Open Writing

          Posting any form of writing online can have consequences.  The internet is a place that is open for anyone to view what you have written, whether it is on your facebook status, your twitter, or your English blog.  Because of this, you must be careful what you write online.  If you post something that is offensive to other people you could get some vicious feedback or comments, or worse in-person confrontation.  You could also allow people whom you do no know (creepers!!!) to learn things about you that you do not want them to know.  That is why it is crucial when posting writing online to watch the openness of your writing.

            Although there are many disadvantages to the openness of writing online, there are plenty of benefits as well.  Being able to express your opinions and thoughts is one advantage to publishing writing on the internet.  Another benefit is the amount of people it can reach.  Because your writing is on the internet, it has the ability to reach millions and millions of people.  This can be beneficial if you are looking for comments or feedbacks in regards to your writing.  In class we are commenting on each other’s blogs and making statements or posing questions for the author to consider.  This can help students get an idea about what other people think about their opinions or writing style.

            The openness of writing on the internet can also pose challenges.  Because you are able to write about anything, it makes it harder for students to focus on the topic being addressed.  Students might also worry about what to write because they know everyone can see it.  Someone might be less likely to be confident in their writing because of all the possible critics they might have out there on the internet. Overall the challenges of openness are not quite as big of a deal as they would seem.  I feel that I do not have probably posting my writing for this class online, mainly because I honesty do not care about what I write.  Most of my writing does not come from the heart so I do not take anything personally when it comes to negative feedback.  I know this is not the case for many other people.  Most people put time and effort into a piece of writing and may be a little weary to post it onto the internet.  I feel that the best way to address this issue is for them to just be confident in their writing and go a head and post it.  The problem of not knowing what to write, or staying focused on the topic is not an issue with this class because each blog prompt has clear direction for what we should be writing about.  In expressive and personal writing, people are able to write about anything they want which makes the openness a little less challenging.  Overall I think that the benefits of publishing writing online are about equal to the possible consequences and challenges.