Writer’s Perspective

When searching for an article to comment on, I was immediately drawn to Joyce Carol Oates, To Invigorate Literary Mind, Start Moving Literary Feet. I am a very active girl and love to be one with nature, especially when it comes to running. “Running! If there's any activity happier, more exhilarating, more nourishing to the imagination, I can't think what it might be.” (Oates, Para 1,1999).  Feeling my feet pound on the pavement near my home gives me a sense of security and freedom from life’s trials and tribulations. Like myself, Oates finds running helps her write.  “Ideally, the runner who’s a writing is running through the land- and cityscapes of her fiction, like a ghost in a real setting” (Oates, Para 1, 1999).  Anyone who loves to run, or even be involved with some type of sport, can tell you that physical effort inspires the mind, freeing endorphins and creating a high that cannot be unnaturally repeated.  If you just sit, you don’t get it.  Writers are often known for their long walks, or quiet time among nature. I believe that exercise and air help to stimulate the creativity writers have inside them. Concept, themes, and ideas come to life when you have mother earth to reflect on. 

            “Running seems to allow me, ideally, an expanded consciousness in which I can envision what I’m writing as a film or dream” (Oates, Para 24, 1999).  This is definitely how running fits into my lifestyle. My undergraduate degrees are in Comparative Literature and Creative Writing and I always found running to help me convert my writing energies almost instantaneously, leaving room for error. I would hastily write whatever I was feeling, so much so, that I often couldn’t keep up.  Nothing was ever perfect, but I knew that was okay.

            I particularly liked the line Oates wrote when she said, “to write is to invite angry censure from those who don’t write, or who don’t write in quite the way you do…” (Oates, Para 18,1999). Maybe this is because I always write and I know my thoughts aren’t perfect and that people will not always agree. I feel as is if she is saying that there will always be people who are not fond of your written word, but that while there will always be criticism, you need to write for yourself and try to complete a body of work that brings you joy, but is also accurate and factual. This is particularly important in today’s society especial because of all of the new media. People have access to information instantaneously, and can spread something like wildfire. Communities can also create havoc around your words if they feel you are misrepresenting people, theories, or themes. Your writing needs to be ethical and state points that can factually be checked out. There are cruel people, people who are just trying to help, and people who believe and enjoy your work. In order to make it as a writer, or sometimes even just as a person with an opinion, you have to let comments roll of your back that are not necessary constructive, but take into consideration and respond to those people who offer quality criticism.  Writing will forever be a work in progress and people will always be commenting on your work, however, it is necessary that those comments are not because you aren’t doing your best to bring honest and correct information to the table. Keep your own ethics and morals inline when you are writing anything that will be published. It is your time to offer opinion, but do so in a way that will not offend groups and be as precise as possible.

            In the end, the reason I chose this article is because I like Oates philosophy. She states, “my method is one of continuous revision” (Oates, Para. 27, 1999).  I loved reading this because I have often been told that when you revise more than a few times, your work becomes too edited. I think that you can never truly be done with your writing and that there is always room for improvement. I don’t mind revising, it helps me relive my thoughts about what I am writing, and it helps me to improve my words. Revisions can also help you catch mistakes before you publish them, and offer a fresh perspective on the concepts you are writing about. Fresh perspectives are very important in social media because this market is saturated with information and being creative and unique will set you above other writers.

Oates final piece of advice reminds fellow writers that to invigorate your mind, you must keep your body moving. While this doesn’t directly relate to new media, I completely agree and feel that as a society we can’t only be virtual people. While social media enhances my life, it isn’t my only way to feel connected. 

I will never give up my love of the outdoors or my athleticism.  Even when I am older, I will find a way to walk the beaches of Orange County.

Oates, Joyce Carol. (18, July 1999). Writers on Writing. To Invigorate Literary Mind, Start Moving Literary Feet. Retrieved from The New York Times on the Web on August 24, 2013 from http://www.nytimes.com/library/books/071999oates-writing.html

Multimedia Tools

Blogging is a great way to create content for your readers, especially for businesses. The more creative the content, the more traffic your site will received and the more noticeable you will be in an already saturated community. Good content is shared throughout different networks and the best way to improve blog content is to include different types of media. Not only will this make the post more visually appealing and interesting, but it can bring on SEO benefits that will help your content rank higher in the social media world.

