Another half of a semester over, another grade comes in. I received a B in Writing for New Media, a requirement for the Social Media Certificate, which I am hoping to finish next school year. It's a 12 credit certificate, and I am half way done. I would be farther, but due to my Journalism certificate I will be finishing up this semester, and the need to start some math and science classes to transfer to a four-year college, I am a little bit behind.
The B will bring down my GPA, but I'm planning on staying above a 3.0 and not shooting for a whole lot more, to be honest, especially with both math and science in my near future. As well, I intend to take a basic InDesign class next semester, and some other out-of-my-area classes, to expand my journalistic abilities in general.
In other news, my newegg.com computer came in. $1,200 well spent, on a new MSI gaming laptop. I will, naturally, use this for computer and work as well, but the application for gaming and recreational will be a welcome site in my life.
That, and I can now watch my movies and such from my room, which will be nice, though hardly necessary. I suppose being able to watch Star Trek from my room will be a welcome change of pace.
www.newegg.com
I'm hoping to begin gaming again with my old guildies, the Soldiers of the Wasteland (SotW). I met them first when playing the game Hellgate: London a few years back, and haven't been able to get into a full-scale game with them since. Truly, a pity, as they are great people and excellent people.
www.sotwguild.com
On a more serious note, political unrest has gripped my state, and it is unnerving. As it continues, I am questioning more and more the legal system and political system set in place in these, the great United States of America, that strives to be the best in the world and perform at the top of all things.
However, every step we take into this new century, we seem to take backwards. President Barack Obama started the states on the right foot in 2008 when he took office, passing many laws in his first few weeks and even closing down Guantanamo Bay, a huge hypocrisy in the American name. However, he has begun to falter after two years of political office, allowing for the Bay's reopening and beginning to "compromise" with the Republicans, relenting to changes in the way he does business to appease them.
Do not get me wrong, a President that does not listen to half of a nation is not a good President. However, compromising on your base principals is no way to run a country honorably, and is only leading to the continued suffering of many Americans.
On a local level, Madison has become "ground-zero" for the fight against the GOP, demanding the right to collectively bargain as a Union entity and keep ourselves from losing 50 years of hard work and compromise through negotiation. However, the people fighting seems to mean nothing to our Republican Governor, Scott Walker, who believes that an uncompromising stance is the only way to achieve results.
As peaceful protests continue to rage on, the GOP and their supporters around the nation have shed dishonest light upon us, and it is truly disheartening to see how many of these people exist within my home country. Calling us "chaotic, sloppy, unimportant college students looking to party and sleep with our girlfriends in the Capitol building" really makes me wonder why the human species has gone through so much evolution, only to become a pack of lying, xenophobic people who cannot embrace any change, unless it comes attached to a dollar sign and a positive symbol.
My path with God has never been an easy one. I am constantly faced with challenges, moral and spiritual, that come my way, and I try to face them head on and figure out what is right, as well as act on that. I wish that there was a clear line of what I should and should not do, think and should not think, but people constantly affect my mind, making me wonder if I can survive in this world.
I need a Spring Break... Without working 32 + hours.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Make up work for Writing for New Media class
Over the course of this semester, I have noticed one large fact about this class, and that is that it is very similar to Social Media Campaigns, except in the fact that we A) Are focusing less on the tools and more on the writing, and B) We are inventing our own non-profit, which is 900% harder than writing up a strategy for another organization.
I really liked that we were using an established company and writing a plan in the other class, rather than spending time designing the corporation and the sites them self. As a whole, I preferred the planning stage and getting all that on paper, more than actually designing it. While it didn't necessarily give first hand experience using the sites, the class periods themselves allowed for more than enough practice, and the homework too.
I just liked it better really.
Some questions I still have... Well, not any really. A lot of the class is review, as I am interested in Social Media and Writing, and everything new is simple enough.
I think I am doing fine in the class, paying attention and listening to others and their experiences, as well as meeting most deadlines (whether or not the teacher notices), as well as keeping up with others blogs.
I think the class is progressing well, and that I will learn more int he future.
I really liked that we were using an established company and writing a plan in the other class, rather than spending time designing the corporation and the sites them self. As a whole, I preferred the planning stage and getting all that on paper, more than actually designing it. While it didn't necessarily give first hand experience using the sites, the class periods themselves allowed for more than enough practice, and the homework too.
I just liked it better really.
