New Media Journalism @ Seton Hill University

While doing a routine web search for "Seton Hill University," I came across the online portfolio of Jen, an adult student in Seton Hill's business program.

As a non-traditional student, this program has allowed me to complete my undergraduate degree at my own pace and with a schedule my family can live with. While the accelerated class work load is not easy, I enjoy the friendly professors, the serene campus, and the learning experience in general is top notch. I am so impressed with SHU, that I plan to stay on to achieve my MBA.

Jen has posted a reflection paper that concludes:

Now as I prepare for my last year at Seton Hill as an undergrad student, I look back on my progress, my experiences, and my growth as a person. Because I had so many years of work experience, I never understood the necessity to obtain a Bachelor’s degree. Now that I am almost finished, I made the decision to seek my Master’s degree. The combination of liberal arts core classes (history, science, math, the arts, and religion) has made me a well-rounded person (and fun at parties). No amount of time spent on the job can make up for this fundamental learning experience. It becomes embedded into your person.

What have I gained from my time at Seton Hill? I am sure I cannot even begin to comprehend all that I have been given. I have matured. I have learned. I have thought. I have applied. I have created. I have commitment. I have confidence. I have a chance. Thank you, SHU.

.

Posted by Admin at 7:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

At some point last night, new blog entries stopped showing up. I've spent several hours today trying to solve that problem. Crossing my fingers....

Posted by Admin at 11:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

While I'm still working out the kinks, the MT upgrade seems to be working.

Seton Hill University students have been blogging at this location since Fall, 2003. In 2004, the work of SHU bloggers has appeared in a North Carolina State University MA thesis, "Web Logs in the Post-Secondary Writing Classroom: A Study of Purposes," and an article in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Freedom of Speech Redefined by Blogs."

The old login instructions are now out of date, but they will still explain things such as your default password and tips for how to write good blog entries. I will begin updating some of the older SHU blogging tutorials. Those links will appear here as I create them.

MT4 seems to be a big drag on our server's memory... if your site ever seems to hang, please don't reload the page multiple times -- your command is probably just waiting in a long line, and if you submit your request half a dozen times, it will just gum up the system even worse, and then you'll have six duplicate entries (which you will have to delete, which will take even more computing resources).

Working with new media is always a roller-coaster ride, so please bear with me during the transition.

--DGJ

Update: I should point out that I asked my internet to increase the RAM on my virtual server, so that it is in line with MT4's stated minimal requirements, and I could see a performance boost. While it's true that MT4 sucks up a lot more resources than MT3, well, they s

Posted by Admin at 9:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

I'm just letting current power users know... if I were you, I wouldn't make any major site design changes, since you might have to do them over again when blogs.setonhill.edu upgrades to MT4.

Right now I plan to make sure that all your links work and that any video or other special files you have uploaded remain accessible in the new site, but due to some major changes in the MT4 database, I expect that everyone will have to make some individual changes to their site in order to keep it running. (I'll put the instructions up on a website as soon as I have them.)

More gory details follow...

Continue reading "Considering an upgrade to MT4" »

Posted by jerz at 10:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I've been working on upgrading to MovableType 4, and it hasn't been going very well.

The MT user forms are down at the moment, and as it happens my service contract with MT has just expired, so I'm locked out of getting paid support tickets. (That's just temporary, as is, I hope, the forum outage, but of course it has to happen when you really need help.)

I wrote this with the intention of posting it to the tech support forum, so it will make no sense unless you are trying to install MT4 yourself. But here it is, since I can't really put it anywhere else useful at the moment.

Continue reading "Problems upgrading to MT4" »

Posted by jerz at 7:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This just arrived in my e-mail. Looks like someone with a bit of money is hoping to reward good blogging (and also gain a higher profile for himself in the process). Sounds like a good way to give back to the blogosphere.

� Announcing The Blogging Scholarship - Scholarships Around the US

We are proud to annouce the launch of The Blogging Scholarship. UPDATE: We are offering bloggers a $5,000 scholarship annually.

Requirements:

Our requirements are

* Your blog must contain unique and interesting information about you and/or things you are passionate about. No spam bloggers please!!!
* You must be enrolled in a college in the United States;
* 3.0 minimum GPA;
* Enrolled full-time in post-secondary education; and
* If you win, you must be willing to allow us to list your name and blog on this page. We want to be able to say we knew you before you became a well educated, rich, and famous blogging legend.

Nominate Yourself Today

Posted by jerz at 10:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

While the layout still needs some work, I've finally returned the "Recent Comments" feature to the blogs.setonhill.edu portal page.

Continue reading "The Return of 'Recent Comments'" »

Posted by jerz at 8:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I�m putting together a proposal for a panel or perhaps a set of computer poster-papers. Would you like to co-present a paper about your SHU blogging?

Continue reading "Call for Feedback and Participation from SHU Bloginators" »

Posted by jerz at 6:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

I just stumbled across this site, blogs.princeton.edu, which hosts a MT website. I don't see any links to community-produced content. THe home page reads, "The intent of this site is to provide news updates about the Princeton University Blog Service and its server, as well as make available tips, tricks, and tutorials for the community of Movable Type users at Princeton."

About this site � Princeton University Blog Service

If you have any tips or techniques for using Movable Type at Princeton, feel free to use the comments, or contact blogs@princeton.edu with an idea for an article, and we may make you a guest author.

