Blog 11 A Writer's Perspective

            I read Thomas Fleming’s “Instant Novels? In Your Dreams”.  His take on writing begins in his dreams and thoughts in his subconscious.  This writing process is not unfamiliar to me.  Other authors I’m aware of have used this same process when working on their writing and I’ve had my own personal experience with this writing method.  Fleming is a writer of historical novels but he places his own twist on the stories by writing from a character’s perspective that the audience usually isn’t aware of; that helps to bring freshness to the stories.  This writer’s method of writing is not common.  Although he does put in the work researching the eras his stories take place; the foundation for his stories comes from dreams and unorganized thoughts.

 

My perspective about writing in the social media environment has not changed since beginning this course.  As a writer I feel that one has to be truthful when presenting a piece of work to the public; follow the journalist code of ethics or the bloggers code of ethics.  The most important aspect is that the writer needs to be honest, fair and do no harm.  A writer should perform due diligence in their research and verification tactics.  Regardless of deadlines, hold a story until the fact checking is complete; it could prevent a retraction and an apology in the future.

 

Resource

Fleming, T. (2000). Instant Novels? In your dreams. The New York Times on the web.

            Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/library/books/010300fleming-writing.html

 

Blog 9-Mulitmedia Tools

Multimedia tools are very beneficial in the areas of business and education.  These tools are used to enhance presentations with interactive pictures, video clips and graphics.  Business presentations can be more effective with the use of PowerPoint (http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/powerpoint/) because PowerPoint has a variety of themes and functionality.  When using PowerPoint in presentations, the presenter has the ability to use text, photos, videos and other graphics in the same presentation; not having to switch between programs during a presentation makes things move along smoothly. 

 

There is a well-known theory that people learn differently from one another.  If the student is fortunate they have the ability to learn no matter how the information is presented.  Visual learners benefit greatly from presentations or lessons that include multimedia tools.  As mentioned above, PowerPoint is a beneficial tool when giving presentations.  It gives the students that learn better with something to look at a chance to read what is being presented and the graphics help to illustrate the points being made.  A helpful multimedia tool for music is GarageBand (https://www.apple.com/mac/garageband/), this application is a music studio; the application helps the user to learn, play, record and create music.   Once the user has created their music, they can choose to release it to the public.

 

Multimedia tools are used widely and will continue to be used and expanded on.  News outlets use them in their reporting, politicians use them in their speeches and multimedia tools help to make business presentations successful.  Being proficient in a variety of multimedia tools can benefit a user for future career moves and make them a more valuable asset for their employers.  Users should make sure that when a new tool is developed, to research and become familiar with its functions.

Blog 8-Best Practices

“How sweet it is” is a blog written by a woman with unlimited energy.  She blogs about food, her life in general and posts reviews of products that she uses but never a product that someone has sent her for a review; this is spelled out in her FAQs section.  Her writing style is informal, as in she writes how I believe she would speak; lots of energy and humor.  Her recipes are thoroughly explained though with tips and advice; her passion for food shines through in her recipes and in the blurb that precedes the actual recipe. 

 

Some best practices that I believe are important when it comes to blogging are a level of professionalism, honesty, humility and real life topics.  By professional I am speaking to the fact that spelling and grammar are still essential to a blog regardless of the purpose of the blog.  A blogger should never share something (such as a recipe) as their work without credit to the original blogger.  When I’m exploring a blog, I enjoy a mix of things, such as, food, beauty products and pictures of travels.  I get some of my best ideas for road trips from other blogs.  Photography can intrigue readers to explore new areas they’ve never thought to before.  Bloggers should write about their interests but in a way that gets their readers excited about the same things and then those readers will spread the word about that blog to friends and family, growing the audience of the blogger.

 

Bloggers should be held to a certain standard; similar to traditional journalists.  This week we read the Food Blog Code of Ethics and in my opinion this code of ethics should be followed by the blog I spotlighted and similar blogs.  Offering links to original sources, revealing biases and being accountable are the major points to the Food Blog Code of Ethics that should always be followed.  

