Writing In & For Digital Environments

One idea I had for a blog was one on the people here at Dickinson. One blog I really enjoyed similar to that idea was Humans Of New York because of how honest and genuine it is. It doesn’t hide any of the truth about the stories that the blogger shares. It allows people from around the world to see a bigger picture of the reality of others and allows them to relate to people in similar situations. I also really enjoy any and all blogs on baking desserts. Examples of these include You Chew, My Baking Addiction, and Sprinkle Bakes. Those are usually the ones I choose to use when finding a recipe to make. I like these blogs because they’re split up into sections to help you decide which type of dessert to make, rather than one long list. But a blog about people and a blog about food are two completely different ideas.

Before I began writing this post, my first idea was to start a blog about the culture at Dickinson College. Since I am a freshman and only in my fourth week of college it seemed like a reasonable idea to learn more about the people that I will be living with for the next four years. But I realized that that would be very expected of me, and I wanted to make it slightly more unique.

My friend and I decided to bake a dessert the other night. We created a brownie and cookie dough bite that looked and tasted like a heart attack. Since we had about twenty left we decided to share with everyone in Drayer. We walked in and instantly were attacked by our hungry peers. Everyone thanked us and praised our desserts. I was talking to people I had never met before, and I was learning where these people came from and desserts that they’ve made like ours at their own homes.

We made cookie dough in between two brownie bites, covered in chocolate.

That’s when I got the idea to combine baking with learning about the culture. My blog will be about the desserts that I make with my friend and then how sharing it brings us closer to our peers. Hopefully it will allow me to make new friends and for others to do the same.

When my professor first told me to start thinking of potential blog topics I did what every responsible college student would do, push it off. I have never written consistently and the task of finding a specific topic that would’t get boring after two posts was intimidating. Initially, I thought of writing about travel or sports since those are the only two blogs I’ve ever really read consistently. I knew I’d definitely have to narrow down my focus so I began thinking of a way I could make the blog personal and interactive. All of a sudden a light bulb went off and I had the perfect idea!

http://fashionablygeek.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/light-bulb-eureka.jpg

For my blog I will be conducting a series of interviews with different student-athletes at Dickinson College, with the intention of providing insight into what college life is like for these individuals. In addition to providing their responses, I will be supplementing the interviews with some of my own experiences as a member of the men’s lacrosse team.

Perhaps the most well known and respected media outlet for accessing interviews of athletes is ESPN. I love the format they utilize. Paragraphs are often broken up with pictures and bolded quotes in a large font. They also do a good job of localizing advertisements to the bottom of the page so the reader can fully focus on the story. Additionally, I want to incorporate a stylistic element that is used in Travel Blogger Interviews. Every post starts with a picture of the interviewee and is accompanied by a short bio. This allows the reader to feel connected to the subject from the very beginning. 

Personally, athletics have had an incredible impact on my life here at Dickinson. There have been really high highs and really low lows, but I wouldn’t change my experience for anything. As a senior in college I have the ability to look back at the last three years and see how I’ve grown as a person and reflect on the role athletics has played in this process. My coach is always telling the team how often alumni reach out and tell him that playing lacrosse in college has helped them with their careers and personal lives. Over the next few months I hope to illustrate what my coach is talking about by providing first hand accounts of different athletes and make this blog come to life. 

The blog I am going to create is hopefully going to create a space where the woman of Dickinson campus can safely discuss their sexuality and how being a student of Dickinson campus has changed or impacted it. I want to focus on the concept of sexuality amongst young woman. As a young woman of this generation where woman are constantly being sexualized in the media but shamed for it in reality, it is important that we understand our bodies and fully embrace the beauty of being a woman. A blog that I really love is http://killerandasweetthang.tumblr.com Created by 20 year old Eileen Kelly. She created an online website where young woman can ask questions related to sexuality and all things womanly. The link above is to her tumblr because the blog is currently being updated, but once it is up and running I will link it on my blog because it is truly remarkable (as is her tumblr, but the blog is more focused on her writing) Kelly’s post answers questions about orgasms, periods, partners both male and female, sexual experiences, how to have safe sex etc. the list goes on. The blog is very aesthetically pleasing which really adds to its appeal. Her raw photos of naked woman may make the readers uncomfortable at first, but I think that is the point. It makes the reader stop and question why they were feeling uncomfortable in the first place.