The Princeton University Blog Service is administered by the New Media Center, part of OIT Academic Services at Princeton University. The New Media Center reserves the right to limit this blog service to weblogs that are academic-related and/or related to the mission of Princeton University. (Emphasis added)

Continue reading "Similar Concept, Very Different Philosophy" »

Posted by jerz at 5:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

"Awkward encounters? Sure. But instances such as these are providing teachable moments for faculty at a growing number of colleges nationwide, including Seton Hill. There, a professor and his prolific community of student bloggers are exploring the good and the ugly about a rough-and-tumble form of Internet discourse whose popularity has exploded." --Bill Schackner, in "Freedom of speech redefined by blogs" (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette).

Continue reading "SHU Blogosphere in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette" »

Posted by jerz at 1:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Web Logs in the Post-Secondary Writing Classroom: A Study of Purposes

Based on the sample from this study, many educators use the home-base blog as a place for teachers to post course-related items. The home-base blog tends to be used in one or more of the following ways: 1) to post announcements, 2) to post assignments, 3) to link to student blogs, 4) to link to the course website and/or syllabus, 5) to link to important website resources (the library website, or news sites), and 6) to serve as a daily agenda. For example, Dennis Jerz from Seton Hill University uses his home-base course weblog in a combination of these ways. In the image below, Figure 9, you can see the blog home page for one of his writing courses.

Posted by jerz at 6:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

dilbert2005100104652.jpg (JPEG Image, 750x544 pixels)

Continue reading "Spitting on the Graves of Our Founding Fathers" »

Posted by jerz at 10:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

-- A great spoof from The Nonist

Posted by jerz at 9:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Moore's Law of Blogs | News.blog | CNET News.com

Popular blog search Web site Technorati posted a report on the growth of blogs that shows that, on average, the number of blogs is doubling every five-and-a-half months. As of last month, more than 80,000 blogs were created daily, with a new blog created every second, the report found. Technorati tracks more than 14.2 million blogs. About 55 percent of all new bloggers are considered active, or had a posting in the last three months and about 13 percent update at least weekly, according to the study.

Posted by jerz at 10:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

How many people out there think that the blog you are reading now looks a little... um, bland? Yes... after almost three years, the NMJ blog looks exactly the same. I have proposed to Dr. Jerz a design concept--because I have waaaaay too much time on my hands! =') A working prototype is available for critiquing. Just follow this link and leave any complaints, suggestions, or stark-raving praises as comments in this entry.

Thank you,

Evan

Update: The new homepage is on index.php.

Posted by Evan Reynolds at 6:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (25)

After reading a recent essay written by an employer who didn't like what her nanny was blogging, and fired her (here's the nanny's response), I thought it would be worthwhile to blog this introduction to the concept of professional networking via the internet.

The article is written for grad students, and the subject isn't specific to weblogs. But the basic principles also apply to college students, or anyone seeking to develop a professional identity.

Networking on the Network

The first thing to realize is that Internet-world is part of reality. The people you correspond with on the network are real people with lives and careers and habits and feelings of their own. Things you say on the net can make you friends or enemies, famous or notorious, included or ostracized. You need to take the electronic part of your life seriously. In particular, you need to think about and consciously choose how you wish to use the network. Regard electronic mail as part of a larger ecology of communication media and genres -- telephone conversations, archival journals and newsletters, professional meetings, paper mail, voice mail, chatting in the hallway, lectures and colloquia, job interviews, visits to other research sites, and so forth -- each with its own attributes and strengths. The relationships among media will probably change and new genres will probably emerge as the technologies evolve, but make sure that you don't harbor the all-too-common fantasy that someday we will live our lives entirely through electronic channels. It's not true.

One might engage in many forms of communication on the net -- one-to-one electronic correspondence, network discussion groups, Web publishing, and so forth. And these interactions might be employed as part of a wide variety of professional activities: sharing raw data, arguing about technical standards, collaborating on research projects, chasing down references, commenting on drafts of papers, editing journals, planning meetings and trips, and so on. Underlying all of these disparate activities, though, is the activity of building and maintaining professional relationships. Electronic communication is wasted unless we use it to seek out, cultivate, and nurture relationships with other human beings. Unfortunately the existing mechanisms for electronic interactions, by reducing people to abstract codes (like "c2nxq@loco.blort.com"), make it difficult to keep this deeper dimension of interaction in mind. Still, there's no escaping it: if you aren't consciously building relationships, you're probably getting lost.

At the most fundamental level, then, most of my advice has nothing intrinsically to do with electronic communication at all. My real topic is not (technological) networks but (professional) networking. Therefore I'll discuss networking in a general way before describing how electronic mail can accelerate it.

Posted by jerz at 8:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It just can't be good, it has to be original and good.

When I think hard about it part of me kind of wishes
we hurled our bodies into the air, at times, cracking on impact,
but I miss the rest of you
and I am now working on keeping myself at SHU.
You can vote for who you feel wins the argument.
I strongly recommend that you become involved in one that doesn't kill anyone.
I don't know how many of the younger readers will remember him,
following me from trash can to trash can as I went about my business
in like.. some scholastic endeavor. Or something.
All I can say is, I�m not surprised France came up with crap like that.

Continue reading "Feeling Inspired?" »

Posted by jerz at 8:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)

Julie Young, an English major who graduated in 2004, earned a mention on BlogScholar, "(academic blogging portal)".

BlogScholar.com - Blog to the MAX

Posted by jerz at 5:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

If blogger A insults blogger B, does the first amendment prevent blogger B from suing blogger A? In a court of law, will a first amendment defense prevent blogger A from being found guilty of libel, defamation, or invasion of privacy?

