This coming week as you begin your blogging, you may find these instructions helpful.

1) The Class Blog

You should post something at http://www.humanities.uci.edu/rhetoric/wp-admin each week for the next five weeks.

Below I have suggested some sample topics, but often students choose to comment upon current events, speakers or happenings that are relevant on campus, or write a follow-up post to a classmate's observations. For sample postings, you can see our class blog from last year here: http://www.humanities.uci.edu/socialmedia/

Week Three suggested theme: Intellectual Property
Week Four suggested theme: Online Identities
Week Five suggested theme: Public Spheres and Blogospheres
Week Six suggested theme: Wikis and Collective Intelligence
Week Seven suggested theme: Virtual Worlds

2) Your Individual Blog

You should open a blog at http://www.blogger.com and send me an e-mail with the URL, so I can set up a page for the feeds to all be in one place. You should choose the domain name carefully (easy to spell and represents the subject matter well). Post at least two items this week. You will want to include links in your postings and analysis of those links. Many students also include photographs.

Try to choose a very specific subject that would have a natural audience. Aim for a niche that no one else is exploring in depth.

There is some good advice here: http://www.elupton.com/index.php?id=65 and here: http://www.chrisbrogan.com/ten-secrets-to-better-blogging/

Here are some model student blogs from USC students

Push and Pull

Healthcare at Its Finest

Art Room Closet

Here are some of the blogs from last year (Net IDentity is still blogging, as is The Freshest Cuts. Omen of Clarity and In the Realm of the Rational also developed readerships.)