What makes a successful blog post

Okay, so there has to be some reason we would use blogs in class instead of simply submitting reading responses in Word Documents, right? Sure. There are a few advantages to blogs:

#1 Your classmates can see your work and comment on it. Since we aren't in class together (but even if we were) being able to "converse" about what we are reading is beneficial. If you are having difficulties formulating and clarifying your ideas about a reading, you might find some guidance from one of your classmates. Of course, you need to come up with your own ideas, but just like in a classroom, some of those ideas may be sparked by something a classmate says.

#2 You can keep your blog for ever. You might love blogging and continue to use your space to write book reviews, or keep a journal, even after the course is over. Or, you might realize that blogging isn't your cup of tea, but even then, if you want to show someone the work you've done in class, or return to it later for whatever reason, it will be there (until you delete it, of course).

#3 Blogs are a great place to make your work more than just words on a paper. With all of the technologies and resources available on the Web these days, we have unique opportunities to enrich our learning by making our work multimedia. Different students have different learning styles. Some of us learn best by reading and writing or by listening to a lecture; others learn by doing or by watching a demonstration. Using a blog, your writing can appeal in different ways to different readers. You can go beyond the words on the page to include things like visuals, videos, slideshows, audio clips, surveys and links...

...which leads us into the topic of this post, which is: What makes a successful blog post?

You want to be sure that each time you post a response to your blog, you are taking advantage of the possibilities that the medium offers. So, you don't just want words on a paper. I will be asking you to submit the text of your blog posts via Blackboard in Rich Text Format, so I suggest that you compose what you want to say in writing first. Then, copy and paste into your blog post and begin to add other elements. Occasionally, I will give you the option to do video or audio posts in place of the written posts, but not every time, so be sure to read the instructions.

Each post on your page should contain:
1. At least one link
2. At least one visual



One thing you need to remember is that many images on the web are copyrighted, so be sure to cite your sources if you are using something like an original work of art. One great place to find images and audio that you can use is the Creative Commons.

Using YouTube to Make Your Introduction Video

This video will show you how to use YouTube to create a webcam video and then embed it in a blog post:



Or view here:

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Instructions for setting up YOUR blog

If you do not have a Google account:

1. Go to www.google.com/accounts and click on “Create an account now” on the left hand side of the screen. Follow the instructions for creating an account.

After you’ve registered for a Google account or if you already have a Google account:

1. Go to www.blogger.com , sign in with your Google Account and click on the orange tab that says ”Create a Blog.” (If you are having difficulties, Blogger gives you the options to “Watch a video tutorial” to help you set up your blog. If you already have a blog with Blogger, please create a new one just for this class. Please make your username something containing your actual name such as your first name and last initial. Also, please title your blog your first name and our course name (i.e. Laura’s ENG 101 blog).

2. As you are going through the steps to create your blog, you will already be personalizing it by Choosing a Template, for example. However, you will be able to personalize it even more later.


Adding your blog to the class blogroll:

1. First you will need the URL for your blog, which you will have created during your registration.
2. Logon to Blackboard and click on the tab on the left hand side of the page called “Class Blogroll.” Open up the Class Blogroll link.
3. Click edit on the right hand side of the page. Copy/Paste the URL (web address) for your blog underneath the time of day that your course meets and click “Save” on the toolbar that will appear at the top of the page.
4. After completing that, go to the “Assignments” tab in Blackboard, open “Project #3” and the Setup Blog. Click on View/Complete Assignment, paste your blog URL into the comments box and click on “Submit.”

Please watch the Jing Videos on Blackboard for more information on personalizing your blog and saving your URL to the blogroll. If you have further questions, please email me.

Here is a short video showing you how to sign up for a Blogger account:

Welcome ENG 102 Students!

image from Flickr via Wikimedia Commons

This is the ENG 102 blog that I will maintain to give you instructions about how to set up and contribute to your own "Reading Blog" over the course of the semester. Try thinking about your blog as a sort of modern commonplace book where you can keep reading notes as well as other useful bits of information (research, links, videos, and pictures). Many famous authors and historical figures kept commonplace books in which they would copy down useful quotes and responses to the things they were reading and you will also do that here. Be sure to add yourself as a follower of this blog, so you can come and check whether I've posted any helpful material of my own. You will also find instruction and assignments here.


First of all, you'll need to set up your own blog, so let's get started. Happy blogging.

Find this image at: http://milmintraining.com/staff/?p=259