Journal 9

I think google is both beneficial to general knowledge and is very practical, however I would say that it is hindering some aspects of human learning. With google, searching for answers on a given subject can be easily done. However, the amount of misinformed or insufficiently supported content on the internet is overwhelming. Besides the fact that knowledge may not be trustworthy, google shortens our attention span and drives us to find quick answers online rather than reading a credible book or text on the subject. Because googling something is a lot easier than going to the library or reading a text book, I believe it is making us lazier and less thorough. I believe we retain information longer if we are physically responsible for retaining such information, such as writing down responses after reading a chapter.

judging a website by its design

http://www.anthropologie.com/anthro/index.jsp?cm_guid=1-_-100000000000000023901-_-5624732453&cm_mmc=Google-_-Brand_General-_-anthropologie-_-Broad+Ad_5624732453

Although my description of Anthropologie may be a little bias, seeing as I love their products, it cannot be denied that it is a visually appealing website. Even if you know nothing about the style of clothing that is sold there, you can get a feel for it upon entering the website. Despite the beautiful and creative images of models in their attire, the text looks to be modeled after something that a typewriter would have written and the colors are neutral. This gives it a neat and sophisticated look with a hint of vintage. The images change smoothly and there are even video clips of the models which also adds a level of quality. When clicking through the site, there is a definite pattern of vintage and this is good that it is consistent. I think this website is well put together as well as visually appealing.

On the other hand...

http://yvettesbridalformal.com/

This is honestly one of the most ridiculous websites I have ever encountered (and growing up computer savvy, I have seen hundreds of websites). Everything about this site is wrong. There are too many colors, no organization of the links, a cluster of random images in the background that don't even relate to bridal attire, and the images that do show brides are low quality and look as if they are taken from a cell phone. The text is not helpful or informative, but distracting and looks as if a child had a bit too much fun playing with the paint software. I do not think that anyone would seriously inquire to what Yvettes Bridal has to offer after taking one look at the website. It completely destroys any credibility they may hope to have.

switch the style up

I would definitely say that my voice is consistent no matter the audience. While I may have to adjust the content and the way in which it is presented, the structure of my sentences and the style I choose to arrive to the point with rarely vary. I'm not exactly sure if this is a strength or a weakness, but maybe it's a little of both. I think it is important to be comfortable and familiar with your style of writing, but at the same time I don't think it is beneficial to never stray from it. This is something that I hope to explore more as my writing level advances and I have to tackle harder subjects. I want to be able to say things in different ways but not lose the meaning.

Journal 8

www.purple.com

Is actually the most pointless website I have ever seen in my life. It is just the color purple and has zero reason for even existing. There are no links, no text, nothing. There isn't even anything to analyze for it.

www.gatorade.com

I think that the official gatorade website is very eye catching and informative. If one were to rhetorically analyze this website it would be very easy to do so. The images, colors, and text are all very attention grabbing and informative. It is very easy to navigate through this website and if you need to find something, it is easy to figure out where on the website that information would be.

Journal 10

I definitely think that my style changes depending on my audience. I notice this even in every day life. When I am texting my friends, I text very differently than when I am even texting my mom or my dad. When I notice that I am doing this I kind of laugh to myself, because I catch myself almost acting like a completely different person. I think that it is definitely important to change your voice, but not change it too much. I think that when I am writing in class I have a consistent voice, and when I am texting my friends I have a almost consistent voice- but the two voices are different, since my audiences are not even close to being the same.

Wordle

I think that this wordle really describes my writing for this semester. I also think that it is really funny about what some of the words that I used a lot were. But I did spend a lot of time working on inquiry three, which was my longest paper so it make sense that words from that inquiry are the ones that stand out.

Journal 4

I think Koehler's argument is very effective! it is a fun topic and i love the way she presents it in a humorous way. Remediating the famous Hamlet quote into textspeak was a good way to get her initial point across. I completely agree with her point that the use of textspeak in text messages is starting to hurt the language. People are getting so used to talking like that in text messages that sometimes when they're writing a formal paper, they forget to use proper grammar and sometimes even words. Very few "words" in textspeak are actual word. believe it or not, IDK is not a word. It bugs me when people say this in a CONVERSATION with me. In conclusion, Koehler is very effective in her argument and provides clear examples and logical reasons for her claims.

Journal 2

Me: I think that this add is very interesting. Its cool how it shows all of the people supporting there athletes and showing them being right their with them. I thought it did a great job of capturing the patriotic spirit that the Olympics are all about. Im not really concerned with what Adidas is selling. Obviously they are a company trying to make money but I thought the adds were great.

George W. Bush: Hello there everyone I would like to share some of my inner, important thoughts that I keep up here in my head, under my cowboy hat that i like to wear when Im just relaxing on the ranch. First off I don't like adidas, I'm sponsored by Nike, so Just do it. Secondly I don't like the color red, its very vibrant and scary, Just like China. I don't know what those people are trying to do they are always trying to confuse me with big crazy words like science and education. For that These adds are now part of my axis of Evil.

Grandma: I think these adds are really cool. I like how they made the background grey and the players red. I don't know how they got that many people to stand there for all of the pictures, that must have been really tough.

Journal 2

Me: I think this is a very effective advertisement. It really gets the pathos in me going because I was a soccer player and high school and there is nothing more thrilling than playing in an important soccer game and knowing that there are tons of fans rooting for you to succeed. The image of the hand holding up the soccer player in the red uniform implies that their hopes ride on his performance and although there is a lot of pressure on him, he has so much motivation and adrenaline to succeed.

Tom Brady: This advertisement really hits home for me because as an NFL quarterback there is a lot of pressure on me to do well and also a lot of people cheering both for and against me. I know how he feels having so many peoples' dreams of winning a World Cup riding on his performance. I have won 3 Super Bowls so I'm aware of the great feeling when the ultimate success is achieved and let me tell you, it's the best feeling in the world.

