Shared Blogs: Overview

Shared blogs are an open communications tool for students to share their thoughts across the site or in groups.

A blog consists of:

Blog Entries: Text, images, links and attachments posted by students and open for comments.

Comments: Remarks or responses to blog entries made by others.

There are three different types of blogs:

Individual Blogs: Only when a user is viewing their own blog is the user able to post blog entries. That is, a user viewing his or her own entries will see the Create Blog Entry button, but when switching to another user's blog, the Create Blog Entry button disappears. All enrolled users can post comments to anyone's entries. Also, individual blogs show the user's avatar or photo if the user has uploaded one.

Site Blogs: All enrolled users are able to post blog entries at any time. That is, regardless of whose entries a user is viewing, the user will always see the Create Blog Entry button. All enrolled users can post comments to any blog entries. Course blogs do NOT show the user's avatar or photo if the user has uploaded one.

Group Blogs: All members enrolled in the group are able to post blog entries or make comments on blog entries. Group Blogs function the same as Site Blogs, but are available within group spaces only.

Note: The instructor can edit and delete blog entries, as well as delete comments, of any user in any type of blog. Comments cannot be edited, only deleted and re-added as necessary. Also, the instructor can allow students to edit and delete their own entries, as well as delete their own comments. Students are not able to edit and delete entries and comments made by others, except if there are comments attached to an entry. In that case, once a student deletes one of his or her own entries, all comments attached to that entry are also deleted.

Access to Blogs

Users removed from the site will not have access to any blogs. If users are removed from the site after Individual Blogs have been created, all their posts and comments will be deleted. If users are removed from a site after Site Blogs have been created, all their posts and comments will be retained, but the name of the poster or commenter will be changed to "Anonymous."