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>> GOOD EVENING, EVERYONE.
WELCOME TO THE WRITING CENTER'S WEBINAR.
WE'RE GONNA GO AHEAD AND GET STARTED BECAUSE WAVE A LOT
TO TALK ABOUT TODAY.
I'M BETH OYLER.
I'M THE WRITING COORDINATOR FOR THE WRITING CENTER.
SO I WANTED TO GET US STARTED.
THIS WEBINAR IS "WRITING FOR SOCIAL CHANGE: BLOGGING,"
AND IT'S THE SECOND PART OF OUR NEW WRITING FOR SOCIAL
CHANGE SERIES.
IN THIS SERIES, OUR PURPOSE REALLY IS TO GIVE STUDENTS
A CHANCE TO EXPLORE DIFFERENT WAYS THAT WRITING CAN BE
RELATED TO SOCIAL CHANGE OR WAYS THAT YOU CAN SORT OF
EXPLORE YOUR INTERESTS AND PURSUE YOUR INTERESTS
THROUGH WRITING AND IN DIFFERENT GENRES AND DIFFERENT
WAYS.
THIS IS THE SECOND WEBINAR OF THE SERIES.
AND WE'RE PLANNING ON DOING MORE IN THE COMING MONTH.
FIRST, WITH US TODAY WE HAVE ANNE SHIELL.
SHE'S A WRITING INSTRUCTOR AS WELL AS THE COORDINATOR
OF ALL OF OUR SOCIAL MEDIA AT THE WRITING CENTER WHICH
INCLUDES OUR BLOG, SO VERY MUCH RELEVANT TO OUR TOPIC
TODAY.
AND THEN WE HAVE HILLARY WENTWORTH, WHO IS ALSO A
WRITING INSTRUCTOR, AND SHE HELPED, I GUESS, ORGANIZE
AND DO ALL OF THE BLOG FOR A COUPLE OF YEARS.
AND THEN SHE ALSO IS THE COORDINATOR OF ALL OF OUR
UNDERGRADUATE SERVICES.
SO I'M VERY EXCITED TO HAVE THEM TALKING ABOUT THIS
TODAY.
AND BEFORE I TURN IT OVER TO THEM, ANNE, CAN WE GO OVER
TO THAT HOUSEKEEPING SLIDE?
AWESOME.
THANK YOU.
SO JUST A COUPLE HOUSEKEEPING THINGS.
IF THIS IS YOUR FIRST WEBINAR, THE FIRST IS THAT
EVERYONE IS MUTED.
THAT'S JUST BECAUSE WE HAVE A LARGE NUMBER OF STUDENTS
ON THE CALL, AND WE WANT TO AVOID ANY DISTRACTIONS IN
THE BACKGROUND OR BACKGROUND NOISES.
BUT YOU'RE MORE THAN WELCOME TO CHAT WITH US, GIVE US
COMMENTS OR FEEDBACK OR QUESTIONS VIA THE QUESTIONS
BOX.
SO THIS IS A LITTLE ARROW TO WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE IN
YOUR GO TO MENU.
SO YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO SEND ANY COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS
THAT WAY.
AND WE WILL BE ABLE TO RESPOND TO YOU.
WE ALSO HAVE ANOTHER WRITING INSTRUCTOR, AMY, WHO WILL
BE RESPONDING AS WELL.
THEN THIS IS JUST A LINK FOR ANY TECH TROUBLE.
PLEASE LET US KNOW IF YOU HAVE ANY TECHNICAL ISSUES.
WE CAN TRY TO TROUBLESHOOT IN THE WEBINAR.
AND THEN ALSO KNOW THAT WE ARE RECORDING THIS SESSION,
SO YOU CAN COME BACK LATER AND WATCH IT IF THAT'S
USEFUL FOR YOU OR IF YOU HAVE TO LEAVE FOR ANY REASON,
YOU CAN COME BACK AND WATCH THE FULL RECORDING.
I HAVE THE LINK FOR THAT.
ON THAT SAME PAGE, YOU CAN ALSO FIND THESE POWERPOINT
SLIDES.
THEY'LL ALSO BE AVAILABLE LATER SO YOU CAN DOWNLOAD
THEM AT A LATER DATE.
I'LL INCLUDE A LINK TO THAT IN THE CHAT BOX IN JUST A
SECOND.
THE LAST THING IS WE DO HAVE CAPTIONING FOR THIS
WEBINAR AS WELL.
SO IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO ACCESS CAPTIONING, YOU JUST
CLICK THAT LINK AND OPEN UP A TAB ON YOUR INTERNET
BROWSER, SO YOU'LL NEED TO KEEP THE INTERNET BROWSER
WINDOW OPEN.
I'M GONNA HAND IT OVER TO HILLARY NOW.
>> THANKS, BETH.
AND HI, EVERYONE.
I WANT TO APOLOGIZE RIGHT OFF THE BAT AND SAY THAT I
HAVE A BIT OF A COLD SO MY VOICE DOESN'T REALLY USUALLY
SOUND LIKE THIS.
I HOPE THAT YOU CAN BEAR WITH ME THIS EVENING.
IT'S GONNA BE A FUN WEBINAR, I PROMISE.
SO LET'S GET STARTED.
YOU MAY BE FAMILIAR WITH BLOGGING EITHER THROUGH BLOG
REQUIREMENTS IN YOUR COURSE OR IN YOUR OWN PERSONAL OR
PROFESSIONAL LIFE.
OR YOU MIGHT BE TOTALLY NEW TO THE CONCEPT.
EITHER WAY, YOU'RE IN THE RIGHT PLACE.
IN THIS PRESENTATION, WE WILL DISCUSS USING A BLOG TO
EXPAND YOUR WRITING AND TO REALLY AMPLIFY YOUR VOICE
BEYOND THE SPHERE OF WALDEN.
A BLOG ALLOWS A MORE CASUAL, NATURAL STYLE OF WRITING,
A WIDE AUDIENCE AND A VENUE TO WORK THROUGH YOUR SOCIAL
CHANGE IDEAS.
THIS PRESENTATION WILL INCLUDE A BIT OF TECHNICAL TIPS
AND ALSO SOME WRITING CONSIDERATIONS.
WE'RE GONNA START WITH THE BASIC DEFINITION FOR THOSE A
LITTLE LESS FAMILIAR WITH BLOGGING.
THE WORD "BLOG" IS ACTUALLY A SHORTENED FORM OF THE
ORIGINAL WORD "WEB BLOG," MEANING "AN ONLINE LOG OF
SOMEONE'S OPINIONS, ACTIVITIES OR EXPERIENCES."
IN THE EARLY DAYS OF BLOGS, THEY WERE JUST VERY BASIC
TEXT, AND I DON'T KNOW IF ANYONE WAS AROUND ON THE
INTERNET IN THE '90s, BUT I WAS KIND OF SCROLLING A
LITTLE BIT AND READING SOME KIND OF JUST BASIC BLOGS AT
THAT TIME.
BUT NOW THEY ARE A LOT MORE DYNAMIC AND VISUALLY
APPEALING.
BLOGS FALL INTO THE OVERALL CATEGORY OF SOCIAL MEDIA
BECAUSE THEY'RE ACCESSIBLE TO EVERYONE, AND THEY OFFER
WAYS TO CONNECT AND COMMUNICATE REALLY ACROSS BORDERS.
WHAT DISTINGUISHES BLOGS FROM WEBSITES -- THIS CAN BE
TRICKY -- IS THAT BLOGS ARE UPDATED REGULARLY, AND THE
DATE OF EACH INDIVIDUAL PIECE OF WRITING ON A BLOG IS
USUALLY DISPLAYED.
THAT WAY THE READER OF THE BLOG GETS A TIMELY REVERSE
CHRONOLOGICAL JOURNAL OF THE AUTHOR'S THOUGHTS.
AS AN EXAMPLE, THE WRITING CENTER HAS A BLOG IF YOU DID
NOT KNOW.
AS BETH STATED IN THE INTRODUCTION, I USED TO MANAGE
OUR BLOG, AND ANNE MANAGES IT NOW.
SO WE'RE VERY MUCH FAMILIAR WITH THIS BLOG PLATFORM.
THIS IS THE BLOG'S MAIN PAGE WITH THE TITLE "WALDEN
UNIVERSITY WRITING CENTER" UP ALONG THE TOP.
YOU CAN SEE THAT EACH SEPARATE POST OR ENTRY AS THEY'RE
CALLED OF THE BLOG HAS ITS OWN IMAGE, AND THEY ARE
ORGANIZED REVERSE CHRONOLOGICALLY FROM THE MOST RECENT
ONE WHICH IS CELEBRATING THE BIRTHDAY OF THE BLOG TO
THE OLDER POSTS BELOW.
THE DATE APPEARS ON THE FLAG NEXT TO THE TITLE, THE
GREEN COLORED FLAG.
LET'S SEE.
READERS CAN CLICK ON EACH POST FROM THIS PAGE
INDIVIDUALLY, OR THEY CAN FLIP THROUGH AS THEY WOULD IN
A MAGAZINE.
IT'S JUST A SPECIAL FEATURE OF THE PLATFORM THAT WE
USE.
BLOGGER ALLOWS INTEGRATION WITH OTHER SOCIAL MEDIA
ACCOUNTS LIKE FACEBOOK, TWITTER, AND GOOGLE PLUS.
FOR INSTANCE, PEOPLE CAN LIKE YOUR BLOG POST RIGHT FROM
THE BLOG ITSELF.
READERS CAN ALSO ACCESS THE ARCHIVE AND SUBSCRIBE TO
OUR BLOG VIA THE BLACK COLUMN OF ICONS ALONG THE RIGHT
SIDE THERE.
