1. I'm currently following a variety of people in the movie, comedy, and gaming industries. These include The Onion, Jon Favreau, Nathan Fillion, Rooster Teeth Productions, and Rotten Tomatoes.
It seems to me that professionals utilize twitter mainly to get the word out about something new they're working on, or to weigh in on contentious pop culture/social issues. It's definitely a good way to let people know that you still exist and are doing things that are interesting. Writers and PR majors could use it to advertise their work in ways that don't initially seem like advertising- advertising done through Twitter seems a bit more like "friendly-recommendations from people you know" than just seeing a Facebook message or banner ad. The brevity seems to work to people's advantage here: interest is piqued, and you have to click links to look into things more.
On more personal levels, it seems like a good way to get to know a person a lot better. With the limited format, people can't ramble on about things, and have to distill it down to what they really want to say.
I'm not sure I'll keep Tweeting the rest of the semester- It just seems like one more thing I could get tied up in that doesn't have enough benefits to be worthwhile, in my particular case. I'm sure I'll check in on the people I'm following to see what they're up to through their tweets, but it's not a networking site that immediately grabs my attention.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Monday, February 21, 2011
Commenting and Tagging: Organizational and Motivational Necessities
I think commenting on blogs and having an active reader community for your own blog is incredibly important. Without readers and their comments, their input, an online writer may as well by scribbling away in a journal that he hides under his mattress at night. No one will ever read it, and no one will ever care. If online writers do not get regular comments, they will lose motivation, and will likely not keep their blogs continually updated. With commenting readers, PR people also know whether their articles are having the desired effect or not.
I think that some of my fellow students are doing some really interesting things. I love the photo-a-day project that Angelea is starting (she's got some really interesting snapshots on her Flickr account already), and Jason's Raw Fitness blog is very well-researched and informative in regards to losing weight and staying healthy. It's also been fun reading Cia's blog about her experiences as a foreign student on Coe's campus, and the interesting presentation and links that she has posted on the blog to give it a personal flair.
For the most part, on my Stoner at the Movies blog I have used tags to differentiate between articles. I have two main categories in my tags so far: Reviews and Overanalyze That. I also tag any entertainment IP I mention in a post, such as the movie I'm reviewing or the actors that star in it. This will help my viewers seek out what articles interest them as the blog grows in its content and scope.
I think that some of my fellow students are doing some really interesting things. I love the photo-a-day project that Angelea is starting (she's got some really interesting snapshots on her Flickr account already), and Jason's Raw Fitness blog is very well-researched and informative in regards to losing weight and staying healthy. It's also been fun reading Cia's blog about her experiences as a foreign student on Coe's campus, and the interesting presentation and links that she has posted on the blog to give it a personal flair.
For the most part, on my Stoner at the Movies blog I have used tags to differentiate between articles. I have two main categories in my tags so far: Reviews and Overanalyze That. I also tag any entertainment IP I mention in a post, such as the movie I'm reviewing or the actors that star in it. This will help my viewers seek out what articles interest them as the blog grows in its content and scope.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Mind-Mapping
I really enjoyed this activity. Not only was it a good way to get my plans for my blog down in a visual format... It also showed me which segments might get a little overwhelming if I focused on them too much or too often, and which could use more consideration and expansion in the future. It's great for brainstorming writing topics or planning order of events, and making connections between topics that might come in handy. It definitely applies to different subjects than Mashups do. This seems more writing, thought, and conceptual based, while Mashup seems to be more about actually conveying information visually, textually, and audibly.
I think I liked this better than making a bubble-graph on paper- it's quick, it's easy, it makes sense, and you can rearrange at will without the drawing getting all confused-looking. This seems like a really handy tool for someone who needs a lot of reminders and notes about ideas they come up with, like me.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Wiki Work
Post on How to Set Up a Page
From the Facebook login page, look at the bottom right corner of the screen, and there will be a link that says "Create a Page for a celebrity, band or business". After clicking on this, you are taken to a screen that offers a choice between two types of pages: Community Page or Official Page. For a business, you want to choose Official page. In that column, fill out all of the relevant data: Type of business, name of the business (and page), and confirm that you are indeed the official representative of the group in question. From that point on it is a simple matter of appointing others within your organization who are also capable of managing the page, and formatting the page itself to fulfill your business's aims.
Post on Advice for Posting
If you are a product/sales based organization, such as a coffee shop or a publishing outlet or what-have-you, perhaps it would be beneficial to post promotional items on the Facebook page, such as coupons or notifications of sales to pique patron interest and to get them to invite their friends to "like" the page. Of course, background, locations, mission statement, logos, and pictures of your business and staff are a must to present a friendly and accessible attitude. In addition to advertisements, polls such as "what is your favorite drink/product offered by us" to encourage participation may be helpful as well.
Post on Great Professional FB pages
Domino's Pizza Posts many times a week- all posts are pizza related, but usually have fun plays on common phrases or basic polls quizzes that don't come off as blatant advertisements. They keep a conversation and mindfulness about their product while not badgering their fans with belligerent advertising.
