So now what do I do? (Post 2)

By now, all of you are linked to the course blog roll AND you should have posted your first post which was an introduction to you and your space here. So... now what?

In our last class and this week, we will have a series of visiting scholars talking to us about a variety of topics related to social media, activism, and social movements. Choose something that one of these scholars talked about that resonated with you and expand on it here in this space. Here are some ideas to consider:

• Why did it resonate with you? 
• What other information can you share with us? 
• What kind of connection can you make between what resonated with you and the things that interest you or make you tick from last week's blog post?

As a reminder our visiting scholars are: Dr. Rauf Arif (Thursday, January 27), Ms. Christina Riley (Tuesday, February 1), and Dr. Yunkang Yang (Thursday, February 3).

Remember, each week, you'll post at least once, trying to capture the essence of the theme you started out with (which is why I asked you about that in the first post). Most weeks, you should try to relate your post back to something we're talking about in class.

As we continue the semester, one of the things you should consider is giving your blog its own identity or personality. This will take some time to develop; but much like your own identity, your blogs can take on a specific theme and your posts can fit into that theme. Maybe you want to be inspirational. Maybe you want to think about faith. Maybe you want to think about travel. Or sports!

Are you guys too young to remember Disney's Dog with a Blog?

Whatever it is, think about what kind of vibe you want to develop, and try to tailor your posts as much as possible to that and our topics as the semester goes on. This way, you'll have the beginnings of your own space in the digital realm. Who knows where it can take you!

Blogs and vlogs are due by end of day Friday. 

Your First Post - Spring 2022

Welcome to blogging for the Spring 2022 semester! 

I've had a few suggestions that students be allowed to vlog instead of blog for this class. I am open to that, as long as you are able to touch on the required components of each week's post. However, regardless of whether you write or make videos, I still need a common place for you to host whatever content you do produce for this class, and short of me following you on TikTok (which is probably NOT a good idea)... a blog platform seems like a happy medium.  

Now that we've addressed that: This week, your post should be a basic introduction to who you are and what your blog (or vlog) will be about - it's your first post for this class, so you can really carve out your niche in this space. You have to start somewhere, and what better way than to start off with an introductory post! If you already posted something as you created your blog, keep reading and make sure you addressed everything I ask for. I won't read posts for a grade until at least the weekend. 

So to start - introduce yourself. Who are you? That's a loaded question. Unpack it (using as much self-disclosure as you deem fit for an online space). Example things to potentially include: Name and where you are in life right now, what you want to do in life, etc.

Gif courtesy of Steve Litras at Cribl

Now... as you went through the process of creating your blog, you made specific decisions in terms of the theme, background, the images, font, and other things that you selected over something else. Was there a reason for that? Offer some insight into your creative process. Do you have a specific theme you plan to stick to throughout the semester? While you will have some freedom to write about what you want from week to week this semester, remember that you should make an effort to connect what you're writing about to what we talk about in class too. 

Next - what makes you tick? What interests you? This can potentially be a direction for your blog. It doesn't have to be just one thing either. This is your space. Personalize it. Make it your own. Give your reader an idea of what you're planning to write about. If you want to add a picture, feel free but it's not necessary to -- at least not right now.

Your blog post should be a few (short) paragraphs. If you're making a video, you should make sure to include everything I mentioned above. If you're writing: notice how in this post, I have small chunks of writing with space between paragraphs. It makes for a more pleasurable reading experience! Remember, you're writing (or vlogging) for a specific audience (me and anyone else you share this with). I encourage you to share your blogs with others too!

Don't forget, posts should be up by the end of day Friday. In general though, as long as it's there by the time I grade (which is usually over the weekend) you should be fine. Happy blogging/vlogging!