Reading, Writing, Thinking

When is it too much?

2006-09-11T18:13:00.000-08:00

I realize the 5th anniversary of Sept 11th is huge but at what point do we as American's chose to look away because it is too much. I cried today as much as I did the day it happened because the media bombarded me with reoccurring images, stories to make me relive that moment. Yes I chose to look away. I chose to turn the TV off, radio off and not allow those images in anymore but at what point is the media doing psychological damage to people?

I had to explain to my five year old that bad men killed a bunch of people. I tried to avoid it as best I could but it couldn't be avoided. She didn't recognize what they were saying but instead their somberness. Saying to me, "Mom why are they all so sad." I said, "honey 9/11 is a sad day for our country." Of the whys followed. I was leery of how much was too much so I said, "some bad men did a very bad thing."

Than I worry am I feeding her the truths, or just the truths as I know them? Yes I believe 9/11 happened, that is not what I mean but I believe the terrorist believe their own truths just as I believe my own. My daughter can't understand that though. Terrorism is a hard thing to define because some could say it is feminist nazi's (doesn't that imply some sort of terrorism) or mormons. I realize it is the fundamentalist sector that is walking a slippery slope in definition but my daughter doesn't understand fundamentalist. She would only hear muslim or islamist. Neither of which means terrorist. Unfortunately like it or not these are the types of things we as parents have to face.

Her comment to Kyle while I was in class tonight was, "do those bad men know they were bad and they made every one sad?" One could say the same about our country right now, could they not? I just don't know where I stand on this issue anymore.

Instead I turned the media off, I blocked it out. I feel lied too, I feel sad and the need to do something, I wonder if we have done too much. I feel left, right, center and confused. I feel pulled in every direction so that truth is skewed beyond my own eyes. How am I to explain to her what I don't even know? I can't.

I am sad. I had some small connection to 9/11, through this very screen I write on. I often wonder if Liat and Sapir have moved on with out Shai? How their lives are. I send them the most positive vibes I could possibly muster and I hope for the best. I hate to think of the coincidence of moving from Israel to escape violence and finding here in the worst attack on our nature in a long time.

I need a disconnect because it was that very turn of events for me that thrust me into the adulthood of politics and being worried for we are as a nation. Things feel out of control for me and I am tired of hearing everyone's version of what is right or wrong. I just want it be better. If that is even possible.

Are you who you say you are?

2006-09-02T07:55:00.000-08:00

You are in a large room and in that room are placed two circles mapped out by rope, rope like you would find in gym class. The first titled A and second titled B. You have to find your way to A, how do you go about it? Jump, run, hop like a bunny? Everyone can easily fit in this circle. Once there try and strike a pose with your body with the way you believe others see you. This hard to do and I imagine you will be looking at others for direction, but that is upto you.

The trick is finding your way to the next circle where there is less room. How do you go about finding your way there? Same as last time, a little quicker? You decide. Once there pose your body in a way you believe to see yourself. Look around if you feel the need.

Once you complete the task....you see a woman on the sidelines, having never participated at all. What do you think of here? Let this imitate your life and tell me what it means to you.
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My own perception when I heard this story was I want to be different. I want to do what others are not. I would make the leaps from each circle without the consolation of everyone else and without a second thought. I did struggle with how I believe others see me and I believe that it told something of bad self esteem because all I could think of was to make myself look like the girl from Willie Wonka and the chocolate factory who ate the blueberry gum and blows up. I imagined that how others saw me.

The bigger struggle though was the second circle and how to strike a pose to represent the way I see myself because...the blueberry girl comes to mind. So if I think that of myself is that what others see? Do you own Freudian homework on that one. Than I realized as looking at the girl standing on the side. I was envious of her. She thought enough to not even participate. Why participate in something so silly I thought? Who cares how others see me, it is about how I see myself. I wanted to be her. Not get caught up in what I am supposed to do but instead what I wanted to do. Stand on the side and be okay with it.

This is an exercise we did in my Composing the Self Class where we are forced to come up with our own Master Narrative. The story of what about us is us and what about us is what others say is us. It is a thinker of a class and a new way for me to explore some creative writing of which I don't do much of. It is crossed with women's studies so I am confronting the issues I set for myself and my girls by the images I portray to society without even speaking.

I hope to soon be the woman refusing to let society define and shape who I am but allow myself to chose how society shapes me as a woman and a writer.

Is it Insane in the membrane?

2006-08-23T19:02:00.000-08:00

I am overwhelmed, as I am at the start of every semester. I have four classes this semester.

Adv. Shakespeare
Women's Life Narratives
Composing the Self
Adv. Non-Fiction Writing

I write those not for you to oooohhh and ahhh all over me but so I can show you the very different sides of my brain that are used for these classes. My creative writing classes fall on the same day and my literature classes fall on the opposite day so I literally spend all week switching gears back and forth.

You would think with the writing ones I would be pleased as it is writing but as I believe I have said, they are forcing me to think way outside of my logical and rational box. Not to suggest creative writing isn't such, just to say for me, it is different. At the end I know it will be worth it but it was a requirement for me to take a 400 level course of writing to expand my brain and well here I is. What great grammar from an english major right?

The creative process of writing in these classes closely resembles the therapy sessions I had for my OCD. I had to think hard and long and a lot. Justifying every thought, action and inaction. I leave there feeling emotionally drained but so creative.

I knew I was a feminist, I always have. However two of my classes this semester are cross referenced with Women's Studies and it is only cementing the ideas I already had in place.

I love the college process but I am ready for the next level: to be a grad. To continue smartening up and honing in on what I love. Literature and writing.

Showing A Vlog

2006-08-16T19:17:00.000-08:00

In my second attempt....here is Vlog # 2

Wednesday, August 16, 2006

On Break

2006-08-08T09:05:00.000-08:00

I am currently on break from school which means I am on break from this blog. Will be back soon.

I am sorry I have to disagree.

2006-07-30T09:47:00.000-08:00

I was catching up with all my J492 classmates blogs and Hugh has said something that struck me as interesting. His idea that blogs aren't that revelent and are really on the low end of the stick in comparison with journalism. I am sure he assumed I would disagree because if you know me in the blogging world at all (of which you all do) you know I support it, agree to it importance in our journalism media forum and love the way it is taking things in relation to news.

Of course I can only speak of which I know and that is Mommy Blogging. I have been a "mommy blogger" (though I hate that word) for 5 almost 6 years now and I have seen several others make a living out of it and they aren't considered the equivalent to ad writing as Hugh stated. In fact this very weekend there is a blogging conference going on called BlogHer for women in blogging. Women of walks of life who blog and the speakers at the conference are women who actually make money at it. Money to pay bills, to bring their spouses home and work outside the home.

One instance that stands out to me is that of Dooce. Who I believe I have spoke of before. She was fired or as the term has now been placed, "Dooced" for blogging about her job. She turned her blog into her hobby and she is such a successful blogger her blog pays for her husband and herself to work only for her blog. Her ad space, her readers they are the one that generate her salary. She had to brand it through copy righting, a lawyer and has to define what she sells. She has to worry about satisfying her advertisers and their dollars. It is just like a business and she has a brand that she sells. She speaks at conferences, writes for several online magazines and understands the business side of blogging and has made it work for her family. She is like a rockstar of the mommy blogging world. Don't believe me take a look around the forums at the BlogHer page. People are always ohhhh and awwww over "I got to meet Heather".

However her story is one of many, blogging is going new places and others are recognizing that. Another story is that of Lindsey who had a dream to write some of her blog entries for a local paper in her town, Nashville Scene. She did it and is paid to do it now.

