Happy Mid-Winter Break .... and Happy Friday!!!!

Here's some great vacation reading for you guys!!! : McSweeny's Online Magazine

What makes a good blog post?

As we discussed in class, good blog posts have the following qualities:

1. A title/headline
2. A clear point / argument that is SPECIFIC              
3.  Examples/ evidence that supports your point 
4. A combination of pictures/graphics and words (if applicable) 
5. A PERSONAL TWIST of some kind … why are you the only person who can write this? Why is your perspective unique?
6. A CLEAR VOICE that will deliver a certain tone to the reader … is it conversational? Serious? Sarcastic? 

 PLEASE FOLLOW THE GUIDELINES/STEPS IN WRITING  YOUR BLOG POSTS:

Step 1: Create a keyword/phrase for your blog post. In 1-4 words, what is it about?: _____________________________________________________________________________________

Step 2: What is the purpose of this blog post? What overall message do you hope to send to readers? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Step 3: What are 3-4 pieces of evidence/examples you will use to prove this point:

·         _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

·         __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

·         __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

·         __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Step 4: Pick one/multiple graphics/pictures/images that will explain or help you prove your point

Step 5: Call to Action: ask yourself- why am I writing this post? Why are they reading this post? What ONE action do I most want them to take after they read my post? (Never assume it’s obvious.)

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Optional for this post – Step 6: Links to:

·         Other blogs about the same topic

·         Additional information about the topic you are writing about

·         Sources of your own information (“according to …”) 

EXAMPLES OF GOOD BLOG POSTS:
1) The Motherlode - Blog about abuse at school
2) Five Female Celebrities I'm Boycotting and Why (pro-choice blog)

What is this blog ... ? (Mission Statement)

Hello Journalism Class! Welcome to our class blog.

The purpose for this blog is to provide you all with a model or example of a blog to refer to as we progress through the blogging unit. It will also help us move our class discussions and exchange of ideas into the virtual realm … This blog will be a “meta blog” –  a “blog about blogging” — and will serve as a resource for you as we progress through this unit.

• Assignments will be posted to the blog
• You can contact me through commenting on the blog
• You can ask questions to the entire class through the blog

Blogging is a fantastic tool people can use to build virtual communities, and make connections with others without having to actually see or talk to them in person. My hope is by helping you all creating blogs about topics that are about TOPICS THAT ARE IMPORTANT AND RELEVANT to you, you will be able to further develop and share your interests with other (through researching and posting on your site) and learn about our classmates’ interests.

This is a fun and creative unit. The goals are:

• For students to become aware of and comfortable interacting in the “blogosphere”
• Gain technical/practical knowledge about how to administer a blog
• Build a creative outlet where students can explore their areas of personal interest
• Develop writing, editing and graphic design skills
• MOST IMPORTANTLY: this is meant to be fun!! You will learn more about yourselves and each other!

If, at ANY POINT, you’re confused or bored or want to take the material we cover in class in a slightly different direction, definitely bring that up with me (either in person, or online). As is always the case, assignments are GUIDELINES, not LAWS WRITTEN IN STONE. Don’t be scared to share your own vision.

Now, let’s get started

-Ms. Singer