Writing In & For Digital Environments

Nothing is more exciting than Saturdays during the fall.  That’s right, it’s college football season, the best time of the year.  It only makes sense to blog about the greatest sport known to mankind.  Even more, what’s better than a game day in The Big Ten?  In my opinion, Saturdays in The Big Ten are the best days of the year, which leads me to the theme of my blog,  “Big Ten Gameday”.  My blog will specifically follow all the football teams in The Big Ten conference throughout the entire season.

When I picture my blog, I aspire it to be similar to Bleacher Report, specifically their section on Big Ten Football.  Bleacher Report follows each Big Ten team closely, live tweeting about games, analyzing recruiting, and power ranking the conference.  These are all things I plan to include in my blog as well.

Another blog I follow closely that can help shape my blog in SB Nation.  SB Nation blogs about more than just college football teams, coaches, and players; they also blog about mascots, fans, and stadiums.  Incorporating things like this into my blog would add a fun twist to the site.  Some things I plan on doing are power-ranking the best mascots in conference and blogging about a different Big Ten stadium every week.  Maybe I can even post about a Big Ten fan of the week, somebody who dresses over the top on game day to cheer on their favorite team in the conference.

ESPN’s Big Ten Blog‘s scoreboard includes the score of every Big Ten team’s game from the previous Saturday, helping the fans to stay updated on all teams around the confernce.  Easy to navigate, followers can click on specific games for more detailed recaps and box scores.  I frequently find myself statistic surfing through box scores, and I’m sure my audience would enjoy doing the same.  I can include a similar scoreboard that provides my audience with in-depth recaps and statistics of all the conference games from that past week.

Factoring in aspects from a variety of sports blogs that I frequently follow,  I feel as if I can create a successful blog following The Big Ten Football Conference, providing my audience with interesting posts on all of the teams in both the East and West divisions.

Art for the Artless will be a blog that approaches art from several angles: art on Dickinson’s campus and in the surrounding community, local artist interviews, famous artist features, and personal artwork. The blog will build a diverse collage of posts and features and meld it into a cohesive whole. The blog will build off of other art blogs and join the conversation that is already underway.

The art will be central. Visuals will be interesting and eye-catching. The blog TRYHARDER, exemplifies the expert use of images in an art blog. It is eye-catching and interesting. My blog will feature more text, but it will maintain strong visual components.

One particularly exciting feature of my blog will be interviews with local/student artists. My blog will contain typed-up interviews that explore the artist’s philosophy, inspirations, and personality. The blog art21 contains examples of in depth artist interviews, such as this interview of Mary Jane Jacob. The interview covers a lot of ground. I am interested on developing my own interviewing style that will be of particular relevance and interest to young, budding artists.

In addition to artist interviews, my blog will feature reviews of any art shows on campus/in the community. I will explore various kinds of art and artists in these reviews. The blog ARTLOG features reviews and blurbs of shows around the world. My blog will feature similar features, possibly highlighting the interesting or engaging aspects of the shows with plenty of visuals documenting the event. I will also notify my blog community of when/where these events are taking place.

My blog will not only feature “official” art, it will feature more casual art that strikes my attention as I go about my life in Carlisle. The blog Doodlers Anonymous features some more casual art, such as these amazingly awesome coffee cups.

I hope to incorporate all kinds of art in my blog. My blog will reach out and pull together many aspects of both the local and the global communities and do so in an engaging and visually pleasing way.

I’ve never been one to write down my thoughts. My mind is always racing, but often my hands are quiet. I have expressed myself through the poetry and written thoughts of others for so long, that I’ve started to feel like maybe my own thoughts are somehow being construed so that my thoughts are becoming less and less my own. I want this blog to change that. This blog, which I will oh-so-cleverly name Dear Prudence, will be a collection of things that make me who I am, of things and places that make me happy, and maybe sometimes of things that don’t.

