11-2 Blog: Writer’s Perspective

I chose to read “Pupils Glimpse an Idea, Teacher Gets a Gold Star” by Anne Bernays (2000). Anne’s perspective on the writing process is a multi-faceted one and is grounded in both the facts that she is a writer, herself, and for many years she has taught creative writing. First, she believes that those that are not meant to be writers are able to learn that on their own, and in her experience when they did, they would end up dropping her writing courses. Secondly, she believes that to be a good writer, it is important to understand how to write in different ways. Finally, and possibly most importantly, she believes that part of the writing process is to write about things that hurt. She would tell her students to “stop writing the sunny hours and write from where it hurts” (Bernays, 2000).

            I agree with some things that Anne Bernays mentioned about writing, but I also disagree with others. I agree that those that find that they are not meant to be writers because it is not what they enjoy, will learn that and will not keep pursuing writing. I also agree that to be a good writer, one must understand how to write in different ways. One must find challenging ways to write to be able to advance one’s ability to write well. However, I do not necessary agree that all writers should not write about the good times and that people only want to read about the hurt (Bernays, 2000). I do think that often people do want to read about the hurt and pain, but not always. Some of my favorite books are happy books that make me happier when I am upset, which contradicts Anne Bernays’s idea that happy things and polite things “puts [people] to sleep” (Bernays, 2000).

            I am not sure that I would say that my thinking has really changed on a writer’s perspective in the social media environment. I have learned how to use social media correctly to accomplish specific goals with it such as using it in a professional way compared to using it for personal use. However, before this course, I did believe that social media was used for interpersonal connections, and as an extension of real life, which is what I explored more in depth in this course. Something new that I did learned about social media through this course was that it is so tailored to each user, and each user does have a unique social media experience even compared to someone that is next to them (Pariser, 2011). Social media is being tailored to each individual person that uses it, which is not something that I was aware of before this course, but is something that affects a writer’s perspective in the social media environment (Pariser, 2011).

Reference:

Bernays, A. (2000, February 28). Pupils glimpse an idea, teacher gets a gold star. New York Times. Retrieved http://www.nytimes.com/library/books/022800bernays-writing.htmlfrom

Pariser, E. (2011). Beware online “filter bubbles.” Ted Talks. Lectured conducted from Long Beach, California. Retrieved from https://www.ted.com/talks/eli_pariser_beware_online_filter_bubbles

 

9-1 Multimedia Tools

Multimedia enhances messaging because it gives a visual aspect to information that is not always visual. There are different aspects to this. If looking at the messaging from a news and media studies perspective, visual information gives people some other way of seeing and understanding what is being presented. With this in mind, people often look for information that is visually appealing and with the technology world moving as quickly as it does, getting information quickly through a visual instead of reading a long article is preferred by many people. This again enhances the message and actually spreads it to more people.

If looking at this from an academic standpoint, then visual multimedia tools help to enable other types of learners. Many people learn best with visuals and thus multimedia tools help those types of learners. This gives them the ability to see the information and allows them to better learn and understand it. This allows the people that are putting out the information the ability to be able to reach other members of their audience with visuals that they may not have been able to reach otherwise.

Certain multimedia techniques are more effective than others. Those that can been used for wider audience are the ones that are more effective. Glogster for example (http://edu.glogster.com/?ref=com) is a very effective multimedia tool because it can present just about any information that a person needs it to (Educational Technology Resources, 2014; Glogster, 2014). Because it is so versatile, it allows for a wide range of use and that is more effective than something like GarageBand (https://www.apple.com/mac/garageband/), which while still useful has a much more specific purpose and thus it cannot necessarily be used by anyone for anything (Apple, 2014; Educational Technology Resources, 2014; Glogster, 2014). Though each of these multimedia tools can enhance a message or enhance learning, because some can be used in more ways than others, some do become more effective than others (Apple, 2014; Educational Technology Resources, 2014; Glogster, 2014). In general, though, multimedia tools help to enhance messages and learning in ways that were almost nonexistent before technology (Educational Technology Resources, 2014).