While many people still have the idea that blogging is only about writing, more and more people are utilizing multimedia to get their point across and writing has become just one aspect of the blogging world. Videos, images, audio, and other content that is interactive and interesting will engage your readers and help them increase their time on the blog, as well as hold their attention longer.  When blogs combine multiple types of content together, a business is creating a single resource full of information that people will find useful. Now the client only has to go to one place to find the most important information related to the business/product/service they are interested in. One main source is easier to share than multiple sources and if all the information is creatively displayed at one site, customers will be more willing to pass it on. Any visual aids that you can add into your posts that complement what you are saying are well worth including. They can help to explain things much easier and break up large portions of text.

A few of the best multimedia to include in a blog are images, videos, and audio. People love images; after all, “a picture speaks a thousand words”. Any images that you can add to your articles that help describe what you are talking about are always worth adding. Businesses need and want people to share the content they post with their networks and images can be equally shared among a group of people, and often times, make a bigger impact. Videos can offer even more interest to a viewer and like most people; videos are much more fun to watch versus reading a stale paragraph or two. Check out the video by Yaro Starak. He talks about the best way to create blog content that pulls in traffic. Audio is also a great way to promote content. If a consumer is interested in a company, wouldn’t it be great to have the blog in written format, but also in audio format. People are incredibly busy, but often multitask. How great would it be to be able to listen to information, rather than read it, as you are driving around, or even getting in a quick workout?

It doesn’t matter how a company decides to integrate multimedia in a blog, the only important thing is that they do. Not only is the content more creative and captivating, but it offers different ways to express ideas through different mediums. This will appeal to a much wider audience than a standard written blog.

 

Best Practices

Let’s face it, I am a girl and with that comes the love of all things fashion. One of my favorite parts of my week is reading a few fashion blogs on Sunday morning with my cup of coffee. While there are many blogs to choose from, I generally stick to only a few. They offer me the engaging content I’ve come to trust and love, and give me the exact amount of information I need to either make a purchase or continue my daydream.

The great thing about blogs, especially fashion blogs, is that they offer much more than a magazine, they offer a fresh perspective from a style enthusiast with a closer link to the reader. They are average people with write-ups on what a regular person wants to hear, not what a model or professional deems important.

With a plethora of fashion blogs for women, it is hard to separate the good from the bad, the well written from the unreadable, and the engaging from the lackluster. Because of this, there are a few main areas I concentrate on when deciding what blogs work best for me.

First and foremost is fresh content. There is nothing less appealing than reading a blog that hasn’t been touched or updated on the regular. This is especially true when it comes to fashion because what was popular today could be out tomorrow. If a blogger doesn’t consistently offer compelling material and imagery to keep things fresh, they won’t hold my interest.

Recognizing trends is also ultimately essential. With good bloggers, eventually they become the people who create the trends instead of just reporting on them. With this inside knowledge, the blogger can create a sense of community. A great sense of community becomes a great place to engage and read insightful content.

A sense of humor can take a blog a long way too. If the articles are interesting and poke fun at the fashion industry, which is must needed because let’s face it, sometimes the fashion industry takes itself way too seriously, it becomes a refreshing read and compels me to come back.

Last but not least, I believe in quality pictures and videos. Sometimes you don’t want all the “talking.” It is nice to sit back and view some informational videos, as well as pictures. This helps you visualize the products and really appreciate what the blogger is talking about.

My favorite fashion blog to this day is The Sartorialist. The founder/blogger/photographer is Scott Schulman. He created the blog “with the idea of creating a two-way dialogue about the world of fashion and its relationship to daily life” (Schulman, 2013). The Sartorialist is set apart from other fashion blogs because the content isn’t written as much as the photography conveys “an interesting well dressed moment” (Burcz, 2012). There is a strong point of view and communication through the few words but intense images Schulman captures.  His strong voice is displayed in a creative and interesting way making readers greedy and wanting to come back for more. Let’s be honest, “by the time [an item] hits the store that trend is already over” (Burcz, 2012), but if you can capture the moment, the reader can take the concept and make it their own. That’s what fashion is all about and that is what makes a great fashion blog.