Mom: Every time i see this advertisement I can't help but think back to my son's high school boys volleyball State Championship. His team won the tournament and went home with very impressive rings. The arms holding this player up reming to my feelings towards him during that game. I was his biggest fan in the world and every but of me was pulling for him to succeed. Once the final point was over and they were champions, the look on his face was enough to make the stress of rooting for him during such a tight game worthwhile.

My Voice

I think that overall my voice remains generally the same. I think that depending on your audience one always needs to alter the way that they speak and present themselves slightly, but I don't believe changing your voice completely for different people is a good idea and I don't think I do it at all. I obviously believe that I would present an idea or speak differently to a friend of my parents that I've never met before than I would to one of my best friends I've known all my life. However changing my voice to much would change who I was and make my actual voice not as strong. Therefore I try to be presentable and respective at all times no matter who I am talking to and what I am talking about.

My Voice

I think that my voice stays relatively the same no matter what kind of paper or audience i'm addressing. However, what I write about may be different depending on the audience. If I was writing to an older audience I would try to talk about different things than if I was talking to a younger audience. However I do think it is ok for a writer to change their voice in different types of writing. Sometimes it can help the writer to better get their point across and address issues that they wouldn't normally be able to touch on. Overall I think that writer's can have more than one voice.

Wordle --- absent for assignment!

Journal 10

We all have a special voice. A voice that has changed and molded as our writing has matured, and as we have matured as adults. Because we are all different in so many ways, a voice is the honing of who you are and how you represent yourself as a writer. No matter the audience, a unique voice will always shine through. Developing a defined voice is my most sought after goal. Each word I type, every sentence I finish, I feel like my voice is getting closer to being polished into a distinctive and unique style of writing that I can be proud of.

Today, I look at my writing and it is hard to distinguish whether I have a distinct voice. I don't see anything special when I look back at my papers and journals. It's harder to pick up on my own voice than it is to view other authors. Some great writers, some peers. Vonnegut, Hemingway, and that one girl in my creative writing class all have such clear distinct voices. It's a shame not to understand the distinctiveness of my own voice. I try to write with as much variation as possible to include new ideas and various structuring. If anything can describe my voice, I guess it would be the same as my mindset going into writing every new paper. Bold, Different, New. Consistency will always be there no matter how much you try, because we are all different in our own ways of writing so the audience can only change one thing. Through which point of view do we express our voices.

Journal Ten

I think that it is very important to use a voice in your writing that can be relatable to the audience. I think that that each specific type of audience deserves a specific type of writing. In my writing I use different voices based on the audience I am presenting to. When I talk about something serious, I use a serious tone. When I talk about a personal experience, I write it the same way I would say it to someone. I think that people like to be talked to, not preached or yelled at. Using different voices in writing also makes you a more diverse writer and makes you appear to the audience that you are flexible in your writing styles and that you are unique.

ENG 111-BM: Journal 10

ENG 111-BM: Journal 10: Style and voice is what makes a writer a writer

Writing-like any other skill-depends on the unique abilities of the writer. A writer's voice and style is what sets him/her apart from other writers; Lebron James and Kobe Bryant, for example, are great basketball player but each has a unique set of skills that set them apart from other great players. To become a good writer you have to possess a variety of style and voices because writing is based on audiences. For example, the way you might construct a writing assignment for a research paper might be different from the way you write your daily journal in both style and voice. For me style and voice depends on the audience that I am addressing. When I'm writing I am constantly thinking about the audience-how they might feel, what would be their response, how I want them to feel etc. These are some of the things that influence my writing voice or style. Having a consistent voice/style in writing is like a eating the same meal everyday-you get tired of it. People will eventually get bored with your work because you bring the same thing to the table each time. As a writer you want to surprise your readers, you want them to be anxious to read your material, you want to keep them interested etc. all these things cannot be achieved if you have a consistent. In short style and voice are the most important aspect of writing.

Journal 10

I think its important to have an identity as a writer, a style that is. Every writer should know who they are and regardless of how hard they try, each writer has an unmistakable style. However, it is also important to be able to portray your point in a variety of ways depending on the audience. In order to get your point across, the audience has to be able to connect with what you're saying. So, style is important because that's what makes people fond of your writing, but at the same time you need to be able to make a point in multiple, varied ways.

journal 10

I would say my voice changes depending on the audience. When the audience is someone who I am trying to impress I certainly put more time and effort into what I am writing. Whereas when I am writing informal letters to a friend or to somebody who I don't mind how I sound I don't put as much time and effort into it. If texting is consider a form of writing, then I definitely would say my voice changes depending on the audience. Nobody texts the same way they would write an English paper. I also believe that if the audience is somebody who will judge or grade your paper, then of course the author will try and sound as intelligent as possible. So depending on where my voice/sound is being express changes the form of my writing.

journal 10

I think depending on my audience that my style changes, but my voice doesn't. I think that I tend to write my sentences differently and I change my style so my audience is interested in what I'm talking about. I want to try and appeal to my audience while I write, and not all my styles of writing do that, so you want to choose what is best for your audience. I think that voice, on the other hand, is something that doesn't change. Your voice is literally how you would talk, but on paper. All good writers have a distinct voice that stays consistent.

post 10

Looking back on my writings, my tone and voice is pretty consistent. There are some changes in my voice and tone however when writing a research paper and when writing a personal paper. My tone is a lot more informational in my research paper. I think it is important to have a consistent voice, because that voice is unique to that author, making it possible to distinguish from other works.

journal 10

Even though I have not noticed a difference in writing style for my various essays, I believe that the style of a work should depend on the audience. It is not a good idea to write a paper for entrance into a graduate school program the same way that one would write a paper for a creative writing class. For this class, I always know that the paper will be read by the same person so that may be a reason why I have not changed my writing style from paper to paper. However, in general, it depends of the actual type of writing. If it is writing for pleasure or for a class, then people should keep a consistent voice because that is what defines a writer. But for more important essays such as an application essay, then it should always be in a formal style. But for my writing, it seems like it was all in a more similar voice just because I had the idea in my mind that it was going to be read by the same person each time.

