Amazing Group Experience

This has been the best group project experience I've ever had at school.

Jenny, Kat, Francisco - All very intelligent, motivated, and friendly people. We formed our group off the basis that everyone was serious about doing a good job and I think it shows in how professional our final product turned out.

Our Group Blog! - handy tool we used to keep each other updated, share opinions, banners and logos. We linked a lot of items on the blog through Google Docs as well.

Required Work - The memos, time, group update papers, etc., really helped to make everyone aware of what was required of them and working smoothly. I really wish every class that had a group project worked like this.

All in all I think this was the most rewarding, least stressful group project I've had.

Tom Sumner's lecture/book publishing

I enjoyed listening to Mr. Sumner talk about publishing. He had some interesting views like the inevitability of coming changes. Personally I believe people can have an opinion on a subject even if its inevitable, but I do understand his "why waste time on an opinion" point of view.

I found one of his books that I glanced over quite interesting. It was the one that examines the use of written English. It had examples of Dan Brown's poor phrasing in the Da Vinci Code.

I had posted the question about if it meant the same today as it use to, to say you were published, but I'm not sure I really understood his answer. I believe he said it's easier to get a book out on the market if you're willing to cough up a lot of money?

The Persuaders

I thought this movie was very insightful. It showed how marketing works on the emotional level and what to watch out for. I gave my thoughts on the questions the author posed.

Is there something about Americans that makes them uniquely persuadable by advertising messages?

I don't believe American's are more persuadable than anyone else, I believe that we are in fact the opposite. America is the capital of capitalism, and marketing is the tool by which capitalism functions. Douglas Atkins points out that American's have been come very market literate because of how inundated we are by these messages. American's know very well when an ad is trying to deceive them.

What are the ramifications of a culture dominated by marketing and consumerism?

Douglas Rushkoff mentions that our culture has been replaced by marketing. We've become a consumer based culture. Instead of creating social bonds at church, we now bond at Starbucks or through branding. I would say that putting so much value into a material item is a bad thing, even if they are good values. Empowerment, going green, are great values to have, but not when your required to purchase an item to possess it. I believe this is just masking the value of possession with more respectable values, and is just covering deeper issues.

What might the future hold - where are the techniques of persuasion headed?

It looks like the future holds even more emotional based persuasion. Identifying the emotional bonds people create to words and ideas as they grow so they can be marketed to at an even deeper level. Marketers will try to use these emotional bonds to tie consumers to their product and to one another. A good example is the Harley Davidson example used in the movie.

Technical Writing

I've learned two key things from this course: rhetoric analysis, and precision.

It's become a game for me to analyze the rhetoric when I read an ad or hear a politician speak. I've always enjoyed breaking down books and movies and discussing them with friends. Now I can do the same with these other mediums. The value of rhetoric analysis goes beyond the social though, it has helped me to understand whats behind the messages.

I've also enjoyed the technical precision of writing memos. I've always hated wasted words and writing for the sake of filler. Being able to write a good memo will be important in any job I hope to have in the future and has already proven itself useful in other classes. Communication skills are key to social and professional relationships.

"Well ordered writing is the sign of a well ordered mind." (Unknown)

Media Kits

Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium's Media Kits

Technical Writing Exercise

I reviewed Jenny Mockford's exercise.

Overall I thought it was great, very clear and concise. I liked how she put the key words in bold so the reader would focus on them. I also like how she used the word "please." There are some minor tweaks I'd recommend. Everything in bold, I'd also put in parentheses, not just the "Reconnect at Logon." Also, I'd in the first step I'd add in that contacting the network administrator is a way to confirm the server name.

Jenn's layout looks very professional.




My technical writing exercise is linked below.

Creating a Shared Driver using Windows 95

Rhetorical Analysis

I received another political email from BarackObama.com. I posted the email below with comments about the rhetoric it uses to create support for the President.

John --
(Not sure if this is Ethos, targeting my sense of self, or Pathos, trying to reach me on an emotional level)

Yesterday, the President stood in front of a gathering of House Republicans and took questions for more than an hour, urging them to put aside partisanship and work together for the good of the country. MSNBC described it as going straight into "the lion's den."
(Logos used facts to support Ethos targeting my sense of self as an American with the purpose of getting my support for the President. The last line uses all three parts of rhetoric, stating what MSNBC said is Logos, showing MSNBC's support of the President is Ethos, and "going straight into the lion's den" is Pathos meant to create emotional support for the President.

He was inspiring.
(Pathos)

We've highlighted some of the key moments and trust me, it's worth checking out.
(Ethos, sponsorship)

Once you do, please pass this along to everyone you know.
(Asking me to use my Ethos and by passing it along and supporting it)

This is the sort of honest dialogue and political courage that we all need to move our country forward. (Pathos and Ethos using buzz words targeting my sense as an American and stir patriotic emotions)

Let's do it together,
(Pathos)

Mitch

Mitch Stewart
Director
Organizing for America
(Logos)

P.S. -- There's our own Q&A session for OFA supporters with President Obama coming up on Thursday, February 4th. Click here to submit a question now:
(Logos)

http://my.barackobama.com/HouseVideo



I did actually watch the video, and enjoyed it. It was just over an hour in length and I recommend watching it if you are interested in politics.
(Ethos)

This week's blog post

I received an email from Barackobama.com entitled, "We don't quit." I've pasted the email twice below. In the second one I've left comments identifying the Ethos, Pathos, and Logos in the rhetoric.

