Dear Tom and Adrian,
Another month gone and one more month closer to graduation. Where has all the time gone? As I was trying to write this letter, something hit me. I don’t feel like I am able to fully get my personality across in these letters and most importantly, in my blogs. I am an outgoing, funny, sarcastic (at times) person. My blog defiantly does not display that. I guess I just always thought that my personality would come across naturally in my writing, but that is not the case.
I think it is a lot more work than I ever anticipated to be able to display your true colors in a blog post, at least with the knowledge and time that I have.
My friend asked me the other day what I blog about. I wasn’t able to give him a straightforward answer, which was interesting to me. I could have just as easily directed him to my blog, but I didn’t. It is not something I am entirely proud of. I like it and it has served my purpose of being an online journal, but it isn’t something I would put in my writing portfolio. It’s not that I am not trying or putting an effort forth, it’s just that it’s not my most favorite piece of work. Yes, it’s nice to use as a journal, but before my blog, I only wrote in my journal when I had time. The same holds true for my blog, if I don’t have time, it gets neglected and not up to its fullest potential.
Aside from all of the images/graphics, video and phone postings you can add to a blog, how can I properly express my personality in just my words? Do you guys think both of your blogs properly display who you are?
Have a great weekend and enjoy the weather that may look like spring is actually on the way—keep your fingers crossed!
Sincerely,
Bridget
Friday, April 13, 2007
Letter 3
Posting the reflective letters here makes sense to me.
Dear A & B,
Another 4 weeks has sailed by. How can a semester go by so fast and seem to take so long at the same time? The paradox of time.
I have realized how easy it is to get sidetracked from blogging and struggle getting back to it. Not that I have been that consistent with it anyway, but since break I have floundered even more. The lesson I take from this is that maintaining a blog doesn't hold any interest for me. If I had readers leaving comments and an active dialog I would enjoy it more. That's the catch 22, in order to have an active dialog I need interested readers. To have interested readers I need to post regularly. To post regularly I need interested readers.
A strong topic is also essential to a good blog. I am most definitely lacking that. Outside interests and hobbies are very low priority at this point. The things I am interested in have active forums and websites. Starting another blog seems redundant. I am more interested in taking part in an ongoing, active dialog than trying to create one from whole cloth. Which sound like excuses not to blog but are valid to me. I will maintain a blog for this class and after that I don't see myself returning to it. I don't rule it out. If I get passionate about something that needs a voice then a blog is an option.
Another concern of mine is the employment angle. We have touched on this a little in class. At this point I don't know where I will be applying after graduation. How much do I need to worry about potential employers looking into my past? Let' s just say that my past is checkered enough without adding an outspoken blog. I hope and believe that anyplace I want to work won't do that kind of digging but the future is uncertain.
I will do some more work on the photshop handout this weekend. Try to flesh it out a little more. I still think 2 pages is enough but if more are needed I can add them.
Regards,
Tom
Dear A & B,
Another 4 weeks has sailed by. How can a semester go by so fast and seem to take so long at the same time? The paradox of time.
I have realized how easy it is to get sidetracked from blogging and struggle getting back to it. Not that I have been that consistent with it anyway, but since break I have floundered even more. The lesson I take from this is that maintaining a blog doesn't hold any interest for me. If I had readers leaving comments and an active dialog I would enjoy it more. That's the catch 22, in order to have an active dialog I need interested readers. To have interested readers I need to post regularly. To post regularly I need interested readers.
A strong topic is also essential to a good blog. I am most definitely lacking that. Outside interests and hobbies are very low priority at this point. The things I am interested in have active forums and websites. Starting another blog seems redundant. I am more interested in taking part in an ongoing, active dialog than trying to create one from whole cloth. Which sound like excuses not to blog but are valid to me. I will maintain a blog for this class and after that I don't see myself returning to it. I don't rule it out. If I get passionate about something that needs a voice then a blog is an option.
Another concern of mine is the employment angle. We have touched on this a little in class. At this point I don't know where I will be applying after graduation. How much do I need to worry about potential employers looking into my past? Let' s just say that my past is checkered enough without adding an outspoken blog. I hope and believe that anyplace I want to work won't do that kind of digging but the future is uncertain.
