Sustained by Fiction While Facing Life's Facts By ALICE HOFFMAN

Choose one of the archived articles from Writers on Writing and create a blog post that describes the author’s perspective on the writing process. Do you agree or disagree with the author? Has your thinking changed throughout this course regarding a writer’s perspective in the social media environment? Explain your answer by providing examples.

Sustained by Fiction While Facing Life's Facts

By ALICE HOFFMAN

This article was written during a stressful time in the writer’s life. The writer was going through a time where her mother and sister in law were battling life threatening diseases. Her sister in law lost her battle to a brain tumor and her mother suffered from a stroke and breast cancer. The author soon found herself fighting for her own life when she found out that she too was diagnosed with breast cancer. The author’s perspective in this article felt self-reflective to me. In trying to discover who she really is or who she is meant to be while fighting for her life the writer realizes that she is a natural born writer. The author found that her battle allowed her to discover her soul. She realized she did not chose the craft of writing rather; she needed to write to find peace. Even at her lowest point when she was not able to physically move about, she always had writing. Writing gave her hope and strength.   

I agree with the author that writing for some is an art form and can be as natural as breathing. Writing is a way to communicate and to express oneself. I think writing can be used for different capacities for different people in various situations. In this particular situation the writer was stripped of everything and realized that in the end as long as she could write she would have the strength to get through even the toughest of situations. Writing for her was power. Writing was not only her identity, but her purpose in life.

In terms of my opinion on a writers perspective in the social media environment I would have to say that my opinion has changed dramatically.  I had always thought that new media and social media allowed audiences to participate in communications and essentially gave the audience the ability to be considered a writer. I always thought that because of social media, everyone can be a writer. I do not believe this to be true anymore however. There is so much more to writing then simply broadcasting a thought or idea. Writing is an art form that requires responsibility, discipline, and ethics. It is because of this course I have changed my mind on the perception of writers in the social media environment. Just because someone creates a blog and discusses their thoughts and opinions does not make them a writer. This person has chosen to use the platform of social media  to broadcast their thoughts and opinions however, they could be broadcasting information that is inaccurate, unethical, or offensive. Even though there is freedom of speech, this type of writing is not artistic or professional. It is simply a means to communicate and nothing more.

Multimedia enhances messaging in multiple ways. Today, people are able to communicate instantaneously in real time via several various outlets. Multimedia has allowed us to take communication one step further. For example, many of us message via text as it is fast, easy, and instantaneous. However, because of multimedia, now we can Facetime! Instead of just reading reactions and text messages, we can now see facial expressions and tone of voice in the same instantaneous and convenient way.

VS.

 

 

 

In addition, because of multimedia we now have ways to message and communicate via social media websites that cater to this type of multimedia communication such Instagram, Keek, and YouTube.

 

www.keek.com

Keek allows users to upload videos as well as status updates.

www.instagram.com

Instagram now allows users to record up to 15 seconds of video via the Instagram camera.
 

www.YouTube.com

YouTube allows users to upload and view videos that have already been uploaded from other users. Users are also allowed to comment and share the videos.

I think communication with or without multimedia is still effective however, I think multimedia takes communication to a more detailed and perhaps convenient level. It allows us to be more specific and thorough and it may be a bit more time efficient let’s say if you are trying to explain something to someone. Rather than typing out a text or email you could just send a video! I think multimedia allows us to communicate but in a more modern way. Today we can communicate but also entertain at the same time.

 

 

8-2 Blog: Best Practices

“The LA Times calls Perez, "like US Weekly, the Star, the Enquirer and Life & Style all rolled into one sweet yet snarky, sagacious yet salacious gay man." Rolling Stone writes, Perez is “The Queen of mean”, The New York Times describes him “Love him or (he prefers) hate him… [He] has become a hard-to-ignore Hollywood player. Perez was named the #1 Web celebrity for ’07, ’08 and ‘09 by Forbes Magazine and as one of the 15 most influential Hispanics in the US by People in Espanol. PerezHilton.com averages over 280 million page views and 13.5 million unique visitors per month.” (Perezhilton.com, 2004)

