-
First Day of Weblogs and Wikis Class
Met with the class for the first time and was introduced to what we'd all be doing for the rest of the semester. Some students were immediately apprehensive, but I was excited and ready to dive in. I came to the class with some experience in social media and blogging, but I had never heard of social bookmarking and I didn't know much about wikis. Regardless of what I already knew, I had much more to learn. -
Signed up for WordPress
I got signed up for WordPress. When I had blogged previously, I had worked on Blogger, but I decided to try out WordPress for my class instead. I added basic information about myself, and added a theme and header image to my page. I learned how to do some of it just by playing around, and some of it by reviewing some how-to stuff on WordPress. My Blog -
Blog: Deliberate Sabotage?
I made my first blog post titled "Deliberate Sabotage?" The idea came to me after reading the class statement and realizing there were a number of errors in it and I wondered whether they were an intentional future project for the class. Turns out they weren't deliberate, but it did lead to me getting involved in the wiki sooner than the rest of my classmates. Deliberate Sabotage? -
Revived Twitter account
I revived my existing Twitter account to be utilized for my Weblogs and Wikis class. I had previously used it just for a short period of time, and decided it wasn't very useful to me since no one was following me and all of my friends were on Facebook anyway. But I have found a use for it to share things with my classmates. My Twitter -
Tweet: Revived Twitter account
Tweet: Reviving my twitter account for the sake of my Weblogs and Wikis class. Count me in @mcmorgan #en3177 Basically just saying "I'm here" to everyone in Weblogs and Wikis. -
Signed up to edit Wiki
I logged in to the Weblogs and Wikis wiki for the first time. Prior to my first edits, I had never contributed to a wiki before. I didn't have much knowledge of what a wiki was or how it worked until I dug deeper into it. -
Tweet: Worked on the Wiki
Tweet: Dive right in, no fear. Worked on the wiki today #en3177 Expressing my lack of apprehension toward getting involved in the class. Like it says, I was diving right in with no fear. Tweeted this from my BlackBerry web browser. I later downloaded the Twitter app to my phone for ease of access. -
Blog: Adding a header image to WordPress blog
Wrote a tutorial-type post about adding a header image to enhance the design of a blog after doing so to my own blog. Added a link for further information about customizing a blog. Adding a header image to WordPress blog -
Wiki: CourseStatement2011
Only one day after starting the Weblogs and Wikis class, I was already editing the wiki. I was not afraid to work on the wiki, even though I had never worked on one before. I knew nothing about the technical aspect of it, but I just fiddled around with it until I was able to make the corrections. Later on I learned much more about how to use the wiki. CourseStatement2011 -
Comment: Answer to a Question
Gave an answer to a question about a pixelation issue in a header image. Gave a link for additonal assistance. Pixelated Header -
Signed up for Delicious
Prior to this class, I had no idea what social bookmarking was. But I was required to find out! So I signed up for Delicious to get things started. I have found the site to be quite useful for convenient bookmarking for myself, but I'm still not sure about the social part of it - haven't quite figured out the possibilities here. My Delicious -
Tweet: Answer to a Question
Tweet: Posted an answer to a question for #en3177 If you are having trouble with pixelation in your blog header check it out http://t.co/u1MSGQu Did this via a "Tweet" button on WordPress which automatically shortened the URL for me. -
Tweet: What is a widget?
Tweet: Hey #en3177 wanna know what a widget is? Check it out http://wp.me/p1hX83-m Directing my followers to my blog post about widgets. -
Bookmark: WordPress Codex
Bookmarked the Introduction to Blogging page on the WordPress Codex. First social bookmark. Found this link interesting and useful. Intro to Blogging WordPress -
Blog: Whatsa Widget?