I will do some more work on the photshop handout this weekend. Try to flesh it out a little more. I still think 2 pages is enough but if more are needed I can add them.
Regards,
Tom
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Reflective Letter #3
Hey Cats and Kittens,
Just today I learned my blogging lesson of the week: Rolin's bunny peep art is better than mine. If you haven't checked out his blog recently you should do so cuz there are good things going on.
Aside from that, I've learned that making things simple is a very complex effort. In GD2 I had to find a way to make something as simple as the daily planner seem new and different. This was a complex process. Now it's just a busy one.
We also learned this with our presentation. Photoshop, on the surface, is fairly simple to use. But, once you get into how much stuff you can actually do with it, it's pretty much the most complicated thing ever. Just picking what to talk about and address as "the basics" is a task. There's an awful lot of "basics."
It reminds me that you can never knock anything as being "simple." My planner is a big foldy piece o' paper and to make more precise folds I'm using a folding bone. My friend Jeremy was like "that's unnecessary." I scoffed. Something as simple as folding can be pretty difficult. You need to think about the weight of the paper, the direction of the grain, what kind of surface you're doing it on, and be careful where you put your fingers. Also, the secondary fold/pressing is essential. I don't think any of us ponder too hard about folding a sheet of paper, but yes, there is something called a folding bone. And people who know how to use it. (btw, it made me laugh at first too).
I don't think I ever really thought too hard about this class, as far as the style of class, until that film crew came to record our class (and put boom mics in our faces). We're a self-directed class. We're a mix of face-to-face and online. We deal with the not-quite-so-fangled-anymore newfangled internet. This class addresses a current, niche trend that really has penetrated our society, but could very well be a quirky footnote hundreds of years from now. "Did you know people used to relentlessly post their lives and political affiliations online?" "Did you know that Lincoln slept with his slaves?" "Did you know etc?"
The traditionally-concerned could academic could question the validity of this class, but we're still learning things. Classes like this fit into a modern consciousness and a modern schedule. The kind where we're trying to run our lives 25/8 instead of just 24/7. It's helped me to try to keep on top of my journal, which had been otherwise left to the side cuz of all this homework nonsense. So, big woop, a class that reminds and pushes me to write about myself. It always about ourselves, but for those of us that focus our blogs on such things, is that a bad thing? Sometimes the only person who's along for our whole lives is ourselves. lol. Self-documentation is an important thing. Which is probably why I'm writing my paper on it.
Wait and see. I'll sell selfishness. For only twenty bucks a pop.
Just today I learned my blogging lesson of the week: Rolin's bunny peep art is better than mine. If you haven't checked out his blog recently you should do so cuz there are good things going on.
Aside from that, I've learned that making things simple is a very complex effort. In GD2 I had to find a way to make something as simple as the daily planner seem new and different. This was a complex process. Now it's just a busy one.
We also learned this with our presentation. Photoshop, on the surface, is fairly simple to use. But, once you get into how much stuff you can actually do with it, it's pretty much the most complicated thing ever. Just picking what to talk about and address as "the basics" is a task. There's an awful lot of "basics."
It reminds me that you can never knock anything as being "simple." My planner is a big foldy piece o' paper and to make more precise folds I'm using a folding bone. My friend Jeremy was like "that's unnecessary." I scoffed. Something as simple as folding can be pretty difficult. You need to think about the weight of the paper, the direction of the grain, what kind of surface you're doing it on, and be careful where you put your fingers. Also, the secondary fold/pressing is essential. I don't think any of us ponder too hard about folding a sheet of paper, but yes, there is something called a folding bone. And people who know how to use it. (btw, it made me laugh at first too).
I don't think I ever really thought too hard about this class, as far as the style of class, until that film crew came to record our class (and put boom mics in our faces). We're a self-directed class. We're a mix of face-to-face and online. We deal with the not-quite-so-fangled-anymore newfangled internet. This class addresses a current, niche trend that really has penetrated our society, but could very well be a quirky footnote hundreds of years from now. "Did you know people used to relentlessly post their lives and political affiliations online?" "Did you know that Lincoln slept with his slaves?" "Did you know etc?"
