Microblogging

Microblogging is a cross between text messaging and blogging. Twitter, for example, only lets you type 140 characters in each post. Your own microblog posts can be displayed alongside those of your friends allowing you to have (public) text conversations with them. Other microblogging applications, such as Pownce, let you write more in each post and even embed pictures and video. The very brevity of microblogging makes it less daunting, and some say, can encourage students to write more succinctly. So far, microblogging hasn't reached mainstream classrooms, but you can find some interesting suggestions on this blog: http://academhack.outsidethetext.com/home/2008/twitter-for-academia/

Auntie Web's twitter name is ask_AuntieWeb