THIS IS JUST ONE DESIGN FOR A BLOG, AND WE'LL BE
LOOKING AT OTHERS THROUGHOUT THE PRESENTATION.
SO YOU'RE NOT LIMITED TO JUST THIS ONE KIND.
WITH THIS SLIDE, WE'RE GONNA KIND OF STEP BACK A BIT
AND CONSIDER WHY WE WOULD EVEN WANT TO HAVE A BLOG IN
THE FIRST PLACE.
WELL, BLOGS ARE A VERY POWERFUL FORM OF WRITING BECAUSE
THEY CAN REACH SO MANY PEOPLE.
MILLIONS OF PEOPLE ACROSS THE GLOBE HAVE INTERNET
ACCESS, AND SO ALL OF THOSE PEOPLE ARE YOUR POTENTIAL
READERS.
THEY'RE DYING TO HEAR FROM YOU.
YOU CAN REACH OUT TO THEM AND SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS IN
YOUR VOICE.
AND THIS WAY YOU CAN CONTRIBUTE TO THE GLOBAL
CONVERSATION OR ADVOCATE FOR SOCIAL CHANGE.
PERHAPS THERE'S A PARTICULAR CAUSE OR ISSUE THAT YOU
ARE PASSIONATE ABOUT.
BLOGS OFFER A FREE STAGE WITH A MICROPHONE WHERE YOU
CAN INFORM, PERSUADE, AND CONNECT WITH OTHERS.
GETTING INTO THE TECHNICAL ASPECTS OF STARTING A BLOG,
THERE ARE MANY FREE PLATFORMS LIKE BLOGGER.
THAT'S THE ONE THAT THE WRITING CENTER USES, AND ALSO
WORDPRESS, TUMBLR, AND EDUBLOGS.
SEE WHAT FEATURES ARE AVAILABLE ON EACH ONE AND WHETHER
THOSE MESH WITH YOUR OVERALL FOCUS.
WE'RE GONNA BE TALKING A LOT ABOUT THE FOCUS OF YOUR
BLOG OR YOUR POTENTIAL BLOG IN THIS PRESENTATION.
YOU'LL REALLY NEED TO THINK ABOUT THAT FOCUS IN EVERY
ASPECT OF CREATING YOUR BLOG.
THE FOCUS SHOULD BE APPARENT IN YOUR BLOG'S TITLE AND
TAGLINE AND DETAILED A BIT MORE IN THE "ABOUT" SECTION.
READERS WILL BE ABLE TO FIND YOUR BLOG IN SEARCH
ENGINES LIKE GOOGLE JUST BY TYPING IN A CERTAIN TOPIC.
AND IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WHEN THEY CLICK ON YOUR BLOG
AND THEY BECOME INTERESTED IN IT, THEY KNOW IMMEDIATELY
WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT AND WHAT YOU'RE ALL ABOUT.
YOU'LL ALSO WANT TO WRITE AND PUBLISH POSTS PRETTY
REGULARLY.
THE WRITING CENTER PUBLISHES WEEKLY, BUT YOU MIGHT TRY
BIMONTHLY OR MONTHLY AS A MORE REALISTIC GOAL.
YOU JUST WANT PEOPLE TO ANTICIPATE NEW MATERIAL AND
KIND OF BE HUNGERING FOR MORE INFORMATION FROM YOU AND
KEEP COMING BACK TO HEAR ABOUT THAT CHOSEN TOPIC.
AS A MEMBER OF THE GLOBAL COMMUNITY, THOUGH, YOU JUST
DON'T WANT TO BE A PRODUCER OF THAT INFORMATION.
YOU ALSO WANT TO UNDERSTAND WHAT'S GOING ON, THE
CURRENT CONVERSATION.
AND IT CAN BE HARD TO KIND OF CURATE THE CONVERSATION
BECAUSE THE INTERNET IS SO VAST, RIGHT?
ONE WAY TO CURATE THAT, KIND OF PICK AND CHOOSE THE
IMPORTANT BITS OF INFORMATION, IS TO SET UP AN RSS FEED
FOR YOUR TOPIC OF INTEREST.
AND THAT COULD PROBABLY BE A WHOLE OTHER WEBINAR IN ITS
OWN RIGHT.
SO WE'RE NOT GONNA GO TOO MUCH INTO IT.
BUT ANNE HAS ACTUALLY WRITTEN A BLOG POST ON HOW TO SET
UP AN RSS FEED.
SO YOU CAN SEARCH OUR BLOG LATER ON AFTER THIS
PRESENTATION IF YOU WANT TO FIND OUT HOW TO DO THAT.
AN RSS FEED ESSENTIALLY DELIVERS PERTINENT CONTENT TO
YOUR EMAIL SO THAT YOU CAN READ OTHER RELEVANT BLOGS.
BLOG POSTS TAKE ON MANY FORMS.
IN ONE BLOG COULD HAVE ALL OF THESE DIFFERENT TYPES OF
POSTS IN IT.
THE MOST TYPICAL POST IS PROBABLY THE ESSAY WHERE THE
WRITER SIMPLY DISCUSSES THE TOPIC AT HAND.
IT'S GOOD, THOUGH, TO VARY YOUR POSTS BECAUSE WHEN YOU
ARE BEING -- BECAUSE THEN YOU ARE BEING DYNAMIC AND
INTERESTING FOR THE READER.
FOR EXAMPLE, SAY THAT YOUR BLOG'S THEME IS GLOBAL
WARMING.
ONE MONTH YOU COULD WRITE A POEM ABOUT YOUR TRIP TO
ALASKA WHERE YOU SAW GLACIERS MELTING.
THE NEXT MONTH YOU COULD INCLUDE AN INTERVIEW WITH A
LOCAL SCIENTIST.
AND THEN THE NEXT YOU COULD REVIEW THE MOVIE "CHASING
ICE."
SO THOSE ARE VERY DIFFERENT FORMS OF ADDRESSING THE
IDEA OF GLOBAL WARMING, AND SO THEY ATTRACT DIFFERENT
TYPES OF READERS AND CAN WIDEN YOUR AUDIENCE THERE.
BECAUSE BLOG POSTS ARE DATED, YOU COULD ALSO REPORT ON
ANY NEWS OR LEGISLATION IN THE FIELD AND OFFER
ANNOUNCEMENTS OF UPCOMING EVENTS OR MILESTONES.
THAT WAY YOU'RE STAYING UP TO DATE.
NOW THAT WE'VE DISCUSSED BLOG SET-UP, ANNE IS GOING TO
TAKE OVER AND GO MORE INTO WHAT IT MEANS TO ACTUALLY
WRITE FOR SOCIAL CHANGE.
>> THANKS, HILLARY.
HI, EVERYBODY.
THIS IS ANNE.
SO BLOGS CAN COVER ALL KINDS OF TOPICS, BUT YOU ARE
HERE TONIGHT BECAUSE YOU'RE INTERESTED IN BLOGGING FOR
SOCIAL CHANGE.
IN OUR FIRST WEBINAR IN OUR NEW SERIES ON SOCIAL CHANGE
THAT BETH MENTIONED EARLIER, WHICH WE HELD LAST YEAR
AND IS AVAILABLE IN OUR WEBINARS ARCHIVE, WE TALKED
ABOUT WHAT SOCIAL CHANGE IS, WHAT IT MEANS TO YOU,
WALDEN STUDENTS.
AND SOME DEFINITIONS THAT WE CAME UP WITH INCLUDE THAT
SOCIAL CHANGE BENEFITS YOUR COMMUNITY, HAS A POSITIVE
IMPACT ON SOMEONE ELSE, WHETHER THAT'S AN INDIVIDUAL,
AN ORGANIZATION, A COMMUNITY, OR EVEN THINKING LARGER,
A WHOLE NATION OR EVEN THE WORLD.
SOCIAL CHANGE INVOLVES NEW STRATEGIES FOR OTHER
PARTICIPANTS IN SOCIAL CHANGE.
AND IT BRINGS EQUITY TO GROUPS WHO HAVE BEEN
UNDERSERVED.
WE ALSO BRAINSTORMED SOME IDEAS ON HOW TO ACHIEVE
SOCIAL CHANGE THROUGH WRITING.
AND SOME THINGS WE DISCUSSED INCLUDE HOW SOCIAL CHANGE
THROUGH WRITING STARTS WITH JUST A DREAM OR JUST AN
IDEA OF SOMETHING THAT YOU SEE THAT NEEDS TO BE
CHANGED.
IT INVOLVES USING WRITING TO CONTACT OTHERS AND CONNECT
WITH OTHERS AND MOTIVATE THEM TO CHANGE AND INSPIRE
THEM TO ACT.
IT INVOLVES CONNECTING WITH REAL PROBLEMS, PROVIDING
POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS TO IMPROVE AN ISSUE OR A SITUATION,
AND POSSIBLY EVEN REFLECTING ON THE STRENGTHS OF A
PEOPLE OR A COMMUNITY OR A PROGRAM OR SOMETHING LIKE
THAT.
LOUISE DUNLAP, WHO IS THE AUTHOR OF THE BOOK "UNDOING
THE SILENCE," WHICH BETH ACTUALLY REVIEWED ON OUR BLOG,
SHE WROTE THAT, "THE WRITTEN WORD DRIVES SOCIAL CHANGE
FOR THE LONG HAUL."
AND ALL THESE IDEAS AND WAYS TO ACHIEVE SOCIAL CHANGE
FIT IN REALLY WELL WITH THE BLOG MEDIUM BECAUSE THEY
ARE EASILY ACCESSIBLE AND THEY CAN REMAIN PERMANENTLY
ON THE WEB.
BLOG WRITING CAN BE INFORMATIVE, INSPIRATIONAL, AND
PERSUASIVE.
