I'm doing this while the rest of you are watching the Super Bowl. I'm also very tired, so please bare with me if this doesn't make a whole lot of sense.

"Writing for a Web Audience" by Constance J. Peterson

First off I want to say that I found it really interesting that almost everybody scans while reading online. I thought it was just me. And, I would have never imagined that people actually work their websites around this. I also didn't realize that there was so much to fixing a website for scanners (which is what this whole paper is about in case you haven't read it).

Another thing I found interesting just by reading the first page was the fact that people pay more attention to text rather than graphics. I thought the whole idea of graphics was to catch the attention of the reader. So my question to that is, what is the point of graphics then? So maybe Peterson needs to rethink this.

Alright, lets get into these 10 steps:

1. Punch up headlines: I agree that web visitors scan for headlines first, because there is no point in reading everything if you only need a small portion of it. The comment I didn't agree with in this section was that you shouldn't make headlines funny, cute, or silly. I tghink it completely depends on what you are writing about and who the audiance is. I always like papers (and of course headlines) that have something funny thrown in there. I think as long as it is relevant it doesn't really matter... but that is just me. I really liked the fact that the author includes HTML codes for the examples, such as <> for the first heading size. I thought that was a really good idea, not to mention very helpful.

2. Emphasize keywords: I wouldn't have thought about doing this either, but I really think it is a great idea. It draws the reader to what is important in whatever it is that they are reading. I also thought it was a good idea that the author included possible mistakes that someone may make while doing this (making the emphasis look like a regular hypertext link).

3. Harness the power of links: I have made websites before (lame ones) and I never once made a list. I guess I know why my sites have been so lame... I don't think about my audiance and their scanning. But this is also a really great idea. I love how the author explains exactly how to do this and once again talks about possible mistakes (full sentences or paragraphs).

4. Create meaningful captions: This brings me back to my graphics question, what is the point if people don't really look at them? I guess writing a caption would bring more attention and understanding to them. At least that may be the point Peterson is trying to get across. I don't know, I just think it is kind of contradicting (am I making sense? I'm getting more tired).

5. Simplify for understanding: I completely and totally agree with this. I think more people need to do this when writing. Giving readers less to read makes them happy, it is true. The smaller and simpler the words the better. No puns, no metaphors. This is my favorite part.

6. Invert the pyramid: I think I write like this any way. I was taught to write like that any way. Conclusion first, summarize points, supportive information, and background information. MOve the background information in between summarize points and supportive information and you have how I right. I don't think this is too different from how most people write, but it is still a good idea.

7. Write one idea per paragraph: I think this is also pretty well known as being correct. I know I have problems sometimes with that, but it isnt some new idea. I thik Peterson was struggling for ideas at this point.

8. Make each page stand alone: I do think this is a really good idea. You never know what page a reader will eneter your site at and because of this you need to make it stand on its own. I know this is one thing I have done for the websites I have made. So, at least they weren't completely lame.

9. Link wisely: I really liked the idea of the mouse-over text for glossary items. I think this is much better than hypertext links. I know I hate going to other sites to get what the first site should have explained by itself. It annoys me. So, I usually miss a lot by not clicking the links.

10. Be current, accurate, and credible: I think everyone probably agrees with this. I do think there is some really great old information out there, but for the most part people want what is new. Obviously it is important to be accurate and credible too otherwise no one would want to read what you have to say.

Ok, now that I have typed more than I meant to I'm going to go do the rest of my homework so I can fall asleep. Goodnight.

Jessica

This has nothing to do with what has been discussed in class, but I was thinking today about Microsoft Word, and the possible negative effect it has on our writing. As I post on these blogs, I find myself having to go back and captialize all my I's, fix the spelling on many of my words. I feel like this is mainly due to Microsoft Word. In Microsoft Word, you can write almost non-stop spelling words wrong and not capitalizing letters that should be capitalized. And all the while, Microsoft Word is making all the corrections. If you type in an uncaptialized I, and then hit space, it will capitalize it for you. If you misspell a word, it will find the word that it most closely resembles and correct the spelling for you.

