Ning

At first I found Ning to be very confusing. After working with it for a few weeks, I feel like I am finally starting to get the hang of it. I think I will actually continue to use Ning at least a little. I am signed up as part of a "pet rats" group form Indiana, and I've found myself visiting that page in my free time. I think after finals are over I'll create my own Ning group for pet rats in Rhode Island. Ning might be a more effective way for me to share that passion than my blog, which hasn't really "taken off" like I wanted.

Post SNS

At first I was really apprehensive about this group project. I've never been one to like working in groups, and I've always had bad experiences. After a rough start though, this one turned out alright. I think everyone pretty much did their part and the setup of the project made that much easier than most group projects. This was a very well designed project and it helped me to see that working in a group isn't always a bad thing.

Comparing

According to Bennett, "digital natives largely do not participate in civic affairs out of a sense of duty or obligation but a sense of personal fulfillment." Bennett claims that society has changed dramatically from dutiful citizens to self-actualizing citizens. Therefore, the way of reaching these citizens must be different. "Schools should help students to develop their own public voices by using various digital media, allowing students to find their own means of engaging with and learning about issues, and forming peer-learning communities." If society no longer treats these new self-actualizing citizens "as if they are their grandparents" then society can break new grounds in getting this generation to become active citizens. Bennet thinks that if the mode of communication among citizens and their sense of duty has changed, then society must accept and work with that. There are still ways to get this generation to be active citizens even though there has been a "civi identity shift." "Schools should help students to develop their own public voices by using various digital media, allowing students to find their own means of engaging with and learning about issues, and forming peer-learning communities." Bennett thinks that we need to create or identify existing, informal learning environments within which this new generation can learn civic skills and practice citizenship.

Boyd's ideas are extremely opposite those of Bennett. Boyd claims that "typical SNS participants are more invested in adding glitter to pages and SuperPoking their “friends” than engaging in any form of civic-minded collective action." Boyd says that the scope of scale is what attracts "dreamers" like Bennett to the idea of using the internet for political action. However, people will only pay attention to what interests them, and so "gossiping is far more common and interesting to people than voting." Boyd thinks that SNSs have been the downfall of true networking- chats and bulletin boards used by strangers to connect about certain topics, which has been replaced by networks of "my and my friends" and created "cavernous echo chambers." "Rather than fantasizing about how social network sites will be a cultural and democratic panacea, perhaps we need to focus on the causes of alienation and disillusionment that stop people from partici- pating in communal and civic life."

These two articles stand in stark contrast to one another. In my opinion, Boyd is afraid of change and stuck in his ways. Society has changed, and it would be much more productive to accept that change than to try and stop or reverse it. I feel that Boyd is the kind of person Bennett addresses who is treating the new generation like they are their grandparents. Bennett has some revolutionary ideas, and Boyd simply refuses to acknowledge the fact that changing with society could accomplish the goals he so strongly desires.

Ning

I've signed up for Ning, and I'm trying to get myself oriented. Right now the site feels very foreign and hard to use. I'm not sure what it is exactly either. "Online platform for people to create their own social networks" is a bit confusing. According to Wikipedia, its for people who create their own social networks around specific interests with their own design, features and member data. I figured the best way for me to explore the site would be to find something that I am interested in, and so I joined a group called "Pet Rats Indiana" and started poking around. Apparently I have my own page within this group... so I'm thinking that "Pet Rats Indiana" is like Facebook and I'm creating my own profile... but I don't really understand what happens to Ning and where they come in. I think I'll have to find someone who uses it and have them explain it to me, because it's pretty confusing right now.

5 Issues/Causes

1. Zimbabwae /Elias Fund – I already have a website from years ago about this cause.
2. Ending the sale of live feeder animals at corporate stores (PetCo)
3. Recycling
4. The Orange Sticker (unconstitutional)
5.