Here's the text of the First Amendment

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

In an academic context, all schools, whether public or private, do have to deal with the ethical principle of academic freedom, so that, for instance, a professor isn't pressured to fail a student who writes a politically incorrect paper. But if a student posts a comment that's critical of Microsoft, and then later applies for a job at Microsoft, the company is perfectly free to say, "We didn't hire you because we Googled you and didn't like what we found." (Well, they probably wouldn't actually come out and say that...)

Ranting about general stress and workload is one thing, but naming names and getting personal is another matter. No employer wants to hire people who use their blogs to complain about their co-workers or employer, so few employers will be impressed by student blogs that complain about their felow students or professors.

EFF: Legal Guide for Bloggers

Whether you're a newly minted blogger or a relative old-timer, you've been seeing more and more stories pop up every day about bloggers getting in trouble for what they post.

Like all journalists and publishers, bloggers sometimes publish information that other people don't want published....[I]n many cases, you may not have the benefit of training or resources to help you determine whether what you're doing is legal. And on top of that, sometimes knowing the law doesn't help - in many cases it was written for traditional journalists, and the courts haven't yet decided how it applies to bloggers.

But here's the important part: None of this should stop you from blogging.

Posted by jerz at 11:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The SHU blogosphere has had a few energetic and exciting debates, a few of which have degenerated into name-calling.

Here's an interesting discussion of how a departmental discussion group got ugly, and what we can learn about online methods of communication.

Chronicle Careers: 06/06/2005

Hard words, indeed. Arguably a challenge, and if so, Hank took the bait. "I guess it's inevitable that at the 11th hour, some asshole makes an incendiary posting that completely negates the spirit of discussion and rational debate that preceded it," he began circumspectly, then wrote what he really thought. "I would suggest that there are two kinds of people, right now: those who have the talent and integrity to get and keep jobs as professors and lecturers, and those who somehow get admitted to a literature/writing department without being able to use a word like 'scab' correctly." Hank concluded that he had dealt with John's type before: "When the actual demonstration or meetings occur, you're a no-show."

Well, John's posting might not have been worthwhile, but Hank's displayed everything that can go wrong with blogs and online discussion groups -- like the way the medium can encourage hair-trigger responses, snap reactions, and fierce emotional outpourings. A sudden passion seizes the e-mailer, who can be confrontational in a way that a face-to-face interaction might discourage. A bookworm who spent high school running from the jocks can now, late in life, get macho.

A stunned silence reigned for about 20 minutes before a torrent of abuse rained down on Hank's head. He issued a sheepish apology an hour later, but the damage was done -- by John's post as well as by Hank's.

There was the effect on personal relations, on what little camaraderie the department had. The flame war could affect people's careers, given that participants would one day sit on conference panels and search committees.

Posted by jerz at 12:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

We weren't worth mentioning by name in the body of the article, apparently, but there we are, in footnote 5.

Weblogs: a contributory element to the research dissemination process (via Jerz's Literacy Weblog)

Weblogs: a contributory element to the research dissemination process
[PDF] (ePortfolio Research and Development Community)
The traditional, dominant method for getting academic work, research and ideas reviewed and accepted by peers is for work to be published via a recognised source. Publication in a acknowledged journal demonstrates the work meets a required standard for acceptance into the academic community.

When an academic is working on an idea at a very low level they may call upon colleagues within their department to revise and pass comments. However, this process is less well suited for work that is at the "working or draft stage"; i.e., not quite ready for submission for publication, but well past the beginning stages of development. It would be ideal if a wider body of reviewers could assess the work. --David Tosh and Ben Werdmuller

Posted by jerz at 5:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Sorry about the blogging outage. Apparently we were under a heavy spam attack that overloaded the system. It was possible to read blogs, but not post or comment, for about eight hours. Some of you e-mailed your homework to me. Good for you. Others started doing your work in your word processors. Good for you, too.

Blogs were out for about eight hours. The EL150 portfolio due Wednesday will be extended until Thursday. I don't see the need to extend the EL267 portfolio, which will still be due Thursday.

Posted by jerz at 11:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I'm testing the "Future" post setting. This post should be invisible when I post it, but should appear after midnight. Cross your fingers!

Posted by jerz at 12:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

I've just upgraded to MT 3.15.

Lots of cool new features, not the least of which is a streamlined interface. Now there are text editing buttons on both the "Entry Body" and "Extended Entry" boxes, and if spam drives you crazy, you can configure your blog to accept and publish comments from your regular readers right away, and hold comments from strangers until you've gotten the chance to approve them. (That should cut down on comment spam.)

Posted by jerz at 6:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

MSNBC - Blogging Beyond the Men's Club

MacKinnon is involved in a project called Global Voices, to highlight bloggers from around the world. And at the Harvard conference, Suitt challenged people to each find 10 bloggers who weren't male, white or English-speaking—and link to them. "Don't you think," she says, "that out of 8 million blogs, there could be 50 new voices worth hearing?" Definitely. Now let's see if the blogosphere can self-organize itself to find them.

Posted by jerz at 12:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

ongoing � It's Not Dangerous

Ten Reasons Why Blogging is Good For Your Career �

1. You have to get noticed to get promoted.

2. You have to get noticed to get hired.

3. It really impresses people when you say �Oh, I�ve written about that, just google for XXX and I�m on the top page� or �Oh, just google my name.�

4. No matter how great you are, your career depends on communicating. The way to get better at anything, including communication, is by practicing. Blogging is good practice.

5. Bloggers are better-informed than non-bloggers. Knowing more is a career advantage.

6. Knowing more also means you�re more likely to hear about interesting jobs coming open.

7. Networking is good for your career. Blogging is a good way to meet people.

8. If you�re an engineer, blogging puts you in intimate contact with a worse-is-better 80/20 success story. Understanding this mode of technology adoption can only help you.

