Looking back at all of the work that has been submitted in this class I realize that there was a lot of detail in the assignments. Each assignment whether it was a project or a response to a reading had various steps and parts that had to be completed. So, even though I understood all of the objectives it still took time and effort to turn everything in. I never thought an online class would be so interactive and involve so much interaction with other members in the class either.
You were also given a lot of freedom to turn in the assignments. Though it was good because it provided me with more time, at the same time I think that I would wait to turn in things later than I would have had deadlines been more rigid. This class also left you to do things for yourself. Even though there were assignments in the assignment section and announcements to help keep everyone updated it was really the student's responsibility to look at the schedule and see if any extra work for that week had to be turned in.
Judging by my grades so far and the comments I have received I think that I have completed all of the projects and have presented them in a clear and understandable manner. I have tried to make sure that I proofread everything that I turn in but I might have missed a few things and I am sure that there are grammar mistakes is my writing because it is something that I have always had trouble with.
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Monday, April 23, 2012
Project 4 Independent Post 5
The idea of having project four submitted in a timely manner did not happen like I had hoped. I really did not have any problems with the SocialGo site throughout this project period until I tried adding groups. I do not know if it is because my understanding of groups is completely wrong or I just over thought everything but I spent hours trying to add some groups to our site.
The only place I really take part in groups is on Facebook. So, when reading about adding groups to our site I though it would be like Facebook where I could look over other members with related topics and link to them on SocialGo. I thought it would be easy and I would have at least five before 11pm. So not easy! First of all you cannot search other socialgo sites and searching for them on Google did not help either. When you add a group it says you are the owner and essentially opens up a blank page where you are responsible for the group's content.
So, since I did not have any clue how to connect to other sites instead of making up groups I found groups and copied their link and picture and posted their About me sections. I did not have time however, to add content. I even connected through Facebook hoping I could link to groups that way but that did not work either. Maybe it is because we have a trial version, or maybe it is because SocialGo is not that popular but either way it was very hard to establish groups. I only hope that the information posted for each one will suffice for the purposes of this assignment.
The only place I really take part in groups is on Facebook. So, when reading about adding groups to our site I though it would be like Facebook where I could look over other members with related topics and link to them on SocialGo. I thought it would be easy and I would have at least five before 11pm. So not easy! First of all you cannot search other socialgo sites and searching for them on Google did not help either. When you add a group it says you are the owner and essentially opens up a blank page where you are responsible for the group's content.
So, since I did not have any clue how to connect to other sites instead of making up groups I found groups and copied their link and picture and posted their About me sections. I did not have time however, to add content. I even connected through Facebook hoping I could link to groups that way but that did not work either. Maybe it is because we have a trial version, or maybe it is because SocialGo is not that popular but either way it was very hard to establish groups. I only hope that the information posted for each one will suffice for the purposes of this assignment.
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Project 4 Independent Post 4
Looking over more of the peer review I am glad to see that no one thought that our topic was to broad. At first I thought that our cause was not specific enough for what this project required. Then as I was forming my annotated bibliography I liked how I could easily find these great sources that covered various topics of sustainability. The variability that I encountered gave me a lot of flexibility with the information I could share. I could see that my group members were also benefiting from the different things that could be discussed. For example Courtney who is a member of my group was able to find many events relating to our cause. From beach cleanups to lectures about sustainability, because our topic is so broad she was able to add many cool related events.
Though I am still not sure if choosing just sustainability will count against us on our grade I feel a lot better about our decision to do our site on it. I for one think I am enjoying it more than I would have if we had chosen a more specific topic. From the look of the reviews I think the rest of the class agrees with our choice and if anything, want us to take advantage of the different things we can touch upon and add more groups and forum topics about different aspects of our cause.
Though I am still not sure if choosing just sustainability will count against us on our grade I feel a lot better about our decision to do our site on it. I for one think I am enjoying it more than I would have if we had chosen a more specific topic. From the look of the reviews I think the rest of the class agrees with our choice and if anything, want us to take advantage of the different things we can touch upon and add more groups and forum topics about different aspects of our cause.
Friday, April 20, 2012
Project 4 Independent Post 3
I just finished my peer reviews for the other groups. They are all off to a really great start and I was happy to read the reviews for our group saying that we're also off to a great start.
One of the things that they mentioned that needed improvement were more threads in the forum. This made me realize that I completely forgot to add one of my own! I added pictures, a blog post, even responded to one of the forum topics but I totally forgot to start a thread so I will make sure to have that fixed by the time Monday comes.
Another thing that I noticed on another site was their welcome note. Group 1 had a great welcome note that explained the purpose and goal of their site and a little about it. We have something similar on our site but it is under the About Us tab. I'm thinking that it may be best to revise that a little and put it on our welcome page and out our mission statement under a separate tab instead.
Lastly, we need to work on our outside content. There are so many websites out there about sustainability that I think we should add some of that either under our groups tab like the peer reviews suggested or create a separate page with links to some of these great sites and maybe a little explanation for each. Perhaps we can just add some things from our annotated bibliographies.
Another thing that I noticed on another site was their welcome note. Group 1 had a great welcome note that explained the purpose and goal of their site and a little about it. We have something similar on our site but it is under the About Us tab. I'm thinking that it may be best to revise that a little and put it on our welcome page and out our mission statement under a separate tab instead.
Lastly, we need to work on our outside content. There are so many websites out there about sustainability that I think we should add some of that either under our groups tab like the peer reviews suggested or create a separate page with links to some of these great sites and maybe a little explanation for each. Perhaps we can just add some things from our annotated bibliographies.
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Project 4 Independent Post 2
I went into a bathroom today and on the towel machine was one of those "Remember...These Come From Trees" Stickers. I've seen these pictures before and like them but soon forget about them because I am already mindful of how much I use.
However, when I saw this sticker today it made me think of our site about sustainability. This project is to make us develop and design a site speak for or promote a cause. I thought of sustainability because it is important and I think more people should think about it. Just because this site was only created as part of a grade does not mean I should not take it seriously.
I went home and looked up the site on this picture and it turns out it is actually a blog! It is a great example of what we are been taught to do for this project and in this class overall-to use technology to promote or spread an idea. I really want to buy a pack of stickers and put them around campus but I feel like I have to look into it a bit more. I want to make sure that if I put these up that they won't be taken down by the people who clean the bathrooms.
They even sell in bulk for institutions and I think I'm going to run the idea of trying to get URI to buy a pack by the Student Action for Sustainability club. I of course am going to the post the link for the blog and the picture on our site for this project also.
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Project 4 Independent Post 1
Less then ten days until classes are over! This realization that school is coming to an end has made it very difficult to stay focused on school. I know I'm not the only one though. Before this project began I had toyed with some ideas. Like the previous project I knew I couldn't jump right into things without first seeing what my group member thought. My ideas were:
1.) Sustainability issues such as wind power or sustainable fishing practices.
2.) Fair Trade
3.) Poverty in third world countries or specific problems that they face because of the poor conditions they live in such as diseases.
What we decided on was sustainability in general. Though it does give us plenty of things to write about and share on our site I am a little worried that our subject may be too broad for the purposes of this assignment. I guess we will simply have to wait for the results of our peer reviews to know for sure.
1.) Sustainability issues such as wind power or sustainable fishing practices.
