1,2,3...Blogs I See!!

In chapter 7 of Brian Carroll's book, he discusses the different kinds of blogging. This is an element I hadn't fully thought about before reading this chapter. Carroll says that blogs fall into three categories:

1. Personal Blogs

2. Corporate Blogs

3. News Blogs

Now, before embarking on this wonderful journey of Digital Communication Class, I thought there was one kind of blog: personal blogs. However, I now see these three different types and the different purposes they serve. 

Personal blogs are individualized, typically focused on a certain interest of the blogger, and usually more conversational in tone.

Corporate blogs have one big goal: to keep their consumers updated on all things going on in their company. These blogs are also good for developing trust between the corporation and the consumer. Corporate blogs help to develop this trust by speaking plainly and humanizing the company. Another way to help build trust is by not directly trying to sell anything to people reading the corporate blog.

News blogs focus on what happened and are centered around factual events. This is the kind of blog that can sway into the category of journalism because it follow a particular method of verification.

Since I have joined this class, I have decided to embrace the world of blogging. I just started a Bloglovin account and follow blogs in each of these different categories. I am really enjoying seeing their different goals, tones, and approaches to blogging. Personally, I think I am partial to the personal blogs!

Be Heard...the Modern Way!

Blogging, blogging, blogging! I am not going to lie, when we first ventured into the world of blogging for this class I was slightly intimidated. I didn’t know how to approach a blog for this class. Was it to be purely and dominated by academics or by my voice. I feel that the most posts I have done, the more comfortable I have gotten, that I am using my voice to begin to communicate the academic side of things. 

Along the lines of blogging, we read about blogging and the the communities surrounding them. In the beginning of chapter 3, so and so says “Everyone is famous to fifteen people”. I really enjoyed and was intrigued by the point that Rettberg made about the differences between print and blogging. Blogging really allows everyone to have an outlet and an opportunity to get their word out to the world. Print also allows for that to happen, but on a different scale. Rettberg talks about how things like fanzines and newsletters can be photo-copied and sent out to people, but blogs allow for that to happen as well. Blogs also offer the added benefit that more people can see the information due to the networks and communities that link bloggers to readers and other bloggers.

One of the examples that I immediately think of is the example of a school newsletter, specifically the Furman newsletter. It always amazes me when I go home for breaks to see the Furman University newsletter. I’m always so surprised and shocked to see some of the news and stories from the University, things I had no idea about while being at Furman. If Furman had a blog (even if it accompanied the newsletter), both parents and students could enjoy the benefits of a newsletter. And chances are that other people, even prospective students and families could also benefit from the advantages of a blog. Furman also having a blog could allow for more up-to-date announcements and stories and further Furman’s recognition.

Blogging allows for many possibilities for individual, corporations, and institutions to further their recognition and get their words out to people all over the world!

A Girl's Right Hand Through Long Distance

My boyfriend went abroad to Chile this term. As I was anticipating him leaving, my Mom and Dad (ever so politely) reminded me that it won’t be that bad because of all the technology that I have at my fingertips. 

A little background...my Mom and Dad dated for eight years before they got married. Six of those eight years were long distance. All those years my parents had two ways to keep in touch with one another: snail mail and a telephone (and part of that time the telephone was stationed in the hall of a dormitory). Fast-forward 30 years, and I have email, iMessage, Skype, cell phones, and Facebook to all help me and my boyfriend stay in touch this term. 

Naturally having been told about all the years of snail mail, I assumed that none of these social media wonders were ever thought about until the 1980s, 1990s, and on. However, as Daniela Hernandez writes about in “Facebook?! Twitter?! Instagram?! We did that 40 Years Ago?!” these social media concepts were already around. Contraptions like the first ever smart phone, the IMB Simon phone, came about in 1993. The original way to Skype was first around in 1964, it was called the Bell Picturephone. It was a wacky shaped contraption and cost $16 dollars to make a 15 minute call. Oh, and the only place you even had the ability to use it? New York, D.C., and Chicago.

As Daniela showed us in her article, these social media contraptions were around earlier then the 1990s, they were just not available to everyone, impractical, and expensive. However, the ideas for the very honed and available programs and contraptions we have at our disposal today are what they are because of these original pioneers. So, thank you Bell Picturephone and IMB Simon Phone for leading in my right hand through these next few months!

My boyfriend embracing the use of Facebook and webcam!

K.I.S.S. and Be Smart!!