9. If you�re in marketing, you�ll need to understand how its rules are changing as a result of the current whirlwind, which nobody does, but bloggers are at least somewhat less baffled.

10. It�s a lot harder to fire someone who has a public voice, because it will be noticed.

    Posted by jerz at 12:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

Encouraging Independent Learning with Tools and Methods that Students will Love

Okay, so all students won't love them all the time, but the reason I'm blogging this is because I noticed Gina Burgese was cited as an example of successful blogs in education.

Also featured are Mike Arnzen's Pedablogue and the website for last year's American Lit I course.

Posted by jerz at 1:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Posted by jerz at 1:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Most of my students will already be familiar with the trend described in this article, but it's still good to see mainstream media tracking this trend.

BBC NEWS | UK | Education | Academics give lessons on blogs

Blogs are increasingly being used by academics and students.

Until a few months ago, the attention paid to web logs, or blogs, focused mainly on politics and the media business.

However, many in academia followed the web-diary of Salam Pax, the famous Baghdad blogger during the build-up to the war in Iraq.

Now, the technology that has been an alternative source of news to many academics is being incorporated more fully into university life.

Posted by jerz at 3:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Mike Arnzen's Pedablogue is on the list: Best of Blog (BoB) Awards 2004: Finalists - Best Education/Homeschool Blog

Posted by jerz at 2:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Interesting find on Crooked Timber. They're talking about the gender gap in the blogging world, which ties in with a class discussion in Writing for the Internet. I wish this post had come a month earlier. An excerpt:

Continue reading "Blogs and the Gender Gap" »

Posted by at 12:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Check out the Career Development blogging website for your chance to win awesome Seton Hill University prizes!

Rules in this contest:

All you have to do is check out our site daily and if you find any of the entries interesting, boring, helpful, etc... make sure to leave comments to let us know! We want your feedback!

What needs improved with our blogging website?
Our Career Development Office on 5th Admin?

Make sure to post your comments daily... contest begins on
December 14, 2004 and ends on January 24, 2005!

Posted by at 9:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

They're accepting nominees at the Best of Blog (BoB) Awards 2004.

Posted by jerz at 1:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)

Let's hope that none of the Seton Hill blogs becomes noteworthy for a similar reason...

Anchorage Daily News | People flock to online journal after 16-year-old's arraignment

"Just to let everyone know, my mother was murdered."

This simple yet startling sentence marks the last entry Rachelle Waterman made in her Internet journal before she was arrested on charges she participated in killing her mother. And it marks the beginning of an online discussion that's as remarkable for its popularity as its content.

Posted by jerz at 10:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Hey everybody, I just wanted to let people know that I'm the newest blog on the block. I figured if I don't tell anyone about it, no one will visit it, and then where's the fun in that? So go to, read it, and don't mind my slight touch of insanity.

~Stephanie

Posted by Stephanie at 4:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

To: Blogging veterans, and those recently enlisted
From: Someone That Cares About Color
Subject: Personalizing your blog

Recently, a few people have asked where I got the template for my blog. (Really, it's not a different template--it's the standard MT with a new background image... which might be changing soon.) Anyway, I just wanted to post a couple of links so that the resources are here for anyone that is interested in spiffing up their personal pages.

Basics in HTML aren't too hard, but get started first.

If you just want to change colors in your blog, take a look at this and this. (Shamless plugs ;)

You'll need a color sheet, a metric ton of patience, and a decent chunk of time.

Our SHU online community is growing--and experiences in blogging and computing in general vary from person to person. I know that I am not the most advanced in blogging (by any means!), but I feel obligated to post other options for anyone that is HTML curious/savvy or really wants to make their blog stand out from the rest. The following links are to pages that support free templates, most of them have coding for MT, and all of them look fabulous.
Have at it:

I found some great tutorials and miscellaneous stuff for Movable Type, if you are interested in tinkering with your blog:

Media Tinker: Illustrated MT Templates

Movable Type Tips

Learning Movable Type

( x-posted from my personal blog )

Posted by Moira at 11:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Hey guys and gals! I just wanted to say that I'm super brand new to this, so forgive me if I'm a tad bit slow in this whole process...

I'm home for Labor Day weekend so hopefully I'll get this whole weblogging thing down by class next Wednesday..

Posted by Rachel at 12:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Hey everyone,
I have a question that maybe somebody can answer that I hope someone can answer. I hope it doesn't come off as too stupid, I don't live anywhere near Greensburg and the Seton Hill Website isn't really much of a help. What's going on with the new sports center thing (sorry, I forget the actual name for it), is it still being built or is in use yet? If not are they ever going to finish it, like this year? I was hoping to find out when school started but as you all know I can't come back until the spring. If you can't tell me anything I guess I will find out then. :()

Posted by at 4:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

The temporary user account "2008 Student," which I created in order to let incoming freshmen post entries here, keeps getting hijacked by curious people who are (innocently) trying to create their own logins. Little do they know that by personalizing "2008 Student" to their own name, they are locking out everyone else who tries to use "2008 Student".

MoveableType, the software that runs this blog, wasn't designed for the way we use it here. In fact, there isn't any off-the-shelf software that's designed for the way we use it here. So there are going to be glitches. Well, that's all a part of the fun when you're trying something new.

At any rate, for the time being, "2008 Student" should work now.

Posted by jerz at 3:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Blogs seem to be popping up without limits - or rules - PittsburghLIVE.com

While blogs have proliferated like Tribbles on "Star Trek," most are relatively anonymous.
"The vast majority of Web logs have very small audiences, a dozen or 100 readers," Blood says. "Many of these blogs don't aspire to much more than that; they are designed to communicate with a small group of friends or hobbyists. If a Web log is interesting to those few people, it is achieving its purpose."