www.perezhilton.com is an entertainment blog that posts information about celebrities, music, and fashion. I have been following this blog since my freshman year in college. I was made aware of this blog from a few of my friends who shared it with me via Facebook. This blog is strictly for entertainment news and the bulk of the information on here is gossip.  Mario Armando Lavandeira, Jr.aka  Perez Hilton website started off writing gossip stories about local celebrities from his lap top.  People started sharing his blog via social media because of not only the gossip stories he would post, but his comical remarks about each gossip story. In addition, viewers could also comment on the stories which made this blog interactive.   Soon, everyone knew about www.perezhilton.com. Perez Hilton has gained an extremely successful career from the start of his celeb gossip blog.  Perezhilton.com is said to get over 300 million hits a month. Today you can see Perez Hilton all over the media scene. “Featured in/on the L.A. Times, The View, The Wall Street Journal, MTV’s TRL, Larry King, CNN, E!, Time, Paper Magazine, LIFE, SPIN, CBS News, Business Week, Much Music, LA Magazine, The Advocate, Dateline, Howard Stern, Us Weekly, InTouch Weekly, NY Times, LA Times, Billboard and many more. "P Nasty" has created an empire which includes his own record label, Perezious Music, introducing acts such as Slimmy, Travis Garland and Semi Precious Weapons to the world. He also launched his mobile website at m.perezhilton.com, a new fashion website CoCoPerez.com and two best sellers in 2009, Perez Hilton’s Red Carpet Suicide and Perez Hilton’s True Bloggywood Stories.” (“Perez Hilton Biography,”2013)

In terms of best practices and credibility the first thing I thought of was all the different images this website posts. I wondered where these photos came from. I also wondered where Perez Hilton got  his information. Who are his sources? Are these gossip stories credible? While searching the website I did find a few disclaimers:

“All images on perezhilton.com are readily available in various places on the Internet and believed to be in public domain. Images posted are believed to be posted within our rights according to the U.S. Copyright Fair Use Act (title 17, U.S. Code.)

Claims of Infringement

If you believe that any content appearing on perezhilton.com infringes on your copyright, please let us know. E-Mail info@perezhilton.com
following information to us and the infringing material will be removed as soon as possible.

(a) your name, address, telephone number, and e-mail address;
(b) a description of the copyrighted work that you claim has been infringed;
(c) the exact URL or a description of each place where alleged infringing material is located;
(d) a statement by you that you have a good faith belief that the disputed use has not been authorized by you, your agent, or the law;
(e) your electronic or physical signature or the electronic or physical signature of the person authorized to act on your behalf; and
(f) a statement by you made under penalty of perjury, that the information in your notice is accurate, that you are the copyright owner or authorized to act on the copyright owner's behalf

Please also note that under Section 512(f) of the Copyright Act any person who knowingly materially misrepresents that material or activity is infringing may be subject to liability.

- See more at: http://perezhilton.com/?page_id=3707#sthash.WrJShMzG.dpuf” (“Perezhilton.com,” 2004)

The images posted are posted from the internet and according to the U.S. Copyright Fair Use Act it is within rights that public images are allowed to be posted via this website. In terms of the actual content, most if not all is basically speculation and gossip related. I don’t think many consider this website a “go to” for accurate news as gossip is predominately based on hearsay and for entertainment purposes.

 

References

 

P Hilton. (2004). PerezHilton.com. Retrieved from www.perezhilton.com

(2013) Perez Hilton Biography. Retrieved from www.affiliates.westwoodone.com/music/PHilton-bio.as

Joe Paterno Press Release

 

 Press Release:

                                                                        FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

FORMER PENN STATE COACH JOE PATERNO PASSES AWAY AT 85

Paterno’s Legacy Lives On

 

 

A Brooklyn native, a natural born athlete, United States army veteran and family man; Joe Paterno was known for his career as the most successful college football coach for Penn State University of all time. Paterno was best known for his ability to have won more football games than any other football college football coach in his division.  Nicknamed “JoePa” by those who loved and respected him, Paterno reciprocated his loyalty by turning down a life changing opportunity that would have completely changed his career. Instead of pursuing a coaching career for the New England Patriots, Paterno stayed true to his college team and coached them towards two National Conferences in 1982 and 1986. Shortly after, Paterno was named Sportsman of the Year by Sports Illustrated magazine in 1986. In 2011 Paterno took his career one step further by leading his team to yet another victory against Illinois thus marking Paterno’s 409^th victory giving him the title of most wins by a college football coach in division I college football.

After 46 years of head coaching and leading players to numerous victories, Paterno lost his battle with lung cancer. Paternos’ legacy lives on however. Paterno will be best known for making Penn State football what it is today. A family member of Paterno was quoted saying "He died as he lived. He fought hard until the end, stayed positive, thought only of others and constantly reminded everyone of how blessed his life had been ... He was a man devoted to his family, his university, his players and his community,” (“Joe Paterno,”2013).

 

References

 

Joe Paterno. (2013). The Biography Channel website. Retrieved 06:15, Aug 04, 2013, from

http://www.biography.com/people/joe-paterno-9434584.

 

Goldstein,R. (2012, January, 23). Joe Paterno, Longtime Penn State Coach Dies at 85.  The New York Times.

