Blogging Experience

What is the blog for? I think this may be a question that many people have. Most people use their blog as a personal diary, recording bits and pieces of their personal feelings and life, so that others can keep up with the blogger’s recent life. For me, I treat it as an English learning journal. I put all my assignments, reflection or record on the online English learning class. During the process of my blogging, I progress little by little in terms of technical ability, language proficiency as well as the ability of organizing a blog.

The toughest problem I encounter is technical problem, since I am not good at using computer at all, or more precisely, I am a technology illiterate. I really spend lots of time figuring it out. How to use labels, to set a guestbook, to add video file, to use permalink are really big headaches. Probably these basic functions are a piece of cake for some people; however, I really pay many efforts. I even cannot make the blanks between each paragraph. I truly pay much time, efforts and energy to solve it, but it still works, so I feel frustrated. Fortunately, I have a very very nice adviser, Julie. She helps me with this problem a few days before the presentation. Millions thanks to Julie! :) At this moment, I realize the importance of collaboration. Everyone has her own merits and demerits, and through collaboration, we can complement finely with each other. I think my technical ability surely progresses a little in that I learn how to explore a blog; that is, encounter technical problems and attempt to overcome by myself at first, and if the problem still cannot be worked out after my several tries, then I will turn other people for help. Hence I have a little sense of achievement after solving these problems.

In the beginning of my blogging, I just write down things to post. I did not manage to organize it as a very delicate one. But when I post one article through another, my interest for organizing this blog has become stronger and stringer, so I spontaneously start to search for other functions or devices that can decorate my blog. Also I encourage myself to emulate the virtues of other excellent blog. For example, some of our classmates really do a fantastic job in blogging, so I manage to learn their merits. I even ask them how to make it. But I do not just copy their method monotonously without a slight of change. I try to make this blog matches my style, so I use some warm, natural color as well as lovely designs. My blog surely has a lot to be desired, and can be decorated with more fascinating elements; nonetheless, now I feel generally contented with what I have done seeing that this is my first try.

One of the devices in my blog I am so eager to show you is the “shoutbox” on the lower-left of the webpage. This shoutbox serves as an interactive space for me and my readers to communicate with each other. I am so thrilled when I set this device successfully. As for how to encourage my readers’ participation, I just inform everyone around us that I have this blog; they can just take a look at it. And if they think my blog is interesting, they will leave me message spontaneously without my request. So what I stress more is the content, the richness of my blog. This is the way how I encourage my readers’ participation. I also think that their massage are all interesting for me, even though sometimes they just say hello to me or compliment my works. Your any response or comment can make whole my day!

As for the language learning, blogging definitely plays an instrumental role. After publishing so many postings, I have practiced my writing considerably. Sometimes when I review the past postings, I find some grammatical errors or typos, and I correct them at once. What is more, when I attempt to evaluate those websites, my English proficiency of listening, speaking, writing and reading improve simultaneously. What I learn most from this section is how to present a website based on the criteria or principle in that chapter and, most importantly, to present them in an organized and clear way. I think I did not do well in terms of using all the criteria that chapter suggests. Sometimes the introduction of the website just reflects my personal visiting reflection. But what I want to say about this is that sometimes the criteria (i.e. goal, presentation, appropriateness, outcome, evaluation) are not appropriate to fit all the websites. If we “must” take these criteria in evaluating all the websites without flexibility, then I think it will lose the meaning of reflecting all the feature of those websites as well as reflecting the results of personal learning.

In the following, I would like to share some strategies based on the principles and criteria that I use in organizing this blog with you (i.e. how to organize a blog):
1. Clear and plain title and description: I state directly that this is Celia’s English learning blog.

2. Eye-catching and vivid designs:I put three beautiful pictures that I took. Also, the video clips are eye-catching and captivating (at least for me).

3. Comments and responses:There is a space for readers to leave their comment or feedback.

4. RSS/ Permalink/ Moderation:These three functions exist originally at first. But I am still figuring out how to use them successfully. I am still at a loss as to how to carry them out. I will ask someone else and try to use these functions anyway.

5. Hypertext links:I put relevant links when the texts are too long to be fully presented in the webpage.

6. Multimedia tools:Such as video/audio clips, fascinating pictures.

7. Interactive space:I also set a guestbook space for readers to talk with me or other learners.

8. Highlight the key words (glossing):I change the color of key words and phrases or just put them in bold front.