BLOGS CAN REACH TONS OF PEOPLE AND CONNECT TO PEOPLE IN
DIFFERENT PHYSICAL LOCATIONS AS HILLARY MENTIONED AS
WELL.
AND BLOGS HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO BE INTERACTIVE.
DUNLAP ALSO WROTE THAT, "EVERY TIME WE PUT A VISION OF
CHANGE INTO WORDS, WE ARE BEGINNING TO ACT ON THAT
VISION TO UNDO WHAT HOLDS US BACK AND CREATE POSITIVE
MOVEMENT FORWARD."
DR. MARY PIPHER IN "WRITING TO CHANGE THE WORLD"
PREDICTED THAT, "BLOGS MAY BECOME THIS NEW CENTURY'S
MAJOR FORM OF SOCIAL PROTEST," AND SHE WROTE THAT BACK
IN 2006.
AND YOU PROBABLY NOTICED THAT YOURSELF IF YOU FOLLOW
SOCIAL MEDIA AT ALL OR EVEN GLOBAL NEWS TALKING ABOUT
HOW SOCIAL MEDIA PLAYS A ROLE IN SOCIAL PROTESTS AND
POLITICS AND ISSUES.
AND BLOGS OFFER A UNIQUE WAY TO ENGAGE LARGE AUDIENCES
AT ONE TIME BECAUSE OF THEIR REACH.
FOR EXAMPLE, JUST AMONG U.S. ADULT INTERNET USERS, 14%
HAVE THEIR OWN BLOG, AND 32% READ BLOGS.
BUT ALSO BECAUSE OF BLOG'S POTENTIAL -- OR THE CONTENT
OF BLOG'S POTENTIAL TO GO VIRAL, MEANING THAT CONTENT
CAN SPREAD QUICKLY AND WIDELY FROM PERSON TO PERSON
THROUGH ONLINE COMMUNICATION.
SO BLOGS ARE GOOD FOR BUILDING AN AUDIENCE OVER TIME,
BUT ALSO FOR KIND OF RALLYING SUPPORT QUICKLY BECAUSE
THEY DON'T HAVE TO GO THROUGH A LENGTHY APPROVAL,
EDITING, AND PRODUCTION PROCESS.
INSTEAD, THAT CONTENT CAN BE PUBLISHED, UPDATED, AND
SHARED WIDELY IMMEDIATELY.
SO SOME PURPOSES AND OUTCOMES OF BLOGGING FOR SOCIAL
CHANGE INCLUDE RAISING AWARENESS OF AN ISSUE THAT
PEOPLE MIGHT NOT KNOW ABOUT OR KNOW MUCH ABOUT, ADDING
YOUR VOICE TO AN ISSUE AND BUILDING STRENGTH IN
NUMBERS, CONVINCING READERS OF A POINT, AND SHOWING
READERS HOW THEY CAN GET INVOLVED AND HOW THEY CAN MAKE
A DIFFERENCE.
SO IN THE NEXT COUPLE SLIDES, WE'RE GONNA LOOK AT A
COUPLE REAL BLOG EXAMPLES.
AS HILLARY TALKED ABOUT EARLIER, WHEN YOU HAVE A BLOG,
YOU WANT IT TO HAVE A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND A FOCUS.
THERE ARE LOTS OF EXCELLENT AND INFLUENTIAL CORPORATE
AND ORGANIZATIONAL SOCIAL CHANGE BLOGS, BUT TODAY WE'RE
GONNA TAKE A QUICK LOOK AT A COUPLE EXAMPLES OF BLOGS
THAT ARE RUN BY INDIVIDUALS.
AND ON THIS SLIDE WE HAVE THREE BLOGS THAT HAVE KIND OF
A GENERAL FOCUS ON SOCIAL CHANGE.
NOW, THE MIDDLE BLOG HERE, THE MIDDLE EXAMPLE HERE,
"HAVE FUN, DO GOOD," IS THE MOST INFORMATIVE IN ITS
TITLE.
HILLARY MENTIONED TITLES EARLIER AND COMMUNICATING YOUR
PURPOSE THROUGH THE TITLE.
BUT YOU'LL NOTICE DOWN HERE ON THE SLIDE IN BROWN ARE
THE TAGLINES OF THE BLOGS, AND THOSE TAGLINES ARE ALSO
REALLY IMPORTANT FOR COMMUNICATING TO READERS WHAT THE
FOCUS OF THE BLOG IS RIGHT AWAY.
THE TITLE AND THE TAGLINE USUALLY APPEAR SOMEWHERE
PRETTY PROMINENT ON THE BLOG, USUALLY AT THE VERY TOP.
SO FOR EXAMPLE, SASHA'S BLOG TELLS US THAT HE WRITES
ABOUT REFLECTIONS ON GENEROSITY, PHILANTHROPY, AND
SOCIAL CHANGE.
THE "HAVE FUN, DO GOOD" BLOG WRITES ABOUT IDEAS,
INSPIRATION, AND INTERVIEWS FOR FUN-LOVING DO-GOODERS,
AND THE "SILVER LINING CHRONICLES" BLOG WRITES ABOUT
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, SOCIAL GOOD, AND PHILANTHROPY.
SO YOU'LL NOTICE THAT ALL THREE OF THESE BLOGS HAVE
THIS FOCUS ON SOMETHING TO DO WITH SOCIAL CHANGE.
SO IF YOUR BLOG COVERED EVERYTHING AND ANYTHING, ALL OF
YOUR INTERESTS, SOCIAL CHANGE, YOUR FAMILY VACATIONS,
COOKING, CELEBRITY GOSSIP, POLITICS, THEN READERS
WOULDN'T KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT FROM YOUR BLOG, AND YOU
MIGHT LOSE READERS WHO AREN'T INTERESTED IN ALL OF
THOSE TOPICS.
HAVING A NARROWER FOCUS HELPS YOU CONNECT WITH READERS
WHO SHARE YOUR INTERESTS.
AND IF THERE ISN'T ONE PARTICULAR ISSUE THAT YOU'RE
PASSIONATE ABOUT, THOUGH, OR IF YOU WANT TO WRITE ABOUT
MULTIPLE SOCIAL CHANGE TOPICS, THEN HAVING A BROADER
SOCIAL CHANGE FOCUS LIKE THESE THREE BLOGS CAN WORK,
BUT YOU DO JUST WANT TO LIMIT YOUR POSTS TO TOPICS
RELATED TO SOCIAL CHANGE TO GIVE IT THAT FOCUS.
NOW ON THIS SLIDE, WE HAVE FOUR EXAMPLES OF BLOGS HAVE
AN EVEN NARROWER FOCUS.
YOU'LL NOTICE HERE THAT -- AND ON THE LAST SLIDE --
THAT MANY BLOGGERS TEND TO USE THEIR NAMES AS THEIR
BLOG TITLE, WHICH IS JUST FINE, BUT IF YOU CONSIDER HOW
THIS EXAMPLE HERE AT THE BOTTOM, "MEN AND HEALTH, IT'S
A GUY THING," THIS BLOG'S TITLE IMMEDIATELY GIVES
READERS A SENSE OF THE BLOG'S FOCUS.
AND YOU'LL SEE SOME TAGLINES ON THIS PAGE TOO IN
ITALICS HERE IN BROWN THAT ALSO TELL READERS MORE ABOUT
THE BLOG'S FOCUS.
FOR EXAMPLE, BETH'S BLOG, NOT BETH ON THE WEBINAR
TONIGHT, BUT A DIFFERENT BETH, HER FOCUS FOR HER BLOG
IS NETWORK TO NONPROFITS, NETWORKING AND SOCIAL CHANGE.
THE MEN AND HEALTH BOTTOM -- OR EXCUSE ME, MEN AND
HEALTH BLOG IS A HEALTH RESOURCE FOR BABY BOOMERS.
SO THESE BLOGS ARE ALSO ON SOCIAL CHANGE TOPICS, BUT
THEY EACH HAVE A MUCH NARROWER FOCUS THAN THE THREE
BLOGS WE LOOKED AT ON THE LAST SLIDE.
I ALSO WANT TO POINT OUT, JENNIFER'S BLOG HERE AND
MATTHEW'S BLOG HERE IN PARTICULAR, BECAUSE BOTH OF
THESE BLOGGERS ARE STUDENTS, AND IN FACT, JENNIFER IS A
WALDEN STUDENT, AND WE FEATURED HER ON OUR OWN WRITING
CENTER BLOG.
SO I WANT TO SHOW YOU HER BLOG REALLY BRIEFLY.
SO JUST HOLD TIGHT.
WE'RE GONNA EXIT OUT OF THE POWERPOINT FOR A MOMENT.
SO THIS IS JENNIFER'S BLOG, AND I WANTED TO SHOW YOU IT
IN PARTICULAR BECAUSE IT USES -- IT'S VERY
PICTURE-HEAVY, WHICH IS VERY VISUALLY APPEALING, AND
THESE PICTURES ARE ALSO VERY PERSONAL.
AND WE'LL TALK ABOUT THAT A LITTLE BIT LATER ON IN THE
PRESENTATION.
AND I ALSO WANTED TO SHOW YOU MATTHEW RICHMOND'S BLOG
FOR A MOMENT.
MATTHEW IS ANOTHER BLOGGER WHO USES HIS NAME FOR THE
BLOG TITLE.
SO IT DOESN'T TELL READERS A WHOLE LOT ABOUT THE BLOG'S
FOCUS, BUT IT DOES ACT AS A SORT OF PERSONAL BRANDING,
SO THAT MIGHT BE A REASON THAT YOU WOULD CONSIDER USING
YOUR NAME FOR A TITLE.
AND THEN RIGHT UNDERNEATH THE TITLE IN THIS PROMINENT
PLACE ON THE BLOG, WE HAVE THAT DETAILED TAGLINE THAT
TELLS READERS THE FOCUS OF THE BLOG.
