Meebo Chat

I'm trying out a new IM service. If you see I'm online, you can message me here:


(10/1) PS: Okay, so far it looks like it works to view the chat using the browser Internet Explorer but from Mozilla Firefox the messages you type just disappear instead of showing up in the log window. Secondly, I think maybe the chat is private, after all. Let's keep experimenting and find out. If you like, click on the Comments button below to leave me a message about how it is or isn't for you.

Which IM do you use?

Hi all: I'd like to find out which instant messenger students like best. I've created a poll here on the Tracy's Office blog. Please take a second to click on the IM you use or prefer, and then click the Vote button. (You can also view the results of the poll if you're interested.)
Also, please use the comments link below to tell me anything else (opinions, information, whatever) you'd like about IM. Would you be more likely to contact professors during office hours if you could do it by IM? What do you like/dislike about instant messaging or certain kinds of IM? Have you used IM to talk to the faculty and staff at the library?

"What Did I Miss?" Thursday, 9/27

Students read their favorite sentence or two from their HW 13 reading response blog post for Heather Green and Stephen Baker's BusinessWeek article "Blogs Will Change Your Business," and said whether they had argued that blogging's greater impact would be on business, or non-business communication.
Everyone logged onto the Keene Wiki individually, practiced editing a line of text and creating a link in the wiki sandbox, and then the pods worked on their topic pages. Directions are in the Wiki In-Class Work handout: http://academics.keene.edu/tmendham/documents/Wiki_InClass_20070928.doc
I handed out an updated Semester-long Research and Writing Project handout (the annotated bibliography is due sooner now, on 10/11, and the 7 page draft is due later, on 10/25). See http://academics.keene.edu/tmendham/SemesterLongProjectITW101Fa07_20070926.rtf
Handouts for HW 14 and 15:
http://academics.keene.edu/tmendham/documents/HW14_ITW101_20070928.doc
http://academics.keene.edu/tmendham/documents/HW15_ITW101_20070928.doc
The 12 o'clock section got watch presidential candidate John Edwards' live webcast on MySpace, an example of the intersection of social computing and American politics. Edwards answered questions from UNH students (it was broadcast from the UNH campus, and was produced by MTV and MySpace) and questions that MySpace users IM'ed in. Throughout the webcast MySpace users were able to rate Edwards' answers, and the rating was displayed live in a pie chart. His approval rating increased over the course of the webcast.

"How Do I Cite a Blog?"

I got this question today and I bet the student who emailed me isn't the only one who will need to know this...

I was wondering how we would cite a web blog....I found this really great blog I want to use for my research paper but I can't find how to cite it anywhere...

The answers can be found in Diana Hacker in the section on MLA.
For the entry in your Works Cited list, see Items 33 and 34 on pages 395-396.
For your in-text citation, see items 3 and 4 on pages 372-373 of A Writer's Reference.

Presidential Dialogue on MySpace Thursday

Those of you who are interested in social networking might be interested in the presidential candidate John Edwards' appearance on MySpace tomorrow (Thursday, 9/27) at noon: http://www.myspace.com/election2008 .

What We Did In Class Tuesday 9/25

Jennifer Kant, our Keene State College Center for Writing liaison, visited the class. Thanks, Jennifer! If you'd like to learn more about what the Center has to offer, check out their slick new website and blog at http://keenestateinfo.com/cw/.
We did peer review of your introductory paragraphs (peer drafts) for the semester-long research and writing project using this Peer Feedback form. Students will hand in the instructor drafts of their introductory paragraphs on Tuesday of next week. The peer draft and peer review should be attached. If you were not here for peer review or did not have a paragraph to be reviewed, please write a note saying so on your instructor draft next week.
The 4 o'clock and 6 o'clock sections discussed the reading, "Making Global Voices Heard," and students shared their impressions of the blogs mentioned in the interview with Rebecca MacKinnon (NKZone, Global Voices, Hoder, Isaac Mao, Kenyan Pundit, OhMyNews, RConversations, Screenshots) which they wrote about for HW 11.
The 12 o'clock section worked in groups to pick topics for the group pages on the Keene Wiki.
I asked folks in the 4 pm and 6 pm classes to bring their laptops on Thursday if they have wireless capability and if it is convenient for them. We're going to work on the wiki topic pages on Thursday.
I distributed the HW 13 handout, which can also be downloaded from my academic website: HW 13
I also distributed a little bookmark-sized handout that said:

For Thursday, please also catch up on any missing features in your reading response blog. Make sure that:
· Your “My Pod” list displays links to all the members of your pod
· Your “Blogs I’m Watching” list shows the three blogs you’re following in the class
· There’s a link to the Tracy’s Office blog at http://itw101.blogspot.com
· You’ve written a description of your blog that says that the blog is for the ITW 101 class A Blog of One’s Own, and that the description is visible on your blog. (If it is not, go to the template and use the Add Feature button to add a Text section. Write it in there and don’t forget to save. )

· Your blog does not announce your full name

George Gilder on Kate's Blog

Kate's Blog has had a star appearance like Erica's, this time a comment by George Gilder! He clarifies the context of statement he made which is quoted in "I Blog, Therefore I Am." Way to go, Kate, and thank you, Mr. Gilder!

