It's strange, but all that cram-blogging really motivated me to blog more.
I think I'm finally starting to *slowly* evolve from the chatterbox informal author of my diary to a more informative writer. It's about time! Here are a few links so some of the entries over the years I feel are my best. I will update this frequently, I have many more to post but these are appetizers I guess, haha!
Lowes Knows How to Brighten My Day.
Oh yeah, Nessa, I went there. El Espanol! =)
Reflections on the Student Panels:
-beauty by hypertext markup language.
-so you mean E-mail didn't just create itself!?
What I Absorbed From the Books:
(combined into one blog, explained within the entry)
-writing about all the reading about writing at once.
Wildcards:
I really feel all of the books we were required to read for class had a similar pitch. So with that said, instead of just making individual blog entires about each, I'm just going to combine my thoughts. Shorten that text, right!?
I never realized I had to change my writing style to write for an internet audience. Yet again, I'll mention the fact that I'm so used to writing in my online diary, I never thought there was a seperate way of writing for the internet. These books helped me avoid the mindless rambling I tend to do more than often. Here are a few things I picked up from the books.
-Shorten the text! If you can say something in two words instead of twenty, do so. This helps maintain your readers attention
-Link it up! Include informative links in your blog entry, this provides readers
with more information on the topics you're blogging about ( I know I personally need to include more links. Something to work on for next semester!)
-All for one. Write for a general audience. Make your writing appealing and interesting to everybody
-Structure! Organization is VERY important, try to include good titles or headings in your blog entires so the readers know exactly what to expect inside the blog
-Holla at me! Comment, people! Nobody likes a stagnant blogger. Sheer lazyness may be the reason some people don't comment, but it's very important. You need feedback in order to improve your blogs content and broaden your horizons.
-The good chunks. Separating your text makes things easier to read. Your readers will be able to scan through for information they think is most important
-Play nice, children. Nobody likes a cynic or bitter blogger. If you disagree, please do so in a polite manner. Try not to start ridiculous and immature fights online. It's a waste of everybody's time and sometimes the writing takes a backseat to the fighting!
Well, those were the facts that stuck with me most. I fought Writing for the Web and Hot Text were the most informative for me. The Weblog handbook was also a good piece of literature for an amature blogger, but I've been blogging for 5 years.
What do you all think is most important to remember when blogging?
After hearing my little Nessa's presentation in class, and reading her blog, my eyes opened to a whole new realization about the history of E-mail.
There is no way I could live without E-mail. I'm so dependent on it. It's an amazing way of communication. Fast, free, mostly reliable, and easy to use. I never really pondered how E-mail came about. I thought maybe E-mail sprang from our fast paced lifestyle.
I would never have associated E-mail with the year 1968! Or the Department of Defense, for that matter. Nessa tells all about the history on her blog entry.
This site is very interesting. Even though they spell defense incorrectly.
I never realized just how out of the loop I was when it came to knowledge of the origination of electronic technology. Computers and E-mail were created long before I was born. Things I take for granted every day used to not exsist, and some genuis had to think them up. Props to them!
Ah, file sharing. Everybody does it, and if you say don't you're a liar. Okay, so maybe not, but I'm sure almost everybody has downloaded some type of free media before. I know I have, I don't anymore because I'm currently using a '98 computer with a pentium II with dial up internet. Hah. Not exactly the best specs for mass download-age.
Anyway, I think I'm rather impartial on my opinions concerning file sharing. I can see both sides. Nobody wants to run out and buy a whole CD for one song. It's also convienent.
"Hey have you heard that new single by (insert name here)!?"
"No, I'll go download it!"
That's pretty much how that conversation would go in my circle of friends.
Rarely will I go buy a cd. I bought the new NFG and Greenday albums, only because I KNEW they would be worth the average $17 I'd spend. I was right, they're great CDs. Hmm...also because I can't download. Hah.
I do understand the artists need album sales to support their career. I know I'd be extremely upset if I lost thousands of album sales due to internet downloads. Honestly though, these artists are lucky if they make a few bucks per CD sale. I know Richie only makes $.54 per album sale.
So in all reality it's the lables who are complaining about file sharing. Damned corporate whores. Hah.
There are so many things you have to take into consideration when arguing about file sharing. What about CD Burners, what's the deal with those? Isn't burning a CD the same concept of downloading? Look how huge the CD burning industry is.
I've never heard complaints on CD burning....maybe because the only station I was is MTV...I never watch the news. Perhaps I'm ignorant to all the arguments made on CD burning?
Am I?
I can honestly say I think WFTI is my favorite class. I've learned so much since class started. I never knew things like Wikis and Interactive fiction even exsisted prior to this class.
