Week 5 Blog

Your one and only blog assignment this week (since it's midterms, I figured you deserve a break :) ) is ::drum roll please::

Photo Cred: FringeFamily

Create a post of your own choosing. Like Facebook asks: "What's on your mind?" ... tell me! 

Photo Cred: ECC

Make sure you write a substantial amount. It's just one post. Be creative. Include a couple of pictures to break up your text. Employ all the things you've learned about blogging. And that's it!


Happy Week 5!

Week 4 Blog Assignment

MDIA 470B: Week 4 Blog Entries

(10 points total)

Blog Post #1 (5 points)

Read Chapter 73 (p. 271-272). Tell me what you think about what Brogan says about comments in a short, paragraph post (paragraphs are typically 3-5 sentences, remember). Then, visit three of your classmates’ blogs (using the links on the sidebar of my blog), read what they’ve written so far this quarter, and leave a CONSTRUCTIVE comment for them. Link to the post you’re commenting on in your blog entry. So it should look something like this:

Brogan says really cool things in Chapter 73, like blah blah blah. Summary summary summary. Woohoo. Whatever. Please summarize better than this. MDIA 470B ROCKS! Just kidding.

So, in the spirit of commenting, I’ve commented some blog posts written by my amazing classmates. Here they are:

1.     Classmate Number 1 Name (<-- you can link the text by clicking link in your edit panel up top and posting the URL in the pop up box, that way it doesn’t look all clunky and URL-ish.)

2.     Classmate Number 2 Name

3.     Classmate Number 3 Name

You should post on THREE DIFFERENT CLASSMATES’ blog posts. If it appears that many comments have already appeared, maybe visit someone else’s blog to share the wealth of commenting. Everyone likes to get comments, ya know!

Blog Post #2 (5 points)

Tell me what you’ve learned so far in this class. 

• What’s been the most interesting concept? 
• Most boring/ You could care less? Be honest. 
• Finally, how do you think you might be able to take what you’re learning here and apply it to the real world?

Address each question in a separate paragraph. (So… entries should be at least three paragraphs). Include at least one image to spice things up some. Explain why you’ve chosen this image/how it relates to your entry.

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NOTE: Make sure you proofread your entries for spelling and grammar. Points will be deducted for poor grammar and/or spelling!

Week 3 Blog Assignment

*These should appear as two separate blog entries*

Blog Post #1: Wikia (5 points)

Read Chapter 21 in the Brogan book (p. 78-83) to get an idea of the plethora of social media available to you. What do you take away from this blurb, especially in terms of how you can use these tools within a company or organization. (Don’t plagiarize Brogan – I’ll be able to tell! Summarize his general points in an introductory paragraph. 3-5 sentences is fine).

Next – within the same post, talk about Wikis specifically. 

• What is your take on the use of wikis as a collaborative tool? 
• Is it worth the investment or is it just a waste of time?

Be honest. It’s your blog; you’re entitled to your own opinion.

After our discussion about Wikis in class, visit Wikia. Find a wiki that interests you. Search around the wiki. 

• What are some of the topics of discussion? 
• Why do you think these are the prominent topics right now? 
• How is the Wiki organized? Is it good/bad? Easy to read? Attractive? 

Refer to Azua’s Chapter on Wikis (best practices, etc that we discussed in lecture on Monday.) Can you tell how this wiki is publicized/promoted? 

Take a screenshot of the wiki you’ve chosen and post it to your blog to highlight the points that you are making.

There's no real purpose for this other than it's awesome and I said Wiki so much in class today that it made me think of Wookies.

Blog Post #2: Blogging Blog(5 points)

Read Chapter 30 in the Brogan book (p. 122-127). Using some of the basic techniques for your THIS post, write a blog entry that reviews someone else’s blog – it can be a celebrity blog, a political blog, a religious blog, an arts and crafts blog, a food blog, or a Mommy blog, or none of the above - the opportunities are endless. Find a blog that interests you. If it’s a blog that you already follow, that’s even better! (Note: Please don’t critique mine or any of your classmates’ blogs. If you need suggestions, ask me.)

                                                                                                                                                            

Provide the following information in your post: 

• Who is the primary blogger? Provide as much information as possible about them – visit their about me section. Can you tell what their goals are for their blog? 
• What genre of blogging would you categorize it? (See the list above for ideas if you’re unsure of what I’m talking about) 
• How organized is the blog over all?

