final website decision :)

Soooooooo...after wrestling with the decision about my website topic, I have settled on using my Technological Autobiography. This decision came to me for 2 main reasons. 1) It is the earliest assignment we did, therefore something I don't mind revisiting this late in the game and 2) when all else fails, write about yourself. I have decided to take my site viewers on a journey through my stages of computers, websites, typing, and eventually social networking, linking to my current blogs and even pictures of my first computers. My argument will be based on the fact that I am a product of a severely technological generation and prove this by displaying all the ways in which I use technology.

Hopefully I got this arugment/topic thing right :)

website wonders

Website ideas!!! :)

1. Autobiography: My literacy autobiography focused a lot on my education and my parents occupation as teachers. Although I did enjoy writing my autobiography, I don't think there is enough information to really make an interesting website.

2. My review was on the website Posterous. This could make for an interesting website because I enjoyed using this site and there is more I could explore. I was also thinking I could compare and contrast Posterous with other blogging and networking sites to possibly formulate my argument that Posterous is a good site. BUT, now that I think about it, this may not be enough juicy info for a website either.

3. My research paper was on online and interactive fiction. This is probably my best bet for a website because there is a lot people don't know about online fiction since it isnt extremely popular so there are a lot of different links and authors I can expose in my website. Also, I was hoping to write a piece of online fiction because I enjoy writing fiction and have never done so online.

but overall, I'm stuck and not sure what my website will be yet. (I'm still recovering from the research paper!) :)

Research Rut

Hi. I'm Courtney, the bad news bearer. After writing the rough draft (and I mean ROUGH) draft of my research paper, I was frustrated to say the least. While my topic interested me and I usually have no problems sitting down and writing, I was stuck on this paper to say the least. My research through me over the edge, partly because of the lack of research I found. I had a hard time finding research specific to my topic and once I did find any good journals, the opinions were extremely vague and almost uninformed. Therefore, I decided to scrap my annotated bib and start from scratch, writing my rough draft with only 2 sources and my own opinion. Now I feel more prepared with this clean slate. After reading Amanda's comments on my paper, I felt much more successful because of her positive feedback on parts of my paper that I thought I made no sense. In addition, after going back over my paper with fresh eyes, I realize that I have a good base and can now move forward with my research. Also, once Cathy informed us we can use "I", I was ecstatic. Being a creative writer, the use of "I" is huge for me as it makes me more comfortable to use my creative voice. Often times, I jumble my thoughts in research papers because I focus on sounding formal so by using my own voice I feel I will have more success writing my final draft.

Research Sources

To begin my research and find sources for my paper, I decided it was necessary that I first become familiar with online fiction before I began hunting for research about it. After all, how can I research a topic I have not even explored? Dr. Gabor directed me to Mark Amerika, a popular online fiction writer whose stories are written specifically for the internet only. What I found interesting was that these stories are not simply a word document that comes up on your screen for you to stare at blankly much like the page in a book. These stories are interactive and include graphics, links, different plots, and each reader has a different experience based on the links and paths they choose. As part of my research and beginning to find sources, I found this interaction with Mark Amerika's site very helpful because it taught me a little about what I would be researching. I also found a site buzzle which was full of online fiction for me to explore. Finally, I am having a bit of trouble finding really and reviews, criticism, or praise of online fiction. While I have found plenty of sites that support these authors, I have searched high and low for any sort of opinion and have yet to find any. If anyone can steer my in the right direction, that would be greatly appreciated! :)

Possible Topics

1. How is print fiction being affected by the growing populatiry of online fiction and do devices such as the kindle have an affect on this?

2. How do we ensure that community based sites such as wikipedia do not override credible, academic sites as a place for information?

3. Is online, community based journalism taking the place of traditional print journalism? If so, how can we ensure that the online based information is credible?

Steady as a Preacher, Free as a Weed

"American Honey" by Lady Antebellum is my current obsession. Trendy (blah), but oh so catchy, it is on repeat in my car.

Part 3: The Verdict.

Overall, I am pretty smitten with Posterous. While I have not completely taken to using it as my everyday blog (I do have two other blogs as well as a Facebook page and a life outside cyber space) I do see myself transitioning over to this site as my main writing space. This site can definitely be defined as a writing space because it gives its users a blank slate (aka an email, how much more blank can you get?) to write, sing, illustrate, embed, say, not say, whatever they want. It allows for free reign while posting and gives the opportunity to do so from the comfort of your own email server. Like I said, no crazy user names, codes, websites, or hoops to jump through and remember. Your own email address will do just fine. My criteria for the site as a writing space were simple, yet firm. Accessibility and Easiness. I don't want to mess with a site that takes me a week to figure out (*cough* Google Buzz *cough*) or that I can only access through the site itself while on a computer that only uses javascript or whatever those weird programs are called that websites make you download in order to use the site in the first place. None of that exists in the world of Posterous and for that, I am eternally grateful. My writing is uninhibited and untouched by the many distractions of cyber world, and posting through email can be compared to the simplicity of putting pen to paper.

Enough said.

A+