SNS response

The first thing that I noticed about this article is how it says that people have integrated social networking sites into their "daily practices." I find this interesting because it is not something that I usually think about, but it is definitely true. Before the emergence of social networking sites, or SNSs, there wasn't anything really comparable in our daily routines. However, now they are so much a part of our daily lives that many people, myself included, would not know what to do without them. I've never thought to define a SNS before, but the definition the article provides seems extremely accurate to me. As for the history, I think it's interesting that the first SNS, sixdegrees.com (which I have never heard of), took two years for users to be able to surf the friends list and was the first SNS to have this function. It is amazing that the speed of SNSs went from two years for this change to the rate at which things change now. It is also weird to think that SixDegrees failed because it was "ahead of its time" in that most internet users did not have a network of friends that was online. Now, the one of the main ways of communication is online. i think that the concept of identity signals and public displays of connection are some of the most interesting parts of the article. The question of real or fake self-presentation on an SNS has always been intriguing to me.

Redesigning

As I am putting the finishing touches on my homepage, I am realizing that several other pages needed more revision. I have taken the initiative to go though our whole site and am trying to make sure everyone's pages follow design guidelines because it was clear to me that a couple group members hadn't done the reading and had little idea as to the concepts of this project. I'm not sure whether I should have left their pages alone or not, but I decided that it was more important to create a well-designed site than to worry about who did what. I'm also working on our proposal memo as I finish up the site, which I hope details all the changes we've made clearly and concisely (and nicely!). It is important to me that our site looks cohesive, follows important design principals, and is overall a better site than the original. Although I wish I had more time to work on this project, and more input from other members, I think that the redesign has come along pretty well despite our time constraints and setbacks.

Pier Pizza

My part of the site is the homepage. I was really excited that I got to do this, but I am running into the problems that I was worried about. I'm finding I don't have control over everything that I would like, especially the headers. I think it's because of the template we're using, but I can't change anything like size, font, color, or alignment on the page header or the subhead. Since this is happening and I couldn't change any of it, the "Pier PIzza Company" header looked terrible with the logo to the left of it. Instead of leaving it like this, I moved the logo to the bottom of the navigation on the left. The logo and header were rather redundant anyway, so it seems to work better like this. Also, I've found that there isn't much information left for me to include on the homepage that other group members haven't already put on their pages.
All in all, I feel like there is a lot I can't do, and I'd like to have more control over the page. I'm used to photoshop, pagemaker, and indesign where I can control every little thing. I'm doing my best to follow the guidelines that I know from being an editor as well as those form the book, but it's tough to follow things like alignment and proximity when GoogleSites doesn't let me move elements. I'd like to move move all the elements on the homepage up towards the header, move everything under "welcome" up and make "welcome" bigger, move the picture so that it's flush left and the body copy so that it's flush left closer the the picture. These are all things that I do not have control over that are only where they are because that is the best option I have.

Website Redesign

Wow, this project has gotten very confusing due to missing more than two weeks of class. We have the final project due on Thursday and I feel like we've barely started working on it. I know that I personally haven't had time to do much because my home was flooded last Monday and I've been incredibly busy ever since with the landlord, realty company, insurance company, cleaners, and carpenters. Although I did receive the emails from Joannah it seems that my skimming of them made me miss a few key points, and so I'm behind where I'm supposed to be in regards to this project. Class on Tuesday did help our group somewhat, and I feel as though we do have an idea as to what we all need to do for tomorrow.

Website Redesign

My group has chosen to "redesign" the Pier Pizza company's website. At first I didn't think this was a good choice, but now I see that there is a lot of work that can be don on the site. However, because I have some graphic design and layout background, I'm finding it frustrating that we're not actually going to be able to change the site. I feel like we're going to be doing all this work for nothing, unlike the blog and WikiTravel projects, which were like instant gratification. We did something that we could see and show off. With this project, I'm just feeling a lot of frustration because I want to actually change the site and make it better. Being able to make changes would also make the project easier so we could visualize what we are doing. I'm definitely not as excited about this project as I have been about the last two.

