{"id":182,"date":"2021-09-01T12:36:52","date_gmt":"2021-09-01T16:36:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/publicdiscourse\/?p=182"},"modified":"2025-10-06T15:44:57","modified_gmt":"2025-10-06T19:44:57","slug":"wordpress-blogs-and-websites","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/publicdiscourse\/wordpress-blogs-and-websites\/","title":{"rendered":"WORDPRESS BLOGS AND WEBSITES"},"content":{"rendered":"

A WordPress blog, which has website capability, can provide students an opportunity to go in depth into one topic.\u00a0 When designing through a public discourse lens, students contributing to the blog are asked to produce a final result that is palatable and engaging to a public audience, from writing style to multimedia elements.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Methods<\/b><\/p>\n

Blogs can be designed on a multitude of models, from a basic platform for class posts and discussion to a presentation-style final product. The public discourse-style blog pushes students toward the latter format, asking them to envision their audience and be aware of its needs, to write in an engaging and jargon-free public style, and to incorporate images, audio, and\/or video that grab attention and clarify the topic.<\/span><\/p>\n

ITS\u2019s WordPress experts can set up your blog or site with an interface that works for you. These experts also provide in-class training workshops to assist students in learning how to post to the blog, how to add multimedia, how to distinguish usage rights when posting others\u2019 online multimedia, and other technical elements of blog management.<\/span><\/p>\n

Smith\u2019s WordPress sites can be configured to be private to the class, to be open only to the Smith community (those with Smith email accounts), or to be open to the public. As with all public discourse, if more public options are selected, ethical considerations related to exposure to and impact on a broad audience should be discussed (see <\/span>ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS<\/span><\/a>).<\/span><\/p>\n

Students should be encouraged to consider how their blog writing will attract public interest. Basic concepts of newsworthiness can help them assess their approach. How does this topic relate to contemporary events and themes? How can the students connect the material to questions and concerns currently in the news? Might pop culture references freshen and enliven the material? Students should also be encouraged to carefully assess audience. Because blogs often focus on specific topics, these platforms can successfully reach and influence niche audiences who are searching for specific information.<\/span><\/p>\n

The blogger Kate Farrell, who writes the blog <\/span>Woven <\/span><\/a>about the heroine\u2019s journey, notes that blogs are most successful when designed around a targeted topic and updated at least once a week. However, as shown in the student examples below, a WordPress blog can be designed as a finished, polished public-facing website rather than as ongoing posts, allowing the class to leave an enduring mark of their accumulated expertise on the online landscape.<\/span><\/p>\n

Examples<\/b><\/p>\n

Professional<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

The Oxford University Department of Experimental Psychology maintains <\/span>a public-facing psychology blog <\/span><\/a>focused on ongoing research and projects with an eye toward public edification. Faculty and graduate students contribute to the blog, making it an excellent example of public-facing scholarly writing. Before starting their own class blog, students might be asked to compare different articles from a blog like this one to determine which authors are most successful in their aims.<\/span><\/p>\n

To find example blogs in your discipline, simply type your desired field followed by \u201cblogs\u201d into Google: e.g. \u201cliterature blogs\u201d or \u201cmathematics blogs.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Besides WordPress, several online blogging platforms allow anyone to sign up and post material on a public, free subscription, or paid subscription basis.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n