Sheffield_Todd_FreeChoice2

When I wrote my previous blog share assignment, I praised blogging as a way to reach out to a wider audience. It pertained to one of the blogs our professor offered us to read. After choosing a blog to read and investigate, I was satisfied with my choice. The blog was detailed, easy to navigate, and appropriate to the subject matter of storytelling. Overall, I was satisfied and considered the blog worthwhile. After this, I became more interested in blogs related to storytelling. Given that I live in Savannah, and find Savannah storytelling to be a personal passion, I wanted to locate a blog on that topic. Once I found the blog, I would read through it and report on it here. This week’s post is therefore reviewing a blog I found outside of the blogs provided by our assigned readings. 

I located a blog called Savannah First Timer’s Guide by Erin Clarkson. Upon first impression, the blog looked pretty good. It has been updated to 2023 and has recent recommendations based on the current year. Navigating the blog itself was relatively easy, and the difficulty finding what I needed was not too high. As an aside, I first found this blog on mobile so I commend the author for making mobile access easy. Unlike the blogs provided by our professor, the tone was more casual. First person usage was rather heavy, and slang was common in her text. The blog author remains courteous and polite, however. Given the more laidback personality Savannah likes to present itself, as well as the nature of this blog, I think it works well in this particular scenario. 

This blog looked promising, but I wanted to ensure it was in good hands before I read further. That is to say, I wanted to make sure the author was credible. Ms. Clarkson provides a page about herself. She has experience with planning trips for visitors to Savannah, including writing a book about the subject. In addition, she also actively participates in the Savannah community through Facebook posts and content-appropriate forums. Ms. Clarkson lives in downtown Savannah, which is where most tours occur. For the narrow purpose of her blog’s content, I found Ms. Clarkson’s credentials satisfactory. I used her blog to learn about good spots for tours, and she seems more than capable of providing quality service in that regard. 

As part of investigating this blog, I went through several tour suggestions. The blog is divided into several sections, like those about black history tours, cemetery tours, museum tours, and so on. I commend her for providing pages specific to these topics because it shows due diligence and makes it easier for readers to find what sort of tour they are looking for. Again, the tone of her posts are casual but respectful and courteous. She does mention pub tours and drinking tours, which is not something I suggest taking children to personally. However, a parent or teacher can highlight these tours to know which to avoid. Ms. Clarkson still offers family friendly options, so the dinstinction shown is helpful. I wanted a blog that aids me as a reader to find tours, and Ms. Clarkson’s blog does a quality job in that regard. 

I chose this blog topic because of my passion for local storytelling. Savannah has a rich, lovely history as one of the oldest cities in America. By introducing schoolchildren to the history of Savannah through tours and other methods of storytelling, it encourages interest in such history from an early age. As I mentioned before, I provided tours myself once as an intern at Mission San Luis. Nearly every student told me that they learned more from the tours than from class. That inspired me to hold a lifelong interest in touring for educational purposes. Ms. Clarkson’s blog is a fine resource for a parent or a teacher to know what options are available, and possibly which ones to avoid. I believe that my classmates will enjoy this blog too. 

To conclude, I appreciate Ms. Clarkson’s blog. It was easy to navigate, including as a mobile user. For the purposes of tour and event finding, she is credible. While her language on her blog is informal, it remains respectful and courteous. While I am uncertain if this blog would suffice in a higher education purpose, I feel it is more than enough for children’s storytelling purposes. As an aside, always remember why you need a resource. Blogs are resources too just like any other. If I have children or become an educator who needs to find entertaining yet appropriate and invigorating storytelling opportunities, Ms. Clarkson’s blog makes it easier to do so. 

Classic Literarure Read:

The Masque of the Red Death by Edgar Allen Poe

The Cask of Amontiallo by Edgar Allen Poe 

The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain (in manga format)

The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allen Poe

Rip Van Wrinkle by Washington Irving