Tag Archives: micromessages

Class, Tues, 2/07

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r3: Micromessages

In groups of four or five: Quickly read through your micromessages. Using them as your data set, see if you can add at least one item to Johnson’s list of writing moves and strategies. Then consider: What are the appeals of this kind of writing? What are its uses? What are its drawbacks or downsides?

Questions for Christopher Johnson

In groups of three: Come up with two questions you’d like to ask Christopher Johnson next week. One may be of a general sort—about background, context, motives, reception, etc. But at least one should be tied to a specific passage in his book. We’ll talk about these questions, but please email me them to me as well.

Blogs

Misc

  • Emily: Autofocus
  • Kristin/Tori: Featured posts

Groups

Spend 25 minutes or so reading the blogs in your group. Post comments on at least two. Then spend about 15 minutes talking together about things you’ve noticed and liked, or questions you might have.

Donuts in Social Media

Moment of Zen

To Do

  1. Continue blogging. But also remember to follow the other blogs in your group! Print out seven copies of a post you’d like some feedback on and bring them with you to discuss in class on 2/14.
  2. Post r4 (on Digital Divide) to this site by 9:00 am on Tues, 2/14.

 

 

Class, Tues, 1/31

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Micromessages

  • Smith Magazine: Write a six word memoir.
  • Using Microstyle: In groups of three, read and discuss your r2s. Choose one example that the three of you agree tweaks, extends, or criticizes Johnson’s advice in a particularly interesting way and be ready to talk about it with the whole class.

Small Stuff

  • Check and correct name, title, and URL of your blog on class list
  • Establish a Creative Commons license for your site

Blogging Groups

  • Readability/Legibility: Can you read the text of the blog easily?
  • Navigation: Can you find everything readily? (E.g., title, pages, posts, archive, contact, etc.) Does anything seem missing?
  • First glance: Glace at the first post. Does it make you want to read on?

To Do

  1. Continue work on your blog; follow the other bloggers in your group.
  2. Finish Microstyle; post r3 by 9:00 am, Tues, 2/07. (You should try  to submit your micromessage well before that.)

Moment of Zen

Twitter stories from the Hufffington Post

 

r3: Micromessages

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For class next week I’d like you to finish reading Microstyle and to see if you can apply some of Johnson’s advice in a micromessage to a global website. Your goal, that is, should be to get a brief comment, response, or review published on a site like Amazon, Salon, nytimes.com, IMDB, Huffington Post, or the like.  The more responses your micromessage attracts, the better!

The play-fair rule is that you must submit your micromessage to an edited site. In other words, someone needs to approve it. Please talk to me if you have any questions about where to send your work. Students in this class in Spring 2011 submitted their writing to these sites.

For r3, please post the URL of your micromessage to this site (if it is published!), or the URL of the site you submitted your writing to (if your micromessage was declined or if a decision is still pending). Add a brief note in which you say how you tried to make use of Microstyle in composing your message.

Deadline: 9:00 am, Tues, 2/06. Use r3 as your category, and add any tags that help describe your work.