HW 14: Applying Transitions to "Take An Obsession, Then Feed It!"

Accordingly, when I chose to read, “Take an Obsession, Then Feed It” I was quite surprised by the words spoken by the man being interviewed. Therefore, Nick Denton, a thirty-six-year-old British expatriate and former Financial Times reporter, discusses in his interview the use of hiring unknown writers for his blog. After all, he knows that they are much “hungrier” to write in the blogs then he is. Moreover, he speaks of the importance of blogging and how he feels it is important, even to businesses. Actually, he states that, “over the next five years weblogs will aggregate much bigger audiences and have a larger impact on society and politics and culture and business as a result.” (Burstein and Kline 154) As a result what I found to be the most interesting was when he said that that a lot of bloggers don’t have any special expertise in any subject, or any special access to newsmakers, not that they close to the “street” of any situation or conflict.” Also, I agree with him because I feel that a lot of bloggers don’t really know a lot about the topics that they blog about because they are their own personal opinions or ideas and there’s no need for expertise or facts necessarily. Hence, the main point of his interview was when he states that he doesn’t think that these types of people will earn reader’s trust as being more authoritative than the New York Times.

HW 13: "Saying why Business Matters"

I personally feel that what is the most important is the impact of blogging on communication that is not business- or profit- related. I believe that self-expression is one of the larges forms of communications. In “Blogs will Change Your Life" Baker and Green both speak about blogging, “But you cannot afford to close your eyes to them, because they're simply the most explosive outbreak in the information world since the internet itself." (Burstein and Kline 222) Blogs now a days are being used for everything you could possibly think of and imagine. For example, my discussion of social blogging is in fact addressing the larger matter of how social blogging is in its own way a platform for advertising one’s own ideas and opinions, but it is very different from that of business promoting. Social communicating and business promoting both have their obvious risks but it’s important to realize the real importance of a blog. It is not supposed to separate people but bring people together. Ultimately, what is at stake here is that I feel that there will be more to write about socially then about businesses. Business is something that is so traditional, and everyday- American that there really aren’t that many different view points on it. Baker and Green state that, “Companies over the past few centuries have gotten used to shaping their message. Now they’re losing control of it.” (Burstein and Kline 224) The unfourtanate situation that publishers have to go through is that they are losing their credit, because everyone is a “potential publisher.” Although social blogging that is non- business related may seem trival, it is in fact crucial in terms of today's concern over the larger matter of personal representation. The thoughts in my blog are mine alone, no one else’s. However business blogs are often business related and are intended to educate the mass media, but social networking sites primarily focus on social communication and situations.

HW 11:Applying Graff, Chapter 6 to "Making Global Voices Heard"

When reading the pages of, "Making Global Voices Heard," pages 325-333, there were various blogging websites that were introduced throughout the text. There was once in particular which I found to be very interesting. Mackinnon states that, “There are three Chinese-language blog hosting services that are run by Chinese companies, including one that is run by Isaac Mao.” (Burstein and Kline 328). He is probably the best known Chinese blogger outside of China because he blogs both in Chinese and in English. If you set up an account with Isaac Mao’s service, which is called BlogBus, and you post things using certain words that have been keyed into a program as triggering “objectable content,” then you won’t be able to post it and/or your blog will be blocked.” (Burstein and Kline 328) I found this to be extremely intriguing so I went to his site to research it and to view the responses made by bloggers. When I went to his site, it was very unlike how I imagined it to be. It appears to be very traditional and mundane. There weren’t a lot of colors and there were very few pictures, not too appealing at that. Yet some readers may challenge my view that it is not always the amount of color of appeal of the blog that interests and grabs someone’s attention. It is the words or text that captures the person’s attention. The background is white but the things that he talks about in his posts are what makes his words almost jump off of the page. Many of his posts are about basic and complex computer problems as well as the Chinese environment and culture the impact of Chinese events. After all, many believe that it is not the physical description that is what matters most. Indeed my own argument that the color of text of the bog is not as important as the actual words and issues expressed in the bog seems to ignore how adding colors and vibrancy could add and inspire more people to view his blog and respond to it. However, apparently there has been a great deal of controversy over what people are able to express and write on his blog. For example, Mackinnon states that, “There have been quite a lot of Chinese people who have gone to jail for things the have put on websites and that a lot of interesting speech has taken place in the Chinese blogoshpere and very lively stories about daily life.” (Burstein and Kline 328) After readings Mankinnon’s description of the blog and then going to the site, I found that there were a lot of similarities and that she was very accurate with her details.

