Blog Post #2

Goal

My main focus is to obtain a computer science degree so that I can get a job in networking. Networking is making sure the computers in a business are connected and stay connected to both the internal network and the external network (The Internet). I can use technical writing in a few different ways in this field. Between emailing the people that I work with and writing memos, technical writing would most certainly help.

Image: http://www.wicusa.com/

Blog

A blog that is in my field is wirednot. I like the layout of this blog because it is simple, easy to navigate, and has good content. Visually it is appealing with the simple white backround with images on either side. It has important information at the top of the page and some on the side, with only a few key things being there. It isn’t overbearing as some blogs are. This also plays into the blog being easy to navigate. You know how to get somewhere on the blog within seconds. Here is a sample image of the site.

Image: wirednot.wordpress.com

My Theme

My theme reflects my love for android and a simple, clean backround with minimalist virtues. As I was trying to figure out which look I enjoyed the most when it came to my blog I found that I enjoy a blog which is simple rather than complex. Having a blog that wasn’t covered in different images and widgets was pretty important to me. If I go to a website and my entire screen is covered with closely packed articles, ads, and small images, I won’t be staying on the page for long. The same thing applies to blogs.

Troubles

One of the main issues I had was navigating the blog website. I found it difficult to find what I was looking for. I fixed this by spending more time on the website to get a feel for where everything was. Another thing that I haven’t been able to figure out is the class blogs list. I have it added to my sidebar area and I’m listed under the class blogs list. Has anyone else had similar issues? How did you resolve them?

Posted on April 16, 2016 by genericuser
Categories: Blog Posts

4 Responses

louisbelfatto says:

April 16, 2016 at 5:20 am

Hey Stephen, I definitely agree with your aversion to blogs. I’m not really a big fan of writing a blog myself. I also enjoy the simplified looks of one, it makes it easier to read the important information. I found your blog very easy to navigate and thought it worked very well.

I thought the blog site was really hard to navigate and confusing for the most part. I didn’t find it user-friendly at all. I eventually just click on every thing I found to see where it took me.

Reply
Sandy Brown Jensen says:

April 21, 2016 at 10:11 pm

Hi, Stephen,
I took a look back at your Blog Post #1–did you revise it for a higher grade or not? If you did, make sure you Moodle message me and ask me to take a second look. Thanks.

To learn about the class widget (which is in your dashboard), I went to our Moodle site. I clicked on “EduBlog User Guide” (also linked in your dashboard), and did a search for “class blog widget.” The answer popped up, so no need to wait for advice from your peers 🙂

In my feedback on blog post #1, I mentioned how images need both a caption followed by an attribution, so you might want to pick up on that.

I understand that you chose your theme and background as a joke and as a way to assert your independence and resistance to blogging as a platform for Technical Writing. You are free to do that, if you like; however, this class is meant to train students in all the aspects of presentation that convey a professional impression to readers in their particular field, and I am not convinced you have grasped that concept yet.

For example, take another look at Lee Badman of https://wirednot.wordpress.com/. His background image conveys wired tech. From the beginning, the reader knows he is primarily interested in all things wifi.

His strength is his combination of a breezy, conversational style with clear expertise. He makes strong claims and then backs them up with evidence. He isn’t good about image captioning and attribution, but when I read his material, I am impressed that he is clear, fun and thorough. He has “attitude,” but he earns it.

I would say that you have a beginning draft of this assignment here. The uses of technical writing in networking are potentially much deeper than e-mails and memos, and you may need to do some digging to figure out what the options are. Lee Badman writes blogs explaining technical concept, so that certainly should have been added to your research.

Your use of the word “crap” is not appropriate in a college setting and certainly not on a professional site, but that one word summarizes your attitude toward blogging, which doesn’t seem to be changed by the excellent example that you found.

You’re answering the leading questions I put to the class in a “pro-forma” way that doesn’t, in my view, advance your skill set in what the class is trying to teach you. I suggest that you take a look at what other students are doing and see if you can find a new path into into the second half of the term.

Sandy

Reply
- Sandy Brown Jensen says:
  
  April 21, 2016 at 10:13 pm
  
  PS Revisions due within seven days of this post.
  
  Reply
  - Sandy Brown Jensen says:
    
    April 21, 2016 at 10:15 pm
    
    Here is the blog of a techy major in your class:http://hawks66.edublogs.org/2016/04/10/into-the-woods-we-go/
    
    Reply

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