The traditionally-concerned could academic could question the validity of this class, but we're still learning things. Classes like this fit into a modern consciousness and a modern schedule. The kind where we're trying to run our lives 25/8 instead of just 24/7. It's helped me to try to keep on top of my journal, which had been otherwise left to the side cuz of all this homework nonsense. So, big woop, a class that reminds and pushes me to write about myself. It always about ourselves, but for those of us that focus our blogs on such things, is that a bad thing? Sometimes the only person who's along for our whole lives is ourselves. lol. Self-documentation is an important thing. Which is probably why I'm writing my paper on it.
Wait and see. I'll sell selfishness. For only twenty bucks a pop.
The Weekenders
I know I said it in class, but I shall say it again.
My Graphic Design class is gonna be gone this weekend to Chicago to do some designery type stuff so I'm not sure how much time I'll have to access the intarwebs. Regardless of when you guys finish the paper stuff, just e-mail it or post it here or something. I'll review it on Sunday night when I get home and then be ready to rock on Monday morning. I know this stuff pretty ok so I wouldn't worry about it.
Oh yeah... now to write that pesky reflective letter before I start packing and doing other homework.
Have a good weekend guys, <3.
My Graphic Design class is gonna be gone this weekend to Chicago to do some designery type stuff so I'm not sure how much time I'll have to access the intarwebs. Regardless of when you guys finish the paper stuff, just e-mail it or post it here or something. I'll review it on Sunday night when I get home and then be ready to rock on Monday morning. I know this stuff pretty ok so I wouldn't worry about it.
Oh yeah... now to write that pesky reflective letter before I start packing and doing other homework.
Have a good weekend guys, <3.
Handouts for presentation
I have a draft of the handouts completed. I will email it to both of you. It is 2 pages right now. I don't want to get carried away. keeping the images large enough that they show detail is taking up space however. We can add pages and images if I missed something. Do we want to add a cheat sheet with keyboard shortcuts?
There is so much to Photoshop that I am having a hard time limiting the information.
There is so much to Photoshop that I am having a hard time limiting the information.
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
A bit more on Photoshop...
The school of continuing education on campus is offering a few Photoshop classes. The two that I thought might be more interesting and pertain to our class were *Photoshop CS2 Level 1 and *Photoshop Elements for Photographers.
Photoshop CS2 Level 1
This course costs $279. It is basically formatted to teach the basics: size & format, creation of art, manipulation of photos, painting, retouching, enhancing images, layers, modes, color space, file types, compression, cloning, gradients, filters, etc.
Photoshop Elements for Photographers
Simple secrets to give your photo a high-quality professional look. This course teaches you how to turn bad pictures into masterpieces. It costs $165.
I will have to look back on the website to see when the courses are offered.
On Monday we talked about Tom writing up some step by step instructions maybe telling students how to get a picture and how to open it in Photoshop.
I found a website called photoshopsupport.com that directs people to any sort of help they may need on how to use Photoshop.
This is just a brief re-cap of what we talked about on Monday. I will post keyboard shortcuts on here as soon as I can.
Photoshop CS2 Level 1
This course costs $279. It is basically formatted to teach the basics: size & format, creation of art, manipulation of photos, painting, retouching, enhancing images, layers, modes, color space, file types, compression, cloning, gradients, filters, etc.
Photoshop Elements for Photographers
Simple secrets to give your photo a high-quality professional look. This course teaches you how to turn bad pictures into masterpieces. It costs $165.
I will have to look back on the website to see when the courses are offered.
On Monday we talked about Tom writing up some step by step instructions maybe telling students how to get a picture and how to open it in Photoshop.
I found a website called photoshopsupport.com that directs people to any sort of help they may need on how to use Photoshop.
This is just a brief re-cap of what we talked about on Monday. I will post keyboard shortcuts on here as soon as I can.
Sunday, April 8, 2007
Photoshop Presentation
So, as far as I know, our group presentation on Photoshop is to be given tomorrow. I know that we found a picture to use to demonstrate some Photoshop capabilities in class, but I just want to make sure that we know who is going to do what. Any ideas?
I know that we mentioned that I will do letter i. on the assignment sheet and letters a. and b. would be done by you two. I don't know if we really decided to stick to that, but that is what I went by to prepare for tomorrow.
If there is anything else specifically that you guys can think of for me to do, please let me know--Thanks!
