Emily-
First off, please use the archive on the right to start from the oldest entry ("We were assigned...") and then the next and so on. I tried to fix the settings so it would have the oldest post first but unfortunately I was unsuccessful.
I dont know if your looking for feedback, but here it is anyway:
I hope you have as much fun reading this as I had making it. The idea of an open ended project to explore creativity sounded difficult at first, but I can honestly say that while this project bogged me down for a few days, I'm happy with the result. I doubt I've ever spent this much time on a project but for some reason I was REALLY focused on this one (probably because I was having so much fun with it!). Everything I said in the entries was true and I absolutely learned a lot from the project, not just about blogging, but about myself and how I can carry this knowledge over to my career.
Thank you for the opportunity to do a project like this, I highly doubt I would have taken the time out to explore this otherwise, and I definitely would have been missing out on so much.
Salwa
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Monday, January 26, 2009
From reading all the different blogs and seeing their choices as far as design and color, I can see why people spend so much time on their blog. Their blog becomes so much a part of them that they feel completely at ease discussing ANYTHING on it. I thought it was incredible how these people shared embarrasing moments, private experiences, joyful occurences and just random thoughts. I thought it even more impressive that insightful ideas were shared about current topics or faith. I realized that for some people getting their voice from their mind to their screen was a type of release for them. It was almost like the medicine for a ache or pain. I felt my own stress levels when trying to complete this project on time fluctuate. Before I would make an entry I would think about all the upcoming exams, other projects that where due, when I had work, what phone calls I needed to make, errands I needed to run. But when I just sat down to type and let my fingers speak my mind, I felt a sense of relief. I felt that if I put it down in words on my computer screen, it was like a Merry Maid had come into my head to organize and clean all my thoughts so that I wouldn't feel like everything was on top of each other (that stressed feeling) and I could relax more because everything was going to get done. Just the concreteness of seeing the emotion on the screen allowed me to take a step back and reflect on what I was saying and thinking.
I think blogging helped me to really bring out a voice in me that I didn't let myself hear in a long time. When I talk to friends/family, I do express my thoughts and ideas but its not the same when I actually pay attention to what I'm saying because it is printed on a screen in front of me. I don't know if that makes much sense, but ironically, it makes sense in my head.
I especially liked the support aspect of blogs. I like the way people comment and leave their two cents. Some comments were positive and some were negative but still allowed room for further discussion, which in some cases, is exactly what the author wanted.
Blogging has really opened up my eyes to the virtual world. From an occupational therapy perspective, it is important to encourage blogging so that people, who otherwise may be suffering from a social stigma, will be able to release their thoughts and know that they are not being judged or thought of differently in an open forum. The anonymity of the blogs is useful in keeping the person private while still learning about their thoughts and experiences. Another great aspect of the internet is that it allows similar populations of people to gather together who are otherwise separated geographically. This explains the preponderance of special interest communities ranging from mothers who have multiple sclerosis to kids who have learning disabilities. Through blogging and other forms of online communication, these marginalized groups of people can connect more freely without fear of ridicule or isolation. There is something to be learned from everyone’s lives, especially those who are different from us. A blog is a phenomenal way to allow each other to venture out and declare our passions, views, curiosities and similar ramblings to the world.
I think blogging helped me to really bring out a voice in me that I didn't let myself hear in a long time. When I talk to friends/family, I do express my thoughts and ideas but its not the same when I actually pay attention to what I'm saying because it is printed on a screen in front of me. I don't know if that makes much sense, but ironically, it makes sense in my head.
I especially liked the support aspect of blogs. I like the way people comment and leave their two cents. Some comments were positive and some were negative but still allowed room for further discussion, which in some cases, is exactly what the author wanted.
Blogging has really opened up my eyes to the virtual world. From an occupational therapy perspective, it is important to encourage blogging so that people, who otherwise may be suffering from a social stigma, will be able to release their thoughts and know that they are not being judged or thought of differently in an open forum. The anonymity of the blogs is useful in keeping the person private while still learning about their thoughts and experiences. Another great aspect of the internet is that it allows similar populations of people to gather together who are otherwise separated geographically. This explains the preponderance of special interest communities ranging from mothers who have multiple sclerosis to kids who have learning disabilities. Through blogging and other forms of online communication, these marginalized groups of people can connect more freely without fear of ridicule or isolation. There is something to be learned from everyone’s lives, especially those who are different from us. A blog is a phenomenal way to allow each other to venture out and declare our passions, views, curiosities and similar ramblings to the world.
Friday, January 23, 2009
I found that there are various different sites online on which to create blogs namely, blogspot.com, google's associate-blogger.com, xanga.com etc.
