2. Look at Del.i.cious
3. Discuss Larsen
4. Post comments on outside blogs

Read Can We Save the Internet? for next class?

Class: September 28, 2010

Today's class is all about getting readers for your blog and commenting on other blogs. For class, we will complete the following activities:

1. Discuss Tagging/Labeling
2. Discuss Readings
3. Introduce Blogging Reports
   
4. Register for Statcounter Accounts
5. Register your blog on Technorati
6. Create accounts on del.i.cious
7. Check out Google Reader
8. Discuss Comments
   
9. Comment on other blogs

What fun!

Class: September 21, 2010

Welcome to the official English 420 blog. It will provide us with updates, reading links, and instructions for class activities.

For today's class, please complete the following activities:
1) Set up your blog account!!
2) Choose the design/template of your blog.
3) Write the "About" section of your blog.
4) Add your blogroll to the blog.
5) Add any other widgets/gadgets you want.
6) Start on your first post (can be written at home).

For Thursday, let's discuss if we want to workshop posts in class or if you'd rather post before Thursday's class.