The end of writing...

Throughout this course I learned more about writing than I had imagined. I had planned to learn specifically about my writing and technique, etc. I wasn’t prepared to read a book on writing or even to have the discussions that we did as a class. I’ve never been someone who “edits” much, or lets others read my writing but participating in the workshops was one of the greatest parts of this course. It was a strategy I’ve never used much but it helped improve my writing tremendously.

I have already used plenty of the techniques and lessons we’ve learned in my writing in other course papers. I have also been more informed during the course of this class in preparation for the upcoming election. The biggest thing I think I will take away from this class are the benefits that come with having others read over your works before you turn it in, feedback is a great tool in writing. 

taking an approach

I would say that I'm still a little rough around the edges when it comes to taking an approach. But I understand it to be similar to forwarding but completely understanding the original source or differentiating between the different types of sources used in one piece. It is also important to think about the influence in a piece. What, if anything, influenced the writer to make one point or another. I think that we see taking an approach in many writings and even in bibliographies. Often times we site sources even if we don't quote them because their writing has influenced what we've shared with others.

I think that Random Stuff is one big approach. Nothing he posts is his own concept or thoughts. He simply finds other peoples thoughts, pictures, quotes, or concepts and shares them with his viewers. He does provide a source though as he should, giving credit to his influencers.

I believe that the New York Times while they source they resources and give credit to ideas used, the concepts in news are not ever specific to one news source. There is always a first source and often that source will not get the credit for "influencing". How often does one magazine run an article and then all of the rest do too? They aren't crediting that first magazine....Just like the New York Times does not credit where the stories often come from. Have you ever wondered how the news knows before we do, how they get their information? Its important to realize that most news articles aren't their own ideas or stories, and they aren't unique to just that one news site.

Rewrite...

I chose to rewrite this post because I thought there was a great opportunity to forward on to others parts of the blog site. I added some information to the middle of the post...its formatted weird so you can tell where!  I think that giving examples about things you find interesting or giving people a source to visit to really understand what you're writing about is beneficial!

The purpose of "Random Stuff" is to educate you on random topics and to entertain you with interesting and sometimes useless information, other times very helpful info. For example one of the "Valentines Day" themed posts today was "7 Helpful Tips on How to Say 'I'm Sorry'". Things like this can be interesting to many different audiences. There are also some posts that are specific to a certain gender and it is specified. There are also tabs along the top that are identified "Women's Stuff" or "Men's Stuff". I like being able to read the random things that everyone could find interesting but also having things that are specific to women. The author is the same for most posts, just one man who writes most of the posts, however here and there there are some different contributors.    For me I enjoy seeing lots of different types of articles, lots of different types of information to read and absorb.  A recent post on Random Stuff that grabbed my attention was "9 Awesome Benefits of Swimming"! As a lifeguard and swim instructor I love seeing positive comments about swimming! Swimming is one of the best ways to exercise and still keep your body in tact! Visit Random Stuff and read the article! http://www.myrandomstuff.se/?p=6786 Like some of the articles we've read in class state, our generation has picked up the pace a bit. Instead of reading long pieces about the same type of info. But I like the vast knowledge I gain through sites like stumble and random stuff because I feel well rounded!

Countering...

I am a debater at heart. I find myself disagree with most of life most of the time. Things people say, things people do, and even things that are heard. One thing I have learned along the way is that you need to fully understand what you are reading, seeing, hearing, etc in order to know how and why you are disagreeing with it. However with this in mind people can see things differently from different view points. I like Harris' countering point because its not always about being right or wrong but just thinking differently. My favorite phrase is, "lets agree to disagree". Why does one person always need to be right and one need to be wrong? What is wrong with thinking about things so differently? I like the idea of countering in writing because it gives the writer the room to be thorough with their points and to introduce new ideas to people. I am typically not one to try to prove someone wrong but I will play devils advocate whenever possible because its so important to me that people are socially aware and take the time to step back and see issues, and situations from all angles. I see countering as just that, writing about an issue from different angles. I think, that just like forwarding, countering can be applied in many other mediums besides just writing. I do think that knowing how to counter well is a good life skill. And to be clear it is much different than arguing. Countering is a sly way of turning the tables and opening up the realm of possibility.
In my blog I don't see a lot of countering because of the fact that the author is posting things such as photography and quotes, sometimes an article or two but for the most part he's not including an opinion in the blogs, just facts. There is however countering when it comes to the comments and replies, people comment on posts and there can be instances of countering seen there.

Forwarding...

I have always thought of forwarding as simply "quoting" but Harris' thoughts on forwarding or rewriting fascinated me! I think that the idea of rewriting is so cool! Quoting can sometimes be seen as an easy out but really there are times when you just can't say it any better! I like knowing that quoting isn't a cop out but giving credit where credit is due and that it can also be seen as rewriting or forwarding someones thoughts onto another person. How cool would it be to be an author knowing that your thoughts could very well touch hundreds of people? I really connected with the idea of forwarding. When  you think about it forwarding isn't just a writing tool people forward in conversations, in concepts, in daily life, in business set up (building from concept models), and even in a way religion. Forwarding is everywhere and I took a lot more from Harris' writing than just the information about quoting but maybe I'm trying to push the idea too far.
Often times in my blog "Random Stuff" the author inserts a "source" link at the bottom of posts for the reader to find where he gathered his information from. He also uses many videos and other media sources throughout his website, another way of "forwarding". While we are talking about writing, even posting a youtube video is a way of forwarding!

Press-sphere....

Some of Jarvis’ models are slightly confusing to see, I’m not so much of a visual learner. I feel like there could be better background surrounding the models shown. However I do love the point that the press is becoming the main focus with news and has the control to change a story one way or another. I do think that a lot of what I read on the internet or anywhere anymore lacks truth or legitimacy. I do like blogs however though because they tend to have more interesting topics than the news. Like some of our classmates have mentioned that the news is depressing and I agree, that is why I choose to avoid it and focus on fun blogs like Random Stuff.

            The New York Times is clearly news based, as well as has a bias towards a political party. It also has a lot of political topics because of the upcoming elections. I love reading blogs and in my “press sphere” that is my biggest bubble! 

Purpose of a blog...

   The purpose of "Random Stuff" is to educate you on random topics and to entertain you with interesting and sometimes useless information, other times very helpful info. For example one of the "Valentines Day" themed posts today was "7 Helpful Tips on How to Say 'I'm Sorry'". Things like this can be interesting to many different audiences. There are also some posts that are specific to a certain gender and it is specified. There are also tabs along the top that are identified "Women's Stuff" or "Men's Stuff". I like being able to read the random things that everyone could find interesting but also having things that are specific to women. The author is the same for most posts, just one man who writes most of the posts, however here and there there are some different contributors. 

   For me I enjoy seeing lots of different types of articles, lots of different types of information to read and absorb. Like some of the articles we've read in class state, our generation has picked up the pace a bit. Instead of reading long pieces about the same type of info. But I like the vast knowledge I gain through sites like stumble and random stuff because I feel well rounded!