Why: Because we are studying journalism and changes in technology  this semester, you have fewer writing assignments than I would like. So, to ensure you do write and do engage with new media, you will create a blog for this class.

Time frame: Beginning in Week 3, you will create your very own blog (new, for this class only) at WordPress and make a total of 10 blog posts over the course of 13 weeks.

Blog list: You will share your blog location and name with me and I will make a class list. You are encouraged to read other blogs and post responses to them.

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Topic

The topic for your blog is... drum roll, please... Journalism, Technology & Society. In other words, I want you to focus on media trends by finding articles and Web sites of interest and relevance to the content of this course.

Some weeks will have assigned blog topics, others you will have to come up with the idea yourself. The week's discussion and readings are a good place to start.

You need to give your blog a unique name that expresses your perspective and individuality. You may give your blog entries a spin relevant to your major and employment goals.

For example, here is an archive of blogs by journalists from Cyberjournalist, one of PR and marketing blogs from Online PR, and a list of recommended and top PR blogs from Sixty Second View to get you started.

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Grading

I will be checking your blog every assigned Friday. It doesn't matter when you post during the week, but you must post before 10 a.m. Friday. Your grade will depend on it.

NOTE: It is your responsibility to be sure that your blog is posted and shows up online by 10 a.m. In other words, post, then view your blog. If Susan checks the link at 10 a.m. and there's no new blog, there’s no new grade – no exceptions.

Your blog will be graded every week, but the size of this class means that you'll receive feedback from me only every other blog. In other words, I'm only going to take the time to give full feedback to half the class every other blog.

The two lowest grades for the 10 blog posts will be dropped.

Weight, overall grade-wise, of the blog: 20 percent of your final grade

Each blog post is worth 10 points. This will be calculated as follows:

• Content (is it interesting? Relevant to course discussions? Timely, current? Is opinion well-supported?) (6 points)
• Mechanics (grammar, spelling, punctuation) (2 points)
• Quality and relevance of the hyperlinks you included in the post (2 points)

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Content

Always keep your audience in mind. Your primary audience is, of course, your instructor, who is grading you. But your audience is also (potentially) worldwide and can include anyone who is interested in your blog’s focus, including classmates and, possibly, future employers.

Rambling, redundant writing is not going to appeal to any audience. Content should be focused and related to course content. But do not write as if you are talking to the instructor or class. Audience. Audience. Audience.

The Web is a fast medium, and Web users are impatient. Get to the point. Edit your writing down to the fewest words possible that still convey what you want to say. That said, each blog entry should be a minimum of 200 and a maximum of 250 words.

Mechanics

You will lose points for errors in grammar, spelling and punctuation. This is formal, course-centered writing. This is not a personal journal or an e-mail and should be approached as a writing assignment for a journalism course.

Note that AP style includes certain standards related to content, and you are expected to follow those standards as well. While other blog writers may use curse words, pornographic language and graphic descriptions of violence, you will lose points if you do the same. The reason: Your written language in this course must be of professional journalistic quality. Bloggers who are not journalists can follow different standards – but you cannot.

Hyperlinks

1. Each post must have at least two functioning hyperlinks. This requirement is aimed at getting you to search the Web regularly for new and interesting content. Hyperlinks should be within the body of the blog entry, not tacked on at the end. The link must be relevant and contribute something to what you have written in your post.

2. Links are more valuable (higher quality) when they are more specific. A link to the home page of The New York Times is not very valuable because: (a) anyone can find that page without your help; and (b) the contents of that page are constantly changing.

3. Links are more valuable when the linked content is provided by someone with expertise or a unique perspective. The content of some personal Web pages has very little value – what qualifications does the author have?

4. Links are more valuable when your link text tells the user what to expect. The words "click here" or "this link" do not tell the user anything about the linked content.

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Thanks to Professor Mindy McAdams, Department of Journalism, University of Florida, for her Web-available guidance in creating this assignment!