Journal 10

After looking over my writing from this semester, I noticed that I have a consistent voice. No matter what the topic is, I can always tell that I wrote it myself. My style of writing, although it develops and matures a little at a time, is overall consistent. The way that I approach each of the essays and the method or layout of each essay is usually a little different depending on the topic, but I still keep my voice. Inquiry I is much different from Inquiry III because they require different types of writing. One is more personal and the other is more informational. You can still have your same style and voice, even when writing about different topics or issues.

Journal 10

Yes, I would say my style does change depending on what my topic and the audience I am presenting it too. Depending on the age group I can use bigger words or simpler statements depending on the literary level of the reader. Even though i believe a writer cannot complete change there writing style because they will always have that one trademark style that sets them apart from others. But they can tweak in different areas to give the impression its different. I think it is more important to be able to change your writing style because than you can attract wider range of readers and viewers where as having a consistent style only appeals to those same viewers you already have. People like new and exciting things they don't like to hear the same thing over again.

Voice changes but not opinion

My style does change for my different audiences. However, my main idea stays the same. My opinion about a topic will not change because I feel like I have to impress someone. That is mine and mine alone. But I am not going to lay an idea or voice it very strong if I know my audience doesn't approve. My voice will change because it has to be appropriate for the situation. I have to be respectful for my audience. As long as I keep my opinions that i hold dear and keep what I believe strong then I feel that I am able to voice it keeping in mind everyone else's feelings and how they would react to it. Being mature about how I voice it is the most important because knowing the way to get the point across is a very big thing.

Journal 10

I think your style does change depending on your audience. Throughout all of my papers my voice doesn't remain consistent because of my audience. I have to change my style and because my style changes, my voice does as well. Depending on your audience, sometimes it is important to present a strong voice in your writing and other times I feel it is important to not come off as aggressive. So, I think you should stay some what consistent with your style, but your style is always going to have to be altered in some way. Your style is not always going to fit your assignment. Also, yes I do think having a consistent voice is important, but not every teacher I've had likes to see my voice throughout papers. Knowing when you can and are expected to put your voice in, and than asserting it in your assignment, is key.

my one and only voice

Although it seems logical to have a different voice and style depending on who your audience is, I just can't seem to change my voice when I write. In my fifth inquiry I actually talk about this. I think that writing is a permanent way to use your voice and have people remember you for who you are -- so why would you want to change that!? I also think that using your own, signature voice on everything you write allows your writing to mean more to you and allows you to feel like it's truly a product of your own thoughts!

Journal #10

In my papers this semester I’ve kept the same voice but I’ve learned that this voice does not always suit every topic or argument. For my issue inquiry I used my sarcastic and witty voice just like every other paper I’d written but I found that in this paper such a sarcastic edgy tone was the wrong one. The issue was much more serious than my wit portrayed and while trying to lighten up the topic is good being too harsh really damaged my writing. In every other paper this voice was perfect and made my papers unique to me. It especially set apart my Inquiry I paper and made it really funny while still to the point.

Style/Voice

I think I am pretty consistent on keeping the same style and voice throughout all of my papers. I always write a certain way I feel like and even though people change their styles when they write, I feel like even if I did try and change it that I would still be able to see similar things that would make it mine. I don't think this is a bad thing because I see authors writing different books with the same style to it and I can tell that it is the same author. I also think that in a way it is like music, when you hear a certain artist and you can just tell that it their voice. It is a particular voice that makes it stand out and you are immediately like "oh this is..." an example of an artist would be Kid Cudi or maroon five who have very distinct styles and voices that jump out at you. I think this is the same as writing in a way because when you start reading papers you can tell who's is who's after awhile once you pick up similar things they do in each of their essays.

Wordle description

This wordle is an accurate interpretation of my writing because in the image, there is a clear progression from start to finish as the words move towards the right of the screen. I like to think this is how many of my essays also progress. There is a clear objective and the things i talk about in an essay get more and more relevant as the essay progresses. This is because an essay should move from general in the introduction to specific in the body.

Wordle

Journal 10

Consider your style/voice. Does your style change depending on your audience? Or is it more important to always have a consistent voice?

Due: Thursday. Dec 8

Wordle Assignment

This Image represents my writing because I like to think of myself as a simple writer in the sense that my writing is easy to understand yet creative. If you look at the image you will notice that most of the words are simple and any decent reader can read and understand them.

WM II- wordle

I like this writers memo because a lot of the words incorporated in this wordle are an underlying theme in many of my inquiries.

This was a writers memo from the first essay written for class. This reflects how I wrote for that essay and looking at this from the beginning I think you can say some things have changed.

Wordle

These words describe my writing style - paper, information, research, rhetoric, music, etc. I guess I use these words a little more than I thought I did.

wOrDs

I made sure to make my wordle scattered but at the same time the words all fit in a cohesive way together. I hope this is how my writing is! I was honestly afraid to see what my word cloud highlighted as my main words, but to my surprise the biggest words were paper, think, and technology, and PSA - so I'm okay with that.

Wordle

I think using the Wordle program created an image that defined me because it includes words such as think, good, research, argument, information, change, make, music, examples and others that are of importance to me as an English student. Also, I think having the color scheme of a dark background and warm colors is similar to my personality so overall is shows a lot about me.

Wordle

This wordle represents me in a lot of different ways. The colors are light, warm layed back colors which represents my personality. Then the font represents me because I just liked it in general. The horizontal feature represents me as well because it was different than just regular vertical writing.

This wordle is a reflection of my writing as well as my personality. It is a reflection of my writing because throughout all of my writing you can hear my voice and see my personality through my papers. Im very girly and I have a very bright and upbeat personality and that shows in my papers, so I picked bright colors for the wordle theme. Also, I like that the words are scattered all over the place in this theme because usually my thoughts are all over the place and scattered.