The thing is I understand Hugh's argument because I have had the conversation before of telling others what it is I do on the internet and they always say, "You what?" I say, "I blog". It is a new concept with new ideas for a society that doesn't embrace change. The thing is, society is ever changing and it seeps into our world. Just as the internet has, I believe, blogs will become accepted as a every day form of entertainment and news.

Here's what bothers me....

2006-07-20T17:05:00.000-08:00

I agree with what the poster "Honest Response" had to say in response to Washington Post's Article "Ben Domenech Resigns:

"Is not being "aware of allegations" the same as not being aware of the facts?"

Isn't our jobs as journalists (writers, etc.) to work in truth and let the readers/listeners/audience decide? So I agree with Honest response that Washington Post showed a few glimpses of poor judgment. One is hiring someone who clearly represents a certain point of view when the other points of view are not explore. The second is checking into this guy. Checking his work. Don't assume his previous bosses did it. Treat his previous stories like you would one he wrote for you or in my opinion that says very little about editorial process. I understand sometimes these things get through but with a paper like the Washington Post these sorts of these cannot happen in my opinion. The whole stinks. The right wingers were happy, the left wingers were mad. In news today it is hard to find cold hard fact without the journalist or corporations bias either of a personal nature or a synergetic (not sure if this is a word but I am referring to synergy) nature. It is frustrating at best.

Plagiarism in any form or adaptation should not be accepted. However, I believe some of the lines of plagiarism are murky. Is it stealing someone's words if you use their idea? Or is plagiarism blantant disregard for others words and your own? Credibility though is the key to connecting with your audience and if you lose that credibility it is slow stead slide down hill as we saw with the whole RatherGate Debacle. However to have journalistic integrity it is imperative to report your facts as true as you can possibly get.

In blogging it is too easy to steal someone's words. In fact I remember I was reading a blog last spring that inspired me to writing something. She had this one line that just spoke to me. It still does:

"Let it be a blessing as I take a breath."

It inspired in me a lengthy meaningful essay and allowed me to describe something that I had been unable to describe at all. I struggled though with the idea that she wrote the line. Yes it spurned my thoughts but they were her words. I asked her permission, not because I was sure I had to but because it felt right to me. At the end as well I gave credit to her. It was important to maintain the integrity of my own writing to myself that I not take claim for the very meaning of my essay.

There really is no excuse for plagiarism to satisfy me. Write your own work and claim it and than you never have to worry. In fact, I know I am out of the norm but I love to write research papers and every semester, every class you get the stern warning. I often wonder if that happens (which I am sure it does) and how stupid it is. You are risking your life and your career. I say "no thanks".

My Internship Blog

2006-07-19T18:41:00.000-08:00

My link to my new internship blog is as follows:

http://ipfwswritingprogramblog.blogspot.com/

I arrived at this name for the obvious reason. As I said previously this week the purpose of this blog to bring together an interactive community of writers who like technology and want to use it to explore multiple literacies (to quote Worth). I would like to see it as a meeting place for those who use the technology and those who can help or at least direct those who don't use it in the right direction.

As well I have some projects I am working on with Worth concerning WebCT. Those are likely the first few posts that will be addressed after the initial formal posts, in the coming days. It is a new project that the direction is going to be determined as it moves along.

I like the idea Hugh left me in my comments section to my previous posts about it being something like OWL for Purdue. A site that has been my virtual go to for any college writing I have done. At first thought after reading his comment I felt worried than I calmed down. I like the style that OWL recently switched over to last fall (I believe) which is blog style format. Similar to what we are all trying to accomplish for our internships, so, the direction is definitely similar. It will be more developed after we dive in and see where it is headed.

All I can say is I am super excited and I hope others will use it and benefit from it and add to it as I would have had it been offered when this whole college experience started for myself. Of course I will use it once it is up because I love stuff like this. I am looking forward to feedback from Worth and of course all of you.

A unique audience

2006-07-16T18:53:00.000-08:00

My audience in a nutshell will be all of you, the students of IPFW. The ones who have come to pass or are passing through the writing program at IPFW. I want to create a place where the IPFW writing program student can come and discuss issues, fears, frustrations or their knowledge on the use of the writing program, WebCT for the writing program and how to use campus resources to their benefits. It is to be seen as a "no holds barred" type of discussion where a student isn't necessarily condemned or sent to the help desk for not understanding a technological concept within the classroom via the web or the use of it.

My audience ideally would be seeking out information on how to better use these types of things to further their education at IPFW or to give aid to those who are seeking it. I see it mainly as a resource to each student passing through this program.

I believe students want to see a site like this because the endless maze to the help desk is often timely when assignments are not. How many times have you struggled with an WebCT issue that was an easy fix but turned in a late assignment because you were waiting on the helpdesk to reply to email or a call.

My audience would be both the question asker and the question answer and the site would provide a virtual rolling faq machine where a student could look up an answer. I believe audience is unique because to be successful it requires student participation. I can post topics that I have ran into and come across in my 4 years of schooling but that will only get me so far. In order for it to succeed and to be of a resource to others, others have to become involved.

That will obviously be addressed in my marketing plan for this internship. I am excited to see where this project goes because I know I can and could have used it all those years ago. I remember when WebCT was not near what it is today.

Introduction for now.

2006-07-16T18:47:00.000-08:00

The introduction as I have it written now for my white paper is as follows;

Several students of Indiana University Purdue University come in contact with, at one time or another, the use of WebCT for a class within the Writing Program. Some feel immediately lost at the idea of having an online classroom and others excel immediately at it and understand its place within the classroom.

The purpose of this blog is to try and unite both sides in a common area (the blog) to discuss ways that will make it an easier transition to those students who aren’t familiar or comfortable with an online classroom. It will also serve as a meeting place for students who enjoy adding the technological element to their writing. It will contain information on how to get the unfamiliar student more acclimated to use of campus technology. It will provide an outlet not previously explored in using other students via the web to get through technical issues instead of calling Profs or the help desk.

2006-07-16T18:37:00.000-08:00

Now this one took me most of the week to put together. Part of the reason is I am not sure I was totally understanding the term white paper. Now I have mastered it and think I am headed in the right direction. Worth or others, I think you redirect me if I am not.

Table of Contents

Abstract i
Contents ii
Introduction 1
Audience (definition of) 2
Website 3
Benefits & Goals 3
Marketing Plan 3
Weblog 4
Benefits & Goals 4
Marketing Plan 4
Resources 5
Other Websites 6
Technology Links 6
IPFW Links 6
Other Affliated IPFW Blogs 6
Weblog Host 7
End of Duty 7
Handoff 7
Ideas and Issues 8
Conclusion 9

I apologize right up front for the spacing issues because the cut and paste from Word messed that up. However I believe my idea for this is appropriately addressed.

My first vlog ever!

2006-07-16T16:24:00.000-08:00

Sunday, July 16, 2006

I am having a go at vlogging, I have talked about wanting to do it and well I finally bit the bullet and gave it a shot. Vlogging is unique as it gives people a perspective into your life.

The previous video of my daughters doesn't technically qualify as a vlog because their was no facial documentation to go with it. However they were made to record a moment, not necessarily for the blogging world. However this post or video is actually made with the intention to go with this post. Therefore it is an official vlog.

I chose dropshots to do this and it is an entirely free service and you can buy their premium service as well with more space. The nice part about drop shots is they give you all the coding so very little coding is required by you. I also like it because they allow you to download a desktop piece that sits there waiting for your video and you just drag it over when you are ready to upload it to their site. Once uploaded your video is given an url with your account name on it.

I will say if anyone makes fun of the picture that dropshots chose to use for the intro up there I will have to leave hate mail on your blogs. I am not sure why they chose the still of my mouth wide open but oh well. It was my 6th attempt at not sounding like a dork and I was ready to be done with it.

