GIVING YOUR OPINION AND COMMENTING

SESSION 6

©Gonzalo Camina 2021

NOTE TO STUDENTS

Students from the below groups will receive PIN numbers via email weekly to access activities on my iDoceo Connect platform and submit their exercises for correction.

200, 202E, 209S, 215, 220B, 268, 269, 276

The solutions to exercises will be published when the above groups have submitted them.

STRUCTURE

- Contents:

Introduction

Brainstorming: Why leave comments on a blog?

Watching

The secret to leaving contents online

Project Skills: How to write a good blog comment

Do's and don'ts

Comments

Comment quality

Language

Connecting sentences

Writing

Write your own comments

Grammar reminder

The conditional

DECIDE ON YOUR TOPIC!!

- Email your teacher to say who you are working with, the title and topic of your blog.

- If you do not have a team, email your teacher and s/he will find you one.

Introduction

Brainstorming

Why leave comments on a blog?

Image credit: Medium.com

IN-CLASS ONLY

Do this activity in class with 3 partners.

ORAL PRACTICE

DISCUSS: What do you think about the ideas in this video? Do you think you would follow the suggestions offered? (give reasons)

©Gonzalo Camina 2021

IN-CLASS ONLY

Do this activity in class with 3 partners.

II. Project Skills

Tips on How to Write Good Blog Comments – Do’s and Don’ts

Adapted from https://smartblogger.com/blog-comments/ (Original Post written by Kevin J. Duncan, as of Nov 13, 2018)

Don’t...

...use a novelty or non-existent avatar

Instead, let people see the real you. They will be far more likely to make a connection if they can see your face.

...use a false name (or “fun” nickname)

Among your friends and family, you can go by any nickname you choose, but unless you’re a spy, on a blog, using your real name is the right thing to do. Bloggers want to know who is trying to get their attention.

...dump links on your comments

If you embed links to your own content in your comments, it comes across as an attempt to peddle (=sell by going from house to house) your lemonade on the bloggers' lawn, and might get you kicked off their property. Only include links if you think they are absolutely necessary.

...forget to read the post before commenting

When you comment on a post after skimming it or —worse— not reading it at all, you greatly increase the chances you’ll say something silly.

...drone on and on (=write a long comment)

One-sided conversations are not much fun and neither are blog comments that last forever and a day. A 500-word comment isn’t better than a 100-word comment. It’s usually just five times longer.

...repeat what the post just said

In the world of blog, this is called a (re)Pete comment. It doesn’t add to the conversation. It doesn’t ask questions. It doesn’t challenge an idea. Your comment needs to be more than a summary of the post, otherwise, what’s the point?

But instead, do...

...use a friendly greeting

If you’re hoping to catch the attention of bloggers and strike up a relationship, a healthy dose of proper etiquette can go a long way.

So say hello to them.
Greet them.
Refer to them by name.

...pay a sincere compliment

Remember, you’ve chosen to be on this person’s blog, not someone else’s. You’ve chosen to read their post instead of another. Chances are, you like them. You value them. You respect them. So pay them a compliment...Just make sure it’s sincere.
Note: In order to sound sincere, refrain from heaping too much praise onto the bloggers themselves. A little praise can go a long way. For this reason, it’s often best to focus on the post rather than the blogger.

...give added value

Your goal in every comment should be to add value. If your comment doesn’t add value, it’s wasting everyone’s time.

Share personal insights or anecdotes o Ask thoughtful questions
Contribute to the discussion

...make a parting promise

One great way to make a promise is to tell the author you’re going to share the post on your favorite social media platform, or that you’ll be back to read more of their content...
But whatever promise you make, be sure to keep it.

Tweet the post like you said you would. Read the blogger’s other posts, and leave more comments. In other words, do exactly what you said you would do.

And when you share the post on your favorite social media platform, be sure to tag the blogger —let them know you followed through...

APPLICATION

1. Leave a comment for the authors of the video (you may criticize, but remember to leave positive, helpful criticism). OR 2. Leave trolling comments on the pictures in Session 5 —Then respond.

IN-CLASS ONLY

Do this activity with your partner and then read it to others.

IV. Language

C. Connecting sentences

Choose the correct word in these sentences.

Source: White, Genevieve. Writing. London: HarperCollins UK, 2014.

1. While / When many blogs are written by people who want to share their interest in something, there remain many who only want to talk about themselves.

Write one:

2. While / When blogs are written by people who care about their target audience, the result is usually much better.

Write one:

3. Blogs create streams of revenue for some famous bloggers. Moreover / However, it is a hobby for most bloggers.

Write one:

4. Admittedly / Admitting, many bloggers rely on advertisement to generate income. Yet / So we cannot deny the benefits of accessing them easily without paying. It raises the question of how free “free” content really is, although / though.

Write one:

5. If you want to start your own blog, then / so you need to clearly state what the main topic is, now / so your potential readers will find you easily.

Write one:

6. Hey dude! Thanks for visiting my awesome blog! You’re my 1000th visitor, so you’re getting a cool gift. Moreover / Plus, you’ll be allowed to write the article of your choice which will be added to the blog.

