Reflection

So, I gave my presentation this morning... ugh.  I despise public speaking (as I'm positive everyone in class could tell).  My face gets red, I fidget, I wring my hands, my voice goes soft and I let my sentences trail off.... My poise is definitely my weak point when it comes to presentations.  I always end up losing points for saying "um" too much as well, although I think I did fairly well in that respect today.  Content-wise, I think my presentation was solid.  The only critiques I received were about my technical terms, not about my essay itself, which I think is a good sign!  Prof Thompson even commented on how well I had synthesized my evidence.  That made me feel really good because I haven't actually received very much feedback yet so it was nice to know I'm on the right track.  It feels good to have the presentation over with!  I'll admit I was kind of dreading it.  Not because I wasn't prepared, but just because I hate standing and speaking in front of groups.

I was surprised at how different everyone's essays are going to be!  There are so many directions that people are going in to explore identity and blogging, it's really interesting.  I was also surprised at how many people didn't seem to have some sort of thesis pinned down as of yet.  I would never be able to write any sort of draft without even a weak thesis.  Overall, I really enjoyed seeing everyone else's presentations so I could see what sort of blogs were being explored and where in the essay-writing process the rest of the class is at so far.  I'm feeling much more confident about what I have written and I'm ready to begin revising!

Research

So far, so good!  While researching www.solofemaletraveler.com I'm focusing on the posts that are about the identity of a solo traveler as compared to a group and/or couple traveler.  Since the author of the blog refers to herself as "Solo Female Traveler" I want to see what this means to her; the identity she is assigning herself as a female who prefers to explore the world alone.  I've only read a couple entries so far, but one of them was titled "Five Great Reasons Why You Should Travel Solo", giving me an excellent start.  Already I know that she identifies herself-- and other lone travelers-- as approachable, resourceful, strong, unfettered, and having more fun!  I hope that I'll be able to find anecdotes from her travels in other posts so that I have evidence to back up her claims.  I'm happy with the direction that my reasearch seems to be headed.

Truth

I was intrigued with the way Jill Walker Rettberg differentiated audience advocacy with professional journalism versus blogging in chapter four of Blogging.  Pages ninety-two and ninety-three in particular were interesting, especially the thoughts about most people preferring authenticity to objectivity.  It's a fascinating observation that readers would rather encounter the "'transparent biases' of bloggers" (Rettberg 92) than the subtle machinations of mainstream media.  I think this is because bloggers are more easily relatable as real people, rather than a journalist being paid to write something.  Bloggers care about what they're writing and that emotion invokes response, whether positive or negative, from the readers as well.  Mainstream media is somehow less real, less emotive and genuine; and when it is warmer and more personable, there's usually some hidden agenda behind it designed to bring in more profit.  The comforting thing about blogs is they're so open and honest (generally, as bloggers seldom have reason not to be) that the reader can trust they will be, if not fact, truth.  With mainstream newspapers, magazines, and TV and radio broadcasts, there's a certain amount of censorship and the story must "contend with editorial policies that [are] generally based on ideology or what advertisers would support or the public buy" (84).  There's always an underlying purpose behind a media source's decision to publish a certain story or a certain angle of a story that could be based on anything from worries about ratings, to being paid or pressured to present someone or something in a flattering light, or simply the personal biases of the editor or company.  When it comes down to it, mainstream media is political, whereas blogging is personal-- and no one trusts a politician implicitly, but they'll trust a friend.

Journey

Ever since reading The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke in fifth grade, I've longed to travel to Venice, Italy; to ride the gondolas, see the winged lion of St. Mark's Basilica, and attend a carnivale wearing a mask.  Since then, I've added countless other destinations to my still-growing list of places to visit, including Paris, Mt. Everest, New Zealand, and Rome.  Although especially interested in Europe, the world as a whole both intrigues and amazes me.  I'm always interested in learning new things about the world and the myriad of different cultures that are represented.  I hope to find a blog that will reveal beautiful and fascinating travel destinations from around the globe and give an insider's look at the culture and experiences to be found.

http://www.artistrymasterworks.com/servlet/-strse-256/Night-Gondeliers,-Venice,-Italy/Detail

Expedition

My writing explores the intracacies of human nature; the motivation, methods, and soul of people.  I create characters in order to explore the complexities that create them-- that make them unique-- so as to better understand the people around me.  I am a discoverer and an informer; learning new things and making them known, spreading them as far as I can.  My writing exposes and explains, challenges and testifies.  I am an explorer of life, and this is the gospel according to Emily.