Hey friends! via MikeB's School of Hip Hop

Hey friends, writers, gangsters, sportsmen/women and chefs (did i miss anybody?)  take a look at my hip hop blog MikeB's School of Hip Hop and enjoy some great music (undeniably), great writing (debatable) and aesthetically pleasing website layout (sure?). but either way, follow me to support and spread my words and i will do the same for yours. peace and peace

How to put Facebook on your blog

This is if you've created a Page on FB for your blog (not a profile): http://www.facebook.com/badges/page.php

Use the RSS gadget to subscribe to Facebook: http://tech-wonders.blogspot.com/2010/02/how-to-add-facebook-status-updates.html

This is the one I used on my own blog. I just copied the code it gave me into the HTML side of a text box gadget: http://developers.facebook.com/docs/reference/plugins/activity/

Jack's blog

Better late than never, here's the unveiling of But Doc, I'm a drumma!

A quick tip

I've been posting about various topics, including my blog, in the Chronicle of the Horse forum online and I have gotten a really good response. People have directed me to other threads and even other forums where they thought people might be interested in my blog. I would definitely suggest trying to figure out where the people with the same interest you're exploring in your blog like to hang out online. Become active there as a way of audience-building. But do be aware of any rules they have about advertising--I checked with a moderator before posting my own thread specifically about the blog.

Blogging's Antecedents

Blogging wasn't born yesterday. Literary history affords countless examples of writing that is lively, topical, opinionated, personality-driven. Parody, satire, and withering critique have been around since humans communicated by way of stone tablets. Ditto the powerful testimony of the eyewitness and the sage (or snarky) council of the advice-giver. Over the next couple of weeks, as we explore the roots of blogging in a broad range of texts and writers, we will be pursuing two important, related goals:

• to improve our blogging practice by studying well-written examples from the past;

• to deepen our understanding of our practice by putting it in historical context.

In the read-write world of the blogosphere, the more you read the better you will write, so let's get reading. (Other details on the Blog Roots assignment are here. Make sure you read that post.)

To simplify things, I have selected writers and texts that are accessible online, mostly by way of a collection of "Classic Essays" on About.com. In a few cases, I point you toward other sources, but they are all accessible without passwords. This list is by no means exhaustive. You are welcome to browse around the essay collection or elsewhere to find other writers and essays you'd like to study and present on. Touch base with me if you have other ideas.

By class time on Wednesday, 2/29, you should leave a comment on this post indicating what writer(s) you would like to work on. There are 21 students in the class. We will have 9 groups with 2 presenters and 1 group with 3 three presenters. That means not all the writers below will get covered.

Addison, Joseph (1672-1719). English essayist, poet, playwright, and politician. Co-founder, with Richard Steele, of The Spectator, a topical magazine aimed at developing taste among the members of England's emerging middle class. "Defence and Happiness of Married Life." "False and True Humor." "Laughter." "The Musical Instruments of Conversation." [Adam & Hannah, Mon.]

Bly, Nellie (1864-1922). The list of External Links on Bly's Wikipedia entry will take you to online editions of some of the works of this pioneering American woman journalist. [Jessica & Carla, Wed.]

Douglass, Frederick (1818-95). An escaped slave who would become a leader of the movement to abolish slavery in the United States. "A Glorious Resurrection" is a chapter from his autobiography, The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave (1845). See also W.E.B. Du Bois, "Of Mr. Booker T. Washington and Others." (From The Souls of Black Folk [1903].) [Matt & Stephen, Wed.]

Fern, Fanny (1811-72). Fanny Fern is the pseudonym of Sara Willis Parton, a popular American columnist, humorist, novelist, and author of children's stories in the 1850s-1870s. In 1852, she became the first female writer with her own regular column; by 1855, she commanded $100 per week for her New York Ledger column and was the highest-paid newspaper writer in the United States. A selection of her writings, Fern Leaves from Fanny’s Port-Folio (1853), is accessible here. Let’s look at “Self-Conquest,” “A Practical Blue-Stocking,” “Kitty’s Resolve,” “A Chapter on Literary Women,” and “Children’s Rights.” [Marriam, Wed.]

