The text I'm reading for my class is called "Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms," written by Will Richardson, the author of the blog Weblogged. In one of the blogging chapters, he describes a spectrum of posting, from journaling (which he does not consider blogging) to links with some analysis (simple blogging) to extended analysis of a subject over a longer period of time (complex blogging.)
When zoos blog, I think they are mostly journaling. "This is what we're doing right now." If there are any links, it is to a picture or video of something about the zoo itself: a cute baby animal, area teenagers involved in a conservation project, etc. Now, I don't agree with Richardson that journaling isn't blogging. If the journaling prompts reaction and replys in the comments section, I think it is blogging. It is very simple blogging, though. "Low-level" as my course mentor might say.
Could zoos utilize higher level blogging? Would the audience stick with the blog if it challenged them? I think a lot of people are tempted to write to the lowest denominator. People don't want to THINK! Give 'em another picture of the newborn tiger. Ok, newborn tigers are indeed awesome...but maybe people would like to think, too. Maybe, sprinkled in amoung the journal entries, should be a post about an upcoming legislative bill which would threaten a local green space. Or how buying locally grown food helps the environment. Or how the zoo makes breeding decisions. Something meatier.
I do think that would make the blog more interesting, and I think that would keep people coming back for more much longer than simple journaling. However, those posts are harder to write. As I said before, I good post is informal and conversational with a stong voice. It is difficult to find a writer good enough to make administrative decisions or legislative action interesting. If a zoo wants an effective, educational blog, it needs to find such a writer.
Saturday, July 31, 2010
On the Nature of Blogs
I've been reading and contemplating a bunch of blogs for this class. Five of them were "suggested" by the syllabus, and they are written by and for teachers who are interested in using Web 2.0 technology in the K-12 classroom. To contrast those blogs (and to make it more interesting for me, as I'm not particularly interested in that topic), I'm also looking at the Woodland Park Zoo's blog and two blogs I used to read religiously, Real Live Preacher and Why Your Wife Won't...
These eight blogs encompass a wide range of personality. Some blogs have short entries designed to solicit a discussion in the comments section. Some have long philosophical discussions, meant to get the reader to sit back in her chair and THINK. Some are more educational, meant to teach the reader something specific. Some are more like journal entries: this is what's going on in my life right now. They're all different, and yet all successful; format doesn't really seem to matter.
All of the blogs, however, were written in the same general style: informal and conversational. It is a style that draws the reader in. Maybe it is because we are a social species, and when someone is speaking to us in a familiar way, we feel almost honor-bound to at least hear them out before moving on. It is as if it would be rude to turn our eyes away from this person who speaks to us like we are already friends. The very best blogs are written by people who have such a strong voice that we DO become convinced we are friends. I defy any of you to read the early blogs of Real Live Preacher and not want to take that man out for coffee.
Really, at the end of the day, a blog is all about relationship-building. Before you can teach, before you can philosophize, before you can show off the pictures of your trip or your kid, you need to build relationships with readers. This is a really important point for people who want to use blogs for educational purposes. A blog will fail if it is just a forum for facts. People reading the blog need to hear the voice of the writer, and they need to feel a connection to that writer.
The Internet has been accused of isolating people so they sit alone at their computers on a beautiful Saturday morning (as I admit I'm doing now.) But we seek out passion and emotion and friendship no matter what our environment is, and the Internet is no exception. If a Zoo (for example) wishes to write a blog about wildlife conservation, it must embrace this reality. I've read a lot of Zoo blogs that have been full of interesting information, but is dry and boring overall. Zoo people need to forget about being a "scientific professional" and just be human.
And a good writer. That always helps, too.
These eight blogs encompass a wide range of personality. Some blogs have short entries designed to solicit a discussion in the comments section. Some have long philosophical discussions, meant to get the reader to sit back in her chair and THINK. Some are more educational, meant to teach the reader something specific. Some are more like journal entries: this is what's going on in my life right now. They're all different, and yet all successful; format doesn't really seem to matter.
All of the blogs, however, were written in the same general style: informal and conversational. It is a style that draws the reader in. Maybe it is because we are a social species, and when someone is speaking to us in a familiar way, we feel almost honor-bound to at least hear them out before moving on. It is as if it would be rude to turn our eyes away from this person who speaks to us like we are already friends. The very best blogs are written by people who have such a strong voice that we DO become convinced we are friends. I defy any of you to read the early blogs of Real Live Preacher and not want to take that man out for coffee.
Really, at the end of the day, a blog is all about relationship-building. Before you can teach, before you can philosophize, before you can show off the pictures of your trip or your kid, you need to build relationships with readers. This is a really important point for people who want to use blogs for educational purposes. A blog will fail if it is just a forum for facts. People reading the blog need to hear the voice of the writer, and they need to feel a connection to that writer.
The Internet has been accused of isolating people so they sit alone at their computers on a beautiful Saturday morning (as I admit I'm doing now.) But we seek out passion and emotion and friendship no matter what our environment is, and the Internet is no exception. If a Zoo (for example) wishes to write a blog about wildlife conservation, it must embrace this reality. I've read a lot of Zoo blogs that have been full of interesting information, but is dry and boring overall. Zoo people need to forget about being a "scientific professional" and just be human.
