Whats next?

So what’s next for me? I am taking summer term off to recoup. I need some time to clear my head and have some fun. I feel like so much of my time is devoted to work and school right now. I just get burnt-out. Life goes by so fast and my concept of time has changed a lot from when I was little. Days keep getting shorter and I have more and more to do. This summer I really want to have fun. A few things I would like to do this summer are camping, hiking, backpacking, maybe a road trip, paint-balling and more. Well it’s been an exciting term albeit a stressful one, but I wish everyone the best.
This is David Lyons signing off……

What I learned and liked

What I found most interesting from Tom Sumner’s lecture was the process a book has to go though to get published. I really didn’t know how many levels of editing were required and the process behind it. I also didn’t know about self-publishing through Amazon and other sites. Who knows one day I might want to publish a book and now I know that I have options. I also learned a great deal about the business in general. Tom talked about designing, proofreading, working with writers, working with editors, and a plethora of other tasks that all relate to publishing. Overall Tom’s lecture made me respect the business and educated me.

How much is too much?

I don’t watch much television anymore and it’s not because there isn’t anything on, it’s because I am bombarded with advertisements. Even during the show someone is trying to sell me Ziploc bags and it makes me sick. If I wanted to watch infomercials I would watch infomercials. How far are they willing to go? In a few years will they be advertising to us in our dreams? Only time will tell. I believe the only way to fight back is to stand up and turn off the television. We need to educate ourselves and ask the question how much is too much.

Writing since this course began

Since this course began I have notice a difference in the way I analyze the writing of others. I just notice little things that grab my attention such as the use of rhetoric. I also pay more attention to little details like spacing, font type and formatting because I have to be more critical of it in my work. Overall I feel like I am making more of an effort with writing and that is helping me to improve.

Link to online media kit

review of a classmate's technical writing revision

I choose to review Jenny Mockford's technical writing exercise. First off I would like to say she did a very good job of rewriting the paper. She condensed the information into a form that was easy to read and understand. She took out a lot of unneeded words and restructured the entire paper. It flows rather well and it really gets to the point. Each point is no longer than two lines and explains what has to be done step by step.

below is her writing




Technical writing exercise

Creating Shared Drives under Windows 95 for Network Multi-users



To install a program on a network server for the purpose of allowing access to others, it is necessary to set up a shared drive. Please follow the steps listed below to correctly install the network application.

1.) Confirm the name of the server for the program.



2.) Users with a Windows Desktop need to select the Windows Explore icon.



3.) Once the Windows Explore screen has a appeared, look for the scroll arrow labeled Drive.



4.) Select a letter of the alphabet to represent the network application and insert into Drive box.



5.) Choose a path for your application in the scroll-down menu of the Path box.



6.) Confirm that the “Reconnect at Log-on” box is checked.



7.) Click OK to save this information.

In class link

Here is my link

Rhetoric in letters

Rhetoric is all around us, especially in the letters we receive. I recently received some mail from a local bank trying to entice me to join. They tried to build on their ethos saying things such as: we have been part of the local community for over twenty-five years, we are your friends and neighbors, and we are a stable financial institution that’s backed by the federal government. They also used a fare amount of logos stating different account options and how they would increase your capital. It’s crazy to see how these companies are using rhetoric in their marketing campaign, but what is even more important is being able to detect this rhetoric in your daily life.

Tone

I receive spam email all the time. Usually they try to get you to buy their product or go to their website. The tone in almost all of these emails is urgent. They try to stress the benefits of the product to the reader. They use such words as life changing, wonder drug, sale and value. The tone in these emails is meant to entice and persuade the reader. A particular example would be a letter I received from a Canadian drug company. They use ethos and pathos to entice the reader. They build their credibility by showing doctors in white lab coats and they use an array of other tactics. They use pathos by saying this drug will change your life and showing testimonials from others. The tone is very pushy as well. Overall its very interesting to see the different messages conveyed in the tone.

This weeks blog post.

Worksheet for proposal

Here's my link!

The Art of Language

What do Gorge Washington, Adolf Hitler, and Barack Obama have in common? Answer they all use rhetoric. Every day we are bombarded with rhetoric. It’s in the media, it spews from the lips of politicians, the heads of big business use it constantly, our parents use it, we use it and it is a part of our daily life. Rhetoric is a means of persuading an audience by appealing to their ethos (building credibility or moral value), pathos (emotional appeals), and logos (the use of reasoning). This use of language is incredibly powerful. It can instill meaning to the audience and if you can do that the possibilities are endless.

Writing&Me

I incorporate writing in my life in two ways. The first is my professional career and the second is academic writing. One of my job duties is to send emails. I find myself always double checking my work before it’s sent out and also making sure I communicate the correct message. In school I have had to take many different writing classes, but the one I enjoyed the most was creative writing. I learned a lot about my writing style and was really able to expand my depth of knowledge in the area. I am always looking to improve my writing and I enjoy a challenge. I have never taken a technical writing class before so I am hoping to learn a great deal. Writing has always been a challenging subject, but I know that if I put in the time and effort I will be successful. I am looking forward to expanding my horizons, challenging myself, overcoming obstacles, and become a better writer.

My very first blog

I am so happy to be blogging right now. Its always been a dream of mine to blog.