I mention this because I have noticed that I struggle, and at times need to have a dictionary with me to check the spelling on words when I am using this blogger, which does not do the things that Microsoft Word does. I was wondering if anyone has any thoughts on this, or if anyone has noticed the same type of thing as they are posting their blogs. Feel free to respond.

Dylan

Here is a link to help you work out if you want to buy some new gear. It is a way to link up your running workout with your iPod nano.

www.nike.com/nikeplus/

This is crazy to me.

John

This journal article discusses the need to be literate with technology. It discusses the fact that, as a society, we get more and more information thrown at us daily. It comes at us in every venue of life, whether that be professional or personal. Because of this increase in access to knowledge, the personal filtering system of finding fact from fiction is increasingly important.

The text states that information literacy is highly connected to information technology, which is an interesting concept to me. Information literacy is being able to find the information you need, using the technology that is currently available, whether that is through a computer or other systems. It also consists of being able to mold and use the information that is retrieved. Information literacy is based in the information, where information technology is based in the technological aspects of finding the information. The information technology sector understands the ideas and functions the technology plays to access the data. Information literacy is extended through the technology, but is not reliant on it.

The goal of the informationally literate is to be a lifelong learner. This kind of literacy deals with seeking out useful knowledge from the vast field of information. Online and in-person classes should be comparable. The faculty and administration should be actively involved to make sure that the learning is similar in nature. It seems to me that online learning has more potential capabilities in creating these so-called life long learners, because the student can explore more on their own. In a traditional classroom, a student is less likely to ask a question, for fear that he/she will sound unintelligent. With distance learning, a private email can be carefully constructed, and discreetly sent.

The charge for instructors is to create an environment where students are free to creatively discover the answers to their questions. Critical thinking skills are more important. I believe that problem solving skills are lacking in many programs here at BSU. After landing in my tenth (and final) major, I have found a program that doesn't require you to spit back the sole solution that is listed in a book as the Truth (the capital T is not accidental). I think that technology has had some negative effects on education in the fact that Americans often want to find the quickest, easiest solution. The learning process is answer driven, not understanding driven. I think this is what is meant when the text states, "Guided by faculty and others in problem-based approaches, students reason about course content at a deeper level than is possible through the exclusive use of lectures and textbooks." I would personally like to get rid of textbooks for many of my courses, and have required readings from online sources, such as we have in this course.

Enough of that soapbox…

There are standards in place that students should be able to complete. There should be room for fluctuation between disciplines, based on their area of expertise. The five standards the authors list are to:

1) identify the kinds of information available, as well as the inherent biases the information may contain.

2) access appropriate information for researching in an economical manner, including the ability to refine the searches

3) identify if a source is legitimate and to compare it to the student's knowledge and value systems, and be able to settle intellectual differences

4) use information to accomplish a purpose

5) understand the implications of using information ethically and legally.

I assume that we as juniors and seniors at a public, accredited university, should be able to perform these tasks without much problem. If a university cannot live up to these standards, do they have to complete the accreditation process again, after being placed on a probationary period? What is done if these standards are not upheld? Who is policing them, and to what extent? If anyone has the answer, please let me know.

John

Eilola "Living on the Surface..."

A discussion of the rift between modernist and post-modernist humanity is the focus of this piece, which suggests that the nature of information and interface in the advancing technological world has created a new breed which are highly adept at the art of working within "real-time," non-linear circumstances. The author points to the juggling of simultaneous multiple data when playing video games, where split-second decisions, decisions which have become intuitive rather than consciously cognitive to the poste-modern generation, mean the difference between failure and success. This is the delineation between modernists and post-modernists; modernists stem from a school of thought which thrives on linear information, while post-modernists work within realms of multi-thread simultaneous information.