End of Project 2

Well, I'd gotten a good head start, but there was a lot to finish up today! After doing the peer review I realized that there was a very specific template for every entry so I had to go back and fix all that. Not only that, but I had to work on the entries themselves as well- especially the tone and adding more information. I have 19 full entries, and several others that are just the names and phone numbers. In the eat section, I just felt that they were worth mentioning, and although I haven't had the time to fill out the entries I hope someone else will. Or maybe I will, later. Same with the sleep section, although here I did full entries for the places I have stayed and just listed other places so that travelers will have choices. Putting in the picture was really difficult and confusing, so although I'd like to put in others, I think I will have to leave it at that for now, I just wanted to try it. This was a really time consuming project, but I really like the end result. I can't wait to show it off to my friends and family and say "I did this."

Wikitravel Again

I think I've gotten a good head start, I've listed the names, phone numbers, websites, and general descriptions about the places in Greenville I want to cover. Now, I have to work on getting more in-depth and colorful with these entries. I also am going to work on a good beginning description because I think that would be interesting and fun, and it is an important part of a small city article according to the guidelines set by Wiki.

Wikitravel

I'm still a bit apprehensive about this project. Although I have picked a place that I am excited to write about, I just still feel like I am going to do something wrong. There are so many rules and regulations that I feel for a first time author it is impossible not to break some of them. I guess I feel that this project is really intimidating. I've gotten a lot of information already, but the descriptions I have are very dry, bare bones details. I'll have to spend some time (which I definitely don't have a lot of lately) livening things up.

WikiTravel Entry Draft

[[Greenville]]


DO

Katahdin Cruises: [http://www.katahdincruises.com/ website] Slow boat ride on an old steamship that tours Moosehead, the largest lake in Maine. Narration is provided about many points of interest along the way and a working galley provides refreshments. Choose from a three, five, or eight hour cruise. No smoking, no pets, handicap accessible.

Currier's Flying Service: Seaplane rides

Folsom's Flying Service: Seaplane rides

Jack's Air Service: Seaplane rides



BUY
Indian Hill Trading Post: The largest store in town. Indian Hill is a trading post where hunters can buy licenses, guns, bows and arrows, and knives, among other things. Hikers and campers can find any gear they need as well. There are plenty of souvenirs for tourists and clothes and shoes for shoppers. There is also an attached grocery store that makes Indian Hill a one-stop shopping mall. (207) 695-2104 OR 1-800-675-4487

Kamp Kamp- Moosehead Lake Indian Store: One of the larger stores in Greenville, Kamp Kamp sells small novelty toys such as Chinese handcuffs, fortune telling fish, magnetic rocks, noisemakers, and miniatures as well as knick knacks, antiques, clothes, jewelry, hunting lodge accessories, and souvenirs, mostly with an iIndian/ hunting theme. (207) 695-0789

Moosehead Traders: Sells antiques, souvenirs, stuffed trophy heads and racks, books, and clothes. Phone: (207) 695-3806



EAT
Black Frog: (207) 695-1100

Dairy Bar: (207) 695-2921

Flatlanders: (207) 695-3373

Graves & Sons Seafood: (207) 695-2001

Jamieson's (sandwich & pizza shop): (207) 695-2201

Kelly's Landing: (207) 695-4438







SLEEP

Blair Hill Inn: (207) 695-0224

Lodge at Moosehead Lake: (207) 695-2206

Chalet Moosehead Lakefront Motel (207) 695-2950

Indian Hill Motel (207) 695-2623

Kineo View Motor Lodge 207-695-4470

Moosehead Family Campground: (207) 695-2210

WikiTravel Manual of Style

Three important tips from WikiTravel:

1. The hierarchy of WikiTravel is more of a rule than a tip, but I feel it is a very important thing to keep in mind. Whatever destination you're writing about needs to be mentioned in the article about the next highest place in the hierarchy. This is an important tip because it is something that I had not given a thought to. If I hadn't known this then my article would not have been linked to the bread crumb trail, it would have stood on its own and been virtually undiscoverable to those who did not intend to find it.


2. Don't tout. WikiTravel is not an advertising brochure, and so the language that its writers use should not sound like one. It is important that writers avoid a tone that urges the reader to do something. The wrier should just give the traveler the information they need to decide on their own. I feel like this will be a hard thing for writers who are personally connected to the destination they're talking about because they will want to share their feelings about it.