Retrieved from

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/23/sports/ncaafootball/joe-paterno-longtime-penn-state-coach-dies-at-85.html?ref=joepaterno&_r=0

 

 

 

 

 

Facebook post:

 

 

“JoePa” Passes Away at Age 85

 

After over 46 years of  head coaching, Joe Paterno of Penn State passed away at age 85 from lung cancer complications. Affectionately nicknamed “JoePa” by those who knew and loved Paterno, he will most be remembered for his long, successful, career as one of the greatest college football coaches of all time. JoePa is responsible for building Penn State's champion football team into what it is today.

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/23/sports/ncaafootball/joe-paterno-longtime-penn-state-coach-dies-at-85.html?ref=joepaterno&_r=0

 

 

Blog 6-2

 

1.)    The company I am representing is The Salter School, a for profit career school which provides a 9 month expedited certificate program for future Professional Medical Assistants, Health Claims Specialists as well as Massage Therapists.

2.)    Target Audience- The general public of South coast Massachusetts. Students who just graduated high school, college level students looking to complete prerequisites for nursing, and adult students looking to make career change.

3.)    Our mission/message towards our target audience is “Training for Todays Careers.”

4.)    3 Social Media tools that will assist in delving this message to my target audience is:

v  Facebook

v  Twitter

v  YouTube

In terms of the social media resource that would provide this company with the most exposure I think Facebook is the winner. Facebook will not only allow the company to showcase pictures and encourage interactive conversations; but it is also a resource where other social media platforms can be showcased such as uploaded You Tube videos  and shared “tweets.” Facebook can be used essentially as a mash up of several different social media resources in one.

Facebook

Ø  Facebook will allow prospective students to gain an understanding of the school, its current population, and campus life.

Ø  Prospective students will be able to see posts from schools in different locations and compare and contrast how each site is alike and different in terms of campus culture.

Ø  Prospective students can add to ongoing discussions on the Facebook wall by asking questions to current active students. They can also create conversation by posting comments, sharing thoughts, ideas, and concerns or questions.

 

Twitter

Ø  Twitter will allow prospective and current students to receive messages from the school. Twitter will encourage discussion and it will also allow the general public to be up to date with campus events, open houses, enrollment periods, information about curriculum and it is also a resource for student or graduates to “tweet” testimonials.

Ø  Twitter will allow students to follow the school webpage and view blog-like comments. The general public can also interact via the Twitter page by writing hash tags and encouraging interactive messaging.

 

YouTube

Ø  YouTube encourages video sharing. This is a great way for the school to showcase testimonials and also serves as a great informative visual for the community. These videos can serve to be extremely informative to prospective students. It could also serve to be an excellent resource to active students to utilize for projects. Such videos could also promote campus culture and promote the overall mission statement. YouTube videos are extremely easy to share via smart phones as well as other social media outlets such as Facebook.

 

 

3-2 Blog: Unrestricted Web Publishing

3-2 Blog: Unrestricted Web Publishing

 

http://nation.time.com/2013/07/06/boeing-777-crash-lands-at-san-francisco-airport/photo/search-and-rescue-officials-surround-an-asiana-airlines-boeing-777-plane-after-it-crashed-while-landing-at-san-francisco-international-airport-in-california/

The article I found over the weekend was from Time regarding the Asiana flight which crashed while landing at San Francisco International Airport on Saturday July 6^th 2013. The author of this article is Susanna Schrobsdorff, TIME.com Assistant Managing Editor. If you go to the website: http://nation.time.com/author/sschrobsdorff/ you will see that prior to her experience as Assist Managing Editor for TIME.com, Schrobsdorff  was the Editorial Director for Newsweek Digital. Schrobsdorff started her career with TIME as an intern before TIME created the TIME.com website. For five years she was a Newsdesk Editor for TIME and Paris and in Brussels.

Schrobsdorff interviewed and quoted a comment from Larry Rooney, a veteran pilot, NTSB-trained accident investigator and executive vice president of the Coalition of Airline Pilots Associations.

This is the website of the Coalition of Airline Pilots Association: http://www.capapilots.org/. According to CAPA..

“CAPA is a trade association comprised of over 25,000 professional pilots. CAPA's purpose is to address safety, security, legislative and regulatory issues affecting the professional flight deck crew member on matters of common interest to the individual member unions. The five members of CAPA are: Allied Pilots Association (American Airlines), US Airline Pilots Association (US Airways), Independent Pilots Association (UPS Airlines), Teamsters Local 1224 (Allegiant Air, Atlas Air, Horizon Air, Hyannis Air, Kalitta Air, Miami Air, Omni Air, Silver Airways, Southern Air), and Teamsters Local 357 (Republic Airlines, Frontier Airlines, Chautauqua Airlines and Shuttle America).” According to the CAPA biography of Larry Rooney, “Captain Larry Rooney currently serves as Executive Vice President of the Coalition of Airline Pilots Association and is responsible for both the financial and fiscal administration of the Association in addition to his lobbying efforts on behalf of the pilot profession.