Resources:

Apple. (2014). Garageband. Retrieved from https://www.apple.com/mac/garageband/

Educational Technology Resources. (2014). Multimedia tools. Retrieved from https://aartechresources.wikispaces.com/Multimedia+Tools

Glogster. (2014). The standard for learning. Retrieved from http://edu.glogster.com/?ref=com

8-2 Blog: Best Practices

http://lucykatecrafts.blogspot.com/

I chose the blog that is linked above because I love crafting, and so I wanted to use a blog that I have looked at in the past (Adams, 2012). This blog is very informative. For crafting purposes, this blog includes writing that is clear and grammatically correct, and the delivery of information, usually in an instructional manner, is always well written and easy to follow (Adams, 2012).

            In my opinion, the best practices to follow when creating a blog are to check three things. One is to check if the writing is something that person would be proud of if others read it. Many people seem to either not understand or not realize that information posted on the Internet can spread to areas that it may not have been intended to go, so it is important that people look at what they are posting, particularly with blogs, and realize that this blog could reach an audience that was not originally intended to see it. If people can look at their blogs and are proud of what they have written and would not mind others reading it, even others they may not be expecting to read it, then it has passed the first of the three things that are important to check for. The blog I chose to look at does this by never posting something that could hurt an audience member (Adams, 2012). Everything she posts could be read by anyone and it wouldn’t be an issue (Adams, 2012).

            The second thing that is important to check for is the intended information. Does the information that is being presented truly represent what the blogger wanted it to? Bloggers should try to read over their post from an outsider’s perspective. Do they still draw the same conclusion that they intended when writing it? If so, then it would pass the second check that I would use. Amy Adam's blog Lucykate Crafts does this by showing step by step instructions with pictures to ensure that her audience gets the message that she wants them to (Adams, 2012).

            Finally, even though bloggers may not be professional journalists, I would suggest checking the Journalist Code of Ethics (Society of Professional Journalists, 2014). The other checks that I mentioned are just informal checks done, but checking the blog post against the code of ethics is a much more formal way to check that what is being posted is in appropriate form, function, and substance (Society of Professional Journalists, 2014). Just because a blog is not technically held up to those ethical standards, does not mean that it cannot or should not be. Bloggers having a code of ethics to rely on, especially one that is perhaps more strict than a general one would be, allows bloggers to have a check over what information they are publishing to the Internet where it can be seen literally by anyone (Burton & Greenstein, 2011; Society of Professional Journalists, 2014). In this blog, Amy never breaks the code of ethics, so she is using good judgment about what she posts (Adams, 2012; Burton & Greenstein, 2011; Society of Professional Journalists, 2014).

References:

Adams, A. (2012). Lucykate crafts. [Weblog] Retrieved from http://lucykatecrafts.blogspot.com/p/about_15.html

Burton, B. & Greenstein, L. (2011, August 28). Food blog code of ethics. Retrieved from http://foodethics.wordpress.com/

Society of Professional Journalists. (2014). SPJ code of ethics. Society of Professional Journalists. Retrieved from http://www.spj.org/ethicscode.asp

Reply to Becky: http://rkearney1.blogspot.com/2014/05/best-practices-for-blogging.html?showComment=1400766850127#c7772436568721442086

You made an excellent point about blogs. They offer readers the opportunity to view work and writings from someone who has experience that the reader may not have. The blog that you wrote about is a good example of this. Do you think that her blog would be as successful if she just posted her own work and did not give advice to others? Do you think that inviting others to learn from a person’s experience is a best practice that every blog should use? It definitely is a way to get an audience to want to read a blog because free advice from someone who has experience is a motivating force. Perhaps with that in mind, it should be a best practice for bloggers to consider using.

