Chapter 14/15 Reading

Chapter 14 provided some useful guidelines for revising drafts. I think these guidelines can be applied when we revise our individual research papers. Also, I found several points that I didn't consider much in the past. First, when revising my drafts, I used to focus on making sure that I was getting my point across. I wanted to make sure that I presented my points in a clear and concise manner. However, I would often forget to check my paper from the readers' point of view. I also liked the point about distancing yourself from your draft. I think it is important to let some time pass before revising again. This will make it easier to find out how your writing actually sounds.

Chapter 15 brought some ideas that I was mostly unaware of before. I never knew about tools that test for usability and persuasiveness. However, now that I understand how important it is to write something that is both useful to your readers and persuasive, I think these tools are vital. One of the points that caught my attention was that when evaluating persuasiveness, it is important to consider both the subject matter and the quality of the communication. This will allow me to understand how my writing will affect my readers and their attitudes.

Response to Amela Colakovic

I think Amela made a good point about how bias plays an important role in journalism. It is true that we expect the news to be objective, but this is not always the case. I have met people who often rely on news stories to form their opinions because they believe they are receiving only the facts of the stories. Unfortunately, no matter how hard they try, their is no guarantee that reporters will tell a story completely without bias. I think it would be difficult to report a story, especially one dealing with a controversial topic, without being influenced by personal opinions.

Journalism

I think the guest speaker was interesting because I didn't know much about what went into putting together a news broadcast. There were a few points that I found surprising.

First, I never considered how important ethics are in the news. Personally, this would be hard for me to balance because I would want to tell the story, but remain fair and considerate of the people involved. Doing this on a daily basis would be a lot of pressure and responsibility.

I was also surprised that the reporters didn't write a majority of the stories. I always assumed that it was part of their job. I guess they are mostly responsible for being on the scene of the story to report the events.

I was also interested in how Jesse was able to enjoy his job, even when he deals with so many tragic events. I would also like to be informed of what is going on in the world, and locally, before everyone else.

Response to Jeff Schafer

Jeff made an interesting point about how news stations try to make their broadcasts flashy to attract viewers. I remember a guest speaker we had in another class. He mentioned that news stations seem to broadcast entertainment more than the news. In fact, many journalists believe they will be reporting bold, straight-forward news, but end up doing stories on celebrities. This is mostly because this is what viewers will watch. News stations will broadcast whatever will bring in the highest ratings. I guess that is why most of the news are bad, people just wouldn't be as interested in good news all the time.

The News

Honestly, I don't make it a habit to watch the news, mostly because of my busy schedule. I do like to be informed of what is going on around me so I catch up by reading the news online. That way, I can read all the stories at any time. Plus, many sites now have videos, so its possible to see the news, not just read about them. I used to love watching the news with my family, especially the weather forecast. Then, I realized that the news were almost always bad. Eventually, it got a little depressing.

I wonder if people actually watch the news as much as before. It is now possible to have access to different news stations, papers, and journals at any time, without waiting for the news to come on. This seems more convenient for people with full schedules.

Response to Sergiy Kondrenko

While the rest of the class mostly focused on writing, I found it interesting that Sergiy focused on freelance photography. When we think of freelance work, we immediately think of writing, but forget that photography is also an option. Although I personally have no experience in professional photography, I wish I did just so I could do freelance work. I love traveling and being able to capture my experiences would be very exciting. Sergiy also made a good point about photographing and writing about remote regions. We are not always aware about what is going on in the rest of the world, but this would be a good way to find out.

Freelance Writing

Freelance writing is not something I considered doing in the past, mostly because I was unfamiliar with how freelance writing worked. I was surprised to find out that so many magazines use freelance writers and to such a great extent.

I always thought it would be interesting to get something published, assuming that my work was actually good enough for publication. However, it didn't seem at all possible because I didn't know how to contact magazines with a writing proposal. It was interesting to find out about books and websites that provide information about freelance writing for various publications. If there is a certain topic I would like to write about, I would now definitely consider sending in a proposal for publication. After all, if you are interested in writing, getting the piece published is worth a try.

I was also interested to find that there are so many possibilities in freelance writing. Even if you start with a smaller, less-known publication, you still get the opportunity to keep growing in your writing. Also, with so many possible topics, you can write about anything you choose. Freelance writing allows you to write about anything that interests you at the time, so writing will never get boring.

Response to Jeff Schafer

One of the points that I found interesting in Jeff's post was about varying sentence lengths. I have also tried to create variety in my writing, although I am not sure that I am always successful in it. I also liked that Jeff mentioned that sentences that vary in length actually allow ideas to be communicated in a more effective way. Sentence length is important not only to have variety in writing, but to express the relationship between ideas or to emphasize them. I also agree with Jeff about using plain, clear words instead of fancy ones. Since we are to take a reader-centered approach, we need to focus on what will be most useful for the readers, not just make the writer look intelligent. If the readers believe that a writer is just trying to show off, they create a negative attitude toward the writer and are less likely to be persuaded.

Ch. 8/19 Readings

I think chapter 8 was useful because having an effective style is necessary for a reader-centered approach. One of the points that I hadn't considered a lot is that it is important to simplify sentences. I noticed that sometimes in an attempt to establish authority, a writer may use difficult words and sentences. However, this decreases the usability for the readers. Instead, it is better to select strong words to stress what is important. There was also a section about using specialized terms. In my experience, I know how difficult it is to ask for help on a certain subject, only to receive a reply full of terms you don't understand. At the end, you end up exactly in the same place.

Chapter 19 focused on project management strategy. I don't have a lot of experience in this area, which is why I think this information will be useful. I think one of the most important points in this chapter was establishing a plan and schedule. I know that it is easier for me to complete any project when I have a plan. This will allow me to see what I need to do and how much time I have to do it.