Fall 2012 Final Papers

Completing Rhetorical Grammar (PRWR 612) moves me up to the level of Writing Wizard - The Grey. You heard! I got some new spells and whatnot. LOL! Pardon me. I recently saw The Hobbit and it has inspired my fantasy-quest imagination.

Indeed, I feel a great sense of accomplishment for completing my grammatical analysis of Quint's Indianapolis story from Jaws. It might be the most fun I have ever had writing a paper. Professor Lena Ampadu liked it as well giving me compliments on its major parts especially the presentation, visual aid, and conclusion.

Also in PRWR 612, I wrote an analysis on coordination and subordination using two writing examples: on from a fantasy football blog post, and the other from a Groupon ad. The rhetorical analysis I wrote on Billy Budd, which racked my brain quite a bit, prepared me to handle this shorter assignment much easier. The idea for having writing students write about how something is written - is very clever. Nevertheless, I'm done doing it! Can't I just write about real stuff please? LOL! 

I'm very happy that I chose Writing Content for the Web (PRWR 628) as an elective. The lessons covered in this class are definitely relevant. I am pleased to have learned things that help me with both of my jobs: Instructor for CCBC, and Teachers Assistant for UMUC. Among some of the interesting things learned in PRWR 628 is the concept of writing information in the form of a question and an answer. Writing in Q & A format is one of the most efficient ways to provide information through writing. I plan to use this style in my syllabus for teaching Intro to Computers, and Academic Development - as well as - for my FAQ's page for Cyber Security.

The final paper for PRWR 628 proposes business-plan and website alterations for the online group buying company Tippr.  

PRWR 628 has inspired my to enroll in Creating Online Help (PRWR 637). Writing help sections is something I really think I can do well as a career!

Final Papers

I plan to use my TU PRWR Blog to post final papers that I've written for the program. Hopefully this routine will set in, help me document my work, and get organized for the PRWR portfolio, which is due in about a year. These two submissions are long over due, but heeeeeerrre they are!

Using Creative Commons as a Web Designer

Basics for Handling Creative Property

ART 610 Research Paper
Spring 2012

This assignment was not hard on me at all. First off, I loved ART 610. It was awesome getting back into Web design related stuff. The research paper actually felt like a break from all the CS5 activities. I was happy to see copyright law in digital media as one of the available research topics. I assign a similar paper to my students in Multimedia Authoring 109 at CCBC. Together we have a lecture, discussion, and final paper on copyright. So I was already well rehearsed in the subject. Writing a paper while having a topic so fresh in you mind is a great feeling. ART 610's instructor Bridgett Sullivan commented, "You write like a blogger." Indeed, that was the tone I was going for. I wanted the paper to be enjoyable for her, and she appreciated my efforts. I got an A on the paper.

Afloat, the Colorful, Biblical Allegory of Billy Budd, Sailor

A Rhetorical Analysis of Herman Melville’s Swaying Sea-story

PRWR 611: Rhetoric: The Pursuit of Eloquence
Summer 2012

The Pursuit of Eloquence (PRWR 611) was one of the toughest classes I've ever taken. The instructor, George Hahn, called on us to dive in and really learn the elements of rhetoric. At times I felt as if my dive attempt came from too high of a cliff. I had a hard time wrapping my head around the idea for this paper. I wanted to be as original as possible. My rhetorical analysis of Billy Budd is an example of doing things the hard way, but nonetheless it's complete. There is concrete proof in this piece that I learned a lot while in the midst of writing it; however, it goes in many directions and it's very long. I believe it shows my strong work ethic and dedication to writing. If it were revised, it might be suitable for being published in an academic journal, but I don't have the steam for that just yet.    

Online voting: Why not?

voters wait in long lines at polls

Among the some of the problems that are talked about in the 2012 Presidential Election, I'm surprised that online voting is not brought up. Voters strive, waiting in long lines for hours. Then there is the ongoing problem with low voter turn out, the squawk about voter fraud, and the problems that hurricane Sandy gave to the Northeast. Online voting would easily relieve all of these problems.

