Analyzing Persuasive Websites

Probably the most important part of online rhetoric is ethos. Because the internet makes it easy to post almost anything on the internet, and almost as easy to direct the reader to one's sources, consumers of online content expect to know where you got your information before they can trust it.

The texting website relies heavily on logos--their advice is mostly common sense, so there isn't much need to cite a source, but they could use more figures to define texting as a social issue worthy of notice.

The social networking website makes good use of its sources and hyperlinks, but could probably be formatted better. I had no desire to read all three essay-style paragraphs on each web page.

http://ornery.org/

This is Orson Scott Card's political blog. He is extremely opinionated, and his arguments could almost be a case study in rhetorical fallacies. He fulminates constantly against what he considers to be a monolithic, insidious cabal of left-wing media outlets, politicians, and academic institutions. His site's formatting could use some work, but his writing is generally entertaining enough to keep you reading.

Opening Paragraph (super late)

Video games are unique as a mode of creative expression, with immense potential to engage the consumer, to portray an artist’s views, and, as technology improves, to be purely, deliciously aesthetic. The medium is still in its infancy, however, and game designers have yet to find good solutions to the medium’s unique artistic challenges, or to effectively mine its rich creative potential.

In my defense I pulled my second all nighter this week so I forgot.... Oops

The problem with a lot of websites it the frist appearence. If the first appearance is good then the internet surfer will stay on your website and read what you got to say. If your appearance is lacking then all the shallow people in the world will move on to the next big and great thing that hte internet has to offer. In the students websites what I really like was the one that had the youtube video before you entered the actual website. It got you interested and helped you to immediately understand what issue they are/were addressing. Sometimes videos and images can work really well and can compliment your arguement, but when used too much or at the wrong places it can ruin it all. There was one student web site on their home page had a whole bunch of images, and that just ruined it for me. It looked messy and out of place.

For the web site I chose a wikipedia page. Almost every Wikipedia webpage is trying to teach your or coninvce you about something. In this one it is about social networking. The layout of Wikipedia has obviously been successful because it is still being used with little complaints. It is clean and un cluttered and organized. These things are what can make or break a webpage.

So fun stuff.

Health care and Virtual Reality

So the non-student website i decided to look at was health care. which seems like a pretty easy one for right now. the website i used was http://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/health-care which the white house website that talks about the health care agenda. being a government website the presentation looks very neat and straight forward. all the most important points are in bold so as to bring out their meaning. this also has video links, which is like the student essay is which i saw about virtual living. they both have video that try and expound on the topic and they are a lot both haveof hyper links. how ever the white house website has more of an ethos appeal, because it is after all the president. they don't put any effort into citing sources because they are the experts on the issue. i also think the color layout, basic blue and white of the government website gives it a more authoritative feel then the student website. Also the calligraphy of the white house has is more formal.

Its snowing :(.....

The website I found was arguing the issue of gun control. Their mission is to basically fight against the movement of putting a tighter hold on gun control. They believe it is a violation of the second amendment and are voicing their opinion. I found their website to be very well put together and user friendly. Which is a huge plus in my book, because if I click on a web site and get lost just trying to figure out how to use it, I find myself quickly using the previous page button on my browser and going back to google. I actually did this for a while when doing this blog post assignment till I found this one. Something that I actually really enjoyed on this website was something that I usually don't, the advertisements on the right hand side of the page. Because they were relevant to the pages context and also I found them to be entertaining I kept reading on. One other thing they did really well was on their opening page, it was just a list of current events on police reports of gun owners using them "for the right cause". I found these to be very interesting and it kept me interested.

Now although I found the website I found to be more professional and more informational. I must admit that I much more enjoyed looking at the students web pages. I loved the texting one and all the new media they uses to keep you reading on. Well I'll be honest some of the media was more entertaining than relevant in some cases, but it kept me there and interested none the less.

Weight

The two websites I looked at are both very good websites. The student website is a little bit less information heavy whereas the official website I found had a better layout. The student website was very interesting, as the photos used made me want to read the website to see if there were more photos. I wish that they had actually directly quoted some of the sources more, but the information that they presented was great. The other website I found is even more interesting: it is a webpage by vegetarians for vegetarians and there just happens to be a story about obesity in America. The article is thought provoking, formatted well, and includes some cool photos. It also has hyperlinks to other articles on the same website, like the student website; however, the other articles have more information and more photos. Both have their own strengths and weaknesses, so it would be hard to say that one is better than the other.

I like Jenni's title.

The website I choose to analyze is found here.

The title of the website is Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids. I found it by typing, "campaign against smoking," on google and it was the first link that popped up. Before I clicked on it, I thought that it would be a website tailored towards children, with bright colors, large writing, and lots of cartoon pictures. However, I was wrong. Instead it is a very business looking website with a professional layout and pictures that are very real. I realized that this website it geared toward the smoking parents of children--not the children themselves. And the more professional you get the website to look, the more authority you seem to have. The home page of the website provides a link to several news stories and reports about current events that have to do with smoking/tobacco/experiments/their effects.
Some tools that make it particularly persuasive, other than the organization and clear cut arguments, are the pictures. A lot of the pictures are of children with sad or gloomy faces, and you get the impression they are suffering. Also the side bar has a list of links that support their argument, such as "federal initiatives," "state initiatives," "internation center," "research and facts," "press office," and "special gallery."