2.) Fair Trade
3.) Poverty in third world countries or specific problems that they face because of the poor conditions they live in such as diseases.
What we decided on was sustainability in general. Though it does give us plenty of things to write about and share on our site I am a little worried that our subject may be too broad for the purposes of this assignment. I guess we will simply have to wait for the results of our peer reviews to know for sure.
Saturday, April 14, 2012
Response to social networking articles
The articles assigned were both very interesting. They both had to do with social networking and how it effects the willingness of people involve themselves in civic engagement. The article by Bennett supported the idea that social networking and technology provides new opportunities and ways for people to get involved in social and political action. The article by Boyd supported a different idea that the people who use these sites and new technology are actually participating less in social or political causes.
Both articles agreed that these websites allow people to reach and share information faster than ever before. The structure of these technologies allow people to communicate with each other anytime and anywhere. Furthermore, both articles shared the idea that participation has changed over the years. Today, people participate in civic affairs out of interest rather than a sense of obligation to do so.
Bennett's article explains that change in involvement is not bad, but merely portrays that changing views and patterns that are occurring in today's society. The article claims that people should try less to force the use of old approaches of civics such as newspapers and other one-way communication methods and embrace this new digital age that uses interacting informational technologies. As Bennett says, people today have a "higher sense of individual purpose" and therefore participate by forming peer-learning communities to engage and share information about issues that interest them the most.
Boyd had a very different view of how new generations are participating in learning about the issues. She claims that they are not. Boyd writes "Technologies are shaped by society and reflect society’s values back at us...". Today, generations are more involved in their individual interests and are more interested in sharing these interests with their friends or people they know who also share the similar interests. If people agree with the message shared then it is spread, if not then it will only reach a few number of people before it is swept away by more popular ideas. Boyd claims that these more popular ideas are about less serious matters rather than social and political ideas. This is due to the fact that people have less motivation to learn about these topics and instead, put more effort into looking for things that will entertain rather than inform.
Both articles agreed that these websites allow people to reach and share information faster than ever before. The structure of these technologies allow people to communicate with each other anytime and anywhere. Furthermore, both articles shared the idea that participation has changed over the years. Today, people participate in civic affairs out of interest rather than a sense of obligation to do so.
Bennett's article explains that change in involvement is not bad, but merely portrays that changing views and patterns that are occurring in today's society. The article claims that people should try less to force the use of old approaches of civics such as newspapers and other one-way communication methods and embrace this new digital age that uses interacting informational technologies. As Bennett says, people today have a "higher sense of individual purpose" and therefore participate by forming peer-learning communities to engage and share information about issues that interest them the most.
Boyd had a very different view of how new generations are participating in learning about the issues. She claims that they are not. Boyd writes "Technologies are shaped by society and reflect society’s values back at us...". Today, generations are more involved in their individual interests and are more interested in sharing these interests with their friends or people they know who also share the similar interests. If people agree with the message shared then it is spread, if not then it will only reach a few number of people before it is swept away by more popular ideas. Boyd claims that these more popular ideas are about less serious matters rather than social and political ideas. This is due to the fact that people have less motivation to learn about these topics and instead, put more effort into looking for things that will entertain rather than inform.
Monday, April 2, 2012
Project 3 Independent Post 5
Project three is over and I just realized that I forgot to include what I learned in my Postwrite! Like all of the other assignments in this class this was my first time redesigning a website and it was harder than the other assignments that we had to do. One of the reasons it was harder was because you could not rely on a set of rules or guidelines to guide you through the redesign process. Sure, there were the readings which helped a lot but there are so many different ways that you can create and design a website that you could be more creative than in the other assignments and therefore you had to think for yourself more. There were no templates and no manual of style for this project and I relied a great deal on the input from my group members. In the end not only did I learn about the basic principles that make a good website, I also learned how to apply them and fix design errors in a website to make it better.
Sunday, April 1, 2012
Project 3 Independent Post 4
Today I read the peer evaluations for our group. Luckily, each one touched on a different aspect so I was not just reading the same "What works" and "What needs work" points over and over. The main points they touched on were the way we presented our project, the way we chose to redesign the website, and suggestions on how to further reduce the information that we have.
For the most part it looks like using PowerPoint was a good program to use for this project. Not only was it easier on us because we were all familiar with the program, but it provided us with both a work site and a presentation site. From what the peer reviews said, it was easy to open up our file and see everything that we did. It looked organized and had a nice flow and allowed them to see the whole project instead of having to click through different windows.
At first, I did not really want to put everything in the center as the alignment but by the end I saw that it was much better because it allowed us to maximize the space we had which was important due to the amount of information that out website had. Overall, it seems like that it was acceptable and by keeping it consistent our project looked neat, organized and it looked like it all belonged to the same site unlike the original formatting. Even though we omitted a lot of links and pictures, some pages still do look a little cluttered and one of the suggestions was to either decide to use logos, or to use text so that everything will look more uniform.
It seems that the biggest problem or the area that requires the most work was our site maps. When our draft was first turned in I had noticed that some of the maps had information that went off the PowerPoint. I tried re-sizing some of the boxes to try to make it all fit and then posted this to the forum in case they encountered the same problem but it might not have worked since they both said they could not see the some of the stuff off to the side. The content of our maps also confused them a bit so we might have to go back and label things more specifically so that they are understood better.
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Project 3 Independent Post 3
My group's webdesign draft is finished and has been posted to the forum. I have not looked at the other group's project yet but even though I have nothing to compare our project to I think we did a really good job. Working in a group turned out to be a very good thing in the end. Though we had trouble communicating with each other, when it came down to completing that actual work I think we all did a good job in dividing the responsibilities.
At first I thought the website we chose was going to be very difficult to redesign because it looked huge and complicated but really once you started to organize things page by page it was not so bad. I made a quick site map of what it looked like originally and then posted my suggestions on how we could make each tab better. This was actually very helpful for me because it allowed me to organize what needed to be done better, and helped me see that even though the site was still a little too big for this project, redesigning it would be possible.
What we ended up doing was to create a sidebar on the left with all of the tabs or categories and it looked a lot better than having them listed across the top like it was before. We also combined some that had similar information and created pages to separate ones that had too much information. This separating made it easier to find information. Another thing that we did was to omit many links that were repeated. On many pages it would have the name of a place written out that would be a link as well as a picture or logo of the same place elsewhere on the page that would also be a link. This just took up more space and made things more confusing so if the place had a picture we kept that and erased the written link.
I am sure there are things we could have done better and that we will receive suggestions from the other group that will help make our design better. However, as far as drafts go ours turned out way better than I thought it would be.
At first I thought the website we chose was going to be very difficult to redesign because it looked huge and complicated but really once you started to organize things page by page it was not so bad. I made a quick site map of what it looked like originally and then posted my suggestions on how we could make each tab better. This was actually very helpful for me because it allowed me to organize what needed to be done better, and helped me see that even though the site was still a little too big for this project, redesigning it would be possible.
What we ended up doing was to create a sidebar on the left with all of the tabs or categories and it looked a lot better than having them listed across the top like it was before. We also combined some that had similar information and created pages to separate ones that had too much information. This separating made it easier to find information. Another thing that we did was to omit many links that were repeated. On many pages it would have the name of a place written out that would be a link as well as a picture or logo of the same place elsewhere on the page that would also be a link. This just took up more space and made things more confusing so if the place had a picture we kept that and erased the written link.