The fact that such a pronounced distinction between "modernists" and "post-modernists" is suggested by Eilola led me to consider that with the rate of increase in technological advancement, it is unlikely that mankind will ever "evolutionarily" catch up with technology. as each new breakthrough develops and becomes mainstream, the generation familiarized from youth with that technology will come to use it flawlessly and effortlessly, while the previous generation struggles to remain proficient. In that case, the post-modernists who have developed this ability to work within non-linear constructs, a skill which seems to be difficult to master for modernists, will themselves be de-throned by the next generation of nouveau post-modernists who will embrace whatever further advancement comes into existence in the next decades. Analyzing the advancement of technology from the standpoint of a stable cultural shift may be an extraneous effort since the dynamic nature of technology makes it impossible to predict what sort of world we will all live in twenty years from now. Global communication networks and "living on the surface" may rule the post-modern generation, allowing it to thrive for a few years or decades, but it begs the question, what will the title/thesis be of Eilola's protege be when the post-modernists themselves have been supplanted by a new breed who find global communication networks as blase as ten-year-olds now find typewriters?

Digital Literacy Checklist

This checklist is designed to list the skills required to use, interpret, and create digital multimedia web pages. A user can take the test on pencil and paper and then score themselves to discover what areas they need to hone their personal computer skills in to be competitive in today's digital environment.

First, I have to say that while I understand this is a work in progress, there is a certain negative irony in suggesting a digital literacy test be taken and scored using old fashioned pencil and paper. At this point there is no auto scoring system, no systematic interpretation of possible numeric scores, and no way to process the test online. Also it is an extensive list that might appear less exhausting if it were broken up into sections, contained an estimated time of completion as well as save points, similar to the FAFSA online. As it is it just goes on and on and one wonder if one will ever reach the the end of it and how many hours that might take to accomplish, as well as how many sheet of paper it would take to print out this checklist in order to use it.

So onto the positive points. I like the idea of using video to demonstrate each skill in case a user needed clarification. I think I prefer the 1-5 scoring technique to the more b&w yes or no answers. Some of these skills overlap and just because a user had never performed a specific operation, it may be possible that they would still be able to use their previous computer experience to problem solve and complete an unfamiliar action.

Overall, as a piece of rhetoric, I had difficulty in understanding who the audience was that this piece was intended for. Business professionals would require something more complete and convenient. Teachers might use it but would need a scoring system. Students might use it but it would require reference to outside resources for instruction in the skills they were lacking.
Really, this page just felt like an unfinished project, not a bad idea but it lacks refinement and manpower to finish all the details.

Cyberliteracy
Navigating the Internet with Awareness
-Laura J. Gurak

Chapter 1

Cyberliteracy: Towards A New Internet Consciousness

The introductory section to Laura J. Gurak's book, Cyberliteracy explores the effect of communication technologies on society and culture. Gurak's central argument is, "how we view the world and how we live in it are being shaped by the features of these new technologies." Gurak goes on to speculate that what she refers to as 'cyberliteracy' is and will be in the future an important "awareness" to navigate the internet. The awareness that Gurak speaks of is, "that to be truly literate online, users must understand the economic and political forces that are shaping information technologies;" and further that the internet should be an active and engaging medium in the hands of the many voices that can control it and not a passive venue for commercialism, as other communicative technologies have become.

What I find the most interesting about this selection is Gurak's defintion of cyberliteracy, which "means voicing an opinion about what these technologies should be and being an active, not a passive, participant." To effect rather than to be effected. This is not an entirely novel concept, but I think that it points to a concern we should all share, and that is power. Who has it and who does not. The control of information as Gurak suggests relegates power. She urges the cyberliterate and illiterate to understand, become literate and knowledgable to the opportunity these technologies offter, that we have "to be more than a user."

James

"Information Literacy in General Education," By Mary Sellen

The basic premise of this piece goes along with what has been discussed off and on within our class time, and that is the way that advances in technology are changing not just our education but our lives in general. The piece seems to focus on a few main themes, one being the dissemination of information through a variety of avenues. The second point of the piece focuses on the need for students to be educated in the computer/internet field just as aptly as they would be educated in such fields as basic reading and writing.

