Signifier or Signified?

 In”Music in Hypertexts: Toward a Real Media Integration,”Francesca Chiocci argues music can create an hierarchy to guide readers through links and provide coherence to a site. Yet, by the definition provided by George P. Landow’s “The Definition of Hypertext and Its History as a Concept“, hypertext is pluralistic. It’s (re)written by each reader, and as Roland Barthes posits in S/Z, a hypertext is composed of signifiers, not signifieds (qtd. in Landow).

Can music provide a definitive signified in a hypertext medium? Should it? Even as we engage with technorhetorical strategies to create an hierarchy within a site, each link, each lexia, must remain independent. But if music could control a site, how might the writing change? Would it change?

Collaborative Writing

Colorado State University offers excellent suggestions for collaborative writing. In the past, I’ve written collaboratively in several ways, including Divide The Writing Tasks and Gather to Write Together. These strategies work well, as long as you’re informed regarding the pitfalls of each type. What follows is a brief peek behind the scenes of each strategy.

No Nasty!

In class, we discussed blogging as a community and why it’s important to own your comment personally. Legally, you have to own your comment, especially if you’re being nasty. According to The Blog Herald’s “Anonymous Blog Posting/Commenting to Become Illegal in the United States (unless you have only nice things to say), Potentially Outlaws Comment Spam, it’s now illegal to post anything that might be considered “annoying” and do so anonymously.

We’re Blogging

Writing for the Web began this week, and I must say, I love this class. I’m having a great time, and I hope my students are too. I introduced them to WordPress today, and despite a few technology hiccups from the software, it seemed to go well.

I am allowing students to blog anonymously on the topics of their choices if they wish, and I’m happy with this decision. They have creative freedom and the power to decide whether or not to share their identities or to create identities. If you’re blogging anonymously, are you blogging as yourself, or a character? Thinking of George Eliot/Mary Ann Evans, I’m sure there is a difference at times. If it is the development of a persona, a character, then that’s actually way more complex, and incidentally, more work.

Employees Disciplined for Blogging

Rory O'Connor's Caution: Blogging May Be Hazardous to Your Job reports that corporations now see blogging, message boards and instant messaging software, such as AIM, as taboo for employees.

O'Connor discusses the disciplinary measures employees face for inappropriate emails and how those measures now encompass other multi-media, such as blogging.

In an eerie echo of an earlier post here, O'Connor points out that it is often difficult to judge what is appropriate content and what is not. O'Connor goes a bit further explaining few companies provide employee training for multi-media interactions, yet many businesses will still fire online misconduct.

In the past, I have focused on email etiquette and web design rules of behavior, but I will obviously be including blogging in writing for the web. In the future, I also plan to discuss appropriate blogging and instant messaging in technical writing and professional writing as well. After the article, I have no urge to teach my students not to blog, just to weigh their words with a deep appreciation for the consequences of writing.

“A Community of Debaters”

In Political Blogs: the New Iowa?,  David Perlmutter argues that bloggers aren't really written for an audience but for "a community of debaters." To a certain extent, this may be true, but I'm not convinced it's completely accurate. I asked myself if I would consider myself writing for an audience on my blog, and the answer is yes. If I weren't, why would I bother with a site test? Why would I stay focused on the same topic most of the time? These are integral issues when defining an audience, so yes, I'm writing for audience(s).

I do welcome comments and debate, but I would still write for my targeted audience without comments and/or debate. I'll be sharing the article in class, since Perlmutter attempts to define what a blog is through a serious of questions, all of which could be debatable in class.

Wikipedia not an academic source

In the Chronicle of Higher Education, Wikipedia Founder Discourages Academic Use of His Creation and suggests Wikipedia may add a disclaimer to the site: Not for Academic Research. I'm not sure a disclaimer is necessary, but you can't blame the man, considering the volume of emails he must receive. English professors are doing their part loudly and vehemently in freshman composition courses around the country by attempting to teach students exactly what constitutes academic research and what does not.

That being said, I wouldn't be so quick to cut the link between universities and Wikipedia. I'm not certain, but I'm willing to bet that a good percentage of Wikipedia articles are written by academics and students. And Widipedia is certainly worth studying in advanced composition courses, especially Writing for the Web.

Wikis

I'm debating whether or not to have students create an entry for wikipedia or simply create a group wiki on a subject of their choice in Writing for the Web. Last night, I downloaded xwiki. What attracted me to xwiki was the cost (free) and the fact that they'll host the site.

I still need to work with it, and I'm fairly confident that I can. However, at a first glance, I'm tempted to reject it because it isn't as user friendly as I would like it to be for beginning students. I'd love to hear what others think about xwiki or any other free wiki software available out there. What attracted me to xwiki was the cost (free) and the fact that they'll host the site.

As an anonymous friend pointed out, wikis are really the future for communication, and I like the idea of collaborative writing anyway.

Blogs making a difference

Maureen Dowd's Swimming up mainstream: Bloggers just want to be us reports a face off between traditional journalists and bloggers at a new media conference. More importantly, Dowd's article references the political blogging community, such as Daily Kos and the politicians who atteneded the conference.

I will most likely share the article with my students to discuss the differences between journalism and blogging, but I believe the article actively engages with the fact that these blogs can and do make a difference. I'm hoping the awareness might provide a little more motivation for my students.

What I find especially noteworthy in the article were the bloggers who left blogging for other positions. Apparently, blogging didn't hurt their careers…..

Comments on or off?

A firestorm over one-way blogging announces some of the top bloggers have turned off comments. I hadn't really considered the issue before reading the article.

Is it blogging if the comments are shut off? I think so, because a blog is essentially a journal genre. You're still sharing your thoughts and ideas, initializing a conversation with the reader(s). That being said, you do miss the other half of the conversation.