Reflection

When I first started doing these 13 Things I was not really sure what to expect.  I had heard about blogs, but I really had no idea about how to create one of my own.  This was a worthwhile experience, because I did not realize how much I would enjoy blogging on my own time. 

After starting 13 Things, I wanted to create my own blog for Advanced Writing Workshop.  I really wanted this blog to be about my passion for lifitng, and to target a college segment audience in order to inform students about how to improve their health.  This was something that has taken off quite nicely since I started the project.  I have had views from all around the world such as places like Russia, Singapore, Iran, United Kingdom, and much more.  I did not realize at the time that doing these 13 Things would have such an impact on me, and drive me to create my own personal blog. 

The majority of these "things" I was not too familiar with, especially the mash-up assignment.  It really was an opportunity for me to explore new options out there on the Internet that I was not aware that even existed.  This was a great learning exercise that I will be able to transfer this knowledge into something that is more useful such as a career.  I have already listed many of these tools as part of my tech savvy knowledge within my resume I have created for companies.  The best thing about knowing how to use a variety of different tools is that it becomes appealing to different masses of audiences.  There are plenty of companies out there today that do not know a single thing about using a Twitter, Facebook, or even a Blogger account.  That is why people such as myself are great candidates for opportunites that exploit this option.  It truly is something to be excited about when applying for jobs. 

In regards to my Wordle assignment, it really gave me an insight into the words I overuse.  This becomes helpful because it gives me a reason to look up synonyms in order to create some diversity in my writing.  I couldn't believe some of the words that I repeat all the time in my sentences.  It is rather shocking! 

My favorite posting was the mash-up excercise.  It was neat to be able to incorporate text, photos, videos, and much more in order to create a visually appealing presentation.  This would be something that I could use in a business presentaiton, or just for my own personal use and enjoyment. 

Pretty much all of these "things" can be useful in one way or another, whether that be in the professional realm or a more informal setting.  I plan on using these tools down the road, and look to add even more to my arsenal. 

I enjoy "self-discovery."  It allows me to explore different things at my own pace and time.  I can learn something as fast or as slowly as I want.  I will say I do enjoy structure at times, but it also is nice to have that autonomy.  It would be nice to see a mixture of both elements come together and play off of one another. 

Wordle

13 Things Blog



This word cloud gave me an incredible insight into the words that I tend to reuse over and over again in my blog.  This is a very helpful tool to visually see the words, and also to come up with a wider variety of vocabulary to incorporate into my 13 Things.

Gladiator Speech



Doing the Wordle for the Gladiator speech was very interesting, because I did not realize that some of the words were used so frequently.  I like the fact that they emphasize the size of the words that are used more than once.

I really enjoyed using this tool as a way to visually see themes being represented in my work and others. It also allows me to see the words that I tend to repeat in my blog.  This is a nice way to change up your style of writing so it doesn't make you sound so redundant.  It almost forces you to expand your vocabulary and actively use a thesaurus to come up with new words to use.  This can be used easily in a professional setting especially if you are constantly writing documents for work.  I plan on using this in the near future if my word usage becomes a problem.

Visual Thesaurus

Words Searched:  Guilty

Alternative Words:  Finable, Delinquent, Culpable, 

Definitions:

Finable-liable to a fine

Delinquent-guilty of a misdeed

Culpable-deserving blame or censure as being wrong or evil or injurious

I often use a thesaurus to find alternative words if I tend to be constantly using the same word over and over.  It helps me expand my vocabulary and learn new meanings to similar words.  I tend to look up new words when writing papers, and coming up with action words for my resume/cover letters.  I have never really had much trouble using a thesaurus, due to the fact they are pretty straight forward.  

I would not consider myself much of a word nerd, but it does become useful when broadening your overall vocabulary.  

Creative Commons

I found the use of Creative Commons to be extremely beneficial.  It is nice to know that there are things out there online that you don't have to worry about whether or not you will be flagged for copyright infringement.  That is one of the scariest things about using photos, media, text, and much more from the Internet.  I tend to worry about whether there will be some sort of legal suite brought upon me if I am not careful in choosing my content wisely.

I like the idea of being able to share your works with other people in order to create this sense of online community collaboration.  The thing that makes this type of copyright successful is being able to be still credited as an author.  Even if you share your information you can always limit users to certain aspects of your work.   If this were lost within the sharing of everything, I would not partake in putting any of my material online for sharing purposes.

There are a ton of projects that I have done in my Advanced Media class that I would be interested in seeing how other people attack my work.  That's what makes Creative Commons so fun, is the fact that you have no idea the possibilities that may exist within your work.  Everyone has different ways to approach a topic, and they bring their culture and experiences into this online sharing.  The only thing that I would not want to share with other people might be some personal stories, or something that I truly want to keep my own.

Google Reader

I thought being able to sort all the news into one single page was very useful.  It is such an annoyance to constantly open up multiple pages in order to look at some of your favorite websites.  Now, with Google Reader, I can look at everything all at once and see if there's anything interesting that I want to read about.  This could be used professionally in about any kind of organization.  This can keep you up-to-date on any events that may be happening in your community, and also anything that could potentially harm your business.  I definitely will be using this in the near future.  It just makes life so much easier. 

Social Bookmarking is COOoool!

Delicious Link:  http://www.delicious.com/jschnicker

I could not believe how useful this tool was for me.  I found a collection of Web 2.0 sites that I never knew existed, which is something I wanted to become more knowledgeable about as I inch closer to graduating.  Not only is it useful to find new websites, but it can serve as a resourceful tool for multiple things such as school, job searching, special deals in stores, etc.  The great benefit about using delicious is that you can network all the pages you bookmark.  This allows for a wider variety of pages to be discovered.  This could easily be a tool that teachers can use to come up with new material.  When one person finds information about a certain topic on a website, there can be multiple other people that add on to the effort.  This ends up being a collaboration of material.  I absolutely love this bookmarking tool.

Following Blogs

A big reason why I have been so addicted to blogger, twitter, and other social media is because I feed on the comments I receive from people all around the world.  I think it can really help redefine the way you write, and also cater to other people's interests other than your own.  I like the feeling of being able to affect someone's life and make some kind of impression on them from thousands of miles away.

The thing you have to be careful about when you do allow others to view your writing is be prepared to be critiqued.  You still have to be professional to some extent.  The sad part is, if you even make a single mistake it's going to be noticed by someone.  You just have to be prepared to deal with it.  It comes with the territory.  

I have recently started following Angelea, Chris, and Garrett's blogs.  They are all very unique in different ways.  Angelea is pursuing her photography skills, which I can attest to being incredible.  Chris is doing something he loves to do, which is doing movie reviews.  As for Garrett, he is blogging about a career he wishes to pursue in graphic design.

The tags that I have used for my following posts are pretty generic.  They usually are the focus of the topic I am writing about.