Three Blog Ideas

My sister is a special education teacher so she will be useful source when writing my blog post for Autism Awareness. I have three ideas I have come up with from spending time in her classroom.

1) The connection between vaccinations and Autism

2) The effect the No Child Left Behind Act has on children with Autism

3) Why the U.S. has such a high population of people with Autism

Social Networking Sites

     I had no idea social networking websites have been around for so long. I didn't know about things like Myspace until I was in high school. I haven't heard of half of the sites either. I only use Facebook now. I don't know why people need more than one networking site. I think it's too much. I thought the idea of impression management was funny. I've seen so many people post glamourous "modeling" shots on their pages, or have interests that you don't really believe. I don't see the point in that either, because if you're trying to network with other people, you should probably just represent yourself truthfully.

Google Sites

Google Sites seems easy to use, especially since I am technologically challenged. I have never attempted to make my own website before. My dad made one when I was younger, and I was baffled at how he did it. Now I could probably whip one up pretty easily too using this website tool. The pre-made templates make it even easier! This was a good idea from Google. Anyone could use Google Sites, even if they know nothing about computers.

Easton's Beach Visual Analysis

In my opinion, the Easton's Beach website is a mess. The alignments are all different. There are a lot of things posted on the left side, which is a no-no according to the textbook. Some thing are centered. Others have a flush right alignment. It is very confusing to the eye. The texts are all different sizes, fonts, and colors.
The proximity of items is mostly consistent throughout the website. There is a contrast between items on the page, but the way it is done is juvenile. There are lots of clashing bright colors and misplaced graphics. There is also no repition on the page. All the links lead to different websites, most of which are much more visually appealing and organized. This website needs some serious help!

Web Sites

     A well-designed website should be easy to navigate, informative, and easy to read. Too much information, graphics, or distracting audio can ruin the effect of a website. There is many ways to set up a website. The main ones are linear, hierachical, and interlinking structures. My personal preference is linear organization. I feel like it is the most straightforward and easiest to follow for the audience. Links enhance a website by allowing the audience to follow new paths to different areas of the site.  The Jamestown, RI Chamber of Commerce website is one that could be redesigned. There are some links that lead to empty pages. The website is http://jamestownrichamber.com. Another website is http://www.havenworks.com. The website is just a jumbled mess and hard to read. Most audience members would probably become frustrated and give up on attempting to use the site. 

Rhetorical Situations

The article brought up an interesting point about considering the audience you are writing for. The audience is the whole reason you are writing an article or any other piece of literature. Your audience on a website is mainly unknown. Anyone can access a website on the internet. I also never really thought about stance before. I think it would be beneficial to determine your stance before you begin writing. Internet is also a new type of media. It is verbal but non-vocal. You need to consider how to get your point across without actually speaking or using vocal inflections.

Wikitravel Style Rules

When you post an article on Wikitravel, there are some basic writing rules you must adhere to. There are different templates for different types of articles, such as countries, small cities, or parks. It is important to review the differences before starting an article. There are five main sections that have to be in every Wikitravel entry. These are Get In, Get Around, See, Eat, and Sleep. If one of these sections is not applicable, you should say that in the designated section.
Wikitravel asks that contributors only post links to primary sources as opposed to search engines or review sites. When writing, you should also avoid personal pronouns such as "I". Do not be forceful when describing the place. This is not a persuasive article, it is merely meant to outline the main attractions in the surrounding area. For any questions about formatting, visit http://wikitravel.org/en/Wikitravel:Manual_of_style.

Information Ecologies

I would consider Wikitravel to be an information ecology. It is a community of people who are sharing their knowledge and opinions of places in the world that they, hopefully, know very well. People work together to produce a webpage that portrays their town, city, or landmark in a positive and enticing way. I do not really think I belong to many information ecologies. I do belong to my local library. I also am signed up for e-mail lists which give me specific information about certain stores and products.

Wikitravel Idea

My three choices for the Wikitravel project would be Jamestown, RI, Newport, RI, or the White Mountains in New Hampshire. I would just be adding more information and editing some of the previous information posted. I have lived in both Jamestown and Newport for my entire life, so I have a personal insight on those towns. I've also been vacationing in New Hampshire for many years, so I know a lot of tourist attractions.

Wikipedia

I use Wikipedia a lot in my research, but I always look to other sources to back up what I read on the site. I also look at the sources cited in the articles for more information. I have never contributed to Wikipedia before. There isn't a particular reason I haven't, I just never saw an article I wanted to add to.
I think it is smart of the Wikipedia experts to monitor what gets posted in articles. Someone could make up completely false statements and greatly affect another person's research. They could also potentially post slander about another person. However, I don't think people should be snobs about others posting on Wikipedia. Everyone is entitled to post, and it isn't polite to destroy everything another person wrote.

"Blogs As Clubhouses"

I think this article had a lot of helpful tips about starting a blog. It's important to continue with the blog on a regular basis so any followers you have stay interested. I also think it's important to consider your audience when you are writing your blog. In the movie "Julie and Julia", a woman started a blog about cooking her way through a Julia Child cookbook. She incorporated her emotions about what she was doing into the posts, which was more intriguing than just describing the food she made. For my blog, I have a few ideas:
1) Chronicling some of the best reality shows
2) Researching up and coming fashion designers
3) Movie reviews
4) Weird daily occurrences at URI
5) Jumpstart and what we do at sessions