HW 9: Applying Graff, Chapter 4 to Waldman or Huffington

After reading the two different articles written by Waldman and Huffington I decided to direct most of my attention to the internet with Ayelet Waldman and comment on it. I found this interview to be extremely interesting and even a little bit shocking. It is sad to think that someone’s own “personal laundry” could be opened up and ready by so many people online. More importantly, is the fact that she was so willing to explain everything that was going on in her life. Waldman confesses that she had never kept a journal or diary before and that even when she does write, it was usually for an audience. The main point or focus that came across in Waldman’s interview was how blogging is a crucial and positive thing for women to do, and it often connects them with one another and encourages them to be better mothers, wives and so forth. She states, “I think that there is something about the blogoshphere that lends itself to a kind of snarkiness.” (Kline and Burstein 310) I agree that putting yourself out their on the web, even through your thoughts and personal opinions can be detrimental because my experience writing posts on my own blog confirms it. What is hard for most people to understand is that we all have different ways of expressing how we truly feel, and that sometimes, their needs to be a resource or outlook for people to be able to let out what they’re feeling inside. I also disagree strongly when she says, “When you are a novelist you take personal experiences and you sit on them until they fester into something totally different.” (Kline and Burstein 311) Isn’t that the same for blogging though? Waldman’s claim that blogging is not the primary source for writing rests upon the questionable assumptions that you most likely need to be a novelist, or someone with such writing ability in order to inhibit the same amount of attention and feed back. Blogging is a great opportunity for people to write one thing and have many different responses come back in return. It often even sparks more intelligence and further discussion on the topic.

Hw 7: Applying Graff, Chapter 3 to "My So-called Blog"

Personally, being a teenager myself, I believe that it is crucial for parents to be monitoring what their children write online but I feel that there should be some boundaries as well. I feel that there is a lot of danger with parents allowing their kids access to the computer and online world, without adhering to certain rules and principles that they set up to go along with it. In “My So-called Blog” Emily Nussbaum states that, “Ninety percent of those with blogs are between the ages of 13 and 29.” (Kline and Burstein 349) Children among this age group often are unware and unexperienced when it comes to maturity and the real issues in the world. They are too naïve to fully participate and understand some of the things that are out their on the web. Parents need to allow their children space, but sometimes the comfort of having protection is better than none at all. Now, it is extremely easy for people to search, find and even communicate with one another. Emily Nussbaum herself writes, “The private experience of adolescence- a period traditionally marked by seizures of self-consciousness and personal confessions wrapped in layers and hidden in a sock drawer- has been made public.” (Kline and Burstein 351) No longer is the internet as safe as it once was. It is clear that world is a safe place and no matter what there is always going to be struggles and dangers, but when it comes to the vast and broad space of the internet, it seems endless. In other words, Emily Nussbaum belives that the problem that arises is when a “particularly scandalous site will gain a wider readership,” ( Kline and Burstein 358). For the most part, this site will attract the teenage group because they are naïve and unaware of certain places to go on the internet. Parents need to monitor their children, not to be overprotective and to control their life but to protect their children from the unknown, which even them, themselves are unaware of.