From the Facebook login page, look at the bottom right corner of the screen, and there will be a link that says "Create a Page for a celebrity, band or business". After clicking on this, you are taken to a screen that offers a choice between two types of pages: Community Page or Official Page. For a business, you want to choose Official page. In that column, fill out all of the relevant data: Type of business, name of the business (and page), and confirm that you are indeed the official representative of the group in question. From that point on it is a simple matter of appointing others within your organization who are also capable of managing the page, and formatting the page itself to fulfill your business's aims.
Post on Advice for Posting
If you are a product/sales based organization, such as a coffee shop or a publishing outlet or what-have-you, perhaps it would be beneficial to post promotional items on the Facebook page, such as coupons or notifications of sales to pique patron interest and to get them to invite their friends to "like" the page. Of course, background, locations, mission statement, logos, and pictures of your business and staff are a must to present a friendly and accessible attitude. In addition to advertisements, polls such as "what is your favorite drink/product offered by us" to encourage participation may be helpful as well.
Post on Great Professional FB pages
Domino's Pizza Posts many times a week- all posts are pizza related, but usually have fun plays on common phrases or basic polls quizzes that don't come off as blatant advertisements. They keep a conversation and mindfulness about their product while not badgering their fans with belligerent advertising.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Roger Ebert and Video Games
Last April, Roger Ebert wrote a lengthy article for the Chicago Sun-Times explaining an off-the-cuff comment he once made clearly stating that video games "can never be art". After months of angry online comments and controversy springing up on film and video game news sites alike, Ebert wrote a followup article in July revising, though not rescinding, his original stance.
I, like many others, felt rather betrayed by Ebert's initial article: a man whose opinions I greatly valued denouncing something that's been a part of my life since childhood. After reading his second submission on the subject, I have to empathize with where he is coming from, although I don't agree with the "foregone conclusion" attitude he still takes in categorizing the video game genre as entirely devoid of artistic significance.
Though I do not necessarily intend to change his, or anyone's mind, I decided to compile a mashup of some of my initial ideas on the topic.
This was my first experience with creating a mashup. It was an interesting experience: the collage aspects of the program definitely helped encourage the use of a variety of different mediums in communicating ideas. I liked how all of my information didn't have to be contained on that one page; thanks to links and embedded videos, my mashup encourages viewers to explore the topic further outside of my mashup page. However, I find the space somewhat confining. I had more to say, but there just wasn't room for it. I'm a heart a writer, and would certainly prefer to give a thorough and detailed write-up of the subject to compliment the mashup and expand on my ideas. In the end, it was a fun thing to experiment, but I feel may prefer the standard blog format. With that, I can still embed videos and display images, all the while keeping a focused and driving written commentary going to string the ideas presented in the visual media together.
I, like many others, felt rather betrayed by Ebert's initial article: a man whose opinions I greatly valued denouncing something that's been a part of my life since childhood. After reading his second submission on the subject, I have to empathize with where he is coming from, although I don't agree with the "foregone conclusion" attitude he still takes in categorizing the video game genre as entirely devoid of artistic significance.
Though I do not necessarily intend to change his, or anyone's mind, I decided to compile a mashup of some of my initial ideas on the topic.
This was my first experience with creating a mashup. It was an interesting experience: the collage aspects of the program definitely helped encourage the use of a variety of different mediums in communicating ideas. I liked how all of my information didn't have to be contained on that one page; thanks to links and embedded videos, my mashup encourages viewers to explore the topic further outside of my mashup page. However, I find the space somewhat confining. I had more to say, but there just wasn't room for it. I'm a heart a writer, and would certainly prefer to give a thorough and detailed write-up of the subject to compliment the mashup and expand on my ideas. In the end, it was a fun thing to experiment, but I feel may prefer the standard blog format. With that, I can still embed videos and display images, all the while keeping a focused and driving written commentary going to string the ideas presented in the visual media together.
Getting Started
The Blog's Name
I'll be straightforward with you: I have never read The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test. I just liked the book's name and couldn't come up with a title for my blog. I had only a little time to set up the site, and I wasn't feeling creative-- I was feeling referential. That does leave the fact that I knew next to nothing about the book that I was naming my blog after.
Until now.
Thanks to my good old pal Wikipedia, I am aware that the cover of the book looks like this:
And, having read further, I am aware that The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test details the life of hero Ken Kesey and his friends, the "Merry Pranksters", who do little more than go to Grateful Dead concerts in their tie-dye school bus, "Furthur", all the while tripping on insane amounts of LSD.
Think Scooby-Doo without the dog.
Back to Writing
Anyway, that little nugget of late-1960's counter-culture memorabilia isn't my point-- at least not directly. In our generation, the way we perceive the world has changed dramatically-- as has the way we read and write about it.
