Blogging for beginners

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As I reflect on my blog assignments I have seen myself evolve. I started off not knowing anything at all. And now i have taken in so much information and i’m still in the learning process and refining the skills that i have learned. Understanding the basis of Rhetoric helps to better understand content creation. Over the semester I have grown to enjoy writing and I’m conscious of how I’m being portrayed through my work.

Here is my first blog ever on Rhetoric!

When I first began to write about the topic it was hard for me to grasp it. I had to go over the concept many times before I could fully understand it.

Its all about the audience and what will engage the readers but also reflect you as a content creator. Its easy to write what you want to say but we need to keep in mind the rhetorical situation. Everything is important. And it needs to also be professional. And intertwine text with images. This is what creates great content.

Over the semester I realized that I’m more of a creator than an editor. I have the vision but not so much the skills to fix it up. I have never been good at revising anything. I’d rather leave that up to the editors.

Overall the advice I would give to beginners is to make sure you understand your audience and that its always changing. You always have room to improve and make revisions.

 

Immersive Experience

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Let the adventures begin! 

I was able to visit Sarasota Fl. on two separate occasions. Each time was a very different experience.

I had never heard of the place until my sister had brought it to my attention. She had recently seen a few of the restaurants on the Travel Channel and insisted we and a few friends take a mini road trip just to check out the signature meals seen on TV.

So for my sisters birthday weekend we packed our bags and headed south for a day!

 

On Separate Occasions

My first experience in Sarasota was very chill. My girlfriends and I only planned to stay a night just enough time to sight see, lounge at the beach, and grab a bite to eat at the restaurant Munchies 420. We got there very early on a Saturday morning at the end of August. Not many cars on the road and not much a variety of people in sight. We decided to find the beach and take a look. And it was beautiful and quiet. And there were tons of older people basking in the sun. And it seemed to us that we were the only group of black girls there. We asked ourselves “where are all of the beautiful people?”

All we saw were older wonderful people. Retired wonderful people at that. Lol, I’m sure you’re wondering why my friends and I refer to whites as “Wonderful” and blacks as “Beautiful” people, it all started when my sisters daughter started to understand the difference between skin color. So to speak in code was the easiest way not to offend anyone.

After being able to count how many people were of other nationalities than white on our hands, we decided to take a look into the statistics. And the demographics showed the city was 80% white! Which we didn’t mind at all just very curious.

Anywho…..

The whole reason for taking this mini road trip was to indulge in a certain sandwich called the “FAT SANDY”. And boy oh boy was it good.

My second experience was with my family. We were not able to relax and have a real vacation so this second time around my sister and I decided to take the family to experience Sarasota. We had told my mother how quiet and beautiful it was during our stay that weekend. And described to her how much more beautiful the sand was at Siesta key Beach compared to her favorite, Tybee Island.

The only time we as a family were all available was the week of spring break. We thought we were avoiding the young spring break crowd but actually ended u in the midst of it all! Unlike the first time it being quiet and us being almost the only people on the beach, you could no find a spot to relax and crack open your favorite beverage without someone stepping over your belongings or possibly being hit by a flying football or Frisbee.

It was not like the Panama City Beach crowd rowdy and young adults booing music through their portable speakers. More like families having a good time.

After leaving the beach we had all worked up an appetite and decided to walk along the strip. By this time is was getting late and everything was about to close within the next hour. So we had to make a decision, and make it quick or it as going to be Burger King for dinner. The last restaurant on the strip was called  “Old Salty Dog”.

Little did we know that we had stumbled upon a gem. After taking a look at the menu we knew we had to order the “Salty Dog”,  which was also seen on the TV show Man vs. Food.

And once again boy oh boy was it good!

Check out my food reviews here!

 

Places, Experiences and Mapping

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What is a place? And what is its significance?