P.S. I really like that the texting website starts with a little video, that is pretty funny. It automatically engages the reader? website browser?

debe deba debe dodo deba deba diddi do

When looking through websites the first thing that catches my eye are the graphics on the website. For me when I'm looking at a website quickly it's that the physical appearance that catches my eye and makes me what to read all the words that people write. Honestly call me childish but i prefer pictures to words and I believe that the right picture leaves a far more lasting impression than words.

At prolife.come on the homepage it is the pictures that catch your heart and immediately agree with their side. I think the spring break example did a good job of that too. Testimonials are the next best thing to persuade people about your argument. When pictures, testimonials and few but profound words are used, then you have a very persuasive article.

Drunk Driving

For the texting site I think they did a good job. They had a lot of information and I loved all the youtube videos. They were funny yet made you realize how much texting is controling people's lives. The video of the kid who killed two guys by texting also added a lot to the argument. It was a real life experience. Also in the social networking site they had a youtube video how social networking had effected a girl. These videos make the argument more real and life like. For the spring break website they address the arguments of why BYU says we don't have a spring break. I think that is a strong point for them because they address the issues but then agrue why that really isn't a good reason. In the virtual living, they don't really explain what they are saying. For example they talk about the negative effects, saying that it will lead to physical, social and emotional problems for the user. Whether this is true or not they have no references showing that it is true and not jsut somehting they made up and they don't go on to explain why users would have these problems. So it makes the site seem less reliable.
A website I found that was against drunk driving is http://www.madd.org. MADD stands for mothers against drunk driving. I think it is a very good persuasive website trying to get people involved and to stop people driving under the influence. They have a place were it talks about there campaign. They have a simple version and then when you press on it they go into full detail about it and sometimes even have a video showing or explaining what they mean. This helps a lot because people can get an idea just by their first look, but once you press on it, they are able to understand more for what they are fighting for. One thing they have that really hits you is they have this cute picture of a little girl with things going past her saying 2006: first day of kindergarten 2007: Grandpa teaches her to ride her bike 2008: stars in her first school play. Then it goes back through those dates and crosses them out and puts instead 2005: hit and killed by a drunk driver. They have three more people who have had life changing experiences like their death or being paralyzed. This helps you see the reality of it all. They have a place for research done and a place that lists all the statistics found concerning drunk driving. They just have a lot of information in all aspects from statistics to how to get involved. It is a very persuasive website because they are reliable and they have a lot of information proving and trying to get you involved.

Pro abortionists are Pro life too??

I was trying to decide on what would be a good persuasive website. I wasn't sure what to look for then I thought, "hey, what about a controversial issue? There are tons of sites about them". SO...I looked up abortion sites and found this one. It is definitely a persuasive site. http://www.abortionisprolife.com/ Well first off one of the biggest things about it was the first quote. It is from Ayn Rand, who is a pretty controversial book writer. I've read one of her books. Well it trashes the other side, and makes you think about your stance on the issue. "Abortion is a moral right—which should be left to the sole discretion of the woman involved; morally, nothing other than her wish in the matter is to be considered. Who can conceivably have the right to dictate to her what disposition she is to make of the functions of her body? " Ok and the quote from Ayn Rand changes every time you go to the home page, so this may not be the exact quote you see. Then the next is a link to a doctor who has the best 10 minute argument for abortion. It then proceeds to gives links to sites that will give you all of the latest arguments for it, all of the frequently asked questions AND the student resource section. All a student could ever need or want to know to write a paper. The papers themselves really dig hard at people against abortion. "Abortion-rights advocates should not cede the terms "pro-life" and "right to life" to the anti-abortionists. It is a woman's right to her life that gives her the right to terminate her pregnancy.The weakness is the site itself isn't very aesthetic. It isn't really convincing itself.
The other websites on the blog post page were ok. The one that was the most convincing was the one on social networking. It combines the text with other types of media such as videos or pictures. The negative link that showed the negative effects like split personalities...sounds horrid.

On the Web

Well the first thing you notice when you enter a site is it's appearance. The site should look easy to use and have nice graphics, but nothing too overwhelming. For example the virtual reality site had some text that was hard to read because of how it blended in with the background. This is frustrating and somewhat of a distraction so I think it may not appeal to people. Also on that website there was a video that was cut off. Maybe it was just a problem that the group couldn't fix, but nonetheless it is distracting. Also the website about weight had problems with the text and pictures overlapping which is not a positive thing. The site should be interesting, yet also look proper as appropriate.
The social networking site did pretty well with this. I thought the use of so many links was a little too much. I think it was cool to have the link to the Universe article about spring break on that site. Also just simple things like the text and making sure there are no grammatical mistakes would help the sites be persuasive. I think it is a good thing that some of the sites put search boxes in. I'm not sure how often people would use them, but they are nice to have just in case.

The site I chose was one about quitting smoking. I think that it looks appealing and draws you in just from the cheerful homepage. It is easy to use and has lots of helpful links and such. I think it is persuasive in its use of short and powerful testimonials. At the bottom of each page there is a different person with just a one line phrase that is uplifting. I think this makes it more personal which is persuasive.

Is this the last blog post?

Persuasive writing is all around us today, on billboards, ads and of course, on the internet. Persuasive websites know their audience and use different techniques to target that audience. For example, the student created texting website was created with teenagers and early young adults in mind. This website is interesting and engaging, with different links and videos. The videos are targeted towards teens and show different instances in which texting is used positively and negatively. Persuasive websites also explore both sides of the issue. As in the social networking website, it not only talks about the potential dangers of social networking, but also the benefits of this type of internet interaction. This allows the reader to see both sides of the issue and determine for themselves what their position is on the issue. Another website that I found to be very persuasive was Dove's website (http://www.campaignforrealbeauty.com/). This site is targeted towards young girls with the specific intent to increase the self-esteem of girls. The website has many interactive features that allow the reader to become involved in the website. Yet, one of the weaknesses of this website is that the self-esteem aspect of the website is very minimal, most of the site seems to be about Dove's products. Although when you do get into the self-esteem part it has a lot of information (which is still comparatively small compared to the rest of the website).

intro...eh, what?