Eileen Kelly in a French Magazine

Another website that I really enjoy is i-D Mag which is the online version of a magazine. Like Kelly’s blog, it is very raw. This magazine has mastered all forms of media having both an online website, a YouTube channel as well as a printed magazine. The thing that attracts me the most about this blog is how real it is. Unlike a lot of other sites that have a lot of fluff in their articles and are filled with unattractive adds, i-D Mag focuses on their content. They write articles about real people and their experiences rather than untangeable models or celebreties. They focus on woman who are defying steryo-types as well as woman who have overcome depression, body issues, self-harm etc. These are all very real, important issues that a lot of magazines that are targeted towards young woman do not talk about; if so it is in a very edited manner. I really love their YouTube channel; again their videos are so real. They are not over edited; they really make the reader focus on the subject. One of my favorite columns that inspired the idea for my blog is the following post about personal fashion at the 2016 Gov Ball

https://i-d.vice.com/en_us/article/the-brightest-young-things-at-the-governors-ball-2016-straight-up

Lady Gaga on the cover of i-D Mag

I am super excited to start my blog and I hope that people will enjoy the content!

The blog I plan on designing is a self-exploration into life, death and what lies beyond. I have had the privilege of working at a coroner’s office for the past two summers and gained a very unique perspective of life. I was told to keep a journal to process and think about what I was seeing and reflect upon it. So I would like to explore the experiences I was a part of in the cases I was working, and find a deeper understanding and continue to explore the age old mystery of life and death.

Death is a very sensitive topic that most people want to avoid, and are not very comfortable talking about, and much less wanting to read about. So my plan is to have my blog very clean, simple, and have it solely focus on the content. Mainly because the writing and experiences I’m discussing are the reason for my blog, but also to create a place for respect, because my work and educational experience that I will be examining is also another family’s loss.

One blog that does this very well and one I want to model for my project is http://www.grahamhetrick.com/ . It is very well organized, clean and simple. There is not much visually, no advertisements and its very organized  in the way of tabs, including a glossary, blog, about page , and a press tab. The articles in each section are very well written and the content is of an educational tone. There are a variety of interesting topics and subject matter that keeps people coming back to learn more and discover what is required of the coroner. It does not have a ‘downing’ , dreary attitude about death, but rather a realistic educational quality that makes it much more acceptable for the average person reading about this subject.

http://www.grahamhetrick.com/

This working experience has let me come to a deeper understanding of what life and death means to me as I plan to follow my career path in becoming a medical examiner.

“Why should I fear death? If I am, death is not. If death is, I am not. Why should I fear that which cannot exist when I do?”
—Epicurus

There are great sites like espnW and Women Talk Sports that have begun to pave the way to a positive social media presence of female athletes, but there is still a long way to go. Majority of the time when a female athlete is mentioned in the news she is mentioned like the headline below.

http://www.diversityinc.com/news/olympic-medalist-credited-athletes-wife-media/

This article on DiversityInc touches on the ridiculousness that the Chicago Tribune posted, referring to this olympian as nothing more than an NFL lineman’s wife. “Taking home the bronze medal for women’s trap shooting for the United States on Sunday was not enough of an accomplishment for Olympian Corey Cogdell-Unrein, according to some media outlets. Headlines regarding Cogdell-Unrein’s victory referred to the athlete as the wife of an NFL player,” D’Onofrio wrote for DiversityInc. Posts like this are unfortunately not a rarity in the media for female athletes, whether it is referring to a woman through her husband’s accomplishments and not by hers or simply by commenting on a woman’s clothing or the way she looks rather than just her achievements as an athlete, like the media does with every male athlete. Can you imagine if ESPN had a story on Andre Agassi in which the headline read: “Husband of Steffi Graf wins his eighth Grand-Slam championship in 2004.”

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/91369-ex-steffi-graf-andre-agassi-agent-perry-rogers-wants-50k-in-commissions

People would not only find that ridiculous but absolutely absurd, so absurd that it would never even cross a writer’s mind to write anything like that. Yet it seems second nature today in media to have a female athlete’s relationships, personal life, or body image mentioned along with her athletic talent.

Not only are female athletes underserved and misrepresented when it comes to social media, but the average women writing about athletics are not helping either. When I researched blogs about female athletes, I came across an article listing the top blogs for female athletes. My search made me very disappointed. None of the blogs were about female athletes, the only one remotely close was A Female Athlete Appreciation Blog, which is just a tumblr account but does at least support female athletes in the world. The other blogs I read and looked at were women writing about sports in a way a woman “would like” to read it. For example, Cosmos and Cleats: helping girls learn about sports without having to ask the boys. The blog is highlighted mostly by recipes of appetizers to serve while watching games or the highlights of the NFL season so a girl can stay in the conversation. Most of the blogs in this article were like this one, a blog written so that a woman could participate in the world of sports and communicate better with men.

