Final blog-portfolio

We have now come to the end of another semester, which means that many things, including the class for which this blog exists, are coming to an end. The purpose of this final post is to evaluate my overall blogging experience. Additionally, I have created a portfolio of 4 of what I feel to be my better posts for Professor Arvan.

I will begin with the portfolio. Of the four blogs in the portfolio, one had to be from the first three weeks, and one from the second three weeks so that an accurate assessment of change (and hopefully growth) over the semester can be made.

I wrote this blog on Voting and Handwashing during the second week of the semester. I feel that it was a good post, because I felt that I had something to say, and was able to tie in the concepts discussed in class. A few weeks later, I wrote Intrinsic Motivation. Again, I feel that this was a good blog because I had a worthwhile opinion on the subject. As a general comment, when picking my blogs, I did generally pick out the longer posts, not because wordiness is better, but because the extra length was indicative of my feeling inspired and having more things to say. On the other hand, some of my other blogs were merely “bare minimum” in terms of length, and I usually really struggled to write them.

Let’s now jump forward in the semester. After writing a few posts, I started to settle into a more consistent writing style. One week we were asked to evaluate our view of online writing, which I have done in this post. In it I assessed the benefits and limitations of the blogging format for sharing our ideas. I feel that I was able to achieve an easy, conversational tone in this blog, but still my insight and thoughts on the subject.

Finally, I feel that I exited the blogging world (for now, and obviously excluding this post) with a bang with my post on Freedom and Self-imposed Restraints. This post marked my first time in deviating from the given prompt, and indeed the focus of the blog was to analyze the class’s propensity to stick to the given post to the bloody end, even if it felt restrictive. I would have to say that I think this was my best post, though I guess I am a bit uncertain as to why. Perhaps it was because I finally through aside all assumptions, and wrote a truly reflective and honest piece of writing.

So, as I am nearing the end of the last blog that I will be required to post, what are my thoughts? Overall, I was glad for the experience of blogging, if nothing else because it forced me to do something new. Do I think that I am a better writer because of it? Probably, though I would say that I am just a better blog writer. Thus, my overall writing style didn’t change much, but I have given it more breadth. That is, I have learned how to apply my previous knowledge to a different type of writing.

So, will I continue to blog in the future? I have to be honest and say “probably not, at least in the near future.” However, this at least in part hinges on the fact that outside of this class I really don’t have a blogging audience (except for a select few, who I am sure will be disappointed when I stop blogging!) But, perhaps in the future, when I have a different audience, and something to say, I will take it up again, and at that point I will certainly be glad for the experience that this class has given me.

So, to all of my readers (not that many, I know), "good bye and good luck!"