The Writer’s Journey, Volume 2
Less
on
5:
Th
e B
log a
s R
ead
ing J
ou
rn
al
Blog Evaluation Handout
The Writer’s Journey, Volume 2
© 2009 Duke University Talent Identification Program
Page 1 of 5
Dir
ecti
on
s: R
ead
sev
era
l of
the
most
rec
ent
blo
g e
ntr
ies
in e
ach
blo
g. C
lick
back
th
rou
gh
th
e b
log’s
arc
hiv
es, th
en a
nsw
er t
he
qu
esti
on
s in
th
e ta
ble
bel
ow
ab
ou
t ea
ch b
log. B
e su
re t
o c
om
ple
te t
he
“C
om
pare
an
d C
on
trast
” a
nd
“D
efin
e” s
ecti
on
s at
the
end
of
this
han
dou
t.
BL
OG
#1_______________________________________________________________________________________
Pu
rpose
& C
on
ten
t: W
hat is the focus of this blog? Is it broad or
narrow? Summarize the kind of content it contains.
Wri
tin
g S
tyle
: Give three adjectives to describe the tone and
voice used in this blog. Provide a quote from a blog post that
supports your description.
Au
thors
hip
: Who writes this blog? Is it an individual or a group?
Does the blogger use his or her real nam
e or a pen nam
e? Read
the blogger bio. What gives the author or authors credibility in
this content area?
Des
ign
: Describe the colors, font, and images used in this blog.
What m
ood do these choices create? Describe it. Is this m
ood
consistent with the content and purpose of the blog?
The Writer’s Journey, Volume 2
Less
on
5:
Th
e B
log a
s R
ead
ing J
ou
rn
al
Blog Evaluation Handout
The Writer’s Journey, Volume 2
© 2009 Duke University Talent Identification Program
Page 2 of 5
BL
OG
#2_______________________________________________________________________________________
Pu
rpose
& C
on
ten
t: W
hat is the focus of this blog? Is it broad or
narrow? Summarize the kind of content it contains.
Wri
tin
g S
tyle
: Give three adjectives to describe the tone and
voice used in this blog. Provide a quote from a blog post that
supports your description.
Au
thors
hip
: Who writes this blog? Is it an individual or a group?
Does the blogger use her real nam
e or a pen nam
e? Read the
blogger bio. What gives the author or authors credibility in this
content area?
Des
ign
: Describe the colors, font, and images used in this blog.
What m
ood do these choices create? Describe it. Is this m
ood
consistent with the content and purpose of the blog?
The Writer’s Journey, Volume 2
Less
on
5:
Th
e B
log a
s R
ead
ing J
ou
rn
al
Blog Evaluation Handout
The Writer’s Journey, Volume 2
© 2009 Duke University Talent Identification Program
Page 3 of 5 BL
OG
#3_______________________________________________________________________________________
Pu
rpose
& C
on
ten
t: W
hat is the focus of this blog? Is it broad or
narrow? Summarize the kind of content it contains.
Wri
tin
g S
tyle
: Give three adjectives to describe the tone and
voice used in this blog. Provide a quote from a blog post that
supports your description.
Au
thors
hip
: Who writes this blog? Is it an individual or a group?
Does the blogger use her real nam
e or a pen nam
e? Read the
blogger bio. What gives the author or authors credibility in this
content area?
Des
ign
: Describe the colors, font, and images used in this blog.
What m
ood do these choices create? Describe it. Is this m
ood
consistent with the content and purpose of the blog?
The Writer’s Journey, Volume 2
Less
on
5:
Th
e B
log a
s R
ead
ing J
ou
rn
al
Blog Evaluation Handout
The Writer’s Journey, Volume 2
© 2009 Duke University Talent Identification Program
Page 4 of 5 BL
OG
#4_______________________________________________________________________________________
Pu
rpose
& C
on
ten
t: W
hat is the focus of this blog? Is it broad or
narrow? Summarize the kind of content it contains.
Wri
tin
g S
tyle
: Give three adjectives to describe the tone and
voice used in this blog. Provide a quote from a blog post that
supports your description.
Au
thors
hip
: Who writes this blog? Is it an individual or a group?
Does the blogger use her real nam
e or a pen nam
e? Read the
blogger bio. What gives the author or authors credibility in this
content area?
Des
ign
: Describe the colors, font, and images used in this blog.
What m
ood do these choices create? Describe it. Is this m
ood
consistent with the content and purpose of the blog?
The Writer’s Journey, Volume 2
Less
on
5:
Th
e B
log a
s R
ead
ing J
ou
rn
al
Blog Evaluation Handout
The Writer’s Journey, Volume 2
© 2009 Duke University Talent Identification Program
Page 5 of 5
CO
MP
AR
E A
ND
CO
NT
RA
ST
:
1. What do these four blogs have in common despite the fact that they each come from a different blog category?
2. How do these blogs differ? W
hat do you notice about the differences in design choices and writing style in particular?
DE
FIN
E:
Write a definition for the word blog below based on your observations and reading the article “It’s the Links, Stupid.”