I’m a blogger now

I noticed that my first and earlier blogs were a little more formal than the later ones. At the beginning, knowing that anyone could read it, I took a little more time to blog—putting more care into the writing. It didn’t take long for me to realize that blogging is more about just talking and entertaining people. It’s not really formal, at least in our setting. I then began to just talk about what ever it was that we were looking into that week and blogging became much easier and kind of fun. However, I also learned that when blogging one must be careful of what they say and understand that people will be reading it. Knowing that you want to make the audience want to read. And you also want to appear a certain way, depending on what you’re blogging about.

It’s been a good experience being able to blog with a group of people. I enjoy how everyone comes up with such different blogs. Blogging is definitely a way to show your persona over the web. It has been interesting to see what everyone is interested in and I feel like I have an idea of who some of you are based your blogs. Also, being an online course I feel like no one was afraid to say anything. It’s quite easy to talk be honest and sincere through writing.

I have enjoyed being given all kinds of different prompts. It has given all of us good experience in blogging/writing about different things. In our current world filled with technology, it is important in business and life to stay in tune. The first thing my advertising professor told the class was that if you don’t have a facebook then get one, if you don’t have twitter then get it, and if you don’t blog then start.  I will definitely continue to blog and follow blogs after this course.

To Blog or Not to Blog?! Okay Blog It Is!

The format of this class has not only improved my writing, but has also changed the way I look at it.  My perception of the different type of work and writing out there has changed dramatically, for the better!  It is funny to say that I feel like I know each of my classmates much more so than I have known my classmates in an actual classroom setting.  But blogging each week and reading my peers blogs really opens them up and allows you to see what kind of writer they are.  Not only that but also in a way you are able to see the personality of each person through their writing and see how their writing changes throughout the semester.  Through revising my classmates’ work I have learned how to look at different types of writing styles and begin to look for things I never would have before this class.

By staying constantly one click away from my peers I feel that I can more easily communicate through comments and revisions.  This is really my first time seriously blogging, and after realizing that many people out there do this for fun or on their free time I looked at writing in a different way.  It became a little more fun for me to write and share my comments with everyone.   Then to see my peers’ ideas as well and what they thought about my posts in their comments was also fun.  Blogging really is a more elaborate form of social media, and one that hasn’t been too dumbed-down yet.  The way this class is formatted allows each person to put their thoughts and ideas out there, and to address other peoples’ ideas also.  This allows people to speak their minds in a way they might not have if they were not doing so behind a computer screen.

Rhetorical Ruminations

What was I thinking with that first blog post title, A Rhetorician I am not?  And I put an overload of quotes in the second one! In blog entry number three I’m finally beginning to see a bit of improvement and the beginning of brevity. The post about Allie’s blog I like, but I think it’s mainly due to Allie and her art work. I also like the topic of normalizing depression; it’s something so many people can relate to. As I skim through my blog posts, I seem to be favoring those with humor and brevity. It seems logical that I’d slowly progress towards that goal of minimalism with a touch of humor(or if the subject is serious, a touch of humanity); instead, I did that dance thing-a-ma-jig that people often refer too—one step forward and two steps back. The first Fables blog when we played detective is embarrassing to read; it doesn’t flow, it’s too long, and now I think breaking down the characters one-by-one is a bit extensive. I do like the title of the second Fables post, and it’s not too bad of a read, concise and to the point. The title needs work for the video blog post, but the brevity part is there. In one of the Black Swan posts, I threw in an annoyingly long quote, did the same with blog entry two and a classmates gently suggested I write more from my own perspective—need to work on that. Funny, I really liked the blog post I wrote about the film Trois Couleurs: Bleu, but I didn’t get one comment on it. Maybe I posted too many clips from you tube or maybe I wrote too much, not sure. That was one of our last posts, and because I didn’t get any comments, I’m wondering if I’ve learned anything at all. OK, I did learn something. I prefer to write with minimal quotes, brevity, and when appropriate humor.

For some reason I felt a bit reserved writing for an audience, especially since folks outside of the class were able to read our posts. Was it mostly because my writing skills are lacking? Yes, but I think it in part, it was also due to the fact that writing for a class tricks my mind into thinking I can’t freely because there’s that grade at the end of the tunnel. Ironically though, I think that backfired. I need to trust my intuition and let it flow! On some level, I think I got to know fellow authors due to the topic choices of blog posts and writing style, but I think it’s difficult to get to know fellow writers in a class setting. People probably write more creatively outside of the time pressures and grade expectations of a class. I think blogging helped me reflect in a way that I would not have otherwise, upon the given topics, since I had to figure out, in a timely fashion (difficult for me), how to concisely put those thoughts on the given topics into written word.

Did I learn any lessons about rhetorical awareness from blogging? Yes, but I need more practice. I think I will be a more effective writer/blogger if I create a visual outline to help me understand my thoughts clearly around a subject, before the actual writing process begins, in order to write more effective, persuasive, and desirable-to-read arguments.

 

So This Is The End.