Franklin, Benjamin (1706-90). Author, printer, inventor, diplomat, and a founding father of the United States. As a young man, Franklin published letters to his brother James's newspaper, The New England Courant, under the pseudonym of "Mrs. Silence Dogood." "Advice on the Choice of a Mistress." "The Art of Procuring Pleasant Dreams." "The Temple of Learning." "The Whistle." [David & JD, Mon.]

Mencken, H. L. (1880-1956). An acerbic critic/observer of American life and culture well known as a literary critic for The Smart Set and as a founding editor of The American Mercury. His political views were sometimes controversial, but his strong vernacular style has been influential and remains highly readable. "The Libido for the Ugly." "The Lower Depths." "The Hills of Zion." "The Penalty of Death." "Portrait of an Ideal World." [Heather & Marie, Wed.]

Parker, Dorothy (1893-1967). A wisecracker and satirist well known as one of the members of the Algonquin Round Table in New York in the 1920s. "Good Souls." "Mrs. Post Enlarges on Etiquette."

Pyle, Ernie (1900-45). An early embedded journalist, Pyle wrote powerful first-hand accounts of life and work alongside ordinary soldiers in World War II. There is an excellent archive of some of his wartime columns here. [Michael Venetti, Wed.]

Roosevelt, Theodore (1858-1919). The twenty-sixth president of the United States was a larger-than-life character and a prolific writer who published 18 books and regularly contributed to magazines. [Jack & Mariah, Wed.]

Stanton, Elizabeth Cady (1815-1902). An organizer and leader of the movement for women's suffrage in the United States. She is the principal author of the "Declaration of Sentiments," a document signed at the Seneca Falls Convention of 1848. See also "On Women's Right to Vote" by Stanton's friend and collaborator, Susan B. Anthony.

Swift, Jonathan (1667-1745). Author of what is considered by many to be the finest satire written in English. "A Modest Proposal." [Laura Cathcart, Mon.]

Twain, Mark (1835-1910). You know this guy, right? "Advice to Youth." "Corn Pone Opinions." "On the Decay of the Art of Lying." [Amie, Courtney G., & Mike B., Mon.]

Woolf, Virginia (1882-1941). British novelist, essayist, publisher, and critic. "Writing for My Eye Only." (This is a diary entry.) "The Patron and the Crocus." "Street Haunting: A London Adventure." [Briana & Courtney W., Wed.]

Enculturating EMS Blog

I finally burst through my fear and published my blog. So here it is: Enculturating EMS!

Laura

Specific and successful

Here's an interesting example of a photo blog that has almost 7k friends on facebook. And it's almost unbelievable specific. Food On My Dog. It seems so pointless that no one would follow it for long, but somehow that doesn't seem to be the case.

Courtney's Blog!

Hey Everyone,

My Blog is up! Check out www.RoyalCourtt.wordpress.com!

Thanks!

-Courtney

Heather's Blog!

Hey everyone! My blog is up and ready for some readers! :)

A new post is coming soon!

http://unauthorizedbroadway.blogspot.com/

Blogging advice

"Blogs need to be as malleable as the assholes that pen them." -Will Danger, New Queer on the Block

Pomp & Protocol

Hey all!

My blog is up and running: http://pompandprotocol.wordpress.com/

I'm still playing around with getting the images just the right size so any feedback would be great!

-Marriam

Ezra Wont Shut Up

Heyyyyyo.
My blog is up, and the first post is up as well. I'm still playing around with layout and appearance. This theme depends on at least 3 posts being up to fill out the layout, so I left my two test posts up so you could see what it will look like. I welcome any aesthetic or content criticism that would make the whole shebang more appealing.

Ezra Won't Shut Up

First Post: Thank You for Your Magic Sex

Oh, and I sorta hid a link to one of your blogs, but you'll have to read mine to figure out who's already getting linked to.
-Hannah Hethmon

Sea of Rhymes

Hey Aspiring Bloggers,

My blog, Sea of Rhymes, is an artistic blog that documents my journey as an artist and a wide-span of intellectual topics. So far, only my birth post and a poem I wrote has been added to the blog. The About page and other content will be added sometime tonight.

If you like art (any form of it), this blog is for you. Hope you Enjoy.

