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Ron Jeremy, albino squirrels and the Illibuck are just a few of the topics covered by Buckeyes Blog.
Buckeyes Blog is the newest way for prospective students to find out about life at Ohio State.
When high school is nearing its end and college is around the corner, one needs to figure out which school will be the best fit. According to the Undergraduate Admissions and First Year Experience, Buckeyes Blog is a program in which OSU students blog about their experiences.
Preston Pickett, a spokesman in the office, said blogging was the natural way to address the Internet savvy generation coming into college.
"Blogging solves the fundamental problem of communicating the student experience," Pickett said. "Being a Buckeye Blogger is describing your college experiences in an entertaining fashion."
There are 15 blogs on the OSU Web site, with five more expected to launch before the end of the quarter.
Bloggers are encouraged to sort through any comments they receive and respond, but with the limited visibility of the blogs, comments are few and far between.
"I have no comments so far," said Jessica Jackson, a sophomore in communication. "It's pretty much just me writing and people reading."
Pickett said tracking the amount of hits the blogs get is hard to keep track of, and there are no definite numbers on how many people are reading.
He said some of the more popular blogs are: Terence!, thegratekate and nice_genes.
Jennifer Duann, a junior in molecular genetics and English, writes as nice_genes on her blog. So far, she has only received one comment.
"It's about my life as an OSU student," Duann said. "I try to give a well-rounded view of OSU life."
Her most recent blog entry is about the death of the albino squirrel on south campus.
Duann is one of the bloggers who has been around since its launch in April.
"I thought it was a really neat idea when I heard about it last year," she said.
Jackson, aka MusicMAVEN, likes how the blog allows her to pursue her interests.
"I talked about Dane Cook and the pornography debate (with Ron Jeremy)," she said. "I like writing about the different perspectives that you are exposed to as an OSU student."
The criteria to apply to be a Buckeye Blogger is to be an OSU student with a unique point of view.
"We look for students with strong writing skills and a strong voice," Pickett said.
Attempting to represent the university as completely as possible, students of any major are welcome to apply. However, at the moment they are not looking for additional bloggers.
Buckeye Bloggers are compensated for their efforts by receiving $5 an entry, with a maximum of two per week, in the form of gift cards.
Criticism of the university is allowed on the blogs, but there are limits.
"Since it is an institutional site, we ask them to do full criticism instead of just whining," Pickett said.
Being a public media forum connected to the university, students are advised to watch what they write. Blog entries are not allowed to advocate illegal behavior or use profanity.
"We don't specifically edit the entries before they go out," Pickett said.
Stan Gozur, a junior in actuarial science, goes by Signal_Caller on his blog.
"I try to draw a parallel between my life as a student and my life as a student at Ohio State," Gozur said. "I'd like to think they are two different things."
He also has yet to receive a comment on his blog, but the program itself is still new. Gozur focuses his writings on life as a 21-year-old.
"You can be a student anywhere. If you're a prospective student, you understand that," he said. "I try to explain situations that happen to me that can only happen because I am at Ohio State."
To read the blogs, visit: undergrad.osu.edu/buckeyesblog.
Natalia Mitsui can be reached at mitsui.6@osu.edu.
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