Posted by jerz at 11:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

project-blog 2004:: because we care is sponsoring a blogathon.

Project Blog is here because we care and because we want to make a difference. On July 24th, bloggers from all around the world will be updating their own blog every 30 minutes for 24 solid hours all in the name of each blogger's favorite charity.

Hey, its a Saturday night. Most of you are in south-western PA. You know its gonna rain. Come raise some money. It sounds like fun and I think we should put our little blog server to the test. Comment if you want to do it with me (I need someone to stay up with). The more the merrier. Just 18 days left. Sign up now!

Also, if you have any good charities, then send the suggestions my way.

Posted by brimcBAM at 1:51 PM | Permalink

When I was surfing the net today, I came across this unique blogging website, Blog News for Bloggers. I always like to read what others like to post, even though this website seems like it is not updated frequently.

On to the good part...

Continue reading "5 Questions For A Blogger" »

Posted by at 12:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

OJR article: Scholars Discover Weblogs Pass Test as Mode of Communication

I suspect that over the next few years we will see a lot of calls suggesting that blogging has died, and I suspect that in a sense they will be right. The act of keeping a "Weblog" as a separate entity will become something of an anachronism. The broader world of collaborative Web publishing will continue to grow and converge with other technologies, including IM and e-mail. Imagine asking someone today if they are an "e-mailer." That question made sense, among a certain group, 15 years ago, when you weren't sure if someone had e-mail or not. I have a feeling that the production of public media -- whether in the form of Weblogs, wikis, collaboratively filtered lifelogs, or some form that I am too shortsighted to predict -- will be the moving force of a new era. --Alex Halavais

Posted by jerz at 5:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Sugarpacket: Bad, bad, blogger

Please accept my apology, and know that in the future, I will try harder to at least post something simple-minded, as a journal. My heart bleeds at the thought of your barrenness, and I swear to Google that I will not allow it to happen again.

Posted by jerz at 4:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

If you've just received a new personal weblog at blogs.setonhill.edu, this entry will help you get started. Newbies are welcome to post questions here... veteran bloggers, please feel free to offer your input.

If you're looking at this as part of a class assignment, then your instructor has already set up a blog for you, and you are about to finish the setup process.

If you've found this page on your own, you'll need to ask the site administrator for a blog. Follow the instructions at blogs.setonhill.edu.

Continue reading "Welcome to the Seton Hill Blogging Community" »

Posted by Admin at 4:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Wanderlust: Bloggers Anonymous

Every moment of every hour is spent thinking about crafting my next post. I've started noticing every little detail (which makes living at home extremely annoying) about people around me so I can try and write slightly better than yesterday. It's blossomed into a passion that consumes every thought, every action, and every moment of mine. I suffer from Blogging Withdrawl if I don't check in with this world every hour on the hour.

Posted by jerz at 10:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Charlie Lowe, whom I had the pleasure of meeting at the "Conference on College Composition and Communication" a few weeks, ago, posted a set of reflections on our blogging experiment here at Seton Hill University.

Forced Blogging: Building Community | cyberdash

I feel like I've been remiss in not getting to blogging about the sessions I attended at 4C's. For instance, Dennis Jerz's “Forced Blogging: Students’ Emotional Investment in Their Academic Weblogs” (25 March). Dennis gave us some great views of student investment in their blog when considered in light of voluntary or forced (assigned) blogging. One of the students at Seton Hill, Anthony, had this to say during a student online discussion about forced blogging...:

Posted by jerz at 1:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

When the text gets thick, the scroll bar on the right of the screen is too tempting to refuse; the mouse wheel begs to be flung.

Continue reading "Blogblem" »

Posted by Tony at 2:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

For that special blogger in your life...

Imagine my surprise when, in front of the audience at the "Conference on College Composition and Communication," when I showed them the NMJ weblog on the big projection screen at the front of the room, and saw that war had broken out.

I pitched some of my prepared talk (a part that was full of "telling") in order to show the audience what blogging is like at SHU.

Posted by jerz at 9:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

We have a core of very committed bloggers here at SHU, as well as others who only blog occasionally. Here is the lament of an accomplished writing teacher (I've used his textbook in several different classes) who says he has trouble getting his students to blog voluntarily.

Prototype: Yet Another Midterm Report

My students, with a few exceptions, continue to avoid posting in their course blogs. My faculty colleagues are even more reticent. The blogs I left up last semester have been deserted by the students they were created for. So as a means of voluntary interaction, they leave a lot to be desired.

I'm particularly interested in hearing from people who don't particularly enjoy blogging, and even from those who hate it... remember, you can always post anonymously!

Posted by jerz at 8:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (12)

In response to Mike Arnzen's September blog entry on fair use and the blogosphere, Richard Silverstein offers a few resources:

Tikun Olam-תקון עולם: Make the World a Better Place: Calling All Bloggers: Fair Use as a Protection from Copyright Infringement

I've been reading up on the concept of Fair Use as a means of protecting bloggers from accusations of copyright infringement. Several non-profit websites whose purpose is to provide access to copyrighted news articles have come up with an interesting and innovative understanding of Fair Use as a strong defense against a charge of infringement.

Posted by jerz at 12:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I came across this essay called, "Blogging Off" when I was searching for "Journalism News." The author of this essay is describing different types blogging sites and how each of them have their own style of blogging. The best part about this essay is at the end when she describes how "Blogs are ruining her life."

Check out the 5 different reasons why blogs are ruining her life.

