みなさん，こんにちは。
I would like all of you to tell me what constitutes a good blog? Please give your thoughts in the form of a comment to this post (not as a new post to your own blog) by Monday.
Your comments will serve as a guideline for you at the end of the semester when your own blogs and those of your classmates’ will be evaluated.
じゃ、またらいしゅう！
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30 comments:
I'm a visual person with a short attention span, so, for me, a good blog consists of interesting content with pictures. Maybe I should go back to third grade instead of trying to study economics and policy in graduate school? I like reading about people's thoughts and perspectives on various issues. So, instead of just regurgitating a specific current event, a good blog should include the blogger's personal take on the situation.
No, I take all of that back. People should just post lots of pictures on their blogs with funny captions.
I agree, relevant pictures are pretty important and I guess humor can't hurt. I suppose the purpose of a blog is a means to express oneself, and in that light whatever you post should be something real. So a good blog should definitely portray your perspective on things. But, I suppose that's my own perspective, perhaps there are other purposes to blogs I can't think of.
A really good blog would be interesting and fun to read. That's really all there is to it! I think what makes a blog most interesting is variation. It would nice to see one entry about a personal opinion, then another entry about an anime, then another about some difficult the blogger is having with Japanese, etc. Basically, a good blog shows that the blogger has put some time and thought into her entries. Pictures are fun, but they're kind of a chore to put up.
I think a good blog is one that teaches its readers something interesting they didn't know before. It can be random or serious, personal or general. And I agree with everything that has been said before.
A good blog may possess a number of qualities: interesting, informative, engaging, creative, personal, and funny. All of which this fledgling blogger’s posts lack. Furthermore, a very good blog is diametrically different from Amy’s posts.
I think I'm in section 3 or 4. I don't know. Haha.
Anyway, a good blog post is honest, and that's even more important considering the sort of people that will eventually read the blog. It's important to be candid and truthful about your experience learning Japanese; it is most useful in helping your teacher figure out what can make you learn better. It's also important to be funny and interesting. Dull posts...well, nobody reads dull posts!
Haha!
ケビン
I agree that having a point of view and not writing about the same thing all the time are important. It makes it more interesting if the blogger discusses more than just class/homework. Also a good blog is easy to read. Short paragraphs, basic language (though if one is writing in Japanese maybe that's irrelevant).
I agree with Su that a good blog should teach something to the readers.
It should be understandable by anyone in general (e.g., not contain a lot of inside jokes).
Variety is definitely important. Some posts should spark discussion. Posts should also be concise- I'd say no more than 200-250 words. If you're going in-depth about a subject, you can do multiple posts about it.
Basically, I think a good blog is one that's fun and interesting - it doesn't necessarily have to be funny all the time, though, nor always serious... personally, I think a mix of humor and seriousness is key. I particularly enjoy blog posts that teach me about something or make me learn something new (it could be a band or a tv show or something weird or anything) - and the post doesn't have to be serious or intellectual to accomplish that.
I don't really care about blog length - but I think if someone constantly posts really really long entries (or always posts really short ones), it can get boring.
I also like it when people's personalities show through their blogs! :) Make your posts about things that you like or or interested in! :)
I don't know what makes a good blog. I usually just write random stuff that's on my mind. I guess a good blog shows the writer's POV and personality. Blogs are a vehicle to talk about whatever you want, without having to worry about writing very formally or fitting it into a conversation with another person.
I would say a good blog entertains and enlightens its readers. But I've never tried to do that with my blog writing, because I've always kept blogs like they're public journals. So I mostly whine and ramble. But in reading other people's blogs, I look for humor and I look for unique perspectives or information.
I also like it when people post funny videos.
I'm a visual person too so I like the blogs to be organized visually. It should be easy to click and see whatever I want to see and the contents should be visible on the first page. Along with good visual organization, the content itself is very important. Something that can attract people and make people agree with what I am trying to say..should be in the blog. I guess what I'm trying to tell people (or my thoughts) are very important in blogs! And that's many people keep one!
I agree with the whole idea that a blog should be personal. I think that one of the defining characteristics of a blog is that it is typically of a personal nature. Otherwise what would be the point. With that said, I think that the blogs we write here should contain some aspect of each person, whether it be their likes, dislikes, their thoughts on a particular situation, or other things of that sort. Along with that, they should also somehow fit into the context of learning japanese or just japanese in general. I dont want to read a post on someones japanese class blog about how much they hate their roommate... unless its in japanese. And if you're able to do that at this point, then good for you overacheiver.
And, if you feel like going crazy, throw some pictures and whatnot in there. Make me laugh, if you think you can. Thats a challenge right there.
I was going to say that the only qualification for a good blog is that it is what the blogger wants to say, but that's nice in theory-- not always in practice. You want someone to read it, right?
So i guess what makes a good blog is anything entertaining. It definitely matters more what you yourself want to write about, but it wouldn't hurt to make it more interesting for the reader. maybe post pictures, try to add humor-- anything to keep interest. variation is also nice!
I also agree that you have to remain truthful to yourself. I don't mean that everything you write has to be the truth, but that you are staying true to who you are and your style.
