Thing #12

The link to "The Ten Commandments of Blog Commenting" did not work for me. I got a message that said, "Error 404 - Not Found." I got a more interesting version of the same error message when I tried to access "Commenting on using an alias vs. your real name." The message was, "You 404'd it. Gnarly, Dude!" There was some good information about the subject on their home page, though.

It sounds like edublogging is still so new that the rules of etiquette are still in the process of being developed. I found the comments following the Edublogger Etiquette piece by Drape's Takes to be really interesting. Some people thought that responding to most comments is the polite thing to do; others thought it showed you are being too controlling.

I liked Sarah Hanawald's suggestions to her students: "I told them that they just needed to remember two things. First was that behind every post and comment was a real person. Secondly, that whatever they wrote to a classmate (it's a closed circle with us) they needed to make sure they wrote with a tone of kindness."

Cool Cat and Drape's Takes both emphasized the need to be accessible for replies to your comments. Drape's Takes talked about how many bloggers like to reply to your comments by e-mailing you. Blogging Basics, however, indicated that if you include your e-mail address on your blog, it is wise not to use your main e-mail. So I've decided to set up a new free e-mail account to add to my profile. I'm going to use a Google account so I can put it on my iGoogle page as a gadget. The account probably won't be used very often, so this will allow me to monitor it without even having to log into it.

I noticed that bloggingbasics101 listed blogging mistake #3 as "Your header is huge." Hmmm . . . I wonder if I should trim off part of that meadow on the picture at the top of this blog? Mistake #1 is "Choosing an uninteresting blog name." Sure wish I had read this before I set up my blog!

My First 5 Comments to Fellow Learn2Play Bloggers:
1. I commiserated with Novella about not being able to center header text (Thing #4). Anyone know how to do it? Post note: It looks like my comment never showed up, but we got the question answered anyway!
2. I asked Theresa about some of her great ideas in her Thing #6 post. (You should check them out!)
3. I asked Into the Book how she set it up so that she can use her blog from iGoogle (Thing #7). That sure could save some time!
4. I asked Ann to tell how her 2nd graders used cartoons with biography research (Things #6 and #7). Sounds fun!
5. I agreed with Donna that time really can go by quickly without you even noticing it while you are reading through blogs and commenting on them (Thing #12). It's dangerous. I need to start setting a timer!
6. (In case #1 doesn't count...) I told Spartan- DJS how incredible his videocast is (Thing #21)! Check it out!

I also made comments to some non-Fellow Learn2Play Bloggers, which I didn't feel as comfortable doing. I guess it's kind of like leaving the safety of your own home.