I am sure there are things we could have done better and that we will receive suggestions from the other group that will help make our design better. However, as far as drafts go ours turned out way better than I thought it would be.
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Analyzing websites
In looking at the different way websites are designed I realized how important the factor purpose is. A purpose is the whole reason why a website exists in the first place and also influences the site's content, and the design of the website. Three different websites that I took a good look at were Facebook.com, Sidereel.com, and Riseagainst.com
1.) Facebook.com is a site that many people of all age groups are familiar with. It is a social networking site and therefore the purpose is to interact with other people all over the world. It is a site where individuals can reconnect with old friends, and communicate with friends and families living both near and far. One can share videos, pictures, articles, music, links-the list goes on and on. With the purpose on interacting, sharing, and communicating clear the website is designed to have updates from the people you are "friends" with and pages the you have "liked" centered in the middle of page so that you can immediately see what everyone has been up to as soon as you log in. On the top left is where you can see notifications and new massages and friend requests. The top left has buttons to log out, privacy settings, and you can also view your profile. More importantly, that is where the home button is found. Each post is separated and the fonts and headings are consistent throughout the website. Also, everything is aligned the same way. It is an overall neat and organized website that is easy on the eyes.
2.) Sidereel.com is also a sharing site where you can read about and watch TV shows, movies, and web shows online. There is a search bar that helps you find what you are looking for and the bar at the top has different categories such as cartoon, action, drama, comedy and more. When you pick a show you would like to watch the page provides information about the show and the status (cancelled, hiatus, completed, current). It shows the most recent episode and a video at the top of the page with current news about the show or about the actors/actresses. As you scroll down there is list of the episode names divided into seasons. Sidereel also provides links to other sites where you can watch some of the episodes. If you watch the video directly on their site it does not take long to load, and you do not have to create an account to watch it. It is free and easy to use. The alignment and format is consistent, It is kept up to date, when you click on a show or movie there are links and suggestions for others that are relevant. It also allows users to connect with other sites such as Facebook and Twitter.
3.) Riseagainst.com is the official site of my favorite band Rise Against. Their main purpose is to promote their music. However they also share news about their tours, current projects, and issues that they think are important with fans. The website is designed in a way that gives visitors an idea of what kind of music they play and has some of their songs that they can listen to. Besides the tabs that lead to their music, tour, and photos they also have pages with contact information and band merchandise. Again, this site is organized with relevant information together making it easy for fans to locate and the format and layout is consistent. The songs and videos do not take long to load and the site is kept updated and clearly shows their recent work. The site also makes it easy for fans to buy tickets to their concerts and join the mailing list. Their purpose is clearly stated and the color scheme does not burden readers' eyes.
1.) Facebook.com is a site that many people of all age groups are familiar with. It is a social networking site and therefore the purpose is to interact with other people all over the world. It is a site where individuals can reconnect with old friends, and communicate with friends and families living both near and far. One can share videos, pictures, articles, music, links-the list goes on and on. With the purpose on interacting, sharing, and communicating clear the website is designed to have updates from the people you are "friends" with and pages the you have "liked" centered in the middle of page so that you can immediately see what everyone has been up to as soon as you log in. On the top left is where you can see notifications and new massages and friend requests. The top left has buttons to log out, privacy settings, and you can also view your profile. More importantly, that is where the home button is found. Each post is separated and the fonts and headings are consistent throughout the website. Also, everything is aligned the same way. It is an overall neat and organized website that is easy on the eyes.
2.) Sidereel.com is also a sharing site where you can read about and watch TV shows, movies, and web shows online. There is a search bar that helps you find what you are looking for and the bar at the top has different categories such as cartoon, action, drama, comedy and more. When you pick a show you would like to watch the page provides information about the show and the status (cancelled, hiatus, completed, current). It shows the most recent episode and a video at the top of the page with current news about the show or about the actors/actresses. As you scroll down there is list of the episode names divided into seasons. Sidereel also provides links to other sites where you can watch some of the episodes. If you watch the video directly on their site it does not take long to load, and you do not have to create an account to watch it. It is free and easy to use. The alignment and format is consistent, It is kept up to date, when you click on a show or movie there are links and suggestions for others that are relevant. It also allows users to connect with other sites such as Facebook and Twitter.
3.) Riseagainst.com is the official site of my favorite band Rise Against. Their main purpose is to promote their music. However they also share news about their tours, current projects, and issues that they think are important with fans. The website is designed in a way that gives visitors an idea of what kind of music they play and has some of their songs that they can listen to. Besides the tabs that lead to their music, tour, and photos they also have pages with contact information and band merchandise. Again, this site is organized with relevant information together making it easy for fans to locate and the format and layout is consistent. The songs and videos do not take long to load and the site is kept updated and clearly shows their recent work. The site also makes it easy for fans to buy tickets to their concerts and join the mailing list. Their purpose is clearly stated and the color scheme does not burden readers' eyes.
Project 3 Independent Post 2
It has been hard getting back into the swing of things after spring break. It was not until the beginning of this week that I took a really good look at the website my group is planning to redesign which is http://www.narragansettri.com. Upon looking at it closer I realized that it is not as small as I thought it was at first. There are ten tabs across the home page each covering a specific topic. After looking them all my immediate thoughts about the redesign of this site was to:
1. Add a home button to each page to get rid of the home tab.
2. Merge the summer rentals and URI student rentals tab into one.
3. Organize the links that seem to be all over each page and omit ones that are repeated
This project has proven to be more difficult than the others and is even more challenging due to the fact that we have to work in groups. Working with other people is helpful because more ideas can be shared and we can point out each other's mistakes and split the responsibilities. However, getting work done take a bit longer to complete. Though I had these ideas I could not dive straight in and carry these out because I did not know if my teammates have other things in mind or have better redesigning ideas.
The fact that we do not have to actually create a website is very helpful. There is a lot if information and links and even pictures present the only thing that really needs work is the format and layout. Now that the break is over and I have gone over the objectives and goals of this assignment I understand what I am supposed to do. The fact that we have an extra week to complete this assignment is also very helpful as we have more time to make sure we have completed everything that is required in this project.
1. Add a home button to each page to get rid of the home tab.
2. Merge the summer rentals and URI student rentals tab into one.
3. Organize the links that seem to be all over each page and omit ones that are repeated
This project has proven to be more difficult than the others and is even more challenging due to the fact that we have to work in groups. Working with other people is helpful because more ideas can be shared and we can point out each other's mistakes and split the responsibilities. However, getting work done take a bit longer to complete. Though I had these ideas I could not dive straight in and carry these out because I did not know if my teammates have other things in mind or have better redesigning ideas.
The fact that we do not have to actually create a website is very helpful. There is a lot if information and links and even pictures present the only thing that really needs work is the format and layout. Now that the break is over and I have gone over the objectives and goals of this assignment I understand what I am supposed to do. The fact that we have an extra week to complete this assignment is also very helpful as we have more time to make sure we have completed everything that is required in this project.
Friday, March 9, 2012
Project 3 Independent Post 1
Web design is always something that I have never really understood or taken part in. Perhaps the reason why it seems so difficult is the fact that I have no experience on the topic really. Either way, this assignment is going to be much more difficult than the previous two, and the fact that next week is spring break certainly won't make it any easier.