And a good writer. That always helps, too.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
The Facebook Mentality
I was watching The Colbert Report last night, and Colbert was talking about the secret documents posted to Wikileaks. Tom Blanton, the executive director of the National Security Archive and "one of those Open Information Guys" came on the show to talk about why he thought the leaks were a good thing.
They ended the interview speculating on why Brad Manning allegedly leaked the documents in the first place. "I don't know," Blanton said, "...maybe he's just applying the Facebook mentality to all these classified documents. You put it all out there. You put your embarrassing videos out there, you put your secret documents out there."
Maybe what we're seeing is a paradigm shift over what IS private. In the past, we've had different faces that we've presented to the world. Our private face, what we show to our family and close friends, is different from our professional face, what our boss sees. And that is different from the face we show at Church, or the face we wear while hanging out with a group of not-as-close friends. But maybe, now, all those faces are slowly merging into one. Maybe the discussions we have about what should be public and what should be private are more and more incomprehensible to younger people because there is no private. It is all public.
Maybe this means our "public faces" will melt away, and we all will stay true to our inner selves. OR (cue the doom-and-gloom music) maybe the "private face" will be the one to melt and we will end up without the opportunity to actually express who we really are.
Or this private-is-public thing is just a phase that will pass. That's probably the most realistic. The other two are much more interesting to contemplate, though!
They ended the interview speculating on why Brad Manning allegedly leaked the documents in the first place. "I don't know," Blanton said, "...maybe he's just applying the Facebook mentality to all these classified documents. You put it all out there. You put your embarrassing videos out there, you put your secret documents out there."
Maybe what we're seeing is a paradigm shift over what IS private. In the past, we've had different faces that we've presented to the world. Our private face, what we show to our family and close friends, is different from our professional face, what our boss sees. And that is different from the face we show at Church, or the face we wear while hanging out with a group of not-as-close friends. But maybe, now, all those faces are slowly merging into one. Maybe the discussions we have about what should be public and what should be private are more and more incomprehensible to younger people because there is no private. It is all public.
Maybe this means our "public faces" will melt away, and we all will stay true to our inner selves. OR (cue the doom-and-gloom music) maybe the "private face" will be the one to melt and we will end up without the opportunity to actually express who we really are.
Or this private-is-public thing is just a phase that will pass. That's probably the most realistic. The other two are much more interesting to contemplate, though!
Monday, July 26, 2010
My Purpose
The beginning of a conversation between strangers is always awkward. You don't know where the common ground is, or what the common interests are. And although I have kissed the Blarney Stone, I never got the Gift of Gab to get that conversational ball rolling. So, forgive me.
Hello, world! My name is Stephanie Eller (hence the "misspelled" stellar of the Blog title) and I actually started this blog to fulfill the requirements of a class I'm taking. It is a prosaic beginning, I guess, but I will be talking quite a bit about blogs, wikis, and podcasts, and how they can be used in an educational way, and I thought you should know why.
Now that I've set up my very own blog, though, I am already planning to use it for more than just my homework. Maybe I'll post my thought on interesting stories, or funny videos, or maybe I'll talk about my day. This is a new experiment. Will the fact that I'm sitting quietly in an empty room make it easier to reflect on issues and events? Will a real conversation begin with people I've never met? Or will this be a modern version of writing to myself in a journal?
I watched an episode of "House" where Laura Prepon (the tall girl from "That 70's Show") played a girl named Frankie, a dedicated blogger. She blogged all the time, including during her stay at the hospital, and she blogged about every THING. The episode asked how much personal information should be kept private, and how real the relationship between a blogger and her online audience really is. The show made me curious. I'd like to see if I can answer those questions for myself. I have contributed as a commenter to a few blogs, but now I'd like to experience the relationship from the other side.
Hello, world! My name is Stephanie Eller (hence the "misspelled" stellar of the Blog title) and I actually started this blog to fulfill the requirements of a class I'm taking. It is a prosaic beginning, I guess, but I will be talking quite a bit about blogs, wikis, and podcasts, and how they can be used in an educational way, and I thought you should know why.
Now that I've set up my very own blog, though, I am already planning to use it for more than just my homework. Maybe I'll post my thought on interesting stories, or funny videos, or maybe I'll talk about my day. This is a new experiment. Will the fact that I'm sitting quietly in an empty room make it easier to reflect on issues and events? Will a real conversation begin with people I've never met? Or will this be a modern version of writing to myself in a journal?
I watched an episode of "House" where Laura Prepon (the tall girl from "That 70's Show") played a girl named Frankie, a dedicated blogger. She blogged all the time, including during her stay at the hospital, and she blogged about every THING. The episode asked how much personal information should be kept private, and how real the relationship between a blogger and her online audience really is. The show made me curious. I'd like to see if I can answer those questions for myself. I have contributed as a commenter to a few blogs, but now I'd like to experience the relationship from the other side.
Also, for my class, I want to experiment with the different faces a blog post can have. Introspective musings? Reflections on a piece of art? Criticism (positive or negative) of a written article? Invitation to a discussion in the comments? What works? What doesn't?
Well. Anyway. We'll see what happens.
Well. Anyway. We'll see what happens.
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