Our class blog on wordpress.com was my first attempt at blogging. In the beginning I was very timid about letting my thoughts flow knowing I was writing for a public audience. Since my introduction blog I have been able to express my thoughts more freely while still sticking to each weeks prompt, and I found it helpful getting feedback and comments on my ideas and writing style. It was interesting to see how everyone in the class began to write with more detail and thought in their blogs while developing a stronger individual voice. I felt like I became more familiar with my classmates through reading their arguments and ideas, which in turn began to influence my own.

Blogging has grown quite popular over the years and it was fun to try it out with the support of my fellow classmates, but I do not think it is something that I will continue doing. I bet I would enjoy blogging more if knew I wasn’t having to do it for a grade so perhaps I will experiment with a small blog consisting of my artwork, ideas, and inspiration. If I were to create my own I would definitely spend more time focusing on visual presentation because this is key to getting your work out there and noticed by others. I found myself drawn to read and respond on my classmates work who had interesting pictures or links attached. Over all the blog was useful in helping organize my thoughts for what I was going to present in each of the larger papers, however I do wish that there was less time spent on the blogging comments and more time spent on the rough draft paper revisions. I believe this would have benefitted my classmates, as well as myself, much more.

Toodles!

This course being offered online and the blogging component offered an interest scenario where the blogs were the largest source of interactions with our classmates.  In a traditional class where we spend 2 or 3 days a week together you get to know people by their demeanor, appearance and commentary.   But in this class all we have to go by is the blogs they write, their comments and papers.  This whole process also provides a great awareness of the rhetoric and strategies that others are using. 

I really enjoy the blogging we have done because it allows you to present your information to the larger group and receive their feedback.  Even though you may think your crazy when writing an entry others will reassure you of your ideas and intentions.  It’s a very positive community we have created online here. 

This positive community idea is probably why blogging has become so overall successful.  Very quickly people shed their fears because they are reassured by their commenters and viewers. 

Its been great fellow bloggers!  We have each learned so much about each other and our work from reading and editing each others work and this is what has made this class so great. 

A Farewell (14)

Over the course, and looking back on my blog posts, my written post that analyzes Alexa Meade’s painted portrait stands out to me with its clarity and improved vocabulary. I am proud to have written this post because clarity was an issue I had coming into this course. Not only have I felt clarity was an issue, but being able to expand my thoughts on specific visual subjects, like Meade’s portraits, is a topic that I was first hesitant to analyze. To my surprise, through careful word choice, I was able to clearly analyze and interpret Meade’s portrait to my understanding.

Posts that I’m not too proud of are the ones that I didn’t spend my time on thoroughly analyzing the content. The post that sticks out is the one I wrote on Ross Capicchioni’s survival story. Being a film major, I’m not very impressed with my analysis on Ross’ incredible survival story. I was hesitant with choosing a video to analyze and being under a time crunch I ended up slacking on my interpretation and analysis. Time was key in creating blog posts I was proud of and felt my writing was at it’s full potential.

Posting each entry I never really considered the audience I was presenting to unless I knew my writing was slacking; that was only when I thought about others reading my posts. Writing for an audience was rewarding when they would say good things in the comments and agree with my interpretation. When I would post a blog entry already knowing it’s not to my best ability I knew I would get critiqued. From reading other’s entries I slowly started to anticipate their writing style and content.

As far as rhetorical awareness goes I feel that I have opened my mind the most in this category. Before, I never knew how much analysis and interpretation could go into various visual arts, especially resumes. I knew that one must be concise in relaying their information and skills in a resume but didn’t know how much visual additions can go as far as making your resume pleasing and with keeping the readers attention. Overall, I found this class to be very beneficial to my studies at the University of Colorado and will continue to use the knowledge I have learned in this course.

Better Blogger Blogging.

So, here’s what I have learned about blogging this past semester…  First of all, blogs are becoming more and more popular and for good reasons.  The main difference between a blog and a webpage is that the home page of a website is static, whereas with a blog the home page is changing with every new post.  This keeps the site fresh and up to date.  Viewers that like the material being posted will often return and become a follower.  Together, the followers of a blog create an online community based around a similar interest in the material being posted (as opposed to a geographic community).  Usually they can post their own comments on the blog creating a discussion forum for the online community.

With all the immense content on the internet it is rare that things get noticed.  What gets noticed depends on how much it stands out, how entertaining it is, and/or how relevant the information it is.

Looking back at the blog entries for this class the entries that really stand out have pictures and catchy titles.  Often we picked out works of art from an online database to write about them.  The entries with no pictures seemed to have gotten fewer comments than others with pictures.  Even when just the link was shared this added another step for the reader to take in order to understand the subject of the post.

When reading to determine how entertaining the post was, I mainly paid attention to the first line or two.  If the first line was catchy or clever in some way (even if it had nothing to do with the topic) I would be more likely to read the rest carefully.  Allie Brosh did a very good job of this.

I realize my posts could have had better flow (like this post for example).  When I am saying things in my head they sound very different from reading them on the computer.  Also I did not spend that much time making attractive posts since this wasn’t really a requirement.

Anyway, it has been fun sharing with you all.  There were a few of you that I followed closer than others probably due to similar writing styles.  Thanks for all your comments.  Good luck with that whole life thing.