The Web has come a long way. We trust it for virtually everything but not for voting. Why?

I asked my students in my Intro to Computers class, "Should we have online voting?" Blank stares turned into deep thought as each pupil processed the question. I was shocked that they had so much passion for this year's election. Then, like PCs loading a game, they finished thinking an answered. Some were for and some were against my imaginary Web ballot initiative. The class came up with two major concerns with online voting, one that I expected to hear (security) and one that I did not expect to hear (convenience).

1. Security of online voting
This was the refute question that I expected to hear, "Couldn't someone hack into the online voting system?" And that's a fair question, and to it I retort, "Couldn't someone hack into the voting system that's in place?"

I voted today using the same ballot card that's been around in MD for decades now. The card uses RFID chip technology. You know the drill. You record your vote to the impenetrable ballot card using the cash register from Old Navy then hand it back to the election clerk. It doesn't exactly feel solid, in fact, RFID chip technology is not very secure. It is easy to scan, hack, or delete information on these chips. And I don't want to forget mentioning that all of the personnel interactions in the voting process. I could easily see them compromised somehow. It's certainly not as strict as boarding a plane. You don't even need to show ID in some cases.

Consider how much we trust the Web: email, banking, taxes, credit reports, etc. What is so sacred about voting?

I am led to think that online voting would be more secure and more accurate. I base this on my experience with doing very important things on the Web for many years now. I certainly feel my laptop and internet connection is more convenient, reliable and secure, than my polling place.

2. Convenience of online voting
My viewpoint on the convenience of online voting is that it's a win-win, but some of my students had another perspective. "People who really care about their country and know who to vote for should be willing to go to the polls." on student insisted. I won't argue with that petition, but it poses the question: Is that the constitutional way? Suppose more young people become enticed to take part in their civic duty with the ability of online voting. Should we hold back their votes because we don't trust their decisions? The answer is no. You have the right to vote for whoever no matter what. You can write in a vote for Honey Boo-Boo or Big Bird if you want. There's no exam for the voter registration card. You need to be 18 or older and that's about it.

The bottom line
Ask yourself, "How would online voting affect voter turn-out?" You know the answer. There's no way online voting would decrease turn-out, in fact, I believe the number of voters would double. To that my follow-up question is, "Isn't that the goal of democracy?"

Let's put online voting on the next ballot initiative!



     

Political Words

The news media has gone off the deep end with word games. So called pundits blab away at each news cycle with no context whatsoever. They have managed to devise these labels that have no real reference to anything. These one-word, one-liners become conversational spit-balls that get flung around amongst us. We get mad at each other for no reason except that TV news media sucks!

We need a good dose of exposition here, a rational common place. Ostensibly a factual nonbiased reference for TV news media is a naive pipedream but could we at least hear one of our mainstream voices say, “Y’all don’t know anything!”

Take the word “jobs” for example. America needs jobs. We need job creators. That’s what we’re told. Are we really out of jobs? Is there nothing out there for people to do and get paid for?

Wrong. There’s plenty of work out there and we all know this. Chances are you are doing the job for two or more people on you own. We wait in frustration for others to do their jobs while they're overworked, underpaid and have no help. It’s all around us. Either you are overworked or unassisted or both.

We do not need “jobs” we need “hiring.” The jobs are there. We need those with businesses and those in government to lose the fear and hire people. But they won’t do this. Why? Because they believe that it's safer to have less people. They forget that more people means more productivity; more productivity means more revenue. It’s that simple. Yes it is.

Fear is derived from another word that’s flung around in TV news media, “economy.” They’ve managed to redefine this word so that we don’t even need to call it a “bad economy.” We already assume it’s bad. “The economy today. . . [L]” Or, “Today’s economy . . . .” is always followed by something bad. And we act as people living in a bad economy because we hear these words. It’s all in our heads.

TV news media pundits are good at one thing, acting. They can act. There’s no lack of emotion, opinion and drama on the news. It’s plenty entertaining. Socrates was right. This rhetoric only proves one thing. They don’t know anything.

