What My Project Is

For my project, I did a topic blog on Shakespeare, specifically, Shakespeare?s dramas. I posted a total of 34 posts, and created three separate pages. One of these pages is a brief About page, another is a brief explanation of the project, while the other is a sort of introduction to the blog, meant to appeal to potential Shakespeare fans.
I originally chose my blog topic because I have (and am taking) several Shakespeare courses this year, and I thought it would be beneficial for me to blog about Shakespeare because I knew that I would have enough to say on that subject. I then decided that my project would be a sort of notebook in which I could post class notes, interesting facts, and any of my own writings about Shakespeare?s works. I wanted my blog project to assist me in combining all my knowledge about Shakespeare, and so synthesize my notes, research findings, and thoughts so they might be readily available when needed.
I was therefore, my own intended audience. I wrote primarily for myself, so that I would not need to include explanatory material on my essays or class notes. However, because I wanted to promote Shakespeare, I also intended to write for people I term ?Shakespeare beginners? (I would also fall into that category!) ? those who have little, if no, experience with reading or enjoying Shakespeare?s works.
To appeal to this readership, I chose a modern blog layout, originally with no images. Then halfway through the semester, I added an image to the heading. After receiving feedback from the studio tours suggesting that I add more images to break up the text a little, I added a few images of production posters, actors, the Globe theatre, and other related pictures. I believe that this contributes to the overall atmosphere of unexpected fun ? a sort of different Shakespeare than the stereotypical ? that I desire my blog to maintain.

What I Did

I followed my ProjectProposalSD well. I did not always post 5 times a week, but I did meet my goal of posting at least three entries on ten plays. I also did not post three essays of 1,000+ words, but I did post one 1,200 word essay, one 900 word essay, and several 700 word essays. Each play was given its own category, and three other categories were added: one about Shakespeare?s life, one about how to approach his works for beginners, and one about Shakespeare's language.
In my blog entries, I did several things. I analyzed some aspect of a play, I endeavored to teach some aspect of a play or information on Shakespeare, I related some information about Shakespeare?s life and times, or I simply voiced my opinions on a play. An example of an analytical essay is the one about Isabella's character, an example of a tutorial entry is the one specifically for beginners,an example of an informative entry is the one about the Globe, and an example of an opinion-based entry is the one about the characters in A Midsummer Night?s Dream.

What Changed and What I Learned

As mentioned, my original intent for the project was to simply create an area where I could compile all my notes and research on Shakespeare for ready access, so I was to be my primary audience. But as the project progressed, I wanted to make my findings accessible to others as well, so my audience focus began to shift. Then when I discovered that teaching is a great way of learning, I decided that I wanted to include more tutorial-styled posts to appeal directly to those who are not (and do not want to become) appreciative or skilled in Shakespeare?s art. From the project?s beginning, I knew that I wanted to try and make Shakespeare appealing to people like me, who may not ever consider Shakespeare as being entertaining or fun. But I did not exactly realize the extent to which I would cater to that audience when I originally planned the project. This two-sidedness did present some problems ? I wondered who exactly my audience was, and how I should write to it. And, because it was a topic blog, I wanted to keep it focused enough so that readers would not be confused, yet broad enough so that people of all levels of Shakespeare understanding could find something to gain from the blog.
I am not entirely sure I have succeeded at this, but I have discovered that variety is a feature allowed and promoted by the blogging medium. The blog?s organization allows for variety while enabling focus to be maintained. I was able to stay focused on my topic of Shakespeare, but also able to include many branching ideas such as those just discussed.
Branching out was made easier on the blog than in, say, a paper notebook, because I was able to link out to other sources of information. I developed a Blogroll consisting of 6 websites, but only one other blog. The rest are Shakespeare authorities such as the Folger Library, BBC, or Absolute Shakespeare.
This project gave me a chance to experiment with teaching Shakespeare in trying to explain his works to others, and attempting to convey my own interests to them. Based on feedback I received from the StudioTourPulkrabek, StudioTourOneHelenHansen, and StudioToursSW, I learned that my ?tutorial? posts were easy to read, engaging, and informative. I was initially surprised though, that the majority of responders classified my blog as a tutorial one, rather than the more analytical, opinion-driven type I considered the blog to be. Perhaps this is because the responders were better able to read and understand the blog entries specifically meant to be tutorial or introductory. At the same time, I suppose that what I consider ?analytical? or scholarly type posts, can also be informative and instructive.
Blogging showed me how liberating it can be just to write. It freed me from the idea that I cannot write until I have something to say, but showed me instead that writing will often assist me in coming up with ideas or theories. Ideas were generated well when I wrote, and this project specifically encouraged me to dig deeper and take ideas from class into more serious contemplation and consideration. Most importantly, this blog project gave me a chance to personalize the information I was learning (or had already learned) in class and on my own. It allowed me to freely choose what I wanted to study more, to state my opinions openly, and to process the information in such a way as to make it understandable for others as well as myself.

Readership

Readership for my blog was not great, I believe it averaged about 4 views per day. The most views it received in a day is 105, but I have only had one comment (that was not spam). And of course, the comment is on Hamlet. But because of my use of tags, I have received many views from people who searched for things related to my posts. The most viewed post is ?What Is Hamlet's Tragic Flaw? and the page Saera's Shakespearean Surprise.
I was surprised that there were not more scholarly blogs about Shakespeare that I could readily find. I feel like my blog does meet the need for materials on classic literature such as Shakespeare?s, to be made available to people in the mediums they use most often. Although I am a proponent of printed, hand-held paper copies of Shakespeare, I also believe that his works should be promoted, and to do that one must go to where the people are. Hopefully my blog will be a sort of bridge between classical scholarship of Shakespeare and the modern, much ?used medium of blogging. Maybe it will be an instance of Muhammad moving to the mountain instead of expecting the mountain to move to him.

Conclusion

Overall, I feel that my project has been very successful. I have gained more analytical skills and strategies (such as free writing with intentions ? is there such a thing?), valuable writing practice, confidence in my explanatory abilities, and more familiarity with Shakespeare, which is always beneficial. I have also gained knowledge on blogging tools and readership. I definitely plan on maintaining this blog.