 

References

Burton, B & Greenstein, L. (2011). Food Blog Code of Ethics. Retrieved from

             http://foodethics.wordpress.com/

How Sweet it is. (2014) [Blog] Retrieved from http://www.howsweeteats.com/.


Response to Krista: http://khixson11.blogspot.com/2014/05/font-definitions-font-face-font-family.html?showComment=1400863723214#c6495753225434529205

May 23, 2014 at 9:48 AM

Krista,
This is a well written and thought out blog post. The best practices that you’ve included in this post are very important to a lot of readers. I personally, when reading a blog can be immediately turned off if the grammar and spelling is awful. I feel that if a blogger is going to post work online they should take the time to proof-read and ensure that they are presenting a solid piece of work. The third point is great as well, just because the code states that it is for journalism professional, does not limit it to that profession only. If a person is going to write for the public they should absolutely follow some set of guidelines.
Best,
Nina

 

Response to Cathy: http://cathydoherty22.blogspot.com/2014/05/module-8-2-blog-best-practices.html#comment-form

 

May 23, 2014 at 9:58 AM

Hi Cathy,
I agree with your best practices; especially the one about keeping the blog up to date. I, too, will not continue to visit a blog that is not updated frequently. The yoga blog that you highlighted is a great example of how a blog should look and interact with the audience. The articles are relevant and diverse. They have a mix of instructional, humor and interest pieces. Great example!
Best,
Nina

 

Blog 7 - PRESS RELEASE

PRESS RELEASE

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

 

The End of a Great Life

 

State College, PA-January 22, 2012

 

Today is a hard day for the Paterno family and the Penn State University family, as the great and beloved coach, Joe Paterno, AKA “Joe Pa” of Penn State University’s football program has lost his battle with lung cancer at the age of 85.  He is survived by his family, who say that he fought until the end.

 

Despite a scandal that darkened his final days at Penn State, he is remembered for his hard work and dedication in developing a remarkable football program.  He helped to train and support nearly 350 of his players that made it to the NFL.  Not only was he a major figure in the football program but he was highly active and a significant supporter of the university in general.  Over the course of the time he spent there, he donated upwards of $4 million dollars to the university.

 

He ended his career at Penn State as the leader in career wins for Division 1 coaches.  His team appeared in 37 bowls and walked away with 24 wins.  In 1986 he was named Sportsman of the Year by Sports Illustrated.  He was truly dedicated to his team and school.

 

“Success without honor is an unseasoned dish; it will satisfy your hunger but it won’t taste good.” – Joe Paterno

 

###

 

Reference:

Joseph Vincent Paterno. (2014). The Biography.com website. Retrieved May 17, 2014 from

http://www.biography.com/people/joe-paterno-9434584#final-days&awesm=~oExO6ZoFvEW6jQ

 

 

FACEBOOK POST:

JANUARY 22, 2012

Today we are sad to hear that the great Joe Paterno has passed away from his fight with lung cancer.  He had a long successful career as the football coach at Penn State University.  Despite the Sandusky scandal at the end of his career, he is still remembered as the powerhouse coach that led his team to victory many times.  He will be greatly missed.

Social Media Tools

My three attempt with social media tools:

Pinterest:         http://www.pinterest.com/lanina1317/

Twitter:           https://twitter.com/NinaCrucitti

LinkedIn:         http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=343673987&trk=nav_responsive_tab_profile

 

 

 

Social media applications are a personal preference based on an individual’s goals.  Facebook is great for reconnecting with friends and family.  For professionals, there is LinkedIn.  LinkedIn is similar to Facebook but instead of sharing your plans for the weekend or pictures of children, pets and trips; it is used for professional networking.  One can list education information, past job history and skills and then the user can build networking circles.  Twitter helps a person reach a much broader audience.  It is also a valuable source for meeting people that share similar views or others that don’t share similar views and the opportunity to learn from those people is greater.  Pinterest is another helpful source for sharing information.  Many different blogs are using Pinterest to share their posts, whether it is food, clothes, organizational tips, baby information and wedding tips as well.  The possibilities are vast for what you can find on Pinterest.   Social media grows with popularity every day and with every new user. 