IT KIND OF DRAWS THEM IN AND CATCHES THEIR ATTENTION.
SO WE'VE LOOKED AT A COUPLE EXAMPLES BRIEFLY OF BROADER
SOCIAL CHANGE BLOGS AND SOME BLOGS WITH A NARROWER
SOCIAL CHANGE TOPICS.
SO NOW WE WANTED TO TAKE JUST A MINUTE TO DO A LITTLE
BIT OF BRAINSTORMING.
SO IF YOU WERE GOING TO CREATE A BLOG RELATED TO SOCIAL
CHANGE, THINK ABOUT WHAT WOULD YOUR BLOG FOCUS BE?
AND IF YOU HAVEN'T THOUGHT ABOUT THIS AT ALL OR IF
YOU'RE COMPLETELY NEW TO BLOGGING OR IF YOU'RE NOT EVEN
SURE YOU WANT TO BLOG YET, THAT'S PERFECTLY OKAY.
JUST SPEND A MOMENT TO THINK OF A POTENTIAL TOPIC OR
TWO OR MAYBE EVEN A TAGLINE IDEA FOR A HYPOTHETICAL
SOCIAL CHANGE BLOG THAT YOU MIGHT CREATE SOMETIME SOON
OR SOMETIME LATER ON DOWN THE ROAD.
AND THINKING ABOUT WHAT YOU'RE PASSIONATE ABOUT CAN
HELP YOU COME UP WITH A FOCUS.
SO GO AHEAD AND WRITE YOUR QUESTIONS IN THE QUESTIONS
BOX.
AND WE WILL SHARE SOME OF THEM IN A MOMENT.
>> THIS IS HILLARY.
I'M JUST GONNA HOP IN.
>> THANKS, EVERYBODY.
>> OH, SORRY, ANNE.
>> NO, GO AHEAD.
>> YEAH, I JUST WANTED TO HOP IN AND READ SOME OF THEM
ALOUD BECAUSE I KNOW THAT ALL OF STUDENTS CAN'T SEE
WHAT THE RESPONSES ARE.
BUT A LOT OF THEM HAVE TO DO WITH EDUCATION, WHICH IS
GREAT.
EDUCATION FOR THE FUTURE.
SPECIAL EDUCATION AND ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.
HIGH SCHOOL SERVICE LEARNING.
ONLINE EDUCATION.
DIVERSITY.
SO SOME OF THOSE ARE, YOU KNOW, KIND OF BROAD, BUT THEN
IT GETS INTO SOME MORE SPECIFIC ONES THAT HAVE A
DEFINITE PURPOSE ON THERE, LIKE TRAINING INNER-CITY
YOUTH FOR A SAFE WORLD.
SO A SPECIFIC SUBSET OF THE POPULATION AND SPECIFICALLY
HOW THEY WANT IT TO AFFECT THAT POPULATION.
ANYTHING YOU NOTICE, ANNE?
>> THAT'S GREAT, HILLARY.
I SAW A LOT OF SIMILAR ONES TOO, WORKING -- OR TALKING
ABOUT, WRITING ABOUT EDUCATIONAL TOPICS, WORKING WITH
YOUTH, WORKING WITH KIND OF GENERAL IDEAS ABOUT WORKING
WITH THE COMMUNITY, A LOT OF REALLY GOOD IDEAS,
EVERYBODY.
THANKS FOR SHARING THOSE.
WE'RE GONNA MOVE ON DUE TO TIME, BUT WE MAY HAVE TIME
TO TALK ABOUT THAT A LITTLE BIT MORE AT THE END.
SO THANKS AGAIN.
SO IF YOU HAD TROUBLE COMING UP WITH AN IDEA, OR IF YOU
HAVEN'T -- AS WE TALKED ABOUT -- REALLY THOUGHT ABOUT
BLOGGING BEFORE, MAYBE YOU FEEL LIKE YOU'RE NOT READY
TO BLOG, DON'T HAVE ENOUGH TIME YOU THINK, THERE ARE A
COUPLE WAYS THAT YOU CAN KIND OF START SMALL.
ANOTHER GREAT THING ABOUT BLOGS IS THAT YOU CAN
PARTICIPATE IN THE WHAT'S CALLED THE BLOGOSPHERE
WITHOUT HAVING TO HAVE YOUR OWN BLOG.
SO ONE WAY TO START SMALL IS BY COMMENTING ON OTHER
BLOGS THAT YOU READ BY EXPRESSING THANKS FOR A POST,
EXPRESSING YOUR THOUGHTS AND YOUR REACTIONS TO A POST,
AND EVEN RESPECTFUL DISAGREEMENT.
BLOGS HAVE THE ABILITY TO BE INTERACTIVE IN THIS WAY,
AND ACTUALLY SOME OF MOST REWARDING DISCUSSIONS CAN
HAPPEN AFTER, NOT WITHIN THE BLOG POST ITSELF, BUT
AFTER THE BLOG POST IN THAT COMMENT SECTION BETWEEN THE
AUTHOR AND THE READERS AND THAT EXCHANGE THAT WE HAVE.
ANOTHER REALLY GOOD WAY TO GET STARTED SMALL AND TO
EASE INTO BLOGGING IS TO WRITE GUEST POSTS OR CREATE A
GROUP BLOG.
A GUEST POST IS -- IT'S SORT OF LIKE A GUEST ON A TV
INTERVIEW SHOW.
A GUEST POST APPEARS ON A BLOG THAT'S RUN BY SOMEBODY
ELSE WHO MANAGES AND REGULARLY WRITES FOR THE BLOG.
AND I'M GONNA TAKE US BACK OUTSIDE OF THE POWERPOINT
FOR JUST A MOMENT TO SHOW YOU THE "MEN AND HEALTH" BLOG
THAT WE TALKED ABOUT EARLIER.
IF WE GO BACK TO THE MAIN PAGE, YOU CAN SEE THAT AT THE
TOP HERE ARE A BUNCH OF TABS AND OTHER LINKS, AND ONE
OF THOSE IS A PAGE ON SUBMITTING A GUEST POST.
SO SOME BLOGGERS DO HAVE KIND OF THIS CALL FOR GUEST
POSTS WHERE THEY INVITE OTHER WRITERS, OTHER READERS,
OTHER BLOGGERS TO WRITE FOR THEM.
SO FOR EXAMPLE, THIS BLOG IS WRITTEN BY SCOTT, AND HE
MANAGES IT.
HE WRITES FOR IT.
BUT ONCE IN A WHILE, HE MAY HAVE A POST THAT'S WRITTEN
BY SOMEBODY ELSE.
SO IF A -- IF A BLOG THAT YOU LIKE, THAT YOU'RE
INTERESTED IN, THAT YOU READ REGULARLY DOESN'T HAVE ONE
OF THESE KIND OF OVERT CALLS FOR GUEST POSTS, YOU MIGHT
ALSO CONSIDER REACHING OUT TO THE WRITER OR THE WRITERS
OF THAT BLOG AND ASKING IF THEY WOULD CONSIDER HAVING
GUEST POSTS, ESPECIALLY IF YOU'VE BEEN A REGULAR READER
AND ESPECIALLY IF YOU'VE BEEN A REGULAR COMMENTER ON
THAT BLOG.
THAT'S AN IDEA THAT MANY BLOGGERS ARE OPEN TO DO.
AND IF YOU DO THAT, IT'S A GOOD IDEA TO ILLUSTRATE THAT
YOU'VE READ THE BLOG, TO HAVE A POST IDEA IN MIND, AND
ALSO PERHAPS TO HAVE SOME BRIEF WRITING SAMPLES.
NOW IF YOU WANT TO TAKE MORE OWNERSHIP OF A BLOG BUT
DON'T WANT TO GO IT ALONE COMPLETELY, YOU CAN ALSO
CREATE A GROUP BLOG.
SO BLOGS DON'T HAVE TO BE RUN BY A SINGLE PERSON BUT
CAN BE CREATED SO THAT MULTIPLE PEOPLE HAVE THE ABILITY
TO MANAGE IT.
SO YOU MIGHT TALK WITH SOME CLASSMATES, FOR EXAMPLE,
ABOUT STARTING A BLOG ON A TOPIC THAT YOU'RE ALL
PASSIONATE ABOUT.
AND THEN YOU CAN KIND OF CREATE THIS COMMUNITY AND
SHARE THE WRITING AND NOT PUT IN QUITE SO MUCH TIME AS
IF YOU WERE CREATING A BLOG BY YOURSELF.
SO, SO FAR, WE'VE TALKED ABOUT WHAT BLOGS ARE AND SOME
OF THEIR UNIQUE FEATURES, SOME TECHNICAL
CONSIDERATIONS, WHY YOU MIGHT WANT TO TALK OR WRITE
ABOUT A BLOG IN THE FIRST PLACE, BLOGGING FOR SOCIAL
CHANGE, PICKING A FOCUS FOR YOUR BLOG, AND THESE COUPLE
WAYS THAT YOU CAN GET STARTED SMALL.
SO NOW WE'RE GONNA SHIFT INTO TALKING ABOUT THE WRITING
ITSELF, HOW WRITING A BLOG IS DIFFERENT THAN AND
SIMILAR TO WRITING AN ACADEMIC PAPER.
SO I'M GONNA TURN IT BACK OVER TO HILLARY.
>> OKAY.
WE'RE GONNA ASK FOR SOME HELP FROM YOU AGAIN BEFORE WE
HEAD INTO THE NITTY GRITTY WRITING TALK.
WE'D LIKE TO HEAR FROM YOU.
BASED ON WHAT YOU'VE READ AND EXPERIENCED, HOW ARE BLOG
POSTS DIFFERENT THAN ACADEMIC PAPERS?