Most of my time however, I do not even think about the design of a website. It is only when I am faced with an assignment or forced to do some kind of research on web design that I remember how much work it takes. Other than that I tend to surf the web and if I encounter a site that I do not like I just go to another one without stopping to think what would make that site better. I take websites for granted and now I am going to be forced to face the many issues that web designers must think about it when they are designing a site.
Even now, I am checking and thinking of websites that I use now and ones that I have used in the past and wondering whether or not they exhibit the qualities of a good website as explained in the chapter reading about web design. Hopefully after this project I will be able to appreciate websites more and the people who put the work into designing them.
Most of my time however, I do not even think about the design of a website. It is only when I am faced with an assignment or forced to do some kind of research on web design that I remember how much work it takes. Other than that I tend to surf the web and if I encounter a site that I do not like I just go to another one without stopping to think what would make that site better. I take websites for granted and now I am going to be forced to face the many issues that web designers must think about it when they are designing a site.
Even now, I am checking and thinking of websites that I use now and ones that I have used in the past and wondering whether or not they exhibit the qualities of a good website as explained in the chapter reading about web design. Hopefully after this project I will be able to appreciate websites more and the people who put the work into designing them.
Monday, March 5, 2012
Project 2 Independent Post 5
Overall, compared to project 1, project 2 was a lot less involved. Though they both has basic guidelines and gave us much freedom in terms of what our topic was, the enthusiast blog took much more time and effort to do in my opinion. One of the reasons why I think it involved more effort was because for the enthusiast blog you had to pick a topic, design the layout, and try to write posts that were creative and incorporated your opinions or beliefs. For the Wikitravel page once you chose the topic the rest was pretty much there. For mine the layout was already formed and since only factual information was required it was easy to research what I needed and put it into my edits.
Now that I have seen how simple it is to edit things on Wikitravel I understand what teachers mean when they say anyone can input ideas and concepts in Wikipedia that might not always be correct. Though I know there are people who check posts, there are so many people all over the world that can edit the information that I doubt the people monitoring Wikipedia are able to keep up with the corrections. They may find mistakes and correct them but who know how long it might take for mistakes to be found. This shows how important people are to these sites. Individuals can either go in and input tons of false information reducing the credibility of a site, or they can be helpful and post good, accurate information for people to use, or help the site by correcting something that is wrong thus improving the site.
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Project 2 Independent Post 4
I finally got a chance to read my review and I what was suggested did not surprise me. When I accessed the Wikitravel page about Clearwater, FL there was a lot of information already written so I only included information under a few headings. However, as I was writing all of the information in the word document I began realizing that I had not written a lot at all. So, when I read my peer review suggesting to include more, I was already trying to think of more places that I could include under the headings.
For the purposes of this assignment I do not know if there are a required number of posts needed or if we just need to use our best judgement. Since I already included information for airports, trains, things to do, and places to eat I think I will try to add some information under the "See" and "Buy" heading. I still have not figured out how to edit the introduction so I will just have to refrain from editing that because I think another heading introducing the city would go against the manual of style. I think I also might add links to some of the airports because, going over what links are acceptable in the manual of style I think those are acceptable.
For the purposes of this assignment I do not know if there are a required number of posts needed or if we just need to use our best judgement. Since I already included information for airports, trains, things to do, and places to eat I think I will try to add some information under the "See" and "Buy" heading. I still have not figured out how to edit the introduction so I will just have to refrain from editing that because I think another heading introducing the city would go against the manual of style. I think I also might add links to some of the airports because, going over what links are acceptable in the manual of style I think those are acceptable.
Friday, March 2, 2012
Project 2 Independent Post 3
Editing a Wikitravel page was a little more involved than I thought it would be. Many things were a bit tricky in doing this project such as remembering important details about the places or activities in the area, making sure that the edits were in the correct format the manual of style asks for, and using the site in general.
Clearwater, FL is not my hometown but it is a city that I am quite familiar with and have visited many times. So, when I chose it as my topic I thought it would be easy to list places. However, I quickly realized that all I knew was the broad idea. I had to go and look up most of the addresses, and phone numbers. I was also a bit fuzzy on the hours they were open and the prices so I had to research some of that also. Another thing that was hard to do was to include information that would pertain to all age groups. Whenever I visited these places it would mostly be with my friends and family so I never really paid attention to what amenities if any, that they provided for small children or senior citizens.
It was also harder to follow the manual of style than I thought it would be. When I started inserting links I realized that many violated the style. Not sure if including the links for airlines went against the link guidelines, I decided to leave them out entirely and just list the names of the airlines. I also had trouble linking pages so I decided to just insert hyperlinks of the websites of the places I mentioned. Furthermore, when editing in the box there is no spell check so I decided to write everything in a word document and then copy and paste it to make sure that my spelling was at least correct.
Lastly, the site in general was a little tricky at times. I had to take my time and really pay attention to where I was clicking. One of my problems was that I kept clicking on the wrong "add listing" link and would end up inserting something under the wrong heading. Also, I was unable to edit the very top of the page. The first heading seemed like a little introduction to the city and I wanted to add information like how large it was and what the the most recent population size was, but whenever I clicked the link it would just take me to a box which edited the section below it. I was not sure if there is just some special way to edit it that I do not know about or if the original person who created the article made it so it could not be changed.
For the most part however, the problems were minimal when I took my time. It is a very organized site and there are many pages that provide help and suggestions so, most of the problems I encountered I was able to overcome easily. It is not until one actually tries to edit information in these articles that they realize how structured and complex that some aspects of the website can be. Definitely not a piece of cake like I thought it would be.
Clearwater, FL is not my hometown but it is a city that I am quite familiar with and have visited many times. So, when I chose it as my topic I thought it would be easy to list places. However, I quickly realized that all I knew was the broad idea. I had to go and look up most of the addresses, and phone numbers. I was also a bit fuzzy on the hours they were open and the prices so I had to research some of that also. Another thing that was hard to do was to include information that would pertain to all age groups. Whenever I visited these places it would mostly be with my friends and family so I never really paid attention to what amenities if any, that they provided for small children or senior citizens.
It was also harder to follow the manual of style than I thought it would be. When I started inserting links I realized that many violated the style. Not sure if including the links for airlines went against the link guidelines, I decided to leave them out entirely and just list the names of the airlines. I also had trouble linking pages so I decided to just insert hyperlinks of the websites of the places I mentioned. Furthermore, when editing in the box there is no spell check so I decided to write everything in a word document and then copy and paste it to make sure that my spelling was at least correct.
Lastly, the site in general was a little tricky at times. I had to take my time and really pay attention to where I was clicking. One of my problems was that I kept clicking on the wrong "add listing" link and would end up inserting something under the wrong heading. Also, I was unable to edit the very top of the page. The first heading seemed like a little introduction to the city and I wanted to add information like how large it was and what the the most recent population size was, but whenever I clicked the link it would just take me to a box which edited the section below it. I was not sure if there is just some special way to edit it that I do not know about or if the original person who created the article made it so it could not be changed.
For the most part however, the problems were minimal when I took my time. It is a very organized site and there are many pages that provide help and suggestions so, most of the problems I encountered I was able to overcome easily. It is not until one actually tries to edit information in these articles that they realize how structured and complex that some aspects of the website can be. Definitely not a piece of cake like I thought it would be.
