Comment Moderation - 0FF, please!

Hello, everyone!

I've been having trouble leaving comments on a number of blogs, on essays and proto-portfolios in particular, because some of you have accidentally or intentionally turned comment moderation on (instead of word verification for comments). So I am writing to ask that you double-check your comment moderation settings. Unless you've had trouble with unwelcome comments, your settings should look like this:


To make sure that's how you've set comment moderation on your blog; please go to your Dashboard, click on the Manage:... Settings link and then the Comments settings tab, scroll down and check now. Blogger Help has details of how moderation works (you can switch the explanation to Japanese if you want to).

I like to show profile images on comments to form a mental image of blog visitors. If you'd like to get gmail messages when someone comments on your blog, feel free to copy and paste your gmail address into the notification box at the end of the comment settings page. By all means, remember to save your settings before you move on!

Proto-portfolio (all-in-one template)

Here is a template for a complete, all-in-one, proto-portfolio.

========== beginning of proto-portfolio template

1.0. Essays

1.1. Self-introduction essay

• Title of post with link
• nnn words (in your essay [150+])
  
• 2007.mm.dd

1.2. Second essay

• Title of post with link
• nnn words (in your essay [200+])
  
• 2007.mm.dd

1.3. Best essay: Which of those two essays do you believe is better & why?

• 
  

2.0. Comments

2.1. Your first comment on instructor's blog:

• Title of post with link
• nn words (in comment)
  
• 2007.mm.dd (date of comment)
  
• Do you believe that is a good comment? Why or why not?
  

2.2. Your best comment on a classmate's blog

• Title of post with link
• nn words (in comment)
  
• 2007.mm.dd (date of comment)
  
• Why do you believe that is a good comment?

2.3. The best comment by a classmate on your blog

• Title of post with link
• nn words (in classmate's comment)
  
• 2007.mm.dd (date of classmate's comment)
  
• Why do you believe that is a good comment?

3.0. Typing speed trials

3.1. Worst speed

• nn words
• 2007.mm.dd

3.2. Best speed

• nnn words
• 2007.mm.dd

3.3. Average speed

• average: nn words
  
• number of trials (as of May 23)

4.0. Book Reviews

4.1. Book review 1-01

• Title of post with link
• nnn words
  
• 2007.mm.dd

4.2. Book review 1-02

• Title of post with link
• nnn words
  
• 2007.mm.dd

4.3. Book review 1-03

• Title of post with link
• nnn words
  
• 2007.mm.dd

4.4. Book review 1-04

• Title of post with link
• nnn words
  
• 2007.mm.dd

4.5. Book review 1-05

• Title of post with link
• nnn words
  
• 2007.mm.dd

4.6. Book review 1-06

• Title of post with link
• nnn words
  
• 2007.mm.dd

5.0. Visual presentation

5.1. Archive at top of sidebar (Yes/No):

5.1.1. Displaying titles of posts:

5.1.2. Organized by month (or week):


5.2. Labels displayed in sidebar (Yes/No):

5.2.1. Including:

• books,
  
• essays &
  
• quickposts (with no space in it):

5.2.2. Including other labels that you've attached to more than one post:

• xxx
  
• yyy
  
• zzz

5.3. Links & media

5.3.1. Pictures

• Does your blog profile include a picture?
• How many of your blog posts include pictures?
  

5.3.2. Posts with multiple links

• How many of your posts include three or more links?
  

5.3.3. Other media: Which other media have you used?

• How many of your blog posts include other media?

Additional reflections on your blog writing:

• [Remove the square brackets and type your reflections here.]
  

=========== end of proto-portfolio template

Proto-portfolios - continued: Visual presentation

Here is a template for a proto-portfolio section on Visual Presentation. Please combine it with other elements of the proto-portfolio that you've prepared so far (§§ 1-4).
----------
...
5.0. Visual presentation

5.1. Archive at top of sidebar (Yes/No):

5.1.1. Displaying titles of posts:

5.1.2. Organized by month (or week):


5.2. Labels displayed in sidebar (Yes/No):

5.1.1. Including: books, essays & quickposts:

5.1.2. Including other labels that you've attached to more than one post:

• List of other labels that you've used:

5.3. Links & media

5.3.1. Pictures

• Does your blog profile include a picture?
• How many of your blog posts include pictures?
  

5.3.w. Posts with multiple links

• How many of your posts include three or more links?
  

5.3.3. Other media

• How many of your blog posts include other media?

• Which other media have you used?
  

Self-intro's shy on development, bold on names

There are two issues that have come up while I've been reading self-introduction essays. I would like to bring them to everyone's attention right away, so everyone who still needs to attend to these issues will get on with reviewing their self-intro's right away.

The first issue is a privacy issue with respect to your decision whether to include your full names on your blogs. As I've said repeatedly in class, and reiterated in a number of private messages, I strongly recommend against using family names anywhere on your blogs. Given names, nicknames and blog handles suffice both for personal profiles and in self-introductions.

