Collaboratively Written and Published Web Site 

---

Working collaboratively, create a single web site that categorizes, compares, and reviews a group of closely related web sites. The audience you should keep in mind are a group of web readers who are themselves interested in the type of web sites you are categorizing, comparing, and reviewing. Given this audience, your main purpose is to evaluate and review the web sites you are considering. The web site you collaboratively create should itself be a "good site" in the sense that it should have good "web style" and present itself as credible and authoritative.

Here are some details/things to think about:

• You will be working in groups of three or four. I will let all of you more or less form your own groups, but the groups must be 3 or 4 people and everyone needs to be in a group. Someone from each group needs to inform me of the composition of your group by the end of classtime this evening, March 25.
• The subject of the web sites you decide to categorize, compare, and review is up to your group, however:
  • I must be informed about the kind of sites your group is going to consider no later than class time on April 8 (and during this meeting, each group will make a brief presentation about what they are planning on doing for their project);
  • I reserve the right to make your group pick a different subject of web sites to write about; and
  • I would encourage you to think about considering a subject that might be applicable to the "writerly" nature of the class and/or a post-college career (e.g., teaching, public relations, journalism, freelance writing, creative writing, etc.). I'll consider other options as well, but I think it might be more useful for you and your audience if it is something along these lines. We'll talk more about possible ideas in class.
• Once your group picks a subject of the web sites you'll consider and I agree to that subject, you cannot change your minds.
• The number of sites your group decides to categorize, compare, and review is up to you, though I think it would be difficult to have any sort of meaningful comparison with fewer than 3 or 4 sites. Obviously, a project that categorizes, compares, and reviews a small number of sites will go into more detail about each of the 3 or so sites; on the other hand, a project that considers a larger number of sites will go into less detail about each site. I think either approach is potentially workable.
• "How long should it be?" This is a difficult question to answer given both the nature of the web and of group work.  But generally speaking, I think each group should aim for a site with about 2500-3000 words (about 10-12 "traditional" typed and double-spaced pages) of content for all of the pages within the comparison web site. This might seem like a lot, but since these are groups of three or four, I really don't think it is actually that much.
• How you decide to categorize, compare, and review your web sites in your project will of course depend greatly on the subject of web sites. But generally speaking, I would encourage you to think about our class readings on web-based style and the criteria that might be unique to your subject.
• The site that your group creates must itself be a "good site" in that it is one your audience would find an example of good web-based style and credible web writing.  Again, think about the the discussions and readings we've been doing on "good web style."
• In order to keep everyone working within groups "honest" about the work they are doing, each of you will need to send me a private email by about April 14 that explains a) what work that particular group member did, b) what work that particular group member thinks that other people in the group did, and c) what sort of grade that particular group member thinks I ought to give to other people in the group. I will factor these self and peer evaluations into my grading of these projects.
• There are several key due dates with this project:
  • On April 1 each group will need to make a brief (5 minute or so) informal presentation where you describe what your project will be about.
  • On April 8, we will have a poster session on the group's collaborative projects.
  • By 1 pm on April 14, each group needs to have their project posted and available on the web for review by me and anyone else.