I know that we mentioned that I will do letter i. on the assignment sheet and letters a. and b. would be done by you two. I don't know if we really decided to stick to that, but that is what I went by to prepare for tomorrow.
If there is anything else specifically that you guys can think of for me to do, please let me know--Thanks!
Monday, April 2, 2007
Today's the Day When the Teddy Bears Have Their Picnic
("You" implied) Use this picture of a cute Teddy Bear (command statement).
http://image44.webshots.com/44/5/64/21/384656421oTjxrO_fs.jpg
This picture is appropriate because it could be more saturated, less saturated, diffuse glowed, outlined, B&Wed, leveled, and so on.
We can also resize it, and talk about further file sizing when it comes to the Save For Web option.
http://image44.webshots.com/44/5/64/21/384656421oTjxrO_fs.jpg
This picture is appropriate because it could be more saturated, less saturated, diffuse glowed, outlined, B&Wed, leveled, and so on.
We can also resize it, and talk about further file sizing when it comes to the Save For Web option.
Class presentation on Photoshop
Essential Points to cover
*what tools are available
--size and resolution
--cleaning images
--cropping
--getting rid of red-eye
*how to access Photoshop
*technical issues
--uploading/accessing/saving a file
*how to post a picture on your blog
Inform class that Photoshop CS2 is available on all campus computers.
Point class to online tutorials.
Basic Design issues
*how to text wrap
*where to place text in relation to a photo in your blog
These were just some of the first/basic ideas we came up with in class. And thus, the discussion starts........
*what tools are available
--size and resolution
--cleaning images
--cropping
--getting rid of red-eye
*how to access Photoshop
*technical issues
--uploading/accessing/saving a file
*how to post a picture on your blog
Inform class that Photoshop CS2 is available on all campus computers.
Point class to online tutorials.
Basic Design issues
*how to text wrap
*where to place text in relation to a photo in your blog
These were just some of the first/basic ideas we came up with in class. And thus, the discussion starts........
Our Techy Tool of Choice
This was going to go up last night but... yeah. You can see the last entry (or so) that I made in my journal for details on the meltdown that occurred last week and almost made me quit my major. Or at least think about it. But then afterwards I had to spend the second half of Tuesday, all of Wednesday, and the morning of Thursday getting my big project back on track. It all seemed like one big day and it was pretty bad... And then, pop, work all weekend. And of course last night I fell asleep on my laptop at like 9 after getting home from work....
There's my excuse to tardiness, in case anyone is interested.
Luckily, we're on top of this. Obviously I believe that a picture is worth a 1000 words, and then I add more cuz I'm long-winded. Our techno-tool (giggle) demonstration is gonna be on Photoshop and it's many wonders, most of which I don't know how to do. But I do know the basics, so that's what we'll highlight. I'm not clear on when we're going to be presenting this information, but I don't really need to prepare for it or anythinig so we'll be fine.
Now I must return to running around like a chicken with it's head cut off, cuz I have a website due tomorrow and I need to crack the whip with my group. I suddenly feel compelled to share this with you guys, just so you know that I am in fact competent (technologically/artistically, which is why we're doing photoshop) at some classes. lol.
http://www.uwm.edu/~avpalomo/story/index.html
http://www.uwm.edu/~avpalomo/final/index.html
http://www.uwm.edu/~avpalomo/zen/zengarden.html
There's my excuse to tardiness, in case anyone is interested.
Luckily, we're on top of this. Obviously I believe that a picture is worth a 1000 words, and then I add more cuz I'm long-winded. Our techno-tool (giggle) demonstration is gonna be on Photoshop and it's many wonders, most of which I don't know how to do. But I do know the basics, so that's what we'll highlight. I'm not clear on when we're going to be presenting this information, but I don't really need to prepare for it or anythinig so we'll be fine.
Now I must return to running around like a chicken with it's head cut off, cuz I have a website due tomorrow and I need to crack the whip with my group. I suddenly feel compelled to share this with you guys, just so you know that I am in fact competent (technologically/artistically, which is why we're doing photoshop) at some classes. lol.
http://www.uwm.edu/~avpalomo/story/index.html
http://www.uwm.edu/~avpalomo/final/index.html
http://www.uwm.edu/~avpalomo/zen/zengarden.html
Sunday, April 1, 2007
Blogging Tools
So I missed last weeks class and wish I wouldn't have because I am feeling a little lost for these upcoming assignments. Being confused seems to be a re-occurring theme for most of us this semester, so I am taking what I can out of the assignment.
