community. In a later post, SammNichole thanked Phasma for the link:” I'm listening to Red Hot Chili
Peppers <3 ( my favorite so thanks to phasma for the link) haha anyways..” (April 28, 2006).
The sharing of interests led to community-building on the blog. We found students shared more online,
about their response to the literature and themselves, than they did in class.
Swimming Safely
Creating a safe environment for writing was paramount. Blogger requires students to create a
profile and username. Students created pseudonyms and protected their online identities throughout the
semester. At the end of the semester, many students revealed their true identity. Phasma and Godlymiss
never revealed their identity. Overall, anonymity on the blog offered students, especially shy ones, the
opportunity to express thoughts and opinions that they would not express during class. Ivar (a pseudonym)
said, “You don’t have everyone just knowing who you are and automatically thinking ‘that’s dumb’ t