3. Neutrality of medium. This is another thing that I would not have thought of if it wasn't listed specifically. Because WikiTravel articles are intended for both online and print use, writers should not make assumptions about how the reader is reading the information. Specifically, this means not writing "see the link below" or "turn to" but rather "see the ___ section." This is an important tip because I am almost positive I would have made the mistake of assuming the reader was accessing the information online.

Destination Selection

1. Greenville, Maine
2. Dover-Foxcroft, Maine
3. Glocester, Rhode Island

For all three of these, I would be creating a new article. The first two would be adding value to WikiTravel because they are small towns that actually can be very interesting for tourists, if you know where to go and what to do. However, without information of either of them, I feel like a tourist would not even think twice about stopping there. The third town is pretty much my hometown, and I think that it would be adding value to WikiTravel because I feel like every town should have an entry, even if there is not much to do there. One function of WikiTravel is to allow tourists to determine what they believe would be worth seeing and what is not, and so every town possible should be mentioned. There are things to do in Glocester, but they are very specific and so I think that the town deserves an entry so that people who are looking for what it offers can find it.

WikiTravel

My first thoughts on this project were to write about either Matunuck or Foster Rhode Island (both hometowns of mine) or else a town near where my family owns a vacation home in Maine. Although I was leaning towards Matunuck, the town where my grandparents live and where I have spent most of my summers growing up, I found to my surprise that a pretty cohesive entry exists already. I was hoping to start from scratch if possible. After browsing around, I found that most of the towns that I am familiar with in Maine have little or nothing written about them so far. Considering this, I think I would like to write about Greenville, Maine, a small tourist town that I have been visiting for as long as I can remember. This past year I've actually taken two different groups of friends on weekend vacations to Maine and given them the "grand tour" of Greenville, so I think that this would be a great topic for my WikiTravel entry.

End of Project 1

Tomorrow is the end of project 1, and I have to say that I have really enjoyed this project. Although I had reservations about blogging at first, it is now something that I look forward to doing. Whenever I have my rats out or when I buy them something new, I think "oh, this would be a good topic for a post." I have also found a good place to share the photos I take of them, which I intend to do more of in the future. I already know what my next post will be about, I just haven't quite gotten around to it yet because I've been sick. All in all, I'm glad that I've been "forced" to start this blog, because now that it is started I know it is something I will keep up on. I can't wait to have time to teach the rats new tricks and document their progress, I know that this summer is going to include a lot of fun times teaching them to swim, introducing them to the outdoors (which also includes leashes!), and just spending more time with them in general. I can't wait for this semester to be over so that I have more free time to do the things I love, which I think from now on will include blogging in my enthusiast blog.

Wikipedia

My previous conceptions about Wikipedia were that it is a good website to go to for background information on a subject, but can't always be trusted as it can be updated by anyone. I have heard over and over that Wikipedia is "not a reliable source" but this video makes me appreciate the amount of work that goes into it and realize that perhaps it is more credible than we give it credit for. As Wales says, it is an ongoing project and is always being revised in order to strive for accuracy.

I was surprised by the "anti-creditentialist" theory- that amateurs have as much, if not more, to contribute than professionals. They don't care who you are, only that you know what you are talking about. I also was surprised by the statement that they want a broad contributor base so that the knowledge of Wikipedia reflects the knowledge of the world. I think this is a way that we should think of Wikipedia more often, rather than as a non-credible source.

As for writing in electronic environments, Wikipedia has created an endless opportunity for writers. Writers can pick a topic and write about it whenever they feel like it. They can also decide to edit and improve what has already been written. Writers can pick any topic and make their own "wiki" of it, such as what Wales mentions of the show 24. Wikipedia has created innumerable opportunities for writers to express themselves in this electronic environment. Wales even said that there is no substitute for the written word when asked if he thought one day videos would overtake Wikipedia. He said that it is the most natural and best medium for learning about many things.

The main difference I see between the writing in a wiki and a blog are the aspects of personality and first vs third person. Wikipedia is written mainly as informative, credible articles in the third person, whereas blogs mainly have a first person point of view and a clear personality. Blogs are also much more informal most of the time.

