1. How do I join this this blog so I can post?
If you have previously created an account on Blogs@Baruch for another course, jump ahead to step two.
Step One: Creating a User Account
Go to https://blogs.baruch.cuny.edu, and click the “Click here to Create an Account” button
Create a username, using your Baruch email address
Make sure that “Get a Username” is checked at the bottom of the page before you click “Next”
Check your Baruch email account. You should have an email from Blogs@Baruch (it may take a few minutes for the email to arrive).
Click the link to activate your account; you should then arrive at a page that has your username and a password that the system has generated for you.
Click the “login” link in your email, or return to https://blogs.baruch.cuny.edu and login to Blogs@Baruch using the username you created and the password that was generated for you
Click on “Profile” on the left side of the window, and enter your first and last names, and, if you want, a nickname; scroll to the bottom and change your password to something you’ll remember
Click “Update Profile” to register your changes
Step Two: Adding Yourself as a Registered User on a Course Blog
While logged in to Blogs@Baruch, go to your course blog: https://blogs.baruch.cuny.edu/eng3940h
In the sidebar, under “Add Yourself” click the button that reads “Add Me.”
You are now registered as a user on this course blog; when you log in to Blogs@Baruch, you will be in the administrative panel for this blog. If you are using your account on multiple blogs, you can click on “Dashboard,” then “My Blogs,” and select which blog you want to be the first active when you log in. You can also visit this page to move between blogs if you’re contributing to more than one in a semester.
2. Ok, I’ve joined. Now how do I use this blog?
Click here to access a thorough, illustrated guide to using the blog – including how to create new posts, how to comment, how to add images to a post, and how to update your profile.
3. Ok, ok. I know how to use it, but what am I supposed to do with it?
We’ll be using the blog for a variety of assignments. As noted on the syllabus, participation on the blog, both posting and commenting, counts towards your participation grade. You will post to the blog at least 3 times over the course of the semester. Prompts will be posted over the course of the semester. The posting schedule for the regular blog assignment (not including posts on your final project) can be downloaded here. Please post responses to our prompts by your scheduled date but feel free to post more often on related topics as well.
You should also read and comment substantively on others’ posts. The more you comment, the livelier the blog will be. I am not going to require you to comment a specific number of times but will suggest that you should try to comment at least two or three times a week. If you are someone who tends not to speak much during class discussion, commenting frequently is a great way to make up for that and ensure that your participation grade does not suffer. I’ll say more about commenting in class.
Remember that your post is not a term paper. It should be more exploratory and open ended (not to mention shorter). Your post’s goals are to 1) enable you and your readers to play around with new and interesting ideas and 2) to generate conversation rather than present a finished, polished argument. I don’t expect you to have all the answers, but to move towards finding them. Don’t be afraid to ask your readers questions.
Generally speaking, a blog is a kind of online journal or diary. Blog posts are usually less formal and more conversational than the sort of academic writing you are typically asked to do. There is more room for creativity and experimentation here than in the typical academic paper in no small part due to the fact that you can easily incorporate various media — still images, video, or audio.
Your audience and purpose are different here as well. You’re writing not for a professor to whom you hope to demonstrate mastery of your subject matter, but sharing ideas with a broader audience — your “readership” — who, in this case consists of your classmates, me, and whoever happens to visit our site and read your post. Keep in mind that your writing to this blog is public — don’t be surprised if you get a comment form someone not enrolled in this class.
Try to have fun with your posts and comments. Keep in mind that this is your space. You are now a member of what’s typically called a “group blog” where multiple authors contribute posts on related topics — in this case, fear, anxiety and paranoia and the movies.
The post detailing our first prompt is here.
And the second prompt is here.
4. I have some other questions about this blog.
Not a problem. Leave a comment below and you’ll get an answer.