I'm not sure I agree with all this analysis. I mean, I agree that the best blog to READ is one that's interesting an informative (with lots of pictures) but I don't think it's best for the WRITER. I've always been a strong advocate of writing whatever helps your grow as a person in a blog. Maybe there's an exception for this blog, being that it was designed as an exercise for class, but I really think a good blog (in general terms) is one that is meaningful and informative to the blogger. You can write ten page entries or ten word entries, as long as they mean something to you and you can look back on them later and know exactly how you were feeling when you wrote the entry.
When I knew the advent of blog, I liked it at the first sight. I think it replaces some functions of diary. But it is not the diary.
What is the good blog? That's a good question. In my opinion, I think if a blod has such two advantages, it will be a good blog.
At first, it must have substantial contents no matter whether the contents are related to the blog's owner. But the blog is not the online newspaper. The content should not be the present news, but the comments on such hot topics.
Secondly, the blog has an agreeable format. In this sense, the format is like a home where the guests can have a good spiritual conversation with the owner without the uncomfortable color and font.
Thanks!
I guess most of the things were mentioned in the comments from before . Videos, pictures, pretty colors and design makes a blog more engaging and entertaining. But all in all, I think each entry should capture the enthusiasm of an individual. This distinguishes a good blog from a bland, 'okay' blog. It's even better if it portrays the onwer's character and personality. :)
I think visual attractions definitely contribute to a better blog, such as music, pictures, videos etc. I think a great blog should balance humor and information to the point where students can be fairly entertained and can learn at the same time. =)
Blogs have a singular purpose; to discuss the going ons over time as they occur to something or someone.
Ideally, they'd be written with correct grammar and the like, but seeing as this is the internet, that's far too much to ask of most.
In the end, blogs are no different than any other website aside from their format. They are about something or someone, and there is no "right" way to do it; there are only the ways that get you readers and ways that don't.
I am also a visual person, and writing helps me remember words more than speaking them. In addition, writing words helps me speak them better because I can construct sentences, but I can take more time figuring out how to do so. Therefore, a good blog should be conversational so that it could easily relate to spoken sentences. I should be able to read my blog and have it help my speaking.
I think a good blog, disregarding all of the visual aspects discussed above, is one that truly reveals the writer's feelings/process of growth (which in this case would be related to the Japanese language). Hopefully, this would include postings about the writer's continual growth as a student portrayed through his/her everyday experiences. I think it is important to emphasize through the postings a sense of individualism as well, to make sure readers understand who the writer is specifically to better understand his/her thought process. That being said, it'd also be nice if the blog were funny, had pictures, and had short paragraphs (from a reader's perspective). This makes reading blogs a lot more interesting...=)
I don't think that there is a "right" way to write a blog. It's an extension of someone's feelings on an issue. It's a personal thing.
What makes a good blog is somehow articulating a certain interest in a subject matter. It should be fairly concise, but still elaborate enough on ideas/subjects that perk the writer's interest.
Pictures are nice, but not at all necessary. It should at least attempt at making something interesting to other people, but I shouldn't be talking as far as that issue goes.
A good blog should be very engaging and enjoyable. It would be fun to read about people's experiences with the Japanese language outside of a classroom environment. It should also be easy to read. I find it intimidating if I see my classmates are all using Katakana when we have barely finished learning Hirigana in class.
I think the opinion of what a good blog is, depends on the individual's tastes and the context in which the blog is situated. In our case, our posts should be somewhat related to our progress in learning the Japanese language. Personally, I like posts that are insightful, witty, and incorporate a kind of dark, dry humor. But for our Japanese blogs, a fun, lighthearted tone is more suitable; one that sheds some light on the individual. Visual and auditory stimulation's cool too.
I think a good blog need to be visual too, but not too crowded. It should have one or two main pictures, or one video, but that's it. Too many videos or too long text will only put off the reader.
And about the content? I think a good blog should present things about the blogger's personal life and his experiences. It should also express their owners personal opinions about current events.
All in all, a good blog should be graphic and personal.
I don't think there's a strict guideline for a good blog. You don't always need pictures if the blog makes it up with a very witty or interesting posts. Pictures just happen to be a good plus factor. Since a blog is something that people periodically visit, I believe you should include a variety of subjects within the blog so that the readers don't get bored. Or even if it focuses on one subject, it shouldn't repeat itself. Ganbatte minna!
fashion magazines!!! Read japanese fashion magazines like JJ, VIVI, and MINA. It helps!!!!
and Animations is a good way to learn japanese orally.:)
Memorable blogs include Gawker, Gizmodo, IvyGate, and, of course, our very own Bwog. What I enjoy about these particular blogs is the contributor's confidence in their own knowledge (Oh and sweet pictures and videos never hurt anyone either). This is evident in their writing; they understand the topic at hand to such a degree that their entries are filled with relevant witticisms, touches of healthy sarcasm, and humorous analogies that not only convey the information at hand (whether it be politics, new technological insight, or free food at Butler), but do so in a way that makes the reader feel as if the blog itself were a friend of theirs:
A good blog should be that great friend of yours who you haven't seen all day long and has all these things to tell you about their day and you want nothing more than to hear about it.
Good writing always helps make a good blog, along with a fresh perspective and engaging voice. Good subject matter as well; the topic should be something the writer is interested in so they sound passionate about it, but it should also be something people would like to read. That being said, images are always added bonuses. Visual layout and organization is important so it initially catches one's attention.
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