Tips for Posting your Discussion Blog

Posting & Commenting on the Formal Discussion Blog

Making a Discussion Blog Post:

Your blog post should be an attempt to start a conversation around an issue introduced in the lesson's readings. Draw on the assigned readings to introduce an issue or topic and then situate that particular topic within a broader current context. Aim the discussion in a certain direction by posing critical questions that steer responses towards a manageable piece of the debate, rather than posing a general question that is too vague.

Use various web sources to hyperlink key terms or ideas in your Discussion Blog Post. Mixing links to news articles, scholarly work, reputable websites, images, etc. will make your post more interesting and will allow responders to comment more specifically on your particular question.

Always remember that you are writing for a public audience as well as your peers. Anticipate that a websurfer will come across your post, do not assume that she or he will have read the article or know the author you are referencing. Be clear and concise in all of your writing, define all of the terms you employ and avoid any jargon.

Making a Discussion Blog Comment:

As a way to ensure class discussion reading comprehension and thematic knowledge, each of you will be required to comment on others' Discussion Blog posts. During each lesson, you will need to comment on at least 2 blog posts (each 100 words minimum.)

Don't duplicate. Read the blog post carefully as well as other response comments that have been made. Find a way to make a unique contribution to the discussion rather than simply restating a previous point.

Revisit. Return to a previous response comment you made (within the same lesson, of course) and respond to an earlier claim, argument, question, etc. that you made.

Contextualize. When commenting on or responding to a previous response comment or the initial blog post, be sure to provide enough of the details (feel free to quote when necessary) from the source post to keep the reader clear.

Clarify. When you are the author of the blog post, you should post one of your three response comments on your particular blog post entry. Use this opportunity to elucidate your original post or to shed light on an aspect of the discussion that has not yet been taken up by others.

Be politely polemical. Do not be afraid to conscientiously disagree with a blog post or response comment. Be careful and respectful, and support any claims you make with evidence from the course or from other sources.

Go the extra mile. You are encouraged to post more than the two required response comments in each lesson. Spirited participation may help borderline grades.

For further reading on weblogs, take a look at The Weblog Webliography on Kairosnews.