Throughout my blogging experience I have struggled with the idea of formality. Because this is an academic blog should my prose be more academic or casual? My writing more entertaining or informative? Rule breaking or simply what the assignment entails? Because my blog is only read by peers it is difficult to make something that holds my peers attention but also provides a new perspective on articles that I most likely would not have read had it not been a class assignment.
Overall my experience with blogging has been eye opening. The idea that my academic writing could be something that captures more than just the teachers attention and is reaching a wider audience then just a certain person sitting in their living room trying to get through the massive pile of papers (all of which are on the same topic) sitting next to them.
The process of having a blog has also made me more aware of my personal web habits. Made me more inclined to use the Internet as more than just a place to go on Facebook or check to see if my homework answers are right. Blogger has become an even greater procrastination tool for me. “Stumbling Upon” different blogs is a whole new form of adjournment. Besides this though I have been more inclined to use the web as a way of educating myself. Reading articles (or blogs) about things that interest me and not just because they are required for school. The great thing about the Internet is that it gives you access to massive amounts of information, most of which is free of charge, something that I am seeking to take advantage of more.
I had the same struggles as you did. I really had a hard time trying to find the balance between my formal writing experience and this new writing style. I thought it was a great experience though!
ReplyDeleteYes, good point about trying to balance the academic nature of these posts and capture the attention of your peers. I think a lot of your peers read these blogs out of curiosity about how others tackled the same post. There is a built in interest there, but, as you suggest, that only goes so far.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with you! Blogging has made me more aware of the internet sites that I visit and how often I visit them. I do occasionally hit the "next blog" button to see what other people are blogging about. I must say that there are some very interesting blogs out there and it makes me wonder if I am capable of sustaining a non academic blog.
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