January 12, 2007
Wordpress
Up until now I have pointed my students towards Blogger. But recently a group blog to which I contribute, The Long Eighteenth, switched over to WordPress in response to concerns over the new version of Blogger. I still like Blogger and think the new version is a considerable step up, but WordPress is great: attractive templates; the ability to have pages as well as posts; smooth editing; free hosting. One can't muck around with the CSS in the free version, but upgrading is possible and does not appear to be too expensive.
I'd put two thumbs up, but I'm typing.
Posted by jones at 10:36 AM | Comments (0)
November 5, 2006
Bloggin 101
Just found Anton Zuiker's most useful site. He writes, "Welcome to my presentation on blogs and blogging. This is meant to be an overview of the development of weblogs and an introduction to the ways you might use a weblog." The site has material on history, the anatomy of a blog, and more. Also, some useful links and references.
Posted by jones at 11:20 AM | Comments (0)
October 31, 2006
Emailing your instructors
A few tips for those of you who are new to this whole university thing:
When emailing an instructor, it is helpful to put the course # in the subject line. Include an informative statement about the topic of your email. For example: "ENGL 2101: Question about second assignment" (drop the quotes). Emails without subject lines often get confused for spam and deleted. If you are not using a university email account, it is all the more important to have a clear subject line.
On that latter point, many professors require email to be from a university account. I am relaxed on this issue. Be aware, though, that an address like sexy_thang@hotmail.com does not create a professional impression.
When addressing your instructor, "Dr. X" or "Professor Y" are preferable to "Hiya" or "Yo!"
Email is generally more relaxed than traditional business or professional correspondence. But, business or professional email still needs to be a lot more formal (i.e. polite; well-written) than text messages to your homies. K?
Make your message clear and explanatory. Your instructor talks to a lot of students in a given day, so "I'm writing about what we were talking about" is not always that helpful.
Please include your full name and student # in the body of your email.
Be aware that some email may trigger spam filters and therefore not get delivered. Check with the instructor if you do not receive a reply.
Here is a more detailed discussion (via Terminal Degree).
Posted by jones at 11:40 AM | Comments (0)
October 10, 2006
Links
An old post by Bibi with some good links. But remember, as Bibi reminds us, pick and choose which advice suits you best:
A Bloggers' Code of Ethics
Be A More Productive Blogger
how to blog
Electronic Frontier Foundation: How to Blog Safely (About Work or Anything Else)
Electronic Frontier Foundation: Legal Guide for Bloggers
Blog etiquette
Posted by jones at 10:20 PM | Comments (0)
August 11, 2006
Getting fancy with Blogger
Free Essential Tools for Blogger
Freshblog: Blogger Hacks, Categories, Tips & Tricks
BloggerHacks Wiki: "an ever-growing collection of hacks and modifications for Google's Blogger blogging service. The goal is to develop an open, current and comprehensive set of hacks, and to make them available to all blogger users."
And don't forget your first line of defense, Blogger Help
Posted by jones at 1:52 PM | Comments (0)
August 9, 2006
Build it and they will come
Beginning here, a series of articles on building your readership, at Learning Movable Type.
Posted by jones at 4:55 PM | Comments (0)
August 6, 2006
If I had to start my blog again …
If I had to Start My Blog Again - Group Writing Project
These posts are written, by definition, by experienced bloggers, but their ideas on how they would do things differently might be of help to those just starting out. Keep in mind that many of these writers are part of a blogging community with a particular emphasis which may or may not be appropriate for you.
(hats off to Sharon at Watermark for the link, and the useful summary. Sharon also writes at Blogging Blog, where you will find lots of great stuff).
Further reading:
Blogging for Beginners: a series of posts from ProBlogger. Much of the emphasis is on gaining a profile and making money, but there are nonetheless some useful tips.
Posted by jones at 9:22 AM | Comments (0)
June 30, 2006
Blogging and safety
Kelly Brown, Founder of Blogging Mommies, give tips on how to "Be a Safe Blogger." Things to keep in mind while each blogger assesses her/his own levels of comfort and risk (link from Jabberlingual).
Posted by jones at 12:17 PM | Comments (0)
December 16, 2005
Blogging ethics
"Karen Schneider on blogging ethics" at mamamusings. Excellent advice about good blogging citizenship, and giving your online writing credibility.
Posted by jones at 5:03 PM | Comments (0)
September 17, 2005
On linking in your blogs
Here is a post that goes into some detail about linking with Blogger.
Posted by jones at 8:39 PM | Comments (0)
Using internet sources
Here is an article on judging internet resources.
Posted by jones at 8:37 PM | Comments (0)
Citations
This isn't about blogging, but about online resources for MLA references:
All bibliographical materials ("works cited" pages) and references must be in MLA format.
On-line guidelines:
Using Modern Language Association (MLA) Format from the Purdue University Online Writing Lab.
