MerikaMoffatt3360

Publishing Online Publishing online is more than creating a post and hitting share. The overall way to attract viewers is the design of the platform you are posting on, and how you display your content. Anyone can just create a content, the goal is to create it effectively and with purpose. Optimizing how your content is displayed on the page will ultimately result in a lot more people returning to your site and viewing more of your content. In class we looked at the Huffington Post and The New York Times with the wayback machine. we went back to one of their earlier years online, 2005 and 2006. Though there were similarities to the current web pages, it was clear there were no thoughts about how to properly display their content in the most effective way. It was very obvious that The Huffington Post was just starting out online. Their site had no real organization or method to their madness.  As of now, The Huffington Post has adapted to the new online culture to stay relevant and...

 Self-Publishing     One of the main reasons why the internet is so popular is because everyone can have a voice. Individuals can create content on any platform they desire, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, Blogger, and the list can go on. Their opinions and thoughts can be expressed in any manner they choose. Self-publishing authors can choose a subject they want to discuss or a niche they enjoy/want to learn more about. These focuses can include a range of topics from books, recipes, a mutual distaste for something (like cilantro), beauty, skincare, and so on so forth. The major benefit is that the possibilities and freedoms the author has when choosing the content, verbage, and media of their site. The downside is that it can take awhile if the author wants to be popular on social media or in their niche of content or site. A big thing for self-publishing authors is that the post is isolated and drowned out by the million other sites and pages that are being published...

Writing for Social Media     Social media has been an over growing concept since its creation. It has developed into subcategories with different apps and content sharing specific to the app. Even though they all are different platforms with individualized features, they all serve the same purpose- to communicate and share information to a public audience. Like all media, it is important to understand what you are creating, how you're creating it, and who you are creating it for. Social media has become one of the number one sources for news and popular happenings around the world. The amount of people who have access to posts makes it important to report accurately and ethically.       Some ways to effectively write for the internet are the following:          - Know the platform. When creating a piece for a specific site, understand the typical format and style of a post and cater to it. For TikTok you would make a short video not...

 Online Platforms   In the world of social media, having a platform is a big deal. The larger the presence online, the bigger the platform, the more successful a figure is. Having a large platforms comes with a lot of responsibilities and expectations, and when one doesn't abide by those they can be "removed" from the public eye. Take for example Kanye. He is an important figure in the music and designer industry, and he has been abusing his platform to hurt his ex-wife Kim Kardashian, other designers and musicians, all while spreading harmful messages like his newest design "White Lives Matter." His actions has costed him is platform online and deals with prominent brands like Balenciaga, Adidas, and more.   However, this is only one example, during our game of Pictionary we came across the term political platform. That is where respective political principles, concepts, and ideologies are articulated and supported by said political figure of that party. Each s...

 iFixit Update     As of Wednesday our proposal has been accepted, but out first choice was sadly already taken. We now are going with the Craftsman Hammer Drill. Unfortunately, my partner is gone so I couldn't work on the actual page since I don't have access into the group or SEO project due to my placement in Dr. McMurrin's class. I set up a Google Doc and started to fill in the outline they provided.  I wish we had more options to choose from, like more relevant items because it's hard to write things about power tools. I don't know anything about them or have any interest in them so it's hard to find the motivation to look into it. I was hoping for more of a wide range of things because in the Standard Project we have items from computers to hairdryers. 

 Proposal for iFixit This week marks the week we begin on our SEO project for iFixit. iFixit is an incredible website with an even more incredible mission: ridding our planet of toxic electronic waste. The company teams up with different universities to help them complete their mission by having students write manuels on different products, set up websites, and more. This is an incredible learning opportunity for the students involved by being a hands-on learning experience.  With this aside, I am lucky enough to participate in the SEO project with Dr. Hope, but also tackling the Standard Project with Dr. McMurrin. These two activities go hand in hand to show the different aspects of technical and professional writing. As of now, I am working on the proposal for the SEO Project and the troubleshoot page for the Standard Project. These two writing activities further my experience and understanding of what it means to be a professional and technical writer.  I think by brin...