Charting my progress as I pursue a Master's in Communication at SNHU. This is an experiment in entering the 21st and learning to blog. I consider it the first step in becoming a true communications professional.
Sunday, June 15, 2014
Writers on Writing: Walter Mosley
Writer's Perspective: Lessons from Walter Mosley
When a class comes to a close, I believe that it provides a
chance for people to reflect on the lessons learned and the resulting outcomes. After a term of learning how to write in
various formats, I think my writing skills are where I’ve improved the
most. This growth has culminated in this
week’s assignment, a review of an author’s perspective featured in the Writers
on Writing series. Aspiring writers can often get distracted by competing
personal and professional commitments, Walter Mosley’s advice of continuing to
practice the art of writing daily is valuable for anyone hoping to entering the
field. One of the best tips a writer can
abide by is to continue to practice the habit every day. This is the
first important lesson the writer must learn. Writing a novel is gathering
smoke. It's an excursion into the ether of ideas. There's no time to waste. You
must work with that idea as well as you can, jotting down notes and dialogue.
I think this advice is applicable and feasible now more than
ever, in today’s social media environment.
Writers today are presented with the opportunity to find large audiences
with varied interests and social media sites such as Tumblr and Twitter offer
an opportunity for writers to express themselves as often as possible to their
followers and audiences for free. Writers’
information can be shared with the world instantly, without the approval and
edits that had to be run by an editor in the past, enabling a writer to maintain
their own individual voice. With the
opportunity freely disseminate information, the only limitations modern writers
have in the world of new media are self-imposed. The scope of one’s writing and readership are
controllable, more now than ever, and the key to successful writing in new
media is targeting the write audience and providing meaningful content.
Sunday, June 1, 2014
Week 9: Multimedia Tools
While words can deliver a clear message, diversifying a message
with pictures, video, and audio can enhance a person’s understanding. Unlike traditional articles and essays
published with only words, blogs can include several multimedia tools to support
the message delivery. Available tools
can make the work of a journalist easier and more effective through the
utilization of technology. When used properly these tools
help a blog to become interactive by engaging readers. There are several
tools available to bloggers but the following tools are widely popular and can
be versatile and useful for blogging and message delivery for multiple topics.
Photoshop
is a tool
useful for editing, particularly graphic images and photos. By using Photoshop, writers can use images to
make their work more dynamic and feature images that may be essential to
delivering their message. An example of
where an image may be essential to a message or post would be a fashion blog
where displaying outfits and collections is necessary.
The link to Photoshop can be found here: http://www.photoshop.com
Alternatively,
for including video and audio content, Flash player can be a useful multimedia
tool. An example of Flash enhancing a
blog would be including an instructional video for a hobby or craft blog. It might be hard to demonstrate car repairs
or sewing by only using words.
The
link to Adobe is provided here: http://www.adobe.com/products/flashplayer.html
Sunday, May 25, 2014
Week 8: Blogging Best Practices
Blogs
have quickly become a means for independent writers to reach a wide audience of
readers with topics that vary. I follow
the writer and blogger, Tyece, who runs the blog “Twenties Unscripted” which
features first person narratives and anecdotal stories about her life as a
young, African American, woman living in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. The function of the blog is not to provide
subject matter expertise, situational advice, or political punditry, but simply
to provide the writer’s specific and unique perspective on experiences as a
young adult, speaking from her own personal experiences. As the writer puts it, the blog is for people who like their
women witty, their words wise and their wine glass full.
Unlike
a blog with a decided function, like computer troubleshooting, each “Twenties
Unscripted” post follows the same form in that the writer speaks of her experiences
in the first person; however, aside from that, the substance ranges from a wide
variety of topics like perceptions of gender roles, the post-college job
search, and romantic relationships. I
believe the blog’s popularity stems from the form of delivery, which has a
personal tone and provides information as a matter of opinion rather than fact. Proper representation is important for
readers to distinguish the purpose for the blog. “Twenties Unscripted” demonstrates the
increasingly important function of blogs in society. Media outlets traditionally present a message
or story with facts, but writing has evolved into presenting a point of view or
perspective, specific to certain demographics, that may not be available in
mainstream news.
Ethical
practices can be crucial when bloggers, like Tyece, present personal views and
perspectives. According to the writer’s
code of ethics, bloggers are held to honest and fair reporting. I believe the content published on her blog
is clearly identified as her own, which helps to establish trust with readers
who can readily distinguish the work as opinion rather than fact. Ultimately, writing with a specific purpose
and writing responsibly are essential to blogging on any subject.
The
link to Tyece’s blog can be found here: http://www.twentiesunscripted.com/page/3/
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)