Using the same criteria from Dr. B that I used when reviewing Caroline's blog, I'm going to take a look at my own blog. I reference Mandy's review throughout--she gave me some great feedback and I made adjustments accordingly.
Posts
Quantity: I have 33 posts, 12 of which I've tagged ya lit, my main research focus.
Content: I achieve variety in my types of posts. If you glance through my hub post you'll see that I looked at different materials and that brought out different tones. I used media more often earlier in the semester, especially Youtube videos. I used images occasionally to help orient and draw in the reader, like when I did book reviews I posted the cover.
Format: My titles are usually descriptive. As per Mandy's suggestion, I added even more jump breaks to longish posts. And I use lots of tags!
Research
Thematic focus: I definitely have a clear focus on Shakespeare and YA lit, which I dabbled in as early as February 12 with my 30 Post Ideas.
Thesis and cohesion: Yes. It took me a long time to come to something arguable, but I think I do all right. I do a good job linking to my past posts.
Sources: I have a sources tab and I cite sources within posts as well (Legacy I, Legacy II).
Personal and Social
Author identity: Mandy thinks I did a good job with this. I think most of my posts do have a distinct voice.
Documentation of process: Hoo boy. Yes. I document like crazy. At times I did better at talking about doing stuff than actually posting about the stuff. Even when I posted substantive content, I tried to ease into it with process, like in the beginning of my first legacy post. Check out my meta tag for more.
Interactions: I made 154 comments. A handful of these (no more than ten) are for blogs outside our class. I often responded to comments on my posts. I occasionally referred to others' blogs (Future Posting) although not as much as I should have. I plan to do so in my hub post.
Design
Overall: I really like my design. I like the starkness of the black/white/red color scheme along with the softness of the background swirls. Admittedly, it doesn't link directly to my research focus, but I don't think it detracts, either. And I finally changed the title of my blog from "Though This Be Madness" to "Shakespeare in YA Literature." My previous title was catchier but it didn't assist the reader at all, and I want my blog to be a resource.
Side content: I've kept my side content pretty simple. I'd like to add an IntenseDebate widget but it seems to be broken. I really like the "popular posts" widget and I'm glad I added it--besides directing new readers to key posts, it helps me see what my classmates found helpful or interesting. The labels widget has been handy for tracking my focus and content.
I think I've come a long way from where I was mid-semester. I've focused in well and learned a lot about both Shakespeare and blogging. Even though I'll probably lay this blog aside after I've wrapped up with a hub post, I'm certain that I'll use the skills learned this semester to do other blogs.