What happens to a culture or a cultural tradition when new media like the internet, popular cinema, and alternative recording techniques are woven into the society? In many cases the society weaves this new information and lifestyle into the culture; they acculturate the information into a new idea, into a culturally-acceptable idea that then spreads throughout the entire nation. In some nations, many believe that the modernizing world is a detriment to the cultural history; however, modern media influences have helped to preserve and protect the national culture and the cultural history in India through the Bollywood traditions. Not only do they make them more readily accessible, but they aid in guarding the greater and older traditions of dance, music and oration. This is, overall, a major benefit to culture and proves to benefit the culture by preserving, respecting and honoring it, rather than destroying or hindering it.

Calcium is bad for you.

From the day Neolithic man discovered pitch, music has been evolving for thousands of years. One would think that at the dawn of the 20th century, music would have reached perfection. Enter Stravinsky, the eccentric Russian composer whose two ballets, The Firebird and Petroushka, had achieved great popularity. In the spring of 1913, Stravinsky and the avant-garde choreographer Vaslav Nijinsky thought of something completely new. They dug down deep into Russian's pre-Christian, Slavic roots and designed a performance featuring ritual, tribal sacrifice. Stravinsky's rhythmic, percussive strings combined with completely atonal chords and eerie melodies; a style never before experience. The piece has been called the most important piece of music written in the 20th century. Its initial reception, however, was horrendous. Booing cries of disgust appeared just after the first movement. Enthusiasts willing to give the music a chance invited arguments. Fighting ensued. Stravinsky's premiere of his epic work representing a life of study and millenniums of musical evolution was met with a riot. How could The Rite of Spring be condoned by musicians and musicologists as a wonder yet receive one of the most ill-met premieres in history? It all comes down to the public’s understanding and ability to appreciate musical complexity. Through the natural selection of popular music, the common man’s aloofness to musical intricacies prevents musical genres from becoming too complex and alienating the populace.

Relying on Technology

In today’s day and age, technology is everywhere around us. We use technology in almost everything now. We have our cell phones, laptop computers, portable music players, even electronic cash registers. We as a people have come to rely on this technology for some of the most mundane tasks. One of these things we don’t do for ourselves anymore is in getting directions and traveling. No longer do people get directions from actual other people, or from a map. Now, we just punch an address into our navigation systems we have installed in our cars. Once we have done that, we just blindly follow where it tells us to go. It's my belief that this is having a negative effect on our society.

So Much Cooler Online Intro

Three million people use the internet each day, of those three million about seven hundred and fifty thousand of them are using social networking sites (citation i forgot which one it is from when i wrote it down but will find it). Social networks provide constant connections to friends, family members, classmates and even strangers. The constant contact these sites provide with others, can affect the relationships of the users in positive and negative ways. Catching up after lost time, or suffocating one another with too much information. These sites can help and or hurt you and your relationships with others. Some of these sites are designed to help you find your true love or soul mate. While others are used to post information about everything in your life from pictures, messages, new statuses and more. Whatever the design of the site, caution needs to be taken to ensure safety and also to establish healthy relationships with others. Social networking sites can be used for many different purposes. One of the major attractions of social networking sites is the ability to reconnect with people from your past or that are not nearby. Another major appeal of social networking sites is the opportunity it provides for you to not to be alone or lonely. This lack of loneliness and constant connection to others, can sometimes lead to an illusion of popularity through a popular cyber social life. But is a cyber life a good replacement for reality? What kind of effects are social networking sites having on our relationships with others? The increase in usage of social networking sites causes fake confidence given to the users and affects their relationships with their peers.

Trade: The Free and the Fair

The world is out to get us. Give them an inch and they will walk all over you. In 2002 President Bush passed a steel tariff called the steel tariff act of 2002. (cleverly named) it was meant to save our domestic steel industry from the “unfair” trade of the world. Other nations were undercutting our prices and selling consumers steel that was 30% cheaper. The audacity! Unfortunately for the steel industry the tariff lasted for less then a year because the world trade organization took disciplinary measures. What were they thinking? Don’t they care about our struggling nation? Surly all they were worried about was helping other people and leaving us to hang.

Free trade is one of those things that everybody has an opinion on but no one fully understands. Whether you’re listening to Glenn Beck or Ben Bernanke you’ll find ideas are across the board. What is the big deal with free trade in the first place? Is it damnation or salvation… or maybe a little of both.

hmmmm how to start?

Do you remember the good old days when you worked really hard on your homework, finished it, then your mom gave you the ok, and you ran to the TV…. Grabbed your favorite video game… but before putting it in…. you blew in it so that it would work. When the most violent game was either Duck Hunt or Lemmings (poor little green guys…) or Super Mario where you unmercifully killed walking mushrooms! Back when you turned off the game that was it… the only big effect it had on your life was those really obnoxious Tetris dreams you would have flipping blocks all night? Video games have come a LONG way sense then, the change is almost night and day! Now days you will find some games with such great dept to the game play that you could spend hours, days, even years and never beat it. Games that you end up doing double take to figure out if its real or not because of its quality of graphics. And instead of playing with one other choice friend in your families TV room, now from your bedroom you can play with nearly 12 million people. Online gaming has become a huge part of today’s culture and society. The question though is proposed, are all these advances in video gaming affecting our society for the better or were we better off with Mario?

