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[across2135-blog]

This is the End. 12.3.15

I have come to the sad realization that today was in fact the last time our ENC 2135 family will all be together. At the beginning of the semester, I was unsure how it would play out but I would have to say I was pleasantly surprised by how much fun it has been getting to learn from each other. Tumblr was one of the things that I was apprehensive about but after this class I have a new appreciation and love for the way it made it so easy to connect with each other outside of class.

On another note, I really enjoyed listening and seeing everyone’s presentations. They were all so unique; I loved it. It was cool to see how even though we all maybe not have been passionate about the project, we were all in fact passionate about our topics. The projects may have actually turned out to be fun for some of us (Write a Buzzfeed article. Trust me).

When it comes to the most effective presentation, I would have to say that I really enjoyed Rachel’s project on Working Moms. Because I was able to work with her on a research team for Project 2, it was great to see her project come to life in Project 3. I think that she effectively targeted her audience by using a Facebook page. Many moms, working and those who stay at home, avidly use Facebook. My mom, who has worked full-time my whole life, is on Facebook all the time. The amount of activity she got on her page by all the likes and comments show that she chose the right platform. Social Media can be a hard avenue to take but I think Facebook was a great choice! Pinterest, even though it might not have reached as many people, was another great choice. Finally, using a narrative piece with your mom appealed to the emotions of your audience. As the daughter of a working mom, I immediately became interested in your project. I’m not sure if the children of working moms were apart of your target audience, but you sure got me interested. Overall, Rachel, the choices that you made to engage with your audience proved to be effective. It’s awesome to see how positive of a response you got. @rachelshattler

[brooke2135-blog]

Reflecting on the Presentations

All of the presentations were wonderful and I am actually sad that the people who presented at the end of class today did not have much time to do so! However, I have to say that if I had to pick one, the presentation I most enjoyed was Kyle’s. He created a podcast like I did (lots of respect there), as well as a hilarious Buzzfeed article. I also enjoyed his topic as a whole and how he approached it; global warming is an issue we all have heard a lot about and consequently we are typically annoyed or desensitized to the tactics often used by global warming activists. However, Kyle approached it differently by using satire. The photos used in the article brought the text beneath it to a whole new level. I think my two favorites would have to be “Disney World Will Feature an Atlantis Park” and “You Won’t Have to Listen to People Complain About Global Warming”. He pokes fun at activists while being an activist in disguise, which I think is great.

Overall, his presentation was solid and informative for the short amount of time that he had to talk. I loved his use of a Prezi, as well as how its background was an iceberg. Way to pay attention to the fine details Kyle!

So long ENC2135 class, it’s been real!

[across2135-blog]

I agree, Kyle you did a really good job! As a fan of Buzzfeed, your article was so funny! Your project was well executed and it was obvious you really care about your topic @kylecontrast

[chrarmes-blog]

Presentation Reflection

All the presentations have been so fantastic! It’s been so great to see everyone’s individuality and unique interests displayed in their research choices and presentation. It’s really hard to pick a favorite, but I will mention a few that I really liked. 

I really like Zoe’s topic because, as a member of the Doctor Who fandom, I thought her research and remediations and genuine interest in the community is awesome. Zoe, I really hope that you start watching Doctor Who. It’s so great and one thing you probably learned about the community is that we LOVE to see it grow. 

I also really liked Kyle’s presentation because I think he really made his Project 2 into an easily digestible form for broader audiences. His buzzfeed article was hilarious and I already shared it on my facebook. 

I think Molly did a good job on being effective and innovative with her genres. Let’s be honest, we all didn’t think that Project 3 was doable until we saw how Molly did her Project 3.

I’m going to miss these classmates and everyone’s tweets! Have a great holiday, ENCers! #staystrong #ENClove 

[chesleew-blog]

I’ve never watched Doctor Who because I have never really heard much about it. However, Zoe’s project interested me and makes me think I might start watching this too. You can tell Zoe put a lot of effort into this project and she did a great job presenting. The timeline was a great idea and I’m glad she stuck with the idea even though she came across obstacles (having to use multiple programs). I probably would have given up on the idea whenever it started to cost too much time and aggravation. Good job Zoe! 