Emily Nussbaum left me comments!

Hey Everyone, just wanted you all to check it out, Emily Nussbaum actually left me comments about my blog!

What did you miss in class Thursday 9/20 if you were out sick?

I handed out the HW 11 and Wikis handout, which you can get, like all handouts, at http://academics.keene.edu/tmendham/KSC.htm.
I also reminded folks that HW 12 does not have its own handout: see the Semester-long Research and Writing Project handout, also at http://academics.keene.edu/tmendham/KSC.htm. What's due Tuesday, and you must bring this printed out to class to use in peer review:

Peer draft: Proposed introductory paragraph of semester-long-writing project, including thesis statement with preliminary works cited. Identify at least two books and two popular magazine or journal articles you can use in your research.

Also, the Head of Technical Services at the college library, Deng Pan, gave us an introduction to the library, using subject headings and key words, and using Keene Link, the college library catalog. In our next session, in October, she'll cover using the databases to find articles for research. The new color scanner looks pretty cool--someone will have to tell us about it when they use it. I've been using libraries since the 1960's and this is the first I've understood the difference between a key word and a subject. Thanks, Deng!
9/20 PS: Deng also recommended Britannica Online and CQ Researcher to get background when starting a research project: go to www.keene.edu/library/Find an eSource/Databases and Indexes. I'm sure you'll find the salmon-colored handout with Subject headings and Library of Congress headings helpful as well.

Where to Get Handouts--a Reminder

Just a reminder about where to get handouts if you misplace one or aren't in class and don't have a friend to get one for you: you can find the directions for all homework assignments at http://academics.keene.edu/tmendham/KSC.htm. This URL is on your syllabus, too.
Have a good weekend, everyone!

Riverbend Blogging Again

Good news. One of our authors, Riverbend of Baghdad Burning (the blog and the book of the same name), has posted to her blog earlier this month for the first time since April. I had begun to worry that she and her family hadn't made it safely out of Iraq with her family.

The trip was long and uneventful, other than two checkpoints being run by masked men. They asked to see identification, took a cursory glance at the passports and asked where we were going. The same was done for the car behind us. Those checkpoints are terrifying but I’ve learned that the best technique is to avoid eye-contact, answer questions politely and pray under your breath. My mother and I had been careful not to wear any apparent jewelry, just in case, and we were both in long skirts and head scarves.

Syria is the only country, other than Jordan, that was allowing people in without a visa. The Jordanians are being horrible with refugees. Families risk being turned back at the Jordanian border, or denied entry at Amman Airport. It’s too high a risk for most families.

I'm sad that she had to leave her homeland, but glad she is with us still. If you're interested in seeing what other bloggers are saying about her reappearance in the blogosphere, you can search Technorati at http://www.technorati.com/posts/tag/riverbend+syria

Or do an "ego search" on Technorati: If you search for "HW 9" AND (Waldman OR Huffington), how many pages do you have to advance through to find your own homework?

Discussion Questions for Emily Nussbaum's "My So-called Blog," Tue 9/18

What position did you take in Homework 7? (Volunteers will read their posts in class)
What else struck you about the reading? Why
Is the world Nussbaum describes familiar or unfamiliar to you? In what ways?

Keene Wiki Address and Topics So Far

The URL of the new Keene Wiki is http://keene.wikispot.org. You can see links on the first page to the topics that have been chosen by pods so far. (If your pod wants to title the page differently than the preliminary title, that's fine. You can create a new page, or I can create it for you if you tell me the chosen title.)
I think this will be a fun and worthwhile venture! The "Wikis" handout with information about wikis are and what I'll be asking you to do on your wiki page is at http://academics.keene.edu/tmendham/documents/Wikis_20070918.doc

Noon section cancelled Tuesday 9/18

This applies to the noon section only: Class is cancelled. I had car trouble and wasn't able to make it to campus. Apologies for the late notice--but my car didn't give me any advance notice either. :) In lieu of a class discusson about Emily Nussbaum, please read your podmates' posts on HW 7. For at least one of your podmates' posts, click on the Comments button and respond to their post. For example, do you agree or disagree with what they said? Have something to add? See a connection to another reading we've done?
You can get the handout for Homework 9 and 10 at http://academics.keene.edu/tmendham.KSC.htm.
Finally, I'm going to be asking each pod to create a wiki page that will provide useful information for the KSC community. Between now and next class, please think about what kind of information it would be helpful for other first-year KSC students, or other ITW 101 students to have.
See you Thursday!
9/18: PS: You can also get the handouts for HW 9 and 10 from the folder on my office door, Parker 003.