Taken from the sidewalk on Memorial Drive, Cambridge, MA

As far as style goes, I would like to follow a format similar to that of Sprouted Kitchen . I really like how it’s obvious where the title is, but then it jumps right into the content of the post. Another blog I like is Anthropologie. It’s heavy on  pictures which is an element that I think is important. On the other hand, I would like my blog to have a simple, classy feel that ‘s easy on the eyes. I feel like if a blog is too busy, the reader will get distracted from the reason they came to look at the blog in the first place.

In terms of media and posts, I want to include pictures of my friends and family (with their permission, of course), and maybe a video or two of my acapella group performing or practicing. My blog will also probably include random thoughts or feelings that I will have the day that our posts are due.

Taken by Colleen Brandt, Charles River, Cambridge, MA

I need a place to put myself. Hopefully, this blog will allow me to do just that.

After much thought and debate within my mind, I decided I will focus my personal blog on politics and international affairs. When I say politics, I do not mean the debates between the Republicans and Democrats, but mainly on the alarming development of ISIS in the Middle East and how the United States government continues to react to the threats of this group. I chose this topic because during my internship in Washington D.C., I was exposed to a lot of discussion concerning the issue and was something that has really intrigued me. Although I heard discussions and saw events happen first hand behind the closed doors of our government, at the end of the day I was still an intern and at the bottom of the ranks. That being said, I am taking this as a chance to get a lot of thoughts off my chest and develop these thoughts into a blog someone would enjoy reading.

If you look at some blogs on politics, you will probably notice that many of them are boring and do not look very appealing. Yes, they can make some interesting points, but who really wants to sit and read someone rambling about their views on politics. Some blogs I have always looked at are Bleacher Report and Buzzfeed, which have a completely different feel to them. The blogs are fun to read not because they are not about politics, but they both have a personality and humor that attracts readers and makes their blogs fun to read. They have attractive pictures and titles that just scream, “Read me!”

I have noticed that a great amount of blogs focusing on politics lack the personality and humor that blogs such as Buzzfeed and Bleacher Report have, which ultimately pushes many from staying politically engaged. After talking with people my age, I have acknowledged that a vast majority of people my age do not care about politics or do not even know what ISIS is because they see politics as dry and boring. Rarely do I see people post on social media about their concerns with our government or international affairs. My goal with this blog is to create a fun and more attractive way to engage in politics and increase the awareness of ISIS and their intentions because this terrorist organization is spreading worldwide and we as citizens have a responsibility to stop ISIS from threatening our ways of life.

Links:

http://www.buzzfeed.com

http://bleacherreport.com

http://www.politico.com/blogs/media/

I am going to do a fashion blog on how very high end; designer clothing eventually makes its way to the chain store, inexpensive brands and influences how everyday people dress.  I am planning on titling my blog: Runway to Reality.

(photo taken from http://www.burdastyle.com/blog/recreating-nyfw-2014-michael-kors)

I am going to be concentrating a lot of my blog space on high quality photos taken from fashion websites, magazines, media outlets etc.  I definitely want to maintain a minimalistic aesthetic since my personal style reflects classicality and simplicity.  I do not want any distracting, bright or busy fonts, but at the same time, I do not want my blog to be boring and void of color.

I really like http://nymag.com/thecut/ and how they have laid out their web page.  It is a little crowded for my taste once you scroll past the top stories picture slideshow but I do like the color scheme and overall appearance.  The Cut is not strictly a fashion blog because they do beauty and lifestyle but I do like a lot of the topics they write about.  Every article seems to have a definite purpose to it.  I want to mimic this sense of purpose when I sit down to start my own blog.

Another great blog is http://www.oliviapalermo.com because of her classic and simple approach to fashion and beauty blogging.  She has an extremely easy to navigate home page with great, high quality images and sample texts from each post.  As I imagine my blog, I picture it being very similar to Olivia Palermo’s in terms of the vibe she gives as well as the clean cut aesthetic.

http://www.songofstyle.com is an awesome fashion blog because it’s a normal person who isn’t afraid of writing about days where yoga pants are definitely more comfortable than a blazer and a skirt.  She doesn’t restrict herself to just writing about high fashion.  I really like her blog because there are no ads (which bother me a lot and I find very distracting), as well as the fact that she has the most simple layout and design of all the blogs I’ve mentioned.