Some questions I still have... Well, not any really. A lot of the class is review, as I am interested in Social Media and Writing, and everything new is simple enough.
I think I am doing fine in the class, paying attention and listening to others and their experiences, as well as meeting most deadlines (whether or not the teacher notices), as well as keeping up with others blogs.
I think the class is progressing well, and that I will learn more int he future.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Sports, College and Sports at College
Did I even mention that I sometimes randomly capitalize words? I used to have the mindset that it made people feel as though those words were more important, and never seem to have broken the habit.
Oh well.
Watching the Packer game today, NFC Championship game against the Bears at Chicago. Many people have been saying that this game is one of the most important games of the Packers/Chicago rivalry, and as this is my first season of actually caring about Football, this is a pretty awesome game. As I type this, it's 14-0 Packers, with less than 10 minutes in the second half.
We can only hope that the small bit of momentum that the Bears have started to build up goes nowhere. GO PACKERS!
Moving on...
Before the game started, I was hoping to get some World Indigenous Languages homework done, what with a variety of reading assignments from the current book due. I believe I am only supposed to read pages 1-8, 18-21 and 23-24, but the teachers have assigned the rest of the text for the next two weeks and I want to get as much done as possible.
Not going so well, thanks to the Packer game on. Oh well.
I also have a reading assignment for my Writing for New Media class, but I'll get to that later.
And lastly, I have begun to get involved with both the Madison Area Technical College clubs, Chess club and Ultimate Frisbee club.
With Chess, I went to a tournament in the last week of December, and I will be attending more in the next few months. Likewise, I will be attending Ultimate tournaments, both indoor and out, over the next three months.
The largest of these Ultimate tournaments would be the High Tide tournament, taking place over Spring Break, which will host over 175 Ultimate college teams in Georgia. One of the most exciting parts of this tournament will be seeing old teammate Jackson Eagan, who will be (most likely) playing for Ithaca college in our division.
www.disc-iple.com
Overall, life is simply exciting. I need a haircut and to start working out, as well as putting money away for a new bicycle, and just start changing my life wherever possible. Hopefully it will all be for the better.
Oh well.
Watching the Packer game today, NFC Championship game against the Bears at Chicago. Many people have been saying that this game is one of the most important games of the Packers/Chicago rivalry, and as this is my first season of actually caring about Football, this is a pretty awesome game. As I type this, it's 14-0 Packers, with less than 10 minutes in the second half.
We can only hope that the small bit of momentum that the Bears have started to build up goes nowhere. GO PACKERS!
Moving on...
Before the game started, I was hoping to get some World Indigenous Languages homework done, what with a variety of reading assignments from the current book due. I believe I am only supposed to read pages 1-8, 18-21 and 23-24, but the teachers have assigned the rest of the text for the next two weeks and I want to get as much done as possible.
Not going so well, thanks to the Packer game on. Oh well.
I also have a reading assignment for my Writing for New Media class, but I'll get to that later.
And lastly, I have begun to get involved with both the Madison Area Technical College clubs, Chess club and Ultimate Frisbee club.
With Chess, I went to a tournament in the last week of December, and I will be attending more in the next few months. Likewise, I will be attending Ultimate tournaments, both indoor and out, over the next three months.
The largest of these Ultimate tournaments would be the High Tide tournament, taking place over Spring Break, which will host over 175 Ultimate college teams in Georgia. One of the most exciting parts of this tournament will be seeing old teammate Jackson Eagan, who will be (most likely) playing for Ithaca college in our division.
www.disc-iple.com
Overall, life is simply exciting. I need a haircut and to start working out, as well as putting money away for a new bicycle, and just start changing my life wherever possible. Hopefully it will all be for the better.
Friday, January 21, 2011
Writing for New Media, Social Campaign (for makebelieve non-profit)
Ahh, here we are again, a final about a Social Media Project. How exciting.
My non-profit will be known as "No Shirts, No Bueno." The basic mission statement will be, "if you're cold, we're not doing our job."
Primarily, my non-profit would operate majorly on donations of cash and supplies, working with local organizations (churches, government owned places, etc) in order to help cloth every person in Madison.
The plan would be to start small, but eventually expand to other areas of Wisconsin.
The 4 main forms of Social media that I intend to use are Facebook, Twitter, Google Alerts and Google Blogger.
Google Blogger would primarily be run by service staff (perhaps a social media volunteer from the local technical college), where the primary goals would include:
-Connecting with the populace on a more personal level.
