Wednesday, August 30, 2006
Student blogging
Student blogging is often done underground, carefully sequestered in LiveJournal or Xanga. Though they can be found, it often takes a little searching. I read a few Bryn Mawr student blogs, mostly by students who have worked for me and I usually search around every once in a while to take the pulse of our own and other college's student bodies. It's definitely worthwhile to do so. It's not that I want to find out "the dirt" or learn someone's secrets, but I'm interested in finding out what students these days find interesting, what they care about, what makes them happy, sad and angry. It's especially interesting during the spring when prospective students are deciding what college they're going to. The reasons they choose one college over another are fascinating and sometimes extraordinarily complex. Current students will also respond to questions they receive from prospective students and the answers they give are quite articulate and reflective. I think it's useful for anyone at a college to have a better sense of their population and student blogs are a great way to gain that insight.
Some colleges and universities have established sites where students can blog (like ours). Some of these are simply spaces in which students can blog with no editing. They are unfiltered, but still, most students are aware that they're blogging on the college site and won't necessarily say the things they might in another setting. And often, these blogs are part of classes and may not have the same free spirit. Some of these sites are attached to admissions sites and are just a step above the canned language common in most admission materials. They're still interesting. They're just not quite the real thing.
Via Karine at College Web Editor, I discovered the College Blogs Network, run by a UPenn student. It looks great and not only might it be a way those of us non-students might get a good idea of student life, but also it seems to be a great place for student bloggers across the country or even around the world to connect with each other.
It's a great idea. I'm definitely adding it to my blogroll.
Some colleges and universities have established sites where students can blog (like ours). Some of these are simply spaces in which students can blog with no editing. They are unfiltered, but still, most students are aware that they're blogging on the college site and won't necessarily say the things they might in another setting. And often, these blogs are part of classes and may not have the same free spirit. Some of these sites are attached to admissions sites and are just a step above the canned language common in most admission materials. They're still interesting. They're just not quite the real thing.
Via Karine at College Web Editor, I discovered the College Blogs Network, run by a UPenn student. It looks great and not only might it be a way those of us non-students might get a good idea of student life, but also it seems to be a great place for student bloggers across the country or even around the world to connect with each other.
It's a great idea. I'm definitely adding it to my blogroll.
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Hi, I'm a prospective student, just found your blog today; quite good. I'm quite vocal about my thoughts on admissions-flavored student blogging, they're splattered across the college blogosphere. I'm definitely left unsatisfied by half-canned blogs, but they're better than nothing sometimes. I won't write an essay in this comment field (I have enough of those on my site and others, blasting certain student blogging policies) but I just thought I'd drop by to say hello and thanks for blogging! Not that I can go to Bryn Mawr, given my Y chromosome.
Sam, thanks for stopping by. You know Haverford and Swarthmore are right down the road. They accept guys. :)
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