[across2135-blog]

Also as an outsider of the Doctor Who fandom, I was really intrigued by Zoe’s project. It was so obvious how much effort she put into her project. Zoe- You did a really great job! @deliahel

[mckenzieelizabeththings-deactiv]

Chapter 10 BBG Reflection

Once again the day was upon me to crack open the book that torments almost all of us. Chapter 10 while interesting and helpful still had start with repeating the general information that we all have permanently engrained in our brains by now. So after I got through the page and a half of discussing our rhetorical situation information, we got down to the nitty gritty. I liked that this chapter was organized into steps as it made it a clear and concise way that I could absorb it but also keep it easily organized so that I could refer back to it fairly easily as well. The checklist was especially helpful for this but the examples were by far the most beneficial section of this chapter for me. The examples helped me to grasp the modes and media and genres that I could potentially use throughout my project 3. I think that this chapter was quite helpful for me as I am in the midst of working on creating a narrative and persuasive piece on my topic. The examples helped me see that I am headed in the right direction which helped ease my mind a little but not enough to keep me from remaining in my freak out over this project.

[wgh420]

I’m feeling the freak out right now, the time closing in on all of us as it gets closer and closer to the final days and presentations of class…

[across2135-blog]

I totally agree with you in the fact that the examples were super helpful. The Chapter was great in the fact that it gave steps and checklists to sort of guide us with this project type.

[rachelshattler-blog]

Ch. 10 Reflection

Chapter 10 of BBG was a joy to read. First, it wasn’t too long, and second it made perfect sense and apples directly to what we are doing right now in English. My only wish is that we had read this chapter sooner so that I would have had a better understanding all along of this project. This chapter was very relatable because we are going through the process of making our three genres and trying to get them ‘out to the world. I liked reading the examples of projects they gave in the chapter because it was nice to see other’s ideas and how they utilized the genres. This multigenre project is unlike any other project I’ve ever done before, and it’ proven so far to be a lot of work. Constantly refreshing my memory of the outline of the project is good for me, and reading this chapter helped me to get a better grip on it. This chapter was definitely one of the most helpful ones of the whole year. Being creative with our genres to grab our audience’s attention is all that this project is about, and chapter 10 was definitely a helpful source for this.

[tld15-blog]

I know exactly how you feel! I was on the second page before I realized that we should have read this article three weeks ago. Still, it’s not too late to redirect (I hope)

[across2135-blog]

I agree that this would have been so helpful to read before starting Project 3! This is project is new territory and this chapter was incredibly helpful.

[across2135-blog]

BBG Chapter 10 11.18.15

The time has finally come. The last required reading in the infamous Bedford Book of Genres. I have to say I’m not even mad about it. When it comes to creating a Mulitgenre project, there are so many options when it comes to the execution and I think that is what excites me. Knowing that all of us are creating something unique will make the presentations interesting. While reading through Chapter 10, one thing that I found interesting was the idea of creating an author’s or artist’s statement. An introduction to our work is important considering that we want to provide clarity through our presentations, but I never really thought about calling it a ‘statement.’ But truth be told whatever we are presenting we want to make a statement with, or at least we are hoping to make a statement. In the end, the goal for all of us is to reach our target audience. In every step of creating our Mulitgenre project it has been important to keep our target audience in mind. The chapter as a whole just really wrapped up project 3 in a clear manner. Simply put in my own words: Create something interesting, stick to your plan, appeal to your audience, and execute your campaign on the right platform. We are coming down to the wire but success can be achieved!

[mak15k-blog]

Tubmlr Post for 11-17-2015 “SFH Layout and Pages” • “SFH Images and Photos” • “Analyzing Visual Rhetoric”

The “SFH Layout and Pages” was so interesting! I felt like it was almost a graphic design 101 booklet. I’ve always been so indecisive about font style, just within my notes for various classes and even my doodles, so Chart 18.3 was really convenient and helpful. It categorized fonts and style into how they should be used in compositions, which automatically got me thinking about how they are perceived by the reader, which is exactly the sort of help I needed for the third genre I chose for Project 3 (which is why I went ahead and read these assignments…I need all the help I can get!) “SFH Images and Photos” was equally as interesting and helpful. It suggested using Photoshop for editing images and other photos for our compositions, but given the fact that A) you have to pay for Photoshop, B) not many people have any idea how to use Photoshop, and C) Photoshop can pretty much be replaced fully thanks to apps like Instagram and other photo apps for Smart Phones, I don’t think Photoshop is necessary for things like cropping and resizing. It’s just not that serious. But! I loved the last portion of the article that suggested creating a mood for the overall piece through color. It’s so true that colors affect our perceptions of pretty much everything, and I think I will print my flyers on colored paper to catch people’s eye and make the theme lively. This is also why my favorite color is black; black is the absence of color, which leaves the availability of choosing my favorite open to interpretation based on my mood (: Anyway, the last source was so ironic to me because I could barely read it and it looked like a blackboard from a horror film, which, I guess, is the mood they wanted to evoke…? Upon further inspection the content was nothing to be feared because it was THE EXACT SAME THING WE’VE BEEN TOLD IN LIKE EVERY ASSIGNMENT. “Purpose, media, mode, audience, genre, etc.” Well, if I take away nothing else from this class it will be to always remember to do everything with purpose…which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