Post Peer Review- Clubhouse Blog

Well, after reading my peer reviews I feel much better about my blog. My reviewers said that I sounds like a credible source of information and both said that I managed to show a lot of personality, which I think is great. When I was reviewing them I know that I was tough when it came to the personality critique because I feel like that is a very important part of the enthusiast blog. I'm glad that according to them I got it right. Megan suggested changing the title to "tales" instead of "tails," which I have been debating since I started the blog. I think after hearing her opinion that I will change it. The only reason I hadn't already is because the only URL that I could come up with was "rattietails" and so I wanted it to tie in with that, but I suppose that is less important than being clear to my readers.

Pre-Peer Review

I am about to peer review two other student's blogs and in turn receive two reviews of my own. I'm a little nervous about what people will have to say about my blog. I know that the topic is weird and different, and I'm afraid of what people will think. Not to mention I chose to write my blog from my rat's point of view, something that definitely makes me wonder what my classmates will think of me. I chose to write from the rat's perspective because writing from my own came across pretty boring and I felt like I still needed to find my "voice." I know that this voice will appeal to the audience that I am trying to reach, and also that I will continue with this blog after this class is over and not be worried about my reader's judging me, but for now I am worried about what my classmates will say.

About Me- Enthusiast Blog

I am a 20-year-old rattie enthusiast and currently the mommy of two furry babies. I first fell in love with the little hands and feet of ratties when I was 17- on my first day as a PetSmart employee. Many things have changed since that fateful day, for instance, I now work for the competition. Although my life has changed a lot, I have carried my love for all things rattie with me throughout the years. My first rattie was that special companion that everyone has once in their life, the one that will be waiting on the other side of the Rainbow Bridge (for those of you who don’t know what I’m talking about, I will post a link to this beautiful story in one of my first posts). Her name was Chloe, and it was with her that I ventured into the world of all things rattie. Since the day I brought Chloe home, I have become somewhat of a rattie connoisseur, soaking up all the knowledge I can find through the internet and whatever books I can find on our little fur friends. It is this knowledge, as well as my everyday experiences at work and at home, that I hope to share through Rat Tails.

This is my first draft of my about me. I am kind of worried that my classmates will think that I'm weird, but at the same time as I said I have been looking at rat information online for years and this is the kind of voice/tone that I have related to in the past. I want to appeal to people like me who need more guidance or even just entertainment from the rattie world ("rattie" is a term that most rat lovers use to make the distinction between wild and pet rats). I want the people who read this to realize that I have a lot of experience with rats so that they know later, when I begin to post to the blog, that my sometimes strong opinions are grounded. I hope that people who read this will relate to me and my experiences, and take my advice seriously.

Clubhouse Blog Explanation

My topic is, in essence, pet rats. I think that it is specific enough to attract a clubhouse type audience and not too narrow. My blog will respond to daily occurrences with my pet rats at home as well as at work with the rats and rat-lovers at PetCo. I will also include pictures of my rats in my blog. I'd like to attract rat "parents" and enthusiasts, because I know from experience that there are not many places to turn for advice, entertainment, and information about pet rats. I will share my personal favorite sites, as well as the information I have gathered on my own and my training at PetCo. The style I will be aiming for is conversational but informative, not too formal but still credible. I think my style of writing will actually vary by post, from telling my readers about the trouble my ratties got into today to serious warnings/ information that came up with a customer at work that is extremely important for rat parents to know. Potential Titles: I've been playing with the idea of calling my blog "Rat Tales" vs "Rat Tails" or even combing them both to create a play on words like "Rat Tail(e)s." I think I am leaning more towards the "Tales" version, as it will be mostly a blog about rat stories. Possibly "A Tail of Two Ratties." I am hoping to create a logo that goes along with my title, a picture of my two rat's tails intertwined to look like a heart (that is if I can get them to stay still long enough!).

