Blog Self-Interview

What is the purpose of this blog?

The purpose of this blog is to help me learn how to effectively and improve my science communication skills. Also, this blog is to educate myself and the readers about an idea that is a rising interest in the world today.

 

Who is the imagined audience(s) of this blog?

The imagined audiences for this blog are students and people who have an interest or study in future energy and petroleum. I want to engage an audience who speculates about the energy crisis and continues to wonder about future energy sources.  

Have my posts matched up with my purpose/audience?  What/who might I be overlooking in defining my purpose/audience this way?

My posts have matched up with my audience, but I might be overlooking those who are interest in other energy sources, showing them how oil shale is another option to support the demand for oil in the future.  Also I might be overlooking people who don't have any interest in the topic; therefore, I need to draw them in with better leads and titles. 

What can I do to encourage more reader participation with my blog?

I can ask more questions that will engage the reader to answer and debate about the topic.  Also, my writing style needs to be more active and with better titles and leads.

How can I expand my audience in this class?  Outside of this class?

I can expand my audience in this class by connecting ideas between their blogs and creating interesting topics to discuss about.  Outside this class, I can also connect ideas to other blogs and try to build a reputation with comments on other's to comment on my.

How would I characterize the tone of my blog?

I characterize the tone of my blog as an individual with a positive attitude towards shale oil and gas, but one that realizes there are many negatives and costs to be involved in the future.

What do I hope to get out of writing this blog?

I hope to educate myself with the topic more, become a better writer, learn how to frame an issue towards an audience, and leave with the knowledge of better practiced science communication.

What would I like others to get out of it?

I would like others to also educate themselves with the topic, and I would like them to take the ideas from my blog and continue to educate themselves about the topic through other research. I hope others will be interested in the topic after being involved in the blog.

 

What are the strengths of my blog/my blogging?

The strengths of my blog are the educational aspects and the visual content.

What are the weaknesses?

The weaknesses are the audience's engagement back and the ability to really grasp my readers.

Have I used a deficit model in my writing, or something else?  How would I know?

I have used a deficit model in my writing; I know this because some of my post are strictly information that I have thrown at my reader without any interaction back. 

How have I characterized (implicitly or explicitly) science, engineering, and/or technology in my blog? 
I have characterized most of my blog explicitly about the science, engineering, and/or technology in my blog.

How have I characterized myself?
I have characterized myself as someone who is studying shale oil and gas but does not have all the answers to the topic; yet, I have many questions/concerns with the topic.