Welcome to Blog U

Think of this course as a full-on journey into the blogosphere.

During the term, you'll create your own blog. The subject will be up to you, but it must be something you're passionate about and something you can get others to be passionate about, too.

There are some great and successful blogs about things like bacon and cupcakes and fashion. There are smart -- seriously! -- about celebrities and fun -- seriously! -- blogs about technology. Your passion can be high brow or low brow or anything in between. Find a subject that matters to you, something you can write about with energy and enthusiasm, and something you won't get sick of any time soon.

If you aren't passionate about anything, you probably want to get off at the next stop. This is definitely not the class for you.

Passion is key here.

So is discipline.

You'll write constantly. You'll be required to self-edit. You'll be required to write often, fast and well. You'll identify and write for a specific audience, and be held accountable to that audience. You'll be part of a blogging community. And you'll develop that wonderful writerly thing called voice.

You'll also become an expert on at least one other blog, and become a fearless explorer of the vast worlds of new media.

In the end, I hope you'll become a better writer, develop some useful skills and have fun along the way.

That's right. Fun. What good's a journey without fun?

Welcome to the world of new media!