Blogging About Blogs

I didn't particularly like blogging, but I think I liked it more than whatever the alternative would have been. I'd never done a blog type thing for a class, so it was a nice change of pace. As far as a measure of participation, (I think that's what these assignments fall under) I liked it a lot. I thought it was cool how we were able to read what everybody else thought about something before class. If there was any confusion about the assignment, I could see what other people did and reread the assignment on the class blog. I liked being able to get a wide range of opinions really quickly. I also felt like I was able to get to know people in the class better. It wasn't as awkward as it could have been to change seats because I had be reading people's blog so I sort of knew them. At the same time, that's kind of creepy, but I guess that's the name of the game when it comes to blogging. It was like an out of class discussion done on my own time, which was very convenient. I think it would have been cool to kind of continue the discussion in class more, because just a couple of the blog posts felt a little disconnected from what was going on in class. But, it was probably a time constraint kind of thing. I liked how we didn't have to bring a lot of assignments to class because we just did it on the blog. It was nice to not have to worry about printing something out beforehand. The biggest difference in blogging an assignment instead of turning in a paper is that I feel it is much easier to be informal when blogging than actually writing it down. I don't think this is necessarily a bad thing; it's more just kind of is. It's also easy to write more when it's a blog (as is evidenced by this long rambling paragraph). Once again, I don't know if that's good or bad. At any rate, I think the blog posts were a good addition to the class.

Analyze a Website

I chose to analyze the http://miessociety.org site. I don't remember how or why I found this site, but I think it's kind of cool. I'm not exactly sure who this person is, but whatever. I think I'll focus most of my analyzing on the timeline portion of the site.
Kay, so as far as alignment goes, they are not particularly original. Everything is right aligned, but it gives it a very orderly and polished feel. This is especially evident on the timeline section of the site. I really like how on the timeline, everything is in the three aligned columns. It's very easy to find the information you need. All of the columns and their information are aligned making it very predictable, but that's kind of the idea with a timeline so it totally works. I also like how the block of the block of text is indented, but the titles and years are not. I think it helps emphasize the titles as titles and the block of text as more in-depth information. The alignment of the pictures is also very effective. I like how all the pictures are cropped to the same width and then put flush against the line that divides the sections. It looks kind of funny with one picture, but when there several sections in a row with pictures it adds a really nice cohesive and polished look.
We've got a nice contrast with light gray lettering and dividers on a black background. When the mouse goes in a particular section the text turns white nicely emphasizing what the mouse is over. I think the black and white contrast is pretty common, but I think it's kind of a classy type of thing. It can be kind of boring if your not careful, but I think it works here. It's a very professional and sleek look. The pictures really "pop" because they are the only color on the page. You look at the picture first and then over to the text for more information. It's like the picture is the hook and then you can find out more if it interests you.
So the proximity element is fairly predictable here because it is a timeline. I like how the leave plenty of empty space between the sections. It gives it a very open feel. It's hard to read and stay engaged in something that feels crowded and cramped. Here, they give their text plenty of breathing room. Every block of text is it's own entity. I would like to see their years numbers a little bigger though.
There's some nice repetition of text size and fonts going on. The years' text is different than the other text. But the titles and the text blocks are the same font just in different sizes. This site preserves the flow by using the same size for all the titles and then the same size for all the blocks of text.
There are three columns in the timeline. They aren't equal, but they increase in size from left to right and it's comfortable for the eye to look at. It kind of draws the eye across the screen from left to right. Continuing on the thirds theme, most of the pictures follow the rule of thirds which makes them more effective.
So, I think this site scores pretty high on the design principles test.

What I've Done and Websites

 One of my concerns was the counterarguments. Today I did a little more research and found out some of the specific adverse reactions that can occur with vaccination and added a nice paragraph about it to my paper. I was also worried about cohesiveness. I haven't really done anything specifically to address that problem, but it seems like my flow isn't as bad as I originally thought. I think my next step will be to go through all of my transition and make sure they are effective.

