Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Not Exactly within the Mainstream

Looking at what I have so far, I think that I will have to constantly write about topics and happenings that you just wouldn't find anywhere else. I guess you could call it being unique. It dawned on me how many blogs are out there that closely resemble my own. This will take more going out to find some valuable and entertaining material rather than letting it come to me. I'm gonna try to keep my eyes open a little bit wider and try to view things from as many perspectives as possible. I realize it will be difficult for students outside URI to fully understand what I'm talking about, but maybe others can relate their experiences to mine somehow.

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Learning from the Process

If there is one concept that I feel I've grasped so far, it is that I should appeal to my audience by diversifying. The topic of my blog allows me a little wiggle room to discuss things that can somehow touch everyone. I have always been so accustomed to writing in a formal style and I've tried to stay away from that as much as possible because I know it takes away from overall quality. I need to condense my sentences so that they don't drag on forever, which has always been one of my weaknesses as a writer. As I initially stated, I was weary because I was trying not to insult anyone in my posts and I feel I've done a good job with that thus far. The reactions I have received from classmates have been uplifting for me. They feel that the content of my blog is very entertaining and valuable. What is most encouraging is that they feel they can relate to what I say, which is the main purpose of my blog.

Monday, September 28, 2009

A new blogging experience

Keeping up with my enthusiast blog is certainly a lot of work, but coming up with ideas for how to make it run smoothly have come to me a lot easier than expected. I want to be able to write about things that matter to people. I want them to be able to say things like "That's funny but true" and "Where has this kid been my whole life." I want my blog to be a place where they can interact and express themselves in a way they didn't see possible before. Even if people don't respond, the questions I pose at the end of my posts make people think, and If I'm a reader, that's all I could ever ask for. Much of what I have written so far is completely raw and unfiltered, which is the way I (and I'm sure others)feel it should be. I would never want to cheat loyal readers out of anything they deserve and expect out of me.

Monday, September 21, 2009

Credibility of my blog

I feel that the content of my blog doesn't require any credentials besides being a truthful and honest person, but I guess people will just have to learn to trust and take my word for it in the meantime. I feel that people can respect my posts because I tend to include many different angles and perspectives when I write about a particular subject or situation, which will hopefully widen my reader base a little bit. I have always felt that for someone to understand any concept that they need to understand how people with different thought processes may perceive the same thing. Lastly, I feel that my blog will separate itself from others in that it focuses on a topic that many young adults have yearned to talk and write about, but haven't really had a place in which they felt comfortable enough to express themselves.

My Clubhouse Blog

I'm going to create a blog titled "Balancing College Life at a Big University." I feel that this could turn out to be a really popular blog since its a very relatable subject. I can write about a range of things, from my experiences with classes, professors, and dining halls to stories of friends, night life, and working in South County. I will try to keep most names anonymous and use an alias for many, but I can assure that the significance and creativity of my blog posts will remain unphased. I feel I can not only reach out to college students, but to those heading to college soon or have already experienced college life who feel they can relate their past to what I'm writing.
The main problem I envision happening with this blog is that I will become too hypocritical and some posts might be interpreted as gossip, which I absolutely do not want. I am also a bit weary of making generalizations that some might find offensive. I will attempt not to insult anyone with my posts and post positives along with negatives to keep a healthy balance. I intend on including daily tips or lessons that I learn throughout each day, and plan on proposing questions on my blog for readers to answer to help me with some of my own questions.
I want to keep my blog very active and hope that my readers can take what I say with a grain of salt. I barely take myself seriously and I want my readers to take me just as seriously. I want to have a laid back, yet informative blog with as wide a range of personalities as possible contributing to it.

Monday, September 14, 2009

Ideas for Blogs

1. Most Embarassing Sports Moments
2. Controversial Music Lyrics
3. Balancing College Life
4. Outrageous Prices
5. Funny TV Commercials/Infomercials

Stefanac Response

I enjoyed reading the writing of such an experienced blogger. You can really take some points away from this and I plan to during the course of this semester. The most interesting part of this reading for me was the section entitled "Adjusting the focus of your blog to aid discovery." I never really thought of it before, but it makes perfect sense. You don't want to make your writing too general because readers can find material more specific to their interests. You don't want to make it too narrow or else you'll lose readers whose interests otherwise might loosely be tied to yours and could eventually become part of your blog. I hadn't really thought of the money aspect of creating blogs, but this piece reiterated to me that you should never do anything solely for money and only if your heart is truly in it. I also feel very similarly to Stefanac in terms of print vs. blogs because I like the informality of online communication and less strict guidelines. The personality of the writer can best be understood that way.

Saturday, September 12, 2009

Rebecca Blood Response/Blogging Experience

I think the the points that Rebecca brings up are realistic and gives bloggers a sense of optimism in terms of combatting corporate restraint. Even this day in age, I think it would be difficult for blogs to take off like Rebecca wants them to, but I agree that opening people's eyes to the world of blogging could help them develop more critical and well-thought out perspectives of themselves and others. I like the fact that she gave support to free blogs and web logs and emphasized the purposes and important roles both have in blog communication. I also agree with the fact that we need a more "public" type of media as opposed to an "audience," but I feel its difficult for there to be a massive transformation towards aggresive media.

I've mostly done reading of blogs and the occasional reponse to a thread. A common theme of these blogs is that everyone who writes on them feels that they are part of a community and consider other bloggers their real friends. I've dealt with mostly laid back blogs on gaming and sports sites, but I've interacted on political blogs where some arguments become intense and serious. If researched many health blogs in an attempt to pick up on warning signs of certain illnesses, where the blog content was very direct and informative in nature. Other blogs I've encountered include news and other current events websites where many critical insights covering an array of issues can be found.

Friday, September 11, 2009

What is Writing?

Writing is the act of expressing your own ideas and thought process in a particular form. It can range from the most basic form, a doodle on a paper, to very complex forms such as novels and textbooks. Writing can be whatever its creator wants it to be, but the main purpose of writing is to communicate with others in order to enhance and change perceptions.

My frequent writing environments are almost always quiet and simple. If a room has any distractions such as loud music, I won't be able to concentrate on the work at hand. My environments include:

My room at home
My dorm room
The library