Hyperlinks

I have always been amazed by hyperlinks! I've wondered how to get them and how to successfully know when to place a hyperlink. Brian Carroll gives great guidelines to hyperlinks, here is what I found to be most important:

1.  Hyperlinks should be obvious

2. Hyperlinks should be explicit about what they lead to- readers should know exactly what they are going to be redirected to

3. Hyperlinks should be consistent in appearance- all the hyperlinks in an article should be different from the regular text, but should all be the same color and size as other hyperlinks

Headlines

One things that Brian Carroll has made abundantly clear in all his advice about digital media is to live by KISS: Keep it Simple Stupid!!! Carroll directly applies this to headlines and sub-headlines. The readers should be able to look at a headline or sub-headline and get the main point of the following information. This allows for easy scanability in an article, and helps to keep the readers attention engaged. 

Journalism of Verficiation

In the following writing, Journalism of Verification, the author essentially discusses the importance of being objective, transparent, and honest when being a journalist. The author discusses the importance of not assuming and using credible sources. I think this is very important to being a successful and effective journalist. One example right away that I though of is the difference in journalism between a magazine like People Magazine, where the verifiability of the magazine is high and the journalism presented in it is high versus that of a magazine like The Enquirer. Both magazines are reporting on celebrity or popular media stories, but one is more verifiable due to direct interviews and noted sources, and another is sheer speculation and lies.

NPR Website Case Study!

Christine Kaleta

Martha Davis

NPR Website

One of the articles that we looked at:
'Dear Abby' Dies

1. What is your first impression of the site?
1. The website is organized and not overwhelmed with pictures or text. Headlines are clearly laid out at the top and the different genres of news are clearly marked below. It is well divided on the site, and the viewer can see the different sections that are available to them. It also followed the three second rule because it loaded quickly. 
2. How does this site establish credibility? How does it establish trust? Or does it?
1. It does establish credibility
1. It is a well respected organization and well know (National Public Radio)
2. It has been updated recently (Copyright 2015)
3. Definitely is professionally designed
4. Has comprehensive info that is attributed to a certain source, and if you click the authors name of a particular article, their credentials are listed
5. Viewer has access to the websites privacy policy
6. Easily accessible “contact us” link
7. Has search capabilities
8. Has a URL that ends in .org
3. What is the general writing style?
1. The writing is very concise and does not show any flowery or overly lengthy writing. The articles seem fairly objective from the articles that we observed. The language is simple and clear, easy to read.
4. Does the writer identify with his or her readers, or not? How (or why not)?
1. Not particularly. We are not sure if it is very important for an author of a news article to relate to one’s reader. The author should remain objective and communicate the news.
5. Does the writing style get to the point?
1. Yes.
6. How is it arranged? Is it arranged in reverse pyramid style?
1. It is definitely in the reverse pyramid style. It presents the most important points/main point in the first paragraph and then elaborates from there.
7. Is content shaped for scanning? How is the content layered?
1. Yes. It is broken up into very small paragraphs and has subheadings which makes the articles easy to scan and find information.
8. Is the tone or rhythm of the site consistent throughout?
1. NPR seems to have a consistent tone throughout its site. The news articles seem to demonstrate a similar and professional tone.
9. How does the site use headlines?
1. It uses them! They are bigger, bolder, and sometimes colorful. The headlines give a good description of what the article entails. 
10. How does it use links? Effectively or not?
1. The links are they and they work.
11. How is multimedia used? It is distracting? How is it displayed on the site? Does the multimedia tell the same story as the same text, or as different side of the story?
1. We think that the pictures and videos definitely enhance the articles. They are pertinent to the information and are not distracting. They are integrated into the progression of the article, and do not overwhelm the article.
12. How does the site “package” the stories?
1. NPR does not seem to consistently package story. In some articles, there are packages, and in others there are not.
13. How are graphics used?
1. Graphics are used pretty sparingly. They are interspersed with text and do not overwhelm or crowd the eye.
14. Can each page stand on its own?
1. Each page seems that it can stand on its own. On each individual page, you can access home, other subcategories, and links to the privacy policy, and contact link.
15. How is the navigation? Do you get lost? Do you always know where you are? How or why not?
1. The navigation is really easy. You can’t really get lost because you can always get home (always located at the top left hand corner of the page). 
16. How does the site incorporate/interact with its audience? How does it embody the social aspect of the internet?
1. In the top right corner of the website you can access the “social network” element. At the bottom of the page you can click a link to follow NPR on Facebook and Twitter.
17. How would you rate the usability of the site? Elaborate...
1. We feel that the NPR website is very user friendly. You feel that you can access all the articles and can’t get lost on the website. Everything works efficiently and follow the three second rule.
18. How would you improve the site?
1. The website is a little bit congested. There could be a little bit more free space. Maybe give each section a little more room to breathe, and don’t put them on top of each other.

http://www.npr.org

Be an Effective Blogger!!