I thought this image did represent my writing in my memos. I think this would be a useful tool for seeing what words you use often and maybe want to take out.

writer's memo wordle

title="Wordle: writers memos"> src="http://www.wordle.net/thumb/wrdl/2820412/writers_memos"
alt="Wordle: writers memos"
style="padding:4px;border:1px solid #ddd">

I was surprised that like and think show up so much in my writer's memos. All the other words seemed pretty common and pertained to either the subject of my Inquiry or what the inquiry was about.

Wordle

This did not really surprise me that much. Some o the biggest words that pop out are argument, information, rhetoric and process. I usually talk about how I used rhetoric and what the argument I was trying to make was. Also I usually talk about the writing process and how I went about writing the paper.

wordle

This represents my writing because I like to keep things simple and get to the point. I think black and white illustrates that very well.

wordle

This picture represents my writing with words like audience, argument, appealed, think, information, facts, time etc. These are all important things to do with your writing. On the other hand, there were also a few other words I was surprised to see in there that didn't express my writing. For the most part those were helping words in a sentence though like well, make, kept, biggest etc. For the most part though this is a good representation of my writing. The words that are in the largest font reflect my writing pretty well.

I thought it was weird looking at the different words i used the most. I realized that I used the word "really" a lot but i didn't realize it was that high up there

wordle

It seems that a good amount of the words in the image are related to each individual writer's memo. But the other words seem to be more related to the parts of the paper that I did well and what parts of the paper need some more work.

words that shape my writing

Most of these words accurately describe my writing style because aside from the words that are in the bigger font, which are more of the topic matter of my writer's memos, the smaller words are descriptive of my work and show variety in the sense of vocabulary. A main goal of mine while writing is to write diverse sentences and make them as interesting and the least repetitive possible.

Journal 9

I do not think that the internet is making anyone dumber. The internet is amazing in the sense that you can get information you need at the time you need it. It is was easier to do a search for an article or just information about a topic online as opposed to taking a couple days to find it in books and newspapers. Some things on the internet have good and bad sides to them. They may distract you from doing your work but they also may let you communicate with people a great distance away from you. When using Google and yahoo and things like that you can acses the latest news and events going on in the world. Overall I think that Google and the internet in general benefit us more than it hurts us.

When we get online, we have everything in front of us. There is no need to search long and hard to find the weather, news, sports, entertainment, nightlife. its all right there. this is different from what it use to be before huge search engines and fast personal computers. We think differently now in the way that we comprehend information. Unless we have everything right there we don't know how to get it. Everything is just so convenient that there has been no need for some time to go to the actual library and check out an actual book. You could just go right to spark notes and read the summery and master it in half the time. With everything right there, the way that we see the world is changing. Right in-front of our very eyes. I don't think that this is a burden because it is helping us move faster and being more productive. But I do think that in the long run it will make us more stupid because we are loosing the ability to go out and search for ourselves. we are unable to know how to find what we are looking for.

Journal 9

I skimmed. Then, I realized what I was skimming, and slowed down a bit. Went back over some of the important stuff I missed. Everything made a lot more sense, Nicholas Carr hit a bad nerve that my and my peer's generation have to suffer. Processing tons of information and diffusing information from a body of text destroys the heart for reading. Books are shortened on sparknotes, imbd has movie summaries and analyses, and most any question you can possibly ask can be answered with a little browsing on google. Information comes at us so fast that we struggle to remember everything and instead we skim the information we take in and keep the important things. I find it completely natural sometimes. Carr brought up how Nietzsche changed his style of writing, which changed his method of taking in information. The change in his style of writing shows how drastic it would be for our minds to change from reading on paper, to a screen. There are also many other ways other than google that can hit you with a lot of information. Stumbleupon is a website that allows you to "stumble" around the internet. Constantly, new information pops up as you please. I think that our minds our being overloaded with information. It deals with it by takeing in only the most important parts of the information we process. Details left out can skew many topics, and change the direction of any subject. Slowing down is important because sometimes your mind needs to relax. You will feel, and do better when you do go back to writing research papers and lab reports.

Journal 9

I found this article very interesting and true. One point to be made is that Google does help us. For example when I'm writing an essay or paper for a class, it is so convenient to use Google to search for the topic we are looking for. Google displays pages upon pages of different websites that have articles or information that we are trying to find. In this sense, I do not see anything wrong with Google because I believe that it is helpful and useful. On the other hand, Google does make us rather lazy. We rarely go to the library to find books that have information we need. We use Google as a fast and efficient means of finding our information instead. It also affects our reading because as we skim over articles after articles we don't deeply concentrate or think about what we are reading. We miss important information because we are quickly skimming over websites and articles continuously brought about by using the search engine of Google. I found it interesting about the type-writer affecting a person's style of writing. I sort of agree on this. When I actually hand write out something, it does have a different style than if I am typing something. Though I wouldn't think of typed writing as mechanical, it does do something to the way I write. Since typing is quicker than writing something out by hand, people do not really concentrate as hard as they should about what they are writing (especially on emails, blogs, Facebook, etc.).

Is google making us stupid?

After reading this article, it really brought to my attention that it does have an effect on our lives. Even though our world is changing and advancing in technology, does not mean it's positive. From my personal experience, I believe reading off the computer is much more efficient and convenient. However, it does have effect of our ability to learn, absorb, and read altogether. The brightness of the computer distracts us from absorbing all the important information. The brightness also makes it hard to read for long periods of time, even though it is more convenient. Overall, I do agree that Google, along with the internet today is making our generations more stupid to absorbing, learning, and reading information.