Tools that I think are important for blogging are creativity and openness.
Creativity is an obvious one. The more creative your blog, the more interesting it is. The more interesting, the more people want to read it.
Openness is not as clear however. I think it is very important to be able to "speak" (type) freely about what is on your mind. I like blogs that tell stories. I've said it time and time again, but I like a blog that serves like a journal. If you're open to write about anything, then I personally find your blog more interesting. You would think that a blog comparing two sandwiches is ridiculous, but in some contrived way, I find it more interesting because it is so ridiculous!
These two tools are beyond the most obvious, which is technical skill. You have to know how to start a blog and have some basic computer skills to maintain the blog.
What tools do you guys find necessary? (Maybe asking a question will help to make us a more cohesive group???--just an attempt)
Tools that I think are important for blogging are creativity and openness.
Creativity is an obvious one. The more creative your blog, the more interesting it is. The more interesting, the more people want to read it.
Openness is not as clear however. I think it is very important to be able to "speak" (type) freely about what is on your mind. I like blogs that tell stories. I've said it time and time again, but I like a blog that serves like a journal. If you're open to write about anything, then I personally find your blog more interesting. You would think that a blog comparing two sandwiches is ridiculous, but in some contrived way, I find it more interesting because it is so ridiculous!
These two tools are beyond the most obvious, which is technical skill. You have to know how to start a blog and have some basic computer skills to maintain the blog.
What tools do you guys find necessary? (Maybe asking a question will help to make us a more cohesive group???--just an attempt)
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Venting at the expense of Group 2
Not to override your post Tom, but I will get to that shortly. I just feel compelled to share this.
I have been blogging on my personal blog on the four blogs I have been viewing for the past week or so. Only two of the four are actually able to hold my interest at any level, but beyond that, I got my first semi-offensive/serious comment from an outsider. Well I guess technically it is my second. I welcomed the first comment from an outsider (out of class) with open arms seeing as it was very nice. As you guys probably know, I don't write for comments, I write for me. Apparently with this notion, I tend to forget that anyone can see our blogs, which shouldn't change what I write anyway.
I recently made a post on a picture of a creepy doll in my opinion. You can check it out on "quotable quotes." It turns out that the person who maintains the blog where this picture was commented on my posting with some unfavorable words. What he said was completely legitimate, but point and case of why I don't love comments or blogging for that matter. Sure blogging is great for most people, but I just get too offended too easily. That is my problem and I am completely willing to admit it.
I just needed to get that off my chest.........
I have been blogging on my personal blog on the four blogs I have been viewing for the past week or so. Only two of the four are actually able to hold my interest at any level, but beyond that, I got my first semi-offensive/serious comment from an outsider. Well I guess technically it is my second. I welcomed the first comment from an outsider (out of class) with open arms seeing as it was very nice. As you guys probably know, I don't write for comments, I write for me. Apparently with this notion, I tend to forget that anyone can see our blogs, which shouldn't change what I write anyway.
I recently made a post on a picture of a creepy doll in my opinion. You can check it out on "quotable quotes." It turns out that the person who maintains the blog where this picture was commented on my posting with some unfavorable words. What he said was completely legitimate, but point and case of why I don't love comments or blogging for that matter. Sure blogging is great for most people, but I just get too offended too easily. That is my problem and I am completely willing to admit it.
I just needed to get that off my chest.........
kick it into gear
Not sure how we can kick this blog into gear. Posting would help. If for no other reason than to start a dialog I'll ask; what are your plans for break? I still have to work so I don't have major plans. A week with no class or homework will be a welcome break though. Plan on putting in some marathon gaming hours.
Did everyone come up with feedback about the final paper for Dr. Sands? I am still not sure where to go with that. I did reassert my statement from class that D2L can go. Bringing that conversation here will help.
ADDED: Just came across this story on BBC. The 2007 award for journalism went to 22-year old blogger Abdel Kareem Soliman, who wrote under the name Kareem Amer. How's that for blogs making a difference and changing the world.
Did everyone come up with feedback about the final paper for Dr. Sands? I am still not sure where to go with that. I did reassert my statement from class that D2L can go. Bringing that conversation here will help.
