A blog about blogs -- this is a brilliant idea.
Blogging is one of the newest forms of journalism, and I appreciate that we study it in this class for the sheer fact that it could be part of our job opportunities in the future.
While at the Philadelphia conference, I actually went to a session about writing blogs and freelance journalism, and I realized just how important it was to the world of journalism: it's another way to expand our audience and (in some cases) make money doing what we love. The guest speaker told us to create a blog if we didn't already have one, and work on an e-portfolio to show to potential employers.
Blogging, for me, however, has been difficult, only because of a lack of new ideas. Most of my journalistic ideas go towards the Torch or other writing projects, and I want to come up with original things for my blog. It's hard for me to come up with creative ways to express a combination of newsy-feature pieces without taking ideas from my other projects.
I think it could be used for later classes, but I would make it either fewer or produce topics for your students to write on, that way, they can do it within the structure of the course and not have to worry about coming up with several creative topics.
Wednesday, November 5, 2014
Saturday, November 1, 2014
Midwestern Politeness
I never understood why people always say that Midwestern residents are some of the nicest people... Until I went to Philly.
Don't get me wrong, over the last few days, I've met several dozens of people who are delightful human beings that I genuinely enjoyed talking to.
But in general, people had no problem shoving into each other, honking car horns in anger, and verbally harassing my group and following us. There were at least three instances (that I know of) in which members of my group have been hounded.
The first happened at a gas station on our way to the conference, when a gentleman in a car called out to a fellow group member "hey! How old?"
Luckily, she was able to keep walking and not look back.
The second instance occurred this morning, when a gentleman was following me and a couple others to a local market, and he kept talking to us about where we were going and what we were doing. We didn't look back.
The third happened this evening, when a gentleman on the side of the street repeatedly called out to me and a fellow group member, asking where we "two lovely ladies" were going, and almost followed us.
Yes, I am aware that these things can happen anywhere, but to have it happen three times in less than 24 hours was something I never thought I'd have to experience.
Though I loved Philly, I can't wait to be back in the Midwest, where people are a little more respectful of others.
Don't get me wrong, over the last few days, I've met several dozens of people who are delightful human beings that I genuinely enjoyed talking to.
But in general, people had no problem shoving into each other, honking car horns in anger, and verbally harassing my group and following us. There were at least three instances (that I know of) in which members of my group have been hounded.
The first happened at a gas station on our way to the conference, when a gentleman in a car called out to a fellow group member "hey! How old?"
Luckily, she was able to keep walking and not look back.
The second instance occurred this morning, when a gentleman was following me and a couple others to a local market, and he kept talking to us about where we were going and what we were doing. We didn't look back.
The third happened this evening, when a gentleman on the side of the street repeatedly called out to me and a fellow group member, asking where we "two lovely ladies" were going, and almost followed us.
Yes, I am aware that these things can happen anywhere, but to have it happen three times in less than 24 hours was something I never thought I'd have to experience.
Though I loved Philly, I can't wait to be back in the Midwest, where people are a little more respectful of others.
A Cheesy, Beautiful Experience
In going to Philadelphia this weekend, I had one major thing on my bucket list: to eat a REAL Philly Cheese Steak.
As cheesy as that sounds (if you'll pardon the pun), I'd never been to Philadelphia, and the cheese steak is part of the city's notoriety.
It's funny to think that something as simple as a sandwich could be such a crucial part of the tourist's experience, but when I took that first hot, melted bite, I finally understood the delicious Heaven of which I'd been so deprived.
It wasn't about the sandwich, though. I mean, sure, I wanted to eat it because of it's flavorful fame, but really, I wanted to be a part of a culture. This is what it's known for; this is what the people eat; this is why people go here (for other reasons as well, but this is a big part).
To finally be one with this city was a cheesy, beautiful thing, and I loved every bite.
As cheesy as that sounds (if you'll pardon the pun), I'd never been to Philadelphia, and the cheese steak is part of the city's notoriety.
It's funny to think that something as simple as a sandwich could be such a crucial part of the tourist's experience, but when I took that first hot, melted bite, I finally understood the delicious Heaven of which I'd been so deprived.
It wasn't about the sandwich, though. I mean, sure, I wanted to eat it because of it's flavorful fame, but really, I wanted to be a part of a culture. This is what it's known for; this is what the people eat; this is why people go here (for other reasons as well, but this is a big part).
To finally be one with this city was a cheesy, beautiful thing, and I loved every bite.
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