For April 21:

--Post according to your plan of action as set out in your journal.

--Be sure to comment on your group mates’ blogs. They need your input.

Instead of a Friday midnight post, you have till Tuesday to produce two comments on the class blog:

1. write about your own blog as an example of professional writing (see below)

2. offer suggestions to your group partner (partners listed below).

1. Draft an introduction to your blog—a couple of paragraphs suitable for placement in writing portfolio and prefacing a link to one of your best posts. I don’t want to script what you say too tightly in this first pass; you don’t want to sound like a template. But my sense is that you should begin with content and purpose statement. Then describe some of the writing arts that you’ve had to employ.  I actually think this is a hard assignment because you want to stay general enough for a non-blogger audience, yet make sure this audience knows that blogging is not just free writing off the top of your head. Include things like template design/choice, image or video editing applications, research—book or field, writing style, interactive writing, visual appeals.  Give yourself latitude in this first pass—you can think about cutting later. * Be sure to include a link to the post you want your audience to see.

An incomplete recap of what some what was said in class:

--Jamie led with audience. She began by describing who she imagined her audience is, but then pointed to how visuals (characters?) were selected because she knew this audience would be familiar with them.

--Victor discussed local appeal, clarity, consistency, and accessibility to readers’ needs. Also arts of interviewing and videotaping.

--Justin discussed community service and promotion, pointed out that his promotional writing engages community and that this kind of writing readily translates to other kinds of community-based projects.

--Geoff (with Justin’s insights) talked about wrapping history and information in local business culture.

2. Look over the blog of your group-mate partner (see below). Offer some suggestions for how he or she might describe and pitch her blog by its content and the arts, proficiencies, and research needed to create this content. You might select a post you think lends itself well to the argument.

Partners:

Froggy Bloggers

Jamie reads Kung Foo Dad

Victor reads Change the Change

Nathan reads New Mexico Taste Buds

Alex reads ThirtySomething Gamers

Superstars

Shannon reads Sports on Both Sides of the Pond

Lindsay reads LiteraryCinema

Joe reads Mile Marker

Shay reads Means of Persuasion

Blue Panthers

Justin reads Beerology 101

Sam reads Five-O-Fresh

Geoff reads Inconsistent Beauty

Goody Goody

Regan reads Facing the Crisis

Wendy reads Verde in the Burque

Sergio reads A Penny for your Thoughts

Lori reads One for My Baby