Hunting for Blog Titles--Read this

Killer titles

N.Y. Times reporter assignment

Next Tuesday, March 11,  you will meet in Constitution Hall in the Nigh University Center. 
Be on time--11 a.m. or before.
Speaker will be Mr. Mark Mazetti, Pulitzer Prize winning  reporter for the New York Times who covers the National Security Administration, the CIA, and and more.
Assignment: 

• Read the stories he's written in the list below--today.
• Look him up on Wikipedia--today, and find something about him.
• Take notes in his speech Tuesday. 
• Post something about him--100 words or so, on your blog.
• Deadline: 8 am, March 13.

Mark Mazetti Articles:

“Burglars Who Took On F.B.I. Abandon Shadows”

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/07/us/burglars-who-took-on-fbi-abandon-shadows.html

“Key Lawmakers Getting Files About Surveillance Program”

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/01/washington/01intel.html?_r=1&

“A Secret Deal on Drones, Sealed in Blood”

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/07/world/asia/origins-of-cias-not-so-secret-drone-war-in-pakistan.html?pagewanted=all

“Obama’s Pentagon and C.I.A. Picks Show Shift in How U.S. Fights”

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/28/us/28military.html

Blog adoption guidelines

Blog adoption guidelines for second half of semester:

“We want a sense of what makes this blog effective, and to learn from the blogger’s experience.”

Presentations will start iMarch 31

• You must show the blog visually in your presentation, scroll through it and discuss..
• You must interview the blogger, by email or on the phone. I recommend you contact them now to make sure they know what you're doing. Last minute, "they did not respond" doesn't cut it
• If you cannot make contact, you will need to choose a different blog.
• One page outline of main points (example to come) handed to every member of class while discussing it:
• List the Name and url of the blog.

1.     History of the blog—

a.     How long blogging?

b.     Who is the blogger? (Age, profession, etc.)

c.      Purpose?

d.     Geographic location?

e.     Number of followers?

f.      Does it make money?

g.  Why do they blog?

2.     What makes this blog unique?

3.     What are its strengths?

4.     What are its weaknesses?

5.     What is the advice of the blogger?

6.     What do you like and dislike?, and why

7.     What did you gain that influences you and your blog?

• You will present a 500-word  maximum paper to me with all the information the day of the presentations.
• You will post your presentation outline on your blog, with a screenshot of the blog.

Blog essay grading

Blog essay due March 13
Percentages

1. Introduction--10
2. Thesis statement--10
3. Support-20
4. Conclusio-10
5. Original thoughts--10
6. Paragraphing--10
7. Links/sources--10
8. Spelling--50 percent off if misspelled
9. Grammar--10
10. Followed submission guidelines--10

Blog speaker Tuesday--be on time

Dr. Hochenauer

Dr. Kurt Hochenauer, English professor and blogger, will speak to the class Tuesday. You are responsible for taking notes and blogging about him--an assignment worth 20 points.

His blog is Okie Funk--Notes from the Outback. Okie Funk is currently listed on The Fix in The Washington Post as one of the best state-based political blogs in the country.

Do not be rude and come in to class late. Be on time, or lose points.

Ex-student's article

Here's the link to George's article. Prepared to be impressed:

OU Heisman winner...

Blogging and your future--ex-student view

I got this email today:

Dr. Clark,

I wanted to take a moment to thank you for the comment you posted on my NewOK story and for tweeting out my success. Being published on the largest local forum meant a great deal to me, and I give much credit to you for helping me achieve it (You don't know how my inner dialogue screams 'Verbs! Verbs!' at me whenever I write!).

So, again, thank you.

I also wanted to share something interesting with you, that maybe you can pass on to to future blogging classes.

Like I'm sure many people wonder while taking a class based around blogging, one of the biggest questions I had was 'How can this skill actually help me make money?'  I got my answer by accident, actually, when I was looking to get my foot in the door at The Oklahoman and stumbled upon the job I now have.

"Content Marketing," the ad read.  I thought I'd give it a shot, hoping to meet the right people that could get me into news.

When I interviewed for the position, I was a little freaked by how much of my online history had been analyzed (a good lesson in how important Facebook and Twitter etiquette can be).  Old blog posts, website contributions and a bunch of other online traces of me were brought up.  The good thing, though, was that because I'd done so much of that (in a clean manner), the interview was more like a recruiting session -- they felt they had to have me more than I needed them.

Now, my job mainly consists of blogging -- blogging for clients, blogging to build lesser-known websites, blogging for myself even. And I'm nowhere near alone in this. The department I work in employs about 10 people like myself, as well as four or five specialty bloggers. To put it lightly: blogging is huge.

So, I wanted to share this with you in case that cliched "When am I going to use this in the real world?" question ever came up. You can tell them 'em that, odds are, they'll use it a lot.

Thanks again -- for everything.

George Darkow