Clubhouse Blog Ideas

1. My first, and favorite, idea for my clubhouse blog is about pet rats. I think this is a good topic because there is a small, enthusiastic underground community of pet rat owners who are ignored by most of society. This group of people need a place to turn for advice, and a place where they can share their ideas and experiences. I am a part of this community, which is why I would be enthusiastic about this topic. I have found several websites that are my "go-to" sources, but they are mostly old and outdated, and rarely updated. I think if I was to create a new blog that shared not only my knowledge and experiences as a pet rat owner, but my experiences as a small animal specialist at PetCo as well as my photography of my "ratties," it would be a winning combination and something that I would keep up on for a good time to come.

2. My second idea for a blog would be simply a sleep talking log of my boyfriend. This idea really came from a friend of ours (who knows of my boyfriend's annoying nighttime habit) who had found a similar blog a few weeks ago from a woman in England. I think this is a decent idea, but I feel like it would not be as interesting to as wide a range of people as my first. I would be enthusiastic about it and update it, obviously, each morning, which would make keeping it updated fairly easy. I think that the followers would mostly be our friends, although it has the potential to draw a larger audience.

3. Another possibility for my blog is simply to document my experiences, thoughts, and views as a PetCo worker. There are many things that happen on a daily basis that are worth writing about and that would be especially interesting to other PetCo (or any pet store) workers. Things happen that are bizarre, funny, cute, sad, and completely random when you work in a pet store, and I feel that I would be enthusiastic about documenting my experiences and sharing them with others. This however could be a part of my first idea, which is what I am leaning towards at the moment.

4. I also had the idea of having my blog follow a certain television show, such as The Secret Life. I would blog after each show, and possibly between shows. Because this show deals with so many dramatic and emotional issues, I feel that there will be much to say in response to it. Honestly, I would not be as enthusiastic about this as my other ideas- I feel like it would become more like homework in the way that I would have to "post my response" to the show each week.

5. My last idea is to have a blog about my photography- including my photos, why I took them, where I took them, etc. Although this is something I am passionate about, I feel it would be more suited to summer when I have the time and energy to take pictures.

Thoughts on Blogs as Clubhouses

Reading this selection made me excited for our first project. I like the fact that it was pointed out that what distinguished one blog from another is the passion of the author, and I am up for the challenge of creating my own well-recieved enthusiast blog. I look forward to designing a blog that is focused and engaging. However, I am afraid that my blog will lack one of the main components pointed out in this article, which is personality. I have to hope that my personality and enthusiasm lend themselves to blogging. On a different note, I looked up one of Mr Jalopy's recommended blogs- Mother Tongue Annoyances, only to find out that it no longer exists. This was disappointing, as it sounded like a blog that I would particularly enjoy- I have my very own set of "linguistic pet peeves" which stem from reading and editing many pieces written not only by my peers, but by a wide variety of people. I suppose I will have to find another blogger to sympathize with.

Thoughts on Blood's "Weblogs"

I found this post extremely interesting, as well as highly persuasive. As I said before, I have never been a fan of blogs. However, the history Blood provided was interesting and succinct, and her obvious favorable bias towards blogging did not detract from her writing. I appreciated the history she provided as I did not know much to speak of about blogging. She made me feel as if I have been missing out on a huge portion of popular culture, as well as feeling that I would to become a part of it. I especially liked the quote she included from Ruggerio, "Media is a corporate possession...You cannot participate in the media. Bringing that into the foreground is the first step. The second step is to define the difference between public and audience. An audience is passive; a public is participatory. We need a definition of media that is public in its orientation," as well as how she came back to that quote several times. Her style reminds me of my own in this way. Overall, I am glad that I was given the opportunity to learn about this medium of communication and I found this post interesting and fun to read.

First Post

I have no experience with blogging, weather writing or reading. I've honestly never really been a fan of the idea, but I guess I'll be giving it a try. I have some technical ability when it comes to writing in electronic environments, I have a Facebook and a Myspace and a few years ago I had a Livejournal. I'm also familiar with a few publishing programs that I used for my high school yearbook and newspaper. I don't know if I feel comfortable writing things that people I don't know can read, usually my experience has been limited to "friends" being able to see my posts. I'm not sure what my expectations are for this class, but I'm looking forward to the class. I'm a newly declared writing major and I'm excited about the classes that are available, including this one. In May I suppose I'd like to be more comfortable with the whole blogging experience, and to have produced work that I can be proud of.