I will say the coding isn't fully compatible with blogger because the blog coding they gave you should have the ability to view it right within my post but when I inserted the html coding it told me it was broken and I could not find the break. On my typepad blog I am able to just cut and paste the code and there is no struggle there. This way you are actually given the vlogs I have made for the day. So simply put, it works and you get the point.

Edited to add later: I agree with Doug on the idea of professionalism. However, on this particular one I am playing with the technology and it is obvious this type of laid back approach may not work for my internship blog. Thanks for the tip.

Maybe I am not the only one a little lost?

2006-07-09T17:19:00.000-08:00

All right I know sometimes in my craziness I can get a little lost on instruction but I have re-read the instructions for blog # 3 for this week on a follow up to a letter from last week. I am not sure what letter we are following up on but I will assume it was our letter to our possible business for internship.

As I posted a week or so ago the direction I was headed with my internship blog was unclear and Worth and I brain stormed about the direction I was headed. After that we came up with a different direction in which I will be creating a blog to give students within the writing program a place to commune for discussion on technical issues and having resources at their finger tips to aid in their writing at IPFW. Professors teaching these classes will also have access to it as well and that needs to be kept in mind. I will also be working with a module on WebCT giving student insight on maneuvering it and this will work in correlation with my blog.

I am very excited by the opportunity as I have been a student involved with the writing program for most of college career and I intend on continuing it into my Masters degree. As the project begins I am eager to watch where it goes.

C'mon, Don't break the law.

2006-07-09T16:00:00.000-08:00

Since it is a blog and the web it can sometimes hold the misconception that the rules that apply to print journalism may not be the same. People may be a little more free with their words, their writing and their opinions. All of which may land them somewhere they never intended to go when the blog originated. In the article, Watch your Weblog, it discusses the very idea of how webloggers need to protect themselves and how businesses need to protect themselves. In my own blog I think it is important to remember I am writing in the field of academia and to hopefully better a program and the students ease of use of it. Adding a lot more of my own opinion besides the opinions will be wasted and not beneficial to the project I have picked. This article, though it isn't mainstreamed to my own internship blog it, carries valuable information that applies to almost any business blog. That being said though I think most of it is common sense but I realize some people might not understand. Maintain a professional approach on all topics and keep the integrity of the business you are representing in mind.

Again I feel like Charlene Li's common sense approach to a business blog is one that any blogger should have and maintain. It is setting up an idea or the goals of the blogs so readers know what to expect and so that you as the writer know what lines to follow. It also states something that I feel is very important to protect both those of the company you represent and you yourself and that is the expressed idea that what is said in the blog doesn't necessarily represent the business it is speaking for. This is an odd concept but I understand its importance in the business world on a blog.

In the article, Free Speech, in the Washington Post, again it has the sort of writer beware approach and gives the examples of those that have been bit by the legal bug in their blogs. People that posted about a business or the people in the business and it came back to bite them. Since this is uncharted terroritory companies are coming up with the rules and writers of the blog are trying to figure them out, hopefully before it is too late. What I found interesting is I just went to google and typed in "fired because of my blog" and I was amazed at some of the sites that came back. One of the most interesting ones was the this site, Blogger, actually has a blog dedicated to not getting fired because of your blog. Other interesting sites on this topic are;

List of Fired Bloggers
How to get fired for your blog-An Approach she says will shoot up your sitemeter numbers equaling good marketing.
A Fall from Grace-This story was an amazing one on how a journalist lost his complete credibility all because of one silly comment. Even making the mention that if he has just pressed the delete key as he thought maybe he should have, his career would not have been destroyed.

What I think it most importantly comes down to is using common sense, if your gut is screaming maybe I shouldn't write this, than you probably shouldn't. If it isn't and you aren't sure, ask someone else. If no one else is around don't. If it doesn't but someone becomes offended or a problem comes up, correct it as quickly as possible. What you think is okay and what others think is okay are generally different. I think it is important to write with that in mind. In a business blog it is my opinion that there is no room for judgment be clear and simple.

In my own internship blog I understand my readership will be a bit more limited and I need to write with that in mind. It won't be the place to spout my opinion on the use of WebCT or how the writing program at IPFW is horrible (which I don't think by the way but I am giving a hypothetical). My goal in mind is to give an insight as a student to the writing program making it as simple and easy to understand as possible and hoping to connect with other students who can and want to offer the same.

Editing and the Importance

2006-07-09T15:21:00.000-08:00

In chapter 6 of Web Journalism Practice of a New Medium the main topic of editing is discussed and how it pertains to the web. Stovall seems to take the stance that editing is even more meaningful as it is on the web because presentation is everything when concerning the web. I agree with this idea because as Worth has pointed out to me and I hadn't realized the way a person views your site and trusts what you reads determines if they will return or not.

Stovall and myself agree as well that information that is presented needs to be up to date, accurate and presented in a journalistic manner so that the audience can trust you as the source building a loyalty. As web writers we also have the ability to have a little more leeway in our interaction with our audience by providing hypertext links and the such. The audience isn't forced to read it as they would be in print. Instead they can click the link to verify the facts or move on. This allow the reader a bit of freedom that is not presented on a print basis.

It is important I think to maintain a pattern of hypertext linking, because on a business blog it allows a build up for credibility if the writer always presents the text links in the same manner and a manner that the reader can rely on. It is also important to understand the amount and type of hypertext linking your audience wants and will appreciate. It builds a repore with the reader that is pivotal to the reader/writer relationship.

This maintains the standards and builds credibility which is a journalist best asset in my opinion. Stovall agrees when he says, "A reputation for accuracy is a news organization's most valuable resource". It builds a great foundation for trust and interaction between reader and writer and allows for credibility among its peers. Which holds even more credibility because of the webs newness it is often second guess so really it allows no room for errors.

Even errors of the simplest kind can reflect badly on a website, such as spelling, grammar and getting names and dates wrong. It is very important to make sure you double check and triple check those sorts of things because one live you run the risk of losing credibility, readers and maybe even legal troubles. Understanding the importance of your information down to the smallest detail is very important.

Such as headlines, your tones and opinions, repetition and so on. Stovall thinks it is important to give equal importance to all of these things as do I. It is important to me as a reader to know what the story is by the headline. I myself struggle with that a lot on my own site. Sometimes in the personal blogging world titles are better appreciated and recognized if they are original and you have to think to associate them to the actual post. I struggle with that concept because how do you know if you want to read something if your headlines doesn't even say what it is about.

As the writer and editor is important to get accurate information, know how to use it in a manner that is understandable to your audience and build up a credibility that will eventually maintain a loyalty of readers.

Here to stay!

2006-07-02T16:59:00.000-08:00

I am in the "here to stay" camp. I believe they will be an evolving process but that they will continue as a means of communication and writing. They are becoming far too predominant in my opinion not to but where they will go or are headed is up in the air and likely will change daily. The Christian Science Monitor has a great article up about whether blogging is here to stay. They compared it with the likes of an iceberg where it is gaining speed and momentum but no one knows when or for how long or if it will just eventually melt into nothing. While I understand the concept I don't agree with the idea they will melt into nothing. They have far too much influence, I believe, to just disengrate. A professor at Wharton made the bold claim that, "this is not a fad...It is the rise of Amateur Content". Just like anything that is debatable there are two sides. Some say it will last, some say it won't and something will come along to take its place.

What I think mainstream journalism needs to look at and provide more and could learn from blogging is the more personal approach to the news. I believe this can be achieved by making the writer, anchor more approachable by their audience. It gives the audience a feel that feel a part of the news. The reason I think political blogs get so much attention is because the writers and commenters feel more in control of the situation and if you correspond on a political blog of say your mayor and they respond to that in their postings that moves the audience into the story and gives them a voice they would not have normally had.

