Gaining insight into the lives of Western faculty, students and staff has never been easier, thanks to the help of Western’s very own Weblog Directory.
Weblogs, or ‘blogs’ are websites where individuals maintain regular and ongoing commentaries on particular subjects. Blogs can focus on specific areas, such as ballet or computer illustration, and often take the form of an online diary. They may also include photos, as well as links to related blogs and websites. An important feature of most blogs allows readers to post comments, providing further appeal through a participative interface.
The Western weblog directory serves as a central base, providing access to various blogs of those with Western affiliation. The site is organized according to the blogger’s status as professional, faculty & staff, students, alumni, and other. The featured blogs cover a vast range of topics from experiences in Africa to eating locally in London.
Blog observers say an effective blog is typically opinionated, published regularly and it offers a level of expertise on a particular subject that will bring back readers and generate a discussion. Blogs that rant may make the writer feel better but usually do not create a large following unless there is something else unique about the content.
Thinking is hard work by Coleen is a blog that encourages the reader to think actively, discussing topics such as persuasion versus manipulation and managing our expectations to promote happiness. Coleen is a member of the Management and Organizational faculty at Brescia University College. Her blog is maintained regularly, and is organized according to topics such as hard work, leadership and self-management.
Eating Local London is updated frequently, and features recipes for use of local produce, as well as a “Super Handy Map” which pinpoints local farmers. The summer experiences of the National Youth Orchestra are documented through NYO at Western. The members divulge their ambitions as they train for various performances.
Some blogs are just plain unexpected.
Old is the New New is a blog from History Professor Rob MacDougall. As you might guess it is about history, but not the kind of history you might expect and not a reflection of what he studies professionally.
As MacDougall notes in his intro, “If Old is the New New is about anything, it’s that the past is weirder than we think. This blog is dedicated to the back roads of American history, its oddities and strange enthusiasms, the alternate pasts that we do not immediately recognize as our own. I like to think that weird history can help us see the ways our lives today are weird: things we take for granted, choices others have made for us, injustices we don’t protest. The strange past offers an inoculation against the shrunken horizons of the present. It’s also just way cool.”
In others, readers will find that the subject matter of the blog is often irrelevant, the candor and insight of the writer appeals on its own.
Christopher Crighton’s Legally Blogged follows the third year law student as he navigates his way through Western Law. From the stress of winter exams to the anxiety that accompanies a computer crash, Chris provides a direct description of his encounters. In one entry, he even reveals his exam grades, and discusses some possible routes to improvement. In the blog’s description, Chris promises readers that his reports will be, “void of marketing lingo or other linguistic subterfuges”.
Chris was originally attracted to blogging as opposed to more traditional print media as it meant he could, “write what he wanted and there was no venue required”. His main guideline: to be honest. Chris wanted to avoid what could be perceived as, “a thinly veiled promotion for the school”, and instead wanted to show “what law school is actually like day-to-day”. His candid entries do just that.
The increasing popularity of this medium means that new blogs are constantly surfacing. At the same time you will find blogs where the writer has not added a new entry in quite some time. When it’s your blog, you set the rules
The Western Weblog Directory encourages new participants to send their blogs to Mathew Hoy, Western’s senior web designer, to be included on the site.
Contributors are asked to send in the address of the blog, the category in which it best fits, as well as what department it is associated with. A description of the blog of up to 25 words is permitted. Just drop a note to Hoy at mhoy6@uwo.ca
Blog directory
The blogs mentioned in this article, as well as dozens of others by students, faculty, staff and others associated with Western can be found at https://communications.uwo.ca/weblogs/directory.htm