ADDED: Just came across this story on BBC. The 2007 award for journalism went to 22-year old blogger Abdel Kareem Soliman, who wrote under the name Kareem Amer. How's that for blogs making a difference and changing the world.
Thursday, March 1, 2007
Interesting Blogging Article
This is entirely off topic of what our assignment sheet is saying, but I thought this was pretty interesting and random that I came across this article.
I found a magazine on the newspaper racks in the union. The magazine is called Young Money. Inside was an article by a technology editor, Dave Matthews, called "Beginner's Guide to Blogging." It was very brief, but discussed a couple key points. First of all, Matthews says that blogs are a good idea because they may one day be able to make you money. He brought this point up a few times, but never really expanded upon it.
He is also a big hater of MySpace and Facebook. He says, "If you are one of the millions of college students graduation this spring with MySpace of Facebook accounts loaded with so-called "friends" and message board entries, it may be time for you to grow up to a real blog."
I think this comment is a bit harsh, but I see his point. He talks about being able to make blogs private or public and being able to add photos. You can do all of these things of Facebook as well. I am not personally experienced with MySpace, so I can't comment on that. One of his main defenses is that blogs are easy to access. He says "can you imagine your grandmother signing up for a MySpace page, just so she can access your photos?" I think he soon realized that was a silly point to make because he mentioned that you probably wouldn't want your grandmother to see those photos anyway.
Lastly, the author offers some blogging quick tips. Here is what he has to say.
*Post regularly or readers won't keep coming back to your blog
*Leave comments on other's blogs, to drive more traffic links
*Make sure the comments are smart and not seen as spam
*Use a photo with each entry since a picture is worth a million words!
*Link to your friends on the sidebar to gain traffic
*Sign up for Google Ad Words to make some money from your blog traffic hat your expertise area is.
I found a magazine on the newspaper racks in the union. The magazine is called Young Money. Inside was an article by a technology editor, Dave Matthews, called "Beginner's Guide to Blogging." It was very brief, but discussed a couple key points. First of all, Matthews says that blogs are a good idea because they may one day be able to make you money. He brought this point up a few times, but never really expanded upon it.
He is also a big hater of MySpace and Facebook. He says, "If you are one of the millions of college students graduation this spring with MySpace of Facebook accounts loaded with so-called "friends" and message board entries, it may be time for you to grow up to a real blog."
I think this comment is a bit harsh, but I see his point. He talks about being able to make blogs private or public and being able to add photos. You can do all of these things of Facebook as well. I am not personally experienced with MySpace, so I can't comment on that. One of his main defenses is that blogs are easy to access. He says "can you imagine your grandmother signing up for a MySpace page, just so she can access your photos?" I think he soon realized that was a silly point to make because he mentioned that you probably wouldn't want your grandmother to see those photos anyway.
Lastly, the author offers some blogging quick tips. Here is what he has to say.
*Post regularly or readers won't keep coming back to your blog
*Leave comments on other's blogs, to drive more traffic links
*Make sure the comments are smart and not seen as spam
*Use a photo with each entry since a picture is worth a million words!
*Link to your friends on the sidebar to gain traffic
*Sign up for Google Ad Words to make some money from your blog traffic hat your expertise area is.
Sunday, February 25, 2007
Timely Blogs
Building upon what I have already expressed about the importance of a creative blog, I think that time is an important element to consider. Time is more important in some blogs, while not so much in others.
A blog needs to be consistent. If posts are only made once or twice a month for instance, the reader will likely loose interest. Beyond consistency, posts on blogs also need to be made timely on a smaller basis. For instance, if you are making a posting on Britney Spears shaving her head, it would need to be done close to when that story was breaking to make it worthwhile. Yes, someone could post on that story a couple months down the road, but it will take a completely different effect.
Along with the element of time, it is important to keep in mind who you are writing your blog for. Give it a personality that suits you (the writer) and the topics you’re writing on. For example, colors express different moods to some extent, so when choosing what color font to use, consider your topic. If you are writing a sad entry, black or blue may be appropriate, whereas if you’re topic is happy and joyful, yellow or orange would be appropriate.
