Assignment:

For this assignment, you will propose a title and topic for a blog that you will publish online, write posts for, and maintain through the completion of this course (and hopefully beyond). Your primary purpose is to convince me that your proposed blog is worthwhile, feasible, and has a potential audience.

How to Proceed:

1. Choose a possible focus area for your blog and conduct some preliminary research on that topic. What other blogs are being written that focus on that topic? How popular are these blogs? For whom? How credible are they? How might your perspectives compare and contrast with the perspectives of the writers of those blogs? What will you be able to bring to the conversation? Try using “Google Blogs” to find quality blogs in your chosen area.
2. Conduct some research on prospective audiences for your blog. In other words, if you choose to write on this topic, who will read your blog? Survey people you are connected to through social media to see if there is an interest in the topic. The article “How to Use Facebook to Promote Your Surveys” may be helpful.
3. Create a title for your blog that is unique and will entice people to read your blog. Take a look at the article “How to Choose a Good Blog Name” for some advice on choosing a title.
4. Write the research proposal.

Your proposal should contain the following sections. Please use the headings below and submit your proposal as an MS Word document in Canvas. As you will see, the headings are the same as those you used in preparing a proposal for a traditional paper; however, the content for each section is different. Make sure to read carefully.

Statement of the Problem:

In a paragraph, provide the title of your blog, explain the blog’s topic, and explain why there is a need for this topic to be addressed in a blog. Make sure the topic is broad enough that you can write multiple posts for your blog, but narrow enough that you can write and market your blog to a specific audience. Reference outside information as needed to effectively make your case and provide in-text citations in APA style. Address the following questions as you write this section:

• What will be the title of your blog and why did you choose this title?
• What will be the topic of your blog?
• What do you already know about this topic?
• Why should this topic be addressed in a blog?
• Who is the prospective audience for your blog?

Purpose:

In a paragraph, explain the purpose of your blog. Address the following questions as you write this section:

• What do you hope to achieve with this blog? In other words, what do you want your audience to think, feel, and/or do after reading the posts on your blog?
• How will you achieve this purpose? Consider the rhetorical style you will use, the information you will provide, etc.

Literature Review:

Summarize, evaluate, and consider the usefulness of at least two blogs that address the same topic as your proposed blog. Address the following questions as you write this section:

• What are the purposes and main ideas of each blog?
• How credible is each blog?
• How might reading each blog help you develop your blog?

Methods:

In a paragraph, explain how you plan to learn more about your topic, develop topic ideas for individual posts, and market your blog.

References:

Provide a references page for sources utilized and referenced in the proposal in APA style. Although we are moving a bit outside of academia, cite sources in APA style for this particular assignment.

Evaluation:

I will be looking for the following:

• Standard APA formatting: Times New Roman 12 point font, one-inch margins, double-spaced throughout, title page, running header
• A clear explanation of the title, topic, and significance of your blog
• A clear explanation of your purpose in creating this blog
• Well written summaries and evaluations of two resources that contribute to this project
• A clear explanation of research methods
• Correctly formatted APA citations both in-text and on the References page
• Correct usage of the conventions of standard written English