Introduction

For 8-18 year olds, an average of 7 hours and 38 minutes is taken up daily by entertainment media, such as TV and DVD watching, computer and video games, surfing the web, texting and listening to music, reports the Kaiser Family Foundation. They go on to say that during this 7 1/2 hour time, children are actually fitting in a total of 10 hours and 45 minutes worth of media usage because they are using more than one media activity at a time, they are multitasking with media. Every single day is consumed by that much media for children and that adds up to over 53 hours a week! Thats a full time job, except they are not doing anything productive. What are children spending their time doing? As shown they are wasting their time with plenty of media. With school being part of their day and sleeping part of the day that doesn't leave much time for homework, family time or even exercising. With all this usage of media are children taking care of their bodies? In today's world children's time is being consumed by media which in turn is affecting their health. Parents need to realize what their children are spending their time doing. Not only what children are doing, but what their child is missing and what all this time spent on media is replacing. Physical activity is being cut out of children's lives because children can no longer find time to do it. This media usage is taking so much time out of their lives that they feel the least important thing to squeeze in there is exercising, so they don't. The increase of media usage is replacing some of the time that could be spent in physical activity which in turn is effecting children's health, for the bad.

In the Beginning...

Yes...I know it's two paragraphs...but this is my entire intro and the first paragraph doesn't make sense without the second.

A salty sea breeze blew in from the Atlantic Ocean near Charleston, South Carolina. The waves, gently rolling in, beckoned all around to come and cool off from what had been a warm July day.Suddenly a high whistle pierced the calm summer’s evening followed by a large explosion and the cries of men struck by hot pieces of shrapnel. Orders were shouted up and down the lines as explosions occurred at an ever increasing rate. Miraculously reaching the earthen embankment leading to Fort Wagner an impressive figure stood boldly atop it, waving his sword, beckoning his men onward. With a sudden crack and cloud of smoke this man crumpled in a heap, the victim of enemy musket fire. The sounds of battle reached alarming levels when suddenly a lone voice in the distance cried out, “Cut!”
In 1989, a movie was released which told the story of the 54th Massachusetts Infantry, one of the first official colored regiments in the Union Army during the Civil War. It was the movie “Glory” directed by Edward Zwick. “Glory” and other dramatic historical films have been heralded both as important pieces of historical teaching and as historically heretical. The genre of historical film has been belittled and attacked by numerous historians. They claim that the films revise history or do not show an accurate portrayal of historical events, do not allow people to think critically, and create a historically numb society. To take this stance on this genre of popular film is detrimental to historical learning. Dramatic historical films are an important part of historical understanding and when created and viewed correctly, they can have great influence in society.

Introducing...

The Role of Documentaris in the Changing History Classroom

Memorizing imporant dates, reciting the Preamble to the Constitution and copying facts off of teh blackboard; each of these activities have been used by history teachers to convey the most important facts of history. These methods have been tested and proven to be effective, yet with our changing technological world, the way in which we teach must also change. By incorporating specific mediums of technology into the classroom, namely documentaries made by professionals and students, history teachers can more effectively teach their students the required material and create interest in a potentially boring subject. Professional documentaries allow students to explore biases and viewpoints in history and student-created documentaries allow students to research and compile their findings in a meaningful way.

intro

The practices of midwifery have fluctuated in the years, growing in and out of popularity. Why has this occurred? Midwifery is no longer the most common method of childbirth. Society now considers is most logical to deliver babies in hospitals, with the help of doctors. It is also viewed that midwives are not fully equipped with the knowledge or technology to safely deliver babies in a home environment. What most women in America don’t realize is that midwives are usually just as trained in delivering babies as any doctor, and most of the time they have safer and more logical methods. The fact of the matter is that many of the protocol methods in hospitals actually infringe upon the rights of the mother in making decisions about her childbirth. This essay will analyze the many different ways that hospital protocol is actually harmful and unnecessary while midwifery practices more perfectly attend to each individual mother and child’s needs. It will also explore where these new traditional practices come from and how they have been led astray.

Body Image and the Internet

“Karen: God. My hips are huge! Gretchen: Oh please. I hate my calves. Regina: At least you guys can wear halters. I've got man shoulders. Gretchen: My hairline is so weird. Regina: My pores are huge. Karen: My nail beds suck.” Truthfully speaking, there is about a 95% chance that if you’re female you can name this movie. Mean Girls is a movie about a girl, Cady, from Africa conforming to the social “norms” of high school. The leader of a notorious band of popular girls, the plastics, is the character Regina. She is the embodiment of the perfect female with her flawless skin, thin body, and shiny teeth. She and her and her band of girls are all the envy of the school as everyone, but the “dorks” try to change their fashions to become like her. They not only change their own reflections, but their sense of self as they needlessly try to morph into someone they are not. Mean Girls is just one of many examples that houses an underlying theme or a general theme that revolves on the principle that happiness is dependent on beauty, thinness and perfection. There are more documented cases of anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa than ever before. Women are constantly in pursuit of that ideal, and are losing themselves and their self confidence when they cannot reach this staggering goal. The media is constantly producing films, advertisements, television shows, internet and magazine ads that depict young women with the ideal body weight and it has a strong effect on the psyches of young women today. The overexposure of negative images to young women through the media, more specifically the internet, creates a negative self image which manifests itself in destructive ways. This paper defines the terms: negative body image as being low self perception, demeaning or destructive thoughts regarding the body; negative images as advertisements, circulated propaganda, videos portraying, or computer generated women who are ideally thin; ideally thin as having a BMI of around 18.5 or lower; normal or average weight or body as a BMI of 20 or higher.