[across2135-blog]

I love your finally statement because I feel like every reading that we do always somehow ties back to the idea of audience, genre etc...But, like you said, they are really important concepts, especially when it comes to creating Project 3!

[across2135-blog]

Visual Rhetoric 11.16.15

When I look at pictures or visuals in everyday life, there are things that attract my eye and things that make me scroll past something on social media or walk right past a flyer that is posted around campus. As far as visual elements relate to Project 3, I think keeping in mind what we like as an audience is a great way to gauge what is the most effective when it comes to using pictures or graphics. For me personally, color is one of the first things that draws my attention, or lack thereof. I love color and sometimes I like to use too much of it in one space. It is easy to get carried away with color and not leave and ‘white space’ around text or an image. Color really does set the mood of the subject being displayed. Clutter would be the next big factor when I look at something that is posted or handed out. I think that it is important to create something that is easy to understand at a quick glance because most of the time the first few seconds are crucial in the audience deciding whether or not to engage. Overall, like we have been talking about all semester, it is important to keep focused on your subject and audience when creating these new visual elements.

[hunterenc2135-blog]

SFH Readings and Visual Rhetoric Reflection

These readings were extremely helpful for working on Project #3 because it gave tips on how to make the topic seem the most appealing. 

I found the part about fonts,colors and organization to be one of the most helpful since I am creating a website for my project. Making sure the website has the right spacing, format, and fonts is important because that will determine the amount of feedback and comments I receive. Besides the feedback it is also important to the appearance of my website; if it looks bad then people won’t respond to it or just close it out on their computer. The same goes for the paragraphs: if they are too long or it looks boring people won’t read it. Including colors, fonts, and breaking up the text will help make it more appealing. 

It is also important when creating your website (or any other form of social media) to consider your audience. Who your audience is and the message you are trying to convey is extremely important when I am setting up my website. The questions for determining your audience in “Analyzing Visual Rhetoric”  will be useful when I develop my website and other forms of social media further. 

[across2135-blog]

I think it is great that you mentioned it is extremely important to consider what draws people in, or what doesn’t. I found that the information on color and layout was really helpful too!

[kylecontrast-deactivated202-blog]

Assignment 3 Reflection

What is Viral Marketing? In short, it’s a form of advertising that focuses on mass distribution and appeal to a large audience.  In the 21st century it is one of the most essential tools to make establish a brand or business. Usually viral marketing takes the form of digital media through video or audio commercials.  

In order to accomplish this, the commercial must have several requirements.  It must catch the audience’s attention, be original, have it be free, and make sure it is easy to spread throughout the world to name a few characteristics.  With these factors in sync, people will enjoy watching the commercial and will want to show their friends.  As this goes on, a large web of people will now be exposed to the brand or product.

There are also particular times when viral marketing will work.  One of these times is when a business establishes itself before marketing. This will allow the initial audience to be a large enough size for the message to be spread far and wide.  An example from class about this is Humans of New York. By first establishing itself as a blog and gaining popularity, it was able to launch a book of the same content that will already have an audience that will buy it.

These articles were definitely helpful in context of Project 3, as it gives me some ideas on how to spread the genre

[across2135-blog]

I agree that Viral Marketing has become an essential part of establishing a business or a brand in the 21st century. Products and ideas are spread so fast, and with the right authoritative backing as well as creative buzz, viral marketing can spread just about anything.

[hunterenc2135-blog]

Viral Marketing Reflection

Address these questions:

– What is Viral Marketing? – What does it do?

Viral Marketing refers to marketing techniques that aim to create increases in brand recognition and sales for the product being marketed. Marketing techniques include pre-existing social networking services (i.e. Instagram, Twitter, Commercials) and other technologies or interpersonal interactions (i.e. word of mouth). 

– How does it work?