This could be positive for a business because it makes the business itself seem more approachable. If a consumer were to stop by a company blog and ask even a technical question about the site itself and they answered that person in a manner that wasn't a cheap one answer fits all approach that customer will walk away feeling satisfied that their needs were being tended too. Again I brought back to how this could be a positive influence in the realm of politics because making a personal contact with a voter is never a bad thing.

However, there is the negative side to that could have a crazy man who is determined to get his ideals out and shove them in the politicians face and that sort of thing I don't believe should be responded too. In fact ignoring it or deleting it is what I would do. The truth remains however that blogs are heavily in the mainstream right now. They may be a fad but they are current just as a record player was and the carbon sheets to make copies. If it passes it passes and society will move onto something else as it always does.

Networking is the key.

2006-07-02T15:49:00.000-08:00

The idea of using a blog for a business is still fairly new and only in its developing stages but what is the motivation to make it successful is the idea of setting out to do "something". Something can carry so many weighty definitions but what it means to me is coming up with your idea and goal in mind and getting yours heels to the ground so to speak. Part of that is determining how you get from where you are starting and where you want to be which involves an idea for marketing. All of the articles that we were linked to this week had three things in common:

Know Your Audience
Have a goal
Make Connections

All three are very revelent to both what we have read up until this point and I am sure as we move past it. As bloggers we need to understand that having a blog is being a part of something much bigger and by making a goal for the future with where you want to head with your blog, finding your blogs voice and beginning to attract a steady stream of visitors that it will begin to find its niche in the blogosphere.

As a business blog it is important to make sure to convey the ideas and principles of the business the blog represents and than make sure they are easily accessible to all who will view it. For instance on an personal blog typically if you want to know more about the blog you might look in featured posts or the "About Me" page. It is also important to set the tone for what the blog will represent for the business. If it is an information vehicle or a place to spread the companies ideas and innovations. Once those things are determined you need to go about getting a way to get it out to their customer base. This can be done through an account pull and than sending out a newsletter and introduction to the blog via email or hard copy. Once that is established it is important to begin to make connections with others whether it is individuals or businesses. People can connect you to other people, using the idea of networking. If you want to expand further you can purchase databases that tell them about the business. When I was working for Delta I did this quite often for Kraftmaid cabinetry, introducing their product to Mom and Pop Cabinet Companies that may not have thought they serviced anyone but the big guys.

The most important aspect though that I can come up with reading these articles and keeping my own personal blog is keeping the blog fresh, meaning new material pretty regularly and also making connections with others and building a community.

Save the Internet!

2006-07-02T15:18:00.000-08:00

This chapter made me immediately think of this because the idea of "payola" and the idea of synergy running the internet instead of the users of the internet. Synergy for those of you who don't know is defined by dictionary.com as:

"The interaction of two or more agents or forces so that their combined effect is greater than the sum of their individual effects."

What this means is our ISP services would decide what we look at and how we look at it by controlling the speed at which we see things. Essentially in an example given by the site if Napster paid more to your ISP provider you would be quickly connected with them even though you may use Itunes. Itunes would connect at an alarmingly low rate. So there would be different speed lanes on the information super highway and your ISP is driving. This is a form of "payola" as defined in Chapter 12 because the ISP provider is thinking more about the all mighty dollar than the customer they are serving.

I think it is important to us as future business people we not only act against these sorts of controls by companies but that we understand how to handle it if it were to happen. The internet, though it has been around for a while, is still very much a kiddling and people are only now beginning to understand and come up with ways to control and make money off of it. It won't likely go away but these sorts of "ideas" of restrictions are only beginning.

The obvious idea portrayed in Chapter 12 is the idea of decency and professionalism on the web. There are a few reasons for this need, but, as it pertains to us I believe it goes without saying that it is important as a business blog you maintain a sense of professionalism and decency. If lines are crossed that effect the business possible consequences can be faced. As a business blogger you are blogging for the business not for yourself and by keeping that in mind the less the risk of crossing a "no-no" line.

Words are everything...

2006-07-02T14:47:00.000-08:00

Tying into my very own post yesterday about customer service, words are everything, the carry the weight of gold and the meaning or lack of meaning that we as humans understand. I was irritated that they treated the other patrons so poorly and that some never even bothered to utter a word. They lack of words or use of words managed to irritate me enough to contact someone. The affect of words on our lives is huge. To quote chapter 5;

"Words have power beyond measure. They convey ideas and information that can change lives." If you are looking" (page 72).

Starting a blog you typically do it with the intention of having an audience and your goal in the long run is to effect them enough to do something. Whatever that something is up to you the writer and to your audience. Words are the vehicle for that interaction. In doing so things have to be kept in mind like audience, tone, design, spelling, grammar and the list could likely continue on. The important aspect I think is realizing who and what you are writing for. In my blog I have had for the last 6 years (through various blog services) I have understood who I was writing for. In the beginning I was with other young mothers and women trying to have children, eventually that changed to parenting and now it is likely clumped into the category of borderline veteran mom trying to just work it all peacefully.

As time has gone on though I have grown more as a writer and realized more of what my audience wants to read. They like my sentimental side and that I find the good in a situation, no matter how boring or bad and when they come to my blog that is what they are looking for. So generally every post I have, has a good and happy ending. I begin to resent, however, that that is what represents me. The sappy sweet Momma who always has the icing on the cake. That isn't me but truth of the matter is, I have to write for my audience or they won't read. Those that follow me want that. If I go political or cynical they lose interest quickly.

I think what Chapter 5 tries to convey is the same thing that is important in journalism; by keeping your audience and the relevance to them in mind in your writing. The audience is who you are writing for. They want something nice to look at, to the point and easy to understand. It is a bonus if it is relatable and even maybe a requirement in the blogosphere. It is hard to always write with that in mind but once there is a following they come to expect it just as they would out of their daily newspaper. As bloggers especially in a business blog we have to understand the audience and cater to it.

What's my money worth?

2006-07-01T05:13:00.000-08:00

Not sure how many of you know this but I was a Customer Account Rep for Delta Faucet for the Display and Literature Division. I handled several large accounts such as Kraftmaid, Behr Paints and Delta. We were an elite printing company specifically at the hands of Masco Companies and my job was to be a customer go between between my bosses and these companies. I coordinated the display materials you see in Menards, Home Depot and Lowes as well as all the printing brochures you see at these stores. We also printed the lovely paint chips that Behr has at Home Depot for you to take home and sample against the wall. I was also in charge of all tradeshow materials including the displays themselves along with literature, tradeshows all over the world. It was a cool job and I got to work some truly exceptional and successful people that I still hold in my contact book today. There was this amazing thing though that I feel I heralded a bit differently than I think most in the service industry and that is customer service. My customer was always right and always first (in the workplace). Having this background makes me slighted against today's service industry. I can also be sympathetic to the job because it is hard to always be a person or companies beckon call but if you understand your role I truly believe in most circumstances the end result is positive. Most of the time my job was just to ensure my customer they were going to get what they were paying for. Isn't that all a customer really wants in the end? It is simple concept I think so few actually grasp. They are more resentful that they are on the servicing end of a person. So yesterday at the Zoo we bought our yearly membership of which out of our budget is a big deal. Maybe another measly 63.00$ to them but to me and my one income family that is a great sacrifice. As I am filling out the paper work a larger woman comments to her co-worker of how fat and nasty (Her words) a customer was. A woman who was equally the size of the woman she is discussing. They continue on with this conversation in ways that offended me but both never even acknowledge that I, a customer, was standing right there. Never Thank you. Never welcome. Never explanation of the positive side to being a Zoo contributor as they call it. Luckily I was sold before I got there or it would have been a no go. So I walk away thinking oh well, I guess they are unhappy they have to sit out in front of the zoo in chairs under a tent and cater to those who pay their salary. We move on into the Zoo and the attitude was astounding. It continued and I can say I say no smiles of any sort by any Zoo worker. I heard no Thank Yous as I shelled out dollar after dollar for each ride my children wanted to go on. I saw some grimaces and some scolding of my children for stepping beyond that dreaded yellow line because a yellow spray painted line means so much to them. After the day was said and done I had easily spent 100$ and I was treated as if I were a burden to them. The more I thought about it the more I was irritated and the more irritated I got the more I felt I needed to do something about it. So I called and made my voice known. I am funny like that. My customers wouldn't have thought twice if they thought I wasn't doing my job to call my boss. In fact it did happen. While pregnant some of my marbles fell out and I dropped the ball unintentionally on some things and well I needed to be called on it and I was. They are paying good money, just as I was at the Zoo. The sad thing is this blemish is one of many in the customer service industry. Today's economy as is any economy, money is tight. When you spend it on something you want the best and expect it. It isn't being delivered as far as I can see. Instead the consumer seems to be at the mercy of a workforce that is struggling with their own issues that I don't think I can identify. As a consumer though I am making the conscious effort to demand better.