Intro Revision

For several years suicide has been a tragedy. Yet something that has just begun to emerge in the previous decades is the internet. These two topics may seem unconnected but in reality the internet is making an impact on suicide. In fact there is now even a term cybersuicide because of the issue it has become. “Cybersuicide is a term used in reference to suicide and its ideations on the Internet. Cybersuicide is associated with websites that lure vulnerable members of society and empower them with various methods and approaches to deliberate self-harm.” (R, Birbal)

According to an article in the British Medical Journal, “More than 100000 sites about suicide now appear on the world wide web. Many of these seem to condone suicide and forbid entry to anyone offering to dissuade users from taking their own lives”. With all this information on the web it is important to learn more about the impact of cybersuicide. Although the internet can be a beneficial source in helping those struggling with suicidal thoughts, it can also be a negative influence. The internet may go as far as to encourage people to commit suicide. People need to be aware and cautious of the harmful interactions and information about suicide that the internet provides.

Electronic Babysitters Intro. Awesome.

There exists today a rift in consensus concerning the effectiveness of educational media in babies’ and toddlers’ intellectual growth. Although the products that are being churned out in vast quantites claim to improve vocabulary, one is led to wonder whether these are truly grounded facts. Parents concerned with whether to trust education media such as Baby Einstein and Dora the Explorer or not often suggest manually working with their children as a viable alternative. One must look into scientific research on the matter to truly assuage one’s curiosity about the subject, especially in the light of the fact that these claims are offset by accusations that it is media itself that is harming children’s educational and academic potential. As it were, statistical data is readily available on a number of these products, comparing their expected performance to their actual. The results serve to suggest at what the overall effect of such dependency on child-rearing media can be. Media is no stranger to the public eye – it has been repeatedly attacked and defended by various groups in the past. In the field of academics in particular, media tends to play a large, and wholly diverse role. In order to better comprehend the nature of media schooling for babies and toddlers, one can look at the media related to the lives and study habits of older children. Media plays a number of roles in this regard – first, there is media used by teachers in a classroom setting, breaking the expected norm of the conventional teaching methods of lectures and hands-on demonstrations. The other type of media is the face that the general public has come more to know – recreational pastimes such as television, internet, and video gaming. These outlets are notably reviled by extreme activists; it shouldn't be too far from the truth to assert that in today's society, most people are familiar with the claim that media is in a sense education's bane, regularly being the cause of lacklustre performances and scores in the academic setting. Although any widespread argument possesses its share of overarching and, at times, blatantly untruthful claims, it nevertheless cannot be denied that with a campaign so well-known, the argument that media is an educational deterrent must have its strands of veracity in it. In fact, when all things are considered, it is a veritable opinion to have that educational media probably has fewer benefits than it claims to have, and quite possibly a number of negative side effects, specifically when exposed to those of a young age.

Intro: Online Gaming Addictions

Online Gaming Addiction – Hurting you and me

The internet could be hailed as one of the most influential and effecting programs that the world has ever been exposed to. It has helped hundreds of millions of people to connect with each other. It has provided ways of sending information instantly, allowing for technology and sciences to advance rapidly because of the instant communication. It has helped people gain access to trillions upon trillions amounts of information. It has provided ways for people, who would not have been able to do so otherwise, to go to school and learn. It has opened up the opportunity to increase the economic status of people everywhere. It has also provided more jobs which employs more people and more people employed produces a better economy. It has even provided means of entertainment ranging from videos and movies to games to chat rooms to blogs and forums. But along with this great mount of good that the internet has provided, it has also provided a great deal of heart ache and misery.
Like most anything else, the internet can be abused and cause a catastrophic destruction. It can ruin one person’s life, it can tear apart families, and it can destroy a nation because of what we can do with it. Viruses, illegal down-loadings, fraud, identity theft, pornography, sexual abuse, and more have risen as a result of the internet. And just like most anything else, it can also become addictive. Because of the wide range of uses that the internet provides there is a wide range of factors that influence becoming addicted, and there is a wide range of aspects to become addicted to – chat rooms, online shopping, Facebook and Myspace, email, internet surfing, pornography. Of all of the internet addictions, addictions to online gaming or MMORPGs (massive multiplayer online role playing games) caused by excessive play time of can deteriorate family and social relationships.

Issues Paper Outline

Thesis: Like novels in the 18th century or film in the early 20th century, video games are still in their infancy; still "multimedia", a mixture of other artistic forms. However, if the medium can attract enough gifted artists, it has great potential to become "high art".

Body:

1) Other forms of media and their history

--disparaging quotes about film and novels from previous eras, compared to disparaging comments made about video games.

2) Challenges of the medium, and how to overcome them

--interactivity vs. narrative; cheap thrills vs. artistic merit; high production costs of combining film, literature, and visual design elements

3) Strengths of the medium

--immersive experience, user accountability, interactivity, realism

Conclusion: While a number of difficulties remain before video games can earn the same esteem as older forms and attract a higher caliber of artists and consumers, the medium is full of potential to move and inspire.

The Outline

Yes, this is kind of general and not finished; in my defense (i.e. lame excuse) I had a busy weekend and forgot all about this.