Hw: 6 Interest Statement for Semester-Long Project

For the pre-writing phase of my semester-long research and writing project there are various topics that interest me. The three main social computing technologies which I am most interested in right now are e-mail and e-mail lists, instant messaging, and social networking services. I am interested in e-mailing primarily because it seems that not many people tend to use e-mail as they had before. It almost has taken a back seat to some of the other ways of communicating on the web. Instant messaging is one of my personal favorites to learn more about, because I myself am always on the computer chatting with friends and I find it such an easy way to communicate. I am also very interested in social networking services such as facebook and myspace, because a lot of younger teens are starting to access these services and with all of the recent developments and circumstances of these that occur on the news it seems extremely dangerous for them to be on these types of sites, at such a young age. As for the marginalized groups that I am interested in, they include overcoming religious, overcoming inequities in access to education, rights and empowerment of poor or working- class people. I am a very religious person, and I find that religion does seem to be one of the biggest strifes or issues of differences among many people. Education is also something that I feel very strongly about and it hurts to know that some people are not able to receive the same education I do. I hope to learn more about the reasons why and see what I can do to help. Lastly, I am interested in rights and empowerment of poor or working-class people because I also feel that these people are treated differently because of the lifestyle they live. I’m thinking that some of the best geographical areas that I should start looking at are areas that I’m familiar with here in North America as well as far-off places located in Africa.

HW 5b: Applying Graff Chapter 2 to "I Blof, Therefore I Am"

When reading the assigned reading of Chapter 2, “I Blog, Therefore I Am” I came across one paragraph in particular that I did not agree with. To summarize, in the paragraph, Kline claims that the public-media is going to be able to win back the trust and confidence of the public even with everything that is happening around it, for example the increase in people blogging and so forth. There is an example of a heading in the newspaper, Newsweek which covered one hundred years in the future that features and aerial view of the United States with the state of California split off from the mainland. The headline featured on it is, “California Island: More Popular Than Ever 62 Years After The Big Quake.” In conclusion, the print media believes that even after its 250-year-long run, it will continue for at least another century. For example, in this particular paragraph, Kline suggests that the magazine and newspaper industries have both launched multimillion-dollar image advertising campaigns to increase their popularity. One ad in the newspaper, Newsweek covers one hundred years in the future that features and aerial view of the United States with the state of California split off from the mainland. The headline featured on it is, “California Island: More Popular Than Ever 62 Years After The Big Quake.” In conclusion, the print media believes that even after its 250-year-long run, it will continue for at least another century. I disagree because I feel that it will still be slightly jeopardized by other media scandals and mistruths that people are led to read and view. I endorse the media for being one of the primary sources for retrieving information and displaying it to the public, but I don’t believe that the media will be able to keep up with all the other advances in technology. I question whether or not the media will be able to keep up with its amount of viewers, even if it continues to display unreliable information. Nonetheless, I personally feel that the media is going to continue to keep up with its reporting and continue doing what it does regardless of how it is being impacted. Both blogging and the media are something that I feel is going to continue the bond between individuals and the world around them, in a positive way. I just don’t necessarily agree with Kline or others who say that the media is going to progress as it has over the next few years, or even centuries.

HW 4: Responding to the "Voice of the Customer"

In "The Voice of the Customer," Greg Thomas is quotes as saying that, "Great brands are always built on promise." When I returned back to my room, I looked around at the brands of items I owned, particularly an item with a promising brand on it. What I found was my bottle of Propel Fitness Water, a type of flavored water, sitting on my desk. On the bottle it was described as promising to, “hydrate and nourish the active body with a splash of fruit flavor and essential vitamins, which aid in energy metabolism as part of a daily diet.” This water therefore promises good, strong health and fitness for the consumer. To test this, I went online and looked for the company brand website, and I was extremely intrigued by what I came across. On the website there was a slideshow of pictures ranging from a bunch of old men on motorcycles and a guy on a bicycle in the lead, to someone running followed by strong, sturdy horses. Based on these pictures, I believe that one can infer the promise to be a feeling of empowerment and stability, maintaining a healthy lifestyle, and strong health no matter what your age. Based on these pictures, the consumer will become healthier, like someone with really good fitness. On the website, the main slogan or promise was, “Fit has a feeling.” The promise that the company website implies is that fitness has reactions and emotions, similar to humans do. The Propel Fitness water is more than just water it’s a lifestyle. By starting to drink this water, the consumer can start a new way of dieting and gain a healthy and fit body. In my experience, the product does deliver what it promises. It contains a lot of nutrients and vitamins that I would not normally consume as much of on a daily basis. Knowing that this water is good for me, I enjoy drinking it because I know that it is good for me. Also, because it is flavored water the taste is sensational and refreshing, making you want to continue drinking it.

