A First-Time Blogger's Experience

I would like to begin by admitting that I was a bit apprehensive about enrolling in a technology based writing course. After fifteen years of learning how to successfully apply the rules of proper academic writing to my prose, I was concerned that the constraints of this drastic media change would be a difficulty rather than a relief. Upon completing this class though, I feel that I now possess a valuable and functional understanding of the advantages technology offers as a form of communication.

I chose to blog on the modern but narrowly recognized field of Culinology, basically a synthesis of the culinary arts and scientific experimentation. It was arduous at first finding valuable examples upon which I could model my blogs. Culinology is not a topic frequently discussed. Thus, my initial blogging experience was confusing and frustrating. Eventually, I learned the basic mechanics of linking web pages, inserting images and conducting advanced searches within blogger. These techniques helped smoothed the transition from academic writing to blogging.

The prompt for my second essay, a critique on the aesthetics and effectiveness of the Tazo Tea website, taught me a valuable lesson in consumer-related webpage design. Given various tools with which to evaluate form and content, I learned the most successful approaches to creating a dynamic product advertisement. I then blogged upon the experience I had while exploring the website and examined its overall style and achievement. This blog was the most enjoyable to complete as I had a wonderful time using Photoshop to redesign images from the Tazo site, making them appropriate to include within my blog. Furthermore, investigating various food-related websites was informative and interesting, considering my near obsession with cooking.

I found the final essay, a proposal for candidacy to a USC honorary degree, to be the most difficult to complete. My personal fondness of Paula Deen, whom I chose to write upon, colored my analysis and interfered with my ability to write a sound argument. I also had quite a bit of trouble with links. I was unsure of my citation approach; I did not understand which word or phrase was appropriate to link to its source. However, in my final re-revision of this essay, I have repaired these problems.

Overall, I have greatly enjoyed this course. As a testament to its value, I feel that my writing has greatly improved. This class has helped me discover that technology, as opposed to traditional forms of communication, offers a much greater potential for transmitting ideas to the public. Most importantly, I have learned how to use this contemporary power by creating appealing and informative blogs.