Blog #6 - Diigo

 When I first started using Diigo, it was very confusing and overwhelming. I'm so used to the beautiful and simplified websites of the 2020s that the Diigo website feels and looks outdated. It looks cluttered, I can't tell what it's about at a glance, and the user interface is a little challenging to navigate. In other words, it's not very intuitively designed for younger generations. The concept of the website is smart, and I think would benefit a lot of people. Diigo is a website where you create your own forum groups where people in the group can share resources with each other. If the UI was more user-friendly, I would recommend it with 5 stars. However, it is not. An alternative to Diigo, which might be controversial to some groups since it's not as professional, would be to start a Reddit group, which would accomplish the same task and look/feel much better.

Generally speaking, blogging has been a lot of fun! The only thing that holds me back from blogging more is that I forget to do it! I've always been the type to share my thoughts and ideas, and blogging is the best way to do it. The other thing about blogging, which might sound counterintuitive, is that it feels more anonymous. Fewer people pay attention to blogs and the ones that do treat them very seriously. Twitter, Reddit, and other "blog-like" sites are so massive and informal that often, you can be subject to a stranger's criticism for absolutely no reason. Since blogs are not very popular, those who interact with blogs do so only because they find value in the blogger's opinion. 

I spoke about it earlier in this blog, but Reddit makes a great tool for uniting people with a common interest together. The biggest downside to Reddit is that it's so popular that you often need moderators to make sure the user-posted content remains family-friendly and on topic with what the subreddit is about. Perhaps it's not the greatest platform between teachers, parents, and students, but it definitely makes for a great platform for educators to share resources. Florida State University, like many other universities, has its own subreddit where admins will respond to student questions. It is also a space students use to share activities and events in the area. Reddit can be a powerful tool for educators if handled appropriately. Here's a link if you're interested: https://www.reddit.com/