I'm still amazed by interactive fiction. I show all my friends the program we downloaded for class and they find it really interesting, but confusing. I'm sort of addicted to it. Once I start playing I can't stop. There are things I still have to learn though, like in eveyrthing else. I get very confused on what all I can actually do and say, who I can interact w/, etc. I had never even heard of IF before, I thought I was hip to the net....man, I was way wrong.
Then WIKIS!? What the....is a wiki!? Definitely one of the coolest sources of exchanging information ever. Wikis are such a rad concept. You're able to write whatever you want, and people can alter your writings. Change it, delete parts, add to it, anything. I thought wikipedia was great. I'll definitely be using that site for research and when I need information. Wikis are also ideal for those people who just can't stand seeing incorrect information on the web. Instead of complaining they can do something about it. But I'm not mentioning any names..*cough* myself.
Who knows what else is in store....I'll just have to wait and see!
Uff! As you all know, our porfolios are due, and as I said in my last entry, I'm used to writing of my personal life...therefore I have not blogged much on the student panels. My last entry was my first attempt to accomplish that, and this is my second attempt. Mass blogging in one day! Geee...I bet NODOBY ever does that! hahah. I'm happy to do it though, because I actually have time! =D
I'm really comparing everything to Open Diary here. I know...but that's what I'm used to, it's what I know. I really used a lot of HTML on my diary. I taught myself how to enter the codes to get the effect I wanted. I thought it was fairly easy. Sometimes people go overboard with the HTML on their diaries, but I wanted a clean but catchy appearance, and I think I've achieved it. I've had many compliments from other diarists on how awesome they think my page is, for a dork, that makes me feel proud. =D
I've tried time and time again to do certain things with my SHU blog, but I can't quite seem to get it. The template set up is soooo different! As you can see from my makeshift blogroll...I have no stinkin' clue what I'm doing. I'm stubborn and I like to figure things out for myself, so we'll see the progress I make over the year. I like my colors a lot, but there are many many things I'd like to add. Moira's blog rawks my world. It's so great. Creative, calm, clean, not gaudy in any way, and just over all...PRETTY. Moira...I'm not worthy. hahaha.
I suppose everything just takes practice and determination.
I just want to thank everybody who has put up with my millions of questions, and commented so lovingly to my entires. You've been wonderful. <3
I just can't get over how different the movabletype blogs are from open diary. I've been writing in my diary since freshman year in high school. I'm so used to that format, I'm still adapting to this type of blogging. On OD...slang for Open Diary, things seem more simplistic to me. You have links to everything you need at your fingertips. I can look at my diary, change the style, read notes, and jump to my favorite diarists all from one page.
I don't like how on movabletype people comment (or "note" on OD) on the same page....what I mean is that on OD if you leave a comment for somebody, they comment back at YOUR diary, not on the same page you left them a comment. I'm still trying to get used to that! I always look back here for comments back to a comment I left here on MY blog, I always forget to look back at the bloggers comments to see if they responded. CoNfUsInG!
I've come to the conclusion blogs are like cities. The OD community is so different from our little SHU blogging community. I'm so used to reading about people's personal lives, and writing about my own. I'm not used to writing blog entires such as this one; informative and for the general public to gain knowledge from. Granted, OD is a DIARY...I understand that. OD has different circles to choose from and things of that nature.
The SHU blogs are very intillectual, and I'm not saying I'm stupid, but I'm just not used to writing that way. I'm used to rambling about my own personal life. I have a lot of opinions and thoughts on things discussed in class, it just seems that I'm not motivated to write about them. Maybe it all starts with one entry. Hopefully this one will kick off my inner SHU-type blogger. Hmmm?
*This clearly isn't the greatest writing, but I had a lot to get out and I think I finally did it.*
Dear mom,
To answer your question, yes I do miss you. I miss you all the time. But I miss the mom who used to remember everything and only had to be told once, and the mom who used to sit down at a restaurant with Dougie and I and eat chocolate cake with us. When I was still in school, I missed the mom who used to wake up with me in the morning and asked if I needed help getting ready. When John started staying at the house, as much as you don’t realize it, I was forced to grow up a lot in a little amount of time. John, and everything involving John takes precedence over everything else in your life. There were many times where I would be sitting in my room bawling my eyes out and you would come up in my room and just start talking about John, like you didn’t even notice I was crying. I hated my life, and whenever I tried to talk to you about it you used to come up with some reason why I shouldn’t be sad.