My Advice to You

Don’t get tangled in spreading these words their way. Speak about the meanings of things. Leave the labels out. Don’t fear or get angry over words. Words by itself mean nothing. The truth is, it doesn’t matter. Things could very easily be better for all of us if we just believe it.

To the Pundits

I have two words for ‘ya, “fuck off.”

    

Online Dating Communicating

Online dating continues to grow in popularity. Apparently 20-30% of relationships are the result of an online date. At least this is what we’re told from the commercials. Whatever the actual statistic is the consensus is that indeed online dating has caught-on in a big way. Chances are you have heard a good story or two about a friend’s online date. And chances are you have gone on one yourself. And I have too, four of them to be exact. The concept puzzles me. Specifically, which part of the online searching experience prompts someone to meet offline and go on a date?

The Men’s Perspective

Jeff, a student of a colleague of mine says, “For guys, you have to cast a wide net. Honestly, when I message girls I don’t say much. Hey, like your pics, blah, blah, blah. And they either message back or they don’t.”

Jeff assumed to take me on as his padawan learner. He shares with me what he considers to be the ultimate online dating score. I’ll spare you the insecurities, however; he admits to having copied and pasted the same “blah, blah, blah” message to over a hundred different girls and landing about five responses. That’s 5% for Jeff. Is that good? I guess. But what do I know? I never “scored” from an online date.

My buddy Lou picks up where Jeff left off with the online dating tips. We often meet up for a beer or two and each time he tells me of a new online dating related experience, many of which he says result in a score. Again, I will spare you the details but add only that Lou has had things move very fast on a first date. This blows my mind. Considering the getting-to-know-you conversation based online dates I’ve been on, I can’t imagine things getting to that level, especially on a first date.

Do I envy Jeff or Lou? No, not exactly. But I don’t prejudge either of these guys. What interests me at this point about online dating is what sparks people to move from the online realm and meet in person and not the overall goal of the thing.

After explaining to Lou that we are at opposite ends of the online dating world he presumes to give me a hand with how to message girls the right way. I’m the freaking writer here!

He asks me what I message them with and I explain that I simply read a woman’s profile, look at the pictures and make a comment on something that’s interesting. My strategy is to relate to her by messaging something cool and significant to what she has put in here profile. I usually spend a lot of time editing these messages. I allow Lou to read one, “Ugh! Dude, this is too boring! You gotta flirt with ‘em a little bit!”

Ahh, yes! Flirting. This is something that I don’t consider myself to be a pro at. I guess then, it makes sense that this flaw would transition itself onto my online dating technique.

Lou offers a suggestion, “Here’s one of mine.” “Did it hurt . . . when you fell from heaven?” Really! “Or something like that” he says.

Our immature conversation went on until Lou convinced me to try it his way. I found a nice looking young woman on a site and messaged her with a similar pick-up-line. Then I remembered Jeff’s piece of advice. So I copied and pasted it to several other women as well.

I actually got a response from - based on her profile - a very cool, attractive and accomplished young woman. We started messaging back and forth. It was difficult to follow up with the cheesy pick-up-lines. I wasn’t sure what to write her. So I decided to cut to the chase and ask if she’d like to meet. What would I do then? Ultimately I would have to quit the charade and be my normal self. But I had to see where this would go.

We agreed to meet through the messages but while setting this up something happened. The tone in the messages changed. Then the response time lengthened. She then asked to reschedule and I agreed. And that was it. It sort of faded away. And like a hungry bear trying to catch a salmon in a stream. Almost had it! But it swam away.

Who knows what happened there. It could have been anything really. Perhaps her instincts were telling her that something was off. My profile, the pick-up-lines and the other messages didn’t add up. If it was her analytical skills that threw-the-brakes on this then I’m most impressed. I find it amazing that simple text and pictures are used to play this game.

Such a complex array of information and communication is online dating. The level of work that must go into your profile and in each message in order to get a response is astronomical. Things have to be lined-up just right to actually meet someone you find online.