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Wikitravel Drafts
I decided to stick with Florida specifically, a city named Clearwater about twenty minutes away from the town I live in. I chose it because it is close to many other towns like mine that might not have much to do but Clearwater is less hectic and has less traffic than other cities close by like Tampa. Here are three potential entries for places to visit in Clearwater, FL.
1.) Clearwater Beach
Address: 1 Causeway Blvd. Clearwater, FL 33767
Clearwater Beach is one of the top rated beaches in Florida. Besides laying in the white sand and swimming in the clear water there are also many activities offered such as fishing, sail boat, kayak, and jet ski rentals, dolphin and sunset tours, parasailing and more. Alongside the beach there are also many restaurants and shops. It is a great family environment. There are always lifeguards and specially colored flags that mean certain alerts such as any rip currents of marine life such as stingrays present. Beach chairs, tents, strollers, ans wheelchair rentals are also available. Besides the numerous festivals that take place on or alongside the beach throughout the year there are also artists and street performers that perform on the weekends.
2.) Clearwater Marine Aquarium
1.) Clearwater Beach
Address: 1 Causeway Blvd. Clearwater, FL 33767
Clearwater Beach is one of the top rated beaches in Florida. Besides laying in the white sand and swimming in the clear water there are also many activities offered such as fishing, sail boat, kayak, and jet ski rentals, dolphin and sunset tours, parasailing and more. Alongside the beach there are also many restaurants and shops. It is a great family environment. There are always lifeguards and specially colored flags that mean certain alerts such as any rip currents of marine life such as stingrays present. Beach chairs, tents, strollers, ans wheelchair rentals are also available. Besides the numerous festivals that take place on or alongside the beach throughout the year there are also artists and street performers that perform on the weekends.
2.) Clearwater Marine Aquarium
Address: 249 Windward Passage, Clearwater, FL 33767
The Clearwater Marine Aquarium has many exhibits featuring marine animals such as stingrays, nurse sharks, river otters, sea turtles and of course dolphins. Many of these animals are rescued animals that cannot be returned back in the wild and are housed and cared for by the staff and serve as a way to teach visitors about marine life. There are presentations at different times throughout the day for each animal exhibit. Visitors can not only see the animals through the open exhibits for these animals but they can also participate in encounters with some of the creatures. The aquarium offers interaction with stingrays and dolphins. The aquarium is also home to a dolphin named Winter who was rescued from a crab trap line and lost her tail as well as two vertebrate. Despite the odds she was rehabilitated and even given a prosthetic tail!
3.) Sand Key Park
Address: 1060 Gulf Boulevard, Clearwater, FL 33767
Calm and secluded, Sand Key Park consists of both a park and a beach. There is a playground for children and various nature trails for the whole family or even those just wanting to get a glimpse of the abundant wildlife. There is a boardwalk and even a dog park. On the beach there are lifeguards on a daily basis and one can rent umbrellas, cabanas and kayaks. Beach wheelchair rentals are also available. There are outdoors showers and bath houses also. Besides the beach there is also a salt marsh with benches to view the various waterfowl. There are also shelters and grills that can be reserved. There is a daily parking fee of $5.
Project 2 Independent Post 2
I have not really traveled anywhere for pleasure in a while. The last place I went to was with my family to Honduras in 2007. Though is wasn't my first time there I hung out mostly with my aunt and uncles and cousins and didn't do much touristy traveling. So, I do not feel that I have enough knowledge of the towns I visited to write a good Wikitravel article about it. I did spend the summer in Vermont but that was for an internship and where I was housed was in the middle of nowhere so I am not sure I want to pick that destination article as place either. Throwing those ideas out, I am pretty much left with either Rhode Island or Florida. I was born in Rhode Island but I lived in Florida for six years so I feel like I can write an article about specific places in either states. I'm leaning more on the Florida side however, because it is there that I spend the most time with my friends there looking for new places to go and I feel that there are more things to see and do in Florida in general.
Manual of Style Tips
Three tips that I think are imporatant for wikitravel writers are the tips on tone, other ways of seeing travel, and don't overlink.
1.) Tone: Like the Manual of style says it is important to be concise, and it is acceptable to be lively and informal. This will help capture and keep the reader's attention and make it easier for them to obtain and retain the information in your article. It is also important to avoid cliches or generalize too much. Cliches take away from the uniqueness of the writers' posts on Wikitravel and too many generalizations can lead to exaggeration about a place or destination.
2.) Other ways of seeing travel: Some helpful reminders that the Manual of style states are to keep in mind what travelers might be looking for. Yes, general topics like restaurants, and attractions are important but the writer should also keep in mind things like things to do when traveling with children or places to go for disabled travelers. This ensures that more audiences will benefit from your information.
3.) Don't Overlink: In Wikipedia articles there a many, many links to all sorts of other places whether it is the name of a person, a place, or tradition-the list goes on and on. However, Wikipedia is an online Encyclopedia so it is normal to have so many links that lead to other articles. Wikitravel however, has a more specific purpose so it is important to only use links when necessary. Not only does is make your article look cluttered, but it also may lead to confusion among your readers.
1.) Tone: Like the Manual of style says it is important to be concise, and it is acceptable to be lively and informal. This will help capture and keep the reader's attention and make it easier for them to obtain and retain the information in your article. It is also important to avoid cliches or generalize too much. Cliches take away from the uniqueness of the writers' posts on Wikitravel and too many generalizations can lead to exaggeration about a place or destination.
2.) Other ways of seeing travel: Some helpful reminders that the Manual of style states are to keep in mind what travelers might be looking for. Yes, general topics like restaurants, and attractions are important but the writer should also keep in mind things like things to do when traveling with children or places to go for disabled travelers. This ensures that more audiences will benefit from your information.
3.) Don't Overlink: In Wikipedia articles there a many, many links to all sorts of other places whether it is the name of a person, a place, or tradition-the list goes on and on. However, Wikipedia is an online Encyclopedia so it is normal to have so many links that lead to other articles. Wikitravel however, has a more specific purpose so it is important to only use links when necessary. Not only does is make your article look cluttered, but it also may lead to confusion among your readers.
Thoughts on Wikitravel
I had never heard of Wikitravel before but now that I have it sounds pretty amazing. Like the about section says: "Wikitravel is a project to create a free, complete, up-to-date and reliable world-wide travel guide." The two best parts of Wikitravel can be seen from this sentence.
For one, Wikitravel is free! Travel brochures are not new to the world and though most of them are free the really nice travel destinations about places are not. I personally never bought any of these on any bookstore trips because for one I would wonder how old they would be. Places, things to do, attractions are constantly changing and just because it can be found in a travel booklet now does not mean it will actually exist six months from now. The second reason is that I figured if I ever needed information about a place I would just look it up online because it is free. No matter what the occasion, if there is a way to access something for free I will always use that even if it might not be the most reliable. So, the fact that Wikitravel is free already means that it is something I would use over anything that costs money.
Moreover, it seems like a great online resource because there are rules that regulate what people can post and there are individuals that check posts and will delete anything that seems obviously unreliable. One of the things that I do when searching a place on the internet is to check various websites because I sometimes find information that seems misleading. There could be an official website of a place like a restaurant I would like to visit but the site will be under construction providing me with no information. Or, the place will actually be under construction for repairs or be closed for the season and their website will not say so. Another challenge is finding a specific place at a destination. In travel book and even on the internet popular destinations will overshadow smaller areas. Though it is great to see the popular places that people visit if you rely on one source you might miss out on an even better place.
