Wordpress Blog Creation Assignment

COM210: Multimedia Content Creation
“About Me” and Blog Topic Introduction
Due Date: Jan. 13, 5pm

Overview & Background

You will be using WordPress to display your media designs throughout the semester. WordPress is a highly customizable content management system allowing you to frame your design assets online. This week you will set up your blog and begin to post content online. First, you will setup an “About” page introducing yourself to readers. Nearly all blogs have an “About” page that describes the author or organization that manages the blog. Here are some examples from popular blogs:

Doc Searls: http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/doc/about/ (technology & communication)
Talking Points Memo: http://talkingpointsmemo.com/about.php (Liberal News Blog)
Michelle Malkin: http://michellemalkin.com/about/ (Conservative Pundit)
Bleacher Report: http://bleacherreport.com/about (Sports blog)
this isn’t happiness: http://thisisnthappiness.com/#topofthepage (graphic design blog)

Next, you will post about the topic you will cover this semester. You should think carefully about this topic because you will cover it across all the assignments: graphic collage, logo design, audio story, & video project. You are encouraged to choose “About Me” as your topic. You can use the semester to build a baseline portfolio describing yourself.

Tips:

Good blog posts share a number of attributes:

• Short in length (300 to 500 words)
• Short, direct, complete, and easy-to-read sentences
• Short paragraphs (don’t have more than 4 or 5 sentences in one paragraph)
• Written in the first-person (i.e., “I think”)
• Express personal opinions
• Link to other websites
• Include photos and images

Instructions

1. Create a free blog account at WordPress.com. You are welcome to upgrade to a paid account of you’d prefer to have your own domain name. WordPress is also available as a free package if you have your own web hosting space already. The free account will be sufficient for what we are doing in COM210.

2. Log in to the administrative panel (usually at http://domain.wordpress.com/wp-admin/) and choose “Appearance.” Here, you will be able to select a template and customize the look of your blog.

3. Lastly, create a post about the topic you will be covering in class (under “Posts->Add New” in the administrative panel). Think very carefully about this topic because you will be spending 3 months with it! You should describe why you’ve chosen this topic and give some background on your topic. Your post should be between 300-500 words.

4 . Edit the “About” page (located in the administrative panel under “Pages”). Include:

• Your name. You are not required to use your real name if you have privacy concerns, but please e-mail me so I can attach your real name to your blog.
• Some demographic and background information about yourself
• The purpose of the blog (e.g., to post the media content you have created about your topic for COM210)
• Some interests and/or hobbies
• Your career goals
• A picture of yourself

5. Once you are happy with the look and content of your blog, copy the blog URL on to your clipboard. Open the “WordPress Blog Creation” Drop Box in Angel (listed under the “Drop Boxes” under “Content”). Paste your blog URL as the “Title” of the drop box entry, and add any information you think is pertinent in the message. Finally, click submit. 

Grading Rubric 

Criteria	Achievement Level
	Minimal (0%)	Emerging (50%)	Professional (100%)
Blog Creation (50% Weighting)	0 percent No Blog Created.	25 percent Blog created but page does not look managed. A shell with the default theme.	50 percent Blog created and template has been edited to present information relevant to the course
Topic Post (25% Weighting)	0 percent No post describing course topic.	12 percent First post describes topic. Post is not between 300-500 words or could be more effective in making clear what the topic is or why you chose it.	25 percent First post describes topic. Post is between 300-500 words or effectively describes topic and why you chose it.
About Me Page (25% Weighting)	0 percent No “About Me” page.	12 percent “About Me” page describes the author. Post does not clearly identify all the required information: -Your Name -Demographic Information About Yourself -The Purpose of the Blog -Some Interests/Hobbies -Your Career Goals -A Picture of Yourself	25 percent “About Me” page describes the author. Post clearly identifies all the required information: -Your Name -Demographic Information About Yourself -The Purpose of the Blog -Some Interests/Hobbies -Your Career Goals -A Picture of Yourself

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