First lets define place. Place is a particular position or point in space. It can refer to a living space, a place of worship, or even entertainment. It can also be a feeling or perception held by a person. These places can be unique and special to some creating an attachment. But when you write about a place you have to give the physical aspects as well as the characteristics that relate to you. But in order to understand place you need to understand experience.

There are two experiences. Primary is your initial experience. And Secondary is the experience you reflect on. You can go to a place and have a primary experience then later you will have the secondary experience when you reflect on the experience and how you relate to it.

In What is a Sense of Place by Jennifer Cross she goes over the characteristics related to people and places.  She says that the concept of sense of place came from two different aspects. Relationships to place being the first aspect, and community attachment being he second. People can relate to places by creating  bonds and types of  attachments to a place in particular. But you as a person are not limited to have a relationship with one places but many ppeople have relationships with multiple places.

Cross goes over characteristics between people and places in the Table below .

Table 1.1 Relationships to places

I can agree that you can become connected to a place which then becomes meaningful to you in a certain way.

An example that comes to mine is the story that my mom tells us about how she grew up. And unless you have lived there you may not be able to actually relate unless you have visited and experienced it yourself. I have heard many stories on how the home was only one room and that she would have to walk down to the creek to fetch water and there was no bathroom nor was there a stove because there was no electricity. See my mom is not that old so I always thought her stories of living out in the middle of no where in White Plains Ga. were bogus. A few years ago on a sad occasion after a funeral we decided as a family to visit the land that my mom was with her sisters which was the very place where she grew up. This place had only created a Narrative Relationship with me. I had only grew oup on stories about this place.  But as I experienced the land on which my mother lived and saw the home in which she lived in it became a Biographical Relationship now I’m not only emotionally connected with this place but my mother as well.

When writing it is important to create the Places and hen determine the Experiences.

In Katherine Harmons book, Personal Geographies and Other Maps of the Imagination, she states that people have the instinct to map. People often create a map of their own after experiencing certain places. Everyone experiences places different. Therefore there are many different maps.

But each places, experiences, and mapping go into writing! You can’t have just one to make a good story.

 

 

DIY Video: Cold Remedy Tea

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I chose this home remedy because this is one that is often used in my house and has been for years. When you are sick you don’t exactly want to get up and go to the store but if you have these simple ingredients on hand always you will never have to worry about that. And It has always helped me through a cold. Not only does it contain only four ingredients but it takes less than 2 minutes to make and you will start feeling better in no time.

Each ingredient aids in helping your immune system fight off a cold. The only reason people get sick is because they are not eating the proper foods that help fight off viruses and bad bacteria from growing and spreading throughout the body.  A diet in fruits and vegetables helps your body fight off free radicals in your body because they are rich in vitamins minerals and nutrients that your body needs. So, if you are one to get sick often maybe you should start consuming more fruits and veggies.

Through this process, I have learned that everyone’s remedy is its own. Maybe you like more honey than ginger or like your tea hot rather than lukewarm. Maybe you like lime rather than lemon. It’s all how you prefer it. And that these remedies have been passed down from decade to decade. Remedies can change depending on research and learning more about what it is you are consuming. I have learned to make it your own, don’t forget to do research and consult a doctor if problems persist.

Check out my video below!

What is a Meme?

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Meme, is a word that is no stranger to today’s digital culture. It was first coined by Richard Dawkins in his book The Selfish Gene. He compared a meme to genes and evolution. It is very similar due to how a gene can imitate itself. Dawkins was inspired by the Greek word Enthymeme, which means an argument in which one premise is not explicitly stated.

Arguments usually have :

  • Major Premise
  • Minor Premise
  • Hidden Premise
  • Conclusion

The classic Enthymeme example is

  1. All men are mortal
  2. Socrates is man
  3. Therefore, Socrates is mortal

Enthymemes can be persuasive and less persuasive, it helps makes arguments readable.  Often premises are hidden. A hidden premise is not actually stated when an argument is presented. They are not mentioned but assumed. But in order to get to the conclusion. When the hidden premise is verbally expressed it confirms the argument.