Reflection (#14)

This class was a productive and enjoyable growth of my writing, balancing formal and informal situations. I learned a lot. On a personal level, this semester was a return of sorts. It wasn’t long ago that I didn’t care for writing at all. It was only in the past few years that I began considering  as a vocational draw. I hope to someday write as a journalist, but that’s not what got me into the game. I found a love for writing here, on wordpress, reviewing and blogging about music. Were it not for that year I probably would not have gone further. For this, I am thankful and have been happy blogging and writing for fun once again. I now have an internship this summer which consists exclusively of blogging.

I have enjoyed most of the topics we’ve blogged on, particularly where we have had the opportunity to share something with each other. In post #9 I got to share an new artist I found. In post #12, it was great to share a film scene that was close to my heart and then having a virtual discussion of it. Conversely, I got to discover new things from others.

I came in with a lot of confidence in writing about art and visual analysis, but for me this class was a practice on two fronts. For our long formal papers, it was a practice in craft and revision, where I surely felt some growth. On the blog side it was a practice in informal communication. Especially in academia, people forget how important it is to be able to successfully communicate on an informal level. This doesn’t mean sloppiness or bad grammar, but neither does it mean big words and fancy language for their own sake. Rather, there is a real skill in saying something very concisely, so that people understand you clearly and fully. Just ask Hemingway.

I think I was quick to forget that the focus of this class was the concept of rhetoric. I have to say that while I was not always conscious of it, my understanding and skills in rhetoric have surely improved. I previously understood that rhetoric was about convincing someone of something, particularly in the political sense. However, I now feel that rhetoric is more than that. Rhetoric is a clarity and successfulness of communication. Rhetoric is how well I can make you understand what I am saying. Rhetoric goes hand in hand with what I said above – it is about saying what you want to say the best way possible.

Looking Back

    Looking back on the semester I think one of the most valuable things about this class has been being able to read everyone else’s work.  What a difference it makes when you are able to read something that was written from an angle that you never expected.  It’s great when you get to take a completely different perspective on something through reading blogs and essay drafts.  I think this online community has really helped me think about visual artwork in a different and more sophisticated way.  There are many more questions to ask about visual artwork than I would have imagined.  Through the constant writing assignments and peer reviews, I think my own writing has improved substantially.  I used to get writers block a lot but now writing isn’t as much of a daunting process to me.  Words and sentences flow more easily than they did before.  One blog that I think I did well on was the one I wrote about the visual rhetoric used in Waking Life.  One thing that I’ve learned is that writing takes a lot of time.  If you want to have a good final product you got to put in the work.  Looking back on the blogs I have written, I can easily tell which ones I rushed through and which ones I actually thought about and put some work into.  

    A blog is an interesting place to have class.  When you know that your writing will be scrutinized by your classmates (and you see the quality of everyone else’s writing) you feel a little bit more pressure to do a good job than if you are writing just for a teacher.  It’s been good being able to give and receive feedback too.  There were a lot of great writers in this class!  I especially like the blogs where we had to choose some work of art and write about it.  It was really interesting to see the variety of interests that everyone had.  Also it makes for more engaged writing when you can talk about what interests you.  Overall, I really enjoyed this non-traditional class and I think I’ve learned a lot. 

A Reflection of the End, For New Beginnings

Over the course of this class, I’ve learned a lot about visual analysis and my style of writing. I gained an interest in things I thought I wouldn’t like, but just had never tried them. Blogging, although most of it is still uninteresting to me, has taken a new light on the different types that can strike me in some way. Graphic novels, although I’ve always had an interest, have now become even more captivating after I have examined them in more detail and with a greater understanding of the way they are created. Visual analysis is something that I do quite often being an Art and Art History major, but now I feel I have tools to not only understand a piece of art or visual object but to also write about them more effectively.

A particular entry that stands out to me would be Picture Perfect Humor that I wrote about Allie’s blog Hyperbole and a Half, because it stands out in my new understanding and liking for something I’ve really disregarded for so long. Her writing is conceptual to her images and blog, it fits to complete her vision. I also like this blog because if I remember correctly, it was after this blog that I really started to pay more attention to the style and manner that I was writing in. I don’t know what it was, but something clicked that had been missing. Poetry and writing for artistic vision seems to be very different for me than writing for persuasion, rhetorically that is. Although I do think they play some part on each other, one just always came easier than the other. But here I began to start thinking how I could combine them.

Being so, I really enjoyed reading other class mates papers and blog entries. It was nice to see other point of views and also just to see the way they portrayed their argument through their writing. I’m not sure if I mind or not about writing for an audience in that sense. I like being critiqued for my work, but probably wouldn’t seek it out in such a large sense. I do usually force my friends to read my papers to make sure I’m not talking nonsense, but I don’t find myself urging for the need to have everyone read my work. As for using visual context, I usually include images in my writing the way it is, whether it is in the paragraphs or an image list at the end. It just helps the reader to understand what you are getting from an image, and if they would see anything different. I suppose, if I didn’t do so much of my writing for Art History it might be different.

Well, happy endings to you all! Good luck out there!