March 31 in-class work

Announcing Professional Writing Merit Awards. Your blog is a piece of your professional writing portfolio.

--Melada Scholarship – $2,000 for professional writing majors graduating in December 09 or May 10.

--Returning Student Award –to a non-traditional major or minor.

--2-3 PW achievement awards – awarded to professional writing majors and minors.

NOTE: Blogger has added “monetize” to your options. Check it out.

Homework Review:
--I’ll be checking you new posts and your commenting in order to fold these activities into your weekly grade.
--I’ll be looking for new items on your blogrolls—blogs you think receptive to mutual linking. http://www.blogarama.com/ http://www.blogcatalog.com/ http://www.bloggapedia.com/
--On the board we’ll list some of the Best Post candidates--copy. Say briefly why your nominee is a “good post.”

1. All class discussion of “Making Community” devices. Understand the difference between active and passive, mechanical and artful, tracking and attracting.

Tracking

Sitemeter.com

Statcounter.com

google.com/alerts (google web alert): For top of the news people (potential for Nathan, Joe, Justin, Alex, Wendy, Shay?, Jamie?). Talk about why and see if this applies to you too.

Attracting

Artful

--Blogroll work: Send content.

--Blogroll work: Comment well and frequently.

--Guest blogging invitations

--Search engines-is it worth it? Pp. 67 (key word) and 64 (new spin). What would be your new-unique-classy-high interest keyword that search engines would pick up on? (potential for Sam?)

Mechanical

--Your blog address on an automatic signature on your email account

--Facebook or myspace link: Do this on your own right now—easy.

--digg.com

2. Group Task: You have 15 minutes to figure out exactly what your assigned mechanism accomplishes and then do it on someone’s blog. Present to the class your definition of the mechanism and your success incorporating it.

Sitemeter Blue Panthers

Statcounter Froggy Bloggers

Google alerts Goody Goody

Digg Super Stars

3. All Class Discussion: Active Community Making with Verbal Arts

--Thirtysomething Bloggers and Inconsistent Beauty for high-end example of active community making.

--Committed to Celluloid

--Mile Marker

--Using cultural knowledge and sarcasm: Arianna Huffington “Obama Happens” p. 194 of HuffPost Guide.

--Inserting the self image: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/christine-whelan/how-i-almost-committed-el_b_79695.html

--creating a puzzle; using exaggerated verbal imagery: p. Adam McKay “Obama Cracks My TV in Half” 193 of HuffPost Guide

4. Technical Presentation –15 minutes—Lori.

6. Midterm grades to be handed out at the end of period.
Blogging: 30 (qualitative cum quantitative, holistic grade with attention to how you respond to input)
Journals: 15 (three levels: Outstanding-15; first tier--12-14; second tier--10-11.
Technical Presentation: 15 (if done)
Weekly: 35 (5 x 7) through March 17. Here you'll see 7 numbers each representing chronologically your weekly grades.

Make office hour appointment to discuss your grade. Wednesdays 10-2. Email for appointment as I have appointments already on the books.