After looking over the blog that I chose, I noticed that this blogger also sells her products on her blog, so her practice on her blog is very similar to the one that you wrote about (Adams, 2012). Amy also uses her blog to help others learn new information, but has an area that shows off her talent and that gains her customers (Adams, 2012).

Reference:

Adams, A. (2012). Lucykate crafts. [Weblog] Retrieved from http://lucykatecrafts.blogspot.com/p/about_15.html




Reply to Cathy: http://cathydoherty22.blogspot.com/2014/05/module-8-2-blog-best-practices.html?showComment=1400768073104#c7557611571604182397


While all of your best practice techniques are good ideas, I particularly liked the one mentioning to keep a blog up to date. I complete agree with you. Part of the reason that readers lose interest in blogs is because they are not up to date. In fact, the blog that I chose to analyze has not been updated for a month, and it has been something that has been frustrating for me (Adams, 2012). Readers do not want to constantly keep seeing the same old post when they visit a blog, and although I did not mentioned that in my post, I definitely think that it is something that should be considered a best practice for blogs. How often do you expect posts? I would say at minimum once a week would be ideal. What do you think?

Reference:

Adams, A. (2012). Lucykate crafts. [Weblog] Retrieved from http://lucykatecrafts.blogspot.com/p/about_15.html
 

7-2 Blog: Press Release

Press Release:

Joe Paterno known for being a Pennsylvania State football coach, died from lung cancer at the age of 85.

Joe Paterno was the head coach for the Penn State football team for 46 seasons and lead his teams to more wins “than anyone in major college football” (ESPN.com, 2012). His death brings a close to the “child sex abuse scandal that scarred his reputation” and ultimately caused him to be fired (ESPN.com, 2012). Joe died because of lung cancer at 85 years old.

Joe died while surrounded by family in a hospital at 9:25 a.m. (ESPN.com, 2012). Although he is gone, his accomplishments will live on. He “won 409 games and took the Nittany Lions to 37 bowl games and two national championships” (ESPN.com, 2012). He also had a successful career of sending players to the National Football League (ESPN.com, 2012). He sent “more than 250 of the players he coached... to the NFL” (ESPN.com, 2012). Some have even referred to him as “the greatest football coach in the history of the game” (ESPN.com, 2012). A title that he very much deserved.

Joe Paterno will be remembered for his great accomplishments as a football coach and his ability to turn a college player into a professional football player, a dream for any football player (ESPN.com, 2012). The university he worked at, the people’s lives that he touched, and the football world will miss him (ESPN.com, 2012).

Reference:

ESPN.com. (2012, January 23). Joe Paterno, 85, dies in state college. Retrieved from http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/7489238/joe-paterno-ex-penn-state-nittany-lions-coach-dies-85-2-month-cancer-fight

Facebook Post:

Joe Paterno, a well known man for both being an excellent football coach for Pennsylvania State and for being involved in a “child sex abuse scandal” has passed away from lung cancer (ESPN.com, 2012). He was 85 and had been the head coach for Penn State University for 46 seasons (ESPN.com, 2012). He contributed to the football world by coaching more than “250 players [who] went on to the NFL” (ESPN.com, 2012). His football-coaching career was marked with a “child sex abuse scandal” towards the end of it, but that is not how he should be remembered (ESPN.com, 2012). He will be missed and remembered for his long and successful football-coaching career (ESPN.com, 2012).

Reference:

ESPN.com. (2012, January 23). Joe Paterno, 85, dies in state college. Retrieved from http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/7489238/joe-paterno-ex-penn-state-nittany-lions-coach-dies-85-2-month-cancer-fight

6-2 Blog: Social Media Tools

This blog in itself was one of the Social Media Tools presented on that website (Aids.gov, 2013). I do think that this will, and has, become popular. However, I do think that it will only really be popular with people that truly love to write. Having a blog and updating it frequently is something that takes both time and discipline, which many people do not have. Blogs do have the ability to reach large audiences and effectively communicate information, but again they have to be used frequently and diligently for a blogger to really receive any kind of following. Because of that, I do not think that blogs will be a social media tool that will always be able to reach audiences. Outside of the person that has the blog having to be diligent enough to regularly update his or her blog, the audience of that blogger has to have that same diligence and drive to actually want to read the blog, again something that not many people have the time for. With both of those things being considered, I do not think that blogs will always be able to reach audiences effectively.