An Interesting Tidbit

2006-06-29T19:50:00.000-08:00

In class the other day we discussed the idea of stalking and I had brought about several stalking incidents that I had had. Three instances but one was far more serious the other two and has a story that should probably be told as a cautionary tale. As I have said I blogged back when it was called journal. I blogged on the Labor of Love which was a site ran through Amazing Pregnancy starting in September of 2000. Their was an infamous stalker there who would make herself known in anonymous ways. She only targeted a few of us and would do so in ways she was virtually untraceable because as I found out there is a loop hole that AOL users benefit from and that IP addresses that consistantly change making them harder to track and trace. The girl went around saying hateful hurtful things such as people kids were ugly. Telling me even a few times my daughter look retarded because of an issue she had. She had craniosyntesis other wise known as flat head. Of course as a new and first time mom I was devestated. She found that as a weak point in me and worked it to the core. Sending dozens of emails, sometimes 20 to 30 in a day. She would also steal pictures of our children and claim them as her own on other website, faking pregnancies and babies and making us her friends with alias names only to find out it was her again. The owner of the site tried every avenue to protect us and couldn't. She eventually cornered about four of us and found our addresses and phone numbers via the web. Apparently all phonebook information is loaded onto the internet unless you ask it not too. My husband and I got a completely unlisted number after she started calling. Thankfully for me it all stopped at that point. She called twice. That was it. Both times telling me I was an attention whore for my journal among other things that aren't worth repeating. It got worse for several of the others than it ever did me though at the time I remember feeling very afraid and questioning my decision to make my life so public. The site owner ended up filing a lawsuit against her and the case grew because apparently she was making her rounds to pregnancy/trying to conceive/surrogacy & parenting websites and was harrassing many other women as well. She was a woman who was unable to conceive a child of her own and found herself lost within herself. The FBI ended up getting involved and I don't remember exactly why but I did give them my statement. She did end up getting charged with stalking and harassment and ended up going to a mental hospital. It was a horribly scary time but I got so much smarter about protecting myself. It wasn't that I had my information out there, I was internet savvy and knew the risks but this girl was smarter than me. Since than I switched to a more protected site and I don't worry as much about hurting readers feelings. If someone says something I don't like. I ban their IP address. I am not sure of other places that offer that but Typepad I know does. I have two other smaller instances that took things a bit far but I changed email addresses and blocked them as best I could. They seemed to go away. The one thing that I don't think ever works is giving them attention. I believe that is what they seek.

Finally, my cookies are done!

2006-06-26T07:58:00.000-08:00

My cookies apparently had to refresh from my signing up with the nytimes. Geez Louise Firefox can be a pain that way you know? Anyway, I was able to read the two articles and though I was pretty much right on in the direction they were headed and addressed them as such in my previous posts. While reading I was going back and forth about some ethical issues I see with blogging that I would like to bring out to all of you.

Now I expect a response here because I am asking your opinion.....

Do you think an employer should be able to fire you or not hire you due to your blog even if in no way shape or form is a connection made between the two?

Isn't this crossing some amendment rights, unless of course, you sign those away upon hiring. I have been out of the work place now for a little over 4 years and I know back in the day I was always writing and complaining about work but now that seems so stupid and possibly setting myself up to get caught.

How much right should an employer have to what you place on the web?

Isn't a blog post kind of like a dinner table conversation but in writing? Think of it that way and your mind will race with the possible ethical issues and rights of the general citizen. We can sit at a dinner table with a friend and moan and groan about our work woes and not be fired. So the fine line is having it in print. But do they not like it because they are smeared and made to look bad or it is about control?

What to do now?

2006-06-25T18:08:00.000-08:00

Well Dr. Ramsey contacted me and is interested in meeting to discuss the blog further but tells me he thinks something like this already exists and was created by Timothy Amidons. I am not sure though because he said it was ran through the Club for English and Linguistics and I checked it out and couldn't see how it was the type of blog I have in mind. I am either thinking I didn't get my idea across very well or maybe I do need to do the sit down and compare ideas with him on what he thinks versus my ideas. I am sure part of it was my letter as I felt it was very weak and I struggled with verbalizing what I was visualizing for the blog so maybe a sit down is a better idea to it. He was very receptive to the idea just thought I was headed in a direction that had already been explored. If that was the case though my question is why is it not visually seen on IPFW's site. I only connected through a class member's site (I would link but the site was down tonight) and I am not even sure if we are talking of the same thing. My second question is maybe there is some marketing issues that we can discuss or I can help with because I am an English Student and it isn't known and being used for what I had in mind that would be needed and used by English Students. So do I pursue it further or move on?

Oh the trouble it can cause....

2006-06-25T17:13:00.000-08:00

The two articles we were requested to read even with registering for the site I was able to view more than 50 words each of both articles unless I bought a paid subscription. However I could kind of see where they were headed and have had some knowledge of this sort of thing myself in relation to other bloggers.

However, after googling 'blog controversies' from the Online Journalism Review about journalist Kevin Sites where as I understand it he was maintained a blog at KevinSites.net where he was asked by his employer CNN to stop blogging because it was the material he should have been using for his online reporting. The articles note that several bigger news agencies are not embracing blogging as a form of journalism, agencies like: CNN, TIME and Gannett Publishing. Kevin added a rawness from the war that bothered his employers who in article claimed blogging is not news. I am not sure what is right but one thing I am certain about is when you are blogging a news story, you generally take the editor out of it, making one wonder the validity of the blog post.

I think I may have mentioned it before but a very popular mommy blogger, Dooce, has coined the phrase known in the blogging world as getting Dooced. Which she was fired for her blog. Pointing out why sometimes blogs are not always a good thing and content on your blog should be considered. What Heather did was discuss things at work and people at work and without thinking or maybe knowing subconsciously she wanted to get caught, who knows. Thus leading to her termination with her company. Now the termed is known synonymously with being fired for your blog and she had an archive category explaining. Or their is the Sarcastic Journalist who was bored and decided to start a blog and someone found it at her work and well you know what follows. She apparently made the best out of it is known as one of the most brutally honest mommy bloggers and does all sorts of paid blogging for other places. We can see the down side to blogging is your audience and not being able to know who it is or how to control it.

