Guidelines for Posting to the TPP Blog

All staff members will contribute during the year to the classroom blog, which can be found at http://bellairetppblog2012.blogspot.com. These posts will relate to the classroom curriculum. Blogging is an important part of journalism and is a specific form of journalistic writing that must be developed. Remember, everything you post will be online and available for anyone to read.

Format

The text for the blog should:

v  offer insights and observations that would benefit others

v  explore issues in depth

v  provide a forum for sharing thoughts and ideas

v  provide information about news events and provide analysis on those events

v  provide further research about a topic

v  tie lessons to your experiences

The text for the blog should not:

v  critique sessions or lessons

v  agree or disagree with a point or issue raised

v  provide commentary on the community, news events, weather, random thoughts, accommodations at workshops or school, etc.

Each post should:

v  be at least 200-250 words but no more than 500.

v  focus on one event, one experience, or one point raised.

v  be clear as to why the posting is relevant to you and your audience

v  always end with the following information flush left –

Ø  first name & last name

Ø  position

Ø  school name

Ø  city, state

Requirements

Each staff member will post:

v  at least two separate postings before the deadline (listed below)

v  at least one of the postings should have a photo uploaded and placed in the text of the posting

v  photos from cell phones are acceptable

v  photos should complement the text of the posting

v  offer a comment on at least one posting from other staff members before the deadline

Moderation:

The instructor will moderate all posts and comments. All text must be educationally approved. Any inappropriate text will be removed.

Styleguide

Follow the AP Style Guide for all text. Guidelines will be given in the staff manual.

Deadlines

Deadlines for all blog posts will be strictly enforced.

The deadline for the July summer workshop at Texas A&M is following Tuesday at noon.

The deadline for the August summer workshop at Bellaire is Monday following the workshop at noon.