Week 12

Nov. 8 * * *

TOPICS: Web production (very basic HTML and CSS)

Blog enhancements: FeedBurner, Site Meter, Google Analytics and Technorati

DUE at 9 a.m.: Soundslides 2 (see assignment)

READ: Search Engine Optimization for Blogs (SEO), by Darren Rowse (Aug. 15, 2005)

BLOG (1): By 9 a.m. today -- post the link to your Soundslides 2, as explained in the assignment.

BLOG (2): After class, later in the week, write about what you learned today and your reactions. This will be part of your Blogging 3 grade.

BLOG (3): In class or afterward -- enhance your blog in these three ways (required):

  1. Join Technorati and "claim your blog" there (you must join before you can claim). Add a Technorati widget to your blog's sidebar or footer. (See my class blog for an example.) Technorati is a blog aggregator.
  2. "Burn" an RSS feed for your blog at FeedBurner, and add a linked RSS chicklet to your blog's sidebar or footer. (You must register first.) Read Feed 101 for more information.
  3. Register your blog at Site Meter to enable statistics, and also add a widget to your blog sidebar (see how on this page). Select a "meter style" on this page. You will need to register to use Site Meter, and your password for the site will be e-mailed to you.

Resources * * *

HTML Dog is a great site for finding answers to your questions about HTML and CSS. It provides tutorials for every level, from beginner to advanced.

Here are the notes from class related to HTML and CSS.

Journalism 2.0 is a short textbook about all the new tools and techniques in journalism today. You can download the whole book as one PDF file -- free.

Technorati Widgets: You might want to add one or two of these to your blog sidebar.

Attention! * * *

In THREE WEEKS, your Soundslides 3 is DUE (Nov. 29). This Soundslides will be part of a story package. The package is about one single story, and it will use exactly THREE Web pages (see the assignment).

The package is due in FIVE weeks (Dec. 13) -- and it cannot be late!

NOW is the time to get your story idea ready, do your background work, and ask me about your ideas. NOW!

Also: You need to find some reliable, up-to-date data about the ISSUE on which your story package focuses. Have you found the data yet?