Wikitravel seems like a great resource because it does not cost me any money to use and by providing posts from various people around the world no one popular place will be able to take over and push out smaller little-known places into the shadows. I haven't researched about a place because I have not traveled in a while but I definitely plan on keeping Wikitravel in mind when I do.
For one, Wikitravel is free! Travel brochures are not new to the world and though most of them are free the really nice travel destinations about places are not. I personally never bought any of these on any bookstore trips because for one I would wonder how old they would be. Places, things to do, attractions are constantly changing and just because it can be found in a travel booklet now does not mean it will actually exist six months from now. The second reason is that I figured if I ever needed information about a place I would just look it up online because it is free. No matter what the occasion, if there is a way to access something for free I will always use that even if it might not be the most reliable. So, the fact that Wikitravel is free already means that it is something I would use over anything that costs money.
Moreover, it seems like a great online resource because there are rules that regulate what people can post and there are individuals that check posts and will delete anything that seems obviously unreliable. One of the things that I do when searching a place on the internet is to check various websites because I sometimes find information that seems misleading. There could be an official website of a place like a restaurant I would like to visit but the site will be under construction providing me with no information. Or, the place will actually be under construction for repairs or be closed for the season and their website will not say so. Another challenge is finding a specific place at a destination. In travel book and even on the internet popular destinations will overshadow smaller areas. Though it is great to see the popular places that people visit if you rely on one source you might miss out on an even better place.
Wikitravel seems like a great resource because it does not cost me any money to use and by providing posts from various people around the world no one popular place will be able to take over and push out smaller little-known places into the shadows. I haven't researched about a place because I have not traveled in a while but I definitely plan on keeping Wikitravel in mind when I do.
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Project 2 Independent Post 1
Unlike blogging, I have had experience with Wikipedia. I have used it many times to look up information on movies, music, books, shows, the list goes on and on. I've always enjoyed using it because it is very well organized, and provides a basic summary on the topic that is easy to read and understand. The fact that it can be accessed worldwide make it easy to find information about other cultures across the globe. However, the ability for the public to edit the information on Wikipedia does have its drawbacks.
The major downside that everyone seems to point out first is that since anyone can change the information posted the information one finds on Wikipedia is not always reliable. Indeed, it is because of this that many of my professors do not allow us to use Wikipedia as a source. So, when it comes to assignments for school I never use Wikipedia as a source. Nevertheless, I will sometimes look something up on Wikipedia in order to understand or to help narrow down my search for information.
For example, there have been many times in the classes pertaining to my major where I have been assigned homework that involves calculations such as population estimates, or logistic growth equations. Sometimes, it is not fully explained what the variables in these equations are or I have trouble understanding the exact purpose behind a certain calculation. So, instead of searching on Google and sifting through a million results or spending hours reading about the topic in a scientific website that uses advanced and difficult terminology I visit Wikipedia. This allows me to better understand the terminology or helps me find examples that I can then search to get narrower results.
Monday, February 13, 2012
Project 1 Independent Post 5
Project 1 complete!
I'm pretty satisfied with the changes I made to my clubhouse blog. I do not know if it is good enough to get an A but I know that it definitely looks a lot better than it did at first. I had no idea that you could upload a picture and make it the background for you blog! Now that the first project has been completed I have more of a feel for what this class is like and what is expected of me.
One thing that I have quickly noticed is that though this is an online class it involves a lot of time and interaction. There are many little things such as posts and response to articles that you need to remember and keep up with. The fact that it is all in Sakai helps me stay organized but remembering when everything is due has been a bit challenging. I've now started making a list of everything that must be done for that week and it has helped me a lot. Unfortunately, I started this very recently and due to my other classes I have not had a lot of time to carry my plan out.
Now that this project is complete I have a fresh start and plan to finish things due in this class earlier instead of waiting until the last minute. I do have to say that this project was a lot more fun than I thought it would be. I now really understand why blogging has become so popular. By doing this project I stumbled upon many other blogs about things that I like and plan on checking them out more once I get some spare time. The next project is also something that I have never done before but now I feel more confident and am actually looking forward to it.
I'm pretty satisfied with the changes I made to my clubhouse blog. I do not know if it is good enough to get an A but I know that it definitely looks a lot better than it did at first. I had no idea that you could upload a picture and make it the background for you blog! Now that the first project has been completed I have more of a feel for what this class is like and what is expected of me.
One thing that I have quickly noticed is that though this is an online class it involves a lot of time and interaction. There are many little things such as posts and response to articles that you need to remember and keep up with. The fact that it is all in Sakai helps me stay organized but remembering when everything is due has been a bit challenging. I've now started making a list of everything that must be done for that week and it has helped me a lot. Unfortunately, I started this very recently and due to my other classes I have not had a lot of time to carry my plan out.
Now that this project is complete I have a fresh start and plan to finish things due in this class earlier instead of waiting until the last minute. I do have to say that this project was a lot more fun than I thought it would be. I now really understand why blogging has become so popular. By doing this project I stumbled upon many other blogs about things that I like and plan on checking them out more once I get some spare time. The next project is also something that I have never done before but now I feel more confident and am actually looking forward to it.
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Project 1 Independent Post 4
As I expected the peer review assignment was a complete success. Well in my opinion it was. I received GREAT advice from my partners. As I suspected they both suggested I use pictures and they even gave me other helpful hints to spruce up the design such as a different font.
Some things that I did not expect were that my font and background made it hard to read. To me it didn't really look hard to read but that's because I was writing in a text box and when I looked to see what the finish product was I knew what I had written. Now, looking at it from an outside perspective it would indeed be hard to read.
Another problem I have that I failed to mention in my last post is that I don't always plan things out correctly or do things in the right order. For example for my clubhouse blog I jumped right into the episodes and my experience watching it for the first time. I should have begun with what the show is about then a little background AND THEN gone on to talk about the first two episodes and my experience watching it.
So, now that I have their suggestions and I've seen their blogs I am going to go back and fix mine by doing the following:
1. I am going to find a different background that makes it easier for people to read my posts on
2. I am going to change the type and color of my font that I use to write my posts with
3. I am going to make two new posts with pictures, one about what the show is about and maybe some background info and one which introduces that characters that appear in the first two episodes.
I'd rather not go back and edit the first two posts. I think that I should keep them as they are so I that I can remind myself of what I need to work on. Usually I run on a what's done is done philosophy. Even though I can go back and edit I'd rather not change what I have done. However, depending on how it all looks after I've finished my alterations I might go back and add some pictures to the first two posts.
Some things that I did not expect were that my font and background made it hard to read. To me it didn't really look hard to read but that's because I was writing in a text box and when I looked to see what the finish product was I knew what I had written. Now, looking at it from an outside perspective it would indeed be hard to read.
Another problem I have that I failed to mention in my last post is that I don't always plan things out correctly or do things in the right order. For example for my clubhouse blog I jumped right into the episodes and my experience watching it for the first time. I should have begun with what the show is about then a little background AND THEN gone on to talk about the first two episodes and my experience watching it.