I remembered waaaay back when I had a blog (which lasted only a few months and consisted of a handful of short posts-really it was just a quick fad) I had it on xanga and I sort of remembered how to navigate around the settings. I figured that was the best place to start. I knew the defaults and from there I can guess what differences were made and hence, better assess the creativity of the blog.
I found one site and just clicked away on 'friends' and clicked and clicked and clicked.....
Some were defaults:
http://www.xanga.com/jkan0
That looked like they really didn't want to be there. And from the date of that post, doesn't seem like this person wasn't much of an updater.
http://www.xanga.com/njisley
Default settings/colors/fonts.
Definitely used, I'd say this person spends about 4 hours a month on their blog- one per week.
Content- mostly rantings and events that happened in that person's life.
Simple Color/font changes:
http://www.xanga.com/meadowroom
This one simply changed the colors. But even that is interesting...She choose bright pastel colors and has a picture of a flower as her main icon. She also updates her xanga almost monthly. I read through some of her post and she talks alot about her life and express herself through poetry. She did some major reflection on the new year as compared to the previous one. It seems that she uses her xanga as a means of expression and venting her feelings. Fascinating...
http://www.xanga.com/Hareton
http://www.xanga.com/JimBound
Another color change, but also a font change. Interesting to note though, in JimBound's xanga, he explains that some of his posts may be out of order, because he had them on private (in other words no one can see it but him). Interesting, so now the blog has shifted from a public forum to just an online diary.
Then, I got to the real decked out stuff. These people either used layout themes, which are just different design themes made by either xanga or a third party and offered to the public to add 'personality' to their xanga. Of the millions of themes to choose, its interesting which ones these people have chosen. Going back to my 6 minute issue, I'm sure these people had a tough time deciding what layout they were going to choose. Also, another important thing to note, the blogs that had certain themes were also the ones that had the most frequent postings, suggesting that perhaps bloggers who put so much time and effort into their writing also cared alot about the aesthetic appeal.
Some of the simpler themes:
http://www.xanga.com/TINSI131313
http://www.xanga.com/authentic_black_dragon
A little more glam:
http://www.xanga.com/mast_rkate/690287895/a-wonderful-date-with-a-guy-on-xanga/
Very interesting story. She met her significant other on xanga! All safety issues aside, its a cute story! Interesting, so a blog can be a place for ventings, important events in a person's life, it can serve as a personal diary, and now it can be a matchmaker!
http://www.xanga.com/grammarboy
Yes even boys had themed blogs! And he updated it quite frequently. Another note, he uses his xanga to discuss political issues. Then other people comment and share their thoughts. Clearly the discussion had gotten to some high level because his latest post acknowledged the volume of responses to the previous post and he felt it necessary to clear it up.
http://www.xanga.com/M_Rae_Carson
This was definitely a cool looking theme. Again discussing recent elections and using the blog for self-expression and sharing opinions.
http://www.revelife.com/BowDownBeforeHim
http://www.revelife.com/mrsdandelion
http://www.workingforone.com/
http://www.saqibsaab.com/
BLOGS ABOUT RELIGION! Amazing, first it was just politics but now about something as deep as faith, full with quoted verses from holy books! Amazing.
The world of blogs is much much more than just random writings... I need time to digest all this.
I remembered waaaay back when I had a blog (which lasted only a few months and consisted of a handful of short posts-really it was just a quick fad) I had it on xanga and I sort of remembered how to navigate around the settings. I figured that was the best place to start. I knew the defaults and from there I can guess what differences were made and hence, better assess the creativity of the blog.
I found one site and just clicked away on 'friends' and clicked and clicked and clicked.....
Some were defaults:
http://www.xanga.com/jkan0
That looked like they really didn't want to be there. And from the date of that post, doesn't seem like this person wasn't much of an updater.
http://www.xanga.com/njisley
Default settings/colors/fonts.
Definitely used, I'd say this person spends about 4 hours a month on their blog- one per week.
Content- mostly rantings and events that happened in that person's life.
Simple Color/font changes:
http://www.xanga.com/meadowroom
This one simply changed the colors. But even that is interesting...She choose bright pastel colors and has a picture of a flower as her main icon. She also updates her xanga almost monthly. I read through some of her post and she talks alot about her life and express herself through poetry. She did some major reflection on the new year as compared to the previous one. It seems that she uses her xanga as a means of expression and venting her feelings. Fascinating...
http://www.xanga.com/Hareton
http://www.xanga.com/JimBound
Another color change, but also a font change. Interesting to note though, in JimBound's xanga, he explains that some of his posts may be out of order, because he had them on private (in other words no one can see it but him). Interesting, so now the blog has shifted from a public forum to just an online diary.