The funny part about this is that she is not even a blogger, but a normal person who is a non-blogger telling about how bloggers are affecting her life.

Posted by at 12:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

Some people enjoy writing densely linked blog entries, but personally I like to be able to read something without having to do an insane amount of background research on the subject in order to understand it. Plus, this excercise takes forever.

Continue reading "Uh...excuse me, my blog is linking..." »

Posted by at 1:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)

Ok. For those of you who are in Intro to Lit, am I alone in saying that today's class was absolutely amazing! I loved every minute of it and I hope you all did too. I have posted in my blog more about today's events and all that happened in class as far as I can remember. So take a look and let me know what your reactions to the class were!

Tiff

Posted by at 7:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Blogging for EL 150: Introduction to Literary Study:

• Amy Blake
  
• Tiffany Brattina
  
• Gina Burgese
  
• Amanda Cochran
  
• Paul Crossman
  
• Michael Diezmos
  
• Johanna Dreyfuss
  
• Tina Dunham
  
• Diana Geleskie
  
• Nicole Giannilli
  
• CarlaRae Jackson
  
• Karissa Kilgore
  
• Hui Lin
  
• Tammy Moon
  
• Sue Myers
  
• Stephan Puff
  
• Jason Pugh
  
• Stefanie Robb
  
• Lori Rupert
  
• Sherry Spataro
  
• Leslie Stevens
  

Posted by jerz at 5:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Blogging for EL 267: American Literature, 1915-Present:

• Kristin Barrett
  
• Renee Belville
  
• Chelsie Betz
  
• Shawn Brisbane
  
• Meghan Buck
  
• Brian Dawson
  
• Lara Ericson
  
• Emily Evans
  
• Stephen Fazzi
  
• Linda Fisher
  
• Anthony Gigliotti
  
• Patrick Hepner
  
• Amanda Hoffer
  
• Heidi Herholz
  
• CarlaRae Jackson
  
• Meghan Kite
  
• Donald Kuhns
  
• Lorie Lawrence
  
• Gregg Martin
  
• Theodore Martin
  
• Ryan McCandless
  
• Adrianne Scarsella
  
• Teresa Swartz
  
• Dustin Terhorst
  
• Carol Tinsley
  
• Jamie Tommarello
  
• Rebecca Villano
  
• Melissa Whiteman
  

Posted by jerz at 4:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

EL 309: Media Aesthetics

• Rachel Crump
• Keith Gray
• John Haddad
• Rachel Howard
• Ed Lohr
• Brendan Meany
• Jamee Rice
• Allison Whitcomb
• Julie Young

Instructor: Dennis G. Jerz

Posted by jerz at 4:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Students in "Practice of Journalism" and "Writing for the Internet" blogged here as a class during Fall, 2003. I've removed their names from the blogroll in order to make room for current classes, but I thought I'd keep their names posted here to remind us of the communties that we formed. Thanks to all of you for helping to make my first semester at SHU so memorable and rewarding. Keep blogging!

Continue reading "SHU Bloggers, Fall 2003" »

Posted by jerz at 4:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Posted by at 10:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

I'm currently giving a presentation on academic weblogs -- a handy how-to guide, if you will. Luckily, you've all provided me with some great examples of do's and don'ts! :) It's for my excellent class taught by Dr. Jerz!

Posted by at 3:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

My So-Called Blog

Back in the 1980's, when I attended high school, reading someone's diary would have been the ultimate intrusion. But communication was rudimentary back then. There were no cellphones, or answering machines; there was no ''texting,'' no MP3's or JPEG's, no digital cameras or file-sharing software; there was no World Wide Web -- none of the private-ish, public-ish, superimmediate forums kids today take for granted. If this new technology has provided a million ways to stay in touch, it has also acted as both an amplifier and a distortion device for human intimacy. The new forms of communication are madly contradictory: anonymous, but traceable; instantaneous, then saved forever (unless deleted in a snit). In such an unstable environment, it's no wonder that distinctions between healthy candor and ''too much information'' are in flux and that so many find themselves helplessly confessing, as if a generation were given a massive technological truth serum.

Posted by jerz at 12:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Visit my blog for how to get cool information about your blog.
<BAM SE> - Life's a tag - Code It

Posted by brimcBAM at 11:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Blogger responded to the Onion article on their website, giving hints on what to do when your mom finds your blog. Pretty handy indeed...

Posted by at 11:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

"Are blogs journalism? .... I wish this debate would end becuase it obscures a more important issue: What is journalism and how does it serve its audience?"

-- David Akin responds to Jay Rosen's essay, "What's Radical About the Weblog Form in Journalism?". I don't think this debate "should end" at all...in fact, that's why I'm raising it again, even though you guys in Dr. Jerz' classes have probably already discussed it. Are blogs GOOD journalism? Can amateur writers cover the news well? It's true that big media has biases, but what incentive do people have to blog outside of their own vested interests? Isn't this more of the same bias, only privatized? Or does the blog return the "journal" to "journalism"? I keep musing over this.

There's also the counterarguing essay, "Ten Things Conservative About the Weblog in Journalism" (Dr. Jerz linked to these things on his blog long ago)

Posted by Dr. Mike Arnzen at 11:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)

If we can trust what is written on the "Electrisim" weblog, Microsoft fired a blogger for posting a picture of a shipment of Macs arriving at the Microsoft headquarters: eclecticism > Even Microsoft wants G5s

Posted by jerz at 2:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)

Part of me would die inside if it turned out that the real reason most students are in college is simply to get a good job when they graduate, but better employment prospects are certainly one benefit of a liberal arts education. And while simply knowing how to blog won't get you very far in life, if you can show an employer that you can write intelligently and keep a reader's interest on a wide variety of topics, that may help your application stand out. Other than computer geeks, journalists are probably the most informed about the value of good blogging. Here is a recent news article describing how some new hires have used their blogs to gain experience to get noticed.

