Writing Dudes

Joe Malone found this interesting blog on politics. Check it out

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/

So, we are a couple of weeks into our blogging project, and I thought it was time to revisit the idea of blogging and why I think that it is important that you are exposed to a blogging experience in school. I am getting the sense that some of you are not enjoying it, and don’t quite get the point of learning how to read, write and respond to blogs. Michael W even wrote about it in his first post, “But Why Blog?” You’ll read in my comment to his post that, in today’s world, there are unlimited resources for us on the Internet and, in order to be informed citizens, we must be able to distinguish the legitmate information from the guy who just likes to “hear is own voice” or, in this case, “read his own writing.” Technology has created many, many ways for us to communicate with the world around us, from our friends and family to strangers with whom we share common interests. When you communicate with friends via IM or Facebook you use one type of language, but if you are communicating via a blog in order to get a point across or comment on a post that someone wrote, you wouldn’t use that same language. Blogging is simply one of the ways that we communicate in the 21st century.

So, what does a well-written blog look like? What should you write about? Well, as we’ve told you so far, you should write about something that you feel passionate about, something that interests you. You should write so that you inspire others to comment; either in agreement or disagreement. On a site called bloggingexpertise.com, there are pointers for writing a good blog, a blog that will have people coming back for more, a blog that will allow your readers to get to know you and what your opinions, beliefs and values are. Some of the traits of a good blog listed here include having a focus, keeping your audience in mind, using your personality, writing original content and linking to other relevant information. If you write a post in response to something that you read online, you should create a link back to that article. I have done that in this posting so that you see what I mean.

Some of you are off to a good start. In Vince’s first post he wrote about his busy schedule and how a day off turned out to be a pretty busy day. Phil wrote about the fact that the challenge of being a high school senior has been made even more difficult due to the fact that he is new to the school. In a post called, “End of Round One,” Pat wrote about the end of the first quarter and some of the things going through his mind as he moves through senior year. All three of these are well written posts about topics to which people can relate. Readers will be interested to check back and see how the year is going for these three, how they are managing the challenges of senior year and how things turn out. I encourage them to keep with that theme and post often about the trials and tribulations of being a high school senior.

Going in a different direction, Niko wrote about his opinions on various topics, such as underage drinking and riding a moped versus a driving a car. I’m guessing that some people feel strongly about such topics and may be inspired to agree or disagree. Nick W wrote about an article that he had read in Time Magazine about birth order. This is an interesting topic that may encourage others to share their own personal experiences with siblings. (Nick, maybe you could write a post about your own experience.)

There are other good examples of posts within your class. I encourage you to read each others’ blogs and comment on them. In addition, begin paying attention to blogs on sites that you read. Ms. Christian created some links for you to explore. As I stated earlier, blogging is simply another way to communicate. Give it an honest try and see what happens. Enjoy! Good luck. Let me know if you have any questions.

Ms. Conmy

Welcome to the Weblog for Personal Writing 2007. This is a place for you to publish your writing, share it with others. Initially, the Writing Dudes site will be just for members of our class, but as you become more experienced as bloggers, you will have the opportunity to invite friends and family to check out your work.

Check out these professional blogs to explore the kinds of things you can publish:

Yahoo’s Music Blog                         http://ymusicblog.com/

NY Times Blog on Technology    http://pogue.blogs.nytimes.com/

NY Times Blogs on News            http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com

The Carpetbagger Report (Political Blog linked to Salon.com)

http://www.thecarpetbaggerreport.com/archives/13394.html

 Sports Illustrated’s Directory of College Sports Blogs

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2005/sioncampus/09/16/blog.index/index.html