Journal 9

After reading "Is google making us stupid" I think that our knowledge has changed by not just by increasing use of internet but by technology in general. I think that society's obsession to move faster and get things done quicker has forced our minds to keep up with the times. We want to scan articles (i will admit i did not read Carr's article thoroughly) and find what we need as fast as we can, and obtain the basic information level, rather than digging deep and completely understanding what the author is really trying to get at us, nor do we remember or take the time to learn small details. I think if anything technology has made us more distracted rather than making us stupid. I think that overall technology helps us be better communicators, but maybe not help us in developing a deeper desire for knowledge.

ENG 111-BM: Journal 9

ENG 111-BM: Journal 9: "Read and respond to 'Is Google Making Us Stupid?'

If we consider stupid as "slow in mind" then I would have to somewhat agree with the article that Google is making us stupid. The reason why I'm saying this is because without exercising our brains with activities such as reading, mental math, writing etc the mind tends to become slow-the more we exercise our brains the more we get out of it. Like the article said Google has become some type of an artificial brain with a bigger processor-that is we do not have to think as much for answers, we can get them with a click of a button. In the past when doing a research, for example, we had to go to the library and read different books to get what we are looking for-you might not know but this helps us think. With Google you don't have to do a lot of thinking, you can type in a research question and get a ton of answers and with those answers you don't even have to read them all, you can easily skim through them. Google has a lot of advantages with information on our finger tips, with more information about our world etc. My point is technology is the not bad, the way we make use of it can either be bad or good. Its in our best interest to deviate from the Internet sometimes and grab a book, or play some math games etc to engage our minds in deep thinking-that way our minds won't be slow.

I think that Google and new technologies are having an impact on the way that we think, learn, and live. I thought the point that was made about how its harder for people to really get deep into reading and that now people just skim for the main points is very true. Huge amounts of information are only a few clicks and seconds away and that is a very powerful tool. I do not, however, think that it is hurting the way we communicate. Technology makes communication between people much more accessible. The idea of everyone totally losing all their people skills is ridiculous. Another interesting topic that the article brought up was that our brains have become rewired in order to absorb these mass amounts of information. I think this is also a valid point. The general knowledge that most people have today is far greater than the knowledge that people had 100 or even 50 years ago.

Journal 9

Several ways that writing and knowledge change as we move online are that you don't have to read a book now a day, because there is always a short summary online that takes 10 minutes to get the entire plot, where as reading the book would take days. Also no one really needs newspaper anymore because you can find breaking news online easily and it comes out more frequently than a once a day newspaper. I think is technology we have no lets us better communicate because we can talk to friends immediately instead of having to send a postcard back in the day. The internet lets people stay current with popular events and emergencies. However, I do believe that we don't really explain ourselves as well over the internet as in person you is a draw back because everyone uses abbreviations now. The only burden I see with the Internet is that it keeps us only thinking about the present and its hard to think ahead or for the future because we get what we want instantly instead of working for it. So in some ways it is making us stupid but in other ways it is very helpful and convenient.

Journal 9

I do not think that Google is making us stupid, rather it is making us lazy. Google provides us with a wealth of knowledge right at our fingertips. However, because we are able to look up anything in a matter of seconds, we often fail to choose quality information. Especially when it comes to educational uses, Google has negative effects on the work ethic of today's students. Students used to have to do all work in books and I feel that learning out of a book is more effective than learning online. In this aspect, I guess Google is making us stupid.

journal 9

I do not agree completely with the idea that Google is making us stupid. Everything that is used now, during the age of technology, is created for the sole purpose of making our lives easier. People are so busy that people want to get things done quicker which is why people don’t want to take the time to read an entire book, they would much rather read a shorter version of the same article. So one could argue that Google is not making us more stupid, but it is making us lazier because we become accustomed to reading shorter articles. If we become used to reading these shorter articles, then we will not be able to read entire books or even lengthy articles. Google is part of the “problem,” but also sites like sparknotes.com and even news sites. For me, I don’t want to take the time to read 5 or 6 chapters of a book that I don’t even care about. I would much rather read 5 or 6 pages that include all the main events so I don’t have to waste my time on the minor details that are not important anyway. So it is not necessarily true that Google is making us stupid, it is just making us lazier. This will continue to get increasingly worse until we do not want to read anything at all, no matter what the length may be.

Journal Nine

In the article, Is Google Making Us Stupid, Carr suggests that Google is changing the way we read and the way we absorb information that we see. I agree with him; I think that reading via the internet is dangerous to our way of thinking and interpreting the information we read. I think that the internet can be used positively as a medium to transfer information to multiple groups of people. But I think that there are so many distractions and a feeling of "don't read this" with all of the ads surrounding an article or passage from a book, etc. that reading is impossible to do over the internet. Carr says that skimming and reading quickly are the most common ways of reading on the internet and that is changing the way we think. I think he's right and I feel that the internet is changing the way we think things through, and not in a good way.

Journal Nine

I feel very indecisive when it comes to this topic. In many ways I think the internet is very helpful to people. I think it even makes us smart or at least more "in-touch" and aware. Being able to access definitions, news articles, facts, statistics, images and all other forms of information is useful to everyone and can help strengthen any argument or idea. However, I also believe that the internet is changing the human species. Although I don't see at as a completely negative thing as many other people have said, I do see it as a tool that is shortening our attention span and frankly making us more lazy. Being able to access so much information so easily is good in the sense that it's accessible and information but bad in the way that it isn't valued the way it should be. Overall, I'm glad we use the internet the way we do but I can't deny that I'm a little bit nervous for the future.

