Here it is. My first “college” blog entry… Yes, a blog focused on my graduate courses and the literature I am reading for these courses. For some reason, this makes me think no one will want to read what I write… Honestly, when I think of blogs focused on academia, I imagine wordy tirades in which the blogger rants about an academic philosophy that no one cares to read about. I know I am interested in what I am reading and studying; otherwise I would not be reading and studying the topics and books that I am, but will anyone else care? I hope at least my fellow classmates will care to read this. :)
I do have some experience with blogs, though not through a particular class in connection to a university. I have written creative blog posts in which I have shared stories, poems, thoughts, and ideas with family and friends; however, I have not written a blog entry in over a year. My first year of teaching, which was last year, practically took over my entire life and I neglected to do many things that I used to, such as blogging.
I used to follow blogs that are written by some of my favorite writers. I used to really like Neil Gaiman’s blog at neilgaiman.com. (He is a fantasy writer.) He uses it more as an online promotional tool now rather than a place to share his thoughts, and it is mostly about his work and events. I don’t find it particularly interesting anymore. Reading only about upcoming book releases and event after event does not make for a particularly memorable afternoon.
I occasionally check in and read some of my friends’ blogs. Clara, one of my friends from UNM, writes a really funny, interesting blog about her life. (http://ineedclarafication.blogspot.com/) I find Clara’s blog interesting because she uses a lot of humor and she includes silly drawings about her thoughts and experiences. Her writing is thoughtful, humorous, and interesting.
As I’m creating this blog for my class, I have started to think about some questions that I would like to explore in addition to posting about literature and research. Looking through other blogs has made me wonder: How can I show an audience the book I am reading, rather than just “tell” things about it? I want to make my blog more dynamic than a blog that is strictly text-based, so I will need to think about how I can accomplish this. I hope that I can ultimately create an appealing page that shares interesting material with my readers.
Thanks for reading this.
Pam
Welcome, Pam to the world of book blogging. I, too, am interested in ways to share my book. Hopefully, we can both find a refreshing method that will interest eachother.
ReplyDeleteGreat start, Pam. I love the idea of showing your book, rather than just telling about it. I think you are off to a good start with the video of Superman reciting poetry.
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ReplyDeleteBoy, an audience sure makes a difference! I have similar feelings about blogging. I figure nobody would care to read it. Even if I write well, most people just aren't interested in reading, especially not while they're on the internet. As I wrote in my entry, my best blog experiences involve the interaction between myself and my classmates, and how very exciting it was to have a STRANGER comment positively on my entry! All too often, blogging is just an online diary for the writer's benefit above all else. So, it's nice to read my classmate's blogs and read their comments in the contexts of our shared experience.
Pam,
ReplyDeleteI had many of these same feelings when I began blogging for a previous course. What I noticed through the course was that the focus drifted from what other people will get out of my blog to what I got out of my blog. Interestingly enough the more I fouces on writing for my own understanding the more my audience connected with my blog! I look forward to getting to know you better through your blogging as well as learning more about the reading experience!
Pam,
ReplyDeleteThis is an impressive first attempt at a blog! Mine is still pretty sad looking, so maybe I can pick up tips from you. I liked the video of the little boy performing a sort of readers theater. I think that is a wonderful tool, and can be a lot of fun. I do wonder if at his age it is very effective for his comprehension, but maybe that doesn't matter. Maybe him just being excited enough to do that on camera and to do the little hand movements with it... at that age it stands to reason that just fostering a love of reading and poetry is enough.
Thanks for your comments everyone. I'm interested in reading all of your blogs and sharing our experiences with each other. :)
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