Our culture is changing. And just like Enthymemes, memes use premises and a conclusion, but with images. The audience determines the conclusion based on the culture. Depending on the culture or society you are apart of determines if you will understand or can relate to the meme.

Memes help understand digital culture.

Just like this Arthur fist meme:

If you do not know of Arthur then you would not know that this is an image of Arthurs fist. Arthur is a children’s television series. But even though someone may not have ever watched Arthur before you can relate this image to frustration or a specific situation when one has been infuriated. And most of the time this meme is accompanied by words that give a conclusion that this is how you feel.

Memes are participatory, meaning anyone can change it or repackage/remix it in a way they want to and it could eventually go viral!

Here is a Meme that I created.

 

 

Digital Analysis of Coca-Cola

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Advertisements have always used rhetorical appeals to lure in certain audiences. And without even paying much attention advertisements have changed over time. Take the #1 selling carbonated beverage Coca-Cola for example, if you analyze some the first advertisements up until their latest advertisements you can see the change in rhetorical trends over time.

Coca-Cola is an American carbonated drink invented in the late 19th century by pharmacist John Pemberton in Atlanta Georgia, originally intended for medicinal usage.

 

 

This was one of the earliest ads by Coca-Cola . Printed in the late 19th century, it advertised the product being sold as a patent medicine for 5 cents per glass at all fountains.

It was known as a healthful carbonated beverage to relieve fatigue and exhaustion. Coca-Cola soon began to become a beverage to refresh you after a long day, or just to relax because of the prohibition era. And was very popular during WW1.

Coca- Cola evolved as time changed so did the the advertisements. It became popular and depicted happiness and wellness and people could relate when drinking a “Coke”. It was a brand that reflected a good time.

 

Her is a commercial from the 1950s:

During the 50s living the American Life was ideal. Coca-Cola advertisements and commercials began to show wholesome families in leisure, relaxing, and being comfortable. And began to gain popularity globally. The advertisement of this product was not merely in newspapers but grew to radio, posters, and television.

 

Then skipping to the 90s  on of my favorite Coca-Cola commercials to date is the one that launched singer Tyrese Gibsons career. Playing just another person riding public transportation bus, he busted out singing. Thats when he became known as the “Coca-Cola Boy.”

 

As of recently in 2016 Coca-Cola launched their global advertising campaign in seven years. This campaign unites all trademarks of Coke brands and brings everyone around the world together, incorporating diversity, new products and the health and well being. As the world went through major changes Coca-Cola remained the same quality while making sure to change with the trends to appeal to the audience  and different eras. It will forever be the brand that exudes happiness.

I have personally assembled  a video ! Enjoy!

 

 

Internet Dialect

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What are Dialects and how can you apply them to the worldwide internet? Well according to Google, dialect is a form of language specific to a regional or social group. It is the way people converse to others. Like a special language that only people within that one specific group can understand.

The video, Are There Internet Dialects, breaks down the topic of internet dialect. It is not only geographic but regional and social. This includes word choice, vocabulary change, and the arrangement. These groups are also called speech communities. Within a speech community members share language ideology. And most people are not confined to just one community but to multiple communities. For example the internet is made up of many different social groups or speech communities such as Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn just to name a few.

Facebook is a  social media site where you can connect with family members and friends and keep in touch. You can also upload and post pictures and videos. From my experience he dialect I have on Facebook is way more conservative due to family members being my friend. They follow and watch everything I do. So I would not want to give them a bad impression of myself.  I am much more conscious of what I say post and the wording and spelling of my status’ are usually formal.

 

However Instagram or IG, is where I am more informal with everyone. I let lose and can really be myself. My pictures and topics vary. This social media site is easier to build brands and businesses. Easier to communicate with people you may would never be able to reach in the “Real World.” The use of hashtags are very important. Hashtags are used to find similar post, thus creating a mini communities within the IG community.

How people talk and communicate change from site to site.