Use Brogan’s “Nitpicky Parts” (p. 124) and “More Things to Consider” (p.125) as a guide for your analysis. Link to the blog you’ve chosen in the entry. The link should be LIVE (meaning, I should be able to click on the text and arrive at the blog you’re critiquing). Take a screenshot of the blog you’ve chosen and post it in your entry to highlight points that you’re making.

Here’s an example of a similar (sort of) critique that I did on a blog back in the day when I was in your seat. The prompt was a little bit different from what I’m asking you to do. But, it gets the point across, I think: I once was a student...

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NOTE: Make sure you proofread your entries for spelling and grammar. Points will be deducted for poor grammar and/or spelling!

Due Thursday, April 12 by 5PM

Follow Friday #1: Chris Brogan

Each Friday (hopefully I remember) I'm going to highlight some cool social media things that I consume in a post I'd like to refer to as Follow Friday, which I've totally stolen from Twitter. Last I checked they didn't trademark that stuff, so.. boom.

Without further ado, I give you the first FOLLOW FRIDAY post of the quarter:

It goes without saying that the first plug I'll be giving is to the author of one of our class texts, Chris Brogan.

Photo Cred: Chris Brogan's Website
(and probably that URL that's down in the bottom corner of the pic too)

No, Brogan hasn't paid me to tell you to read his book, Social Media 101. In fact, he doesn't even know that I exist in this little pocket of Appalachia. His stuff is just really good, easy to understand, and constantly updated. And that's what social media is all about, my friends.

This should look familiar to you... just a lil bit...

Reading that little book that is so neatly packed with a TON of nice little nuggets is helpful. And searching through chrisbrogan.com is probably helpful too.

So .. basically, do your homework for 470B and you'll be on top of this first Follow Friday suggestion!

Blog Assignment for Week 2

**These should appear as two separate blog entries.**  

Blog Post #1 (5 points)

Read Chapter 54 of Brogan’s Social Media 101 (pp. 206-211) and visit www.chrisbrogan.com. In your first post from last week, you should have listed some goals that you have for this quarter. Repost those in this post. Now, think about the goals you have for this blog. (Yes, I realize that you are blogging because it’s a part of your grade, but get beyond that…) Answer Brogan’s question: What’s the goal of your blog?

Check the Gadgets the Google has to offer and add at least two of these to your blog. These can be in the sidebar or at the top or bottom, but make sure your placement of the additional gadget makes sense. Remember to keep everything functional. Tell me what Gadgets you’ve chosen and why. How does this addition affect the design and usability of your blog?

Photo Cred: Google

Font and color are fun to play with, but make sure your readers can actually read your posts. You can have a creative flair if you want, but do it appropriately. (You don’t have to write anything about this in your entry, just take it into consideration.)

In addition to reflecting on the above in your actual blog post, visit your “About Me” section (you can edit this under the “design” function) and write something there, and perhaps post a picture of yourself. (In other words, I’m going to be checking to see if you’ve written anything about yourself in the “about” page, because as Brogan suggests, it matters!) You MIGHT want to mention your goals in this section too, briefly.

Blog Post #2 (5 points)

Choose two social networking sites (one that you use frequently and one that you have stopped using or use less frequently).

For the one that you use the most: 

1. Why do you use it? 
2. What makes it functional for your use? 
3. What would you add to make it better? 
4. Is there anything that you don’t like about it? 
5. How is it collaborative? (Think about lecture on Monday, April 2.)

For the one that you don’t use anymore or use less frequently: 

1. Why did you stop using it/why do you use this site less frequently than the other? 
2. What makes it different? 
3. What could be changed about this site in order to make it better? 
4. Would you consider going back and using it again ever or are you done-zo?

Include at least one screencap (if you want to blur personal information, feel free) of the site that you still use/use most frequently and highlight the features that you think are its best attributes. You can use Paint, Photoshop, or iPhoto to manipulate your image in whatever way you see fit. Include at least one other picture or image in the post, perhaps highlighting reasons you don’t use the other site.

Photo Cred: MySpace

The voice of your post should be critical, but not inflammatory. In other words, don’t go bashing MySpace. It has enough of a bad rep already. Be thoughtful and insightful!

Note: Make sure you proofread for spelling and grammar mistakes! Points will be deducted for poor grammar and/or spelling.

Due: Thursday April 5 by 5PM