Then, I got to the real decked out stuff. These people either used layout themes, which are just different design themes made by either xanga or a third party and offered to the public to add 'personality' to their xanga. Of the millions of themes to choose, its interesting which ones these people have chosen. Going back to my 6 minute issue, I'm sure these people had a tough time deciding what layout they were going to choose. Also, another important thing to note, the blogs that had certain themes were also the ones that had the most frequent postings, suggesting that perhaps bloggers who put so much time and effort into their writing also cared alot about the aesthetic appeal.
Some of the simpler themes:
http://www.xanga.com/TINSI131313
http://www.xanga.com/authentic_black_dragon
A little more glam:
http://www.xanga.com/mast_rkate/690287895/a-wonderful-date-with-a-guy-on-xanga/
Very interesting story. She met her significant other on xanga! All safety issues aside, its a cute story! Interesting, so a blog can be a place for ventings, important events in a person's life, it can serve as a personal diary, and now it can be a matchmaker!
http://www.xanga.com/grammarboy
Yes even boys had themed blogs! And he updated it quite frequently. Another note, he uses his xanga to discuss political issues. Then other people comment and share their thoughts. Clearly the discussion had gotten to some high level because his latest post acknowledged the volume of responses to the previous post and he felt it necessary to clear it up.
http://www.xanga.com/M_Rae_Carson
This was definitely a cool looking theme. Again discussing recent elections and using the blog for self-expression and sharing opinions.
http://www.revelife.com/BowDownBeforeHim
http://www.revelife.com/mrsdandelion
http://www.workingforone.com/
http://www.saqibsaab.com/
BLOGS ABOUT RELIGION! Amazing, first it was just politics but now about something as deep as faith, full with quoted verses from holy books! Amazing.
The world of blogs is much much more than just random writings... I need time to digest all this.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Sighh.....so I've figured that out now. What a relief.
Now its time to divulge into exactly why this occupation is so significant in a person's life.
From the previous post, it seems that that there is no set answer as to why people transcribe their lives for stranger's eyes. I suppose it has something to do with their interests and values. It reminds me vaguely of Theory class and the Model of Human Occupation, specifically the volition aspect. Its interesting how thoughts, feelings, ideas are conveyed through some electronic portal to the rest of the world, more interesting though is WHY they are conveyed. Judging from the abundant and quite diverse responses, I'd say its because they like to talk and its easy to talk about any topic and know that you are not being judged by the person in front of you and you can say whatever you want. Fascinating idea.
Since there is no universal reason for blogging, the only thing left to do is to accept its existence and perhaps look at it from another perspective. We have already allowed it to sustain as part of our virtual (and slowly creep into our real) world, but another aspect to consider is how much significance does it hold in a person's life?
Is it just a once a year entry? once a month? once a week? perhaps everyday?? or even multiple times a day!
Timing is key but what about design and style? Clearly that had to take some insight and self reflection right? Or maybe people just pick random colors? I could swear I saw some blogs with glittered writing on it.
When I started this blog it took me a whopping 6 minutes to just choose one of ten layout styles. I was surprised at myself at how long I sat here debating whether I wanted a default layout or something a little classy, perhaps techno... until I settled on what you see now. Six minutes may not seem like a long time, but considering there were only 10 styles to choose from, and my already biased thoughts about blogs, I honestly did not expect to spend that much time on a pre-made layout. (imagine if I had to create my own layout! what a disaster!)
But atleast creating my own blog has got me looking at this from a totally different point of view. But again, nothing is complete without research. So we go again, to the most knowledgeable source- Mr. GOOGLE.
Now its time to divulge into exactly why this occupation is so significant in a person's life.
From the previous post, it seems that that there is no set answer as to why people transcribe their lives for stranger's eyes. I suppose it has something to do with their interests and values. It reminds me vaguely of Theory class and the Model of Human Occupation, specifically the volition aspect. Its interesting how thoughts, feelings, ideas are conveyed through some electronic portal to the rest of the world, more interesting though is WHY they are conveyed. Judging from the abundant and quite diverse responses, I'd say its because they like to talk and its easy to talk about any topic and know that you are not being judged by the person in front of you and you can say whatever you want. Fascinating idea.
Since there is no universal reason for blogging, the only thing left to do is to accept its existence and perhaps look at it from another perspective. We have already allowed it to sustain as part of our virtual (and slowly creep into our real) world, but another aspect to consider is how much significance does it hold in a person's life?
Is it just a once a year entry? once a month? once a week? perhaps everyday?? or even multiple times a day!