Discussed what widgets are and the different types of widgets available on WordPress after browsing through and adding them to my own blog. First use of linked text in a blog post. Whatsa Widget? -
Signed up for Flickr
While adding widgets to my blog, I noticed there was a Flickr widget. I thought it would be cool to show off my hobby photography by adding the widget to my blog - but first, I needed an account. So I signed up and added six recent photos of a trip to Las Vegas. Hope to get more of my artsy stuff on their soon. My Flickr -
Tweet: Blogging by Rettberg
Tweet: reading Blogging by @jilltxt for #en3177 Searched for and began following Jill Walker Rettberg via @jilltxt then let her know I was reading her book via this tweet. -
Comment: Answer to a Question
A classmate asked a question about partioning a blog. I answered back letting them know that we only see things tagged with en3177 and that there personal posts can only be viewed when actually on their blog. Noted that us classmates would make good readership as well. Paritioned Blog -
Read: Blogging Chp. 1-3
Read chapters 1-3 in Jill Walker Rettberg's Blogging. Chapter 1 gave insight into how blogging was started and the different types of blogs. What I found most interesting was how relative new blogging still is. Chapter 2 explored blogging as a communication device and talked about skeptism in new communication mediums throughout history. Chapter 3 discussed the social aspect of blogging and how networks are formed. Readership is important to bloggers. -
Comment: Shared Interest in Art
A classmate talked about drawing and I identified with her passion for art. The Beginning -
Updated blog About section
I did some tweaking on my blog to enhance its appearance and personal style which included updating my About section. I added what I thought would be relevant to readers who stumble across my blog and a picture of myself, just for About Section -
Tweet: Updated About Section
Tweet: Updated my blog's about section http://tinyurl.com/4m8yabo #en3177 Directing my followers to my updated About section on my blog. First use of TinyURL to shorten link. I had previously seen it used on Twitter, Facebook, and other sites so I was aware of its exsistence. Just googled it, found it and used it. -
Bookmark: Wikimedia Commons
Stumbled across Wikimedia Commons while looking for a good image to place in my blog. Determined the site would be quite useful to me and to my Weblogs and Wikis classmates, so I bookmarked it. Wikimedia Commons -
Blog: Social Media Marketing Part I: Why?
Having an interest in business and in social media as a marketing technique, led me to researching and writing about it in a two-part post series. The first post takes a look at why it may be valuable for businesses to consider using social media in their marketing campaigns. First use of images in a blog post. Social Media Marketing Part I -
Tweet: Blog Titles
Tweet: Was trying to help somone title a blog post - maybe it will help you #en3177. http://t.co/oAX07fB Did this via the "Tweet" button as I was helping someone not in the class title a blog post. Thought it was helpful to my Weblogs and Wikis classmates so I used Twitter to share it quickly. -
Tweet: Sweet Blog Post
Tweet: Sweet blog post - check it http://bit.ly/gHmJIG #en3177 Directing my followers to a new post on my blog. Though this tweet was very vague and I could have done better. Decided to use bit.ly instead of tinyurl to shorten link. Decided I like it better. I had seen this used also previously. -
Comment: Shared Interest in Art
Gave compliments to a classmate's post with a link to her drawings. Repurposing -
Blog: What do Plato, Jill Walker Rettberg, my American Lit professor and Robert Frost all have in common?