AGAIN, WE'LL ASK THAT YOU ADD YOUR RESPONSES TO THE
QUESTIONS BOX ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE SCREEN IN THAT
CONTROL PANEL, AND THEN WE'LL READ SOME OF THEM ALOUD,
AND JUST TO START OFF OUR DISCUSSION.
OKAY.
A LOT OF ANSWERS ARE COMING IN, AND PEOPLE ARE HITTING
THE NAIL ON THE HEAD ON THIS ONE.
I MEAN, A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE SAYING BLOGS ARE CASUAL,
OPINION-BASED, CONVERSATIONAL, AND THEY DON'T HAVE TO
FOLLOW A.P.A. FORMAT.
SO ALL OF THOSE ARE CORRECT.
YOU HAVE A LOT MORE FREEDOM IN BLOGS CREATIVELY TO
WRITE IN A STYLE THAT IS -- IS MOST COMFORTABLE FOR
YOU.
OKAY, SORRY.
I WAS JUST GETTING CARRIED AWAY WITH LOOKING AT
EVERYONE'S ANSWERS.
I'M SURE WE'RE GOING TO BE GOING OVER MORE OF THOSE
ANSWERS MORE TOO.
>> SORRY, HILLARY, MY MUTE WASN'T WORKING FOR A SECOND.
BUT AS YOU SAID, LOTS OF GREAT EXAMPLES.
BUT WE'RE GONNA COVER THEM IN DETAIL HERE.
SO HERE IN THE NEXT SLIDE IS A BREAKDOWN OF THE
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN ACADEMIC WRITING AND BLOGS.
YOU WILL WANT TO CAREFULLY CONSIDER YOUR APPROACH, YOUR
AUDIENCE, AND HOW YOU GIVE CREDIT TO THE SOURCES IF YOU
DO USE SOURCES.
HOWEVER, EACH OF THESE AREAS IS HANDLED IN A SLIGHTLY
DIFFERENT WAY.
IF YOU ARE WRITING A BLOG POST, YOU HAVE MORE LEEWAY TO
SPILL YOUR EMOTIONS, GIVE BELIEFS AND OPINIONS.
THE AUDIENCE IN A PAPER IS USUALLY THE INSTRUCTOR AND
AN INFORMED OUTSIDE READER.
FOR A BLOG POST, YOU WILL NEED TO DETERMINE WHO YOUR
INTENDED AUDIENCE IS.
THEN YOU CAN WRITE IN AN APPROPRIATE TONE AND AT AN
APPROPRIATE KNOWLEDGE LEVEL.
FOR EXAMPLE, IF YOUR AUDIENCE IS CANCER SURVIVORS, THEN
THAT GROUP WILL HAVE A GOOD UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT
CANCER IS.
HOWEVER, IF YOU WERE WRITING FOR THE GENERAL PUBLIC,
YOU MIGHT NEED TO DEFINE TERMS.
IF YOU DO REFER TO STATISTICS OR OTHER WEBSITES, THOSE
CAN, YOU KNOW, ADD A BIT OF CREDIBILITY TO YOUR BLOG,
BUT YOU DON'T HAVE TO USE A.P.A. CITATIONS.
YOU HAVE MORE FREEDOM IN HOW YOU GIVE CREDIT TO THE
SOURCES.
YOU COULD, FOR INSTANCE, DIRECTLY LINK TO THE RELEVANT
WEBSITES THAT YOU ARE REFERRING TO.
YOU'LL ALSO WANT TO CONSIDER YOUR PARAGRAPHS, VISUALS,
AND THE VOICE YOU'LL USE.
IN COURSE PAPERS, YOU'RE PROBABLY TOLD TO FULLY DEVELOP
YOUR PARAGRAPHS TO AT LEAST THREE SENTENCES.
WE SAY THAT A LOT.
USE THE MEAL PLAN AND USE AT LEAST THREE SENTENCES.
BUT IN A BLOG POST, PARAGRAPHS CAN BE SHORTER.
THAT'S BECAUSE YOU'RE TRYING TO KEEP THE READER'S
ATTENTION WITH THESE SHORT SNIPPETS OF INFORMATION THAT
WILL STAY WITH HIM OR HER IN THE ONLINE ENVIRONMENT.
ANOTHER STYLE IS TO USE BULLET POINTS FOR THE IMPORTANT
POINTS.
THAT'S ANOTHER WAY OF KIND OF DOING A NEWS FLASH BAM TO
THE READER.
VISUALLY, YOU CAN FEEL FREE TO EMBED IMAGES AND VIDEO
IN YOUR POSTS FOR MORE OF THAT INTERESTING LOOK.
AND THESE HAVE A SIMILAR EFFECT AS TABLES AND FIGURES
IN AN ACADEMIC TEXT WHERE YOU'RE TRYING TO PRESENT DATA
IN -- PRESENT DATA OR PRESENT, YOU KNOW, AN
ENCAPSULATED IN THIS SHORT, BRIEF, LITTLE IMAGE OR
FIGURE.
JUST AS YOUR APPROACH CAN BE MORE EMOTIONAL, THE WORDS
YOU CAN USE CAN BE MORE CASUAL.
YOU CAN USE CONTRACTIONS, QUESTIONS, AND EVEN THE
SECOND PERSON POINT OF VIEW TO DIRECTLY CONNECT AND
CONVERSE KIND OF WITH THE READER.
THE SECOND PERSON POINT OF VIEW IS "YOU," AS IN, "HOW
DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THIS ISSUE?"
ALL IN ALL, THOUGH, THE PROCESS OF WRITING BOTH OF
THESE PRODUCTS IS ESSENTIALLY THE SAME.
YOU STILL WANT TO PLAN OUT WHAT YOU HAVE TO SAY, WRITE
A DRAFT, READ IT THROUGH, AND REVISE.
AND YOU'LL ALSO WANT TO PROOFREAD TO MAKE SURE NO TYPOS
APPEAR ON THE INTERNET FOR ALL TO SEE.
WE'VE HAD THEM ON THE WRITING CENTER BLOG, AND IT'S
SOMETHING THAT WE CAN QUICKLY CORRECT, BUT IT'S GREAT
TO HAVE READ IN THE FIRST PLACE TO CATCH THOSE.
NOW WE'RE GONNA DIVE A BIT DEEPER INTO SOME OF THE
WRITING TECHNIQUES WE IDENTIFY.
AS MENTIONED IN THE PREVIOUS SLIDE, A BLOG OFFERS WIDER
AUDIENCE POSSIBILITIES THAN ACADEMIC WRITING.
TO DETERMINE YOUR AUDIENCE, YOU'LL NEED TO ASK YOURSELF
ABOUT YOUR OWN PASSIONS AND GOALS.
SO A LITTLE BIT OF THAT BRAINSTORMING WE DID EARLIER.
ARE YOU WRITING THIS BLOG FOR PERSONAL REASONS AND
PERHAPS YOU WANT REGULAR WRITING DEADLINES?
AND PRODUCING A BLOG WILL GIVE YOU THE STRUCTURE THAT
YOU NEED TO REACH THAT GOAL.
IF THIS IS THE CASE, YOUR AUDIENCE MIGHT BE JUST
YOURSELF AND YOUR CLOSE FAMILY BECAUSE YOU DON'T WANT
TO DIVULGE THAT VERY SPECIAL THING TO THE WHOLE WORLD.
ON THE OTHER HAND, YOUR GOAL MIGHT BE MORE GLOBAL.
TO SHARE KNOWLEDGE AND CONNECT WITH OTHERS AND
ULTIMATELY CREATE SOCIAL CHANGE.
IF THAT IS THE CASE, YOU'LL WANT TO DETERMINE HOW
PERSONAL YOU WANT TO GET, HOW MUCH OF YOURSELF DO YOU
WANT TO GIVE TO THE WHOLE WORLD?
AND YOU WILL WANT TO DETERMINE WHETHER YOU'RE WRITING
FOR A BIG POPULATION OR A PARTICULAR SEGMENT OF
LIKE-MINDED INDIVIDUALS.
SO ARE YOU TRYING TO PERSUADE PEOPLE OF SOMETHING OR
RATHER JUST TO INFORM THEM?
SO THE SLIGHT DIFFERENCES IN -- CAN REALLY HELP STEER
THE DIRECTION OF YOUR BLOG.
IN YOUR BLOG, YOU CAN FEEL FREE TO GET PERSONAL AND
EMOTIONAL IN BOTH THE CONTENT AND STYLE OF WRITING.
READERS WILL CONNECT WITH YOUR BLOG MORE PROFOUNDLY IF
THERE IS A PERSONAL FACE AND VOICE TO IT RATHER THAN
JUST THE BLAND FACTS AND FIGURES OF MAYBE SOME OTHER
WEBSITES.
HERE ARE EXCERPTS FROM THE START OF TWO DIFFERENT BLOG
POSTS.
IN THE GREEN EXCERPT, FROM THE "HAVE FUN, DO GOOD"
BLOG, THE WRITER USES A ONE-SENTENCE PARAGRAPH TO HOOK
THE READER, AND IT IS A VERY PERSONAL PARAGRAPH.
"I WAS RAISED TO SERVE."
THIS MAKES THE READER WANT TO KNOW MORE.
HOW WAS THE WRITER RAISED TO SERVE?
WHAT WAS HER BACKGROUND?
SHE GOES ON TO DESCRIBE HER COMMUNITY SERVICE WORK IN
THE NEXT PARAGRAPH.
THE WRITER IS ESSENTIALLY DESCRIBING WHY SHE STARTED
THE BLOG, BECAUSE SHE IS PASSIONATE ABOUT DOING GOOD
WORKS FOR HUMANITY.
READERS MIGHT FIND THESE SORTS OF DISCLOSURES
REFRESHING AND WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS PERSON'S
CAUSE.