Timing is key but what about design and style? Clearly that had to take some insight and self reflection right? Or maybe people just pick random colors? I could swear I saw some blogs with glittered writing on it.
When I started this blog it took me a whopping 6 minutes to just choose one of ten layout styles. I was surprised at myself at how long I sat here debating whether I wanted a default layout or something a little classy, perhaps techno... until I settled on what you see now. Six minutes may not seem like a long time, but considering there were only 10 styles to choose from, and my already biased thoughts about blogs, I honestly did not expect to spend that much time on a pre-made layout. (imagine if I had to create my own layout! what a disaster!)
But atleast creating my own blog has got me looking at this from a totally different point of view. But again, nothing is complete without research. So we go again, to the most knowledgeable source- Mr. GOOGLE.
Why do people blog?
This is the question that has plagued my internet life for years now. What is so fascinating about it?
Time for some major research. I need to get to the bottom of this so I need to go to the most knowledgeable source- GOOGLE.
The answer, rather, answerS:
Ironic, isn't it?
*http://www.problogger.net/archives/2008/10/21/why-do-we-blog/
This is the question that has plagued my internet life for years now. What is so fascinating about it?
Time for some major research. I need to get to the bottom of this so I need to go to the most knowledgeable source- GOOGLE.
The answer, rather, answerS:
Ironic, isn't it?
*http://www.problogger.net/archives/2008/10/21/why-do-we-blog/
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
I went to see Emily today, pretty random too because I caught her in the hallway (she probably thought I was super weird because I was staring at pictures of the previous OT classes trying to find Allyson).
We went to her office and she started telling me ideas that other students had thought of
-scrapbooks (I'm not much of a hunter-gatherer as far as clippings/photos/articles go)
-power points (um..yea but on what?)
-a study of culture and occupation (I could bet a lot of the class would probably do that because its the easiest, so that's another no)
and then she said something about the internet and technology..and I sort of zoned her out because right then, IT hit me.
BLOGS.
I always wondered why anyone would willingly put up their thoughts, ideas, and emotions on a public forum, freely accessible to random bored people who want to kill time before their class starts or their boss comes back in the room. This was my chance to explore it. Why is blogging such a common occupation? How much time does it actually consume in a person's life?
I've seen plenty of blogs before, in fact, I myself used to have one. I did, until I realized how much I didn't enjoy strangers reading about my life and moreover, commenting on it! But I distinctly remember browsing through blogs and wondering to myself
"Why would she glitter up her xanga like that?"
"What is he getting out of telling the world what he does every single day?"
"Does the world care about his life?"
"What is this infatuation with blogging!?!"
So here marks the beginning of my exploration into the world of Web-logs, commonly known as 'blogs'.
We went to her office and she started telling me ideas that other students had thought of
-scrapbooks (I'm not much of a hunter-gatherer as far as clippings/photos/articles go)
-power points (um..yea but on what?)
-a study of culture and occupation (I could bet a lot of the class would probably do that because its the easiest, so that's another no)
and then she said something about the internet and technology..and I sort of zoned her out because right then, IT hit me.
BLOGS.
I always wondered why anyone would willingly put up their thoughts, ideas, and emotions on a public forum, freely accessible to random bored people who want to kill time before their class starts or their boss comes back in the room. This was my chance to explore it. Why is blogging such a common occupation? How much time does it actually consume in a person's life?
I've seen plenty of blogs before, in fact, I myself used to have one. I did, until I realized how much I didn't enjoy strangers reading about my life and moreover, commenting on it! But I distinctly remember browsing through blogs and wondering to myself
"Why would she glitter up her xanga like that?"
"What is he getting out of telling the world what he does every single day?"
"Does the world care about his life?"
"What is this infatuation with blogging!?!"
So here marks the beginning of my exploration into the world of Web-logs, commonly known as 'blogs'.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
We were assigned a project at the beginning of this quarter to explore our creativity and individuality. Something that would allow us to pick a focus and express that focus through a creative medium to others.
My first reaction was to put this project away until the week before it was due. Admittedly, it wasn't the smartest idea but in my defense, anatomy and neuroscience were converting any and all my available 'creative' brain cells into science geeks.
Yet here I am, the week before its due...contemplating..trying to somehow figure out what it is that I want to do...waiting for something to inspire me...still waiting....
My first reaction was to put this project away until the week before it was due. Admittedly, it wasn't the smartest idea but in my defense, anatomy and neuroscience were converting any and all my available 'creative' brain cells into science geeks.
Yet here I am, the week before its due...contemplating..trying to somehow figure out what it is that I want to do...waiting for something to inspire me...still waiting....
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