Write one:

7. I won’t complain too much, since / although I did get compensation for this problem.

Write one:

Check answers

IN-CLASS

Do this exercise on your own, and then discuss your answers with your nearest classmate.

DISTANCE LEARNING

Send your guesses to your teacher, using the dedicated iDoceo Connect platform (only for groups specified above).

TIP

If you are not sure about when to use one word or another, you can always check the internet for short explanations. For example:

Google

"while vs when"

V. Writing

D. Write your own comments

Choose one of the two following situations to write a comment about (30 words max.)

Source: White, Genevieve. Writing. London: HarperCollins UK, 2014.

1. Read this comment on the rise of teenage smartphone addiction. Write a polite response, making sure to include your own point of view.

Smartphones are the scourge of modern day life. I have three teenage daughters. All three of them have been begging me for their own smartphones since they were twelve, but I have not given in yet! If you ask me, these moronic machines are to blame for much of today's societal ills: obesity, bullying, depression... I'd throw them all in the bin!

2. You have just read a travel blog in which some very uncomplimentary things have been written about your city—the blogger has described it as ugly, dirty, and unwelcoming. You are deeply offended, and would like to set the record straight for other visitors to the blog. Write a comment.

IN-CLASS

Do this exercise on your own, and then discuss your answers with your nearest classmate.

DISTANCE LEARNING

Send your text to your teacher, using the dedicated iDoceo Connect platform (only for groups specified above).

VI. Grammar Reminder

Conditional structures

Conditional structures come in four types, plus two mixed types. (see table below)

Structures concerning THE PAST are in the grey boxes.

		Condition					Result
		IF	SUBJECT	AUX	MAIN VERB		SUBJECT	MODAL VERB	AUX	MAIN VERB
R E A L	TYPE 0 general	If	one		sleeps	with dogs,	one			wakes up	with fleas.
R E A L	TYPE I likely	If	she		drinks	too much tonight,	she	will / may / might		get	really sick.
U N R E A L	TYPE II unlikely / hypothetical	If	you		dropped out	of university now,	all your work	would / could / may / might		mean	nothing.
	TYPE III hypothetical past	If	I	had	practiced	more,	I	would / could / may / might	have	spoken	better in my oral test.
	TYPE III/II	If	he	had	told	his girlfriend he loved her,	he	wouldn't		be	lonely now.
	TYPE II/III	If	mankind		was	less selfish,	many of the past disasters	wouldn't	have	taken	place.

DID YOU KNOW?

In everyday English, the standard Type III Conditional structure could / should / would/ couldn't / shouldn't / wouldn't have is usually pronounced with a contracted have ('ve), so many native English speakers wrongly assume the structure is could / should / would / couldn't / shouldn't / wouldn't of.

example:
He should of told me. WRONG!

If you see this type of structure on the internet, don’t worry; it’s the writer's mistake, not yours! It can actually be written as He should’ve told me, or just in its uncontracted form He should have told me.

Schedule another group meeting to make sure everybody is on track.

Take a step back and look at what you have so far with a critical eye to assess if there are no methodological issues, and adjust your work accordingly.

EXTRA CONTENT

Songs written by negative comments

Youtube singers have started composing songs with the negative comments they get from trolls and haters. Have a look at these two examples by Steve Terreberry and Madilyn Bailey.

Steve Terreberry

Madilyn Bailey

Address

2 Rue de la Houssinière
Building 2 - Office 109
Nantes 44322 cedex 3

Contact

UNantes email
Caminha.org email

GIVING YOUR OPINION AND COMMENTING

SESSION 6

NOTE TO STUDENTS

STRUCTURE

DECIDE ON YOUR TOPIC!!

Brainstorming

IN-CLASS ONLY

A. The secret to leaving comments online

IN-CLASS

DISTANCE LEARNING

ORAL PRACTICE

IN-CLASS ONLY

Tips on How to Write Good Blog Comments – Do’s and Don’ts

APPLICATION

IN-CLASS ONLY

B. Comment quality

Comment #1:

"Thanks, great post. I really like your point of view!"

Comment #2:

"I find your opinion quite interesting, but the other day I stumbled upon completely different advice from another blogger, I need to think that one through, thanks for posting."

Comment #3:

Comment #4:

Comment #5:

I want to write blogs.. please guide me how could I ???

IN-CLASS

DISTANCE LEARNING

C. Connecting sentences

IN-CLASS

DISTANCE LEARNING

TIP

Google

"while vs when"

D. Write your own comments

IN-CLASS

DISTANCE LEARNING

Conditional structures

Schedule another group meeting to make sure everybody is on track. Take a step back and look at what you have so far with a critical eye to assess if there are no methodological issues, and adjust your work accordingly.

Songs written by negative comments

Address

Contact

Other links

Schedule another group meeting to make sure everybody is on track.

Take a step back and look at what you have so far with a critical eye to assess if there are no methodological issues, and adjust your work accordingly.