Journal 9

I find it ironic that here I am reading an article about people who say that the internet has made it hard for them to read more then a few paragraphs, and here I am struggling to stay focused and read this entire article. I do believe this article has made a very valid point. The faster we can get answers online the less patient we will be to find answers the long and hard ways. Why read a book to find an answer when you can type in a few words on google and get an answer in seconds. I do believe this is affecting the way we communicate. Google and cell phones are destroying this generations communication skills, or are they just changing them? Although I would rather be able to communicate well face to face then through cell phones or computers. I do not believe they have effected our generation as much as they will the next generation. Talking to people is very important, reading books is very important, and staring at a computer screen hurts my head. So therefore I do believe that google has made us stupid and it will continue to get worse in the future.

google and our brains

After doing my inquiry three research paper on a topic very similar to that of the article "Is Google Making Us Stupid?" I've had a lot of time to think on the topic. I researched many people's points of views, and as most of them were expert opinions I had a hard time disregarding any of the ideas that they were saying. As I kept reading on the topic, I realized that everyone was mainly tuned into the fact that our thinking habits were simply changing. In my opinion I think our 'changing ways' is nothing to be fearful of. The internet has brought our society so far that there is no way we can be worried about becoming less intelligent. If it weren't for our new ways with internet I wouldn't be writing this right now! With that, I would have to disagree with the main point of the article - although I completely agree with many of his examples and observations.

Journal 9

I do not agree with this article that the Internet is making us stupid. If anything it is filling our minds with more knowledge than we have ever had before. Also the news and articles are getting out much faster then they used to so we have more up to date information then if we were to read a book or a newspaper article the next day. I do think when researching anything it is important to make sure that it is a credible source and that the information that you are reading is reliable. That is one drawback to having all this information on the Internet because you do not know if all of it is true or not. As far as researching students should continue to get information from sources other than the Internet because at times it may become a little to easy for the student to find the exact information they are looking for, but it is not from a credible source. When talking about interest in long papers I would tend to agree that I skim through the article at first sight every time before I read the full thing. I decide if it is worth reading in a matter or a few seconds rather then going ahead and reading the full article. In a way I think that Americans have become a little lazy when reading through full articles, but there is so much out there that if something is boring then we can find something else to read really fast. I do not feel like that is a bad thing, it is just a habit that is a result of all of this information.

Journal 9

I do agree with the statement that the internet is changing us, but I am not sold on if its for the better or worse. I will admit that after a few paragraphs I started to skim until I came to the sentence about individuals skimming articles and than I tried to read the rest of it without skimming and I found this a bit difficult to do. I do think that the internet is a great invention, and I sort of agree that the way we think and read is changing. I do not if thats from google or just because times are changing, the world and technology are always going to be constantly changing, so we will be too. We change and adapt to the technology that changes and adapts. I think google, or the internet can benefit and harm us. It benefits us because research that used to take hours to conduct, now takes seconds on the internet, but on the flip side it does make it harder to listen to a long lecture or simply wait in line, or read a lengthy article because we are so used to get our answer, now. We do not want to wait for the point of a lecture, or the point of an article, we as readers want everything strait to the point. Everything needs to be straight to the point. So, I guess the question becomes if there are these "negative affects" from google or the internet what and how much are the effecting and does this outweigh the positives that the internet and google provides. I can not agree with him fully or disagree with him fully because I see both sides of the argument.

what is happening to my brain

I tend to agree with Mr. Carr when he relays his frustrations of being unable to focus on a something for an extended amount of time and looking for something else to do. Although I think we can all agree that the Internet is a miraculous invention and makes research and knowledge much more accessible, it also has its downside. I don't think using this medium is making us dumb, but I do believe that it is changing the way we think which isn't necessarily to our advantage. We skim through articles that catch our interest and when we get the gist we move on to another web page and do the same. When it comes to reading assignments such as novels, short stories, or analytical texts we often realize that we can't apply the same method, and get bored with focusing in on the text for crucial details. This doesn't make us less smart, just less disciplined.

Journal 9

I agree, I don't think that the internet is making anyone dumber. As for writing, I think the internet is a very useful tool. Like it mentioned in the article, you can find information instantaneously rather than it taking days to sort through books and other information. For example, if you're writing a research paper, the internet has made it much easier to find the facts and information you need to write it. As far as your attention span goes, the internet also provides a lot of websites to distract you from doing homework or other things, but I don't think you can prove that people that are on the internet often have a smaller attention span. Overall, I think the internet has benefited humans much more than it has harmed us.

Journal #9

I don’t think that the advances of the internet are making me stupid, of course you do have those slacker who use the internet as their base of knowledge and believe everything they read. There is a slight drawback to how much there is on the internet; it makes it extremely easy to plagiarize or cheat. On the other hand it makes information so much more accessible to many more people than could have previously been reached. I think some people have used the internet to fake knowledge which in the long run only hurts them, but without the internet they would have found another way to do this. I believe that there will always be people who, no matter what technology is out there, will use all means necessary to avoid work, the internet has just made this easier for some. But over all I don’t think the internet is a deterrent to gaining knowledge but rather something that can further it.

Journal 9

Read and respond to "Is Google Making Us Stupid?" Consider the ways that writing and knowledge change as we increasingly move online. Will this technology help us to be better communicators? Or is it a burden that, like Carr suggests, is making us stupid?

Journal 8

http://cincinnati.craigslist.org/ is an unattractive website. It is only white and blue and is very boring. It is extremely basic and even though it is organized there is nothing to catch the attention of the viewer. The design of the site does not do much to give credibility to Craigslist. There really isn't a main title, all of the font is the same, it lacks creativity.

http://www.apple.com is a well designed website. It is visually attractive with clear and impressive images and easy to navigate. The text on the site varies and makes the viewer want to read more about the products. Instead of just listing the products as links, it has pictures that the viewer can scroll through. There is always an interesting showcase or ad for one of their products on the homepage that draws the viewer in. Overall apple has a very interesting homepage.

attractive website: http://www.sweetdolce.com/Sweet_Dolce/Home.html

This is a good website because the colors blend together and the pictures in the front really give you a good idea of what the website is all about. The order is easy to understand and it is very easy to navigate. Everything flows together very well

terrible website: http://larrycarlson.com/medijate/index2.htm

This is a bad website because it is way to in your face. it takes ugly visual effects and forces them right to you. it also is very hard to navigate. Another thing is that it is hard to tell what the website is even about. there is so much going on you don't know what to do with it.

journal 8

http://thebiguglywebsite.com/
Obviously, the goal of this website was to create a terrible looking webpage and they did just that. On the front page, their is nothing going on and it also looks like a spammer website. Not to mention the wording and colors on the page don't go together so it makes the website even worse. This is mainly true because anyone that visits the website can add text to the page. Rhetorically, the page does not accomplish anything but it seems like the page is supposed to be more funny than helpful

http://news.cincinnati.com/
This website is a good site for local news. It is helpful because all the news is laid out and easy to navigate around. The categories are divided into news, sports, entertainment, and opinions. They also have the most popular stories on the front page for people who don't have much time to look through all the news.

