Welcome and Syllabus

Topics in Nonfiction
Writing for the Web/Blogging and Social Media Focus
Professor Jakiela
208 Faculty Office Building
Office #: 724-836-7481
Office Hours: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.; Wednesdays 5-7 p.m. and by appt.
E-Mail: lljakiela@gmail.com, loj@pitt.edu
Prof Blog:  www.ljwritesbooks.com
Class Blog: www.upgblogs.blogspot.com
Course Meets: Wednesdays, 7-9:30, 137 McKenna Hall

Texts:

Time Magazine’s Best Blogs of 2012 List

Linked blogs from The NY Times, The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and more

Local Blogger Virginia Montanez’ THAT’S CHURCH:  www.thatschurch.com

And here’s a post Ginny did about Pitt-Greensburg blog class.

 

Former UPG students’ blogs (created in this class -- great models): 

Musings From FayetteNam

Suburban Hoofbeats

Gadgets and Gizmos

Happy Napping
Country In Spite of Ourselves
Knobbymeats Mountain Conglomerate


Strongly Suggested Texts:
Elements of Style, by Strunk & White
The Associated Press Style Book and Libel Manual

 

When it comes to influencing both mainstream media and public opinion, one thing’s certain. There’s nothing like blogs and bloggers.

The numbers of new and active blogs, as well as audiences for blogs, continue to grow. Bloggers have affected the outcomes of recent elections. They’ve exposed political scandals. They’ve led calls to action. They entertain and inform. They offer breaking news. Some have become authors of bestselling books (Julie and Julia is one example), and some, like Perez Hilton and Arianna Huffington, teen fashionista Tavi Gevinson and WikiLeaks’ Julian Assange have become celebrities themselves.

In short, blogs and other forms of social media – including video, podcasts, and social networks – are having an undeniable impact on traditional media. And they’re having an undeniable impact on both the way we think and learn about and respond to the world around us.  

This semester, you’ll take an active part in this continually-developing medium. You’ll set up and maintain your own blogs. You’ll develop an online community and participate actively in your classmates’ blogs. You’ll join the conversation on other blogs, too. We’ll study some of the most popular and influential blogs. We’ll discuss the effect of blogs on mainstream media and on all of us as consumers of information and news. We’ll learn how the emergence of new technology continually changes the way both traditional and new journalists do business. And we’ll learn about the ways blogs – and all of us -- can be more useful in the world.

 

As writers, your blogs will be useful tools to get you writing (and writing well). The medium changes. The aspects of craft remain the same. Though your posts will often be short, they should reflect your good writing skills. They should be voice-driven and written with a specific audience in mind. If you’re a fiction or nonfiction writer or poet, you might consider your blog a space where you can work out ideas you can develop in other ways. If you’re a journalist, you might consider your blog a public-service space where you can spread the news about things that matter to you and your readers. No matter how you approach the challenge, a blog will make sure you keep the commitment to writing on a schedule, every day.

 

COURSE COMPONENTS

THEORY

We will study the ethics and evolution of blogging and social media. We will look at a variety of blogs – some terrific, some good, some bad, some ugly. We’ll analyze the impact of blogs on traditional reportage. We will also examine the ethics of traditional and social journalism, and discuss blogging ethics and guidelines.   

 

YOUR OWN BLOGS

You’ll each set up your own blogs. If you don’t have a preferred platform, Google’s Blogger is simple and free. You’ll need a Gmail account to get started. We’ll start planning the blogs the first day of class.

Once established, all of your classmates’ blogs should appear on your blogroll. You should participate in your blogging community. You’ll be sending comments and links, reading each other’s daily posts, etc. 

 Each week, one or two blogs will be up for review. During that week, I’ll drop in on your community, check your progress, add my own commentary, evaluate your posts, etc. Guidelines regarding the quality and content of blogs will be covered in class.

In addition to being part of your larger blogging community, I’ll pair each of you with a partner to provide you with more focused one-on-one feedback each week.

You should also try to move beyond our class and link to other blogs. Research other bloggers who share your interests and follow them. Link to their blogs. Expand your audience and your information sources. Experiment out there.

 

SOMETHING NEW

We’re working with a medium that’s constantly evolving. Please plan for this class to be a bit less structured than other classes. You’ll want to come to class and pay attention to be sure you’re on pace. You’ll need to work independently throughout the week – updating your blog, keeping in touch with your blog partner, participating in the blog community and more. You should also plan to check our class blog for updates, writing prompts, relevant links, etc.

In addition to completing your assignments, please plan to:

·                 Come to class and participate.

·                 Meet all deadlines.

·                 Apply excellent grammar and precision. Write well and care deeply. Blog-writing is open and less formal than other kinds of writing, but good writing is good writing. Quality matters. You’ll be graded on the quality of your posts.

·                 Maintain ethical standards (tell the truth, no libel, no malice, etc.)

·                 Commit to your blog and be serious about it. Maintain an active blog – no periods of complete downtime. Update every week day (weekends off).

·                  Be willing to adapt and be creative

·                  Be passionate about your subject and write for an audience

·                  Be a good citizen of both your classroom and blog communities.

Your grade will depend on all of the above.

Core Requirements

·                      Establish and maintain an active, quality blog

·                      Participate in your blog community

·                     Complete one 15-minute in-class Powerpoint presentation on an assigned blog (guidelines in class)

·                     Attend class. If you miss more than two classes, your grade will drop by one letter for every additional unexcused absence.

·                     Pay attention in class. The temptation to surf the web, check Facebook, play Angry Birds and Words With Friends will be huge. You must resist. Repeated failure to pay attention in class will result in a marked absence.

Note About Class Cancellations

I will be in touch with you via e-mail and via our class blog if I ever need to cancel our class for any reason. Please check your Pitt e-mail.

Learning Disabilities

If you have a disability, please see Lou Ann Sears in the Learning Resources Center to file the necessary paperwork. The LRC is located on the first floor of the Faculty Office Building.