As for myself and a trouble I see with blogging is putting yourself out there in the public eye in a way that has been explored until now. It takes away a sense of privacy and adds in a sense of obligation. Early on in my journaling online I had a run in with a cyber stalker who liked to insult me and my children, saying they were retarded and calling me on the phone. Now I can laugh at it but at the time it scared me. She turned out to be a mentally disturbed person who liked to find moms on the web and do what she did to me. Also I run into people who think they know me just because they read my blog. When you post daily people become a part of your life in a weird way. It isn't a friend but yet they interact with you every day. It makes for some weird connection that at times is hard to understand and sometimes deceptive because they feel closer to you because they read about your daily life when you know virtually nothing of theirs unless you are a reciprocal reader. I also think a downfall of blogging is the obligation it makes you feel, especially if you have readers. You feel you owe them a good read and sometimes that good read isn't always in there. You worry your blog stats will drop because stats are so temporary and go up and down by the minute. For instance the week before last I had a huge presentation for a class on campus and I took a break from my blog, a few day break, and my stats dropped to 100 views a day, a big drop from my usual. Something I did on my blog that I think is unique to blogging is I don't require comments, I won't beg for them. It makes me crazy how much the blogging world is scratching my back and I will return a scratch for you. It adds a fakeness I think to writing that I think weakens it, at least for me. That way as well I don't always feel the pressure to do the same. Time is sparingly and I could go crazy reading blogs but my kids I imagine would starve, my marriage would fail and I would be quite fat. I do my blog for me and having readers makes it that much better. This is totally not a mainstream opinion of blogging though. Okay I totally got off on a tangent but these are the issues I see with blogging besides the ethical issues which I believe we are discussing more this week.

Do you think some blogs cross the line?

Deadlines Smedlines

2006-06-25T16:41:00.000-08:00

Who needs deadlines anymore? Deadlines I am assuming (at least in reference to the web) are non-existent or dead. People don't typically get on the web to read that long drawn investigative report that Keith Edwards did. They get on there to see the story that is happening now. A shooting rampage at Jefferson Pointe (no that didn't happen). Programming won't typically be broken into for something of that nature and if it is, it will only be momentary. What better place to go for it than the web? You want it now, you got it now.

The hard part journalism of this sort is covering it visually. In live breaking news in the television media a reporter is expected to also provide visuals of the news. While it will come with web journalism the visuals will typically lack the now factor. If there is a visual it might be a map of an area, a picture of a person in the story. Some places like Wise33.com offer a instant text message or email for immediate news leaving you even more connected.

Deadlines to me almost scream boring old story. Yes I know biased but typically because of how fast streaming news comes in and throw into the mix that my connection to media is not via the television but the internet. It isn't that I don't appreciate it, I just prefer my news that I have sought out and from my preferred sources. I imagine that came with age and time. For instance in my bloglines feeds I have Yahoo news and I check it several times a day. I step away for an hour and in that time I have seen as many as 75 new news stories.

There is of course the larger scale of which this all applies as well. How do you all prefer your news?

The Good and the Bad of Web Journalism

2006-06-25T15:57:00.000-08:00

The good side to web journalism is it is here and now and has some great potential for personalization to its audience. The bad news is we have sometimes questions its authenticity and its reliability. In fact one portion that surprised me most in Chapter 3 on page 42 where it explained about emailing the editor in the event of a misspelling or an error. That strikes me weird. While I understand that people make mistakes in their writing I would think even with the quickness of the internet that a news organization would try that much harder to avoid a mistake, wouldn't make it known that they do. (picture from http://www.lyngby-jokers.dk/sjov/errors.gif )

The most important thing that I think that is changing journalism is the idea of personalization. It is virtually a brilliant idea that gives way to all sorts of happy consumers who get the news they want and not the news they don't. If you got to Yahoo News, you sign up for news alerts that are personalized to what you want. This is a great concept so when I read CNN tried it and abandoned it was I was little surprised because it seems so flawless and simple.

Stovall points out that journalism won't go away, people need people to collect the stories and by adding the now factor to it doesn't make it any less of need. What I worry about is that people might not realize where they are getting their facts and may mistake it for the truth. What one person spouts in their blog might be different than what another spouts in theirs. By going virtually for your news you are taking the responsibility into your own hands to prove what you are reading right and wrong and not rely on responsible journalism.

Either way their is a positive direction to the web and journalism. It is upto us as the consumers to rank it in importance.

Let's Talk Ethics!

2006-06-20T11:37:00.000-08:00

There are all sorts of ethical issues when you cross over into blogging and I am sure sitting here you can name a load of them. Two that I found that I constantly struggle with on my personal blog and now even more so since I am in this class and will be keeping a business type blog.

1). How do you use photos? Do you use your own? Can you use others? If you do should you always credit where they came from? Obviously this can extend to copyright issues as well. But I think more along the lines of a photo someone like me would take and someone takes and posts it on their site?

2). When quoting other blogs how do you go about quoting? Should you even do it?

I realize it is all a pretty murky area since blogging is new and everyone is trying to figure out what category it belongs with and what is legitimate on a blog and what not. Today when doing my blog surfing I came across a popular reliable blogger who does cyber sleuthing and blogs about it asking an ethical question that brings forth my exact thoughts. The photo came from Blue Line Radio Crime Report but the blog I am referring to Huff's Crime Blog and he poses the question to Journalist in his latest post because he knows he is being quoted and not referenced in those quotes. He even says some of his reports are being used for breaking news reports. He writes for the True Crime Library and shares a lot of his journalistic dectective work on the internet for free and kind of expects a nod and isn't getting one.

I was surprised at first this was even an issue? Isn't is common sense that if you use the information someone else has dug up you need to give appropriate credit? Apparently that isn't the case so to me most information on the news channels is just repeat what others are already saying, right? I guess give reference to a blog might be different than a book but I am not sure why?

On photos I probably haven't always given the best credits as possible but when they are copyrighted I won't use them. If they aren't I am not sure. I know on my personal blog I was told I should put a Creative Commons Deed so that nothing can be taken from my page without consent but than I have no idea how legit that is. Typically though if I am looking for a photo for a blog entry I will go to Google Image and see about getting one there and I have no idea where or how they pull these photos up. I have been better on this since I have heard of alot of recent photo stealing and I wouldn't want that to happen to me and possibly get into legal trouble.

What are your thoughts?

Already changes

2006-06-18T19:56:00.000-08:00

After reading others letters I see important facts I left out of my letter to my possible internship. I forgot the importance of using photos and videos. Videos are a really emerging media that is coming into blogs. In fact the last three months I have seen an almost explosive amount of video and voice blogging in my mommy blog arena. I haven't tried it yet myself so I forget that it is out there but after reading several others in this classes letters I realized it is something that I want to explore but that I also need to. Part of a business blog I think is maximizing available technology and I say again, we want instant gratification and what tells the story better than a picture, video or voice as opposed to words. I guess the technical word for video blogging is vlogging (picture taken from Youtube.com) By making this an importance to our companies we are interning with we move them to the top in technology which in business is moving them ahead of the pack.

My Letter

2006-06-18T18:31:00.000-08:00

June 15th, 2006

Dr. Richard Ramsey
2101 E. Coliseum Boulevard
Fort Wayne, IN 46805-1499

Dear Mr. Ramsey:

Hello, I am Shannon Eichenauer a student and advisee of yours within the English Department. I am writing to offer my abilities in creating a readable and designed blog for the Department of English and Linguistics at IPFW.

As an English degree seeking student with a minor in journalism I see where the positive aspects of blogs could be an asset to your department and those who would access it. Many times as a student on campus I have seen a sign for something concerning the English Department and because of lack of time cannot stop. I than tell myself I will check it out on the web and I do and the info is not there. I imagine I am one of many students seeking out this sort of avenue for communication.

