Blog #11 Excellent Blog Features

Although I hosted our group's portal blog, I did not have prior experience with blogging and felt somewhat inadequate. As I spent time investigating options, I looked for ways to provide an attractive, crisp, easily navigable site. The resulting design is basic, balanced and attractive and reflects the group's academic theme. I spent time investigating gadgets and added polls, a clock, a calendar, and some photos. Another member added the slide show --- which is my favorite addition since it provides several compressed photos without taking up a lot of room. I embedded a Voice Thread project so that members could post their reflections about VT on a VT and was pleased with the results. However, the primary function of blogs is not to look cute; rather, it is to provide a place for discussion. Regarding the discussion aspects, I benefited more from the class discussion postings; they seemed less contrived. However, I enjoyed setting up the group blog and plan to use this new skill and continue to investigate gadgets and ways to embed. I plan to add an RSS feed to a personal blog. I assume that the more I look, the more I will see and can make more sophisticated additions as I gain experience.