tips for formatting a post
Writing for a general web audience, even if that audience consists of our class, differs a bit from writing a paper. Some guidelines stay consistent regardless of the platform or assignment such as citing sources and using specific examples to provide context and enrich your writing for your reader. However there are other not-so-intuitive changes that you might have to make to properly format your ideas for the web. For example, did you know that your name appears as your login name unless you change the settings in your profile? The author of your posts may have been appearing as firstname2016 rather than FirstName Last Name.
Keep reading for some simple tips that address everything from making sure your name appears next to your post to creating a supportive and creative community.
- Add your real name to your posts. When I write a post, my author name appears as “Alexis Carrozza” rather than my login name “alexiscarrozza.” It is much easier for Prof. Natov to see who’s been posting to the site when people’s names appear next to their posts – and you definitely want her to know that you’ve posted. To change your settings: Upper left corner > hover mouse over “Howdy, [Your Name]” > Edit My Profile > Input in fields First Name, Last Name, Nickname > Choose from the menu “Display Name Publicly As” > Update Profile
- Give your post a title. A title simply needs to indicate the subject of your post and a simple title is a million times more helpful than a “catchy” (or “clickbait-y”) title. A good title will tell the reader what the post is about and your angle. A post titled “High Line Photos: Art Is Symbolic/Art Is Not Symbolic” effectively indicates a) the place and assignment; b) the subject (what art is) and c) the method of analysis, comparing and contrasting in order to consider what art is.
- Have a copy of your work; save early and often. Don’t lose your post while drafting it. It’s always a good idea to have a copy of your work and use the posts for this class as a way to explore the different options to backup your work and post to the site.
- Open a Google Doc, write your post, then copy and paste it into the body of the post. The benefit of this tactic is that Google Docs automatically saves your work every few seconds.
- Write your post in a text document like Microsoft Word and copy/paste it into the post body. You still need to remember to save these posts!
- Write your post in an email and save the draft. This is a good strategy for people who write on their smartphones but don’t want to use any extra apps. You may want to activate the “post by email” option described here on the class eportfolio site.
- Write your post from the Dashboard and click “Save Draft” every few minutes.
- Cite your sources and link to extra info if/when needed. Crediting sources is very important in general and especially when working without an editor!
- A good guideline: add a link when you might otherwise add a parenthetical citation or footnote/endnote.
- Here is a great chart by the Visual Communications Guy: Did I Plagiarize? The Types and Severity of Plagiarism Violations
- If you want, add an image and don’t forget to credit the source. If you reference or describe an image, link to the picture source and try to give credit in the photo description or body of your post. Again, a great guide by the Visual Communications Guy: Can I Use That Picture?
- Use specific examples in your post. When an author doesn’t use specific examples, it’s hard to understand their ideas. If you talk about a moment in your life as a “turning point,” then explain the cause/effect of that moment: what was normal about your life until that moment? What changed after you experienced that moment? For more help on this topic, check the menu bar item “writing about art” for several posts with guidelines, tips, and examples.
- Your audience is us, and we are respectful and supportive. Writing for an audience is hard, even if that audience only consists of your classmates and professor! This course site is only viewable to MHC’s eportfolio network and will most likely only be visited by course users such as you, your classmates, and your professor. These people constitute your audience, and your audience wants to learn more about you and your ideas. As a community, being supportive and respectful is the best way to help people overcome any shyness or self-consciousness their work.
- Recognize the value of someone’s contributions and then express that value. People love really specific compliments! Receiving a compliment like “Your details about the dancer’s movements help me understand the work in a different way. For example ….” is really awesome and also reinforces good habits such as using specific examples!
- Don’t nitpick. Your/you’re, their/there — these are most likely typos or simple mistakes! However, if you see an error referring to specific topics such as “Maplethorpe” vs. “Mapplethorpe,” then consider emailing the author directly or even saying something (nicely) the next time you see them. Either option fosters a supportive community than a well-intentioned comment like “It’s spelled Mapplethorpe :)”
- Don’t play devil’s advocate. If you disagree with an opinion, remember that you’re disagreeing with a real person that you will see for the rest of the semester. Keep any comments short and to-the-point: “I tend to disagree about ____ but your overall point about _____ is well-taken.”
- If you strongly disagree and find yourself writing a really long comment, then write your own post. Link back to the post that you disagree with and then write your perspective. Remember to be respectful and that you’re disagreeing with ideas rather than people.
