I understand that there is some confusion regarding the Weekly Blogging Requirement for this course. I have received questions from several students essentially asking, “what should I blog about?” before answering that question, I thought it might be useful for me to explain why I am asking you to maintain a blog for this course.

As I am hoping is becoming clear during the first few weeks of the course, I believe that one of the most important benefits the development of the Internet has brought about is that individuals now have the opportunity to communicate to a global audience. This is a potentially powerful and empowering development which offers common people the chance to contribute to social change and betterment on a level that has never before been possible. But the empowering potential of which I speak only exists if people are aware that they possess it and are equipped to use it.

I hope that in asking each of you to maintain a blog during this course that some of you will find it to be an enjoyable and worthwhile experience. I’m asking you to give yourselves a chance to think deeply about the issues we are exploring and try to relate the ideas we discuss to your personal beliefs and experiences. I am very curious to learn what and how you think about the current state of our shared society. I’m also curious to see how you think the Internet and social media might be used in the future.

Coming back to the question of what you should blog about, I would hope that you would focus on something that you are either concerned or curious about. For many of you this will probably be the first time that you’ve been writing for a wider audience than just one single professor. I will be one of dozens or more people who read everything you write. So long as you try your best to convey your thoughts and feelings and try to relate those thoughts and feelings to some aspect of what we are working on in the class, I am confident that you will do fine. Perhaps you might even come to enjoy the process and continue blogging beyond the end of the course.

I don’t know if these words have helped in addressing the confusion and anxiety expressed by some. I fear thar my own writing is clunky and hard to follow. Please consider this post as a starting point of a conversation and would welcome feedback or questions in the comment section. I will do my best to more clearly convey how to blog as effectively as possible. But it might take some time because I too am somewhat confused on the matter and continue to learn as I go.