Some Sugar to Make You Sweet

Hey guys,

My blog Some Sugar to Make You Sweet is a baking blog following my experiments in the kitchen.  I just have the blog birth post and the about page up right now, but later this week, I will have up my first recipe post.

-Marie

For anyone who wants some cooking advice, tips, and recipes...

Hi Class!

My blog The Broke Vegetarian is up and running. Nothing fancy has been posted just yet. Just a 'birth' post that explains what's to come and how the concept came to be. You can expect posts to be up on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays! Enjoy!

Jessica Esteves

The Run Down

Hi class!

My blog is now up and running. BrianasRunDown.blogspot.com

As we all know, it is about my adventures in beginning running. I hope you like it!

Briana

For anybody uninspired to run...

My blog, A Runner's Mixtape, is now up and running. It's just the birth announcement, but later this week I'm going to write a post about running outside in the cold. We all know it's hard, so check it out if you want some songs to help you fight the sometimes bitter winter weather.

The Most Depressing Valentine's Day-Related Post You'll Read This Week

Hey classmates,

I just posted my first proper post on my blog, Rambling Bastard, about the Valentine's Day shooting four years ago at North Illinois University - and how a particular tragedy from it is now being milked as marketably as The Notebook. Give it a read, if you've got a minute.

I Love the 90s!

We've all seen the Vh1 specials. You know, the ones with b-list comedians looking back on pop-culture through the years. Well, that's what I plan to do in my new blog Millennial Memories. I plan to take a look back at both my personal experience during my childhood along with the various things that shaped it. Think furbies, slap-bracelets, power rangers, and everything in between! 

Life and Baseball

Classmates,

"Life and Baseball" is the title of my blog.  My first entry draws a historical parallel between the 1960 world series champion Pirates and the Bucs of today.  Historical stops and hyperlinks in the entry include the de-segregation of American sports, a mention of Bill James and the sabermetrics that the movie "Moneyball" was based on, and a video clip of the greatest home run ever hit.

Thanks,

Mike Venetti

Wondering about Wandering: Blog Birth Annoucement

Hey guys!

I just got my blog up and running. It's definitely a work in progress though, still learning how to do this stuff...

Anyway, my blog is called Wondering About Wandering, and it combines my two biggest passions: travel and fitness. It's a project blog to track my preparation and progress for 4K for Cancer, an organization centered on young adults who bike across the country to raise money for cancer research. I've applied to participate in Summer 2013, so it's still a little early to post solely about the bike ride. In the meantime, I'm going to write mostly about fitness and training for the ride, along with cool travel stuff I'm into.

Thanks for reading!
-Amie

Monday, Monday

Blogs go live, with at least a birth announcement post, by class on Monday, so your primary focus over the next few days should be getting ready for your debut.

In class on Monday, we will have one more Blog Tracking presentation. We'll also talk about the upcoming Blog Roots assignment. We’ll do some show and tell and partner work on blogs.

Part of our discussion will be focused on what we might call The Anatomy of a Good Blog Post. (Google that phrase, by the way, and you'll get some helpful results if you are interested in advice from professional bloggers.) Below are links to five posts on five very different blogs. They are all high quality, effective posts. Read them closely and try to figure out what makes them good. (If you don't think they are good, well, we can have a conversation about how subjective taste is and how writers in the blogosphere have to keep that in mind.) Take some notes on each post. Try to get at what is working and why. What tips about style, technique, argument, or storytelling might you be able to use in your own blogging?

• Allie Brosh on Hyperbole and a Half: “Adventures in Depression”

•  Amelia on Bon Appétempt: “Serious Food: In the Kitchen with Grandma”

•  Mark Sample on Play the Past: “What Comes Before the Platform: The Refuse of Video Games”

•  Shane Ryan on Grantland’s The Triangle Blog: “About Last Night: Linsanity”

•  Will Danger on New Queer on the Block: “Birthdays and Death-days: An Absence/Presence Story”

Have a great weekend of blog-building and blog-reading. See you on Monday, Monday.

Collegial Equestrian birth announcement

Just wanted to share my first blog post with you all for Monday. I have had it up for a while now because I wanted to ride the coattails of the rescue I volunteer at being featured on the Snarky Rider blog and hopefully get a few click-throughs from commenting over there, and I've been posting since then to keep up the momentum.

