[Air-L] public/private [part 1 of 2]

[M. Deanya Lattimore]

I do this with my classes sometimes but nothing formal yet.
I have an "audience" exercise in which I've asked them to write a blog 
post about something and then I have them all look at each other's 
papers and read them as if they were all different kinds of people:
their mother, their grandmother, their preacher, their best friend, 
their potential employer, their potential spouse... etc.

Most of my 18-20-year-old students right now don't expect that their 
*friends* will read their blogs; they expect their audience to be "the 
world" and they are always surprised that it's more often local.

Typically, one or two students in every class -- usually those who 
already blog -- get very angry with me over this assignment.  They 
really don't like me pointing out that their grandmother or their 
preacher might read their blog, LOL.

I expect that their expectations will change over the next 5 or so 
years, so maybe there's the hook I need to do this formally.

:-D.
Deanya


Sarah Robbins wrote:
> I find this discussion fascinating on a level of the mediums that we choose
> to use to express information. If we get right down to it, if we just want
> to write and express ourselves then why not just use a word document. If we
> want to be heard and get feedback we use a blog or similar format. Has there
> been any research on what audiences bloggers etc really think they are
> reaching, want to reach etc? The rift between the the ideal audience and the
> actual audience?
> 
> On 8/13/07, Jeremy Hunsinger <jhuns at vt.edu> wrote:
>> I would advise you to remove your blogs then because it is very
>> likely that if it is linked to anywhere or hosted on a major blogging
>> platform that it is in one of the research compediums of blogs.  if
>> we can find it through google blogsearch or technorati, then it is
>> likely it is in one or more research collections.
>>
>> it is not that you are putting up a window...   it is that you are
>> sending out broadsheets and posters on the fence, on the side of your
>> house, probably into public mailboxes, etc. etc..   i don't have to
>> look into the window to see what you've done, i can take photos from
>> the street, comment on the architecture, etc.  If i
>>
>> a disclaimer won't really solve your issue either, it might be
>> respected, but only if you do it in a machine readable way.  a
>> robot.txt file excluding all search engines will go much farther than
>> a disclaimer.
>>
>>