Why Do You Blog?

Last night we talked about various reasons that one might not want to blog: fear of sharing too much personal information in a public space; waste of bandwidth due to bloggers with “nothing to say”; ranting and punditry on weblogs that do not lead to sustained, productive discussion; blogging as a self-perpetuating “popularity contest.”

While blogging has certainly faced its fair share of criticisms – including these and others – I’m wondering how we might begin to understand its popularity. A 2005 Pew Internet report on The State of Blogging indicates:

By the end of 2004 blogs had established themselves as a key part of online culture. Two surveys by the Pew Internet & American Life Project in November established new contours for the blogosphere: 8 million American adults say they have created blogs; blog readership jumped 58% in 2004 and now stands at 27% of internet users; 5% of internet users say they use RSS aggregators or XML readers to get the news and other information delivered from blogs and content-rich Web sites as it is posted online; and 12% of internet users have posted comments or other material on blogs.

So, how might be begin to explain the blogging phenomenon? What does the technology of the blog allow that attracts writers and readers? I’m particularly interested in hearing about your personal goals for blogging this semester: why might a graduate student want to use blogging for academic discussions of issues related to writing and technology?

As you think over these questions, it might help to take a look at some more examples of blogs, thinking about audience, purpose, and contributions made by each.

Community Blogs
Slashdot
Kairosnews
Sivacracy

Individual Blogs
Thinkery
Blogos
jill/txt

How Public is Public?

One thing today's discussion in class has brought to mind is the notion of how "Public" is a "Public" post on the web? Yes, it's out there. It's public domain. But really, how easy is it to find the information about the person who wrote under a psudonym? I suppose it depends on teh length of time the person wrote, how careful they were about ever using "real" names, etc. I've been around on the web posting to some "public" forums since 1997. Some of those forums I REALLY would not want an employer to delve into. However, I'm not quaking in my shoes. Why not?

a) too much out there -- there really is a ton of information out there and finding the one small portion I created would be difficult.

b) I was careful about never really attaching it to any name that is readily associated with me.

Frankly, while the information stays around, if you are careful and you use some common sense the notion of everything you put on the web being traced back to you is one you shouldn't worry about.

So why did I put it out there in the first place? At the time, it was one of the only places to go. Little did anyone who used the newsgroups I frequented think the archives would still be around 10 or more years later. *shrug* Unintended consequences of a public "private" sphere of communication. For many of us who posted to the particular groups I belonged to, it was a private little world -- bound together by shared interest -- but of little note to anyone who did not share the interests. We saw the internet as our meeting place and stomping ground and mistakenly thought of our little slice of it as somewhat private and limited to use by those of us who had the technical skill and the money to pay for access. My how things change. But still, if I worry about my identity becoming known or linked to those posts, I think I would just have to crawl in a hole and hope this whole internet thing goes away -- don't want to do that either.

Our Class Blog

Welcome to our class blog. It is my hope that you will visit here often and post regularly. Your participation is key to the success of this online space.

Why a class blog?
The main objective of our keeping a class blog is to extend our classroom conversations to the larger, ongoing conversations among those interested in issues related to writing and technology. Sharing your writing with a more public audience, a group of readers who will actually read what you write, respond, and give you feedback, will help you to become a more responsible, and responsive, writer. Writing in a public space - with readers that include your classmates and beyond - will help you to think more carefully about your writing and the views that you espouse. You’ll see that blogs allow a high level of interactivity – through linking to other web content such as websites, blogs, and online articles to responding to your others’ posts.

Tips for blogging success.
The requirement for your grade in the class is to write on the blog at least twice per week. A good rule of thumb is to write one post of 4-6 or more sentences and one comment of 2-4 or more sentences per week. Posts should appear by Monday of each week, so your classmates have a chance to read and respond before Wednesday evening’s class. Your posts may be related to any aspect of the course, and on some weeks topics for postings may be suggested or required. However, feel free to post more frequently if you have something to say that extends beyond this minimum requirement.

Here are some tips for blogging success:

1. Feed the blog. Remember that the success of the blog depends on its content. The number of people who regularly read, link to, and contribute to the blog depends on how frequently its authors are adding useful content.
2. Link to other web content. Connect your thoughts and added content to what is already being said and explored online. In order to link, you’ll need to know how to code a link: ENGL Course Syllabus is a link to our ENGL 532 syllabus.
3. Add value to existing content. It’s not enough to just link to other websites and/or summarize materials you’ve been reading. You need to add value to this content by expressing a well-grounded opinion or approaching it from a unique perspective.
4. Respond to comments. In order to establish a true conversation on the blog, you should read and respond to all comments directed at your posts. If readers ask a question or offer either positive feedback or a critique, it is important that you respond thoughtfully on the blog.
   

Now let’s get started with our first week of blogging!