John --

I just finished delivering my first State of the Union, and I wanted to send you a quick note.

We face big and difficult challenges. Change on the scale we seek does not come easily. But I will never accept second place for the United States of America.

That is why I called for a robust jobs bill without delay. It's why I proposed a small businesses tax credit, new investments in infrastructure, and pushed for climate legislation to create a clean energy economy.

It's why we're taking on big banks, reforming Wall Street, revitalizing our education system, increasing transparency -- and finishing the job on health insurance reform.

It's why I need your help -- because I am determined to fight to defend the middle class, and special interest lobbyists will go all out to fight us.

Help me show that the American people are ready to join this fight for the middle class -- add your name to a letter to Congress today:

http://my.barackobama.com/SOTU

We have finished a difficult year. We have come through a difficult decade. But we don't quit. I don't quit.

Let's seize this moment -- to start anew, to carry the dream forward, and to strengthen our union once more.

President Barack Obama

We don't quit (Ethos, Americans don't quit. I'm an American, I shouldn't give up on him)

I just finished delivering my first State of the Union, and I wanted to send you a quick note. (Logos with some Pathos to make me more endeared and open to what he has to say)

We face big and difficult challenges. Change on the scale we seek does not come easily. But I will never accept second place for the United States of America. (Ethos, sense of self as an American, and Pathos to scare me.)

That is why I called for a robust jobs bill without delay. It's why I proposed a small businesses tax credit, new investments in infrastructure, and pushed for climate legislation to create a clean energy economy. (Logos to convince me he's still the right man for the job and that I should back the new bill)

It's why we're taking on big banks, reforming Wall Street, revitalizing our education system, increasing transparency -- and finishing the job on health insurance reform. (Logos/Ethos mix matters of opinion and what many people want to create the desire(pathos) to continue backing him)

It's why I need your help -- because I am determined to fight to defend the middle class, and special interest lobbyists will go all out to fight us. (Pathos to protect him, pathos in gratitude, pathos to create anger)

Help me show that the American people are ready to join this fight for the middle class -- add your name to a letter to Congress today:(Ethos meaning me, Pathos against the special interests)

http://my.barackobama.com/SOTU

We have finished a difficult year. We have come through a difficult decade. But we don't quit. I don't quit. (Ethos/Pathos mix, I'm an American, so I'm not a quitter. He's not quitting, so I as an American shouldn't quit on him.

Let's seize this moment -- to start anew, to carry the dream forward, and to strengthen our union once more. (Pathos to create hope, and desire to carry on)

President Barack Obama





Defining Objectives Worksheet

Rhetoric 101

Rhetoric is the art of persuasion, and everyone uses it. It’s not good or evil, but a tool people use to convince others. If I were having a discussion with my girlfriend about what movie we should go see, I could use any of the three parts of rhetoric to convince her to see what I wanted. I could use Ethos by telling her the movie recently got two thumbs up by movie critics. I could get her with Pathos and say it was a remake of a movie my father and I would watch together while I was growing up, and I so (tear) miss him sense he passed. I could also just use Logos, and remind her it’s my turn to pick the movie, convincing her with logic.

I believe rhetoric has gotten a bad rap in our society because all too often rhetoric is used a bit unethically, like in my example of Pathos. Marketing campaign managers will tell us something, implying that it’s in our best interest, like that cookies are healthy for us because they have vitamin b12, when really that tiny amount of vitamin doesn't balance against all the other stuff in that cookie that's horribly bad for you.

Rhetoric isn't good or evil, but is often used unethically by people to get what they want. People need to keep an eye out for what’s being implied, and the actual truth. Don't be a tool, there’s a world of difference.

*For some reason its not allowing me to increase the font size

A Writer's Relationship

I've always had a love/hate relationship with writing. While I love to read, (mostly fantasy, with some sci-fi mixed in) I can't stand writing, it's something I've always avoided when I've had the opportunity. It maybe the procrastinator in me but I've always disliked the process. I dread sitting down and starting a paper, which I can't put off, because I know the amount of time I will sink into it. In classes prior to this one I've spent more time reviewing my peers work than my own, because can't stand it when a papers poorly written, it eats at me, and I end up constantly doing revisions. I think that maybe why I hate creative writing and do so poorly at it, its contents can always be changed and improved upon, but research papers are very specific and deal with facts that once laid out properly, are done.
The first day of class was relaxed and enjoyable, hopefully a sign of what's to come. Something else I really like about the class is having access to a computer; I've always hated writing by hand. I expect to continue enjoying this class because we will be covering methods of writing that are more technical then they are creative. I can also see the importance of mastering these methods of communication and how useful they will be in the professional world. I've always done poorly in Creative Writing classes, but since the styles of writing this class will be covering are fact based, I should do well. Straight and to the point is my favored style of writing, I expect this class will be more love than hate.

Test Blog 1

Test blog for 402