The goal of my blog is to write about the accomplishments of female athletes the way they should be talked about from Serena Williams to Catherine Perlmutter of Dickinson College. If social media was the coach, female athletes would be on the JV team.

During these first 3 ½ weeks of class, I have come a long way to knowing what a blog is. Now, I’m excited to start my own blog! Throughout researching many blogs, I have thought long and hard on what I will be writing and posting about this semester. My true passion is sports, but I feel that I should explore something new, anther passion of mine, which is traveling.

By looking at travel blogs like, nomadicmatt.com and wanderingearl.com I can really see myself getting into a travel blog. Nomadic Matt is an awesome travel blog because there is just so much on it. You can look at traveling tips, how to save money, pictures, fun things to do in cities and unique places. I feel as though I can make a real awesome travel blog because my family loves to travel.

I have been to the Caribbean, Mexico, Italy, England, Midwest, California, South Carolina, Florida, Antiqua, Virgin Islands, Spain and so many more unique places. My blog will give some great information about how to travel with a family or by yourself. I will talk about awesome cites that must be seen. In my blog, I will add some fascinating pictures that I have taken throughout the years of my travel.

My blog will not only be about my experience but more about my experience being in a certain destination for some time. Trying to fit in to the culture of that place. I will give tips on where to eat, where to swim, where to hike, etc. I will also talk bout saving money. Wandering Earl gives some awesome advice on what tours to take when you visit a certain destination and I will do the same. I will also add the best months to go on vacation. For example, if you are in College and want to have some fun with your friends, go to the Caribbean during March and April. If you want to get the best whale watching experience ever, visit Mexico in February. My traveling has been a lot of fun and has taught me many things, and I am looking forward to sharing them with you all!

  (Antigua 2014)

http://www.andiemitchell.com/linguine-with-broccoli-crispy-breadcrumbs-recipe/

So this is another food blog, but not just any food blog. What I am going to write about relates to just about everyone, because well, we all are stuck eating in the typical college cafeteria.

On one hand, everyone loves food–obviously, and nothing is better than a great home cooked meal or your favorite dessert from a local bakery. Also, whether you are an athlete, or just health conscious, eating nutritious food is really important in order to perform well and feel good, no matter what it is you are doing. But, on the other hand– not everyone enjoys what the cafeteria has to offer. That home cooked meal is pretty far fetched once you get to school and the blandness of a buffet style college dining experience does not scream ideal.

However, after many dinners with friends and seeing the interesting combinations they have put together, I think I have learned some important “caf hacks” that will help everyone tackle this place a little better!

https://edge.ua.edu/russell-mccutcheon/wax-on-wax-off/

Like this salad bar, I am taking my inspiration from a variety of different blogs in order to create colorful, organized, and interesting posts!

After sifting through many of the food blogs out there, a few have really stuck out to me. Andie Mitchell’s Blog  is one of my favorites because of it’s clean look, organized layout, and of course, great recipes.  I want my blog to utilize her design elements in order to create a clean space that highlights the food and “caf hacks” that I want to share.

treats with a twist is another great blog. It has a tab that offers real insights into her everyday life, which offers a realism to her writing. It is transparent in that the reader can see what goes on besides the recipes, pictures, and posts. While I am not going to blogging about my day to day routines or anything like that, I want to relate what goes on during meals to everyday things, like meals for when you’re in a rush, snacks for when you stay extra long to talk to friends, or when you’re stressed during finals week. This way, everyone can relate somehow to the different posts and feel part of my blogs overall goal.

So get ready to reinvent the caf, one meal at a time!

https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/static/2015-10/5/10/enhanced/webdr01/enhanced-1110-1444054739-1.png

https://hd.unsplash.com/photo-1465433045946-ba6506ce5a59

When I sat down to brainstorm blog ideas, I was assaulted by a wall of them. I could make a photography blog, a design blog, a travel blog, a study blog. I could make a personal blog, a fashion blog, a makeup blog, a food blog, a writing blog. The internet was my oyster and I sat with the whole Web before me, eager for me to contribute to it, but my mind refused to settle on one topic for long. But the more I brainstormed, the more one concept rose above the rest.

I’ve always been an avid reader and writer. I grew up on Rowling and Tolkien. I’m the person who wants to read the book before she sees the movie. I did NaNoWriMo – a month long challenge that encourages participants to write 50,000 words in 30 days – twice in high school and loved it both times. But, since coming to college, I’ve let that part of me slip to the side. I’ve focused more on studying and research and medical school applications and less on reading and writing just to read and write.