The Woman’s Perspective

My friend Jen shares her experiences with online dating from a woman’s perspective. She’s had several unfortunate dates but one of her stories in particular is shockingly good.

She agreed to meet a guy who lived about an hour away. She thought he seemed nice from his profile and was polite in his messages. He arranged them to meet at a bar restaurant where he lived and insisted that she park in a certain lot near there.

Jen arrived a little late. She drove a long way so this should be expected. But the guy had kind of a bad attitude. She wasn’t sure if it was because of her lateness or if it was something else but tried to make the best of the situation, had a beer, ordered some food and tried to make conversation. “It was awkward as hell” she said. “I didn’t know what was wrong with him but I was getting kind of tired of it.”

Then the guy suggested they move to a different bar. Jen said that she pretty much had her mind made up about the guy but was willing to give this first impression a second chance, especially since she drove so far to meet him.

The date didn’t improve. Jen was tired and ready to leave. But there was one problem. The parking lot, that the guy insisted she leave her car in, had closed with her car locked inside. What a plot! She was stuck there.

Jen was furious. She didn’t know what to do. It was late. The parking lot would not open back up until early next morning. She did not have money for a hotel. Then the guy offers for her to stay at his place. Of course! Poor Jen didn’t have any options. So she agreed. “I told him there was no way anything was going to happen. He had an attitude about what I said but acted polite otherwise. He didn’t seem weird or dangerous he was just kind of an asshole.”

They went to the guy’s place. He set her up on the couch in the living room. She said he seemed pretty normal and didn’t try anything. He went to his room. She laid-out on the couch and tried to get some sleep.

A few minutes later the guy came back to the living room. “He had nothing on but a pair of ‘freakin Speedos! Hell no!” she said. “Fine” said the guy and he went back to his room.

Jen made it out of there the minute the parking lot reopened the next morning. “Worst night of my life!” But it is a fun story.   

What was so impressive about the guy’s profile? How did he use his profile and the messages to lure her in? What compelled Jen to go on this date? “I had nothing better to do.”

  

So maybe online dating isn’t analyzed all that much after all. Maybe a basic profile is all one needs. Maybe the messaging is not all that important. People use online dating for something to do. It’s fun. It’s an adventure!

My friend Kristina shares her viewpoint of online dating. “It ‘kinda messes with things. Maybe you were not supposed to meet that person. Or maybe you were but not at that time.”

A lot of people share Kristina’s viewpoint. Online dating is kind of generic and not the ‘real way’ to meet people. It begins with pictures and small letters. These were typically things that came after you met someone. Now it comes firsthand. Does that mess with the natural order of things?

Conclusion

Even though, the communications of online dating are very personal and narrative, the actual functionality is very basic. It is mostly for information gathering. Written profiles and text messages can be taken almost anyway the reader wants to. If you start chatting with someone online and then move to meet them in person it is probably because each of you simply decided to and not because of any explicit message that was sent. Meeting someone has more to do with whether or not you feel like it and not because of something persuasive they wrote. The written material on an online dating site is mostly expository. It’s there for info. And in all of this information it is probably the picture of you that’s the most crucial. So, get a nice picture of yourself. It will be up to you to interpret the rest of what’s online in the way you feel it should.                   

After talking with a few of my friends on this subject and considering my own experiences I convinced that online dating is not totally different than any other kind. The difference between traditional meeting someone in person and then getting to know them versus meeting online first is like the difference between ice hockey and an ice hockey video game.

All four of the online dates I went on were similar. It was just a couple of drinks and a conversation and that was it. I can’t imagine it going beyond that because those are my experiences. And that’s me. I guess each person’s experience is different. I couldn’t go back to the cheesy pick-up-lines because it’s not really what I do. I could try to go on another date but the truth is that I got bored with it.

As for my future with online dating, I’m no longer subscribed. At the moment my hands-are-full with a lovely young prospect and I did not meet her online. Ha! Take that cyberspace!      