 

 

Impact of unrestricted web publishing

The article that I chose for this blog post was about a Fox Cable Networks Group top executive that was fired for using her company email account to set up a fundraiser for the family of a passenger on the plane from Malaysia that disappeared.  The executive herself was quoted in the article and the same story was posted on the ABC news website and the Associated Press.  The article was well written and did not condemn the company for terminating the executive.  It stated simple facts of what happened and the consequences that followed.

 

With mass media giving the ability to anyone with intent to post anything they wish, this story has the potential to be twisted to put blame on either party in this matter.  Someone could feel strongly that the company was insensitive to the intent of the executive and therefore post a story with the intent of ruining the company’s reputation and painting the executive as a victim.  The company could also be painted as the victim for having to enforce the consequences for misuse of the company email regardless of the how noble the effort was.  Unrestricted web publishing allows for different versions of the truth to be published with no worry of the consequences and that is why as the audience we have to take responsibility for what we believe as truth and what we don’t.  

News from Social Media

Various social media sites are on my daily rotation including Facebook and Twitter. While on Twitter this afternoon a tweet regarding the upcoming Boston Marathon came up.  This is year’s marathon is going to be closely watched around the world as everyone will be remembering last year’s tragic events.  The Boston Police Commissioner held a press conference today outlining the steps the city is taking to ensure the runner’s and those watching the event’s safety.  From increased to security to more medical areas. 

This article was found on Boston Globe, which is a respected newspaper, and their online presence adds to their reach and because of their reputation I am comfortable with the information and facts they provide.  An added feature of the article that adds to that is the video clip from the press conference.  There are also no personal opinions from the journalist which adds to the professionalism of the article.

Social media does add another source to obtain information but when it comes to reliability I look for links to original articles.  This is for the credibility of the information that I read and so that when I’m discussing it with others I can be confident relaying what I’ve learned.  As we all know anyone can join a social media site and then leave their opinion about anything and everything.  That is why it is so important to know the source of information before anyone can trust the validity.

Reference

Allen, E. (2014). Officials vow to make Marathon safe and enjoyable. Retrieved from

http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2014/04/12/security/cCvRRAOMGKLodMi4kivnBI/story.html 

 

New Media and its Influence

It’s amusing for me to think about all of the new media and technology that I revolve my life around.  Today, already, I have checked multiple email accounts, both personal and professional, I have checked Facebook and Instagram and it is only 9:45am.  By the end of the day that list will grow to include Pinterest, twitter, text messages and Facebook messenger.  Not to mention I listened to the radio on my way to work and I have Pandora playing right now.  Then of course there are all of the news apps that are sending notifications to me all day, tragically the news of the day is the shooting at Ft. Hood and the funeral services for the fallen fire fighters in Boston. 

 

Social media has made me jaded when it comes to my perspective on events that happen.  My heart breaks for families that are affected by tragedies but it comes to a point where I am tired of hearing the same report for hours upon hours every day.  I believe there comes a time when the news outlets need to give it a rest.  I would think that the victims and the families of the victims would want some peace and quiet as opposed to having to hear about the course of events that led them to where they are now.

 

On the other side of the coin, when tragedies do strike I am amazing and in awe of how communities pull together and without social media and the news outlets I would not be able to witness that coming together.  True we may be selfish people the majority of the time but when it really matters we come together to help our neighbors in times of need.  So there is really no strong pull when it comes to positive versus negative influences.  I’d like to believe that I can look past the negative and focus on the positive.