I would like to include YouTube videos of runway shows where my blog post is dedicated to critiquing and analyzing designer’s collections.  Another idea I had is to do a style steal section where I would take outfits from the high fashion runway and find the same look for a much cheaper price.  The final idea I have is to be very aware of trends in multiple designers’ collections and see if I can find any students on campus that are wearing something similar.

I will be designing a blog entitled “Hello, Sunshine.” Cheesy? Maybe, but hear me out.

Think of that one thing that turns your bad day good or that makes you feel a little more sane in this always-hectic world. My answer: Running. It’s freeing, exhilarating, and just simply makes me smile from ear to ear.

“Hello, Sunshine.” will be my way to share my running experiences with the world. Whether it be a post about all the thoughts that go through my head on a run (to wave or not to wave at the runner coming towards me is the big question) or just a simple post about my run that day, I hope that my blog provides easily relatable, goofy, and riveting material.

The content of by blog will include a variety of topics all centered on running. Exact topics and ideas are still in the making and subject to chance, but, in the here and now, my ideas are as follows:

• I have run a 10k in every place I have traveled—Denmark, Wyoming, good ole’ Carlisle, etc. I hope to create a few posts sharing these experiences by including pictures and text of each run, the people I passed, the views I saw, and the animals that made me turn around running. Once I have a few posts about this I hope to create a tab for posts that fall under this category.
• Dickinson College Run for Steph
• My injury story: 1. Knowing your body and the difference between being sore and in pain 2. Getting back into running after my injury
• Stretching and yoga
• Food—Every runner needs fuel. I plan to share some of my favorite snacks and noms.
• A list of my favorite running applications and why

Visually, I plan to keep this blog simple – easily navigable and not too cluttered. I am envisioning a layout similar to the blogs Brit + Co and Q by Equinox with boxed pictures and bolded titles to show blog posts. I will be incorporating some tabs into my blog to provide organized navigation as well as a “contact me” section.

I hope to gain a following from the running world; however, I would also like to make my blog something at others might enjoy as well. I think that my 10k travel stories, while centered around running, might be enjoyed by other travelers and hikers.

Through this blog, I hope I give readers a glimpse into “my happy hour” in running shoes.

Being away from my country and especially from Mendoza, my native province, is teaching me to appreaciate my own culture and hometown. “You don’t realize what you have until it’s gone,” goes the saying. Although Mendoza is not gone from my life  (I am going to be back there in a few months), being far away has make me aware of how much I love the place where I grew up and where I live.

Las_Leñas_Mendoza_Argentina_by_Andre_Charland

This feeling inspired me to share with my readers what I know about Mendoza and what this incredible province can offer to the visitor. I can definitely say I I would like to design a blog that captivates the viewer since they first glance at it. Therefore, the pictures should be striking: beautiful landscapes, majestic mountains, wild rivers. All these elements should be combined with an adequate background and appropriate contrast. I would like the pictures in the home page to change constantly, as in Forbes Travel Guide Blog.

My goal is to give general information about Mendoza in my own words and view: its history, ancient monuments, universities, outdoor activities, gastronomy and wine industy, among others. The blog, however, is not intended to give information about hotels and accomodation, rates per night, etc.

Finally, there are two sections that cannot miss in my blog: one where readers can learn about me (about section), so as to make my work transpartent, and a contact me section, where readers can post comments or contact me for further information about the places I describe in my blog and their feelings about my publications.

Being a devoted and passionate horse-lover, I think it would only be appropriate if I created a blog dedicated to the Dickinson Equestrian Team. The team has become my happy place at Dickinson. Going to the barn and riding is my safe-haven—my stress free zone. So I decided, why not create a blog about the fabulous life of the team that has helped make Dickinson feel like home?