Effective Websites
http://health.utah.gov/
http://www.cougardental.com/
http://www.miessociety.org/
http://jackjohnsonmusic.com/home

Ineffective Websites 
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/alexander_fleming_and_penicillin.htm
http://www.greatbuildings.com/architects/Ludwig_Mies_van_der_Rohe.html
http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/cas/fnart/fa267/mies.html
http://burleylions.org/spudman.html

I think one big design thing is empty space and how you use it. Size and placement of text is huge too.

Not Patchwriting and my issues with the Issues

The modern definition of myth has change from something with cultural and historical significance to a word we use to express disbelief that another's values are as valid as ours (Bacchilega 25).
I'm struggling making my paper a coherent whole. I have a lot of cool things I want to say, but it's a bit of challenge to organize them logically. Also, now that I've written my first draft, I realize that I have some holes in my research, which is a bit of a bummer. As another issue, I'm not sure I really addressed the counterarguments well. Perhaps I should just give up and run away to Nova Scotia. Just kidding. If I was to run away I'd go somewhere more tropical. Be looking for a postcard from Jamaica!:)

What I Learned From Library Day 1

Our class in the library was really helpful and I'm glad that such days are part of the Writing 150 course. The biggest thing I came away with is that there is no need to fear research. There are so many resources available and so many people willing and able to help. It was helpful to learn about the open lab, the live library chat thing and the actual people in the library who are there to help. I really like that Writing 150 has it's own page under the library's page. I had no idea about that before yesterday. I had used similar databases before, but it was nice to learn what ones the library had and which ones they recommended for different aspects of research. I also learned that encyclopedias are a big no-no in college level writing. They are good only for background information and should not be cited. As far as questions go, I don't have too many about research in general. Most of mine are more topic specific like, "How exactly should I narrow this topic down and make sense of it?" and "Why me?" (ha ha, just kidding). In addition to everything I learned about research, I also learned that iPad's are more of a cool concept than a practical tool. That's that to say I didn't enjoy using one, along with the bummer-car style desks. Those were sweet.

Issues Paper Proposal

I came upon my topic while reading a Desert News article titled "War on Boys." This article covers a lot of different ways boys are getting the short end of the stick in today's society. What I want to focus on it the views boys have of girls and womanhood and how those are impacted by the internet and how this is related to gender inequality. As I typed after "focus" I realized what I said wasn't terribly focused, but I think this is the general direction I want to go. My initial stance is that this is a problem that needs to addressed in an effectively and timely manner (a super lame stance, I know. I'm working on that, but I'm thinking it will come as I focus my topic). I will be asking questions like these. What would need to change in society and the media to present girls as less sexualized and victimized and would this change be possible? How are non-virtual romantic relationships and gender inequality impacted by a boy's use of porn and video games?
I'm not completely sold on this specific topic, but I think it's a good place to start. I find this topic in general fascinating because for so long women have been consider the ones being treated unjustly in the gender war. According to this article in the DN, men and boys are doing worse than girls in women in just about every statistic named. Boys have worse emotional health, lower graduation rates and higher suicide rates. There has been a big push to get girls into math and sciences, but there hasn't been a big push for boys in any direction. There is most assuredly gender inequality, but not in the direction people often think. As I type this I starting to realize that I'm more interested in other aspects of this issue, but the one I have above fits the best with "new media."Anyway, I think this topic has a lot of potential.

**Update** As of right now this is my argument.
"Video games and porn are increasing the gender gap by negatively impacting boys' emotional and realationship health."

20 Ideas

1. Social communication
2. global connections
3. facebook and impact on relationships
4. realness of virtual world
5. civic obligations versus rights
6. distance running
7. paradox of giving
8. freedom of speech issues
9. comfort food
10. smiling
11. feed effects on meat
12. healing wounds
13. regency romance
14. gardening
15. national parks
16. user friendliness
17. grade inflation
18. standardized testing
19. socioeconomic status vs race
20. political correctness

Ha ha! I challenge anyone and everyone to come up with a more random list than mine.