"I Blog, Therefore I Am"

hw 7. parents should leave them alone

I totally do not think that parents should monitor everything that their middle school kids write online. If parents monitor everything they do now than when they grow up their not going to learn how to make decisions their selves. Kids need to know how to manage their time and learn how to socialize on their own. Like this boy said he is very distracted by instant messages and the internet that he is having trouble doing his work. He needs to teach himself to manage his time.
All this up keep can get in the way of homework, he admitted” (Kline and Burstein 350)
The main point is that middle school is the age where you start to become independent. If parents are butting in to their kids business than they will never get a chance to mature on their own and become their person. Parents just need to let their kids have their own privacy.

FYI: Irrepressible Internet Campaign

Hi everyone:
I came across an interesting news release which led me to a couple of neat sites about combating Internet repression. This is part of the email press release about a Vietnamese journalist, Nguyen Vu Binh

Imagine being accused of espionage and jailed for something as simple as sending an email message. For many journalists in Vietnam and China, this nightmare scenario has become reality.

Nguyen Vu Binh was jailed in Vietnam in 2002 for writing and posting articles about democracy on the Internet and campaigning for human rights. But thanks to tireless work by Amnesty supporters like you, Vietnamese authorities freed Nguyen Vu Binh in June after serving over two-thirds of his seven-year prison term on baseless espionage charges. He has since been reunited with his wife and two daughters in Hanoi.

Amnesty International UK has a web page about internet repression includes video of Ethan Zuckerman of the site Global Voices: AIUK: Stop Internet Repression.
Amnesty's "Irrepressible.Info" campaign offers ways to help, including a call to bloggers to "Undermine censorship by publishing fragments of censored material on your side." From Irrepressible.Info:

Be irrepressible

Chat rooms monitored. Blogs deleted. Websites blocked. Search engines restricted. People imprisoned for simply posting and sharing information.

The Internet is a new frontier in the struggle for human rights. Governments – with the help of some of the biggest IT companies in the world – are cracking down on freedom of expression … learn more.

This might provide some useful leads and ideas for those of you contemplating a semester-long writing and research project on a related topic. Please feel free to click on the Comments link for this post to respond or ask questions.

"I Blog, Therefore I Am" Discussion Questions for Thursday 9/13

Here are questions I will ask students to answer in class discussion:

• Looking at the chapter, what do you think Kline's reason is for titling it "I Blog, Therefore I Am"
• What is a "pro-am"?
• According to Klein, in what ways have things in the media changed?
• According to Klein, what aspects of the media remain the same?
• In your response to the HW 5b, what questions or disagreement did you have with what Kline says in the chapter?

Links for examples of social computing

Trouble remembering what certain social computing terms mean? Here are some links to examples of aggregators, etc. This might help you with Homework 6. Also included are some links to blog-related tools.

Audacity (software for creating podcasts)
Blackboard for KSC (Online collaboration tool)
Blogger (Tool for creating blogs)
Bloglines (Aggregator)
CBC Radio 3 (Podcast example)
ClustrMaps (Display a thumbnail image displaying where your blog readers are located)
Del.icio.us (social bookmarking)
Democracy Now (Daily news, audio and video podcast available)
Facebook (Example of social networking site)
Flickr (Photo sharing, tagging, and aggregating)
Gabcast (Tool for creating podcasts by phone)
iTunes (Podcast aggregator, plus music and video store, sharing, etc.)
Juice (Podcast player/aggregator software, alternative to iTunes)
Podcast Directory
Second Life (Software, example of online world, non-game)
Smart Mobs (Summary of Howard Rheingold's book about smart mobs)
Stat Counter (Free service to track hits and referring links to your blog/website)
Survey Monkey (Create surveys to post on your blog or send by email)
Teamwork Live (Example of online collaboration tool)
Wikipedia (Example of wiki)
World of Warcraft Community Website (Example of Massive Multiplayer Online Game, or MMPORG)
YouTube (Video sharing, tagging, and aggregating)
9/18: Another wiki is Keene Wiki at http://keene.wikispot.org/ and the "Wiki Farm" on which it was built is Wikispot at http://www.wikispot.org.