My vision for the blog is for it to be a place where everyone—including those who are not so informed about the horse-world—can follow the team’s adventures. Unless you’re actually a member, no one knows much about it. Whenever I mention my involvement, I always get similar responses: I mean, horses? Who really cares, right? Well, I do, so I’m hoping my blog can help others care too.

I envision a few navigation links at the top linking to different topics. Last year, I qualified to compete at Nationals (not trying to brag), so I wanted to have a “Road to Nationals” tab where people could learn about the hard work that comes with competing at that level. When I was younger, there was this show on Animal Planet called “Road to the Maclay.” The Maclay is a huge, super cool show that riders will do anything to qualify for. Although it’s outdated, one of the riders created a blog about her experience (click the link!). This is similar to what I had in mind except with more pictures and much more wow factor.

Our show season is fast approaching, so I think it’d only be fitting to have a tab that covers competitions. I was thinking of including team member profiles of those members that have success throughout the season. The blog, Campus Equestrian (click this one too!), covers collegiate competitions throughout the U.S. The writer for our zone interviews various competitors for various teams. He includes pictures of them on the horse, with their ribbons, with their coach etc. This is my inspiration for the show coverage tab except it will be focused on members of the Dickinson team.

We also have an executive board, so another possible headline could be: “Meet members working behind the scenes.” I could even add horse profiles. After all, they are a huge part of the team. Sometimes people forget this. Considering we HORSE-back ride, this is weird, right?

Lastly, I’m thinking about a “How To” section. Most people don’t understand what it means to be a collegiate rider, so this would serve as a great way to educate those that are less knowledgeable. For example, “How to Dress for Competition” or “How to Have Success in Competition.” These are just a few ideas.

So, there you have it. Hopefully, my equestrian, horse-loving blog will turn out to be a success. Right now, it’s all in my head, but I’m hoping to put it on the Internet for all to see very soon.

Photo courtesy of http://primaryperitonealcancerinfo.blogspot.com/

I view my life in the present progressive tense. I’m always coming, going, waiting, thinking, hoping, wishing, choosing… When I feel aimless, which is most of the time, I recall a quote by my favorite author, J. R. R. Tolkien: “Not all who wander are lost.” I’ve always been an artist and writer at heart, and ever since my semester abroad in Norwich, England, I’ve caught a bad case of the travel bug. Since then, I’ve found myself in some pretty amazing places, and I’ve learned a lot about myself and the world around me along the way. As a conglomeration of my varied interests, this blog is at the intersection of arts, literature, culture, and travel.

However, this isn’t a site for offering tourist tips or suggestions of places to visit (I’m not nearly cosmopolitan enough to do that, yet!); instead, I see my “travels” as a broad and flexible concept, signifying everything from adventures abroad to meandering memories and wandering thoughts while driving to work. Using my English major tendency to close read and analyze texts, I will examine my continued encounters with the arts and travelling from a humanist perspective in order to reflect on their potential to foster introspection and personal development.

In doing so, I draw on a few blogs as sources of inspiration and potential voices in the digital conversation I intend to build. Both Medium and Matador Network feature the kind of wide-ranging content and image-based layout on which I hope to model my blog (Check out two really cool posts, “Men I’ve Met at Corners” and “Traveling in the Face of Death,” as examples of content I’m interested in. They’re also just really good reads!). The Art of Non-Conformity connects personal development and travel in a way I would like to emulate. Finally, the Paris Review addresses cultural and literary content of the sort that I wish to write about, but hopefully in relation to travel and in a more accessible style.

I think I can add my own fresh perspective, artistic eye, and unique set of experiences as a young college student to this conversation. I hope that readers of my blog will discover opportunities for art and travel and be inspired to live everyday with a “tourist’s eye”—with the desire and capacity to seek wonder and beauty everywhere and in everything. With this in mind, I invite my readers to join me on my journey as I study the art of wandering through life.