A blog needs to be consistent. If posts are only made once or twice a month for instance, the reader will likely loose interest. Beyond consistency, posts on blogs also need to be made timely on a smaller basis. For instance, if you are making a posting on Britney Spears shaving her head, it would need to be done close to when that story was breaking to make it worthwhile. Yes, someone could post on that story a couple months down the road, but it will take a completely different effect.
Along with the element of time, it is important to keep in mind who you are writing your blog for. Give it a personality that suits you (the writer) and the topics you’re writing on. For example, colors express different moods to some extent, so when choosing what color font to use, consider your topic. If you are writing a sad entry, black or blue may be appropriate, whereas if you’re topic is happy and joyful, yellow or orange would be appropriate.
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Good Blogging
Should have posted this last week. Think I am finally on track with what I am posting and where.
A Good Blog Manifesto
1. First I believe that what constitutes a good blog is highly subjective and a matter of personal taste. I don’t expect or want everyone to like or agree with all of my choices. Diversity makes life interesting and sparks new ideas and debate.
Sunday, February 18, 2007
Make a Quality Blog, or I Shall Be Disappointed All Over You.
Style is good, but substance is always the most important to me.
I like short and sweet, or long, but not really long.
The Bitch PhD blog is an example of a short and sweet style. I could never do such a thing because I'm a windbag.
I like long if there's a story inovlved. I don't respond to a string of facts so much as a story with lots of details. Facts are just so... schoolish. Whereas ture stories are conversational. For an example see the reply I posted on the d2l forum for week five.
Really long, though, is just tedious. Unless I'm REALLY interested in what's going on. Like I'd stick around for a really long entry on, say, Lost, Veronica Mars, or Heroes. Or maybe a comic book critique of a series I read. But when you get down to the umpteenth article on academic blogging being dangerous to your job or professional status they just all start looking long.
So, in summation, the best way to create an effective blog is to be amazing. And if that isn't a simple task I don't know what is.
(the previous statement reminds me of the time that our Graphic Design teacher suggested that we read THE (MOTHER F**KIN') FOUNTAINHEAD over winter break.
Bitch PLEASE.
I like short and sweet, or long, but not really long.
The Bitch PhD blog is an example of a short and sweet style. I could never do such a thing because I'm a windbag.
I like long if there's a story inovlved. I don't respond to a string of facts so much as a story with lots of details. Facts are just so... schoolish. Whereas ture stories are conversational. For an example see the reply I posted on the d2l forum for week five.
Really long, though, is just tedious. Unless I'm REALLY interested in what's going on. Like I'd stick around for a really long entry on, say, Lost, Veronica Mars, or Heroes. Or maybe a comic book critique of a series I read. But when you get down to the umpteenth article on academic blogging being dangerous to your job or professional status they just all start looking long.
So, in summation, the best way to create an effective blog is to be amazing. And if that isn't a simple task I don't know what is.
(the previous statement reminds me of the time that our Graphic Design teacher suggested that we read THE (MOTHER F**KIN') FOUNTAINHEAD over winter break.
Bitch PLEASE.
what makes a good blog?
According to the 5th week assignment sheet, we are supposed to be talking about what we think makes a good blog and what makes a good blog post.
What I find most important in good blogs and good blog posts seem to coincide a bit. I think it is very important for a blog to be visually pleasing. At the same time, a blog post should be visually pleasing as well. A blog should be organized well with a layout that suits the blogger. A post should have text broken up into small chunks.
I think it is very important for a blog post to have a good title. Quite often, I judge a blog by its title. If it sounds boring in the title, there is a good change that the blog itself is going to be dry and boring to read. A good blog post should please the blogger when done. If you are not happy with what you wrote, than what was the point?
A good blog is easy to navigate. A place to post comments is readily available. A good blog is not cluttered.
Everyone learns things differently and judges things according to their own beliefs. Since I am a visually learner and a visual person, I think that the look of a blog and a blog post is what is most important. Quite frankly, if it looks interesting and visually pleasing, I will take a second look at it.
What I find most important in good blogs and good blog posts seem to coincide a bit. I think it is very important for a blog to be visually pleasing. At the same time, a blog post should be visually pleasing as well. A blog should be organized well with a layout that suits the blogger. A post should have text broken up into small chunks.
