August 24, 2010
Students can blog about campus experiences
CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Hey, Salukis, have you found a pleasant study spot on campus, or have an opinion about the latest guest speaker invited by the Student Programming Council? Blog about it.
The homepage for Southern Illinois University Carbondale features links to student blogs. Those blogs aren’t there by accident. Students apply to be official SIUC bloggers, and if you are a current SIUC student, you can, too.
Students accepted as bloggers on the homepage must post twice a week, including during holidays and breaks, during the two-semester blogging commitment. There is also a mandatory training session, and a probationary period during which program administrators check for appropriate content, frequency of activity and writing style.
Student bloggers have great latitude in their writing subjects, though blogs must stay within the Student Conduct Code and include appropriate content for a student blog on the homepage of the University.
“Some students just want to communicate,” said Janet Douglas, associate director of web services, a unit of University Communications. “Some of them know this could be a resume-builder, showing that they are effective communicators and that they are involved in campus life.”
The web services arm of University Communications maintains the home page as one of its many functions. University Communications includes public relations, the Saluki Times news page, creative services, photocommunications, marketing research and the Saluki 411 call center.
The application deadline for bloggers is Sept. 6. Students can expect notification of their acceptance to the program by Sept. 8. Check out the current blogs at www.siuc.edu/bloggers. Follow the link to apply online to become a blogger.