Day Three: A month has passed...

I have limited experience with blogging. I am still searching for a definition that will sit well with me. I have resented blogging on news sites because any idiot can post information and with relative anonymity - there is a journalistic code of ethics that governs reporters but no such code for the general population which finds no problem with editorializing.

I know very little about blogging except that students in TOK (Theory of Knowledge) were required to post comments weekly; I was invited to explore it but never did. I also know some students came to resent the requirement by the end of the year - they were simply overwhelmed by the volume of writing but perhaps it paid off - I never asked.

It seems using a blog has been much like using a webpage - I wonder if they are one and the same and what the distinction is between the two? I do believe it will be beneficial to create my own blog via Blogger (as evidenced here). I want to use this site to launch and try out various applications I want to incorporate into classroom practice. I hope to post podcasts and vodcasts there first which is my MTP (Modest Tech Project). I have been told my project is more than modest so I look forward to monkeying around with the different applications.

• What is the blog's purpose? How does the blogger communicate her purpose? How well does the blog communicate its purpose?
• Does the blog address or target a particular audience? If so, how? How might you describe a representative audience member?
• In what ways does the blog engage the reader visually?
• What elements are present? For example, are there links, video clips, photographic images, graphic images, text, etc.? How do these elements help communicate a message?
• Does the blog elicit response? If so, how and/or what kinds of response are evident? To what extent are readers invited to participate: to comment or to post?
• What can you learn from the blog's title and URL?

Five to ten principles I value are:
1. Good writing - clear and engaging.
2. Known purpose from the top.
3. Links to vital information at the top.
4. Engaging format - easily read but not boring either.
5. Title that reveals topics
6. Links to other blogs
7. Short sidebars that deliver info.
8. Audience is obvious.
9. Don't be afraid to prune after building (or "growing") the site.
10. Original colors and photos have more allure than simply downloading and borrowing freebies.
11. White space can be appropriate.
12. Rule of thirds (like photojournalism, like gardening, like hanging artwork)
13. Think of blog as gallery?
14. What is function or purpose of site?
15. Different blogs - personal, academic, technological