About this blog

This is the site at which Marquette University students enrolled in Ryan Jerving’s course in Writing for the Professions (ENGL 3220) post links, analysis, and commentary on current issues in professional communication. We welcome your comments.

What follows are instructions for how students can start to contribute entries to this blog.

HOW TO CONTRIBUTE

Unfortunately, contributing to this blog is a little clunkier and more complicated than contributing to the class wiki. Basically, it involves figuring out three things: 1) getting recognized by the site as someone with writing/editing privileges, 2) logging in when you’re ready to contribute, 3) learning how to deal with the interface that allows you to create entries. I’ll take these in turn.

1) Getting recognized by the site. Posting on this blog, as on most, is limited to members by invitation only – it’s more like a group on Facebook than it is like a page on Wikipedia that anyone could edit. If you’ve followed the instructions I’ve given out in class so far, then you’ve presumably already created an account with WordPress (if not, go here). What will happen next is that you will receive an e-mailed invitation from me (the equivalent of being friended on Facebook). Once you respond, I will be able to have you listed as an “author” on the blog, which will give you the right to write and edit posts, and to publish those posts (and delete your posts as well). All this will take some time, so jump on it.

2) Logging in. There are two versions of this blog – the one that you, or anyone else, will see in browsing the web; and the one that you and the other site authors in the class will be able to see only when you are logged into WordPress. When you want to contribute something, go to WordPress.com and log in with your username and password. Then click on the name of this blog when it comes up on the screen ( “writingthatworks”). You’ll be taken to a somewhat confusing looking “Dashboard” page, but with one important button that reads “New Post.”

3) Writing/editing. Once you click on the “New Post” button, a screen will open that looks and works pretty much like the editing screen on our class wiki or, for that matter, like a word processing document. Write and edit your post, create any links you’d like, and when you’re ready to show the world what you’ve written, click the “Publish” button on the right side of the screen. (If you’re not ready, you can “save” the post and come back and finish it later.) The post you write will automatically be the first entry at the top of the home page – at least until someone else writes another one. Now you’re a globally published author!