-Keeping those involved or invested in the company about the various projects being run by the corporation.
-Allowing (and even inviting) area residents for feedback on all aspects of the workplace, and opening forums to all levels of feedback.
Google Alerts will be charged with keeping up with local news, or any other, types of mentions for the company, as well as keeping track of investors and people of interest. Likewise, the tool would be used to watch for any local residents that need help, updating daily in an attempt to keep up with the world and the news.
NSNB will run a Facebook Fan Page, which will likewise run a number of campaigns to target those that are in the Madison area, unemployed or looking for, and need help. Advertisements will be used constantly, bringing in a larger customer base, and will also be used to attract donators to the cause. The Page itself will be used to interact with users, post daily short updates, and shed light on events the company intends to host.
Likewise with Twitter, simply using another tool to reach a larger user base.
This is Dan Schott, Controlling Interest of No Shirt, No Bueno.
My non-profit will be known as "No Shirts, No Bueno." The basic mission statement will be, "if you're cold, we're not doing our job."
Primarily, my non-profit would operate majorly on donations of cash and supplies, working with local organizations (churches, government owned places, etc) in order to help cloth every person in Madison.
The plan would be to start small, but eventually expand to other areas of Wisconsin.
The 4 main forms of Social media that I intend to use are Facebook, Twitter, Google Alerts and Google Blogger.
Google Blogger would primarily be run by service staff (perhaps a social media volunteer from the local technical college), where the primary goals would include:
-Connecting with the populace on a more personal level.
-Keeping those involved or invested in the company about the various projects being run by the corporation.
-Allowing (and even inviting) area residents for feedback on all aspects of the workplace, and opening forums to all levels of feedback.
Google Alerts will be charged with keeping up with local news, or any other, types of mentions for the company, as well as keeping track of investors and people of interest. Likewise, the tool would be used to watch for any local residents that need help, updating daily in an attempt to keep up with the world and the news.
NSNB will run a Facebook Fan Page, which will likewise run a number of campaigns to target those that are in the Madison area, unemployed or looking for, and need help. Advertisements will be used constantly, bringing in a larger customer base, and will also be used to attract donators to the cause. The Page itself will be used to interact with users, post daily short updates, and shed light on events the company intends to host.
Likewise with Twitter, simply using another tool to reach a larger user base.
This is Dan Schott, Controlling Interest of No Shirt, No Bueno.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Writing for New Media, a Library Experience
For the Jan. 20th class of Writing for New Media (brought to you by Natasha Kassulke), we had a casual visit to the Madison Area Technical College -- Truax Library, which was not an entire waste of time. A presentation, by our Library Services Planner Matt Coan, was brought to us, with the main focus being on the new Social Media world.
As a whole, his presentation offered a great look at the various tools and habits of this new world. However, the majority of the presentation seemed to be targeting at the "new" social media writer, and those with experience could take very little out of it that they didn't already realize.
A few good key things that were presented included the examples using the MATC Libraries Facebook Page. The presentation of this page allowed those with no actual experience to see how this knowledge is used in the real world, and at the same time showed people currently with their wrists deep in the world to see other examples of how social media is utilized.
MATC Libraries Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/MadisonCollegeLibraries
Another site that was presented would be the main MATC Library Page, which showed how other tools can not only be utilized, but embedded straight into the websites themselves. This showed how others could design their own websites.
MATC Libraries Main Site: http://library.matcmadison.edu/
Lastly, the ideas flowing around the use of correct grammar and punctuation on the internet were intriguing, however, I find that everyone has their own truths when it comes to such issues. For me, whether it be texting, blogging, twitter'ing (which I call Twiting, ya Twits) or Facebook'ing, I will always find myself using grammar fully, to the best of my ability. The reasoning behind this is that, while it may be simpler to write "lik dis 4 da net" and take a little less time, I find that each and everything I publish online is a reflection of me. Since I am not majorlly mentally impaired or in high school, I will continue to write my best, utilizing my grammar and punctuation to the best of my ability.
As a whole, his presentation offered a great look at the various tools and habits of this new world. However, the majority of the presentation seemed to be targeting at the "new" social media writer, and those with experience could take very little out of it that they didn't already realize.
A few good key things that were presented included the examples using the MATC Libraries Facebook Page. The presentation of this page allowed those with no actual experience to see how this knowledge is used in the real world, and at the same time showed people currently with their wrists deep in the world to see other examples of how social media is utilized.
