Here are some examples of social comments:

I am soooooooooooooo exited about giving my present tommorow!!!!! I do think the time is

wronge. ytou are sooooooooooooooo right!!!!! Will someone talk to me! PLEASE PLEASE

PLEASE PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

you are ridiculous!

i HATE YOU!

haha

what its funny and sweet!! hahah ohhh welll ur missing outt!!! =)

I’m am definitely NOT a pro at it lol.

Lol!!!!!!—- You should come skiing/snowboarding with me some time

heeeeeeyy!!:)

whats up??

did you do your homework for geography?

Those types of comments are not for this site.

Academic Comments

What kind of comments are we aiming for on an academic oriented classroom blog?

• Related to the content of the post.

• Continuing a conversation started in the post or in other comments.

• Connected to content learned or discussed in the classroom.

• Challenges someone’s point of view.

• Add something to the author’s post in form of a :

o link

o connection

o idea

o reminder

o new perspective

Commenting Etiquette

While we hope that the content of a comment is meaningful and related to the post and learning, there is yet another dimension to commenting. You need to be aware and observe proper “commenting netiquette”. You are expected to use proper grammar and spelling in your online writing. I am willing to take less content in exchange of time spent on grammar and spelling, because this is a site that others can see. You are making an impression when you write, and readers need to know that you have taken care with your work before you post.

Our classroom blog is a place for us to share our hard work and to continue discussions that we have started in class. Writing comments is an important part of that process. Students should be mindful of what they post to the Internet.  With that in mind, there are a few guidelines I would like for you to follow.

To write a great comment there are a few things that you should keep in mind:

1. Acknowledge the author of the post.
2. Let the author know if you agree with him or her and why. It is okay to disagree with something, just let the author know why you feel that way.
3. One word comments are not very useful. Writing just “cool” or “nice” are not very helpful and don’t let the author of the blog post really know what you are thinking.
4. Always make sure you follow “netiquette”. Think if it is appropriate BEFORE you hit the submit button.
5. Always be polite. It does not matter if you agree or disagree with what you are reading in a blog. Don’t write anything you would be ashamed of saying to someone’s face. Don’t hurt somebody’s feelings.
6. Your comment should be on topic!  If the post talks about Chris van Allsburg, please don’t write about how delicious chocolate is.  We all agree that chocolate is delicious but that is not an appropriate place for that discussion.  Please talk about Chris van Allsburg.  If you have a story you’d like to tell everyone about, please write it in the “SHARE” section.
7. Please use proper spelling, punctuation, and grammar.  Remember that you only need one exclamation mark.  You will get your point across when you say, “You did an amazing job!”  You DO NOT need to say “You did an amazing job!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”  You would not do this on your writing in class, please do not write it this way on the blog.

After a comma, you should leave ONE space.  When you start a new sentence, you should leave TWO spaces.

Comment Starters for Quality, Meaningful Commenting 

This made me think about…….

• I wonder why…….

• Your writing made me form an opinion about…….

• This post is relevant because…….

Your writing made me think that we should…….

• I wish I understood why…….

• This is important because…….

• Another thing to consider is…….

• I can relate to this…….

• This makes me think of…….

• I discovered…….

• I don’t understand…….

• I was reminded that…….

• I found myself wondering…….

http://langwitches.org/blog/2008/12/25/blogging-lesson-plan-commenting/

Remember, this blog represents our class, so make sure you always give your best effort to share great writing!