DeBlog

We’re moving now to a stage in the Public Argument unit where we need to start amplifying our work.  Hopefully, you’ve started to collect some ideas about audiences and groups that will be interested in the work your group is doing on their blog.  Here are a few tips to help the process along.

*First and foremost, leave comments on other blogs.  One of the basic premises of blogging is that it is a conversation-driven community.  Posting a comment on a blog that basically says “Hey, look at my blog” isn’t going to be a popular or effective way to attract attention.  You need to take the blogger’s post as a starting point, and genuinely reflect on what they are saying while adding your own opinion.  You don’t have to push your blog in a “heavy-handed” way; you can simply leave the URL of your group’s blog in the comments section.

Two popular blog search engines: Blogger.com and Technorati.com.

*Check out social bookmarking sites like digg and del.icio.us.  Using “tags” and the power of word of mouth can encourage people to stumble upon your site based on what it’s associated with.  I won’t go into too much detail, here, but it’s easy to figure out if you invest a little bit of time, and you can even snag some HTML code to put on the BTFT blogs so people can find you easier!  Check out Feedburner, too!

*Create a blogroll.  This is easy to do with the new Wordpress blogging suite, so there’s no excuse not to.  People you put on your blogroll will find out through “pings” and want to check you out.  So find other bloggers out there and put them on your blogroll!

*One final podcast specific tip for amplification: Surf around and find websites that have lists of podcasts, and add your podcast to the list.  Check out PodcastAlley.com, PodcastingNews.com, and iTunes.  There are lots more directories like this; just start poking around!  You’ll start to show up on people’s radar, and they’ll start downloading.

Meet at 2:15 in the Annenberg room (the big lecture hall) in Carswell for blogging tech help.  This isn’t a “general assembly,” and it isn’t required.  If the main person in charge of blogging is interested in learning some more about how to adjust their external links, blogroll, etc, then they should feel free to come.  It isn’t mandatory.  However, Matt Butterworth, our resident IT expert, will be there to help us!

Here is a very comprehensive (Word document) list of different rhetorical figures that can help make your speech more eloquent.  Remember, striving for eloquence is good because it a) moves people b) helps audiences remember c) creates new ways of thinking about issues.  Challenge yourself to develop 2-3 “eloquent snippets” for your performance on Friday!  Yes, it’s hard work, but it will make a difference.

Ross sent along some blogs that are covering the Lebanon / Israel situation.

Check them out when you get a minute.

Kishkushum 

Live from an Israeli bunker

Stuck in Beirut

I have started a “Research Resources” page linked to this site; there are some topics that don’t have much on them right now, but will before too long.

If you have any suggestions, feel free to email them to me!

We have about 24 hours for more comments on the topics. Some of the topics haven’t gotten much response, so if there’s a topic there that intrigues, excites, or animates you, then let’s hear it!

I’ve been impressed with the quality and quantity of comments on the topic posts here at DeBlog. However, I know that not everyone has posted a comment, and I think that it is important that everyone’s voice is heard. (This is one of the benefits of blogging and information technology generally, right? Publication of one’s thoughts is no longer limited to those who own a newspaper or radio / tv station!)

While participating in the winnowing down of the topics is intrinsically valuable, I recognize that incentives for participation are always good.

So, I would like to take this opportunity to announce the first Prize Patrol contest here at DeBlog: the person with the most consistently high quality and quantity of comments on the ten topics posts below will win an opportunity to receive a Super Secret, Super Special prize directly from Pittsburgh, PA. That’s right–a prize, and it will be awesome.

So get commenting!

Greetings, Ben Franklin fellows, teachers, mentors, and kite-flyers! I’ll be joining you in Winston-Salem on Monday, July 17 for the final stretch of the workshop, Bridging Differences through Public Argument, where we will study seven of the world’s pressing issues and perform public argument interventions (amplified through podcasts and Weblogs) designed to enrich online discussion on those topics. In the coming days, you will find more details on the project unveiled here at the DeBlog. But for now, we need your help in narrowing down the list of topic areas we will tackle from a preliminary list of 10 to a final list of 7.

You can help by giving comments on any or all of the 10 preliminary topic areas (listed in the following threads). As you look at each topic area, think about the following questions, and if you have ideas to contribute, please add them into the comment section:

* Are you interested in this subject? Should it be included in the final list of 7 topic areas that we will explore during the final week of the workshop?

* Are there specific aspects of the topic area that you think are especially important to understand and discuss?

* What do you think is the current quality of public dialogue on the topic area?

* Can you recommend resources (books, articles, speeches, movies, songs, poems, etc.) that would be helpful for studying the topic area?

* What sort of public dialogue do you think might be helpful for the world to better understand and deal with the issues related to the topic area?

Thanks in advance for your input! On Tuesday, July 11, we will compile all the input from the comment sections and announce the final list of 7 topic areas here at the DeBlog.

How can the United States and Europe work together to address security issues posed by Iran’s nuclear program? Iran has argued that they have the right to develop their nuclear research program for peaceful ends, but many countries fear that their program is actually a cover for developing nuclear weapons. Is the current approach to resolving tensions with Iran working? Are there more fruitful alternatives?

Since the breakup of the Soviet Union, Russians have had a roller coaster ride toward political and economic reform. But signs of growing authoritarianism coupled with a weak economy, persistent corruption, and social ills including growing HIV/AIDS, raise questions about the possibility of Russia “backsliding.” What is the appropriate role of Russia in world and regional affairs? Can the international community do anything to help Russia consolidate democracy?