If were are to expect the new generation of students to be "computer literate", then what must be taught is not only how to use the computer and the internet, but also how to access information. For example, where to go, and what to look for. If students are to be expected to make the transition from paper text to digital text, then the information needs to be capable of being readily accessed. The article makes reference to "electronic literature," among other new multimedia technologies. What is suggested is that the generation that grew up using standard text, would undoubtedly struggle to adapt to a new form of literature. However, the new generation, if educated properly, should have no trouble whatsoever, as it would be that they will have grown up implementing it on a regular basis.

In the end, it is an identify and act process. Identify that digital text and electronic literature is the wave of the future, and then act by finding a way to disseminate the information, and educate people on how to access it.

I also would just like to point out, as an observant reader, that the author used the word "dangerous," when considering the idea of trying to predict the future. I feel confident in saying to you all that I think that is the worst use of a word to describe something, that I have ever come across in my literate life.

END

“Buying Your Way In…”
By Danny Sullivan

I found it interesting to see the page cluttered with a mish-mash of clickable ads, mostly promoting search-engines: It makes sense, as the prime topic of the piece was how advertisers infest their banners, links, and blurbs into the various results of search-engines (an online utility that allows open-ended input into a text field, and outputs, from throughout the web, content relatable to said textual input).

The article made it very clear from the start that when a search engine sells a listing, it is not a secret to be kept, and therefore nothing to be afraid of – there is no backhanded-ness going on here. The comparison was drawn to more primitive varieties of print: A newspaper sells ad space, but the ads are easily identified as such, even with adverts masquerading as editorial. The problem, Sullivan identified, is that this new form of advertising is somewhat undeveloped, and users sometimes misconstrue paid placement ads – ads guaranteed by payment to show up after a certain search term is entered – as part of the search results. Other types of paid-listing, including paid inclusion and paid submission, have various benefits (mainly for the proprietors of the included site).

Sullivan saw a narrow benefit in the generation of revenue for the various engines he examined, enabling said engines to return sites that don’t pay as well. I am truly neutral to this whole business: As an internet user since 3rd grade, I have come to easily distrust and disregard online advertisements. One thing that did come to mind, though, is this: Could someone with enough capital create a sort of search-engine monopoly, giving enough people enough money to make their site the number one hit at all times? And those of us who take Orwell’s 1984 as a bit prophetic might foresee a huge governmental influx of paid for web listings (considering the article also pointed out the legislative hand dipping into the public-policy pool of online ads) – an oppressive government may, in the future, provide some digital propaganda for the online proles.

Reading over that, it nearly sounds absurd. . . Nearly. :)

OK, I'm getting this thing done early so I can sit on my butt the rest of the night and so you all can enjoy mine first!

"Searching for The New York Times" by Adam L. Penenberg

I'm assuming you all have read "Searching for The New York Times" by now, but if not I will give you a little overview of it. Basically this article is saying that despite the fact that the New York Times is one of the largest newspapers in the country it really isn't that huge online. The author, Adam L. Penenberg, googled The New York Times and it didn't show up in the search until the 295th result. That is pretty pathetic for such a famous paper. He goes on to discuss the reason for it. The New York Times makes it very hard for search engines to spider its content because they make users register. They even have a paid archive which is pretty much impossible for them to get through. Because of this it is very difficult for search engines to find relevant sources in the website to whatever it is that you are searching for. If they can't get to the information they can't get it to the searcher. The article goes on to say that The New York Times only makes about 2-3% of their profit from their website. So something needs to change.

They had an interesting idea in the article that the New York Times should flip flop what people pay for (as of now, new articles are free for 2 weeks). The article stated that the old information should be free and people should pay for the new. I personally agree with that, but I would like to know what the rest of you think they should do?

The article also said that this could be the end of the New York Times if they don't figure something out. Do you all think that is true or is the paper too famous at this point? I'm not sure either way.

