blogroll | schedule | syllabus | links

Introductions
Idea workshop: change | beat | story ideas

Homework reading

• Course syllabus and What is a beatblog? Come to class prepared to define/discuss beat blogging.
• Time for writers to learn the numbers game: This is my class blog. Read the post and the links and leave a short reaction comment (no more than 100 words) that answers ONE of these two questions: 1) There are two links here about creating content of value. What are they saying, and what's your reaction? 2) What concept/idea in this post are you famailiar with? What concept/idea are you unfamiliar with? Explain.
• Today's journalism portfolios Most of you are graduating this year. What does your portfolio look like?

Discussion

• Check Blackboard. Can you see your grades?
• Discuss homework reading
• Beat writing exercise

Homework
Writing sample. Due by 3 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 8.

• I used the email address you gave me on Thursday to name you as an author on this blog: Writing for New Media. 
• Several of you already have WordPress accounts. Log into this account, and you should see the blog on your dashboard. 
• If you didn't have an account, you should have received an invitation to create one in your email box on Friday. Create an account using the email you gave me, and you should see the blog in your dashboard. (Under "My Dashboards" at the top of your screen.) Under "Posts" on the left, click on "add new" and you can write your post here. Here's some help if you've never used WordPress before: How to create a post, how to insert a photo
• Write a sample blog post, using one of the five post types in the syllabus. It should run no longer than 250 words and should include at least two links and one image.
• At the top of your post, in two sentences, reintroduce yourself to the class and explain what your current blog beat idea is and who the audience will be. Press return once or twice, then write the blog headline and the blog post.

Sept. 8, 10

Tuesday

• WordPress troubleshooting

• Discussion: Content I'm looking for in a blog post
• Is it original journalism? Or original insight? Or is it just fluff and talk?
• Are there real people sources?
• Is the point of the blog post given in the first graf? Or are the first few grafs all talk? Filled with fluff?
• Do the visuals represent original work?
• Does it sound like you? Does it have an original voice? Does it have personality?

• Small group discussion:
• Of the complete posts, which best fulfill the expectations above?
• Of the incomplete posts, which have the best potential to fulfill the expectations above?
• As a group, comment on at least three posts. Tell the author at least one thing you like about their idea or sample post, and make at least three suggestions to help the author fulfill my expectations.

• Three questions for your beat blog:
• Who is the audience?
• What's your niche? ("Everyone" is not a target audience.)
• How can you convey both in a masthead title/image? (One of my favorites: Bitch Ph.D. Here's her about page.)

Homework

• Read The Huffington Post Complete Guide to Blogging p. 1-56
• Redo your sample blog post. This time, write a piece of link journalism following the Lieb formula given in class. Due by 3 p.m. on Thursday.
• Read What makes a blog journalism? and leave a comment that either: 1) adds your own answer to the question under discussion, or 2) reacts and adds to the comments posted by your colleagues. Remember: we're practicing creating a group conversation. Contribute to the conversation and keep it going.

Thursday

• What makes a blog journalism? Your comments and "we can fart around our coach"
• The Huffington Post Complete Guide to Blogging p. 1-56 and Your writing samples.
• Writing the midterm book review. 500 to 750 words written according to specs given in Bruce Garrison's book Professional Feature Writing, p. 228-231. (It may also be useful for you to read a few recently published book reviews in the New York Times or another newspaper.)

Homework

• Midterm #1 due Sept. 15. (FYI--here's how I graded last semester's midterms)
• Start your blog on WordPress. We'll look at titles, mastheads, about pages and anything else you've posted on Sept. 17.
• Email me your blog link. I'll add it to the blogroll. If you're on Twitter, go ahead and send me your user name, too.

Sept. 15, 17

Midterm #1 due

Tuesday

• Start your blog. The elements to focus on: the name, look, first posts and sidebars. Email me the link for the blogroll.
• Set up your RSS reader. Start by checking the blogroll and adding the class blogs to your reader.
• Set up your beat news feed. Find at least 15 good blogs that are related to your beat. Add them to your reader and organize your feeds, and come to class prepared to show them to me.

Thursday
Show me your blogroll

A few headlines | Careful checking Facebook | Is google wave ready for its debut? (What's google wave?) | Who is a journalist? (And why it's important to do actual journalism on your blog)

WordPress and your blogs | A look at your blog name | The first steps toward customizing your blogs | Sign up for blog presentations

Homework: BLOG! 3 posts due each week for the next 12 weeks. I'll look through them every Friday morning starting Sept. 25. Start by following the post types in the syllabus. Other ways you can use your blog in the future might include: plug your newspaper article, solicit hints and tips. Stay tuned for more, or if you've got a great idea, ask me.

