Blog vs. "Blah"g

I stumbled across a blog that was utterly enchanting and engaging – Nomadic Chick: Roaming the world, sharing stories, inspiring the soul. The author, Jeanie Mark, does several things very well; the blog site is visually attractive and well laid out. Her blogs are in her words, from her point of view, and present a glimpse – with both imagery from word and photo – of the world from a gentle, peaceful place with a tone and flow that allows the reader to connect with her.  She uses a style of writing that is concise, informative, and easy to follow. 

In my opinion (the one I form from my traditional 40 hour a week job, plus family, plus graduate school state of mind) she has mastered the art of the blog. The blog is interesting, visually appealing, honest, informative, and engaging. I do not have to question her integrity nor look for ulterior motives (like getting me to buy something). However, she is giving the reader value – from her blog I can learn about modes of transportation, culture, food, and accommodations without her pushing herself as an authority or a sales representative. These are her experiences and she shares them willingly, leaving the reader to wish to find the courage to live such an interesting and uncluttered existence or at least wishing to be her friend.

Conversely, I also found a blog whose mission is to “share” artwork from old books. I cannot determine if there are any copyright infringements taking place on this website and am concerned about the writing that suggests emails should be sent to “Liam at holoweb dot net” and who appears to have a creepy foot fetish or odd sense of humor. This blog raises all sorts of red flags in my mind and makes me feel like a co-conspirator in a weird black market. It is poorly written, full of “I will sell it to you” language, and questionable in content.

References

http://www.fromoldbooks.org/books-for-sale.html

http://www.nomadicchick.com/my-story/

Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 22, 2012

Joe Paterno, Longtime Penn State Coach, Dies at 85 in State College

Joe Paterno, longtime Penn State coach who won more games than anyone in major college football, but was fired amid a child sex abuse scandal involving a subordinate coach that scarred his reputation for winning with integrity, died Sunday of lung cancer. He was 85 (Schlabach, 2012).

His family announced his death in a statement released Sunday morning. The cause was lung cancer, according to Mount Nittany Medical Center, where he had been treated (Goldstein, 2012). Mount Nittany Medical Center said in a statement that Paterno died at 9:25 a.m. Sunday, surrounded by family members. Paterno died of “metastatic small cell carcinoma of the lung” (Schlabach, 2012).

Two police officers were stationed to block traffic on the street where Paterno’s home stands. The officers said the family had asked there be no public gathering outside the house, so Paterno’s relatives could grieve privately (Schlabach, 2012).

During his 46 years as head coach, as he paced the sideline in his thick tinted glasses, indifferent to fashion in his white athletic socks and rolled-up baggy khaki pants, Paterno seemed as much a part of the Penn State landscape as Mount Nittany, overlooking the central Pennsylvania campus known as Happy Valley (Goldstein, 2012).

Paterno had a career record of 409 victories, 136 defeats and 3 ties. He was surpassed only by John Gagliardi, who has won 484 games at Carroll College in Montana and St. John’s of Minnesota, coaching below the major-college level (Goldstein, 2012).

"As the last 61 years have shown, Joe made an incredible impact," said the statement from the family. "That impact has been felt and appreciated by our family in the form of thousands of letters and well wishes along with countless acts of kindness from people whose lives he touched. It is evident also in the thousands of successful student athletes who have gone on to multiply that impact as they spread out across the country."

Penn State president Rodney Erickson said the university is grieving Paterno's death and plans to honor him for his contributions to the school. In a statement released Sunday, Erickson called Paterno "a great man who made us a greater university." Erickson said Paterno's "dedication to ensuring his players were successful both on the field and in life is legendary" (Schlabach, 2012)

FACEBOOK POST:  Joe Paterno, Longtime Penn State Coach, Dies at 85. A Giant among football coaches who left this earth tainted by the heinous actions of another man. 

References

Goldstein, R. (2012, January 22). Joe paterno, longtime penn state coach, dies at 85. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/23/sports/ncaafootball/joe-paterno-longtime-penn-state-coach-dies-at-85.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

McCarthy, E. (2014, March 27). New emails reveal erickson’s statement on paterno’s death was nixed. The Daily Collegian. Retrieved from http://www.collegian.psu.edu/news/campus/article_6de6b75c-b53e-11e3-9480-001a4bcf6878.html

Schlabach, M. (2012, January 23). Joe paterno, 85, dies in state college. ESPN. Retrieved from http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/7489238/joe-paterno-ex-penn-state-nittany-lions-coach-dies-85-2-month-cancer-fight

Social Media Tools: I love thee? I love thee not?

In the exciting world of social media I find that the options are limitless to reach countless new audiences and sources of information. So today, I played a game and I called it, "Can you use me?" These are the top three social media tools that are user friendly and useful (according to me).

The first winner is (drumroll, please), "Podcasts" I decide that the Center for Disease Control has some really relevant and useful information in the scary world of Ebola so a podcast from the cdc should be a really good idea. Here it is:
http://www2c.cdc.gov/podcasts/player.asp?f=8633481

This is an excellent and information couple of minutes (exactly 2 minutes and 45 seconds to be exact). It was easy to use, loaded effortlessly, and saved quickly. According to Aids.gov states that of online users, "52% reported viewing and listening to both video and audio within a given month".

The second winner is (again, drumroll) "Blogs" this choice is interesting as I have recently found creating and posting in a blog to be a fairly easy tool, however, I have not used it as way to discover more information about the world around me. In this game, I found the blog of woman who is sharing her journey of living with Aids ( http://www.thebody.com/content/75048/checking-back-in-after-my-long-hospitalizations.html ) it is a personal account and unique perspective.Aids.gov states, "By the end of 2011, there were an estimated 181 million blogs worldwide, up from 36 million in 2006".

The third winner in today's game is photo sharing sites. If  a picture is worth a thousand words, so imagine the stories that are told by just photo journalism alone. A good representation of photo journalism can be found at  http://facing.aids.gov/gallery/  The images of humans living with or choosing to create awareness for Aids is truly eye opening, it is not a discriminating disease. I am suddenly aware, more than ever, that everyone I meet and know has their own unique story and struggles, we should interact with each other with respect and compassion.

These three are the winners, in my book, because even the novice social media user can access these tools without creating accounts, remembering passwords, or downloading specific apps. These are tools that deliver solid information (if that is what the creator intends) and is easily accessible.

There is no longer an excuse for not having enough time to research a topic - in two minutes and 45 seconds you too can understand a world crisis like Ebola, find compassion for a woman brave enough to share her journey with Aids, or understand that all communities are facing Aids. We are better consumers for the ability to use these social media tools.

So don't wait to be invited to "come on down" to your favorite game or topic - just podcast, blog, or photo share your way there.

References

Arnold, L. (2014, September 30). Checking back in after my long hospitalizations. Retrieved from The Body website: http://www.thebody.com/content/75048/checking-back-in-after-my-long-hospitalizations.html

Facing aids gallery. Retrieved from Aids.gov website: http://facing.aids.gov/gallery/

New media tools. Retrieved from Aids.gov website: http://aids.gov/using-new-media/tools/index.html#tool-podcasts

(2014, August 8). Ebola virus disease. Retrieved from Center for Disease Control and Prevention website: http://www2c.cdc.gov/podcasts/index.asp