If you like blogging...

Next semester, the UPG Insider will be adding an aggregate news blog to its site. The Insider is UPG's student-run online new source (www.upginsider.com). If you'd like to add your blogosphere expertise, or if you'd like to continue the blog you began this semester and let The Insider link to it, the Insider folks would be glad to have you. E-mail Insider advisor Brian Estadt at brianestadt@gmail.com for more information.

There's also still time to sign up to take The Insider for writing credits, too. You can join the staff and receive three credits your first semester. The course is repeatable for two credits after that. The course offers hands-on, practical experience in journalism and online publishing -- two must-haves if you're planning a career in journalism, public relations, advertising, new media and more.

Last Class!

You've made it this far! Congrats, blogger nation.

Tonight we have three presentations: Liz Russell (Crooks and Liars), David King, and
Adam Graham (Freakonomics).

Before the presentations, I'll review the material that will be covered in your final quiz. The final quiz will be next Tuesday, December 15 at 7 p.m. (our usual class meeting). The quiz will be worth 30 points.

Reminder: When calculating your final grade, I'll drop the lowest of your three quiz grades.

Your final papers -- based on the research you've done for your presentations -- are due next week. The papers should be 8-10 pages. You may turn in your paper on Tuesday before the quiz, or you can have up until 5 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 17 to drop it off at my office. My office is 208 FOB. There will be a drop box outside my office door.

If you have any questions before finals week, please be sure to e-mail me at lljakiela@gmail.com.

Tonight's Presentations

Tonight for your blogging pleasure we have four brilliant presentations:

Elizabeth Foster (Lifehacker)
Brian DeRiggi (BoingBoing)
Matt Reilly (Deadspin)
Natalya Wharton (Confessions of a Pioneer Woman)

Assignment for next week: Read Blogging Heroes interviews with Chris Anderson (The Long Tail), p. 13; Victor Agreda, Jr. (DIY Life), p. 257; Deidre Woollard (Luxist), p. 227; and Chris Grant (Joystiq), p. 179.

Next week, December 8, we'll conclude with our in-class presentations and I'll do a quick review of general blogging concepts.

During our final class December 15, we'll have your third and final quiz. The quiz will cover general concepts, the remaining chapters from Huffington (as covered in our in-class PowerPoint presentations), the readings from Blogging Heroes, and concepts from the in-class presentations. Your final papers will be due in class that day as well.

In the meantime, be sure to update your blogs and revise your earlier blog posts. It's never too late to craft a good blog. Revise, edit, revise.