West's Article...Bleh

When reading Kathleen West's article, I became more bored than whale-watchers... It seemed to drag on and on and was a bit too scholarly for my liking...However, there was one large section which totally captivated my interest, and that was the part where the students' blogs are analyzed..which was very fun to look at. Instead of just talking about it, West provided examples of three students' identities from their own blogs..it was very interesting. i actually look forward to doing this with my classmates' blogs..

Essay 1 Review

Essay 1 taught me a lot about my writing habits. I noticed that my writing process was a lot smoother, mainly because of all the feedback from classmates. It was easier to see where I needed improvements and where I was doing well. So it was great to see others’ view on my paper. That was probably the most helpful part.

Who's Saying What?

After reading, They Say, I Say, I’ve realized that I have some more work to do for my paper. It’s going to be somewhat of a challenge since I have never really been big on using transitions, however it is going to make my paper better, so it’s something I’ll have to do. Also, referring to the book, I will balance my writing by having a nice equality to analyzing the text, as well as stating what “I say” about the text.

My Presentation Went, eh, OK

Before my presentation I made sure I had all the essentials needed for an exceeding grade. I made it short, to-the point, not-watered down, detailed, visually appealing, and full of informative insight on my research.    

During my presentation I realized that although I had all of the elements set up great in my PowerPoint, I still didn’t do all that great on the talking part. I made sure I kept eye contact with my audience, didn’t read off the projection, and made myself some outline notes. I don’t really have any explanation for thinking that I didn’t do well, it just seems like I didn’t for some reason.

After my presentation I can say that I was pretty happy with how I did. Talking in front of audiences isn’t really my thing, so if anything held me back, it was this anxiety.

“The Movie Blog” Through Blogging

To relate to the text, Blogging, the blog I’m following is a topic blog. Since it’s a movie blog it is focused on one topic, movie news, which means that the authors aren’t just rambling on about anything for an hour about what new things are going on in their lives. Instead, they make sure that all comments and everything are within the boundaries of movies. This makes it easier for me to read and get a grasp on, however it does limit my ability to see their identity from this because with such a narrowed view it can be difficult to express one’s self in a way that shows all aspects of who they are.

Changing It Up A Bit

After class Tuesday, I took in the comments that was written and discussed on my paper, and now that has happened I am comfortable that I can move full speed ahead towards the end result. Some feedback I had gotten was that I should focus on how my blog sets itself from the rest and have a more focused study on the identity of the author. It seems that this is the best approach and I can say that I am confident that I get it fully now, and will pursue this idea and elaborate on it.

Identifying the Solution

My research process so far has been somewhat of a challenge. I have never done studied something in this way before so this is all new to me. At first it was a simple question of finding the author’s identity, so it was kind of difficult to kind of get a feel for the paper at that point. However when we got the actual guidelines today in class, it helped a lot. So I am back on track with my essay. I have been reading extensively on my blog website, and am confident that I will do well in deciphering the language, style, and tone of the writer to better understand the greater picture and his identity.

To Infinity and Beyond. . .

When reading Jill Rettberg’s book, “Blogging: Digital Media and Social Series,” I was intrigued by the concept of where blogging has been, where it is now, and where it’ll go in the future. She elaborates on how in today’s time, blogging has gone mainstream, being used by various different types of groups and peoples, whether it is used for discussing about certain issues or topics, corporations using them for business purposes, or simply just an individual wanting to voice their opinions and thoughts.

Towards the end of her book, Rettberg kind of goes off on a tangent about how digital media in general might be unified on the internet. I was interested in the piece when she explains implicit participation, specifically when she writes, “…User-generated content is more than blog posts, images and videos. The most valuable information may be that which is implied rather than deliberately posted (Rettberg, pg. 156)."

This idea of patterns found amongst internet users being used as a resource for other users is somewhat of a mind-boggling concept; which is extensively complex to fully grasp the notion of just yet. It’s a tough call to make on the exact path blogging will take in the upcoming years ahead, especially after observing the exponential progress of digital media after only a couple short decades. I do believe that the media, social networks, and news will become more and more centralized and unified as the years go on. As Rettberg expressed, it has already begun showing signs of this with links and how everything is becoming one giant flow of content. It seems to me that with an increase in information and users being brought to the table, there is more diversity and wider-spread categories of peoples, yet the further this all goes, the more connections can be drawn and “interpreted” throughout the internet.

Further thoughts…

I just wonder where all of it will take us, and how far it might go in the future. Similar to the philosophical questions about technology as a whole, how far might the internet go? Where will digital media reside in the scheme of things? Is there going to be better means of communicating than what we have (with blogging) now? Will it ever stay the same or is the progress infinite?  

Now That's My Kind of Blog!

The type of blogs that I would like to follow and research, are discussions about entertainment—movies to be specific. Movies have always interested me, not only in the way of providing entertainment, but also how they have underlying messages the director and/or writer are trying to convey. I like movies that keep me guessing, on the edge of my seat, ones that leave me deep in thought for days to come. I love a good laugh, a nail-biting thriller, and action-packed adventures. I love becoming part of the movies’ worlds and wrapping my head around the plot.

I would like to learn what others’ opinions and thoughts are on movies I’ve seen. I’ve always found it fascinating how entertainment in general is related to society and communicates an idea or theme to it’s targeted audience. I hope to discover new perspectives and new ways of thinking so I can capitalize on my skills as an analyst.

Test Post: Who I Am As A Writer

When i write I put my heart and soul into what I'm writing about. I like to make the piece my own, and I tend to add my personality. I usually end up getting fairly attatched to my work and start writing emotionally instead of logically, which sometimes can be benificial in terms of writing say a persuasive essay or even in some cases of analytical essays. However, this trait isn't always a good thing. From time to time I do put my own thoughts amongst fact in my papers, which is needless to say, not good, especially when the writing is formal.

Whatever the case may be, I have learned that in writing (more of rhetoric writing but nevertheless), you can never just write using one method or appeal. Of those who have no idea of what I am talking about, I am referencing the appeals of pathos, ethos and logos (emotional, charecter-based, and logically reasoned). Although one can have more of one than the others, I have always seemed to find that a good balanced piece of writing is a combination of all three in one way or another.

When I look at my writing in this sense, I can determine that it is indeed ok to write with a pathos-based appeal, yet I need to keep in mind that it's vital to back up my ideals and thoughts with reasoning and logical evidence for support.