Historical Film

Intro
The genre of historical film has been attacked and belittled. I will briefly describe some of the antagonistic views of this genre.
Thesis: Historical films, when used properly, can bolster society’s historical understanding as well as have a positive influence for change.

Body
Bolstering society’s historical understanding

• Presents differing viewpoints
• Movies allow un-told stories to be told

Gives an audience a glimpse into the past in a vivid, evocative way

• Sets, props, costumes, etc.

Another point that I haven’t quite settled on yet

Positive influence for change

• Movies often portray the “controversial” events in history and entertain while allowing people to take home a message

• Example of the movie “Glory”:Taught about the effects of stereotypes, racism, determination, courage, power of ideas, etc. Generated a lot of interest in the topic
  

Conclusion
Draw everything together to discuss that historical movies can be effective at teaching history under certain circumstances

The Social Effect of Online Gaming

Social Effects of Online Gaming

1) Introduction

a) The social effects that online gaming is having on society

i) Massive online gaming is effecting society mentally and morally is it a positive effect or negative

2) What online gaming is and the social structure with in it

a) World of Warcraft

i) The recent trends and news coverage with this game

ii) Testimonials

3) The Addiction

a) Why its addictive

b) Immediate effects of addiction

4) The mental effects

a) Aggression

b) The effects on the individual and Society

i) Lack of social skill in personal life and business world

5) The Moral Effects

a) Lacking sense of reality

i) Being able to start over theory

ii) “life is a game”

b) Churches stance

6) The Conclusion

State my theses for the first time with a short recap of the points I have brought up

Outline for Mapping Technology

Introduction:
*People are becoming extrememly dependent on thier techology
*This is extrmemely evident in the use of Navigation systems
*People are blindly following technology and then sometimes blame the technology for thier problems
*Thesis

Body:
*Why invent navigation systems
*the effect they have had on society
pros
cons
*Why people blame others when they get lost
*What happens when people get lost
*How can we as a society fight this issue of ignorance when it comes to following navigation systems.

Conclusion:
*Summarize my main points from every paragraph
*Repeat the thesis from the beginning.

Outline

This is my basic outline...hopefully it makes some sort of sense to someone other than me.

Introduction

This is the portion of my paper where I will cover my thesis and the main point of my argument as well as lay out the form of the rest of my paper.

Part 1-Modernization and how it affects the world, both new and ancient cultures.

Industries

New Media

New Arts

Part 2-Cultural history and the traditions of India and the affect of new media (modernization).

Dance

Language

Music

Part 3-Bollywood and how it has affected the culture of India (and how it is affected by the modernizing world).

Films

Traditions it points to...

Industry

What is protected and how.

Conclusion

This will be the culminating thoughts and ideas of the paper. I will be arguing the point further by asking questions about the topic that push everything further.

Protectionism

Introduction – popular protectionism

Pre-war protectionism

- Mercantilism- the theory of running a trade surplus and the implications

- Retaliation tariffs – mercantilism proves to be counter productive as more nations retaliate against those who impose restrictions on them

- The Great depression – trade barriers lead to no demand for additional production.

- World war I

o Tariff wars - loss of the gains from specialization

- World war II

o Japanese oil – trade barriers lead to attack on pearl harbor

Post-war revolution

- Breton wood conference – reform of world trade policy

o GATT – General agreement on tariffs and trade

- 7 conferences – progressive trade liberalization

- GDP and trade – strong correlation between a nations wealth and the level of trade it has.

- 1970s protectionist pressures

o Countervailing duties’ and Anti-dumping provisions- despite GATT rules lobbies find innovative ways around them

§ Abuse of GATT rules

o Voluntary export restraints (VER) – “voluntarily” imposing a tariff on the side of the exporter

§ Japanese automakers

General principle of exchange – achieve goods of the greatest value

- Comparative advantage - you don’t need to be better you just need to be different

- Gains from Specialization – resources devoted to the most efficient producer

Exchange of currencies: where value lies

- money has no value unless it is used. And it has to be used in the native economy

Iowa car crop – you can either make cars in Detroit or grow them in Iowa

Exchange through digital mediums (New media application)

- how do you restrict a public good

What is happening in the United States: Running trade deficit

Conclusion

Outline-Physical Activity

I. Introduction
a. What are children doing in today’s life, what is different from like twenty years ago?
b. Children’s health is being effected by media
c. Thesis
II. Physical Activity
a. Talk about what children are spending their time doing, talk about the graph (Berk) of how long children do things like homework, play with friends, engage in physical activity, watch television and are on the internet
b. Talk about the recommended amount of physical activity that a child should engage in every day.
c. Talk about what is happening today…most do not get the recommended amount of time.
d. Physical activity is being replaced by media
III. Obesity
a. Obesity has increased in the last little while
b. Younger children are becoming obese and have a higher chance of becoming an obese adult
1. An obese six year old has a chance of over 50% of becoming an obese adult
c. A huge reason of obesity is due to inactivity
d. Talk again about what children are doing instead of being physically active
e. A study showed that a lot of kids didn’t like to do anything physically active because they like doing other things better, the researchers added that these other things children like to do is watch television or play video/computer games
IV. Other health risks
a. Because of the decrease of physical activity there are other health concerns
b. It can affect your bone density, your blood, and increase your chances of colon cancer
c. Talk of the different studies that show that media is what is effecting these other health concerns
V. Exergaming
a. Exergaming is the word used for the active video games like the Wii, or Dance, Dance Revolution
b. People think that by playing these active games that it can take place of physical activity
c. Studies show that Exergaming cannot and should not replace physical activity
d. For college student researchers found that playing the moderate level it would increase their heart rate, and for senior adults bowling did it.
e. But it probably would not do anything for children, because children are not going to play Wii Boxing straight for the amount of time
f. The burned calories for playing the Wii does not add up to the calories burned by just walking
VI. What to do
a. Parents need to realize how media is effecting their children
b. Parents need to set limits on how much television is watched, how long they play video/computer games and how long they are on the internet
c. Cannot let the media replace something as important as physical activity
d. Other ways we can help
e. Children who have obese parents are more likely to become obese parents, we need to stop the generational trend of obesity.
f. Start now and get children engaged in physical activity
VII. Conclusion
a. Sum it all up and restate the importance of physical activity for children
b. Reiterate thesis