Burcz, C. (2012). Interview: 6 Minutes Spent With The Sartorialist. Retrieved on August 4, 2013 from http://heartifb.com/2012/09/10/6-minutes-spent-with-the-sartorialist/

Schulman, S. (2013). Biography. The Satorialist. Retrieved on August 4, 2013 from http://www.thesartorialist.com/biography/

Joe Paterno

Joe Paterno Press Release

The Pennsylvania State University and college athletics mourns the passing of Joseph V. Paterno.

Paterno, who was 85 passed away peacefully surrounded by his family at Mount Nittany Medical Center. The legendary teacher, mentor and humanitarian had been diagnosed with lung cancer in November of 2012.

A member of the Penn State coaching staff for 62 seasons, Paterno immensely impacted the lives of thousands of current and former Penn State students, student-athletes and staff, fans, community members and followers of college athletics. “The Nittany Lions’ head football coach for nearly 46 years, he was among the first three active coaches to be inducted into the National Football Foundation’s College Hall of Fame, in 2007” (ESPN, 2012).

Paterno zealously and energetically served the Penn State football program and the university with value, merit and success with honor since taking his position in. “After 16 years as an assistant coach under Engle, Paterno was named Penn State’s 14^th head football coach on February 19, 1966 when Engle retired” (ESPN, 2012).

“Head coach of the Nittany Lions since 1966, Paterno is the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) leader in career victories, earning a 409-136-3 career record, a 74.9 winning percentage” (ESPN, 2012). The iconic Paterno is one of only three coaches in NCAA history to post 400 career wins (ESPN, 2013).

“This is a tremendous loss for Penn State and the world,” stated Dave Joyner, Penn State acting Director of Athletics. “Joe Paterno was a great man who was one of the greatest influences on my life and the lives of Penn Staters.  For those who had the opportunity to meet or play under Paterno, he taught them so much. He thought of himself as an educator first, and then a football coach. Paterno believed in self-discipline and paying attention to small details. His famous quote, “if you keep hustling and plugging away something good will happen” will linger in the hearts of many. His impact can be felt all over the world and his spirit will continue to encourage future athletes to come.

“Paterno’s career was marked with distinction, glorious accomplishments and immeasurable contributions to Penn State” (ESPN, 2012).

Paterno’s coaching  comprised of two National Championships (1982, 1986); five undefeated, untied teams; 23 finishes in the Top 10 of the national rankings; an unparalleled five American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Coach-of-the-Year plaques, and more than 350 former players who signed National Football League contracts, 33 of them first-round draft choices (ESPN, 2013).

In 2007, Paterno was inaugurated into the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame. The American Football Coaches Association recognized Paterno with its highest honor in 2002, the Amos Alonzo Stagg Award. The award honors those “whose services have been outstanding in the advancement of the best interests of football” (ESPN, 2012)

Joe Paterno was survived by his wife Sue and five children Diana, Mary Kay, David, Jay and Scott, all of whom are Penn State alumni, and 17 grandchildren.


Facebook Post:

Those touched by Joe Paterno remember him for being human. Paterno’s legacy of impacting the lives of thousands of current and former Penn State students, student-athletes and staff, fans, community members and followers of college athletics will live on long after his death.

 

References:

ESPN, (2012). Joe Paterno, 85 dies in State College. Retrieved on July 29, 2013 from http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/7489238/joe-paterno-ex-penn-state-nittany-lions-coach-dies-85-2-month-cancer-fight

Redmond, K, (23, January 2012). Putting Paterno's Death in Perspective. Retrieved from the Huffington Post on July 29, 2013 from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/katherine-redmond/joe-paterno-dead_b_1221975.html

 

Social Media Tools

The group I would love to represent is a non-profit in Orange County, California called Orangewood Children Foundation.  “In 1981, a concerned group of private citizens and community leaders established the Orangewood Children's Foundation” (Orangewood Children’s Foundation, 2012).  Situated in Orange, California, the Orangewood Children's Home is Orange County's first and only crisis sanctuary for deserted and sexually, physically or emotionally battered adolescents. The home offers protection each year for approximately 1,000 children who “have been removed from their caretakers by police officers or child protective services workers and placed into protective custody” (Orangewood Children’s Foundation, 2012).

