Assignment #6: Calendar & Scheduled Posts

Calendar due Tuesday (11/6) in class

Two blog posts from each group member due Tuesday (11/6) Thursday (11/8) by midnight 

Now that we've had two weeks of workshopping full and curated posts, we'll spend the remainder of the quarter getting into a regular rhythm of publishing one full and one curated post to our blogs each week. To this end, I've asked you to complete two activities this week: (1) a blogging calendar for the rest of the quarter; and (2) another set of full and curated blog posts. Each of these activities are detailed below:

Calendar

On Thursday, I gave each of you a calendar with the remaining social issue publishing due dates on it. I asked that each group work out a tentative schedule detailing what days your group's members would work on and post to your group's blog throughout the remainder of quarter. You each presumably have papers and exams coming up in other classes that you don't want blogging to get in the way of, so use this opportunity to think ahead, schedule your time, and create opportunities for you to succeed on both these social issue publishing assignment and the work you have in other classes.

In putting together your calendar, you may also want to think about whether there are specific days when a lot of news or information comes out about your topic. If your social issue is unemployment in the U.S., for instance, you might want to make sure one member of your group was scheduled to put together a post following the release of the Department of Labor's weekly jobs report. You might also want to think about having a post scheduled right after big upcoming events relevant to your social issue. For instance, if your social issue is consumer culture, you might want to be sure one of your group members is scheduled to post on Black Friday. 

Thinking ahead with these sorts of scheduling processes will help make your social issue publishing activities easier and they'll provide more direction for your posting (so you don't find yourself thinking at the last minute: "I'm never going to find something to write about today"). Again, this is a tentative calendar. Write down when you'd like to work on and publish each of your blog posts, but don't feel bound to those dates. You're obviously more than welcome to blog whenever you have "the inspiration."

You'll note that the calendar I provided you lists the due dates for your full and curated posts, but also for a few other assignments we'll discuss and work on later in the quarter (e.g., "weekly features" and a "live blog." You don't need to make notes on your calendar detailing your plans for these assignments yet; however, you should be aware that upcoming activities are "on the horizon."

Your group will turn in one copy of your publishing calendar in class on Tuesday. Each group member will receive ten points for having their responsibilities detailed on this calendar.

Scheduled Posts

As explained in class (and as detailed on your blogging calendar) we'll spend the remainder of the quarter publishing one full and one curated post to our blogs each week (that's one full and one curated post for each individual group member). By Tuesday at midnight, you should have the first round of these posts published to your blog. The directions for doing so are the same as the directions for the full and curated posts you've written over the last two weeks. The only difference is that I'm not asking you to bring in a draft to class to workshop the posts.

Your full posts should:

• be at least 500 words
• have a main point that is clear and succinct
• support that main point with appropriate detail, evidence, and/or logical argument
• demonstrate critical thinking about your topic
• take advantage of embedded linking to point readers to pertinent info
• employ appropriate spelling, grammar, and punctuation
• be logically organized and clearly formatted for the reader
• include a headline that is snappy and informative  

Your curated posts should:

• be no more than 250 words
• link (with embedded links) to 2-3 pieces of related news, opinion, or information
• briefly synthesize (not simply summarize or re-write) those external works, focusing on a common theme, topic, or point from each work
• generate reader interest in those external works
• briefly offer your own commentary or analysis 
• demonstrate critical thinking about your topic
• employ appropriate spelling, grammar, and punctuation
• be logically organized and clearly formatted for the reader
• include a headline that is snappy and informative

Throughout this quarter, all posts (full or curated) will be worth 20 points.

• A full-credit, 20-point post will meet each of the criteria above for either full or curated posts
• 15-point posts satisfy most, but not all of the criteria above, and do so in a satisfactory manner
• 10-point posts satisfies some, but not all of the criteria above, and do so with some important deficiencies
• 5-point posts satisfy few of the criteria above, and do so with serious deficiencies.
• 0-point posts are not submitted or submitted late

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Thanks,

T.C.