Citing weblog material in MLA format:
Citing a Weblog Entry in MLA Style
Citing a Weblog Comment in MLA Style
More links:
English > Links > MLA Reference Style
Posted by jones at 8:33 PM | Comments (0)
September 9, 2005
Posting photos
If you have a digital camera or camera-phone, it is easy to upload pictures to your blog. Windows users can use Hello, a free program that takes a lot of the trouble out of posting photos; Mac users have a variety of options. Flickr is extremely popular. Here is the Blogger help page that discusses uploading images.
Posted by jones at 2:04 AM | Comments (0)
Blogging is conversation
Weblogs are so much more than journals or diaries, or they can be. They are designed to be interactive. Readers may comment on your posts or email them to friends by using the icons at the bottom right of the post. You, in turn, can continue the conversation in the comments or future posts. You can also link to other people's blogs within your own posts. When you do this, be sure to link to the "permalink" for that post (often found in the date).
Another way of extending the conversation is through your links. You can add or change links manually on your template. You can also use Blogrolling.com, a free program that simplifies adding blogs to your sidebar.
Read lots of other blogs. See what's out there, and what others are doing. Get a sense of a particular community or forum before you leap in, however. Link generously when you post, and when visiting others' blogs, be sure to leave comments. Blogroll your favourites. In no time at all you will find yourself within a vibrant, online community of people with similar interests.
Final note: be sure to credit your sources. Not because you will get nailed for plagiarism -- this isn't an academic assignment. However, you will get nailed for rudeness: the technology enables anyone to see who has linked to what, and if you rip off someone's material without at least a nod, you may hear about it. But if you play nice, people will welcome you into the conversation.
Posted by jones at 2:02 AM | Comments (0)
Minimizing frustration/maximizing fun
A few tips:
- Familiarize yourself with Blogger. Visit all the pages; click the buttons. Play around.
- Use Blogger help. It really is useful when you have a question or problem, and can save you time.
- You can save your unfinished posts as drafts and come back to them later.
- To avoid the dreaded lost post, you might want to compose in a word processor and then paste to Blogger, particularly if it is a long piece. (This has the added benefit of allowing you to spell check).
- Some people save all their posts on their hard drives, just in case.
- When you start to feel more brave, you can customize the look of your blog, if you feel artistic. Start small: change the colours, say. But if you want to get into it, the sky is the limit. Look what one UNBSJ student did with his Blogger account: you won't find anything like this in the standard templates. If you get interested in design, you might want to look at this site on website usability (thanks to Jertz's Literacy Weblog for the link).
Posted by jones at 2:01 AM | Comments (0)
Travelblogs
Photoblogs, moblogs (mobile blogs), edublogs, litblogs ... and travelblogs. A weblog for every purpose. Here are some links to dip into:
BootsnAll Travel Blogs Guardian Unlimited: Travelblogs; Travelblogs: Ten of the best travel blogs - and how to start your own
Travelblogs.com: "where you'll find travel writing and photography that's insightful, fresh, and teaches us something."
DisabledTravellers.com
TravelBlog: Free Inspiration: "Travel Journals, Travel Blogs, Diaries and Photos"
LonelyPlanet.com: great travel guides and much more
Posted by jones at 1:54 AM | Comments (0)
How-to's
Here are various resources for you to explore:
10 Tips on Writing the Living Web by Mark BernsteinBlogs by Jay Cross: "Learn to blog, blog to learn." From an instructor's perspective.
Rebecca Blood's Weblog Ethics.
How Users Read on the Web (They don't)
Blogging @ UNB: resources; links
Posted by jones at 1:40 AM | Comments (0)
Blogging theory
Lots of exciting research:
Here is an entry from Klastrup's Cataclysms with links to various articles about blogging. Thanks to jill/txt for the link.
Posted by jones at 1:40 AM | Comments (0)
Resources
Here are various resources for you to explore:
Weblogs or Blogs: MEGA-links.Blog—definition, information, sites, articles. Start here.
How Users Read on the Web (They don't)
Blogging @ UNB: resources; links
Remember, Google is your friend.
Posted by jones at 1:39 AM | Comments (0)
What is blogging?
Beyond "a website with frequent posts organized in reverse chronological order":
Dr Jill Walker's definition of a weblog (and she should know)Blog—definition, information, sites, articles. Start here.
Here Come The Weblogs from Slashdot. "News for nerds. Stuff that matters."
Meg Hourihan: What We're Doing When We Blog
What the hell is a weblog? and why won't they leave me alone?: a personal opinion by Derek M. Powazek
What the hell is a weblog? You tell me: forum hosted by Derek M. Powazek.
What The Difference Between A Blog And A Website?
Posted by jones at 1:36 AM | Comments (0)
Welcome!
This blog is designed mainly as a resource for students creating blogs for my courses, though I hope others may find something useful here. Every term, I find myself posting the same sorts of tips and information, and so decided to create a central clearing house. Whether this will save me time, or whether this new blog will take on a life of its own, remains to be seen. Comments, questions, and updates always welcome.
Posted by jones at 1:21 AM | Comments (0)