The key to Viral marketing is simple: make your product memorable. If a product becomes memorable, then people will talk about it amongst their peers and the brand recognition will grow. The more memorable your product is (whether it has a funny name, catchy jingle, or how useful it is) the more people will talk about the product. For example, Old Spice is most well known for not only their product, but for their various commercials that have aired over the years featuring a robust man with a deep voice telling women how un-manly their man is.. You know the one… 

– When does it work?

It works once there is a stigma behind the product. Simply creating a funny name or catchy jingle is not enough to market your product. It works when the creativity of the company proves itself though an advertisement unlike any before it’s kind. Before the Old Spice commercials deodorant companies would simply feature their male models applying the deodorant in an empty room/ locker room/ bedroom and then have a gorgeous girl walk in and seem smitten with his deodorant choice. Old Spice changed the game and didn’t feature a woman, but rather TOLD female viewers “your man isn’t a man without Old Spice” and then featured an impossible task. 

It worked because there had never been a marketing idea like that before, it became easily recognizable and identifiable, and people were discussing it amongst their peers (building good word of mouth)

[kylecontrast-deactivated202-blog]

I like your comparison of the old Old Spice adds to the new ones.  The oxymoronical new Old Spice ads.  Also these gifs are improving my evening by quite a bit.

[across2135-blog]

I agree that Viral Marketing can actually be quite simple if you make the product that you are promoting memorable. If people aren’t interested in what you are trying to promote, chances are it won’t be talked about or spread through existing social media platforms or even by word of mouth.

[if-only-youknew-me-deactivated2]

Throughout history, one question has consumed many lifetimes: dogs or cats? This question arises from birth and is brought back in almost every ice breaker. Many deem there is no plausible side, that each loving animal has its benefits. However, when it comes to lifelong, loyal companions, puppies are never short of being the right choice.

These furry friends are rarely ever to tired for your playful needs. They’re always ready to sooth your stresses through a warm cuddle sesh or by petting them away. They love to love and they love being loved. Puppies, dogs, they don’t ask for much either. All they need is food, water, and bathroom breaks, which they are capable of taking without your help (get a dog door). A dog’s life essentials, how nice of it to be a short list. Not only are these animals convenient for individuals to take care of, they are even capable of doing unwanted tasks. If trained properly, they will go get your newspaper, be your own personal driver, they will even make phone calls. You can’t deny a dog’s usefulness…or their adorableness for that matter.

And cats are ok. But people, cmon dogs. There’s really no argument at all.

[across2135-blog]

This piece seems to be informative, but also very persuasive. I can tell because you not only give facts about puppies but you give reasons as to why puppies are the better choice over cats. I think the purpose is to explain and convince the reader why a puppy is a better choice than a cat. The inclusion of pictures adds to the pathos of the piece, but the composition also relies on the use of logos. I think the style is very casual and conversational. It has a very humorous tone. Your voice is very confident as you stand behind your view. The pictures attract my attention and make me form a connection to the puppies, even if I like cats better. I can tell that research has informed this piece because of the many examples you use to support your argument.  

[across2135-blog]

This is Terrible

Making the transition into the stressful world known as “Attempted Adulthood,” or better known as College, isn’t the easiest as far as transitions go. Endless hours of studying and lack of companionship at times can be hard for even though most well-adjusted person. But, there is a solution when it comes having a friend at all hours of the day and night. What is this solution one might ask? A furry friend of course! And not just any furry friend will do. Only the best will be accepted, preferably in the form a small, playful, and loving kitten. Let’s be honest here for a minute, who really has time to take care of a puppy in college? If you said no one, then you would be absolutely correct. Puppies are constantly in need of attention. Not only do they need to be watched with a constant and unwavering eye, but they need to be trained in the ways of citizen behavior. When attending class for hours a day and then relocating to the library at night, when is there going to be time to train this new member of the family? There isn’t time you see. Who is going to walk the dog and make sure that it has places to run? Not a college student that’s for sure. So if a puppy isn’t the acceptable solution to fill the role of 24-hour best friend, then what is? A kitten that’s what!

[across2135-blog]

Viral Marketing 11.9.15

What is Viral Marketing? Viral Marketing, according to the Wikipedia page is defined as, “… marketing techniques that use pre-existing social networking services and other technologies to try to produce increases in brand awareness or to achieve other marketing objectives…” In simpler words, it is using social media and the internet to promote a certain platform or campaign by “word of mouth.”

What does it do? Viral Marketing spreads the word about ideas or products that people are wanting other people to be interested in.