Chicago Tribune | An unlikely new source of writing talent: Blogs

"When I started out, one of my fears was that I'd be laughed out of town. Here I was, a college junior, and who cares what I think?" Yglesias says. The rise of his blog -- thanks to generous attention from more famous bloggers, such as the "InstaPundit," Glenn Reynolds -- "speaks well of the people involved, rather than just the software involved," he adds.

Back in the Dark Ages, starting out in journalism used to mean late nights covering school board meetings or writing features about the circus coming to town. But that kind of old-fashioned resume-building doesn't matter much to Denton when he's hiring for Gawker or his other for-profit site, the gadget-centric Gizmodo.com.

Posted by jerz at 3:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

How much text can you cite from another website in your blog before you've crossed the line and entered into copyright infringement? Is it okay to post an image you didn't create in a blog? Even if it's just for window dressing? Does the "educational" use of blogs in our journalism classes give our bloggers greater freedom and protection to cite text and post multimedia?

I think the answer lies in "Fair Use" law -- especially when it comes to educational blogs. It's fine to post an image of a bull on a toilet if you are discussing that image the way, say, an art student or advertising student might. It's okay to post the full text of a poem if the poem is in 'public domain' because it was published over 75 years ago. But perhaps you've crossed the line if you use them just for window dressing or because you want to share something you like.

I'm not posting this to gag or censor anyone. I just thought I'd raise the topic, because I'm curious what you all think. I'm seeing the blogs get looser and looser with other people's property. It ain't all "open source"; publishing a blog comes with the responsibility of the publisher, doesn't it? A lot of this stuff is murky anymore. Thoughts?

Some links regarding questions of "Fair Use":
+ US Copyright Office on Fair Use
+ Stanford's Fair Use Website
+ Fair use of Copyrighted Works
+ Copyright and Fair Use in the Classroom, on the Internet, and the World Wide Web
+ Electronic Frontier Foundation on Fair Use

Posted by Dr. Mike Arnzen at 9:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

OJR article: Weblogs Are Pushing the Newsroom Envelope on Writers' Spontaneity

Newspapers represent all that is old and moldy about journalism: printed on dead trees, distributed by underpaid teens, and read by an aging audience. Weblogs represent all that is edgy and hip about journalism: written in a personal voice, encompassing divergent modes of thought, and distributed on a global platform. But is the commingling of newspapers and blogs like chocolate and peanut butter, or chocolate and pine tar? --Mark Glaser

Posted by jerz at 1:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)

When I introduced about 25 SHU students to blogs last week, and devoted a couple of hours to in-class blogging and troubleshooting, I was thrilled to see your personalities and voice coming through.

But since some students don't know what they want to write about, I did assign a few entries -- mostly posting their answers to traditional textbook exercises online.

I found that several students disliked my disruption of their personal space... see for yourself:

Work in progress.: Storm of the Century.

Thus, in honor Isabel, who may be more of a media starlet than an actual weather event, here are some storm readiness links to peruse: --Julie Young

Julie's post is a good example of how to integrate one's own reflections with links to outside sources. Note how she doesn't just list links -- she comments on each one. The purpose of her post is to amuse and perhaps deconstruct the media hype surrounding Isabel. But the same structure would work very well if you are collecting links that you might consider using in an academic paper, or you are sorting through multiple conflicting opinions on a topic you want to explore.

Posted by jerz at 10:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

A Storybook of Quotes: Listening

No man ever listened himself out of a job.
Calvin Coolidge (1872 - 1933)

Continue reading "Do Blogs Help Us Listen?" »

Posted by jerz at 4:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

I'm really getting sucked into reading everyone's blogs. It's a lot different than reading, say, a class discussion board on jweb, but I'm not sure I can articulate why or how. I guess having one's own "space" brings out personal touches, even if the blog is also at once a community document (as this wonderful NMJ site testifies). I think Dr. Jerz is doing a great job and I'm impressed by the journalism class' work so far!

I've got a little space to play, too; it's obviously just a testing ground so far, but you're welcome to drop by and take a peek/leave a note: http://blogs.setonhill.edu/MikeArnzen

Posted by Dr. Mike Arnzen at 11:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I am also putting up an advertizement for my weblog, A Storybook of Quotes.
I'm a complete sucker for a good quote, so that is where it is basicly going. Please let me know if you find any that are enjoyable!

Posted by at 10:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I am up here killing time because there is nothing to do on Seton Hill campus after 3 p.m. once the weekend begin. So I decided to write a journal entry. OKay here's some info about myself. I am a funny and interesting person. When I have my mind set on something I am very determined to do it. I movies, entertainment, and reading books. Right now my hobbies are doing Tae-bo and Winsor Pilates(they are great). My other hobbies are cooking and sewing I like designing clothes making things and doing hair. I like watching the news, going places, and relaxing. I can't stand being aroun fake people because I am very down to earth.
You can visit my page CrazyWorld

I'll be there waiting since I have nothing else to do. LOL :P

Posted by tiffbleek at 5:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Sarah Rosenberg writes, "what is the difference between a weblog and a message board?"

Sarah makes a good stab at answering her own question. Who else has something to contribute?

(I'm not allowing comments on this item, because I'm encouraging you to go to Sarah's blog instead... behold the secret power of the MovableType interface!)