In this summer semester I am currently enrolled in the J492 Media Internship Class with Worth Weller (wellerw@ipfw.edu ) and we have been assigned the task of creating a business blog with the idea of starting it first with design and posts and training another to take it over as it comes time for us to move on. I chose the English Department for this task because I am a proud English student and because I feel that by creating this it can be something that will be of help to me and other students in the future.

I also believe this blog could be a resource for the students and faculty by using it to effectively communicate whatever it is your department sees fit giving the opportunity to move your department to another level of community that college students typically seek. Blogging creates a sense of belonging and community and by having an interactive webpage dedicated solely to; announcements, information on visiting lecturers, deadlines coming up, links to other blogs on campus and professor spotlights. These will give students the opportunity to become more involved which increases student success.

I would like to get together with you in the next week to brainstorm and discuss where you would like to see a project like this go within your department and how I can help you succeed that. If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at eichsr01@ipfw.edu or call me at the number above or feel free to contact Mr. Weller, as well, in context to this assignment and questions you may have. I look forward to meeting with you.

Sincerely,

Shannon E.

Bringing the Blog Onto Campus

2006-06-18T16:03:00.000-08:00

Blogging is quickly becoming so main stream that Universities are adopting the idea at a quick rate, as I wrote in my post yesterday it quickly becoming a norm on campuses. I see Worth trying to incorporate it into our campus and I am glad for the progression because it seems pointless not to use a service that is already in place and so many people have access to.

The first blog I chose to review and would like to mirror elements of on my internship blog is, The Chicago University Press Blog, which varies in its subject matter but gives standard reviews of their printed books on their site. The part I like about it is that they cover virtually any topic that would be of importance to their possible readers and share the bad reviews as well. So, say the Journal Gazette reviewed a Chicago Press Book, they would publish the review with a link to it as well. The site also have author interviews, book information such as tour dates, signing dates and so on. The part I like about this site is it is informational and straight and to the point to their audience. How I believe a blog for IPFW Department of English and Linguistics blog should be. The formatting should be similar offering up only informational posts instead of opinions. It could be reviews of Professors work, employment positions, student meetings, testing and scholarship information. The information it could voice is boundless. Emulating this blog in its publishing and simplicity is where I would like to see my blog for IPFW English Department go.

Another blog I like is Georgia State University's Library which withholds almost too much information within its internet made walls. My pick piece of this page, however, that I would like to see my blog do is the informational sidebar on the side with links to all the campus wide blogs for each department and sometimes even smaller than that with the the breakdown of departments within the library each having their own blog. This is an incredibly daunting task to start up but if it is maintained regularly the blog itself might be as useful as the library. All a student would need is to log onto the library blog and virtually it is an all access pass to anywhere they would need or want to go. I realize that blogging is not that advanced on our campus but I imagine within the next few years, maybe more, this idea will be growing more and more so I can see the importance of having an informational sidebar that can connect you to where you need to go. The blog also carries the information that I would like to see and what I saw above on The Chicago University Press Blog.

Another aspect I like about blogging that I think might benefit the students of IPFW is some personal stories of guest lecturers or visitors. For instance if there is a poetry reading with someone or the Writing Series visitor the faculty relies on the word of mouth, bulletin boards and professor announcements in class. I know that I visit the IPFW website several times a day so it would be revelent to me to see this via the web. Once it is there maybe a brief synopsis could be posted about the speaker so it can peak an interest to the student. Similar to the International Studies Blog at Georgetown University and maybe even after the lecture or visit is over a brief summary of the message of their speech for those students who missed it. What it does and what I think blogs are meant to do is connect the reader to the writer or to the department as would be my case by building this sense of community I imagine it leads to better communication and information getting. This blogs format as well is simple and pristine offering its readers nothing but the story they are wanting to tell. You aren't distracted by too much stuff as is the case sometimes with other blogs.

I see it now!

2006-06-17T06:01:00.000-08:00

Earlier this week I fretted about what exactly would I want to represent in a blogging experience for my internship. I want the blog to represent me and also many others that may get a use out of it like I would. I went to Worth with the plea for some help. He suggested maybe I take a more academic approach which made complete sense once it was suggested because whether I like it or not school and my children are pretty much my life right now.

After thinking on it I began research university blogging and came across some good articles about blogging and what certain universities takes on it were. The interesting point to note is in the article I liked best it appears that Indiana is leading the way on the university blogging generation. That is according to this article of course. Indiana University and Ball State are some of the bigger names thrown into the ring. One I would like to take a closer look at that is taking blogging to amazing places is Ball State. As soon as you click on their web page almost immediately on the top of the screen lies a photo of one of their student bloggers and headline for blogging and podcasting(I have picture below). Taking the technology of the net in the university setting to a whole new level.

Screenshot of BSU's Website
What I would like to do for my internship is have a blog for the English and Linguistics Department at IPFW. There page needs some additions to it and I can tell that Worth has been working on the design and he is working his student and educational blogs onto the scene but I would like to see a blog specifically dedicated to their department. One for announcements and information. As an English degree seeking student I struggle with finding information. They rely on word of mouth through professors, bulletin boards in Classroom Medical Building and some times mass emails. I feel a blog could be better suited to make announcements to reach the masses instead. For instance when they are trying to get information out about Confluence or awards they are blanketing campus with flyers but they could also add to that by reaching others who may or may not be on campus or those who don't even take the time to look at the bulletin boards. It could also be used for public faculty announcements and reminders. I see a whole new way of reaching students and faculty via this blog. I also feel it would add in some way to the design of the page. When looking at other departments webpages, I think that the English Department page needs a little more work (photo below). However I do like the simplicity of their page, it is easy to maneuver, so, I think all a department blog would do is just add to the information the page contains and people would know right where to go to retrieve it.

Screenshot of IPFW's English and Linguistics Webpage

I have a brain yet!!!

2006-06-14T17:41:00.000-08:00

In typical Shannon fashion I see computer coding and get afraid if I go messing around I am gonna really screw things up royally. So instead of playing around once Castro's book lost me. I threw up my hands like a toddler and say, "I don't know how to do it." I watched the Breeze instructions provided by Worth and than got in there and really played around. There is a ton more for me to learn but I don't feel so afraid of it. In fact, I think I am a little excited to play with it more. That is why I went with Typepad for my other blog because I just have to click on buttons and they do it for me. However, to have a cool banner you have to know a little about coding and finally after about 6 months I gave in and learned and it went just like this. I was making it too hard by my fear. I designed an actual banner for this blog but the pixels are way off in size and it didn't fit so I have to play around a bit with the size. So expect some visual layout changes in the next few days.

Is there anyone else that struggling with the idea of where to go for their internship? What is everyone else thinking they will do for theirs?

Am I the only one?

2006-06-11T16:38:00.000-08:00

Am I the only one struggling with changing my header? As I going through the pages in our blogger explaination book I am realizing it isn't looking at all like the screen captures Castro shared and I think that is where the problem is at. I have tried a couple of different things and the design hasn't changed at all so I am definately doing something wrong. I have a header made but no clue where to put it. Can anyone help?

Maybe not a good idea...

2006-06-11T14:39:00.000-08:00

I chose to follow along with Mark Cuban's Blog, BlogMaverick. I was thinking he would discuss more his entrepreneurship in the media than sports. Looking back that was probably a silly assumption given he is a owner of NBA team and an owner of an NBA team that is in the finals. Not something I knew myself but that my husband told me and of course I found out after reading his blog.

Apparently this week he gotten some attention because he has been blogging during the game quite a bit. My husband, a sports freak, got all excited when I shared with him I am following along with this blog for my class. He said, "Oh wow, did you realize he has been blogging during the games?" Of course I did but truthfully, I skipped over it and wasn't convinced it was a big deal. Apparently it is and I guess after thinking about it I can see the big deal of a team owner blogging during the game and why it may draw some attention. A reason why I chose him as well, he is ground breaking and certainly thinks outside of the box. Fast forward me to that part of the entry and I will be happy.