AND THE SECOND EXCERPT IS FROM "MOM BLOGGERS FOR SOCIAL
GOOD."
THE WRITER AGAIN REELS THE READER IN, THIS TIME WITH A
DIRECT QUESTION, USING THE SECOND PERSON POINT OF VIEW,
THAT "YOU."
Y-O-U.
"CAN YOU IMAGINE THIS SCENARIO?"
THAT IS WHAT SHE'S SAYING.
SHE THEN GOES ON TO TELL A VERY REAL STORY ABOUT A
22-YEAR-OLD WITH ***.
IT APPEALS TO THE READER'S SENSITIVITY.
ANOTHER WAY TO APPEAL TO THE READER IS THROUGH VISUAL
IMAGERY, WHICH ANNE IS GOING TO TALK ABOUT NEXT.
>> SO ONE OF THE BENEFITS OF WRITING A BLOG IS THAT YOU
HAVE A LOT OF FREEDOM TO BE REALLY CREATIVE IN TERMS OF
THE BLOG'S VISUAL APPEAL.
SO -- AND SOME OF YOU MENTIONED THIS IN THE COMMENTS
BOX, WHICH IS EXCELLENT.
IF YOU THINK ABOUT, LIKE, AN A.P.A.-FORMATTED PAPER
THAT YOU WRITE FOR YOUR WALDEN COURSES, THERE'S NOT
MUCH THAT YOU CAN DO VISUALLY, RIGHT?
THE PAPERS ALWAYS FOLLOW THE SAME FORMAT AS FAR AS
FONT -- EXCUSE ME -- AND COLOR, AND TABLES AND FIGURES
AND THE TITLE PAGES ALL KIND OF LOOK THE SAME AND THAT
KIND OF THING.
BUT WITH A BLOG, WITH THE BLOG ITSELF AND THEN WITH
EACH INDIVIDUAL BLOG POST, YOU CAN INCLUDE VARIOUS
VISUALS, PICTURES, AND IMAGES AND GRAPHS AND
INFOGRAPHICS AND THE VIDEOS AND ALL KINDS OF DIFFERENT
VISUALS LIKE THAT.
YOU CAN ALSO USE DIFFERENT FONTS, DIFFERENT FONT
COLORS, AND SOME BEST PRACTICES TO KEEP IN MIND WHEN
GETTING VISUAL WITH YOUR BLOG ARE TO USE VISUALS THAT
ARE OF HIGH QUALITY AND THAT ADD SOMETHING TO YOUR
POSTS AND TYING INTO THE TEXT.
SO YOU DON'T WANT TO USE VISUALS JUST FOR THE SAKE OF
USING A VISUAL BUT TO ILLUSTRATE SOMETHING THAT YOU'RE
TALKING ABOUT OR TO PROVIDE ANOTHER PERSPECTIVE IN A
WAY OR SOME ADDITIONAL CONTEXT.
YOU ALSO WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU DO CITE ANY VISUALS
THAT YOU USE, JUST AS YOU WOULD IN A ACADEMIC PAPER.
SO WHILE BLOGS AND BLOG POSTS ARE MORE CASUAL AND MORE
INFORMAL AND IT'S REALLY EASY TO GO AND JUST KIND OF
COPY AN IMAGE THAT YOU FIND ON GOOGLE OR SOMEBODY
ELSE'S BLOG, THAT'S A PRACTICE YOU'LL SEE ALL OVER THE
PLACE, BUT IT'S NOT ONE THAT YOU WANT TO GET INTO.
YOU DO WANT TO CITE ALL OF THE INDIVIDUAL ITEMS YOU
USE.
ON THIS SLIDE ARE LINKS TO A FEW RESOURCES FOR VISUALS
THAT ARE OKAY FOR YOU TO USE.
BUT DO NOTE THAT THE IMAGES YOU FIND ON THESE SITES CAN
HAVE SOME DIFFERENT COPYRIGHT RULES.
SO FOR EXAMPLE, SOME CREATORS MIGHT REQUIRE THAT IF YOU
USE THEIR IMAGE, YOU LINK BACK TO THE ORIGINAL IMAGE OR
THAT YOU LIST THE CREATOR IN YOUR POST OR SOMETHING
LIKE THAT.
SO JUST BE SURE TO READ THE FINE PRINT BEFORE USING A
IMAGE.
AND EVEN THOUGH BLOGS ARE MORE INFORMAL OR CASUAL, IF
YOU'RE EVER NOT SURE ABOUT WHETHER YOU CAN USE AN IMAGE
OR NOT, IT'S A GOOD PRACTICE TO EMAIL THE PERSON WHERE
YOU FOUND THE ORIGINAL AND SEE IF YOU CAN GET SOME
PERMISSION.
ANOTHER TIP IS TO STUDY BLOGS THAT YOU FIND
AESTHETICICALLY PLEASING.
SO YOU WANT TO THINK ABOUT YOURSELF AS THE READER AND
WHY A PARTICULAR ASPECT OF A BLOG, A VISUAL ASPECT
WE'RE JUST TALKING ABOUT NOW, THE LAYOUT, THE FONTS,
THE COLORS, THE IMAGES, WHY ALL OF THAT APPEALS TO YOU
OR NOT.
WHAT CATCHES YOUR EYE?
WHAT MAKES THE BLOG EASY FOR YOU TO READ?
WHAT IS DISTRACTING?
OR WHAT MAKES THE BLOG LOOK PROFESSIONAL?
SO CONSIDER THESE QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS AS YOU CREATE
YOUR OWN BLOG.
THE LAST TECHNIQUE WE'LL TALK ABOUT TODAY IS GETTING
INTERACTIVE.
SO WE'VE ALREADY TALKED A BIT ABOUT COMMENTING ON OTHER
BLOGS AND ABOUT TALKING DIRECTLY TO READERS IN YOUR
POSTS THROUGH THAT "YOU," SECOND PERSON.
AND THESE ARE GREAT WAYS TO ENGAGE WITH READERS AND
WITH OTHER BLOGGERS.
THERE ARE SOME OTHER TECHNIQUES THAT YOU CAN USE TOO.
SO FOR EXAMPLE, YOU CAN ASK QUESTIONS OF YOUR READERS.
YOU CAN ALLOW READERS TO COMMENT ON YOUR BLOG.
WE MAY HAVE TIME TO GET TO THIS MORE IN DEPTH IN A
MOMENT, BUT I DID SEE ONE -- AT LEAST ONE QUESTION
ABOUT MODERATING COMMENTS ON THE BLOG AND PERMISSIONS
FOR COMMENTS AND MAKING SURE THAT COMMENTS ARE
APPROPRIATE AND RESPECTFUL AND ON-TOPIC, THAT KIND OF
THING.
SO THAT IS SOMETHING THAT YOU DO WANT TO CONSIDER AND
PROBABLY DO WANT TO DO, BUT YOU -- I WOULD ALSO
ENCOURAGE YOU TO ALLOW READERS TO COMMENT ON YOUR BLOG.
THAT'S A FUNCTION YOU CAN TURN ON OR OFF, BUT TURNING
IT ON ALLOWS SOME ENGAGEMENT TO HAPPEN.
AND DON'T FORGET TO RESPOND TO COMMENTS ON A POST.
YOU CAN ALSO LINK TO OTHER RELATED BLOGS THAT YOU LIKE,
EITHER WITHIN YOUR POSTS OR IN SOMETHING THAT'S CALLED
A BLOG ROLL, WHICH IS A LIST OF BLOGS THAT YOU READ AND
LINKS TO THEM, AND THAT USUALLY APPEARS ON THE RIGHT OR
THE LEFT SIDE OF YOUR BLOG.
AND ANOTHER THING TO KEEP IN MIND THAT, WHILE MANY OF
THESE TECHNIQUES WE'VE DISCUSSED ARE UNIQUE TO BLOGS,
DON'T FORGET WHAT YOU KNOW ABOUT WRITING ACADEMIC
PAPERS TOO.
SO IF YOUR BLOG POSTS ARE ONLY MADE OF PERSONAL
STORIES, YOUR POSTS MIGHT NOT BE AS CONVINCING AS THEY
COULD BE.
SO IF YOUR AIM IS TO RAISE AWARENESS OF AN ISSUE OR TO
PERSUADE READERS TO SOME SORT OF SOCIAL CHANGE, AS
HILLARY NOTED EARLIER, RESEARCH WILL HELP YOU BUILD
YOUR CREDIBILITY AND ARGUMENTS.
SO LASTLY, IN OUR LAST FEW MINUTES, WE'RE GONNA TAKE A
CLOSER LOOK BRIEFLY AT ONE OF THE BLOG EXAMPLES FROM
EARLIER IN THE PRESENTATION.
SO AGAIN, I'M GONNA TAKE US OUT OF THE POWERPOINT FOR A
MOMENT.
AND GO TO THE "SILVER LINING CHRONICLES" BLOG.
AND I HAVE A POST, JUST AN EXAMPLE POST.
THERE IT IS, TO LOOK AT HERE THAT'S GOT A COUPLE NOTES
ON IT THAT I HOPE YOU CAN SEE.
SO A COUPLE THINGS I WANTED TO POINT OUT ABOUT THIS
BLOG AND THIS POST IN PARTICULAR IS THAT WE HAVE THE
TITLE AGAIN UP HERE WITH THE -- A TAGLINE THAT'S NOT
VERY INFORMATIVE, BUT WE DO HAVE THIS NICE "ABOUT"
SECTION HERE, WITH A BIG PERSONAL PICTURE OF THE WRITER
AND INFORMATION ON WHAT THIS BLOG IS ABOUT, THE BLOG'S
FOCUS.