First Foray of the Collegial Equestrian blog: Even though I found out I admire the "jump right in" style, I set up more of a formal-ish introduction and a call for ideas. 

Courtney and Yalabe Blog Tracking Assignment

Aspiring Bloggers & Bloggettes,

For our blog tracking assignment Courtney and I tracked entertainment blogs. We both share a general interest of the entertainment industry and what it has to offer. Basically we wanted to explore how these blogs convey news about celebrities for their intended audiences. We looked at three blogs each catering to a different scale of the population. The blogs we examined were:

Karen Civil

The YBF

Media Takeout

Since we both have similar interest in these types of blogs, exploring them were kind of fun. It actually gave me some insight on how smaller entertainment blogs function versus those that work on a larger scale. Welcome to the Crazy World of Entertainment.

Jessica and Michael's Blog Tracking Assignment

Hello future bloggers/classmates,

For our blog tracking assignment Michael and I tracked soldier blogs. Michael is involved with the military and already had an initial interest with blogs that involved war. We first attempted to track civilian's blogs during the war but too many of them were outdated and lengthy. But in our search for something else we stumbled onto our actual focus. Funny how those things happen. Michael and I looked into three, very different, soldier blogs:

The Ponderings of a Crash Medic

Acute Politics

Afghanistan through my Lens

Since I've never had a particular interest in the Military this whole experience was completely new and eye-opening. Hopefully our presentation will give all of you a fresh understanding and perspective on the life of a soldier.

See you in class!

Mariah & Marriam's TV Blog Tracking

For our assignment, we decided to track TV blogs. We both are avid television watchers so we wanted to explore the different ways that the blogging world explores this medium. Each blog is unique. The first one is called Too Much TV. It has a relaxed feel and probably resembles what a lot of our own blogs are going to look like.

The next blog is called The TV Obsessed. We looked at this blog as an example of what not to do with an entertainment themed blog, but we'll let the class be the judge of that!

Finally, there is TVgasm which has a life of it's own the minute the link opens.

All three of the blogs have a very different feel and style, which we will talk about in class tomorrow. We will also see how their differing styles impact the blogging community and the readers.

Stay tuned for our presentation, coming after a message from our sponsors (that's a little TV humor for you)!

Carla & Laura's Presentation on Humor Doodle Blogs

We chose to track Humor Doodle Blogs because of the unique style in which their authors express their personalities through a narrative blend of artwork and writing. Our hope was to help everyone reflect on the value of expressing yourself honestly through blogging. The three blogs we chose are the major representatives of this genre.


Hyperbole and a Half is a hilarious personal blog about the life stories of a self-conscious, wildly imaginative young woman who grew up in rural Iowa. Allie Brosh tells her stories through a combination of childlike pictures drawn in Paintbrush and hyperbolic narrative.

A famous post from the Hyperbole and a Half blog is about the ALOT, an imaginary creature that helps Allie cope with her pet peeve grammatical error.


Books of Adam is another humorous personal blog about the daily life of a young single man, Adam Ellis. He draws all of his artwork by hand and weaves together his stories in a similar style as Allie, the author of Hyperbole and a Half,  albeit with a slightly more sane tone.

While most of the posts in Books of Adam are about his adult life, Wilderness Survival for Kids is a post about his childhood and the drawings exemplify the hyperbolic nature of his Drawings of Facebook Friends.


My Milk Toof is about two milk teeth known as ickle and Lardee, who are childlike in nature. The blog tells the story of ickle and Lardee's funny, but innocent adventures. Inhae Renee Lee, the author of the blog creates all of the props out of polymer clay and takes digital photographs of the scenes. She uses writing to narrate the story the photographs depict.

The post Home Security, is about how ickle and Lardee are left home alone by their human owner and told to be safe. So they take the task literally and go on an adventure throughout their house making sure it is safe through their childlike eyes!