Deconstruction vs. Exposition

Fellow classmates! How are ‘ya? Are your brains fully-cooked from this week’s reading? Mine is. I’m glad this is our last one and must admit that although, a lot was learned from these readings; it’s definitely time to chill-out with this stuff.

Our first night of class started with a discussion about exposition. “What is exposition?” Cheryl asked. I remember our discussion leading to some consensus that clear, simple, straight-forward writing is best. And that to fully understand what the writer is trying to communicate is probably the overall goal in writing. This is exactly what Reddick proposes is the purpose for expository writing, to communicate new information from a text that the reader will understand.

I can’t help from feeling the need to try and summarize Reddick. I admit this is over the top but I want to try something here. I will attempt to explain my understanding of the reading with good ‘ol fashioned bullet-points and include my questions at the end.

Key

writer = interpreter

reader = student

teacher = analyst

subject = discourse 

• Pg211: The concept of expository texts is challenged. Does a true expository text exist? 
• Pg212: Texts seem to suffer the need for the reader to already have some previous knowledge of the subject or its point is lost. 
• Pg213: In order for a text to fulfill its goal it must take form of some recognizable object for the reader. 
• Pgs214-215: The writer and reader must relate to each other’s perception of reality in order to move forward in another area of explanation. Some object of reference must be established, perhaps something from everyday normal life, in order to communicate. 
• Example: Markels’ paragraph shows how referencing an object can be used to convey an understanding. 
• John likes Columbus. He likes its low inflation rate and its very low crime rate. He enjoys its many foreign food stores. He likes the city's extensive park system. Finally, he likes the cultural and sporting events that the city provides. 
• Pgs216-218: A text does a lot to confirm the writers own understanding of the subject but what about the reader? The reader must already have some connection with the writer in order for information to be exchanged. Example: Spivak’s piece on the human psyche may only be understandable to the reader if they had previously read Derrida, Lacan and Freud. 
• Pgs219-220: Our main experience with an expository text comes from scholastic textbooks. These texts must be accompanied by the ‘mastery’ of the teacher or the intended lesson is lost. The text cannot deliver the information on its own. It must come with an interpreter who essentially has the same knowledge as the writer. 
• Conclusion: An ideal scenario where the teacher and writer share the exact same knowledge of a subject is probably not possible. An expository text will always be somewhat vague. Thus, to learn from a text is not exact. This type of academia is perpetual.
• (Reddick)

How do you feel about learning from a textbook? How much can be learned about a subject from reading?

Are the traditional ways of teaching using texts flawed? Outdated? Better than ever?

Is there such thing as a non-biased expository text? Are texts becoming more narrative?

Does postmodernism deconstruction kill expository discourse?

---

Reddick, R.J. "English Expository Discourse." (1992).

Text as a Launchpad

How an exhibit on video games revealed a trend in communication technology

The Art of Video Games exhibition, at the American Art Museum in DC, is a fun place to learn about one of America's most successful and important industries. In recent years, video games have surpassed movies as the main entertainment medium. Video games are everywhere. Gamers of all kinds are emerging. We play and we get hooked.   

There are many things to see and do at The Art of Video Games exhibit. You will find an intriguing timeline of game development. Relics of old game consoles and games to both see and play. Mario, Luigi, Sonic the Hedgehog and Link are all there as well. Of course, the gift shop is also stacked with plenty of interesting things to check out and spend your money on. 

Probably the most informative part of the exhibit are the series of panel discussion with game developers and other professionals in the field. The panels cover many topics including the idea of video games as an art form, its history and its progression. I attended one of these panel discussion and it lead me to my own thought on how simple text lead the way for video games and that this reveals a common trend. Does simple text lead the way in other technological areas as well?

The discussion panel that I attended pointed out how the progression of computer technology sets the pace for the development of video games. The artistic content in video games is essentially limited to the capabilities of the current technology. The panel suggests that this concept is exclusive to video game art but I believe that we see this trend in other things as well. 

