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

     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.

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.
         

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

A response to "Rhetorical Situation"

Jessica Padilla
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

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. 

          

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.