Orangewood is a foundation that spotlights and emphasizes the continuing necessities of children in the foster care system, creating “a wide range of activities, scholarships, support and programs to give every child every chance to succeed” (Orangewood Children’s Foundation, 2012). These benefits are visible to the supporters of the charity, as well as the children themselves. The lack of stability and consistency has a negative impact for years to come and by providing a place safe for children to have a “transformational learning environment by offering consistency, stability, support, and a community in which to belong, thrive, and grow into responsible, independent adults,” (Orangewood Children’s Foundation, 2012) Orangewood is showing what the public can do for these children.

The best group to target would be a group that is compassionate and understands the importance of having a good home structure and educational background for kids. This demographic are men and women in their late 30’s to mid 50’s who are new parents, or established parents in the Orange County area. They understand the importance of giving children a loving home, and providing them with structure to succeed. More specifically, I would target women in the age range of late 30’s to mid 50’s.

The best message I could advocate would be the main mission of Orangewood. This goal is to “offer hope, healing, education and assistance, and the importance of breaking the generational cycle of child abuse” Orangewood Children’s Foundation, 2012).  This message would be well received through Pinterest, Facebook, and a mainstream blog.

Pinsterest is basically a vision board or scrapbook that you put together while surfing the Internet. According to the website, “Pinterest is a virtual pinboard. Pinterest allows you to organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web. You can browse pinboards created by other people to discover new things and get inspiration from people who share your interests.” Pinterest is very popular among women, mainly “between the ages of 25 and 44” (Haydon, 2013), who have extra time in the day to surf pictures for all kinds of ideas ranging from educational, to do it yourself projects, and fashion. Pinterest is not just for pictures, more recently; the increase of videos on Pinterest has doubled. A non-profit could create specific boards for each theme they want to bring to light. The board could have videos with messages from volunteers, as well as from the children who are in the program. They can post fundraiser information, and also show the arts and crafts side of Orangewood and how they can participate in these arts and crafts to build awareness for the non-profit.  Orangewood could also create “an online fundraising catalog” (Haydon, 2013). By adding a “$” symbol and the amount of an item in the pin description, the viewers pin will automatically go into the gifts tab located at the top of the homepage (Haydon, 2013).  This helps the target demographic see pictures and videos about child abuse, gives them a place to donate, and also allows them to re-pin information specific to the non-profit program.

Facebook can be a valuable tool for non-profits worldwide. “Facebook has directly catered to non-profits present on the social network with a resource page, facebook.com/nonprofits, specifically to help them use the site” (Calderon, 2010). By creating a page instead of a group, a non-profit organization can publish directly into the news stream where you can engage your fans with a variety of different media, such as videos, polls and status updates. Pages also allow non-profits to analyze how fans are interacting with the organization’s page with the Insights Dashboard, giving instantaneous feedback to help adjust methods should you need to do so. “You can also do things like buy advertising on Facebook for your Page to increase your number of fans” (Calderon, 2010). The idea is generate content that’s Facebook-specific and builds a community there.

Blogging is a great way for an non-profit to be heard and present information for the target market they are trying to reach. Blogs “are a tool that allows for a conversation between the reader and the writer, and for information to reach people quickly all over the world” (Case, 2013). The non-profit can write blogs, but it would also be great if the non-profit had guest bloggers such as volunteers in the community, or the children in the program to share experiences. Upcoming events, or past events can be discussed in creative and fun ways. The non-profit can include photos and videos from the events to engage the readers, as well as information on how the reader can support the charity. Blogging has become a huge phenomenon, and I think that it would be a great way to target the lower end of the demographic Orangewood reaches out to. When a non-profit fundraises, there is often hesitation because the supporter isn’t sure about the organization and needs to build a rapport with the organization before donating. By blogging, Orangewood can establish a trust and help the contributor see that there are real people, like them, working there. “A blog can give them a glimpse behind the scenes, and provide a transparency and authenticity that an annual report or brochure may not” (Case, 2013).