The panel included: RJ Mical - co-creator of the Atari Lynx and 3DO, Mike Mika - from Foundation 9, Rand Miller - creator of Myst , Don Daglow of Stormfront Studios and Keith Robinson - one of the founders of Intellivision. They asked the audience to imagine comparing video game art of the 70's, 80's and 90's to art of the Renaissance. "Imagine Leonardo da Vinci painting everything in black and white because at that point color hadn't come out yet." 

The panel continued on how video game art is different because it is limited to the current level of computer technology. "It's like you work so hard with what you have at a certain point and you do that for several years. Then the new stuff comes out and you have a whole new realm of possibilities. It just blows your mind." said Robinson. 

Miller added how the small video part in Riven, the sequel to Myst (late 90's), took gamers by surprise. "They weren't expecting a man to walk across their screen. They weren't sure that we've got to that point until they saw it for the first time and it shocked them."

Daglow talked about the very first video games he ever played, before there was even a screen. He explained how the first video games were all text. How did that work? Well, in a role playing game you would read the status of your character, where he is, what he's doing and what items and spells he has. Then there would be a challenge. "The door to the dungeon slams shut, locking you in. What will you do now?" You would then type in a command for your character. "Find a key." Or, "Use a spell on the door." Daglow mentioned how when he heard the clicking of his dot-matrix printer he got all excited. "I couldn't wait to see what happened in the game!"

I hadn't though about this in years but actually played some of these games and could relate to Daglow. When playing those old games I remember thinking, "Wow! This is so hi-tech!" "How does it work?" And all I was experiencing was nothing but white text on a blue computer screen, yet it was so engaging at the time.

Video games are a form of multimedia, which is defined as the combination of text, images, sound, animation and interaction. Text is essentially the most basic and simple of these content forms. The later are more complex and require the most computer power. The intense emotional experiences that are achieved in today's video games comes from the highly developed 3D animations, surround sounds and full-body interactions. As computer technology advances so do the level of complexity in video games.

The bar is also raised for video games because of gamers' demand for more. To suffice this need developers continually increase the level of complex multimedia content. Each new generation of games introduces something that could't be achieved before. The constant escalation of advanced multimedia content in games essentially replaces the need for reading text. So while the level of 3D images, sounds, animations and interactions are increased, the text content is decreased.  

The trend of starting a new media thing with text and then moving on to other forms of multimedia is evident in other things like social media. The main communication tool in Facebook and Twitter are text messages. Each of these popular platforms enable other ways to share multimedia communications like pictures, videos and links but it's the texting that gets everyone started.

I've notice that more and more of my Facebook friends have begun sharing pictures and links where a few years back those types of posts were rare. This is probably because of peoples' level of comfortableness with the tools in social media has improved over time but also because all of the technical kinks had not been worked out yet. Today, pictures, music, videos and links are handled more efficiently with Facebook and Twitter and more people attempt to use those features. This trend should continue resulting in the expansion of the multimedia content features in social media and a lesser use of strictly textual posts. It should be more fun!

This leads me to the prediction of an increased interest in sites like Second Life, a social media and virtual reality hybrid.

Another bit of interesting technology on the horizon are the Google Glasses, which definitely need a new name. The device introduces a wearable smartphone that launches a new fun and exciting feature called augmented reality. From the demonstrations of Google Glasses it seems that text navigation and communication will play a big part at first. Expect the augmented reality feature to start-off modest and as it grows replaces the need to use basic text to drive everything.

Talking about Google Glasses has brought me to discussions, with friends and students, about the next step in bio-communication-technology. We started with phones in the home, to pocket sized computers and now computers that you wear. A chip in the brain must be next! Will we have telepathy? How will that work? Will we be able to communicate by transmitting voices to each others heads? Or, will it be text again? "Incoming message!" "Show on brain-screen SiRi."