Detailed Outline

Thesis:

Excessive playing of online gaming or MMORPGs (massive multiplayer online role playing games) deteriorates family and social relationships because MMORPGS and online gaming can lead to an addiction.


Introduction:

1. Present topic
2. Brief background
3. Present both sides of the issue
4. Thesis statement


I. Internet has an addictive nature.

1. People often go to virtual realities to escape reality.
2. Internet is open 24/7 as long as there is internet connection.
3. Because of the openess and constant availability of the internet, peopel can play for any extened period of time.


II. Internet gaming as an addiction.

1. Has the same symtoms as susbtance abuse.
2. Give examples of study reports proving symtoms.
3. Only excessive amount of playing will lead to addiction.
4. Give examples from studies that prove correlation between amount of time played and number of those who become addicted.


III. Internet gaming addictions and connections to other addictions

1. Those who become addicted are probably already addicted to another substance
2. Those who become addicted are already susceptible to becoming addicted.
3. Some people develop other addictions in addition to internet gaming addictions.
4. Give data to support claims.


Addictions Destroy Relationships
1. Any addiction can destroy relationships so therefore internet gaming can do so as well.
2. Addicts will care more about their addcition then about their relationships.
3. So much time is spent playing internet gaming that there is very little time to develop and maintain relationships.
4. As a result relationships will fall apart.


Conclusion:
1. Summarize main points and pull everything back together.
2. Restatement of thesis.

Research Outline

Introduction

• Maybe start with some statistics on how often people use the computer.
• Discuss cyber suicide a little bit.
  
• Thesis statement about how the internet can have both a positive and negative influence on suicide. Mostly I will focus on how it is negative, yet will discuss some of the good it can do.

First Point-To begin I will start out with how the internet can be a positive source for those who may be struggling.

• I have statistics and information about an organization and program that helps people over the internet.

Now I will go into why the internet may be a negative influence.

Second Point-Media coverage and it's influences

• I will begin with reasons why newspapers may be more of an influence on suicide than other media. The reasons that are given are ones that could be paralleled to the internet so I have made that connection.
• I have a book, edited by Keith Hawton, that talks about some things that make media influential. All of the reasons are characteristics that the internet has.
• Statistics on search engines and how easy it is to access information that might influence people negatively concerning suicide.
• One story, of many, that shows media coverage may result in increased suicide rates or at least people copying the method reported.
• In general the internet just makes so much information accessible which can be dangerous.
• I'm not sure if I'll put it in this part of the text, but I am going to talk about how using the internet too much may increase vulnerability to suicide....of course this would be an extreme example. I have a quote about this.
• Also I want to talk about how the media can improve so that it does not have such a negative influence.
  

Third Point

• I am going to talk about how there are many sites out there that give too much information and may even encourage suicide.
• I am going to focus specifically on blogs and chat rooms that may encourage suicide too.

Fourth Point

• I am going to discuss the connection between cyber bullying and suicide.
• I have stats about cyber bullying and how much of an issue it is.
• I will probably talk about networking and how it can connect with this issue.

Conclusion

• I will probably put a good quote in that I have about the internet and the dangers, yet also potential, it has with the issue of suicide.
• Once again I will give my view on how the internet needs to be improved because it has so much negativity, but so much good too that can be focused on.
• If appropriate I may give some personal words on how suicide is such a tragic thing and how important an impact the internet can be. It needs to be used for good!
  

effects...

The increase in usage of social networking sites is causing the relationships among peers to be strained because of the fake confidence given to the users by these sites.

I. Introduction

a. hook: a question about facebook, or internet usage etc
b. talk about the popularity of social networking sites
c. relationships are always connected now and you can access info or people all the time

d. Thesis statement.

II. Popularity of social networking sites

a. how usage has increased
b. connects people all the time
c. major form of social interaction amongst peers
d. socializing and information is spread through these sites

III. Fake Self confidence given by using these sites

a. can portray yourself any way you want
b. how many “friends” you have
c. use of pictures and other types of media to enhance yourself
d. “so much cooler online”

IV. Negative effect on relationships

a. because of fake confidence, you say things you normally wouldn’t say to someone’s face
b. breaks the social contract among people
c. cyber bullying
d. online privacy rights

Conclusion

a. lasting effects social network sites are having on relationships
b. reinstating thesis

Outline

Well, I still haven't read all of my sources yet, so this outline is going to be really sketchy... I'll do my best

-Introduction:
-Opener: The practices of midwifery have fluctuated throughout the years, growing in and out of popularity. Why has this occurred?
-Thesis: How myths of midwifery have developed child birthing protocol in hospitals that infringe upon women's/mother's rights.

-Brief history of midwifery and pinpointing when the change was made from homes to hospitals.
-Also, why: midwifery turned into a derogatory term and all of a sudden you had to be a trained professional to deliver babies.
-To be a trained professional you had to get an education.
-To get an education you have to be a man.