Related readings of Jill Walker Rettberg's Blogging to my experiences in a college classroom, and then related this to blog culture. First use of an embedded video. Added a Wordle for fun. What do Plato ... -
Read: Blogging Chp. 4-5
Read chapters 4-5 in Blogging by Jill Walker Rettberg. Chapter 4 introduced the idea of bloggers as journalists. Bloggers add a new perspective to journalism, giving real-time updates and a personal voice to their pieces. This concept is still in a bit of a heated debate with those who call themselves "real journalists". Chapter 5 talked about blogging as a narrative form. Bloggers are telling stories, and readers have expectations. Also talked about self-exploration and fictional blogging. -
Comment: Annoying Orange
Sharing my appreciation for a video that a classmate posted on their blog. Speaking of orange -
Comment: Blogging as Journalism
In response to a classmate's blog post and prezi on "Bloggalism". I gave my insights to why blogging is a better form of journalism, as it more closely relates to how people actually communicate with one another rather than an invented format. Bloggalism -
Comment: Death of Print
Added my thoughts about the death of the printed word, noting it is likely an inevitable event, but it wont be happening any time in the near future. A Question about Ebooks -
Comment: BSU Cuts
Related to a classmate's blog post about the affects of BSU funding cuts. Gave my personal take on it, and how the cuts are affecting me. BSU Funding -
Read: "Wide Open Spaces" "Double Lines"
Read "Wide Open Spaces" by Brian Lamb and "Above and Below the Double Line" by Professor Morgan. "Wide Open Spaces" scrutinized the way in which wikis work - how anyone can contribute, and how they can be disorganized and vandalized. "Double Lines" discussed the difference between Thread Mode and Document Mode and when and how to use each when working on a wiki. -
Tweet: Amazed at Wikis
Tweet: I am amazed at what wikis have to offer and can't wait to learn more #en3177 Just wanted to share that I was impressed with what I didn't know about wikis and that I was eager to learn more about them. -
Tweet: Typos in the Wiki
Tweet: finding (and correcting) many typos while reading the wiki thank you #en3177 for reminding me how OCD I can be Yet another reminder that I have an editorial mind. I can spot a typo from a mile away - okay I'm being slightly facetious. -
Bookmark: Photography and Gossip Girl Wikis
After reading more about wikis and learning that there was more out there than just Wikipedia, I looked around the internet for wikis in topics I am interested in. Found two wikis that I knew I would like to get more into and hopefully at some point contribute to so I bookmarked them. Photography Wiki Gossip Girl Wiki -
Wiki: DestinyHarmoning
We played around with our WikiName pages during class to practice the technical aspect of working on a wiki. I later deleted the content because it was completely arbitrary. I would like to update it though to be something of value. -
Wiki: CollaborationConventions
Corrected errors as I was reading. -
Wiki: SyleGuide
Corrected errors as I was reading. -
Read: Wikis Chp 1-2, 7-8
Read Chapters 1-2 and 7-8 in The Complete Guide to Wikis by T. Brian Chatfield. The first two chapters set up the form and function of a wiki, giving both technical aspects and conceptual ideas. I was interested to learn what wikis really are and what they offer. Chapters 7-8 dove more in-depth into how wikis come together through linking. Introduced concepts of style, structure and organization. -
Blog: WikiClueless
Confession that I didn't really know much about wikis until I read T. Brian Chatfield's The Complete Guide to Wikis. Reading chapters of Chatfield's book opened up my eyes and sparked my interest in wikis. I was then compelled to search for wikis on topics I enjoy and linked to a couple of them. WikiClueless -
Comment: Web 2.0 Teaching
Applauded a classmate's recognition of the importance of new technologies being integrated into the learning environment. Added my two cents about the subject. Web 2.0 Teaching -
Wiki: MobileBlogging
My first real significant edit on a wiki page. I decided to work with an existing page I stumbled across. I thought the previous contributors presented some valuable ideas, but the page needed reworking. I felt like I could easily contribute to it as I am an always on the go type of person. MobileBlogging -
Blog: Edited Wiki Page: MobileBlogging
Gave an anaylsis of the changes I made to the wiki page MobileBlogging. Linked the post to the wiki page for ease of viewing. Edited Wiki Page -
Bookmark: 50 Ways to Social Media Marketing
Found this site while doing research for one of my blog posts, found it to be useful to my interest in social media as a marketing technique. 50 Ways -
Wiki: WikiStyle
Corrected errors while I was reading. -
Blog: Social Media Marketing Part II: How?
Part two in my anaylsis of social media as a marketing technique. This one focused on how to go about using social media to bring in more customers. The ideas were compilations of materials I had read as well as my own thoughts on the matter. Linked back to Part I, which resulted in a "pingback" on that post. Social Media Marketing Part II -
Wiki: WikiTerms
Corrected the formatting of the page so as to be uniform throughout. There was some spacing issues and other minor details. Added some definitions to some of the terms and presented some new terms to be defined. WikiTerms -
Wiki: HomePage
Corrected errors as I was reading. -
A Pause for Reflection
Took a time-out from Weblogs and Wikis activities to stop and look back at what I had done in the class thus far. I was impressed to discover how much I had actually done and how much I was learning. A look back at what I've done so far