Blog Birth Announcements

Blogs may be "always in process, never completed," as Steve Himmer claims, but they all have to begin somewhere, with a first post that announces the existence of a brand new bouncing baby blog. It's an important step, one that might feel a bit daunting and monumental. How do you want to present yourself to the world? What tone, stance, or style do you want to use? How detailed will you be about what your blog will do? How will you address the audience you hope to have? What kind of images will you use to convey your message visually as well as verbally? There's a lot to think about, but bear in mind that your first post is just one post. You'll have plenty of opportunities to adjust, shift, recalibrate, and even repudiate anything you say in your birth announcement, even if there's some truth in the old saying that you only get one chance to make a first impression.

To help you prepare for your big debut, we will gather here some examples of blog birth announcements. Send me links (by e-mail) to first posts that you come across as you work on your Blog Tracking presentations, and I will add them to this list. Click back here over the next several days so you can check out the examples. We'll discuss them in class next week as time permits. Remember that your blogs need to be up and running by Monday, February 20.

I selected one example just to get the ball rolling. "(Yet Another) Academic Blog" is the first post from Tenured Radical, a well-known academic blog written by historian Claire Potter. The inaugural post is from October 2006. It's short, pithy, and just a bit snarky. Even in this first post, you can see both the style and the substance that help to explain this blog's popularity and influence among educators.

"well, good morning!" is the first post from A Lovely Morning, a design, craft, and food blog followed by Amie Brown. Amie commented that she liked this post because the blogger "seems slightly overwhelmed (as I think most first-time bloggers are), and because someone commented immediately in encouragement."

"Hello, Pittsburgh" is the first post from Tom Singer's Change for a Nickel, a a Pittsburgh Pirates blog in the MLBlogs network. Baseball fan Michael Venetti submitted this one, impressed by the efforts of a new author to take over an existing blog and quickly establish rapport with the audience.

"An Open Letter to My Neighbors (My Neighbor Saga Part 1" is the debut post of Hyperbole and a Half, Allie Brosh's sly, hilarious doodle blog. Carla Lake likes this one because of the way the writer "just dives in," displaying the humor and engaging storytelling that would become the blog's trademarks, even though this first post doesn't have any illustrations. You might also want to check out the blog's FAQ page, which has some good advice for new bloggers. For example: "There really aren't any special secrets to being successful with blogging. Be nice. Try hard. If someone offers you a million dollars, say yes. Aside from that, the best advice I can give you is to just focus on what you can give to your readers."

"A Slight Introduction. . ." is the introductory post from Joey Pinkney as he joins a group blog called Hip Hop Blogs. Mike Barnes, who is designing his own hip hop blog, submitted this one. The post is a straightforward mix of introducing the blogger and explaining his approach to the subject, which he describes as "a little off centered."

"Save the Red Line"  is the first post on Japers' Rink, a Washington Capitals blog. Matt Mitchell picked it because it stands out as a first post that doesn't talk at all about being a first post. It jumps right in, taking a position on a proposed rule change in hockey.

"Welcome to 'The Girl That Runs'" is the first post of a runner's blog by that name. Adam Kerlin selected it because he has similar interests and liked the way the writer/runner introduced herself.

"Welcome to Everyday EMS Tips" takes a short, strictly business approach to the genre of the first post. Laura Cathcart selected this one because the blog is an important resource for EMS providers and managers.

"Angry Ravens Fly West" is another first post that plunges right in without explanation or introduction. Baltimore Beat Down is a Ravens blog. Stephen Pimpo likes the just-get-started style, but thought this post had a certain random quality to it that wasn't entirely appealing.

"Welcome to College Fashion. net" takes a little more time to introduce the blog and the blogger and to invite readers to become involved by sending in tips and ideas. Marriam Shah submitted this one and thought it did a good job of establishing the tone and direction of the blog.

Keiko Lynn's first post on her style and fashion blog is called simply "Introduction." Mariah Cooper selected this one because she found its personal glimpses, through photographs, into the blogger's world (dog, cats, boyfriend) and her sensibility to be effective at establishing a connection with the blogger and a clear sense of what her blog will be about.

"Motivation" is the first post on A Running Girl's Blog. Its first sentence might resonate with those of you who are wrestling with the uncertainty of the first-time blogger: "Getting started with this blogging thing is hard." Briana Kichaven selected it.

"My First Blog Entry Ever" is the first post on a Sparkpage blog that launched yesterday. Courtney Whitaker stumbled across it and submitted it because the writer talks about having a tendency to start things and then not finish them.