What did I miss in class on Tuesday, 9/11?

For those who were out sick today:

We spent a while talking about the reading, the Voice of the Customer, and I got students to answer to answer the discussion questions on http://itw101.blogspot.com/2007/09/discussion-questions-for-tuesday-911.html:

1. What was the Kryptonite lock debacle and how might it have been avoided?
2. What qualities of brand loyalty do Harley Davidson and the Apple iPod have and how might this relate to bloggers?
3. What's a thought leader?
4. What's double-loop marketing?
5. Explain "product definition" blogging.
6. What are some legal and PR (public relations) hazards of employee blogging?
7. What are enterprise blogs and how might they increase productivity?
8. What was the "productivity paradox" of the 1980's?
9. What is "long tail" economics?

If you answer the questions for yourself you'll know you understand what we went over in class.
You can get instructions for the two blog posts HW 5b and HW 6, due on Thursday, at my academic website http://academics.keene.edu/tmendham/KSC.htm... Direct links to the two documents are:
http://academics.keene.edu/tmendham/documents/HW5b_ITW101_20070907.doc
http://academics.keene.edu/tmendham/documents/HW6_ITW101_20070910.doc

Finally, I looked to see if everyone had brought printouts of today's blog post (HW 4) to class and invited people to share what products or terms they looked up, what they thought the "brand promise" was and whether the website of the company did offer and deliver on that promise.

hw.6 Interest Statements

The social computing technologies that I am most interested in right now are chat rooms and text, instant messaging, and social networking services. I am interested in these because it is so big in our world right now. Many of my friends are on instant messenger and face book 24/7, and if there not near a computer there texting back and forth. I can’t imagine not having any of these tools at this day in age. The empowerment of marginalized groups that I am most interested in finding out about right now are over coming racism, overcoming homophobia, and overcoming religious intolerance/barriers between people of different religions. I am interested in these topics because accepting all different types of people is a very strong belief I have. I get very upset when I hear people using words that could be hurtful to someone. I myself am Jewish and I have learned not to take things personal when people crack jokes or use disrespectful names but there’s always that feeling of disgust when I hear them. I am a very accepting person and it sometimes blows my mind how people can be so ignorant. The Middle East and Israel are two of the geographical areas I will start looking at. I will start to look at the Middle East because I am interested in why there is so much conflict there right now. I am going to start looking at Israel because I am Jewish and I would like to find out more about it.

Discussion Questions for Tuesday, 9/11

Here are some questions I'll ask in class today, Tuesday 9/11, about David Kline's essay "The Voice of the Customer" (Kline & Burstein 101-123):

1. What was the Kryptonite lock debacle and how might it have been avoided?
2. What qualities of brand loyalty do Harley Davidson and the Apple iPod have and how might this relate to bloggers?
3. What's a thought leader?
4. What's double-loop marketing?
5. Explain "product definition" blogging.
6. What are some legal and PR (public relations) hazards of employee blogging?
7. What are enterprise blogs and how might they increase productivity?
8. What was the "productivity paradox" of the 1980's?
9. What is "long tail" economics?

Correction to Thursday Reading Assignment: "I Blog, Therefore I Am"

Please note that the correct page numbers for the reading due Thursday, 9/13, David Kline's "I Blog, Therefore I Am," are 237-252 in Kline & Burstein.

Jon Stewart on Crossfire

This is Jon Stewart of Comedy Central's Daily Show appearing on the show Crossfire, which was mentioned in your reading, "Toward a More Participatory Democracy" in Kline and Burstein's Blog!: How the Newest Media Revolution is Changing Politics, Business, and Culture.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFQFB5YpDZE

Discussion Questions for "Toward a More Particpatory Democracy"

In class on Day 4, September 5th, we'll discuss:

1. What effect have blogs had on elections in this country?
2. What are some of the significant blogs mentioned in the article?
3. What is the “paranoid style in American politics," and should we be concerned about it?

Blog Question

When I tried to underline or bold face my text to indicate where I used the required templates, I was unable to. I even tried to write in Word and then paste it into the blog but it did not show up when I did this. Is there some way to do this?

- Anne B.

Small Group Work for Tuesday, 9/4: Pod Personality

In class, I will ask you to meet with the members of your pod and start a conversation dialogue to identify your pod’s “personality:”

1.Choose a notetaker
2. What are you like as individuals?
3. What are your strengths individually and as a group?
4. How are you the same?
5. How are you different?

The notetaker should save the notes for later.

9/5: I added the word "dialogue" above after this was first posted.