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Blog (Wikipedia) • A blog (a contraction of the term "weblog")[1] is a type of website, usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in reverse-chronological order. "Blog" can also be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add content to a blog.
What does a blog do? • Filter/collect links • Provide Context/Points of View • Teach Media Literacy • Encourage Participation • Link to primary/relevant material
HabermasStructural Transformation of the Public Sphere Reading public Privacy Family Property Diaries/journals Decision-Making Democracy Coffee houses Salons Editorials Press/publicity
Habermas Invasion of public into private life No opportunities for reflection Non-participatory “authorized” news False “public opinion” Totalitarian Non-critical
Design • Contrast • Blogger Styles • Repetition • Themes, goals, audience, catchphrases • Alignment • Hierarchies, justification • Proximity • Repetition, juxtapositions, clashes
Anatomy of a Blog Post • What am I writing about? • Why should you care about it? (relevance) • How do I feel/what do I think about it? • How do you feel/what do you think/what should you do about it? • Where else can you go to learn more about this?
Class Activity • Spread out and Pair up with one other person. • Go to http://technorati.com/pop/blogs/ • Choose a blog from the top 50. • Answer the following questions (at least 1 paragraph each): • What is the purpose and audience of this blog? • How would you describe the writing style of the posts? • What is the blogger doing (if anything) to encourage participation? • How does the site’s design reflect the purpose or personality of the blogger? • What can we learn about blogging from this example?