HW 3: Response to "Toward a More Participatory Democracy"

The biggest issue that David Kline addresses in his writing is the media, more importantly how false the information tends to be. He suggests that we need to work together to put an end to it. He states, “But since the right wing already controls the media, we must use other means to educate the American people." When I was a child, I used to think that the world was a safe and simple place. I believe that the media is great, easy source for dishing out information and connecting people with the world around them. However, there is so much distorted information presented by the media that the public doesn’t know what to believe anymore. Although I should know better by now, I cannot help thinking that we must begin now to take matters into our own hands. We need to stop relying on everyone else and focus on the truth. One way of doing this, is by posting blogs. At the same time that I believe it’s a chance for people to take a stance and comment on the world they are living in, I also believe that if you are relaying information to the public it should be accurate. David also says that, "The media has lost a portion of the respect and trust it once held among the public and forty-five percent of Americans said they believe little or nothing of what they read in their daily newspapers." Nobody wants to read about ordinary, every day news but the more false something is the more people are intrigued to read about it, even when they know it isn’t necessarily true. So how do we find some common ground? Is their truly any way for us, the readers to voice our opinions? David says, “Political blogs also served as sometimes surprisingly effective opinion research tools that helped the various candidates test out ideas and campaign slogans. Blogging has helped in political elections by urging young people to vote and to become more aware of what is going on politically around them. Blogging in a sense is considered a media source but one that is useful, efficient, and has guidelines. I've always believed that in order to change a problem you need to seek the real issue. There is no way that we can completely alter the media issue but taking little steps makes a big difference.

added bold text (9/9/07)

HW 2: Blogging becoming an interactive, social conversation

This is how I relate one of Kline and Burstein's twelve principles/predictions to an interest or commitment of my own. I'm responding to David Kline and Dan Burstein's Blog! How the Newest Media Revolution is Changing Politics, Business and Culture. David Kline and Dan Burstein refer to blogging as, "The key metaphor for interactivity, community-building, and genuine conversation: one to one, one to many, many to one, many to many." When I was a child, I used to think that the world was a simple and safe little place without worries. Although I should know better by now, I cannot help thinking that this is still not the case. It has always been an interest of mine to meet new people, and like the old saying, “Knowledge is power.” The wide-range of options that blogging provides are endless and technology is radically changing how people live their lives. Like most teenagers, I spend a lot of time on the computer. Blogging however, is an educational and interactive experience with broad topics. I've always believe that one person's thoughts can transpire in to more than they ever expected. There have been numerous circumstances where a post on a certain global issue or topic, such as political elections, can completely alter the votes for that election. It seems silly to think that computers can change how we function as human beings, but in actuality computers are making it easier for people to communicate and connect with one another. David Kline and Dan Burstein state blogging is, "The killer App of the current generation of Web Innovation, just as e-mail and instant messaging were at the core of the last version." Blogging is a useful, "one place source" available to everyone to view. At the same time that I believe blogging offers the same technique as e-mail, I also believe that what makes it special is that people view posts on a blog because it sparks their interest, and they respond. E-mail and instant messaging are a back and forth conversation but usually over ordinary topics. For example, one person's ends up branching out as more and more people read or respond to it. Blogging is not only a way to meet people with similar stances on certain issues, but also a chance to state your ideas and opinions and hopefully change the way other people see the same or different things.

added bold text (9/9/07)