2009 wishes

It's 2009... another year has gone by and once again, we have another 12 months ahead of us.

My wish for each and every one of you is that you achieve all that you set out to do this year.

My new year's resolution this year is to lead a healthier lifestyle... to cut back on my unhealthy eating habits and to get out there exploring the world around me more. And so I wonder... have you made any resolutions for this year? Care to share them with me???

Happy New Year!!! Hope you had a blast of a time ushering it in!

this week's challenge (week 9)

Hi everyone!

Keep up with the blogging, don't slow down! Stick to your theme and blog about it.

Here's the link to the Chicago Author-Date Referencing handout that you should have for the next lesson.

For the benefit of those of you who weren't in class last week (where were you guys???), next week, you'll have to show me a draft of your cause OR effect essay. Be sure that your work is word processed (font: Arial, size 12, double spacing between lines). Don't forget to bring your reference materials as well (the articles that you researched).

See you in class on Tuesday!!!

and the challenge continues... (week 8)

Sorry about the late post --- I've been really busy (yup, lecturers can get seriously bogged down with work too) but I'm back and let's get on with it :D

Remember last week's theme? Well, carry on blogging on the theme of your choice.

Your blog is your space to express your thoughts and be yourself. Add gadgets of your choice to your blog (I've got hangman and a calendar on mine). Make your blog attractive for yourself as well as your reader. Make it fun!

Keep leaving comments on your friends' blogs.

Many of you are doing a great job --- keep up the good work!!! :)

this week's challenge (week 7)

Hi everyone!


There are three parts to this week's challenge. Read on to find out what you should do.


PART 1
Decide on a theme for your next few blog entries. A good way of deciding on a theme is to go with what you're passionate about. Some ideas of what the theme might be --- soccer, cars, politics, buildings, shoes, people, technology, etc. (the possibilities are endless!!!).

After you've decided on your theme, write about it! Remember, keep your blog looking attractive by adding pictures and video clips. Also, don't forget to link to other websites.



PART 2 SET UP YOUR BLOG ROLL
Now that you've started reading some of your coursemates' blogs, it's time to set up your blog roll on your blog. A blog roll is basically a list of blogs that you read often (the blog roll on this blog that you're reading is on the right where I have all of your blogs in a list).


This is how to create your blog roll:
1. From DASHBOARD click on LAYOUT
2. On the LAYOUT page, click on ADD A GADGET on one of the boxes
3. A window will open. Click on the add (+) icon next to BLOG LIST



PART 3
Keep up with writing comments on your coursemates' blogs. If you received comments on your blogs left by your readers, feel free to respond to their comments in the comments section. Click here to see how a blogger communicates with his reader via comments.


Blog away!!! :)

this week's challenge (week 6)

This week, your challenge comes in two parts:

PART 1

So far, you have been writing in your blog and it does feel like you're writing on your own with no one listening to your thoughts, right? That is about to change as you'll be interacting and communicating with your coursemates via their blogs from now on.

You're to read your coursemates' blogs and leave comments on at least three blogs. You do this by clicking on the the comments link at the bottom of the post that you read. Here are some suggestions on how to leave a comment:

1. Ask the blogger (the writer of the blog) a question

2. Share your thoughts with the blogger

3. You can agree/disagree with what the blogger has published in his/her post

4. You can suggest ways how the blogger might make their writing better

Remember, the general rule here is to be polite in your comments as nobody likes to find rude comments left for them.


PART 2
You will also read about a current issue (newspaper websites are a good place to start or you may already have your favorite websites that you like to read) and to write about your thoughts on what you have read. Find something that you think is interesting to share with your blog readers. Remember to hyperlink your writing to the original website.

Blog away! :)

What's the difference between a hyperlink and a URL?

Okay, I've been reading some of your blogs. I like it that you try to link your blogs to other websites but many of you are using URLs instead of hyperlinks.

This is an example of a URL : http://www.weblogscircle-sept08.blogspot.com/
This, on the other hand, is a hyperlink (also known as a link): connections
See the difference? Although both take you to the same page, hyperlinks are cool and neat compared to URLs which look messy on your blog.

Need help with creating hyperlinks? Read this --- Hyperlinks in 6 Easy Steps.

How to go about changing the title of your blog

Many of you have used your name as the title of your blog...*yawn* borrriiinggg!!! Think of the title of your blog as the title of your book. It should be something interesting (afterall, who wants to read a boring book?) and something that reflects you.

This is how to go about changing the title of your blog:

1.

Click on Settings on your Dashboard page

2.

Change your blog title, click save at the bottom of the page and it's done!