My favorite post of this week being what he would ask Shaq if he was given the chance to interview him. Than I remembered why I chose his blog, his crazy sense of humor is a bit like my own.

1. Shaq - You have several young children. Which Wiggles song is your favorite ? Which do you like the least ?
2. How many times have you had to watch Ice Age and did you take your kids to see Ice Age 2 ?
3. Are your kids so big they are confused with kids twice their age ?
4. Have you ever been contacted to turn Kazaam into an off Broadway musical ? Has anyone sampled Shaq Fu in a hit song yet ?
5. Will you admit in public that you have hummed BarneyÂs ÂI Love YouÂ song to yourself in a game ?

The Wiggles question by far was my favorite. Fruit Salad, Yummy, yummy! Anyone who has heard a Wiggles song understands the humor in the question and can be quite certain the song you think of will be running through your head for the rest of the day. On a serious note he addresses the business side of his endeavors in a humorous way that isn't pretentious.

For instance, his June 8th entry entitled 1 more thing, which reminds everyone that it is a business so please tune into the finals making the blogosphere a part of the business. A smart move again understanding the importance of technology in the media. What I like about Mark is he understands his audience, he understands his business and he combines the two to make his blog truly readable.

I do have to say the funny parts though are totally not sports related such as the incident at 7/11 where he was asked for a personalized autograph. His account of what he did once she asked for too much in her autograph is hilarious!

Just snapping a photo?

2006-06-11T11:36:00.000-08:00

Is photojournalism just snapping a photo or is it a planned and coordinated moment? I believe that Stovall and I share the same belief on developing good pictures, he outlines a few basic rules to follow for good photojournalism shots. The most important, in my opinion, that he points out is the decisive moment; "pictures that tell a story, or tell the story" he states. When you capture a good picture words are sometimes not needed to explain. Obviously in photojournalism explaination will sometimes be needed but the photo should be able to portray the moment without words, the words are the added bonus.

Photojournalism is forcing readers and journalist to a new realm where sometimes legal, ethical and personal issues are placed in your face. Photojournalism has the ability to be right now and in your face and because of the ease of access photojournalist are forced to make quick judgements on what is appropriate or inappropriate. Most decisions are made in the heat of a moment where feeling is most intense and likely judgement skewed. However, the quick access has the photo onto its readers before the journalist has time to even question his/her ethical stance. Therefore leaving the decision upto the reader to decide their moral stance.

By putting this decision in the hand of the reader it leaves way for the reader to be offended by the content. An obvious instance of this is the images from Iraq whether it be beheadings, dead children or photos like the that of the deceased Abu Musab al-Zarqawi this past week. I cannot speak for others but photos of this nature disturb me and it disturbs me even more that they share them without warning.

Living in today's society I believe photojournalism is no different than anything else. We want what we want instantly or at least quick as possible and photojournalist are answering to that call. They are telling a story that they think we want or need to hear and we as the consumers are consuming them as quickly as they can bring them in or they would not continue coming. The internet has given us even easier and quicker access than ever dreamed possible and photojournalism will likely become a bigger part of that realm with the added space that the internet can provide that print journalism typically cannot. Stovett points out that the empty space a photograph takes in print media is called "real estate" and I believe that is because space is money. On the internet there is more room and it lends way to a more visual layout that print cannot provide. In doing this photojournalists are having more of their work shown which is pleasing to them. There is the other side of that though that because technology is getting easier to master a reporter might be able to just easily capture a moment that before would have required a photojournalist.

Whatever stance you take on any issue concerning the importance of photos in journalism most know that they enjoy visually seeing what the report is claiming. It serves as a proof or giving the false feeling we are there.

Intro to Reading, Writing & Thinking

2006-06-04T10:40:00.000-08:00

As you know I have another blog but I wanted to start one for this class; one so I could follow along and two so I could have a place that is not Shannon, the mommy, but, Shannon as everything else.

The purpose of this blog at first will be to facilitate learning and communication in J492 but I also intend to use it to discuss the projects I am currently working on with reading, writing and sometimes just brainstorming, otherwise known as thinking. An outlet I don't get to explore near enough at Momma's on the Edge. Most importantly, I look forward to talking and chatting with others who see me as more than a mother. At Momma's on the edge, I am blogging as a mommy blogger or whatever the hip word of the day is. I struggle with that identity because there is so much more to me.

I have been a long timer in the blogging world and I am amazed and excited about how popular it is becoming in our society. I am advocate to anything that lets our voices be heard and have loved my blog since it all began before the world blog existed. I even remarked to my husband about this class saying, "I can't believe I am taking a class where blogging is important and existant." I love reading blogs as much as writing my own.

I look forward to blogging with all of you.

Did you ever realize?

2006-05-29T09:47:00.000-08:00

That some things just come together and no I am not talking about you slowly plan out and assemble each one of them. I am talking about you give a wish in your heart a voice allow it to be heard and eventually it all just comes together. I made the wish nearly a year ago to become more of the writer I wanted to be and be more of who I truly want the world to see me as. I made the wish out loud and I feel like I have finally achieved that. No I am not done achieving it but I am finding my true voice, the one that writes the words that make me say, "Wow I wrote that" or "I see that weakness." It has just come together. Once I let go of what others said I should do. While reading my "Writing from the Heart" by Nancy Aronie I ran into a funny but so true statement where she quoted Ram Dass (pictured left), someone I haven't heard of but someone she identified with heavily and who inspired her in finding her voice. She said he has this catch phrase that she always tries to remember and it is simply put;

"Don't should all over me."
-Ram Dass

At first you will chuckle and than you will see its truth. We get too caught up in the world and what we think others are seeing that we lose our voices. I can of course relate this to motherhood. Sometimes the things I feel for my girls are so intense. The love, the frustration, the anger, the happiness; it is so intense I sometimes feel like it will never end. Than moments later I am reminded at how quick the pace that life moves. They will say something or someone will remind me "Ashley starts school in the fall" and I am thrust into the reality that life is short and by listening to others "shoulds" for me, I lose my own"should". I don't know if the voice I hear is theirs or my own. I hope to make the commitment to listen to others shoulds but allow my shoulds to be a little bit louder. I read this great poem at the end of Nancy's book by Nelson Mandela, I wanted to share it here. It made me think of that song from bible school about "This little light of mine". Let me share it and than give my thoughts and perceptions.

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our Light, not our Darkness, that freightens us.
We ask ourselves, who am I to be brillant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?
Actually who are you not to be?
You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world.
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that
other people won't feel insecure around you.
We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.
It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone.
And as we let our light shine,
we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our fear,
our presence automatically liberates others.

This is so true is it not? Even if you don't believe in God or are religious, take that connection out. When do we ever sing our own praises and when we do, don't we tame it down as if we need to not seem boastful? I know I obviously cannot speak for all of you. But I have had several people comment here and in email that they connect with my writing or feel inspired and I believe it is because they see the power of their own voices and by me giving power to mine.

Tonight I sat out on my porch, I listened to the birds, I smelled the beautiful blooms along my house. I was in the moment. I can't believe it is almost June and that was the first time I allowed myself to do that ever in this house. Typically I am chasing kids, chasing homework or chasing my unimportant thoughts around. But not tonight, I sat there allowed myself to enjoy the moment for what it was. An hour lull where I could be me, be selfish, not be a mom or a wife and I realized how small I am in the world and I enjoyed it. It felt right. I don't think I could have gotten there if I weren't more comfortable with myself.

So please, listen to your voice and your heart, let it be heard. We all have something important to say.