Captain Rooney comes to CAPA from the US Airline Pilots Associations (USAPA) where he serves as Chairman of the USAPA Accident Investigation Committee, Vice Chairman of the USAPA Training Committee and an active member of the Safety, Violations and Government Affairs Committees.

As an Airline Transport rated pilot, and current line Captain with US Airways, he has logged over 17,000 flight hours in his 30 years of airline service and is type rated on the Airbus 319, 320 , 321, as well as the Boeing 737, 757 and 767.

In addition, he is an NTSB Trained Accident Investigator and had the privilege of serving as a party member on both the Operations and Human Performance groups for the recently completed NTSB investigation of US Airways flight 1549 "The Miracle on the Hudson". As a full member of the International Society of Air Safety Investigators (ISASI), Captain Rooney is able to bring real world, hands on experience to his lobbying efforts on Capitol Hill.”

The Coalition of Airline Pilots Associations (2013)

Schrobsdorff also used source Tom Kinton, an aviation consultant from Logan airport located in Boston MA. His expertise includes over 35 years of experience including a role of being the director of aviation as well as CEO.

In this article the sourcing seems to be the use of the journalist as a witness as well as journalist as a credentialed expert. Here, the journalist is the eyes and ears for the audience. In this case, the journalist provided credible sources with valid expertise and credentials. The journalist made sure to reference the sources of information within the article for the audience to reference check and dig a little deeper.



This article does not seem to present bias however, one could argue that the journalist did not interview or reference any victims of the situation to offer their point of view. I’m sure the victims of the situation would have perhaps a different account of the event since experiencing such firsthand. Perhaps, this would have offered a more balanced account of the event.



This article included valid and accurate sources that were well referenced and the journalist is a credentialed journalist. The article came off ethical and accurate. The website itself, TIME.com is a well-known and reputable website. The journalist referenced expert sources within the article. Although, no victims were directly referenced in the article, perhaps there was a reason for this. Perhaps, the journalist wanted to convey information on factual events that happened within the situation rather than providing the bias, perceptions, and or opinions of victims and first hand witnesses. If the journalist was to offer information strictly from witnesses or victims of the situation this article would not be as credible due to possibility of discrepancy when using only witnesses as sources of information.

How do you know what you know? Name one new thing you learned using a social media site today and explain why you believe it is true. What source did you use to acquire this information? At times, are social media sites reliable for obtaining credible information?

I base most of my knowledge on my experiences. What I experience, what others close to me experience or even experiences that occur as a result of my surroundings have all been learning experiences for me in some way, shape, or form. I also attribute most of my knowledge to my educational background as well as information I read via the internet, books and the media in general.  One new piece of information I learned today was that the Boston Celtics traded Kevin Garnett, Paul Peirce and Jason Terry to the Brooklyn Nets. Being from Massachusetts and most of my Facebook friends being from Massachusetts as well, this was big news and I found it posted all over my Facebook newsfeed. Most of my Facebook friends who posted this information posted about their opinions or thoughts as a result of this shocking trade. The reason why I know there is truth to this piece of information is because a few of my Facebook friends had actually posted a link to the website as a reference. For example, one friend posted a link to an ESPN website followed by his opinion. I have been seeing a lot of this lately and I think it is a great idea. We as a class have been discussing and debating over the accuracy of information posted and broadcasted via social media and although this is not a solution to the problem I think it is extremely helpful. I could cross reference the information by clicking on the link and reading the article for myself. With ESPN being such a reputable website I felt more confident in the piece of information I read regarding the trade. If the post had been referenced back to the National Enquirer on the other hand, I would have done a bit more research.

 

 

So, in this case social media did in fact provide factual information. Sure, it was posted along with a strong opinion but the person who posted the information cited the information by posting the website article for others to visit, check out or perhaps to cross reference. Maybe if social media users started doing this more consistently we would not have so many issues with the sharing of inaccurate information. We can then put the responsibility back on to journalists and media stations to be more diligent with fact checking prior to releasing and broadcasting information to new media outlets.

 

 

Personally, I typically utilize social media for more “entertainment” news however; I have been seeing more and more people share or tweet about real news. Although this type of news postings are extremely convenient to check via social media sites, I know that if I want details regarding a particular news story I will need to check more reliable resources rather then relying on social media posts. That is where things get a bit murky in terms of what is fact verses what is opinion or speculation.