The great thing about blogs is that they are yours, your opportunity to
vent, inform or simply converse with the outside world, whether it's with your
friends and family or strangers across the world that you never (or will likely
not ever) meet. The people that read the blog often have a vested
interest in reading what you write and it is likely because they share the same
enthusiasm for something that you do. Correspondence between these
parties can build a strong sense of community and often spark strong,
inspirational conversations about what you love the most. Blogs are often
more than static words on a web page, new postings and video or sounds bites are
uploaded on a regular basis (if the poster is on their A game) and
visitors to these blogs have the opportunity to read something fresh and
relevant often.
This is the foundation of the article To Blog or NOT to Blog by Ken Smith where he discussed university students bringing their Alma mater into the blogging age by establishing their own websites and linking them to their university's website. The student's blogs discussed in the article helped attract a youthful audience to the university's websites. The article pointed out that these bogs were used for a wide use of purposes, ranging from scholastically based posts to "One blogger, for example, frequently reports on leaving campus to attend professional sporting events, while another graciously answers questions from prospective students"(pg. 59).
Using blogs in this capacity is great for youth appeal, to keep the new students intrigued with what is going on campus and in their classes, however the down side to open, uncensored blogging by student's is that they are free to say whatever they want and sometimes young adults do not have the best filters in their writing. Overall, I think this is a great way to encourage students to be involved with the goings on around their campus and a way to promote their school. However, for younger, less professional students, if their writing is intended to represent the school, their postings need to be monitored by a supervisor or teacher mentor.
Smith, Ken. "To Blog Or NOT To Blog." University Business 8.12 (2005): 59-62. Academic Search Premier. Web. 13 Jan. 2012.
If I fall asleep with a pen in my hand, don't remove it - I might be writing in my dreams. ~Terri Guillemets
This is the foundation of the article To Blog or NOT to Blog by Ken Smith where he discussed university students bringing their Alma mater into the blogging age by establishing their own websites and linking them to their university's website. The student's blogs discussed in the article helped attract a youthful audience to the university's websites. The article pointed out that these bogs were used for a wide use of purposes, ranging from scholastically based posts to "One blogger, for example, frequently reports on leaving campus to attend professional sporting events, while another graciously answers questions from prospective students"(pg. 59).
Using blogs in this capacity is great for youth appeal, to keep the new students intrigued with what is going on campus and in their classes, however the down side to open, uncensored blogging by student's is that they are free to say whatever they want and sometimes young adults do not have the best filters in their writing. Overall, I think this is a great way to encourage students to be involved with the goings on around their campus and a way to promote their school. However, for younger, less professional students, if their writing is intended to represent the school, their postings need to be monitored by a supervisor or teacher mentor.
Smith, Ken. "To Blog Or NOT To Blog." University Business 8.12 (2005): 59-62. Academic Search Premier. Web. 13 Jan. 2012.
If I fall asleep with a pen in my hand, don't remove it - I might be writing in my dreams. ~Terri Guillemets
Interesting article and I liked the idea of how blogs could be used to promote campus life. I went to large university where I felt disconnected form activities for the first time in my life. It took several semester to figure out what was happening on the quad on Wed or when the next basketball game was. I wish we would've had blogs or social media of some kind to better get acquainted with campus life. Once again it does seem like the downside to any social media technology are those who use it for negative reasons. That is where a good basis in secondary education can come into play and help with teaching proper "manners" online. I have to admit though, sometimes the negative elements are entertaining in small doses.
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I like that you point out that bloggers can post up to date information and keep it fresh and new for their readers. For a blog to gain readers of similar interests, or not, its important to always kept them engaged.
ReplyDeleteUsing blogs as "social media" in a sense is a different way of looking at the use of blogs that I hadn't really thought of before. Seems obvious enough!
A blog I read earlier today discussed the importance of the instructor modeling blogging. The pressure on me was overwhelming but I also passed the buck and this article justified that everyone, including the students, need to share their views. As the facilitator of this class, I've done this before, which doesn't make me smarter but may actually blindside me to greater options.
ReplyDeleteThere are an ever growing number of ways and styles of communicating online, Facebook, Twitter, email and blogs being just a few. What will make us maturer communicators is our ability to assess the different methods and choose the appropriate one for the intended purpose. With that I say, think carefully and good luck.
Very interesting perspective on how students' blogging should represent and promote their school. I was wondering, how would someone be able to censor what a student says on their blog when it pertains to a certain class or the school that they are attending? I do like how blogging can keep students up to date on what is going on with their campus, or simply, if a student needs help in one of their classes they could very well let their classmates know that they are having a study session.
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