It also said that The New York Times is trying to work something out with Google to get them higher up. Do you all think that is fair and something Google should do, or does the New York Times need to figure this one out on their own?

Jessica

I couldn't get the Sellen reading for Tuesday to open. Any one else having that problem?

To deviate briefly from the interesting discussions posted about our readings I would like to focus rather on the assignments due next week, as I believe the gravity of Sean's post pertains, in part, to our assignment.

As I approach the topic of my research for the assignment, I cannot help but question the definition (. . .once again. . .) of nonfiction. To present this dgital technology and how it pertains to the changing world of writing, a working definition for nonfiction, specifically nonfiction in the digitized world needs to be had, at least for me.

The way I will define nonfiiction for this particular assignment will be as any writing truthful or not that relies on reality, that is, facts, occurances, times, and anything grounded in the happenings of our world to state opinion, proffer commentary, or simply relay such happenings.

It is with this very shaky yet stable oxymoronic definition of nonfiction that I will examine a new digitized venue for such writing and how such writing maybe shaped in the future to accomidate the perhaps changed needs and wants of the user. Further, it is my opinion that other disciplines, as Sean suggests, that other disciplines, such as media, and webdesign are in a better position to control the audience of the internet age, as more and more websites are relying on mediums other than writing. This leads me back to one of my initial concerns approaching this class and internet culture: who is actually controlling the creative liscence on the internet? Is the writer's, who throughout the history of writing have wielded ultimate creative control, or is it now the webdesigners who are always creating new and appealing ways to interact with the internet.

Numbers or Words?

Ironically, I've been learning the art of mathematical graphing in a class this semester, working with vertices and connections, and the theorems which govern what is essentially networking. Page and Brin's work uses precisely the techniques we've been studying, which for me raises a question: how much of this discussion of the future shape of rhetoric in general is being built upon a foundation of mathematics and numbers? After all, where rhetoric was once constructed of styli on papyrus or clay, pens drawn across paper, typeset on page, words are now coded in binary and xtml and governed by Euler circuits, return pathways, electron transmission. Unlike type in a printing press, which are simple molded pieces of metal, or pens, which are cylinders of dye or stain we call ink, binary, xtml, html, indeed all coding and digital tools contain a further layer of information. Ink can be used to create information, but it does not contain information within its make up. If we are to think of words as atoms, the fundamental building blocks of written communication, then we have just added a new layer of subatomia to our universe. Digital coding is the quark. But unlike this analogy where quarks and atoms are (oversimplified) more complex combinations of similar material, the interesting aspect to me is that the new foundational-layer-language of written (word) information is it's opposing counterpart, mathematics. Mathematics is now the construct of writing.

I gathered from the readings that the more education someone had, the more likely they are to use the internet. I have had a theory about this running around in my head for a while, but the statistics (although they are quite dated) seem to show that to be true.

Those who grew up with the internet are more literate that the older generations that may have been lucky to receive an 8th grade education where they were. I have read articles suggesting that the kids of today aren't reading as much as they should, and the authors cite the internet as the problem. They suggested that because kids can click on a picture, they are not wanting to read as much any more. I would have to disagree with that school of thought. Navigating a web page does have certain elements of design which are inherrant (links, a title, etc.), but if someone has to push a button to try to get where they want to go too many times, they are more likely to give up than to keep clicking links.

I found it funny that the creators of Google crashed Stanford's internet while they were building Google because of bandwidth issues.

That is enough from me for one day. I will try to be less long-winded in my later posts.

John

The link didn't work, at least for me. I do think that is really interesting. If anybody else can get the link to work and can find some of the texts I would love to read it also.

Jessica

I found this story in Yahoo! news talking about a novel that is composed entirely of text messages. It found it interesting that the author created a print novel composed of text messages. If you would like to read the story yourself, follow the link below.

Text Message Novel

I don't have time to search out the text, but I have an interest in Finland, as I lived there for a couple years of my life. If anyone has the time to check into finding a text sample, I might be able to translate part of it.

John