The second issue concerns development of your essays in general, and self-introductions in particular. Quite a few of the self-introductions that I have reviewed have been shy on words and short on paragraphs. Remember the minimum length for self-intro's is 150 words.

For each topic that you raise while introducing yourself: place of origin, family membership, choice of college & major, future goals..., what have you, I suggest that you add details, examples and explanations. For example, instead of just writing, "We have a dog," you can add what kind of dog it is, how long it has been in the family, and whether it stays indoors or out. The same goes for development your second essays about campus life.

Proto-portfolios - continued: Book reviews

Here is a template for a proto-portfolio section on Book Reviews. Please combine it with other elements of the proto-portfolio that you've prepared so far.
----------
...
4.0. Book Reviews

4.1. Book review 1-01

• Title of post with link
• nnn words
  
• 2007.mm.dd

4.2. Book review 1-02

• Title of post with link
• nnn words
  
• 2007.mm.dd

4.3. Book review 1-03

• Title of post with link
• nnn words
  
• 2007.mm.dd

4.4. Book review 1-04

• Title of post with link
• nnn words
  
• 2007.mm.dd

4.5. Book review 1-05

• Title of post with link
• nnn words
  
• 2007.mm.dd

4.6. Book review 1-06

• Title of post with link
• nnn words
  
• 2007.mm.dd

...
----------

Book review headings, numbering & labels

Hello, everyone! I'd like to reiterate and expand upon notes about subject headings and labels for book review posts:

You should check the sample [subject] headings for book reviews in this April 25 post, and then revise all of yours accordingly.

You also should label each book review that you do with the label "books" plus another label for the genre. For more about labeling other kinds of posts, please review my "Quick tip on labels for blog posts", and Blogger's "How do I label my posts?"

Then make certain that your blog Layout is set to display in the sidebar the labels that you have used (Dashboard: Manage: Layout: Add element: Labels).

(pab's comment on Masaru's Book report 1, 2007.05.16)

Please pay particular attention to the numbering system. Here's the breakdown:

• Book review 1-nn: ... [+ short title] - first semester book reviews from 01 to 99;
• Book review 2-nn: ... [+ short title] - second semester book reviews from 01 to 99

Further, please include short book titles at the end of book review subject headings, for example:

• Book review 1-05: Vampire Killer

If you include short titles, visitors may recognize books that they've read, too, and want to read and comment on your reviews.

Blog on!

Proto-portfolio (example 1)

1.0. Essays

1.1. Self-introduction essay

• My self introduction
• 203 words
• 2007.04.11

...
----------
Note: For a first essay, that word count largely surpassed the target of 150+ words.

Proto-portfolio (example 2)

...
1.2. Second essay

• Campus life
• 133 words
  
• 2007.05.02

...
----------
Note: For a second essay, that word count was a bit shy of the 200+ word target.

Proto-portfolios

For a preliminary collection of your blog work, please list the following with: a) links, b) word counts, c) dates & d) remarks. Please copy and past the outline below into a new post on your blog to get started:

----------
1.0. Essays

1.1. Self-introduction essay

• Title of post with link
• nnn words (in your essay [150+])
  
• 2007.mm.dd

1.2. Second essay

• Title of post with link
• nnn words (in your essay [200+])
  
• 2007.mm.dd

1.3. Best essay: Which of those two essays do you believe is better & why?

• 
  

2.0. Comments*

2.1. Your first comment on instructor's blog:

• Title of post with link
• nn words (in comment)
  
• 2007.mm.dd (date of comment)
  
• Do you believe that is a good comment? Why or why not?
  

2.2. Your best comment on a classmate's blog

• Title of post with link
• nn words (in comment)
  
• 2007.mm.dd (date of comment)
  
• Why do you believe that is a good comment?

2.3. The best comment by a classmate on your blog

• Title of post with link
• nn words (in classmate's comment)
  
• 2007.mm.dd (date of classmate's comment)
  
• Why do you believe that is a good comment?

3.0. Typing speed trials

3.1. Worst speed

• nn words
• 2007.mm.dd

3.2. Best speed

• nnn words
• 2007.mm.dd

3.3. Average speed

• average: nn words
  
• number of trials (as of May 16)
  

Additional reflections on your writing:

• 
  

----------
*Note: For what makes comments good, please review, "Quality comments welcome" (Writing Studio Blog, May 12, 2007).

Extensive reading logs (SSS EGK, 2007)

The purpose of this post is to give you a quick reminder of how to use the extensive reading log book (SSS EGK, 2007; required). As the title of your log book suggests, the aim of keeping extensive reading logs is to chart your progress towards the one million (1,000,000) word reading goal that we hope many, if not most of you will achieve during four years at university.

