Reading the Internet: Independent Reading

Choice of website due: Thurs. Feb 10

As an independent reading project, you will follow a blog or website for a month, reading its
content at least every other weekday. I hope you’ll be able to find a website that you enjoy, so
that checking its content won’t feel like a chore. We’ll discuss it in class, and you’ll write about it
for your second essay, due March 10. I’ll give you more specific instructions for the essay as its
due date approaches.

Please select a website to follow, and begin following it, by February 10. Any website with
frequently updated, quality textual content is a good choice. You may select any of the blogs on
the following (rather tiny and random) list, or any other site of your choice—you are welcome to
choose a site that you are already reading regularly, as long as it has content you’ll be able to
write about in an thoughtful way. There is a great list of new blogs at
http://bygonebureau.com/2010/11/29/best-new-blogs-of-2010/. You might also find a site by
Googling, for instance, “film blogs,” “gaming blogs,” “basketball blogs,” “psychology blogs,”
“business blogs,” etc. Please email your blog selection—whether or not it’s on this list—to me
for approval by noon on Thurs., Feb. 10.

News / Culture: www.gizmodo.com

http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/ www.engadget.com
www.slate.com (You may follow a specific
columnist) Family:
www.bobulate.com http://parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/
www.informationisbeautiful.net
www.bygonebureau.com Health:
www.theawl.com http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/

New York City: Real Estate:

http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/ www.brownstoner.com
www.gothamist.com
www.gawker.com Fashion:
www.onlytheblogknowsbrooklyn.com whatiwore.tumblr.com
www.refinery29.com
Food:
www.noteatingoutinny.com Business:
www.markbittman.com www.consumerist.com

Literature: Music:
www.therumpus.net www.pitchfork.com
www.themillions.com

Writing:
http://topics.blogs.nytimes.com/tag/after-
deadline/

Tech:
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/