Added more background information on status updates

README.md

@@ -1,14 +1,36 @@
 # rcos-status-updates
 A starter repository for weekly status updates
 
+## What are Status Updates?
+
+Status Updates are a weekly short-form blog post detailing the progress made during the previous week.
 
 ## Instructions
-1. Fork this repository
 
-2. Clone your fork of the repo down to your local machine
+1. Fork the `rcos/rcos-status-updates` repository so you have your own copy.
+
+2. Clone the `your-username/rcos-status-updates` repository down to your local machine
 
 3. Write your status update
 
 4. Commit your changes (`git add . && git commit -m 'Added status update for week 01'`)
 
-5. Push your status update to your fork (`git push origin master`)
+5. Push your status update to your fork (`git push origin master`)
+
+## Weekly Routine
+
+1. Each week at the beginning of small group write a short update detailing what you've worked on the previous week, what you want to work on this week, and what (if anything) is blocking your ongoing progress. Please include links to any GitHub issues, GitHub pull requests, external contributions, or learning materials that you have been involved with during the past week.
+
+2. Commit your weekly update (`git add . && git commit -m 'Added Week 2 update'`) and push the changes to your fork (`git push origin master`).
+
+
+## Why Status Updates?
+<!-- TODO - move this into RCOS Handbook, link to it from here. -->
+In the past we had requirements for varying numbers of blog posts to be written during the semester by students in RCOS. Many students would end up producing poorly written, rushed blog posts at the end of the semester to hit their quota - we decided that it would be easier for students to produce a small weekly update.
+
+The inclusion of Status Updates in the RCOS grading rubric serves a practical purpose as well - as RCOS has grown as an organization it has become increasingly difficult for a small number of mentors and faculty advisors to gauge the ongoing work of individual students. Weekly Status Updates give mentors a week-by-week overview of the student's progress to better gauge whether or not a particular student is aligned with their goals for the semester.
+
+In summary Status Updates ease the burden of writing "filler" blog posts, simplify the grading process, and enable mentors to ensure students are on-track with their semester goals.
+
+<!-- # TODOs -->
+<!-- - We should develop a script that can generate a report on a student's status updates -->