Due Tuesday, February 24 at 8:15 PM
Background: Web logs, familiarly called blogs, are regularly updated sites that point to other sites and to other resources on the Internet. Generally the links are accompanied by the site author's commentary. A blog may contain other material as well, such as diary entries, opinions, short essays, and graphics.
The original Web log was built and run by Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the World Wide Web. It was the first index of content on the Web -- the ancient ancestor of Yahoo and Google. Since then blogs have become a popular way for people to sift through the tremendous volume of Web content.
To familiarize yourself with the Web log concept, check out some of the following blogs:
- www.boingboing.net
- www.grandtextauto.org
- www.ludology.org
- www.hine-digital-art.com/weblog/weblog.html
- www.tomalak.org
Assignment: Begin your own modest Web log using the basic Web tags and techniques you have learned so far.
Start by choosing some idea, cause, hobby, or subject area that meets these two criteria: (1) you care enough about it to have clear opinions; and (2) other people active on the Web share your interest--in other words, you must be able to notice and discuss some body of external content.
Here are some suggested blog themes: magazine design; advertising; Web design; movies, music, and games of particular genres or by particular artists; pets; sports; political causes; cultural perspectives (if for instance you read some language other than English). This has also been a good year for political blogs.
Caution: While it is unlikely that many people outside the class will read your blog, the Web is a worldwide medium where virtually anyone can read what you post. Do not go out of your way to offend people who think differently than you. Be sensible. While one of the best student blogs I have seen was devoted to foot fetishes, do try to be moderate when it comes to sharing details of an intimate nature.
Requirements:
- Date all entries. You must make at least seven entries during the two weeks of the assignment; ideally they should be steadily paced, not all done at the last minute. Just-in-time blogs will receive lower grades.
- All entries must begin with a reference to something you have seen elsewhere on the Web. Include a working link to any URL you mention.
- Your blog must include at least three HTML pages, each of which must include links to the other two. Though this scheme is variable, you might think of these as an entry page, a content page, and an information page (About the Author). The entry page should be named index.htm (or .html).
- You must include an e-mail link (using MAILTO:) on one of your pages, so that readers of your blog may contact you if they like. You are not obligated or required to answer any such mail.
- You must use appropriate formatting tags, such as paragraph containers for paragraphs and at least one list structure (unordered, ordered, or definitional). You may not use the preformatted text container <PRE></PRE>.
- Create a directory in your main Crow directory and name it "Weblog." Place all three of your pages in this directory. You should be able to see your entry page by typing: http://student-iat.ubalt.edu/intro/yourLogin/Weblog/
Grading Criteria:
| Pages are installed on the server in the proper directory. | 30 points. |
| The site uses appropriate HTML techniques and is free from errors; all pages are successfully linked; references contain links; MAILTO link is present. | 30 points. |
| Site is adequate both in extent of content (number of entries) and level of content (quality of commentary). | 30 points. |
| Site is particularly well designed, demonstrates a large range of HTML techniques, or takes a distinctive or original approach. | 10 points. |