Posted by jerz at 12:54 PM | Permalink

Hey there. I was never very good at keeping a journal and I never really like sharing my life or class life in writing. I am one that talks about what's going on in my life, but I will make an effort to do whatever I can to make this blog as interesting as possible.

Tiffany

Posted by at 11:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Now that I've finally established my weblog account, I'm ready to jump into the exciting world of blogging! I'm still playing around with the format of this system, but in due time, my blog New Adventures in Blogging will be bursting with musings on topics I've been researching.

Posted by Kate Cielinski at 11:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Hello... this is my first time doing this weblog schtuff so this could be fun. Here goes nothing

check it out:
http://blogs.setonhill.edu/MindyMcclelland/

Posted by Big Mac at 11:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Mike Arnzen: Alpha Omega

All blogs seem to begin and end the same:

"Is this thing on?" is the first message and "oops...I see I haven't been posting for a long time...guess I better quit" is the jist of the last. The beginning and end of the blog is what makes it so much different than other forms of literary reading... it's not simply serialized, it's immediate. The beginning and end depend entirely upon the reader's entrance into the structure. -- Mike Arnzen

Continue reading "Is this thing on?" »

Posted by jerz at 9:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The other day, Lindsey asked a good question... she wanted to know whether she should post all her observations in one long post each day, or post several short posts on separate topics. I'd definitely say that the convention in weblogs is to limit each post to one topic.

Continue reading "Question: One or Many Topics per Posting?" »

Posted by jerz at 5:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Hey Hey Hey! I am a probie at these weblogs, so bare with me! I wanted to post a brief reflection on my weblog for my Journalism class. I found my weblog on a website, www.weirdsmobile.com This website is quite "interesting" and I am sure to refer back to it for any weblogs.

The title of my weblog was Drive. In a brief summary, this is about a woman who is picking out the little things we usually don't see on the Pennsylvania turnpike. She mentions about three main items: 1. A mudslide on the
Pa turnpike, could she work that into her E-Z Pass defense argument? 2.
Irony of her playing, "Its Raining Men," and noticeably its not raining, also
she mentions how blondes receive the most attention. 3. She spotted a tanker
truck that reads, "Animal Technical Fat - Not for Human Food Consumption.

I found these 3 items rather out of the ordinary and quite funny. I sound exactly like this woman to choose these 3 odd items.

Check this out on www.weirdsmobile.com and look under "Traveling in Style" weblogs. Have fun!!

Posted by at 10:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Hey im new to this whole blogging system but im up to the challenge.

Continue reading "Just Getting Started" »

Posted by at 7:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Well, blogging seemed rough and confusing at first but I think I have really gotten the hang of things!

Continue reading "I think I've Got It!" »

Posted by at 5:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Yes, my weblog title is a knock-off of that annoying TGIF show Boy Meets World, but my blog will be much better than that curly-haired kid--I promise. Come on over...to my weblog.

I am an egotist so many of the entries are about me--tell me if you don't think they are good. I am trying to include better material with cool links, but I haven't really made any "blog connections" yet.

Posted by Amanda at 4:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

My brand new blog is just sort of hanging out, and I am randomly musing. At the moment, I feel like it is rather disjointed, so I am just waiting for it to find some sort of groove and for me to find an appropriate theme. Due to this slight problem, I've titled my my blog Work in Progress. However, I encourage all of you to visit anyway. My construction isn't nearly as annoying as PennDot's....I promise.

Posted by at 4:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Everyone!
Check out my weblog called "Drop In The Ocean". It's going to be an eclectic mix of really cool stuff! Amy Slade

http://blogs.setonhill.edu/AmySlade/

Posted by Amy at 4:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I am a student in the both The Practice of Journalism (EL227) and Internet Topics in Journalism (EL230). This is my first experience blogging, and I am really excited to try this new (at least new for me) technology. I am a literature major and would love to discuss any type of literature. I think that by using a weblog, some great discussions can generate. Please post a comment on my weblog; I look forward to reading your comments, and adding many of my own. http://blogs.setonhill.edu/SarahRosenberg/

Posted by at 4:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Hey, I'm Ed and as I'm big into gaming, the majority of my posts will probably fall under that category.

Here's the link to my blog.

Posted by Cael at 3:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Jess Prokop has chosen "TV Hurts" as the subject for her blog, and she's goin' to town:

Having taken a five-year hiatus from television, I now find myself thinking about TV an awful lot. Some of those thoughts are of the celebratory variety, some aren't, but this will be my platform to unleash all of them regardless of their nature. I'm curious as to what others have to say about them.

Posted by jerz at 1:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I've added the first seven students. All of you can now add posts to this blog, as well as your own. You can change the name of your blog, and your nickname as it will appear in the system, but John Spurlock (chair of the humanities division and my boss) asked that all Seton Hill bloggers use their real names on this site. So, I'm going to consider the URL that I've given you permanent (unless, of course, I mistyped your name).

If you still haven't signed up, you may do so by sending me an e-mail from your Seton Hill University e-mail address (not from Yahoo or Hotmail or whatever). That e-mail should include your name the way you want it to appear ("Joe Brown" or "Joseph Brown" or "Joseph Q. Brown"). That will be your login, and I will tell you what your temporary password is. The URL of your blog will then be something like "blogs.setonhill.edu/JoeBrown".

Posted by jerz at 11:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Here we go... this week I will introduce about 30 students to the pleasures of blogging. First I'll start with the nine students in "Writing for the Internet," and then the 24 or so in "The Practice of Journalism". Some students are in both classes, and some already have weblogs. A few faculty members have expressed interest in blogs, too.

Continue reading "The Obligatory "Test" Post" »

Posted by Admin at 11:47 AM | Permalink