MATC Libraries Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/MadisonCollegeLibraries
Another site that was presented would be the main MATC Library Page, which showed how other tools can not only be utilized, but embedded straight into the websites themselves. This showed how others could design their own websites.
MATC Libraries Main Site: http://library.matcmadison.edu/
Lastly, the ideas flowing around the use of correct grammar and punctuation on the internet were intriguing, however, I find that everyone has their own truths when it comes to such issues. For me, whether it be texting, blogging, twitter'ing (which I call Twiting, ya Twits) or Facebook'ing, I will always find myself using grammar fully, to the best of my ability. The reasoning behind this is that, while it may be simpler to write "lik dis 4 da net" and take a little less time, I find that each and everything I publish online is a reflection of me. Since I am not majorlly mentally impaired or in high school, I will continue to write my best, utilizing my grammar and punctuation to the best of my ability.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Writing for New Media, homework
School - The webiste for the University of Wisconsin-Madison, is one of many sites designed to facilitate the needs of past, present and future students to the school. Unlike some others though, the site itself is quite well put together, easily navigable and using plain english. Other websites like to use larger words, in an attempt to make themselves look smarter, but only wind up looking pompus and like douchebags, with their site beingt harder to navigate as a result.
Overall, the site is well thought out and plain, the language used being at just the right level of intelligence to not seem too intimidating for first time users and yet still command the same amount of respect.
http://www.wisc.edu/
News - A combination of two seperate newspapers, the website for the Capital Times and Wisconsins State Journal offers an amazing site, seperated clearly into widely acknowledged catagories for newspapers, easily navigable and well thought out design schemes. Furthermore, the fact that it is mobile, and offers a wide array of multicultural articles and subjects, makes this site an amazing one.
http://host.madison.com/
Business - As a whole, the overture center has been a place for many controversies over the last few years, from debt problems to production difficulties. However, their website is not one that has any need for improvement, with a soft background that allows for people to enjoy the page without too hard of a look, with interesting art galleries flashing through the front homepage and clearly defined tabs for different neccessities for any user. Furthermore, the page allows for easy "business," as the page clearly shows shows, times and availability for purchases, causing it to be a decent source of income for the site.
http://www.overturecenter.com/
Non-profit - The non-profit, Madison Children's Museum, has a website that seems to be primarily focused on children, as the color scheme and design has been made to appear that it was designed by one of them. Despite the asethtic outline, however, the website is easy to navigate and find what you're looking for.
http://www.madisonchildrensmuseum.org/
Overall, the site is well thought out and plain, the language used being at just the right level of intelligence to not seem too intimidating for first time users and yet still command the same amount of respect.
http://www.wisc.edu/
News - A combination of two seperate newspapers, the website for the Capital Times and Wisconsins State Journal offers an amazing site, seperated clearly into widely acknowledged catagories for newspapers, easily navigable and well thought out design schemes. Furthermore, the fact that it is mobile, and offers a wide array of multicultural articles and subjects, makes this site an amazing one.
http://host.madison.com/
Business - As a whole, the overture center has been a place for many controversies over the last few years, from debt problems to production difficulties. However, their website is not one that has any need for improvement, with a soft background that allows for people to enjoy the page without too hard of a look, with interesting art galleries flashing through the front homepage and clearly defined tabs for different neccessities for any user. Furthermore, the page allows for easy "business," as the page clearly shows shows, times and availability for purchases, causing it to be a decent source of income for the site.
http://www.overturecenter.com/
Non-profit - The non-profit, Madison Children's Museum, has a website that seems to be primarily focused on children, as the color scheme and design has been made to appear that it was designed by one of them. Despite the asethtic outline, however, the website is easy to navigate and find what you're looking for.
http://www.madisonchildrensmuseum.org/
Friday, January 7, 2011
Seagate dumps on my dreams, Myyearbook a true Waste of Human Baggage, and working sucks, ya know?
I know I don't blog a lot anymore, the reason being work. Having 2 jobs (but only 2 now, thanks to the fact that I have offically left The Clarion student publication at Madison Area Technical College) is really more of a pain than anything. I'm glad to be working more though, and being in this position now, as opposed to 1 year ago when I was pretty ridiculously screwed in every aspect of my life.