-Relate history to why it became popular to birth in hospitals instead of homes.
-How important that transition is.
-Instead of being hospitalized when there is something wrong, you are hospitalized when giving birth.
-What the implications of this are: giving birth is something wrong.

-Benefits of midwifery and childbirth:
-Special support.
-Special attention.
-Comfort: you heal faster in your own home.

-Non-benefits(for lack of a better word?) of hospitals and childbirth:
-Protocol:
-IV
-Forced medication that can be harmful.
-There are more that I don't feel like posting.
-Treated like a patient: not personalized.

-Briefly touch on the non-benefits of midwifery and childbirth.
-Briefly touch on the benefity of hospitals and childbirth.

-Talk more about how hospital protocal and being treated like a patient during childbirth effect the experience of childbirth. Discuss how it can infringe upon a mother's rights.

-Share stories and specific examples.
-I'm thinking about interviewing a midwife?
-I have book of a compilation of midwive's stories, maybe I'll use this here.

-Conclusion
-Discuss what should change in society concerning childbirth.

Electronic Babysitters

I. Introduction

a. Explanation of rise of media meant to educate rather than to entertain
b. General thoughts on its impact on young children in regards to general media itself with older children.
c. Thesis statement.

II. Claims set forth by educational media

a. Products on the market
b. The companies' uses of ethos and logos in promoting these products.
c. A look at statistical evidence highlighting the actuality of these claims.

III. Media's place in academics

a. Classroom media
b. Its efficiency in relation to more conventional methods
c. Impact on students and their psyche
d. Case studies of experiments comparing media teaching to conventional teaching

IV. General public's view

a. Connotation of "media"
b. A look at the opinions of teachers
c. Discussion of media's place in education in several countries

V. General media and its relationship to its users

a. Statistical suggestions that media use correlates to poor grades
b. Psychological aspect of media use on students, and why this correlation may exist
c. Discussion as to whether educational media is not cut of the same cloth
d. Potential dangers of media use (i.e. in young children)
e. Other side of spectrum - issue of whether media truly affects learning, or can even be beneficial

Conclusion

a. Discussion of media's potential and potency as an educational element in regards to the more conventional idea of "media"'s general impact on the learning group
b. Reinstating the thesis

Body Image and the Internet

• Introduction

*background on body image and new media
*why this is an issue
*thesis statement
*Set parameters for arguement

• 1st main point: New Media and Body Image
  

*The invention of movies, tv, and internet
*Advertising begins and is quick and effective
*Twiggy begins to circulate as the ideal woman
*Models begin to show that the ideal woman has a BMI of 18.5.

• 2nd main point: Advertising on the Internet
  

*Advertising is used in all mediums
*The different types of advertising
*The use of models in advertising
*Advertising on the internet, interactive advertising.

• 3rd main point: Psychological Impact of Negative Body Image
  

*Body images of stick thin models creates an unrealistic goal
*Women are not able to achieve this unrealistic goal
*They see themselves as worthless
*Negative body image and self-esteem
*Health issues with low self-esteem
*Anorexia Nervosa
*Bulimia Nervosa
*"Fad" Diets

• 4th main point: The advertising of models on the internet and it's impact

*Interactive advertising and models
*Advertisements with skinny models selling weight loss programs
*Amount of time spent on internet is increasing as is the amount of advertising and the impact
*

• 5th main point: How to fix the issue
  

*Programs such as Dove's Campaign for Beauty
*Model regulations, more "real" woman models
*Positive role models for woman
*

• Conclusion

* Sum up points
* Restate thesis

Evolution of Music

• 
  
  • Introduction
  • Stravinsky Story
  • Thesis
  • Classical Music
  • Was invented to serve the population, in contrast to the music before.
  • Several periods all experiencing curves: Romantic, Classical, etc.
  • Modernism
  • Worst of them all
  • New ideas 12 tonism
  • Meant for composers to express themselves. Ignore listeners
  • Met horribly, people pretended to like it. But even today trained musicians joke about its weirdness.
  • Reaction: Post Modernistic Populism
  • Aaron Copland, his turnaround in philosophy
  • Wrote very tonally
  • Decided that music was for the people. He wrote for the largest audience possible.
  • Film composers
  • Purists reaction: it's bad music.
    
  • Jazz
  • Took America by storm
  • Was considered a life style, not just a genre
  • Rythm,
  • Introduction of bebop
  • Dude, this is weird.
  • Acception
  • Popularity decreases as genre grows in complexity
  • Rock and pop music appear, are chosen by natural selction for the simplicity.
    
  • Jazz's reaction? Fusion, then smooth jazz!
  • Purists say: this is really baaaad music. A disgrace
    
  • Rock Music
  • Arising from Folk
  • Propelled through 70's
  • Prog rock bands, rock symphonies
  • Reaction: pop ballads! Chicago
  • Pop takes over.
    
  • By this time technology (NEW MEDIA) is able to almost limit the cycle entirely
  • Recording Industry booms.
  • The radio, ratings
  • emergence of online music sites.
  • accepted or neglected right away
    
  • Positive Effects
  • Keeps music in check!
    
  • Music's purpose is for people to enjoy.
  • Negative Effects
  • Prohibits progression, complexity within any genre
  • Musical quality is very low
  • Tolerance for complexity is very low
  • Role of music, because of its simplicity, grows into merely a background to a lifestyle. Wallpaper, instead of a painting.
  • Conclusion