I think it’s time to mix things up again.

I want to write about books. I want to write about reading them, I want to write about writing them, and I want to write about analyzing them. I want this blog to be the push I need to start reading and writing more and better. I want an excuse to take a break from my STEM-heavy course-load to disappear into a YA novel for a few hours.

Some blogs that made my journey to this conclusion possible are Twist in the Taile and The Mile Long Bookshelf. Their blogs stood out to me from the other ‘book blogs’ I encountered, because their blogs aren’t just book-review blogs; they pour a bit of themselves into their blogs as well. While I want my blog to be centered around books, I don’t want all of my posts to simply be book reviews, and these two blogs do a great job integrating other sorts of posts into their book blogs.

The unread books on my desk are already calling out to me.

I can’t wait to see what stories they hold.

Coming up with a blog topic was a rather thought-provoking and introspective process. While I want my blog to be personal enough that I enjoy the subject matter, I would love for it to be useful enough that others would feel compelled to read and take something away from it. Coincidentally, what I’m passionate about and how I believe that I can best be of service to other people seem to have fit neatly together into a tightly wrapped box. My life after college seems to be headed in a NASCAR style loop; I plan on entering the field of Higher Education, where I can pursue a career that will allow me to develop positive student experiences in a variety of settings. That being said, there’s a certain informality that the professional world lacks that I will miss dearly; hence this blog. My blog will be parodically titled Matt’s Declassified College Survival Guide, and will (usually) be anything but formal.

credit contentamp.com

While the information will be key, the tips will be based on my own experience, and hopefully be accompanied with my own images. I hope to use these images as a basis for many of my posts, but also to act as the linking image to my blog posts. I want the posts to be multimodal, incorporating images, gifs, memes, YouTube videos, and anything else I can find that’s relevant to break-up the potential monotony of information. Most important to me in my blog will be transparency. My posts will be based on tips and suggestions, which are ultimately developed through my own experiences. They will not be relevant to everyone, and will most definitely not work for every type of personality, and my blog needs to reflect that. I hope to be upfront about the ways in which my experience has been shaped in order to produce the suggestions I publish so that my audience can adjust based on their own experiences and personalities as they wish.

My inspiration for this style comes partly from a great blog titled Green Kitchen Stories. Obviously, it’s not the most relevant to my topic (being that it’s a food blog.) Stylistically, however, it’s everything I’m aiming towards. It’s image driven, multimodal, and incredibly transparent. If I can replicate these characteristics in my own blog, I will be happy with my work.

credit matthewbeale.wordpress.com

I think this project is outwardly helpful but inwardly selfish. This is an opportunity for me to look back on everything I’ve learned and experienced at the end of my undergraduate career. It’s a fantastic reflection project. I can only hope that anyone who reads it will get something out of it, because I know I will.

I thought I wanted to make a happiness blog or write about gratitude, but as I searched for blogs already doing that, I realized the topic was too broad and wasn’t something that I felt like I could write about for an entire semester. Instead, I started thinking about things that I talk about often, hoping that if I talk about them a lot, the writing would come a bit more naturally, and that’s when I decided on my blog idea. I’d like to write about being a twin.

I’m super close with my sister, Erika, and many of my close friends can attest that she comes up in regular conversation. I also like to talk about the number of weird, annoying, interesting questions or comments that strangers feel compelled to ask us whenever we’re out in public. (We had hoped that this would end as we entered adulthood… It didn’t.)

I want my blog to read as journal but look like a magazine. I really like an organized toolbar and homepage, and posts that are featured against a lot of white space. I plan on using color to make things stand out as I can. A Beautiful Mess is a great model of my ideal blog; they use color and it’s bright and young, but the content is organized into neat little squares and the menu at the top categorizes everything and is present on each page, making the site easy to navigate.

As I was surfing through the Internet to see what already existed and what I liked, I discovered that there are a lot of twins who blog, but there aren’t a lot of twin bloggers. What I mean by that is, Twins Who Travel is a blog about twin sisters traveling the world, but the traveling is the focus of their blog, not their relationship. The same is true for the Beckermen twins who share a blog that focuses on fashion. Although I also want to join the ranks of twin bloggers, I want my blog to be just a little bit different. I want my blog to focus on the experience of being a twin. It should serve as a journal entry style peek into the life of a twin and respond to some of the questions and comments that my sister and I have heard over the past 22 years. Oh, and that’s the best part! I love a bad pun, so I’m planning on naming my blog Twinty-Two.