SO THIS WRITER IS BLOGGING BECAUSE SHE WANTS TO SPREAD
THE WORD ABOUT POSITIVE SOLUTIONS THAT ARE IMPROVING
COMMUNITIES EVERYWHERE.
SO HAVING SOME INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR FOCUS, YOUR
PURPOSE, YOURSELF, YOUR BACKGROUND IN A SPACE LIKE THIS
OR ON A SEPARATE "ABOUT" PAGE IS REALLY HELPFUL FOR
READERS.
YOU'LL NOTICE TOO THAT THIS POST STARTS WITH A
QUOTATION.
SO NOT SOMETHING THAT YOU TYPICALLY WANT TO DO IN AN
ACADEMIC PAPER BUT A TECHNIQUE THAT'S PERFECTLY
APPROPRIATE FOR A BLOG POST.
IT KIND OF CATCHES YOUR ATTENTION AND DRAWS YOU IN TO
THE POST AND THE POST'S TOPIC.
THIS POST ALSO TELLS A PERSONAL STORY ABOUT A LITTLE
GIRL AND HER HELPING OUT HER MOM AT THE NURSING HOME.
WE'VE GOT A BIG IMAGE HERE.
AND SOME OTHER KIND OF LOGOS THAT THE WRITER POINTS TO.
THE WRITER HERE USES SOME -- ANOTHER PERSONAL EXAMPLE,
TALKING ABOUT HERSELF.
AND DOWN HERE, SHE ADDRESSES HER AUDIENCE DIRECTLY, TWO
THINGS, YOU, THE AUDIENCE, THE READERS DON'T SEE VERY
MUCH.
NOW, IF YOU READ THROUGH THIS POST, YOU'LL NOTICE THAT
IT'S NOT OVERLY EMOTIONAL, BUT THERE IS SOME EMOTIONAL
LANGUAGE HERE, LIKE "FULL-ON COMPASSION CRISIS."
AND LASTLY, I WANTED TO POINT OUT THAT THE WRITER HERE
DOES INCLUDE SOME RESEARCH, SOME STATISTICS, AND SHE
POINTS TO THE SOURCE.
SO IF WE CLICKED THIS LINK, IT'S ACTUALLY, I BELIEVE, A
PDF THAT WE WOULD DOWNLOAD, SO I'M NOT GONNA DO THAT
RIGHT NOW, BUT EVEN THOUGH IT'S NOT IN A.P.A. STYLE,
WHICH IS TOTALLY FINE FOR A BLOG POST, THERE IS A LINK,
THERE IS CREDIT TO THAT ORIGINAL SOURCE.
AND WE CAN SEE THERE ARE SOME OTHER URLs TO OTHER
SOURCES AND ANOTHER WEB PAGE WHERE SHE GOT SOME
INFORMATION.
SO WE'RE GETTING CLOSE TO THE END OF OUR PRESENTATION.
WE WANT TO SAVE SOME TIME FOR QUESTIONS AND DISCUSSION.
BUT IF YOU WANT MORE INFORMATION ABOUT BLOGS AND HOW TO
GET STARTED BLOGGING, WE'VE CREATED THIS BLOGGING TOOL
KIT SLIDE FOR YOU WITH LINKS TO SEVERAL RESOURCES.
AND YOU CAN ACCESS THESE LINKS BY DOWNLOADING THE
POWERPOINT SLIDES FOR THIS PRESENTATION WHICH IS --
WHICH ARE ON OUR WEBINARS PAGE ON THE WRITING CENTER
WEBSITE.
>> THANKS SO MUCH, ANNE.
SO IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU HAD MENTIONED THAT QUESTION ABOUT
MONITORING THE BLOGS.
DID YOU WANT TO ADDRESS THAT REALLY QUICKLY?
THERE ARE OTHER QUESTIONS TOO I CAN THROW AT YOU BOTH.
>> SURE, WE CAN TALK ABOUT THAT A LITTLE BIT MORE.
DID I CAPTURE THE WHOLE QUESTION OR DID I CAPTURE IT
CORRECTLY, BETH?
>> EXCUSE ME.
YEAH, SO THE QUESTION WAS ABOUT MONITORING GROUP BLOGS.
SO I THINK IT WAS MORE ABOUT, I THINK IF YOU HAVE
SOMEONE CONTRIBUTING TO YOUR BLOG, BUT I THINK
MONITORING COMMENTS IS ALSO A REALLY GOOD THING TO
ADDRESS TOO.
>> OKAY, YES, SO IT SOUNDS LIKE WE HAVE TWO RELATED BUT
SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT ISSUES HERE.
SO IF YOU'RE WONDERING ABOUT KIND OF A GOOD WAY TO
MANAGE A GROUP BLOG WHERE MULTIPLE PEOPLE CONTRIBUTE TO
THE BLOG AND PERHAPS EVEN MANAGE THE BLOG, THAT'S A
REALLY GOOD THING TO BE THINKING ABOUT BECAUSE YOU ARE
PART OF A GROUP THAT'S WORKING TOGETHER AND, YOU KNOW,
CREATING A PRODUCT THAT'S OUT THERE ON THE WEB FOR
EVERYBODY TO SEE AND THAT REPRESENTS YOU.
ONE WAY WOULD BE TO HAVE JUST ONE PERSON MANAGE THE
BLOG AND HAVE OTHER PEOPLE WRITE FOR IT BUT NOT DO ANY
OF THE ACTUAL POSTING.
THAT'S WHAT WE DO AT THE WRITING CENTER, WHICH JUST
KIND OF KEEPS IT EASY FOR EVERYBODY.
SO I'M KIND OF ON THE BACK END POSTING THINGS AND
MAKING SURE THE TECHNOLOGY'S WORKING SMOOTHLY.
BUT WE HAVE SEVERAL DIFFERENT WRITING INSTRUCTORS AND
COORDINATORS AND EDITORS WHO DO WRITE THE DIFFERENT
POSTS.
IF YOU WANT TO HAVE SEVERAL DIFFERENT PEOPLE MANAGING
THE BLOG, THAT'S ALSO A TECHNOLOGICAL OPTION WITH MANY
BLOG PLATFORMS, AND IN THAT CASE, I GUESS MY ADVICE
WOULD JUST BE TO FIND A SYSTEM THAT WORKS WELL FOR YOU.
IT DEPENDS ON HOW FAMILIAR YOU ARE WITH PERHAPS YOUR
OTHER WRITERS AND THEIR WRITING STYLES AND THAT KIND OF
THING.
SO YOU MIGHT WANT TO SET UP A PROOFREADING GROUP OR
SOMETHING LIKE THAT BEFORE YOU ACTUALLY POST THE
CONTENT.
IN TERMS OF MONITORING COMMENTS, HILLARY, DO YOU WANT
TO JUMP IN WITH ANY OTHER SUGGESTIONS OR IDEAS?
>> WELL, I JUST WANTED TO ADD THAT THERE ARE DIFFERENT
WAYS THAT YOU CAN MONITOR THE COMMENTS.
YOU DON'T HAVE TO HAVE THE COMMENTS AUTOMATICALLY POST
ONTO THE BLOG.
YOU CAN ACTUALLY HAVE THEM BE HELD IN LIMBO, SORT OF,
UNTIL YOU OR SOMEONE ELSE ON THE MANAGEMENT TEAM OF
BLOG APPROVES THEM.
SO IF YOU SEE ANY SPAM OR YOU SEE ANY INFLAMMATORY
COMMENTS OR THINGS LIKE THAT, YOU CAN DELETE THOSE OR
DIRECTLY RESPOND TO THE PERSON BEFORE POSTING IT.
SO THERE ARE OTHER OPTIONS RATHER THAN JUST THE
AUTOMATIC COMMENTING.
>> GREAT, THANK YOU SO MUCH.
YES, SORRY.
I WAS GONNA SAY, SOMEONE HAD ASKED ABOUT WHAT A GOOD
TAGLINE MIGHT BE FOR THEIR PARTICULAR TOPIC.
AND I ACTUALLY WONDERED IF YOU WOULD TALK A LITTLE BIT
ABOUT HOW STUDENTS MIGHT GENERATE IDEAS FOR THE BLOG
FOR THE TITLE, FOR THE TAGLINE, FOR TOPICS, ANY OF
THAT.
DO YOU HAVE ANY TIPS ON THAT KIND OF STUFF?
>> GOOD QUESTION.
LET'S SEE.
GO AHEAD, HILLARY.
YOU TALK, AND I'M GONNA BRING US OUT TO OUR
BRAINSTORMING PAGE ON THE WEBSITE.
>> OKAY, GREAT.
WELL, I WAS JUST GONNA SAY THIS WAS A FUN THING TO DO.
I MEAN, I GUESS I WOULD, YOU KNOW, BRAINSTORM ABOUT MY
PASSIONS AND MAYBE THE EXPRESSIONS IN THE FIELD THAT
ARE USED.
BUT I ALSO LOOK AT OTHER BLOGS AND SEE, YOU KNOW, HOW
THEY'RE DESCRIBING THEMSELVES.
I THINK OUR TAGLINE FOR THE WRITING CENTER WEBSITE IS
"WHERE INSTRUCTORS AND EDITORS TALK WRITING."
SO IT'S NOT ANYTHING, YOU KNOW, CRAZY WONDERFUL, BUT
YOU CAN MAKE YOURS AS CLEVER AS YOU WANT TO BE.
IT JUST HAS TO, YOU KNOW, GET THE MAIN GIST OF IT
ACROSS.
>> YEAH, AND I WAS JUST GONNA POINT US TO THESE
BRAINSTORMING EXERCISES THAT ARE ON OUR WRITING CENTER
WEBSITE.
THESE ARE EXERCISES WE SUGGEST WHEN YOU'RE WRITING AN
ACADEMIC PAPER, BUT THEY CAN DEFINITELY APPLY TO THIS.