Core Communication in a Crisis

Social Media for the Crucial Moment

PRWR 613 Mid-Term Essay

Social media proves to be an unmatched tool for communicating during a crisis. Recent events have shown us how social media contributes differently than traditional sources for news. It proves that writing short messages is among the most direct and effective ways to implement news communications, especially in tense situations. It’s quick, to the point, expressive and informative. The following interviews describe how users of social media find it to be the most reliable tool in serious situations.

My cousin, Seth Melville, is a simple guy, a free-thinker type who retains some of the punk subculture thinking shared by many that group from the 70’s and 80’s. He contested to owning a cell phone for years saying that he did not want anyone to have the ability to call him at any time. “I don’t want to be that guy who talks on the phone in public.” Likewise he also fought-off the social media world for many years but eventually broke and joined both Facebook and Twitter back in the summer of 2010. Seth admits to not knowing what he would do now that he’s online but a following local emergency proved Twitter could have some timely practical uses.

I contacted my cousin for the story and to ask specifically: What was it like being new to Social Media and then using it right away for such an importance?

Large fires broke out in the mountains in Boulder, CO in September 2010. Both Seth and his wife Nicole live in an apartment in the small city and knew that the fire could come their way.

Fires are unique disasters. There are several dangers to consider but mainly the unpredictable path of the fire and the suffocating smoke. Hysteria is another issue. People panic, get confused and cause all sorts of added problems. Managing reliable communications among everyone involved is a real challenge.

Tracking the path of fire and smoke and dealing with the panicky public is tricky. What Seth and Nicole found, to their surprise, was that Twitter seemed to be the most reliable source for specific information about the fire.

“It seemed that the thing that had the most info, and also had the speed was Twitter. The Boulder Valley Emergency System was second and the local news was third (Melville, 2012).”  

Seth acknowledges that he knew there were plenty of practical uses for social media but was surprised that it became relevant so quickly after he first joined. “We were checking to see if we were possibly in the line of the fire (Melville, 2012).” In addition to tracking the fire and smoke Seth and Nicole were informed of whom was being evacuated and, “the stupid drivers” he called them, who were jamming-up the roads around town (Melville, 2012).

Seth, Nicole, their apartment and belongings survived without suffering any damage from the fire. The following month (Oct.) another fire of similar magnitude broke out and once again they monitored Twitter for news. And once again they lucked out.

Seth says he’s impressed how effectively Twitter can handle communications in such a disaster. He feels the documentary concepts of Twitter are superior for finding important information. “You have to search for news . . . (Melville, 2012).” Seth explained how he monitors tweets then back-tracks in the feed to find the full story or message. Twitter makes the process easy and straight-forward.

Seth was also surprised that, after things calmed-down, people were still tweeting with the Boulder Fire hash tag (#Boulderfire). “Phase two was recovery (Melville, 2012).” People were using Twitter to collect food and clothes for the victims. People were also using Twitter to thank firemen and others who actively helped in the community.

“Twitter is like core communication.” Seth describes his first experiences with social media. “It’s not best for ideals; more for support (Melville, 2012).” I was surprised with the above quote from my cousin. I had expected that he might use Twitter to share his thoughts and opinions on random things. He is an intellectually creative guy, with a unique point-of-view on things. We have very interesting conversations all the time. My assumption was that he contributed to the #Boulderfire tweets and when it was all over starting tweeting like crazy about other stuff. But this was not the case. “I’ve never tweeted (Melville, 2012).”

When asked if any of the tweets during the fire were confusing, Seth said it was mostly straight-forward. Whenever a tweet seemed to be missing something it could easily be completed by looking for the preceding tweet. But Seth says communicating on Twitter was not a problem at all. He did not have much trouble understanding what others were writing about the fire. The tweets served as ample alerts and were to the point and efficient.

I wanted more opinions about using social media during a crisis. I asked my class (students at the CommunityCollege of Baltimore County, where I teach) if they had any similar experiences.

“Never forget!” said Forrest Woelfel when referring to the fallen-over lawn chair picture that was passed around on Facebook - making fun of the Baltimore earthquake of summer 2011. Other classmates chipped in, “You couldn’t make a call or send a text but Facebook was working (class, 2012).” The discussion then moved on to, “Where were you during the earthquake?”