In chapters two and three off Brian Carroll's Writing for Digital Media, Carroll discusses how to makes a web page be successful. He talks about many elements that contribute to a good, informative, and easy to read page or blog. Writing for digital media is completely different then writing for analog media. Although certain principles apply to both, how the author communicates is so different. 

Carroll talks about the importance of credibility, accountability, identity. I found the idea or credibility and identity to be particularly important especially pertaining to blogs. Carroll does state that there is no widely accepted definition of credibility, but words like "believability" are commonly used. The way I see it, credibility pertaining to digital media means the ability to knowledgeably communicate information to the readers without too much personal opinion and/or bias. When talking about identity, Carroll talks about how when people are viewing web pages, especially blogs, they want to see a common interest or link between them and the author. This identity makes the author less of a distant computer robot and more of a person that the viewer can relate to. The importance of both of these elements are also supplemented with the need to design a functional, easy to use, and visually stimulating page. The resources that are available to users on the web are significantly larger then those who are writing a book. Color, links, pictures, and videos are all wonderful elements that can add dimension and layers to a web page. One thing Brian Carroll said in chapter three that I think is very true is that if a page doesn't load, link doesn't connect, or video doesn't start in three seconds, the viewer doesn't stick around. It is important to remember as a blogger now to check all those details, because if something isn't functioning properly or effectively it can turn away viewers from what information you are trying to communicate.

Question: Keeping in mind the importance of credibility and identity, do you think it would be difficult to establish both these element in a blog?

My answer: I feel like it is definitely a challenge to establish both credibility and identity with a blog. In one sense, you want to state your opinions and you probably already have your biases regarding certain topics, and in a lot of ways these opinions and thoughts can come across as identity. However, if you push those too far or don't present the whole story you lose credibility. To sum it up, I think it is very possible, just hard to walk that line and keep things credible and relateable!

The Wonderful World of the Internet

In his article, “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” Nicholas Carr discusses the evolution of the internet, and how that evolution has resulted in a change in human capacity to absorb and process. Carr uses the example that he used to be able to read a long article or book without tiring. Now, its a struggle to get passed three or four pages. He contributes this to be due to the nature of the internet. The internet gives us what we want, when we want it. Sites like Google allow you to type what you desire into a search engine and almost instantly have an answer. In a way, this conditions our brain to want that instant presentation, not having to search or read page after page to find our answer. I would agree that the internet is changing the way we think and how we think. I, like Carr, notice when I am reading a textbook or novel, after three or four pages am distracted and floating off somewhere other then the book.

Ulmer discusses electracy in his article. The idea that the internet and electracy is supplementing the ideas of science and religion (or literacy and orality). Ulmer goes on to argue that art contributes to elecracy just as much as technology (i.e. computer science). Essentially, Ulmer is introducing the idea that new digital media is an apparatus of the written word and spoken word. 

Personally, I do believe that digital media can either supplement or replace the traditional book. I believe that if children are presented at too young an age with the internet, naturally, they will not be as satisfied or have the ability to read a hefty piece of literature. However, if used correctly, at the right age, and for the right purpose, I do believe that digital media can enhance one's knowledge and better one's life. 

Discussion Question:

1. As Carr pointed out, the internet is influencing our minds to work in a different manner. That being said, with technology and the internet invading schools (as young as elementary schools), do you think it is appropriate to expose such young children to these search engines before they are used to reading lengthy works?

http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2008/07/is-google-making-us-stupid/306868/

http://ulmer.networkedbook.org/the-learning-screen-introduction-electracy/

Mission Statement

To be completely honest, digital communication intimidates me. I have never been the most savvy technological user, and I realize that this class revolves around technology. That being said, what I most look forward to learning about in digital communication is how to use and be effective with different mediums for digital communication (i.e. video, websites, podcasts). My expectation for the course is to become more knowledgeable about how to communicate through technology and use the different mediums in the most effective manner. Another expectation I have of the course (and I have for every course I take) is that I will have open communication with my professor. If I have a question or concern, I want to know that I can approach him/her about it and work through it together.

After Furman is still daunting to me because I see multiple paths I could travel. I want to either have a job in student affairs (i.e. admissions, housing and residence life) or go to graduate school for college student personnel. Ideally, I would like to be in or around the Memphis, TN area. Digital media is important in student affairs because a large component of student affairs is communicating with large numbers of students. For example, if you want students to apply for a certain student organization, advertising and marketing the organization through slideshows, pictures, and a website all make the organization accessible to the students. 

As far as a topic I'd like to research throughout the term, I think teenage pregnancy would be very interesting. I am adopted and my birthmother was sixteen when she had me. I just find teenage pregnancy and the trends and statistics about it to be fascinating.