AS HILLARY SUGGESTED, I WOULD DEFINITELY RECOMMEND
CHECKING OUT OTHER BLOGS.
WHY DO TITLES WORK OR NOT WORK?
WHAT CATCHES YOUR ATTENTION?
WHAT INFORMS YOU ABOUT WHAT THE BLOG IS ABOUT?
THAT KIND OF THING.
AND TRY COMING UP WITH, I DON'T KNOW, MAYBE, DEPENDING
ON YOUR TOPIC, BUT MAYBE A HANDFUL OF WHAT YOU MIGHT
CONSIDER KEYWORDS, SO IF SOMEBODY WANTED TO OR IF YOU
WANTED TO SEARCH FOR INFORMATION ON YOUR TOPIC, WHAT
WOULD THE KEYWORDS BE THAT YOU WOULD PUT INTO GOOGLE?
THOSE MIGHT BE SOME KEYWORDS TO USE TO BUILD YOUR BLOG
TITLE AROUND OR YOUR TAGLINE AROUND.
>> YOU KNOW, AND I -- AS YOU WERE TALKING, ANNE, ABOUT
LOOKING AT OTHER BLOGS, I ACTUALLY WONDERED.
I WAS GOING TO SAY THAT THE WRITING CENTER ISN'T THE
ONLY GROUP THAT HAS A BLOG AT WALDEN.
THE LIBRARY AND CAREER SERVICES DO AS WELL, RIGHT?
>> YEAH, YOU'RE RIGHT.
THEY DO.
>> YEAH, I JUST -- HERE'S THE WALDEN -- THE LIBRARY'S
BLOG.
AND I CAN KEEP SEARCHING TO SEE IF I CAN FIND THE
CAREERS ONE AND ENTER THAT IN THE CHAT BOX IF PEOPLE
ARE INTERESTED.
IT MAY BE INTERESTING FOR EVERYONE TO SEE THE DIFFERENT
WAYS THAT THE DIFFERENT CENTERS FOR THE DIFFERENT
DEPARTMENTS IN THE CENTER FOR STUDENT SUCCESS -- WE USE
DIFFERENT PLATFORMS, I BELIEVE, RIGHT, ANNE?
>> YEAH, ABSOLUTELY.
THAT'S A GOOD IDEA.
>> THE OTHER THING, A COUPLE STUDENTS ASKED ABOUT
REQUIREMENTS FOR BLOGGING OR BLOGGING GROUPS THEY COULD
JOIN AT WALDEN.
I KNOW SOME STUDENTS DO BLOGGING OR DISCUSS BLOGGING AS
A FORM OF COMMUNICATION IN THEIR CLASSROOMS.
BUT WE'RE TALKING HERE MORE ABOUT SOMETHING THAT YOU DO
PERSONALLY.
YOU COULD TAKE A LOT OF WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT TODAY
AND APPLY THAT TO THE CLASSROOMS.
WE'RE TALKING ABOUT A LITTLE BIT OF A DIFFERENT FORMAT,
I'D SAY, RIGHT, ANNE?
WOULD YOU AGREE WITH THAT SORT OF STATEMENT?
>> YEAH, AND THAT'S A GOOD DISTINCTION TO MAKE, BETH.
I'M GLAD THAT COMMENT CAME UP.
OUR PRESENTATION TONIGHT IS BASED ON STUDENTS WHO WANT
TO GO OUT AND KIND OF START THEIR OWN PERSONAL BLOG OR
GROUP BLOG OR CONTRIBUTE TO OTHER BLOGS FOR SOCIAL
CHANGE.
SO AS BETH MENTIONED, SOME THINGS WE TALKED ABOUT
TONIGHT, YOU KNOW, IN TERMS OF TECHNIQUES AND THE
DIFFERENCES AND THE SIMILARITIES BETWEEN ACADEMIC
WRITING AND BLOGGING CERTAINLY APPLY TO BLOG POSTS THAT
YOU MIGHT WRITE FOR YOUR CLASSROOM, BUT NOTHING WE
TALKED ABOUT TONIGHT IS NOT BASED ON ANY WALDEN
REQUIREMENT FOR BLOGGING.
>> SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT PAYMENT AND FREE VERSUS BLOGS
THAT YOU HAVE TO PAY FOR, BLOG PLATFORMS YOU HAVE TO
PAY FOR.
AND I GUESS I WOULD JUST SAY WHY USE ONE THAT YOU HAVE
TO PAY FOR WHEN THERE'S A LOT OF FREE ONES OUT THERE?
LIKE -- LIKE BLOGGER, LIKE WORDPRESS, SO THOSE -- IF
THEY DON'T HAVE SOMETHING THAT YOU'RE LOOKING FOR IN
TERMS OF THE DESIGN, THEN MAYBE YOU WOULD GO AND LOOK
AT OTHER ONES.
I THINK THAT JENNIFER, HER PLATFORM IS MAYBE A SITE
THAT REQUIRES A DONATION OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
IT'S NOT DEFINITIVELY FREE.
BUT IT COULD BE LIKE A DONATION OF TIME OR A NOMINAL
DONATION.
BUT YEAH.
I WOULD GO FOR THE FREE ONES.
>> I AGREE, HILLARY.
BLOG PLATFORMS THAT YOU NEED TO PAY FOR CAN HAVE SOME
OTHER ADDITIONAL FEATURES THAT FREE BLOGS DON'T HAVE,
BUT THERE ARE AT LEAST A HANDFUL OF, I THINK, REALLY
GOOD, PRETTY EASY-TO-USE FREE PLATFORMS THAT REALLY
OFFER MOST OF WHAT YOU NEED UNLESS YOU'RE, LIKE, A
PROFESSIONAL BLOGGER, BUT ESPECIALLY IF YOU'RE JUST
GETTING STARTED OR ARE SOMEWHAT NEW TO BLOGGING OR KIND
OF MAYBE EVEN RETURNING TO BLOGGING AFTER A WHILE, I
WOULD DEFINITELY SUGGEST CHECKING OUT THOSE FREE
PLATFORMS FIRST.
>> EXCUSE ME.
EVERY TIME I MUTE MYSELF, I HAVE TO COUGH.
SORRY ABOUT THAT.
THE LAST THING, IF YOU WOULDN'T MIND, THERE'S A
QUESTION ABOUT WHETHER SOMEONE COULD LINK THEIR BLOG TO
THEIR WEBSITE?
DO YOU HAVE ANY SUGGESTIONS ABOUT LINKING YOUR BLOG TO
OTHER THINGS YOU HAVE GOING ON?
>> SURE, YEAH, GO AHEAD, HILLARY.
>> YEAH, I ALWAYS THINK THAT IT'S A GREAT -- IT'S A
GREAT THING TO INTEGRATE ALL OF YOUR -- THE FACE THAT
YOU'RE SHOWING THE WORLD.
WE IN THE WRITING CENTER LINK FROM OUR WEBSITE TO ALL
OF OUR DIFFERENT SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS, BUT THEN ALSO
LINK BACK IN THE BLOG TO TWITTER AND TO FACEBOOK AND TO
THE WEBSITE.
SO IT'S ALL KIND OF ITS OWN LITTLE CIRCULAR LOOP OF
LOVE FOR THE WRITING CENTER.
[LAUGHTER]
AND, OH, I GUESS ANNE IS SHOWING HERE HOW THIS BLOGGER
HAS INTEGRATED TWITTER, ALONG THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE
SCREEN, AND DOES SHE HAVE A WEBSITE TOO?
>> I DON'T THINK SHE HAS A WEBSITE.
BUT YEAH, I JUST WANTED TO POINT OUT THE TWITTER FEED
HERE.
THIS IS PROBABLY JUST AN APPLICATION THAT THE BLOGGER
HAS -- YEAH -- OR A PLUG-IN THAT THE BLOGGER HAS USED
WITH WORDPRESS TO GET THESE TWEETS TO SHOW UP
AUTOMATICALLY.
IF YOU'RE ON OTHER KINDS OF SOCIAL MEDIA, ON TWITTER,
ON GOOGLE PLUS, ON FACEBOOK, THAT'S A GREAT WAY TO
SHARE YOUR BLOG WITH OTHER POTENTIAL READERS.
>> GREAT, THANKS SO MUCH, HILLARY AND ANNE.
IT LOOKS LIKE FROM THE STUDENT QUESTIONS, WE HAVE A LOT
OF THANK-YOUS.
I THINK WE'RE GONNA GO AHEAD AND END FOR THE NIGHT.
I APPRECIATE EVERYONE COMING SO MUCH.
DO YOU GUYS HAVE ANY LAST WORDS AND ANY SIGN-OFFS
TONIGHT?
>> JUST A PLUG TO CHECK OUT THE WRITING CENTER BLOG IF
YOU HAVEN'T YET.
WE ARE HERE ON THE MAIN PAGE OF THE WRITING CENTER, AND
THERE'S A LINK RIGHT HERE BY THIS BIG ORANGE BLOGGER
BUTTON.
AND THANKS SO MUCH FOR COMING AND FOR YOUR COMMENTS AND
BRAINSTORMS TONIGHT.
>> AND I WOULD JUST JUMP IN AND SAY IF YOU DO DECIDE TO
START A BLOG, LET US KNOW.
EMAIL US.
WRITINGSUPPORT@WALDENU.EDU, BECAUSE WE'D LIKE TO CHECK
OUT WHAT YOU'RE DOING, AND WE HEARD SOME WONDERFUL
TOPICS.
SO YES, GO FORTH AND CONQUER.
>> THAT'S A GOOD WAY TO END THE EVENING.
THANK YOU SO MUCH, EVERYONE.
HAVE A WONDERFUL EVENING.