2007 Kairos Awards for Weblogs to Be Announced June 19
Weblogs have become a popular means for people around the globe to express their opinions, to share their experiences, or simply to record the events of their lives. Communication Professor Gordon Mitchell believes that, "The recent and rapid growth of weblogs makes weblog advocacy an exciting and salient topic for summer study." That idea inspired him to create his Special Topics course, Weblog Advocacy, on the topic of weblogs, or "blogs," as they are commonly called.
The 13 students who enrolled in this summer course began their studies in mid-May. Since then, they have read a wide range of writings to learn what blogs are, how they affect the interaction between author and audience, and how writers of blogs, or "bloggers," use them to comment on current events. The class developed seven criteria by which to evaluate blogs, presented nominees for the Kairos Award, and evaluated each nominee blog based on its critical thinking, the quality of writing, the blog’s timeliness, emotion, credibility, and social responsibilities, and on its other, less tangible qualities.
On June 14, the three finalists were determined based on their overall evaluations. After conducting an interactive chat with representatives of the finalists, students will choose the winner of the first annual Kairos Awards. To find out more about the 2007 Kairos Awards, visit the award’s Web site at http://kairosawards.blogspot.com.