I think it is very important for a blog post to have a good title. Quite often, I judge a blog by its title. If it sounds boring in the title, there is a good change that the blog itself is going to be dry and boring to read. A good blog post should please the blogger when done. If you are not happy with what you wrote, than what was the point?
A good blog is easy to navigate. A place to post comments is readily available. A good blog is not cluttered.
Everyone learns things differently and judges things according to their own beliefs. Since I am a visually learner and a visual person, I think that the look of a blog and a blog post is what is most important. Quite frankly, if it looks interesting and visually pleasing, I will take a second look at it.
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Still confused
This is what threw me off before. We post a comment on D2L and then what am I blogging about here. The same thing. Isn't that redundantly redundant? Or we are starting a great group blog that will end up having depth and meaning. (a little voice in my head is screaming "what is the point of it all?") I run out of information to share. There is only so much going on in my mundane existence, school, homework, job, sleep. Not the makings of a great novel. I hate to think I lack imagination but I really have no idea what to write about. Perhaps if we choose a theme or topic for our blog my little Grey cells would be more active.
Well I am just rambling. Someone please kick me to get me started.
Well I am just rambling. Someone please kick me to get me started.
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Prove It
Sleep is coming for me like the Rapture. Or at least I hope so.
In the mean time I wanted to post my favourite quote from the readings for the week (so far):
The ability to orient oneself in that sort of free-for-all requires a kind of discursive finesse that probably cannot be certified (let alone quantified). For that matter, there is no particular reason to equate success in this endeavor with reaching a vast audience.
From this reading.
It's kind of like how you can be a real brainiac when it comes to dinosaurs, but if you get stuck on the island from Jurassic Park and you can't use that knowledge to stay alive then what good is it? You need knowledge and field aptitude.
In the mean time I wanted to post my favourite quote from the readings for the week (so far):
The ability to orient oneself in that sort of free-for-all requires a kind of discursive finesse that probably cannot be certified (let alone quantified). For that matter, there is no particular reason to equate success in this endeavor with reaching a vast audience.
From this reading.
It's kind of like how you can be a real brainiac when it comes to dinosaurs, but if you get stuck on the island from Jurassic Park and you can't use that knowledge to stay alive then what good is it? You need knowledge and field aptitude.
Change Is Good
Before (hopefully) getting all blogtacular on this weeks readings, I'd just like to note to you two that I did in fact change the link on our big class blog to my livejournal. So if you check in on me it should be there.
That's all.
That's all.
Monday, February 12, 2007
Thursday, February 8, 2007
The Plan
Ok. I guess I'll give our official list a stab.
1. Abandon the uselessness of Blogger.
2. Sign up for Live Journal.
3. Experience the most convenient way to have everyone's entries at our fingertips.
4. Post at least twice a week.
5. Every time you post leave at least two comments on someon's blog. A comment only needs to be a thoughtful paragraph or so.
6. Make sure you comment on each blog at least once throughout the semester.
Drawbacks:
1. I don't know how to best handle people who don't want to get an LJ account. I don't understand the RSS thing in full. I think you need to be a paid member to create a feed that isn't already listed on their syndication list.
Either way. It's better than feeling alone on Blogger.
And now that I've posted this, I'm going to go make some entries on my own class blog. And leave comments on other people's of course. lol.
1. Abandon the uselessness of Blogger.
2. Sign up for Live Journal.
3. Experience the most convenient way to have everyone's entries at our fingertips.
4. Post at least twice a week.
5. Every time you post leave at least two comments on someon's blog. A comment only needs to be a thoughtful paragraph or so.
6. Make sure you comment on each blog at least once throughout the semester.
Drawbacks:
1. I don't know how to best handle people who don't want to get an LJ account. I don't understand the RSS thing in full. I think you need to be a paid member to create a feed that isn't already listed on their syndication list.
Either way. It's better than feeling alone on Blogger.
And now that I've posted this, I'm going to go make some entries on my own class blog. And leave comments on other people's of course. lol.
Tuesday, February 6, 2007
starting ideas
These are the ideas I noted during our discussion yesterday.
We need a plan and schedule.
Use of live journal
Ability to see number of views as well as comments
Read and acknowledge each persons blog,
write at least a thoughtful paragraph
Each time you post to your blog you should respond to 2 other blogs
Through the course of the semester you should respond to each person at least once
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