Yalabe Dukuly submitted an example from a friend's blog that has become quite successful. To his surprise, though, her first post is "horrible," in his judgment, because it doesn't introduce her or her blog, Good Hair Blog, at all. The moral of the story may be that bloggers, like piano players, get better with practice.

Heather McWilliams selected "Have a Merry. . .and Preppy. . .Christmas" as her example of a blog birth announcement. It's from a blog called College Prep, authored by a college senior who "love[s] anything preppy." This is another example of someone who just jumps into blogging without much fanfare.

David Clifford Turner offered "Worst Campaign Idea Ever," the debut post of men's fashion blog Magnificent Bastard, which he describes as "a cocksure entry into the blogosphere" because of its bold and confident self-presentation. The post, from July 2007, is short and snarky. In my judgment, its snide remarks about Hillary Clinton's appearance are also ageist and misogynistic, but it's got the kind of edge that often gets noticed in online writing. To each his -- or her -- own.

(Image Credit: Via.)

Hannah & David's Blog Tracking: Street Art

Hello beloved classmates,
We looked through many street art blogs. We decided to select three that, in our highly educated opinion,   represented different "levels" of art blogging. WebUrbanist is formatted like an entertainment blog, with multiple categories, one being a sub-blog in street art. Colossal is subject-specific blog centered on street art. The last blog is the personal blog of Phlegm, a street artist from England, and is essentially a personal showcase of his work.

After becoming indisputably enlightened street-art-blog scholars, we picked three posts (one from each) to highlight. We'll explain why in class, but if you guess the reason before then we'll stop talking bad about you behind your back.

1) The Ultimate Guide to Banksy from Web Urbanist
2) Article about a small gallery instillation from Colossal
3) Phlegm's first blog post

Here are some questions to think about while formulating the thought provoking comments you'll be making during our Q & A portion.

• Do you regularly read any art blogs?  If so, how do they compare to these?
• How did the layout of these blogs seem different or similar to the blogs you've been following personally or for the class?
• What are "bad things" about these blogs, or what, from our studies, are they doing poorly?

Amie & Courtney's Blog Tracking Presentation

While navigating the Internet world of baking blogs, we found the best blogs of this type include large pictures of the baked goods/desserts (preferably step-by-step graphics) and descriptive language of the food’s characteristics: taste, smell, etc. After all, these are the only way readers can decide if a recipe is worth trying--much like the food on the Food Network or the Cooking Channel, the reader relies solely on the baker or chef to make a food sound worthwhile.  However, in the online world we don’t get to see these bakers in action. Yet, through the personal connections established while blogging, readers can still connect with the writers. 

What characteristics do you see at work in these blogs?

Which blog do you prefer? Why? 

My Baking Addiction

Love From the Oven

Willow Bird Baking

We’ve decided to look at three blogs that feature Super Bowl themed recipes. If you'd like to go ahead and look at each blog's Super Bowl Post:

My Baking Addiction Super Bowl Post

Love From the Oven Super Bowl Post

Willow Bird Baking Super Bowl Post

Blogs We Read

Here are links to some of the blogs mentioned in comments on the previous post. I figured they'd be easier for us to find and discuss this way.

By the way, it is possible to embed hyperlinks in blog comments so that readers don't have to cut and paste the URL to which you refer [which few of them will likely do]. It's a simple matter of using some basic HTML coding.

Here is how it's done:

You want to write, “One of my favorite blogs is Historiann,” and you want to link to Historiann (a terrific feminist history blog I read regularly).

Write this:

One of my favorite blogs is <a href=”http://www.historiann.com/”> Historiann</a>.

 When you publish your comment, there will be a hyperlink on the word "Historiann," and readers will be much more likely to check out the blog.

Anyway, back to the blogs some of you mentioned as favorites:

Hyperbole and a Half
Fugly Horse of the Day
Etiquette Hell
Design Milk
Man Made DIY
THXTHXTHX
The Sartorialist
Rogue Medic
The Happy Medic
Statter911
Demon Baby, "Exploring the Creation Museum"
Books of Adam
Shutdown Corner
Pastepunk
Drum Burn

(Image Credit: Via)