So, now that I have their suggestions and I've seen their blogs I am going to go back and fix mine by doing the following:
1. I am going to find a different background that makes it easier for people to read my posts on
2. I am going to change the type and color of my font that I use to write my posts with
3. I am going to make two new posts with pictures, one about what the show is about and maybe some background info and one which introduces that characters that appear in the first two episodes.
I'd rather not go back and edit the first two posts. I think that I should keep them as they are so I that I can remind myself of what I need to work on. Usually I run on a what's done is done philosophy. Even though I can go back and edit I'd rather not change what I have done. However, depending on how it all looks after I've finished my alterations I might go back and add some pictures to the first two posts.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Project 1 Independent Post 3
I have just finished reading the blogs of the people in my group. They were both really good. Rachel's was about traveling and Kristen's was about healthy foods and activities for college students. Almost immediately I thought of a ton of things that I could have done to make my blog better.
For starters I write tooo much! This is always a problem for me. Usually I can get away with it in my classes but I can't in a blog. I need to learn how to be more concise or at least organize my posts into shorter segments to make it look neater and be easier to understand.
Also, I need more visuals in my post. The only thing besides text that I posted was a link. Just because I don't mind reading long lengthy writings that have no visual stimulus doesn't mean that others feel the same way. If I want to keep the attention of my readers I need to find a way to post picture or videos that are related to what I'm talking about in that post.
It's still early in the week and I haven't gotten my evaluations for my clubhouse blog yet but I already have ideas on how I can improve it. This workshop has really proven to be helpful. It allows me to see the work of other, more experienced bloggers and provides me with concrete examples of how I can improve mine.
For starters I write tooo much! This is always a problem for me. Usually I can get away with it in my classes but I can't in a blog. I need to learn how to be more concise or at least organize my posts into shorter segments to make it look neater and be easier to understand.
Also, I need more visuals in my post. The only thing besides text that I posted was a link. Just because I don't mind reading long lengthy writings that have no visual stimulus doesn't mean that others feel the same way. If I want to keep the attention of my readers I need to find a way to post picture or videos that are related to what I'm talking about in that post.
It's still early in the week and I haven't gotten my evaluations for my clubhouse blog yet but I already have ideas on how I can improve it. This workshop has really proven to be helpful. It allows me to see the work of other, more experienced bloggers and provides me with concrete examples of how I can improve mine.
Saturday, February 4, 2012
Project 1 Independent Post 2
Well I think I've decided on what topic to choose for my clubhouse blog. After weighing all the pros and cons for each topic, and listening to the advice from my friends I think I'm going to go with my third choice and blog about an animated TV show named Avatar: The Last Airbender. I was going to go with endangered species but my roommate pointed out that I discuss that topic in practically every one of my classes so I should use this opportunity to do something different. I mean sure, I talk about this show and many others with friends and family all the time BUT I've never written about them. By choosing something that I wouldn't normally write about hopefully I can broaden my writing skills. I even tried to keep in mind all of the guidelines given in the previous articles. I did a little research to see how popular my topic is and it from what I've seen it doesn't seem like there are too many blogs about it. However, I think this show is popular enough that it could attract readers. The way I'm thinking about formatting this blog is to discuss the episodes in order and point out the parts I enjoyed the most. I've never written a blog, but from the examples I've seen so far it is pretty much someone writing about a topic that interests them and why they enjoy it so that's what I'll try to do.
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Potential Clubhouse Blog Ideas
Now that I have read all of articles I have begun to put serious thought into what topic I want to choose for my enthusiast blog. I have a hard time staying focused of writing assignments and this blog is going to need a lot of attention so I need to make sure that it will be something that I won't mind taking the time to write about. So far these are the five things I have thought about:
1.) Books: Nonfiction to be more specific. I love to read so maybe making a blog about some of the books that I've really enjoyed will inspire others to read them and in turn perhaps I will receive suggestions of other great books I should check out.
2.) Honduras: Both of my parents were born in Honduras and I have visited a few times and have a knowledge of the customs and traditions. I think that by growing up in America I have lost touch with some of the culture over there. Perhaps by writing about Honduras I can keep that connection to my parents' birth place alive.
3.) Animated kid's TV shows: I have fond memories of the shows that I enjoyed watching while growing up as well as the newer ones that have come out. Conversations quoting kids' shows or remembering something funny that happened in a certain episode with people are always enjoyable. Perhaps a blog about animated kids shows would make for a fun topic that I would enjoy writing about and other people would be able to relate to it.
4.) Harry Potter: I know, I know this a popular topic that probably already has hundreds of blogs about it but it is a topic that I am very knowledgeable about and that I greatly enjoy talking about. Plus, there are so many things to write about! There are the books, the movies, the theme parks just to name a few-even if I only focused on one of these I'm sure I would never have difficulty finding something to write about.
5.) Endangered species: As a wildlife and conservation biology major I have taken many classes that highlight many species that are on the brink of extinction. Since I want to have a career working in some way with endangered animals I have a great interest in them and any knowledge that I do not possess I can always research or ask my professors about. It wouldn't be a blog preaching about how we need to save these species but more like a place where I can share information about some that I find interesting so that people may learn about them while they're still on this Earth.
I have an interest and possess knowledge on all of these topics (some more than others) and believe I could provide accurate and interesting information about them. The only problem is that I think some of these topics are to broad or have already been done so much that I won't have anything new to share that would interest readers. Guess I'll just have to think about these a little more before I pick one.
1.) Books: Nonfiction to be more specific. I love to read so maybe making a blog about some of the books that I've really enjoyed will inspire others to read them and in turn perhaps I will receive suggestions of other great books I should check out.
2.) Honduras: Both of my parents were born in Honduras and I have visited a few times and have a knowledge of the customs and traditions. I think that by growing up in America I have lost touch with some of the culture over there. Perhaps by writing about Honduras I can keep that connection to my parents' birth place alive.
3.) Animated kid's TV shows: I have fond memories of the shows that I enjoyed watching while growing up as well as the newer ones that have come out. Conversations quoting kids' shows or remembering something funny that happened in a certain episode with people are always enjoyable. Perhaps a blog about animated kids shows would make for a fun topic that I would enjoy writing about and other people would be able to relate to it.
4.) Harry Potter: I know, I know this a popular topic that probably already has hundreds of blogs about it but it is a topic that I am very knowledgeable about and that I greatly enjoy talking about. Plus, there are so many things to write about! There are the books, the movies, the theme parks just to name a few-even if I only focused on one of these I'm sure I would never have difficulty finding something to write about.
5.) Endangered species: As a wildlife and conservation biology major I have taken many classes that highlight many species that are on the brink of extinction. Since I want to have a career working in some way with endangered animals I have a great interest in them and any knowledge that I do not possess I can always research or ask my professors about. It wouldn't be a blog preaching about how we need to save these species but more like a place where I can share information about some that I find interesting so that people may learn about them while they're still on this Earth.
I have an interest and possess knowledge on all of these topics (some more than others) and believe I could provide accurate and interesting information about them. The only problem is that I think some of these topics are to broad or have already been done so much that I won't have anything new to share that would interest readers. Guess I'll just have to think about these a little more before I pick one.