Journal 8

www.yahoo.com

This is a very attractive website. The layout is phenomenal and its very appealing. I like how the site is very simple and user friendly while its also informative and useful. The left margin contains a diverse array of tabs describing the many features of the website. In the center, the headlines section catches the eye. Here, there are four interesting headlines ranging from sports to pop culture. There are features for every type of person. There are sports headlines, pop culture headlines, stock information, recipes and many more.

www.moeller.org

This is an unattractive website. This was the website for my highschool and i always had the hardest time navigating it to find what i was looking for. The layout is mildly appealing but overall its too complex. The information provided on the homepage is not useful. The most useful information should be the most accessible, not the other way around.

Journal 8

http://beadstylemag.com

This is a very attractive website. It is the website of Bead Style Magazine, so the use of color plays an important role in its rhetoric. On the home page are shown many jewelry pieces for each category - the cover of the current issue, free projects for registered users, free projects for subscribers only, articles on different techniques, reader's challenge winner, etc. Also next to the words "Bead Style Magazine" is a beautiful necklace coming onto the page. There is a tab for almost anything you want to look up such as back issues, special issues, basics, videos on various techniques, resources, and the list continues. It is very easy to navigate and find just what you are looking for. The adds are all bead related - various online stores that sell beads such as Shipwreck Beads, Fire Mountain Gems and Beads, Goody Beads, Rings and Things, etc. The rhetoric is very persuasive in this website, especially in the way that it shows various jewelry projects that have captions like "make this now," or "under an hour," or "check out this project" for example.

http://beadsofbali.com

This is an example of an ugly website. The page is mostly white with a little color along the top. I mean, if their supposed to be showing their beautiful beads from Bali, they could at least have a nice looking, attractive website. It has a list of super deals, your shopping cart, and product index. It is very simple, almost too simple. There are hardly and examples or pictures of jewelry on the entire home page. If I was looking for beads and supplies and came across this website, I would probably go back to the Google search engine and try to find some other website that is more appealing to the eye. This website does not give me excitement about beads or jewelry. It is very dull and lacks visual rhetoric.

Journal 8

http://www.taylormadegolf.com/

I choose this site for my site that is attractive to me. This site works for me in the ways that I am a golfer and taylormade is a golf equipment supplier. I also use taylormade golf clubs because they appeal to me in there color and design. I also like the colors used which are red and black that create a serious mood which I take as taylormade being serious about what they do. All so the color red is used to highlight the important areas of the site while not taking away from the overall image. The website just draws in the viewer with catchy displays. This makes the rhetorically appealing because it shows that taylormade is serious about what they do. Also taylormade uses the fact that they are the number 1 driver company in golf which uses true facts that they mean business.

http://mylifeisbro.com/

This site was ugly to me because the font is unattractive and very plan on the website. The entire site is a gray color which isn't very attractive and you just seem to get lost in the screen because nothing pops out. The site is just plain period, and I'm a person who likes catchy things so the website just doesn't cut it. This website does not work rhetorically because nothing is really going on in the home page. There are no important facts or credible people endorsing this website on the front either. But the website is still pretty chill.

ENG 111-BM: Journal 8

ENG 111-BM: Journal 8: "Journal 8: Post a really ugly website, then a really attractive website. Tell me why they do and don’t work visually and rhetorically."

http://www.facebook.com/ Facebook is a social network that was launched in February 2004. Google says that Facebook is the most popular website in the world-I agree with this statement because Facebook is a really attractive website. Currently Facebook attracts more than 500 million users around the world and that number would have tripled if the website was not banned in countries like China and Pakistan. The number advantage not only makes this website a favorable social network but also a commercial website because businesses can post ads, make pages for their businesses etc. Also non-profit organizations like Red Cross, Help Haiti etc can use it as tool to get their message across so people can donate money to them. This makes this website both visually and rhetorically attractive.

http://www.tvguide.com/ This website is probably the most boring website in the world-that is because it is confusing and unattractive. Its suppose to be a TV guide where people go and see what shows are playing but there are too many unnecessary things on the home page. This confuses the viewer and all you want to do is get out of there and look for an easy alternative. That makes it not attractive both visually and rhetorically.

Journal Eight

Appealing website: www.melissaperryphotography.com

This website is appealing visually because the photos that the photographer has uploaded photos that are beautiful and visually pleasing. The website is not cluttered and it has nice, neat font that is easy to read. The colors are clear and modern and the music is new and fun. Rhetorically this website is appealing because the photographer gives all of her prices and states that she works around the customer's schedule. She does not only talk about photography but everyday life and how her photos incorporate her subject's personality into his or her pictures.