Calderon, S. (12, February 2010). 10 Tips for Non-Profits on Facebook. Retrieved on July 22, 2013 from http://www.insidefacebook.com/2010/02/12/10-tips-for-non-profits-on-facebook/

Case, J & S. (2013). 10 Ways Nonprofits Can Use Blogs and Bloggers to Support Their Cause. Retrieved on July 22, 2013 from http://casefoundation.org/spotlight/10-ways-nonprofits-can-use-blogs-and-bloggers-support-their-cause

Hayden, J. (2013). 12 ways to use Pinterest for your nonprofit. Retrieved on July 22, 2013 from http://www.johnhaydon.com/2012/01/12-ways-use-pinterest-for-your-nonprofit/

Orangewood Children’ Foundation. (2012). Our Programs and Services. Retrieved on July 22, 2013 from http://www.orangewoodfoundation.org/programs.asp

Unrestricted Web Publishing

After patrolling the stories on The Huffington Post, I found an article that hits home for many. How many times have you felt that even though you earn a good salary, you’re barely able to pay for the necessities, let alone have a little fun every once in a while? Jillian Berman with The Huffington Post wrote an article about the federal poverty line. In this article Berman discusses with quality sources that the federal poverty line doesn’t adequately reflect cost of living in America. “The federal poverty line for a family of four was $23,283 last year,” (Berman, 2013) well below what any family, even in the poorest of economies needs to bring home in order to provide for their family.

Berman, relied on the Economic Policy Institute to use a family budget calculator to accurately calculate what a family would need to make at the bare minimum to survive in modern society. “For a two parent, two child household, an average of $63,238 is needed to secure an adequate modest living standard” (Gould, Wething, Sabadish, and Finio, 2013). There’s nowhere in America where two parents earning the federal minimum wage, which amounts to about $30,000 per year collectively, can make enough to support a family of three or four, the analysis found. According to another source, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, confirmed that while the $23,283 poverty line is completely unrealistic, about 3.6 million workers earned the federal minimum wage or below last year.  Raising minimum wage is a step in the right direction to help families hit a level of basic economic security that would allow them to live, even if it is only paycheck-to-paycheck.

I found this article to be heartbreaking especially when I read that so many people really do have to fight everyday to survive. This eye-opening article had reputable references that told a story about family lifestyle throughout the nation.

The Economic Policy Institute (EPI), is a “non-profit, non-partisan think tank, created in 1986 to broaden discussions about economic policy to include the needs of low- and middle-income workers” (The Economic Policy Institute, 2013). EPI proposes public policies that protect and improve the economic conditions of low- and middle-income workers and assesses policies with respect to how they affect those workers. This is a credible source according to the set of guidelines established by the Criteria to Evaluate the Credibility of WWW Resources because the website information is current with an accurate business address, phone number, and email addresses of workers linked to the non-profit. Berman provides a link for the EPI and the site is rich with information on the importance of their cause, as well as where more information can be viewed regarding their work. Additional links showcase facts in the form of charts, statistics, and surveys. These graphics are all backed up with additional sources to verify the information is accurate.

The EPI also enlisted the work of several authors who dedicated time and energy to the issue at hand, writing specifically on the federal poverty line. They drew information from the government, as well as The Public Welfare System, and the Ford Foundation.

The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics was another source Berman referred to in her work. This is a government site that is continually updated, posts information on the bureau, including address, phone number, and areas of the department to contact. This is an authoritative source that is a specialist on the field in question. Further documentation from the Bureau of Labor Statistics was provided through a link on the article Berman wrote.

Unrestricted web publishing can adversely impact the trustworthiness and reliability of the news source where the information is taken from, as well as tarnish the Internet as a whole. It is extremely important for the news and public information to be validated and checked for accuracy because people view these sources as more credible than other website by default. 

Berman, L. (3, July 2013). Federal Poverty Line Doesn't Adequately Reflect Cost Of Living In America, Analysis Finds. Retrieved on July 2, 2013 from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/03/federal-poverty-line-afford-to-live_n_3541338.html?ir=Business

Gould, Wething, Sabadish, and Finio. (3 July, 2013). What Families Need to Get By: The 2013 Update of EPI’s Family Budget Calculator. Retrieved on July 2, 2013 from http://www.epi.org/publication/ib368-basic-family-budgets/

The Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2013). Economic Release. Retrieved on July 3, 2013 from http://www.bls.gov

The Economic Policy Institute. (2013). Research and Ideas for Shared Prosperity. Retrieved on July 3, 2013 from http://www.epi.org