Another one of the social tools was photo-sharing websites (Aids.gov, 2013). I have a personal photo sharing website that I have had since I was in high school and that is Photobucket. This is the link http://s5.photobucket.com/user/smilengrl/library/ . Since I have been using this kind of social media tool for the last eight years, it does not seem like a new tool to me, however its popularity does seem to be new. Although this is a tool that clearly has been around for a long time, with the advent of newer social media photo-sharing sites that can instantly share a photo to all of  person’s friends such as Intragram, I do not think that this photo-sharing site will be able to effectively reach audiences. Intragram allows a person to post the photo and in doing so, that person is sharing that photo with his or her friends, which makes it easy to reach audiences. On the other hand, Photobucket has a person upload a photo, and then choose what to do with the photo. While this does provide for more options for a person, it does make it a multiple step process to be able to share those photos with an audience, which is why I do not see it being as effective.

The thought of the ability to instantly share information brings me to my third and final social media tool that I chose to use (Aids.gov, 2013). The third tool that I chose was Twitter. My link to my twitter account is https://twitter.com/KristaHixson11 . Unlike the other two social media tools that I have examined, I do think that Twitter will be able to reach audiences most effectively. Despite the fact that Tweets have to be written in 140 characters or less, it is an easy way to reach audiences because tweets can so easily be shared with others. Furthering that is the fact that unlike blogs and using sites like Photobucket, a person does not need to diligently post nor does a person need to take multiple steps to share what he or she has posted. With technology, work, and home life moving as quickly as it does now-a-days, social media sites that require the least amount of work, the least amount of dedication, and the largest amount of easily sharable information seem like the key to reaching the widest audience the fastest and most effectively (Aids.gov, 2013). Because of the fact that Twitter fits into all of those categories, I think that of the three social media sites that I have tried, it is the one that is most likely to stay around the longest, and it is the one that is most likely to be able to reach a wide audience effectively and quickly.

Reference:

Aids.gov. (2013, July 1). New media tools. Retrieved from http://aids.gov/using-new-media/tools/index.html

3-2 Blog: Unrestricted Web Publishing

A grave and disturbing article was published in The New York Times yesterday titled “Utah Garage Cleaning Turns Up Boxes of Suffocated Infants” (2014). This particular article does not have any sources cited as references at the end of the article, however, that does not stop it from having what do seem to be credible sources through-out the article. Much of what is cited are witnesses or experts (Kovach & Rosenstiel, 2010; Montecino, 1998). The witness are established as being credible because the authors explain how long the witnesses knew the family that lived in the home, and how much they interacted with the family (Dobner & Healy, 2014). Even more credible information is the quotes by one of the experts. The article names a chief of police and quotes him directly (Dobner & Healy, 2014). This created credibility just by the fact that he is a chief of police and thus would seem to have knowledge on this subject (Dobner & Healy, 2014; Kovach & Rosenstiel, 2010). Furthering that, a reader can actually check into the fact that he is actually a chief a police, which allows for more credibility (Dobner & Healy, 2014; Kovach & Rosenstiel, 2010). Finally, the other expert that is quoted is a doctor. He discusses how this type of crime can be caused because of mental illnesses (Dobner & Healy, 2014). The authors establish credibility for this doctor by explaining what his specialty is in and where he works (Dobner & Healy, 2014; Kovach & Rosenstiel, 2010). This gives the audience enough information to feel that they can trust this man’s opinion, and enough information for them to be able to search this and see if this man really does what the authors are claiming (Dobner & Healy, 2014; Kovach & Rosenstiel, 2010). Because of all of this, this article and the sources that it uses seems to be credible (Dobner & Healy, 2014; Kovach & Rosenstiel, 2010).