Unappealing website: www.wikipedia.com

This website is very boring, in my opinion. There are very little pictures and the colors are dull. There are too many words everything is very cluttered. I think that wikipedia is not well put together rhetorically because it is unorganized and noit visually appealing at all. It is also unappealing because of where the information in the website comes from. Anyone can make changes to the website and post their opinions. This factor makes Wikipedia a very unappealing source along with is poor organization, bad visual attributes and lack of color.

craigslist.com
I think this is the ugliest website that I have visited. The front page of the directory is filled with blue links, and the whole page looks blended together. Visually, it fails to clearly show all thats available, and its unappealing look makes it hard for someone to want to look around for the information. By making simple changes, the words and links can become a lot more vibrant and easy to read. Rhetorically, it has a little value because all the info is concise and organized. For someone looking to filter through a lot of info, the website has value and purpose.

google.com

This website is personally a much more appealing way of setting up a website. A perfectly clean background with very little information makes a much more organized look. The logo is in the center and the other options on the site are neatly organized on top. Rhetorically, it shows that it is authentic, can do a lot, but has no pathos appeal. There is no "wow" factor but nonetheless it appeals to a clean user.

Boring websites

This website is really boring. http://www.pattiann.com/webcam/paint.html

The only thing going on the webpage is a video feed of paint drying since 1988. This website is not really clear on the purpose or mission of creating it. Im not really sure why anyone would go to this website ever. There are really no rhetorical agendas at play.

http://www.whoismgmt.com/us/home -- This website is awesome. Fans can upload their own art creations/images that will be displayed on the website, in addition to checking out events that MGMT will perform at, listen to songs and watch videos of MGMT, buy merchandise, ask questions to the band, and learn more about the group. The website does a great job of displaying what MGMT is all about and how their music is influenced by art and visuals. You can watch their music videos which helps delve into their mindset and how they view music as creative and imaginative.

Journal 8

http://www.ice.muohio.edu/club_hockey/

In my opinion this is one of the most boring websites I have ever been on. Unfortunately I have to look at this website quite frequently because I am on the team. It is boring to me because often times the information I am trying to gather when I am on this site is not their or is not easily accessible. It takes me a long time to find what I am looking for therefore it is not very organized. As far as looks go the whole website is red and white with black bordering. No matter where you adventure to on the website it is the same theme, there aren't any pictures or different themes. Therefore to me it is a very boring website.

http://www.bauer.com/

This is a very neat website. Right when you enter there are two big pictures of hockey players as the background. This grabs the viewers attention and edges them to see more. The website is also very organized and easily accessible. The pictures are very crisp and clear which also grabs the attention of the viewer. Every click of the mouse is a new theme/picture which means that the viewer is constantly engaged in the website.

Journal 8

Ugly Website: http://www.worldsmostboringwebsite.com/about/

Much like the description in the name of the website, this really is the worlds most boring website. There is absolutely no color-- the background is white and the text is just off white enough for you to read. There is no variation in the text size and no separation with paragraphs or sections of the website. It's not interactive or fun to read. I get bored just looking at it for a few seconds.

Good Website:http://www.worldbestwebsites.com/

This website is colorful and easy to read; while it contains a lot of information about a lot of things (news, movies, sports, awards etc.) it's able to include everything in side tabs without making it look cluttered for confusing. Also because it contains so much information, it makes it really interesting to look through and you'll never get bored from it. Finally, it's super organized which really helps make it a great website.

journal 8

http://thebiguglywebsite.com/
This website is the ugly website that does not work. The colors are the most noticeable that make the website unappealing because its hard to read because the bright colors collide together. It's very confusing and unorganized. It does not succeed in making the website popular.
http://blog.philwebservices.com/how-to-make-simple-and-well-organized-website
This website is the attractive website that works very well. The colors are very appealing and calm. It is easy to navigate, making it very organized. Overall, it is very successful because it is popular because people like easy to navigate websites.

Journal #8

http://art.yale.edu/
This is an ugly website. The layout is confusing and there are way too many bright colors mixed together. With all these bright colors it makes the text hard to read. The name and address of the school is hard to read on the background art with the orange of the text doesn’t show up well. If the website is this disorganized and hard to read why would you attempt to go to school there?
http://www.lovegivesmehope.com/
This is an attractive website. It’s easy to navigate, easy to read and has links to other similar sites. This site is directed more towards women but some of the stories posted are by men. It’s a forum to post love stories and is easy to figure out and you can even vote on the top stories.

Journal 8

http://edurhetor.wordpress.com/2010/06/25/website-rhetoric-of-mayoral-candidates/

This website i think is ugly. It's white and boring. There just paragraphs after paragraphs of reviews of rhetoric. They rate other peoples pieces on rhetoric. Ironically i think if you're going to rate other peoples websites or work than your own work should be excellent. I think the website uses dull colors along with weird pictures that are random. Rhetorically they didn't make since at all because they are critiquing other peoples work yet there's sucks. So, they kinda of just made there own example of rhetoric.

http://americanrhetoric.com/

This website i thought did a great job with rhetoric. It was busy and had a lot of pictures. The bold colors were eye catching and attention getting. The placement of the pictures and how the website is set up i think is fantastic. There is just about every type of rhetoric on that website. Also there not only is a lot of visual examples of rhetoric but there is also a lot of speeches and video's you can view. Overall i thought this website was creative and educational at the same time. They did a great job of presenting a lot of information through many examples and still kept a lot of visual examples to go with it which can help with keeping your audiences attention as well as getting your message across.

Journal 8

www.buytack.com: This is the website that I thought was the bad website. It is visually not appealing at all when looking to buy something. As soon as I clicked on the website I noticed that it looked very outdated, because of this I would never even look through the site to buy something. There is something about an outdated website that makes it look less credible to me as a consumer. It shows that the company doesn't care about their online shopping, which they should because it is a growing market with more people buying online then they ever have. Also when looking through the site it seemed like they have tried to make the site better by adding their facebook page, but failed to make it look modern in doing so.

www.paulemorin.com was a lot more interesting to look at as a consumer. It was very detailed with explanation about their boots that they have for sale. Also their website is very modern looking with very nice pictures of their products. The site gives off a good quality feeling when looking at it. It makes it look very expensive with how they have put everything on it. This website is sure to attract customers that will want to buy the product because they make it look like a very good quality place to buy something at.