I pointed out to the class what I thought was interesting about this example. For a long time, people have relied on broadcast mediums (like TV and the phone) to communicate most immediate information. But now Internet connections have become more reliable. A few years back this wasn’t the case. Internet connections were hard to come by and typically not that stable. I added that perhaps the thing behind the success of social media, especially during a crisis, is the resilience of this infrastructure. It’s now our true go-to pipeline for communication and it feels like you can get online almost anywhere at any time. [This is when you could start to hear the crickets. “Your sooooo smart ‘teach” was the look they gave me.]    

Social media may be just the thing we have been looking for to handle communication in a crisis. Certainly there are many other uses for social media, some more goofy, but it’s the versatility that’s impressive. People seem to know how to use social media for more serious and immediate situations despite all its other associations. And we find at the center of all this is writing these short messages - headlines. A basic form of news communications accelerated through the Web. This is why social media has changed things so fast. Its textual premise is comfortable for most people.

The new dominate media platform is social media and it’s fueled by the vast infrastructure of the Internet. It has become our favorite thing on the Web. We use it for entertainment and communication. It demands out attention throughout the day. You have to constantly go on there and check Facebook, Twitter, etc. Combine this with the durability and availability of Internet connections and the result is that we rely on it more and more. TV, newspapers and phone calls are too slow. But what’s really exciting is that this shift creates new opportunities for writing.   

People have always taken the written message very seriously. You could tell most of the stories that took place in American history with a timeline of newspaper headlines. You might even be able to tell your own story with a timeline of collected letters, postcards, certificates, etc. Imagine parts of your life journal in one long documented feed. Could it describe who you are and where you’re from? Would it be accurate? Interesting? It’s easy to relate to communications served with text and it comes to us now, in social media, better than anywhere else.

Bibliography

class, C. 1. (2012, March 22). (J.-R. Hilton, Interviewer)

Melville, S. (2012, Feb 19). On the "Boulder fire: Sept & Oct 2010". (J.-R. Hilton, Interviewer)

Straightening out the PRWR Blog

class - 3/15

My effort to help construct the final blog project for Theory of Exposition seems to have paid off. The class, instructor and I had an effective discussion about what the blog project is and how to do it. 

First off, the site I created - tuprwr.blogspot - showed the class how a collaborative blog would work. And the consensus is, everyone wants to do their own blog. Cool! Actually, it makes a lot of sense. We are all writers and we all want control over what we're doing. I can surely relate.

It seems some of the students, in my Thur night PRWR 613 class, want to use the blog for more than the final project - the blog assignment. That's not a bad idea. Beth showed a lot of enthusiasm over using the blog for other assignments, like the discussion questions, and as long as Cheryl can get a grasp on the grading then all's-good. Jen and Nakita mentioned that if this is the case then a stack of posts by a class full of students on the same subject might not be an attractive blog site. Agreed. Why not have everyone create their own site?

The final 'blog' project

Just to be clear, this is my take on the final blog project.

• Submit posts about how the classes' lessons, readings and discussions relate to something else going on in our lives or in the news (outside of class). The topic of the posts is open to anything as long as it relates to writing, communication, rhetoric, exposition, who we've read, etc.
• Submit at least 3 of your own posts, which combine to 1000-1500 words total.
• Comment on 2 others students posts for each phase, a total of 6 comments.
• Optional: use your newly created blog as the format for the remaining reading responses, discussion questions, etc.

The PRWR Blog is Born

At the expense of the class thinking that I am a control freak or something, I went ahead and set up a blogfor PRWR. I thought it would be nice to have something set up and then we can choose the visuals, and all that stuff, together.

Google Blogger is pretty user friendly. I'm using it to write other blogs. One advantage may be that you can link you TU Webmail account with Blogger and use the same user ID and password. We'll see.

The administrator duties can easily be handed over to Cheryl Brown and the class can be added as writers. No problem at all.

We may also want to check out Wordpress and Tumblr.