Sept. 22, 24

3 blog posts due

Tuesday
Social media internship available
Midterm #1 returned. How I graded them.
Community building:

• Comment assignment.
• Twitter (sign up for an account and email me your link)
• Tweetdeck screenshots: 1, 2

Homework:

• Find 10 good people to follow on Twitter for your beat. Be sure you're following the class, too. (Hint: twellow, twitdir, search.twitter.com, How to find people to follow, Baltimore Sun on Twitter, class blogroll. Also: take a second look at the blogs you are following. Are any of those authors on Twitter?) 
• Twitter reading: Twitter guidebook, How to use Twitter for reporting, What's in it for journalists on Twitter? and 10 things you can tweet about on Twitter.
• Three blog posts due by Friday. Here's a freebie blog post idea: Interview one of the twitter users on your beat about how they use the site.

Thursday
For Katie
You bastards!
Jon Stewart on Twitter

Twitter party!

Print and turn in blog rubric

Sept. 29, Oct. 1

3 blog posts due

Comments #1 due Oct. 1

Tuesday
Links for today: WNST & Nestor Aparicio | Why reporters should Twitter | Midnight Sun | Dining @ Large | BaltTech

Shoutouts Christina | Valerie | Carlos (Q&A formatting) | David | Lauren
Grading & writing notes
WordPress tips
Upcoming assignments

Homework
We've got a guest speaker for Thursday.Review the links below and come up two good questions for our speaker. Some topics I'd like to see covered: using social media to feed your beat and build your community, writing voice and writing on a blog vs. writing in print, using Twitter & RSS to come up with story ideas.

Thursday
Guest speaker: Baltimore Sun reporter, blogger and Twitter user Sam Sessa.
Group A blog rubric due

Homework
Feed the blog.

Oct. 6, 8

3 blog posts due

Tuesday
Lots of stuff to discuss
Twitter tiff | TL story hits Romenesko | And Gawker

• Melissa Hale back from ONA San Francisco
• ONA awards to college students: It happens at midnight | Andaman rising
• Nick DiMarco demos Google Wave

• Interesting blog reporting: Katie, Kara
• Announcing: 407 choice awards. The challenge: Feet in the street video. Example: ONA09 Word on the Street | Word on the street The prize: When Words Collide

• How to prepare for your blog presentation on Thursday
• Package #1 due Oct. 15. Assignment details.

Thursday
Reflective writing: your blog/reporting progress
Blog presentations: Success, Cari, Christina
Group B blog rubric due

Homework:

• Feed the blog. Reminder: Feet in the street video challenge due Tuesday.
• Story package #1 due Thursday, Oct. 15.

Oct. 13, 15

3 blog posts due

Package #1 due

Tuesday

• 407 choice awards voting
• Building traffic: delicious links | my notes
• Package examples: Maxed out, Andaman rising. Example of feature story: Student runs marathon to say thanks

Thursday

• Due: Group A blog rubric due | Feature story blog rubric
• Random stuff: Real time testing headlines | Storytelling on Twitter | Ochocinco iPhone app | Heather and Tyler: postdating WordPress posts
• Blog news: Bonita Style | BaltiNerd | Towson after dark
• Blog presentation: Katie, Josie
• Homework: WWGD pages 1-69. What does Jeff Jarvis mean by:
  New relationship? New architecture? New publicness? New Society? New economy? What are his most powerful points/arguments? What are his weakest points/arguments?

Oct. 20, 22

3 blog posts due

Comments #2 due

Tuesday
WWGD discussion p. 1-69

Review your writing basics


Thursday
Class discussion

• Heather | sitemeter
• Joey | IM
• Tyler | band video
• Dr. S | Networks as clouds, Jeff Jarvis on Twitter
• Blog presentation: Meredith, Hadear

Due today

• Group B blog rubric due
• Comments #2 due

Oct. 27, 29

3 blog posts due

Feature #1 due

Tuesday
SEO & SEM
Guest speakers Jenny Goodwin and Jen Carter

Thursday
Formatting the feature story page
Group A blog rubric due
Feature story #1 due

Blogs of note:Tyler | David | Rye | Heather | Nick

Blog presentation: Joey, Lauren

Nov. 3, 5

3 blog posts due

Midterm #2 due

Tuesday
New tech: Twitter lists | how journos are using them
SEO | My delicious links
WWGD update | Google navigation launch | How can they afford to do this?
Thursday blog presentation: Jessica, Lauren


Thursday
No class: Professor at TedxMidAtlantic
Print Group B blog rubrics, midterm #2. Deliver to professor's office door by 5:30 p.m. Thursday.

Nov. 10, 12

3 blog posts due

Tuesday
Randomness: formally | Baltimore guide police blotter
Blogging: Time for writers to learn the numbers game | monetization | ROI | Analytics brainstorming
Blog presentations: Kara, Tyler

Thursday
Blog presentation: Valerie, 
Group A blog rubric due