This article appears to be credible, but what about other articles? What would happen if there was unrestricted web publishing? In many ways it seems like there already is this because of the ability for people to post on blogs. Because of that “anyone, in theory, can publish on the Web” (Montecino, 1998). However, what if this was applied to all websites on the Internet? That would be difficult. It can be hard enough to establish what is fact and what is fiction on the Internet now. Virginia Montecino’s article titled “Criteria to Evaluate the Credibility of WWW Resources (1998) is an entire article written just to help people to be able to distinguish between fact and fiction on the Internet. 

There are currently places with more trustworthy information, for example The New York Times, however if there was completely unrestricted web publishing, then it would be almost impossible to establish what is fact and what is fiction (Kovach & Rosenstiel, 2010; Montecino, 1998). An unrestricted web would cause information that is not fact to spread even further than it can currently, which would cause for an audience of uninformed or misinformed people (Kovach & Rosenstiel, 2010; Montecino, 1998). Most audience members do not currently look into the sources of the information that they read so with unrestricted web publishing, it would be almost impossible for the correct and factual information to reach an audience or actually spread past that audience (Kovach & Rosenstiel, 2010; Montecino, 1998).

Reference:

Dobner, J. & Healy, J. (2014, April 14). Utah garage cleaning turns up boxes of suffocated infants. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/15/us/utah-garage-cleaning-turns-up-boxes-of-suffocated-infants.html?hp

Kovach, B. & Rosenstiel, T. (2010). Blur: How to know what’s true in the age of information overload. New York: Bloomsbury, USA.

Montecino, V. (1998, August). Criteria to evaluate the credibility of WWW resources. Education & Technology Resources. Retrieved from http://mason.gmu.edu/~montecin/web-eval-sites.htm

2-3 Blog: Social Media and Truth

When I was younger, I learned through observation. I learned about life and how to do things through watching my family. As I grew, I still learned through observation, but also from my own actions. I started making my own mistakes and learning from them. Finally now I learn mostly through media outlets (Baran, 2014). Television, social media websites, the Internet all give me must of the information that I learn now (Baran, 2014).

Today I woke up, and while looking at my newsfeed on Facebook, I saw someone post a link about the age of the Moon being revealed (Choi, 2014).  Charles Choi’s article titled Moon’s Age Revealed, and a Lunar Mystery May Be Solved (2014) does seem to be true to me. There are a couple of reasons why it seems to be true to me. The first reason is that there is no real reason that I can see why it would be made up (Kovach & Rosenstiel, 2010). It is not a gossip story that would cause controversy, it is not a story that is speculating information that could lead to a major audience wanting to discuss it, it really is not doing much other than stating information (Kovach & Rosenstiel, 2010). So all of that begs the question that if it is not true, why would it really need to be posted because it is not doing anything to specifically gain an audience in any way or cause controversy (Kovach & Rosenstiel, 2010)? The second reason that I believe it to be true is because the link that my friend on Facebook posted, lead to me to a site that I find to be reliable (Kovach & Rosenstiel, 2010). This article is posted on Yahoo.com, which, for me, has been a consistently reliable source of information, so that also contributes to me believing this.

I definitely think that at times social media sites can be reliable for obtaining credible information. If for no other reason, the odds are definitely against social media sites always posting not credible information. But beside that, people are the ones that are posting on the social media sites, so it is actually up to the people whether they post credible information or not (Kovach & Rosenstiel, 2010). I had to scroll through two other links that my friends on Facebook posted before I found one that I found to be credible. The other ones were scandalous, and for me did not seem to be true. Both of the other posts seemed to be trying to cause controversy, and even admitted to speculating most of the information in the article (Kovach & Rosenstiel, 2010). Because of that, I could not find a way to defend that they were true, so I had to scroll some more until I found one that I could see as being credible.