Pages six and seven show how to make log entries for books you've read: by title, series, level, word counts (books & running totals), plus quick evaluations and personal notes. You can find guidelines for getting started with the Penguin Readers: Easy Starts and other graded readers on page 72.

You will find genre codes on page 90. Listings with word counts for individual books in two categories begin on pp. 92 and 12o. The two main categories of books are:

1. Books written with limited vocabulary and restricted grammar primarily for learners of English as an additional language (graded readers); &
2. Books written primarily for young learners whose first language is English.

Within those two categories, lists feature various series of books subdivided into levels of difficulty. If you have trouble finding books with word counts in the SSS EGK (2007) listings, please ask your instructor or one of the assistants for help in class, or explain as clearly as you can in a comment on this post.

Reference

Start with Simple Stories Eigo Gakkushuuhou Kenkyuukai [SSS EGK]. (2007). Mezasei! 100 Man Go: Dokushou Kiroku Techou [aim for a million words: reading record pocketbook]. Tokyo: CosmoPier Publishing.

[268 words]

Tom-room: Campus life (cross-link & review)

This post cross-links to Tomoko's solid start on her "Campus life" essay, Tom-room: Campus life. I made the link and started a draft automatically by clicking on the "link to this" link at the foot of her post.

As I've suggested in a comment on her post, it is a good idea to include blank lines between paragraphs. The white spaces that you create by typing two returns at the end of each paragraph make it easy for readers to see where one topic ends and the next one begins.

It is also important to develop each topic into a paragraph of two or more sentences. A good way to figure out what to add to build a topic sentence into a paragraph is to ask yourself information questions as you write. Then you can add your answers to each paragraph or stub that you've started.

For example: Here are few topics from Tomoko's essay, and some example questions that she could ask herself as she revises and extends her essay:

• Parking:
• Where do I usually park my bicycle?
  
• What if that space is full?

• Blogging:
• When do I make time to blog?
• What do I do to get comfortable before I start blogging?
• How do I feel when I finish a draft or a post?

• Other activities
• Where do I like to do them?
• With whom?
  

Quality comments welcome

This is a cross-post from the Writing Studio Wiki to remind you not only that you are more than welcome to post quality comments on one anothers' blogs, but also that you should respond in kind to comments on your blogs:

Post quality comments on neighbors’ ... essays.

• Simple remarks like, “I agree,” Me, too,” “Thank you,” or “Very interesting,” are not enough;
• Note points of interest and give reasons, for example:

“What you say about… is interesting because…;”

• Ask for or suggest additional information or examples; &
• Praise strengths of peers’ essays and posts.

Respond thoughtfully to comments on your blog.

• You may respond to neighbors’ comments one by one or to several at once;
• Explain any changes that you make (or plan to make) in your essay; &
• Express your feelings about your neighbors comments, questions and suggestions.

(Writing Studio Blog, Getting Started...)

Blogs of the Month Awards (April)

Ladies and gentlemen!

Please allow me to introduce some of the finalists for the April Blogs of the Month Awards. Two blogs received three nominations each:

1. Brass, for best book review (1) and best visual presentation (2); and
2. Anya's field, for best essay (1) and best visual presentation (2).

Four other blogs received two nominations each:

• CHINA's BLOG, for best visual presentation;
• Cooking, for best essay; and
• Kana's blog and Triphaina's diary, for best book reviews.

Best book reviews

The second runner-up for best book review in April is Kana, for her review of Tinker's Island. The first runner-up is Asumi, for her review of Babe - Pig in the City, and ...

The best book review award for April goes to...

• Chiaki - for her review of Jane Austen's Emma (Triphiana's Diary, Book Review 1-01)!

Best essays

Runners-up for best essay are Hiroko, for her introductory essay about her favorite things (Cooking; April 11, 2007), and Toru, for his essay about himself (In the Clover, April 11, 2007).

The best essay award for April goes to...

• Luca - for her introductory essay (Sleeping Luca; April 11, 2007)!

Best visual presentations

Now, for the last of the awards for April, the second runner-up for best visual presentation is Chinami, for China's Blog. First runner-up for best visual presentation in April is Anna, for Anya's field, and ...

The winner of the best visual presentation award for April is...

• Asumi, for Brass!
  

May Day or "Mayday!" - What's the difference?

If you've taken a close look at the words in the title of this quick post, you may be wondering what the differences are. That is, besides capitalization and punctuation (including spacing between words). Similarities in English spelling may lead to confusion regarding the meanings.

Those two expressions have different connotations in English as an international language. The first, May Day, is a holiday celebrated today (May 1, 2007) in many countries around the world. It is also known as the International Workers' Day.

The second, "Mayday!" - usually repeated three times, is a call for help which doesn't have anything to do with the holiday, May Day. "Mayday!" comes from a French expression meaning help me, spelled quite differently, and gets used when boats and planes are in trouble (Wikipedia, Mayday).