You really don’t understand how hard everything was on me during the divorce. I was really messed up, and very depressed. I had to put up with so much shit; I had to sit and listen to you and dad bash each other constantly. I felt very alone and ignored because dad and I were fighting at the time, and you were so pre-occupied with John. During Christmas when I was working almost 50 hours a week, and I had trouble getting up in the morning to go to school, instead of comforting me all you did was bitch because you had to get out of bed. When you and dad were together you would have been way more understanding and helpful to me.
I tried extremely hard to welcome John and to cope with everything going on, but that was difficult when I felt like you were never there and John was the only thing you cared about. I still feel that way. It seems like all you ever talk about is John, and a lot of the time you’re bitching about him. It just seems to me like you’re never happy. You always have time to go out with John, or go to his kids games, but if I ask you to come shopping with me you’re too busy. I finally just got fed up. I wasn’t happy at home, and I think that’s really sad when I was so dead set against moving, and I wound up doing it any way because I was miserable there. I felt really unwanted and ignored. I was really on my own. I know you and dad are at each others throats all the time, but if it wasn’t for dad I’d be insane right now. Dad and I have grown a lot closer, we talk all the time about everything. He takes really good care of me, and it’s not just because he’s able to give me money all the time. Of course, that’s a plus, but it’s not the reason I’m here. I’m here because dad makes me feel taken care of and wanted. I feel like he understood what I was going through more than you did. I also felt terrible because dad was all alone. Even though I wasn’t living alone, I felt alone. I think dad and I had a lot to relate to through this whole ordeal and that brought us together. Plus, dad treats me like an adult. I’m allowed to do whatever I want, I come and go as I please. I wasn’t really used to being disciplined that much after the divorce because I wasn’t really paid that much attention. As long as I call dad and let him know where I am, and keep my grades up, I’m free. I still do chores, I clean this place all the time, and I don’t just spend money out the ass, I budget.
I just don’t think you understand....I don’t think you realize you were doing anything wrong. You try having the best mom in the world who would do anything for you for 17 years, then she gets a new boyfriend and totally changes. You did change, a lot. I just got tired of it, so I left. I felt like I had no other choice. Everybody knew how unhappy I was. I think it was even worse because you felt like you did nothing wrong. I know I wasn’t always right either, but I’m a kid, I have a lot of learning to do. I felt like I was the bigger person many times, and I tried to work things out. I just couldn’t do it anymore. I really hate how all of this had to happen. I just feel like you have a whole other family now and they’re more important. I think part of the reason Dougie has been so helpful lately is because he wants attention, and he realized being bad didn’t work.
I understand our lives are different now. I just don’t see why I had to lose my mom over it. I really hate how you moved everything out of my room and shipped it over here. You say how much you want me back, but that’s clearly portraying the wrong message. I don’t think you should have touched my room at all, now I definitely don’t want to come back. I walk in my room and it’s like a strange place, it’s not mine anymore. That really hurt me, and I think that was really immature. I’m not trying to pile all this on you, but honestly, do you ever think about what you’re doing? I feel like you’re alienating me. You took my pictures off the walls for Christ sakes. It’s like you don’t even want a daughter anymore. I know if I ever left here dad wouldn’t think about touching my room. It’s my place to come to for comfort when I’m here, and my room should have remained that way at your house. That’s why dad was pissed off. How would you feel if I threw all of your things in garbage bags and shipped it to where you were? You’d lose it. You’re my mother...that’s not something you’re supposed to do. I’m sure your mom is spinning in her grave over it.
You need to put yourself in my shoes. I’m sorry if I’m coming of as demanding, but this is how I feel. I’ve felt this way for a long time, but I never bothered to tell you because you didn’t listen. That’s all you needed to do over the past year or so, listen. I’m sorry all this had to happen, I’d take everything back if I could, the divorce too. I’m finally starting to be happy again, and I just felt like I needed to get this out. You can take whatever you want out of this letter...I’m just telling you how I feel. I’m not trying to be a bitch, but I’ve wanted to do this for a while. I don’t resent John, and I don’t resent you, I just resent what you did and didn’t do. It’s over, it can’t be changed now, but I just thought you needed to know. Instead of just reading this and denying everything, maybe try to think about it, think about why I feel this way. It might help.
I’ve tried to help you many times, especially with the eating disorder. You won’t help yourself and you won’t admit you’re doing something wrong. You’re slowly killing yourself mom, and I just couldn’t stand living in a house with somebody who’s destroying their body. You need to start eating real food, and take care of yourself. I’ve been right about practically everything up to this point, so why won’t you just listen to me. I’m not stupid, I know what I’m talking about.
I love you, mom. I just want you to get better, and I want my old mom back.