Consider, for a moment, this aforementioned tale of traveling and self-discovery through hallucinogenic experimentation. Back then, the way to find yourself was to get out into the world and experience it, to break away from the familiar. I think that starting with our generation, we have become much more likely to define ourselves through technology: we form a persona online, through Facebook, or blogs, or even creating digital "avatars" of ourselves in video games or other social websites.
Our reading habits have become digitized as well-- more and more people are buying Nooks, Kindles, and iPads to conduct their leisure reading upon. As these trends have become more exaggerated, the way we read and write have changed substantially.
Here's what "Uncle Stevie" has to say about the issue:
Food for thought.
I'll be straightforward with you: I have never read The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test. I just liked the book's name and couldn't come up with a title for my blog. I had only a little time to set up the site, and I wasn't feeling creative-- I was feeling referential. That does leave the fact that I knew next to nothing about the book that I was naming my blog after.
Until now.
Thanks to my good old pal Wikipedia, I am aware that the cover of the book looks like this:
And, having read further, I am aware that The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test details the life of hero Ken Kesey and his friends, the "Merry Pranksters", who do little more than go to Grateful Dead concerts in their tie-dye school bus, "Furthur", all the while tripping on insane amounts of LSD.
Think Scooby-Doo without the dog.
- Or the creepy old men in monster costumes.
- Or the family-friendliness.
- Or those delicious-looking Scooby Snacks.
Back to Writing
Anyway, that little nugget of late-1960's counter-culture memorabilia isn't my point-- at least not directly. In our generation, the way we perceive the world has changed dramatically-- as has the way we read and write about it.
Consider, for a moment, this aforementioned tale of traveling and self-discovery through hallucinogenic experimentation. Back then, the way to find yourself was to get out into the world and experience it, to break away from the familiar. I think that starting with our generation, we have become much more likely to define ourselves through technology: we form a persona online, through Facebook, or blogs, or even creating digital "avatars" of ourselves in video games or other social websites.
Our reading habits have become digitized as well-- more and more people are buying Nooks, Kindles, and iPads to conduct their leisure reading upon. As these trends have become more exaggerated, the way we read and write have changed substantially.
Here's what "Uncle Stevie" has to say about the issue:
Food for thought.
Interests in Web 2.0
What I find most interesting about Web 2.0 applications (blogs, specifically) is the way that they give writers an instant outlet to the readers, and are capable of receiving instantaneous feedback as well. Our parents had "Letters to the Editor"... we have Facebook and blogs. There is perhaps no more accessible and socially relevant way for a writer to get his or her material out there and affecting the world. Blogs are also an ideal way for individuals with similar interests to follow each other and grow in their appreciation for common enthusiasms. With this blog, I hope to learn the basic functions of the blogger website- mess around with the tools so that I become proficient in using blogger. As a result, my other blog will look all the more professional with these experiences.
My mission with my other blog, Stoner at the Movies, is to provide reviews for and commentary upon the new movies that hit theaters every week. These discussions will come in a variety of formats, including journalistic reviews, in-depth film analysis entries, and video podcast quick-reviews.
I hope that by providing this content, I can advise my readers what movies are worth their skyrocketing ticket prices during these tough economic times. I also hope to foster the cinematic enthusiasms of my readers by interesting them in films that they may otherwise not have considered, or movies that passed them by without their knowledge.
My mission with my other blog, Stoner at the Movies, is to provide reviews for and commentary upon the new movies that hit theaters every week. These discussions will come in a variety of formats, including journalistic reviews, in-depth film analysis entries, and video podcast quick-reviews.
I hope that by providing this content, I can advise my readers what movies are worth their skyrocketing ticket prices during these tough economic times. I also hope to foster the cinematic enthusiasms of my readers by interesting them in films that they may otherwise not have considered, or movies that passed them by without their knowledge.
Jumping into Web 2.0
So. I've been given this assignment in my Advanced Writing Workshop class to dive headfirst into Web 2.0. I suppose my experience with Web 2.0 started in high school with a Xanga profile, which I used to prove to people I didn't know how emotionally deep and whiny I was.
Since then, my only other foray into the medium has been a Facebook account that I fail to check more than once or twice a week. I post on someone else's wall maybe once a month.
Suffice it to say that I'm not a major proponent of social networking. I have, however, been curious about starting up a blog, and this is as good an opportunity as any to get one up and running. In addition to this one (which will be a "test blog", a repository of random entries made on a whim or for class assignments), I will also be frequently updating a film review blog, Stoner at the Movies.
Since then, my only other foray into the medium has been a Facebook account that I fail to check more than once or twice a week. I post on someone else's wall maybe once a month.
Suffice it to say that I'm not a major proponent of social networking. I have, however, been curious about starting up a blog, and this is as good an opportunity as any to get one up and running. In addition to this one (which will be a "test blog", a repository of random entries made on a whim or for class assignments), I will also be frequently updating a film review blog, Stoner at the Movies.
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