Homework assignment #1, in which you are asked to assess the level of authority that Clay Shirky has in writing the book, Here Comes Everybody, is due on February 27 before the start of class. Details on the assignment can be found on the Assignments tab on the course website.

I’ve gotten a number of questions from the class about the blogging homework. As noted on the course website, you are expected to write during the semester:

• 5 original blog posts
• 10 comments on other people’s blog posts

As noted on the course outline page of the course website, I’d like to make sure that by February 25, everyone has written at least 2 of those 5 posts and 3 of the 10 comments.

Here are some thoughts about the blog posts:

• They must be substantive (more than a few sentences; a short paragraph or two will do)
• You can write a post that is meant to ask a really interesting question about information and society. You need not have an answer to the question; it can honestly be a question you’d like to ask the class to answer (which they can do as comments to your post).
• You can write a post to spotlight something you discovered online that you think we should read/watch/listen to. It could be a scholarly journal article, a tweet, a video, a blog post, a website, an image you found on Instagram; just about anything that somehow relates to our course (you’ll need to explain in your post what that connection is).
• You’ll see blog posts from me that are my efforts to do this kind of blogging here, too. All those blog posts I write will be assigned to the “Your Prof Recommends” category.
• When you are writing your blog post, make sure you tick off the checkbox in the “Categories” for “Homework” (this will help us organize all your blog posts).

Here are some thoughts about comments on the blog:

• They should be more substantial than simply “LOL” or “that’s interesting.” A few sentences or more should do it.
• On the posts that I write in the “Your Prof Recommends” category, I’ll offer lots of prompts for you to comment. Feel free to comment on my posts as well as those of your classmates.

Here’s how to get automatic delivery of every post to this blog in your email inbox:

Step 1: Enter your email address in the box on the top right of the blog and click “Subscribe”

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Step 2: You’ll get a confirmation email sent to the email address you used. The email will be from “LIB 3040 – Spring 2014 – Francoeur” and the subject line will be “Follow LIB 3040 – Spring 2014 – Francoeur.” Click the “Confirm Follow” button in the body of the email.

Step 3: You’ll be taken to a “Subscription Management” page on the web at wordpress.com that confirms your subscription. You should be all set at this point.

This spring, we’ll be reading Clay Shirky’s book, Here Comes Everybody. You may use any edition you like, but you must have your own copy, as we’ll be working with it closely in class in individual and group projects. The Baruch bookstore is aware of this book being used for the course but you can buy it from anywhere you’d like. You should be able to find new and used copies of the hardcover and paperback edition online and in other bookstores. If you want to buy the ebook from Amazon, etc., that’s fine, too.

I have put a copy of the book on reserve in the library as a backup (just stop by the circulation desk on the main floor and ask for the book by title and course number (LIB 3040).

Greetings! This is the blog where we will do informal writing for classroom activities and occasionally for homework assignments.

We will not be using Blackboard for this course. Instead, I have created a course website at http://guides.newman.baruch.cuny.edu/lib3040spring2014

Tips for getting to the course website:

• just remember this shortcut web address: tinyurl/lib3040
• bookmark the page in the browser on your computer, tablet, phone, etc.

The syllabus for the course will be part of the course website. All due dates, assignments, class policies, etc. will be detailed there.

Please bookmark the main course website so you can easily find it when you need it.