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Blogging: New Rules

Apr 11th, 2008
by Drew Tatusko.

I am going to venture an hypothesis that blogging is a textual medium of commentary and informal ideas.  It is characterized by often concise and informal colloquialisms that are relevant usually to specific groups or directed at certain people.  It is also conversational in nature and also conforms to basic rules of dialogue.

NEW RULES

  1. If you want to provoke a dialogue, make the post conversational.  Think of this as a seed for a discussion forum.  Short, sweet and provocative.
  2. If you have longer ideas, try to break them out into smaller chunks no longer than 600 words or about 1 single spaced page.  This is ideal for casual scanning.
  3. Never assume people know what you are talking about unless you are intentionally directed a post at someone or a specific target audience.

What rules would you add?  I would love to post this as a sticky page as an extremely informal survey of blogging as a form of dialogical narrative commentary.  Why do I want to do this?  'Cos I want to.  And there are no general rules or guidelines for blogging.  I also like to define effective practices since I am an educational technologist as well as the other stuff I do with my time!

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Posted in: Blogs I Read, Media.

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  • Alan
    Anonymity (for some) is important for freedom of expression. Continuity, consistency and identity, i.e. the sense of and the ability to address an individual, is important for conversation. The semi-anonymous nom de plume or nom de guerre is the answer, in my mind. It allows anoyminty and identity.

    I haven't studied this, but when printing technology became inexpensive enough, and literacy wide-spread enough, the practice of publishing anonymous, provocative broadsides and pamphlets originated and flourished. I think blogging might be an extension or reemergence of this same form, due, perhaps, to analogous technological advances. Except that the conversation that is provoked is carried out immediately and with the participation of the author, rather than in coffeehouses and pubs, detached from the author.
  • Drew--from one educational technologist to another, here are my two:

    1. Don't hide behind the cloak of anonymity. Anonymous blogs and comments are ok for one way ranting or flaming, but if you really want a conversation, use your name (or some other obvious identifier).

    2. Accept and embrace the fact that in a fluid medium like this one--anything related to technology, really--the rules will be constantly changing. Quick adaptation is more than a virtue: It's a rule.
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