The term "blog" is an abbreviation of "weblog" - and it is a bit like an online journal. If you have a personal MySpace page, you have used a blog and no doubt seen dozens if not hundreds of them.
Why are we using blogs for this class? They organize information in an easy-to-read and navigate format and I'll be able to subscribe to your blog to get regular updates.
The blogosphere outside MySpace is full of interesting political/social/news commentary (as well as crude and/or aimless ramblings and loads of misinformation and rumor-mongering - kind of like life). Really, there's a blog for almost every interest - and some of them are quite useful for academic research.
So completing Thing 1 will take care of some housekeeping for the course and help me get to know you a bit:
1. Go to
http://www.blogger.com/ and set up and create a blog.
2. The default set-up for a blog is public. If you would rather make the blog private (so that only you and I can read it), go to Settings > Permissions > Blog Readers.
3. Add your first post - a short introduction (at least 150 words). Write a little bit about yourself and your interests. Also, please tell me what you hope to learn from the class and how I can best help you accomplish your goals.
4. Email me the URL of your blog.
Resources:
http://del.icio.us/liby1210/blogsBlog length: At least 150 words.
Blog entry must be posted by: Wed, 1/17/07 at 9pm
Now that you've set up your Google Reader account and set up a few feeds, I want you to find and subscribe to two feeds that have to do with your project. You can search for feeds using the built in Google Reader feed directory or you can find appropriate websites that concern your topic and subscribe to their feeds. Remember to think about the principles of evaluation as you choose feeds. The resources should be appropriate for scholarly, college-level research.