Because of this, social media sites can be reliable for credible information, if the people that are posting that information are reliable for posting credible information (Kovach & Rosenstiel, 2010). If those people are not, then, in turn, the social media sites are not (Kovach & Rosenstiel, 2010).

Reference:

Baran, S. J. (2014) Introduction to mass communication: Media literacy and culture. (8th ed.) New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

Choi, C. Q. (2014, April 2). Moon’s Age Revealed, and a Lunar Mystery May Be Solved. Space.com. Retrieved from http://news.yahoo.com/moons-age-revealed-lunar-mystery-may-solved-172146898.html

Kovach, B. & Rosenstiel, T. (2010). Blur: How to know what’s true in the age of information overload. New York: Bloomsbury, USA.

1-5 Blog: Influence of the Media

There are many forms of new media that I use daily. I use my phone, my computer, the Internet, and Facebook all daily. Because of that, social media has influenced my perspective of events because it has given me the ability to learn things so quickly. Things like Twitter have created a world where I can get information about events the minute that they are occurring, something that never could happen in the past (Baran, 2014). Newspapers used to report information days later, and now information can be posted minutes later (Baran, 2014; Kovach & Rosenstiel, 2010).

Is this a positive thing? I can honestly see both sides of this question. It is a positive thing in the fact that information can be spread so much faster (Baran, 2014; Bauder, 2011; Farhi, 2012). It has created a wider audience for information, which I think is good and important (Baran, 2014; Kovach & Rosenstiel, 2010). People should be able to be informed of things, and the vast majority of people are now able to get information (Kovach & Rosenstiel, 2010). All of that is a positive influence in how social media has influenced people’s perspective of events.

On the other hand, though, because information can spread so quickly now, it is hard to know what is true and what is not true (Baran, 2014; Weinberger, 2012). Furthermore, because people want to be the first to post new information, sometimes that information can be biased and the audience may not realize or even notice that (Baran, 2014). To me, that is a negative thing. When information was more controlled, although it may have reached a smaller audience, it was reported in a less biased manner and was also correct (Kovach & Rosenstiel, 2010). With all of the competition to be the first one to report information, sometimes what is reported is incorrect, and because of social media, that incorrect information can spread quickly to a wide audience (Baran, 2014; Bauder, 2011; Farhi, 2012). That is a major negative aspect of the influences of social media.

So overall does the positive outweigh the negative? In my opinion it does because people should be able to get information faster. Furthering that, the negative aspects that I mentioned could be fixed. None of those issues are things that have to occur, they are just a result of the need to be the first to announce information, and so they could be corrected (Baran, 2014; Bauder, 2011; Farhi, 2012). Will they be? The answer, unfortunately, is probably not because the competition for being the first to have information is only going to grow, but that does not mean that it cannot happen (Baran, 2014; Bauder, 2011; Farhi, 2012).

Reference:

Baran, S. J. (2014). Introduction to mass communication: Media literacy and culture. (8^th ed.) New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

Bauder, D. (2011, January 9). Media outlets apologize after falsely reporting Giffords’ death. Associated Press. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/10/media-outlets-apologize-a_n_806603.html

Farhi, P. (2012, December 18). Media too quick to fill in the gaps in story of school shooting in Newtown, Conn. The Washington Post. Retrieved from http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/media-too-quick-to-fill-in-the-gaps-in-story-of-school-shooting-in-newtown-conn/2012/12/18/368ae690-4959-11e2-ad54-580638ede391_story.html

Kovach, B. & Rosenstiel, T. (2010). Blur: How to know what’s true in the age of information overload. New York: Bloomsbury, USA.

Weinberger, D. (2012, February 17). The changing nature of knowledge in the Internet age [Interview by B. Gladstone]. Retrieved from http://www.onthemedia.org/story/187775-changing-nature-knowledge-internet-age/transcript/