A response to "Rhetorical Situation"
Jessica Padilla
February 2, 2012
WRT 235
Instructor MacKnight
Reading Response
Bullock's "Rhetorical Situation" outlined some very crucial points that every writer should think about before they start writing. As Bullock states, the very first question a writer should ask before they begin is "Why"? Why are they writing? What is their purpose? Some may want to write just to share their opinions and interests with others while some may want to write in order to provide people with information about a certain topic. Once you have an idea of what your purpose might be you can then start thinking of how you are going to present your thoughts in a way that will capture the audience's attention.
Purpose is what you need to start but in order to get people to read your work and be interested in it you need to keep them in mind while you write. Bullock writes that some of the things you need to think about while writing is who you are trying to reach and what their interests might be. Finding out what their interests are can be accomplished easier if you know your audience's background. Also, you need to keep in mind the language and tone that you use as it may affect your relationship with them. With purpose and an idea of the type of audience you want to capture you can decide on a genre and a stance that will help gain the interest of readers. Lastly, you have to decide on the appropriate medium or design to convey what you have written to your targeted audience.
Purpose, audience, genre, stance, and design are all necessary in order to be successful. They are all related and can influence each other so one must take care not to focus on some while ignoring or forgetting about the others. I believe that keeping these principles in mind will help improve my writing. They are especially important now that I will need to design a blog that will be for an audience. Just because they may be interested in my topic does not mean they will be interested in what I have to day about it so I will definitely need to practice these points if I want to be a better writer and capture their attention.
February 2, 2012
WRT 235
Instructor MacKnight
Reading Response
Purpose is everything
Bullock's "Rhetorical Situation" outlined some very crucial points that every writer should think about before they start writing. As Bullock states, the very first question a writer should ask before they begin is "Why"? Why are they writing? What is their purpose? Some may want to write just to share their opinions and interests with others while some may want to write in order to provide people with information about a certain topic. Once you have an idea of what your purpose might be you can then start thinking of how you are going to present your thoughts in a way that will capture the audience's attention.
Purpose is what you need to start but in order to get people to read your work and be interested in it you need to keep them in mind while you write. Bullock writes that some of the things you need to think about while writing is who you are trying to reach and what their interests might be. Finding out what their interests are can be accomplished easier if you know your audience's background. Also, you need to keep in mind the language and tone that you use as it may affect your relationship with them. With purpose and an idea of the type of audience you want to capture you can decide on a genre and a stance that will help gain the interest of readers. Lastly, you have to decide on the appropriate medium or design to convey what you have written to your targeted audience.
Purpose, audience, genre, stance, and design are all necessary in order to be successful. They are all related and can influence each other so one must take care not to focus on some while ignoring or forgetting about the others. I believe that keeping these principles in mind will help improve my writing. They are especially important now that I will need to design a blog that will be for an audience. Just because they may be interested in my topic does not mean they will be interested in what I have to day about it so I will definitely need to practice these points if I want to be a better writer and capture their attention.
A response to "Blogs as Clubhouses"
Jessica Padilla
February 2, 2012
WRT 235
Instructor MacKnight
Reading Response
February 2, 2012
WRT 235
Instructor MacKnight
Reading Response
Connecting to others through blogs
Suzanne Stefanac's "Blogs as Clubhouses" describes what an enthusiast blog is and how it allows people to find others that share similar interests. She writes what readers look for in an enthusiast blog and offers tips for a successful blog. She even included examples and the websites for some blogs that she finds interesting. Whether writing to catalog their ideas, or document events or just writing about a topic they are passionate about, the way a blog is written and designed can attract many loyal readers.
In this reading Stefanac outlined many important points that make a clubhouse blog successful. Three points that really stuck with me were: "do it for love, not money or fame", "adjust the focus of your blog to aid discovery", and "stick with it". As with many things in life if one is not interested or does not like what they are doing then there is a good chance that they will not be successful in their endeavors. It is important to write about something that you truly enjoy writing about otherwise it will just seem like a chore and you might not be able to engage readers because what you write about will seem forced. Moreover, one should choose a topic that is neither to specific or to broad. This is important because if the topic is to broad than your blog will face much competition from other blogs that may already have many followers. Likewise, if your topic is to specific than you may have trouble attracting loyal readers who are interested in your topic and opinion. Lastly, maintaining your blog is a key component for success. Not only will keeping up with your blog help you become a better writer, it will also help you gain faithful readers.
It is this last point that Stefanac made that seems like it will be the most challenging for me. I have always had a hard time with keeping consistent writing projects. Whether it is a journal, writing letters to a pen pal, or just trying to write a creative piece, I always seem to lose interest and/or the motivation to complete the project. The example from Mr. Jalopy's blog that Stefanac included was very helpful as it incorporated all of the points that she talked about and helped me see them in action. The list of other blogs that she posted also helped me see the different ways one can write and design a blog and got me thinking of what I may want to do for my Enthusiast Blog. I definitely have a better understanding of what makes a good blog and the idea seems a lot less intimidating now.
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Project 1 Independent Post 1
This semester is definitely going to be my hardest semester yet! My Mondays and Tuesdays are such long days. In fact, instead of calling Wednesday a "hump day" it is not more like my "Hallelujah" day. I decided to be a productive student and take advantage of the extra time I had today to do some homework but like always as soon as I opened up my web browser I instantly found myself checking email and going on Facebook. Although I accomplished what I wanted to finish today it is almost midnight and I am still on the Internet. However, I did get something useful for this class off Facebook. My friend is studying abroad in Africa and in order to keep in touch with everyone and share what she is doing over there she created a blog. I read her first post since she arrived and it sounds like she is having an amazing time. It actually inspired me to write in my own blog (though what I end up writing here will be nowhere near as cool as her posts). Also, I realized today that I spend more time on the Internet reading or looking at what other people are up to and hardly share my own opinions or interests with others online. It is definitely something that I've made a point to work on and this blog is going to help a lot. So, even though I spent much longer on my laptop today than I wanted to I guess it was not all a waste of time.
Saturday, January 28, 2012
A response to Blood's article
Jessica Padilla
January 28, 2012
WRT 235
Instructor MacKnight
Reading Response
January 28, 2012
WRT 235
Instructor MacKnight
Reading Response
Blogs: The online diary you don't keep to yourself
Rebecca Blood's article "Weblogs: A history and perspective" talked about the history and impact the blog has had in the electronic community. As she states in her article, in 1999 the editor of Insofit complied a list of all the blogs that were thought to have existed at the time. Back then there were only 23 known blogs existing and since then that number has grown tremendously. In fact, that same year web-based tools such as Pitas and Blogger were created. These blog making tools were free, easy to use and helped people create blogs quickly.
Blood discusses how blogs allow people to write down their thoughts and reflect on them while at the same time communicate with other individuals. Through these blogs people can share things such as links or articles that are known to only a few, or it can be a place where people can share thoughts and opinions and interact with others who might share the same beliefs. By blogging one can might find a link that they would have never found by themselves and they can develop friendships with other bloggers all over the world.
Before reading this article I did not understand what a blog was or why people participate in such an activity. However, now I understand a little better and see the myriad of uses that blogs can have. I see them now as something similar to a diary or journal. Like a diary a blog can help one organize their thoughts, document observations and write about what they are passionate about. Unlike a diary however, a blog is not something that is kept secret and hidden. Instead, anyone can access it and comment on it making it fun and a much more interactive experience than any journal could ever be.
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