How does it work? Viral Marketing works by people posting on social media platforms about their idea, cause or product, and then people sharing the idea around. If the idea is not planted on the right platform and seen by the target audience, then viral marketing isn’t really effective. It could be a really solid concept, but if people don’t share it then it never gains momentum. It is important to make people feel something, whether it be funny or emotional. Establishing some sort of connection with the audience will make them more likely to share.

When does it work?

Viral Marketing works when the campaign gets a buzz behind it. If people find the platform interesting or funny, they are more likely to share it around. It is also effective when you have a connection to someone of authority. If you have a large following on say Tumblr or Twitter, your ethos pushes your campaign forward into circulation. The key is you have to get people interested for them to care about your campaign and “spread the word.”

[jhm14-blog]

Chapter 9 reflection

I am starting my reflection before I read chapter 9 to say that I am in a great mood. Now, we shall see if and how the BBG will change this.

Well this chapter did not bring me down!  Reading “Revising and Remixing Your Work” was not a pain; the information was clear and helpful, relevant to our current work, and the chapter was relatively short. Especially in the beginning, a lot of what the BBG discusses is nothing but reinforcement for me. I am very familiar with revising steps and strategies but, there is certainly nothing wrong with being reminded. In addition, there were a lot of helpful checklists to refer to and suggested revision questions that I find helpful. The section on remixing work was new to me. I have never had to take one project and transform it to satisfy a new prompt in a different genre.

I appreciate that both the revising and remixing sections are very applicable to what we are doing now. Soon we will be receiving project 2 back and some of us will be looking to revise them to boost the grade. Having some new ideas on how to tackle the revision process will be helpful. The information on remixing work into a different genre is directly related to what we are preparing to do! It is nice to have an example of how this can be done along with the checklists and suggestions.

[across2135-blog]

I agree that the information was clear and easy to understand when it comes to reinforcing what it takes to create a solid final draft through revision. The checklist will sure be helpful while working on Project 3. 

[kelsvoll-deactivated20160914]

BBG: Chapter Nine

So as most people have already noted, it’s kind of strange that we’re reading chapter nine almost at the end of the semester. We have completed two huge projects that really relied on our ability to revise and take critiques from our peers and from our teacher. Much of this chapter seemed pretty redundant because of this.

Ironically, I spent the rainy hours of today revising my project one before I even opened the BBG. I’m sure most people did this a long time ago but I hadn’t had the free time to work on it until today. This chapter says that maybe when we look too much at our work we can no longer review its content objectively (page 482.) It took this month and a half or so of not looking at my first project to review it with a fresh pair of eyes and the ability to make adjustments when necessary. After writing three drafts I was so done with working on it, I never wanted to look at it again. I hope that by taking my time and revising it once more, it more appropriately reflects the prompt and is better written.

Everything in this chapter we’ve come to learn on our own by being in this class. I can pretty much guarantee that none of us ever bothered to write third or fourth drafts while we were in high school, and if we ever did peer reviews it was probably done very lackadaisically. Chapter nine put into summation what we’ve been working on throughout our time in 2135- how to review and make adjustments to better our writing.

[jhm14-blog]

While it may have been helpful to have information on revising earlier, at least we have it now as we try to revise projects 1 and 2! It is hard to look at our own papers objectively; it probably takes me much longer than a month and a half to be able to do it myself. A lot of this chapter we have already learned but I found the remixing section new and helpful.

[across2135-blog]

I am so glad that someone else shares my pain when it comes to revising Project 1. It is honestly the last thing that I want to do, but I can see how waiting some time to look at it again will maybe make it easier to revise.

[across2135-blog]

Chapter 9: BBG 11.8.15

While reading Chapter 9 in BBG, the majority of the information stuck out to me. Probably because I have heard most of it before, considering we are in the final weeks of the semester. When it came to Project 2, it is not an understatement when I say that peer reviewing helped me  craft my paper into something that I was truly proud to submit for grading. I relied on peer review to push me to make my paper the best that it could be. As I begin to work on Project 3, I see why the latter part of the Chapter is very important, specifically the checklist at the very end. There are many questions to consider when taking on such a large volume of work. While working on such a large project, I think it is easy to almost forget the most basic purpose of what you are creating. If the purpose is not clear to us, then how will it be clear to those we are trying to reach? The purpose goes hand in hand with the target audience. Are we trying to inform? Persuade? Convert? Or maybe a little of both? These basic questions then lead into the question of style and design. What genres are going to be the most effective. I know I will be asking myself all of these questions as I move forward with my project.