Isn't America grand? Going from jobless to overworked and in school full-time in only a year? Amazing, truly. Speaking of school, classes start next Monday, Jan. 10, and I cannot be more excited for all my English classes. They are:
-Writing for New Media, Kassulke.
-Feature Writing, Cupps.
-World Indigenous Languages, Redfield and Ivanova.
-World Issues Journalism, Hansen.
-General Anthropology, Christiansen III.
And yes, another semester and still no Math or Science taken. I'll get around to it.
Life may be good, but it is time to focus on some negatives in my life. Sad, but they're duly mentionable.
On Oct. 13, 2010, I ordered an item off of Amazon.com. I am a frequent customer of this site, and have had very little complaints when using this website. I decided using Amazon as a medium to purchase from Seagate was a good idea, as an Amazon Prime member allowed me to recveive free shipping on my purchase. The item I purchased was:
Seagate FreeAgent Go 1 TB USB 2.0 Portable External Hard Drive ST910004FAA2E1-RK (Tuxedo Black)
From the Seagate Merchant profile on Amazon. This turned out to be a huge mistake, because upon receiving my merchandise and opening it, I discovered that the item does not actually work. The initial file that is supposed to open and install upon the first use was missing, and that it actually cost me money to contact them directly. After a few emails, and a couple of long nights, I merely decided that the $100 that I had spent were gone, and the device useless.
I gave the piece of equipment to a friend, and she said she'd tinker with it and see if anything good could become of it. A sad end to a depressing story.
In other tales, I have been on a constant quest to expand my Social Media knowledge base. From LinkedIn to Blogger, I have been accessing new websites and how they can be used as the world expands more into the digital age.
www.myyearbook.com has an interesting way to interact in Social Media. As opposed to Facebook, it allows for community News Feeds, rather than simply your own social circle, allowing for people to interact with those they've never met before deciding if they want them within their social circle.
However, the site seems to have become the new myspace for teenage internet bullying and sexcipades. Not a day goes by when, accessing the feed, I find a "Me so horny" or "I'm alone, text me" at least 10 times on the feeds, leading me to believe that the myyearbook staff doesn't care that this is a breeding ground for sexual predators.
Well folks, I'm off to work. Later!
Isn't America grand? Going from jobless to overworked and in school full-time in only a year? Amazing, truly. Speaking of school, classes start next Monday, Jan. 10, and I cannot be more excited for all my English classes. They are:
-Writing for New Media, Kassulke.
-Feature Writing, Cupps.
-World Indigenous Languages, Redfield and Ivanova.
-World Issues Journalism, Hansen.
-General Anthropology, Christiansen III.
And yes, another semester and still no Math or Science taken. I'll get around to it.
Life may be good, but it is time to focus on some negatives in my life. Sad, but they're duly mentionable.
On Oct. 13, 2010, I ordered an item off of Amazon.com. I am a frequent customer of this site, and have had very little complaints when using this website. I decided using Amazon as a medium to purchase from Seagate was a good idea, as an Amazon Prime member allowed me to recveive free shipping on my purchase. The item I purchased was:
Seagate FreeAgent Go 1 TB USB 2.0 Portable External Hard Drive ST910004FAA2E1-RK (Tuxedo Black)
From the Seagate Merchant profile on Amazon. This turned out to be a huge mistake, because upon receiving my merchandise and opening it, I discovered that the item does not actually work. The initial file that is supposed to open and install upon the first use was missing, and that it actually cost me money to contact them directly. After a few emails, and a couple of long nights, I merely decided that the $100 that I had spent were gone, and the device useless.
I gave the piece of equipment to a friend, and she said she'd tinker with it and see if anything good could become of it. A sad end to a depressing story.
In other tales, I have been on a constant quest to expand my Social Media knowledge base. From LinkedIn to Blogger, I have been accessing new websites and how they can be used as the world expands more into the digital age.
www.myyearbook.com has an interesting way to interact in Social Media. As opposed to Facebook, it allows for community News Feeds, rather than simply your own social circle, allowing for people to interact with those they've never met before deciding if they want them within their social circle.
However, the site seems to have become the new myspace for teenage internet bullying and sexcipades. Not a day goes by when, accessing the feed, I find a "Me so horny" or "I'm alone, text me" at least 10 times on the feeds, leading me to believe that the myyearbook staff doesn't care that this is a breeding ground for sexual predators.
Well folks, I'm off to work. Later!
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