Better late then never...I give you Assignment 4

1. How many of your comments turned out to be the only comments
attached to a particular post?

From my observations I saw that most of the time, my comments were the only comments on a particular post. However, it was interesting to see which posts sparked people's interest. For example, I posted a link to a New York Times article and it generated a lot of feedback.


2. How many di®erent blogs did you comment only? (Remember: 3 is a
minimum number, you are not limited to only three people)

I only commented on 3 people's blogs, however I plan to comment on many more. I feel that if these were blogs in real cyberspace I would have no qualms about voicing my opinion and posting away. However, because these are academically geared and because these are my peers who know me I take my time and try to respond to people's ideas meaningfully and with respect. Because, of this it takes me some time to write insightful posts.

3. Did you tend to respond to people you already from outside the class?

Yes.

4. Do you think this is a useful way to communicate in a class setting.

No, particularly. Most of these blogs seem static. In that I mean that they are neutral towards topics, this cause most of the post to be neutral and the more interesting blog conversations occur when there is discussion and differing opinions. I just don't think that can happen here. Plus, the most memorable communications I've had in any of my class have taken place during class, usually during discussions. There is something about personal interaction in conversation that can't be mimicked in a blog.

5. What are the advantages/disadvantages of this method of communica-
tion?

I think one of the greatest advantages to blogging is that you can communicate in your own time at your own pace. I can't even count the number of times prior to class that I think of something really intelligent that could have added to the discussion, BUT the class is over and the conversation has passed. I think this method of communication would allow for more conscientious participation by letting people mull over subjects then communicate their opinions.

I've listed most of the disadvantages above so I will quickly reiterate them. In this setting the contributions are not anonymous, which I think causes people to be bland in there opinions. I'm not sure whether anonymity would be an advantage or disadvantage of blogs. On the one hand, there is no fear of persecution so people are free to say what they want....On the other hand people are free to say what they want, and it isn't always nice or particularly helpful. The other major disadvantage is that it doesn't equate with face to face interaction.