Third Place / Social Capital

I think our blog can definitely be seen as a third place. It fits most of the criteria given by Professor Whitmire in lecture -- it has no specific restrictions on who can post to it (as long as that person is in the class), it's accessible, focused on conversation, and neutral. I also think that it contributes to the social capital, because if people are posting and commenting on each other's posts regularly, it will create a sense of community outside of discussion, which might possibly carry over into the discussion itself.