Wiki Project Assessment Memo (PAM): DigitalTools4DigitalWriters.pbwiki.com

For UNLV’s English 406B, Electronic Documents, my assignment was to create a wiki entry and participate in a class created, group wiki at http://DigitalTools4DigitalWriters.pbwiki.com/. The subject I chose for my entry was tags, and as there are multiple kinds of tags, my page contained multiple definitions. Tags include HTML tags, metadata tags, data tags, and alternative (Alt) tags. In addition to defining these types of tags, I examined the relationship between data tags and tag clouds and their impact on blogging. The project was reviewed by the group, and changes were made to all pages of the wiki based on group discussion.

To define all the different types of tags, my process of research involved researching the names of the tags online and combining four or five of each term’s definition to create a well-rounded definition and explanation for each type of tag. Because the target audience of the class wiki was lower-level undergraduates, I tried to avoid overly-complicated terminology in my definitions. For the images, I used the Google images search feature and notated the image I used in my tag cloud section below the picture in parenthesis.

I added the tag cloud image to my page after receiving limited feedback from my classmates and positive feedback from the course instructor. After requesting that the instructor review my tag definitions for clarity and accuracy, I was told they made sense and were sufficient. One of my classmates told me that she could not find any corrections to suggest for my pages, and no students left any comments on my pages to date. With this information, I took the liberty of adding an image to one of my pages and left them alone otherwise. I took care of my first draft for presentation and content so it is nice to know that little editing was required on my portion of the wiki.

Overall, the class wiki looks great to me, and it seems to be tied together nicely. Everyone had nice and professional sounding definitions for their topics, and everyone used very helpful graphics. Having never worked on a group wiki before, I would have to say that the process was a collaborative and creative one which created a nice, functional product.

New Year's Resolutions

I feel like I should say something about resolutions because I named this blog for them. My resolution for 2009 was to do Dance Dance Revolution twice a week. The last time I did DDR was the first week of January...

News reports on chem-trails

These three short videos explain the difference between chem-trails and con-trails better than I can. Even though Senate Bill 517 and H.R. bills 3445 and 2995 were not passed, the government is still using C-130's in Las Vegas and other populous NATO cities for "weather modification." Watch the news clip for more information. It has been proven that barium and aluminum are present in unsafe levels in the air after heavy spraying in many instances from scientific testing. I am currently working on a website about the secrecy of the government/FRS, including information on the 9/11 cover-up and chem-trail cover-ups. The site will be at http://nonwo.htmlplanet.com (currently under heavy construction). Check back regularly as the site should be more or less functional on several sections by next week. At this time, the 9/11 page is nearly completed, but the other sections will come soon after I have the time to gather resources and complete the coding. Please watch all the videos as they are only a few minutes each if you have any concerns like I do about Las Vegas air quality.

These are televised news reports about chem-trails:





This video is just an example of a con-trail next to a chem-trail at the same altitude:

Wiki on tags

Here's my working wiki draft for UNLV's Eng 406b wiki:

Click Here!

Re-Purposing Project

Here is my re-purposing project for English 406b:
Re-Purposing Project

Blog Project

Here's my blog project/genre analysis on blogs "written" by boston terriers:
Boston Terrier Blog Project

Week 2 QOW Revised

I've changed my topic! Only slightly though!

Instead of general boston terrier blogs, I am now focusing on blogs written by boston terriers. To re-answer the second QOW accordingly, the persona of the author of the blogs I am viewing represent the personas of the bostons. Animals automatically have positive ethos because they are simple and innocent creatures. :)

The dogs are like little spies in the world of their humans. Humor is the major rhetorical device used in the blogs which creates goodwill with the audience.

Week 2 QOW

Week 2 -- Bloggers blogging about blogs and blogging...and ethos
Now that you're tracking some blogs, it's time to start thinking about how the bloggers you're following construct their ethos. What kind of personas do you see on the blogs you're following, and what strategies do your bloggers use to project positive ethos (good will toward the audience, good sense, and good moral character.)

I am currently following several boston terrier blogs and forums, and the persona that everyone tries to create for themselves is the "good parent" persona. People try to make themselves appear like caring individuals through their word choices, and by posting pictures of their dogs or writing about them, they are expressing their love for the dog and sharing their love with the viewing audience. This makes the author appear caring. Another thing that the boston bloggers try to build up in their character representation is a distaste for bad doggy parenting: animal abuse, neglect, improper feeding habits, etc.. To create more credibility in posts, people refer to online sources for information and their vets or they just site past experience.

What makes a blog reader come back for more?

What makes a blog reader come back for more?

Blog readers return to sites with subject matter that sparks their interest and provide information relevant to their searches. The site should be well orgnanized and user-friendly to please the audience as well.

New Year's 2009

Hi Everyone!

Welcome to our New Year's Resolutions blog! What resolutions did YOU make for 2009, and how are you doing on keeping them?

The year is still early so keep at it and good luck!