Author Archives: alexagriffiths

Essay No. 2- My Expirience as an Online Publisher.

All my life I wanted to share the wisdom I had, whether it was when I was 15 years old in high school when I shared with my friends that nothing good ever happens after midnight or to now. When this blog assignment first came to be at the beginning of the semester, I knew exactly what I wanted to write on, life rules. After reading an article by William Kraska, (“What Makes a Good Blog?”), I learned that to have a good and successful blog, “Blogs become successful because of specificity and passion, according to Kevin Donahue, co-creator of Fanblogs, a college football blog described by Forbes.com as the best blog dedicated to a single sport.” (What Makes a Good Blog? (n.d.). Retrieved from https://journalism.nyu.edu/publishing/archives/notablog/story/good_blog/).  After reading this article I knew, I wanted to make my blog about rules that have helped me throughout my short 19 years on earth. It was a specific genre and it was something I knew very well and would write on easily. I have not had too much success so far in building an audience, most of my comments are Russian bots, but I hope someday with more time and effort I will have an audience that will take what I say and use it to benefit their day-to-day lives. If anything Google Analytics has shown me the potential I have, like I previously stated, I do not have much of an audience, but I can have it, with the help of ads and promotions it is entirely possible for my blog to take off. 

Most of the enjoyment I had with this course, was the design aspect. After I got a hand on how to design and how to use WordPress, I enjoyed creating this online space that was the essence of me and what I was trying to convey. I first decided to make my blog more lively after reading the suggested reading ‘Design Machines- How to Survive the Digital Apocalypse’ by Travis Gertz (Author & Gertz, 2018).   I was inspired to make my blog stand out, Gertz explains how as a whole in this digital age it is so easy to get swept away with security and what we know will work, that all of our pages end up looking the same; and how it is so important to have design. He also explains how important it is that our content does not exceed our design or that our design does not surpass our content.  This article inspired me to continue to work on the creativity of my blog, yet also keep up the substance to an acceptable level.

I did a lot of research on different blogs to see how they used specific tools that benefited them with their audience. One night as I was going deep down the rabbit hole of blogs, I came across serval various blogs and websites that all featured a more personal side. I had the idea to post more photos of what made me, well… me, pictures and videos of my life coincided with the theme of my blog as well.  I also came across a website titled ‘Vandelay design’ (“Vandelay Design”), a design blog; an article struck a chord with me about design written by Steven Snell. It is called ‘Blog Design: Does Design Impact Your Success?'(“How Important is Design to a Blog’s Success?”, 2016), the article states that “The blog design can also seriously help or hurt the level of success of the blog by how it emphasizes or de-emphasizes the content. Readability is key. For visitors to appreciate the content, the design should emphasize it and not distract visitors away from it.” (How Important is Design to a Blog’s Success? (2016, May 23). Retrieved from https://www.vandelaydesign.com/impact-of-design/ ). I found that this article similar to ‘Design Machines- How to Survive the Digital Apocalypse’ by Travis Gertz, in the sense that, yes the design is very, but it should never take away from the actual content. 

Growing up I never had any interest in the traditional sense of publication. I believed my opinion was not worthy of being heard in such a public space (on the internet), as I have not had much life experience nor have I had much exposure to writing, I thought I would be heavily judged. During this past semester, I have uncovered many valuable lessons from Google Analytics and WordPress; the main takeaway I had was that even if nobody views your blog or website, we are all publishers. I realized more than anything that I grew as a personal author, my confidence grew, my writing skills improved, and my view on publication arose. Now that we end this course, I am left with the desire to continue to create and to find that sense of self within the publication.

Reflecting on this course, I have learned a lot, about myself, my personal views on life and my views on the publication of self. Moving forward I want to continue my online presence; I would love to make another blog or format my blog now into more advice while travelling solo. I have recently travelled solo, and I have so many tips and tricks that I would love to share, and I think people would like to listen. The main thing I have lesrned from this course and that I will take with me through my future endeavours in life is that everything good comes with time. Working with a blog your online presence could take months or even years to develop, to quote my favourite movie, ‘Field of Dreams’- “Build it, and they will come.” 

rule no. 6

never be afraid to cry at a commercial. 

As we near the holiday season, good things are soon to come, warm pumpkin pie, rum and eggnog, sitting by the fire with loved ones, and of course it’s also time to see those dreaded emotional commercials. Perhaps its a coffee commercial, featuring the beloved son that’s been stationed in Afghanistan back at home and waking up the family with a freshly brewed pot of coffee and mom is just so happy she’s about to cry and this is the most wonderful time of the year and now your mascara is running down your face.

Something about a good unexpected cry in the middle of the day or night is seldom what you need. It is a good thing to cry, think about it if you were to sit through that Budweiser commercial with the runaway golden-retriever puppy who finds his way home with the help of the horses, with dry eyes, you have to be a serial killer.  Crying at these commercials means that you have empathy and emotion, something that is so important to have. Whether you watch network television, stream on demand or click through YouTube, you’re sitting through commercials. Just remember it’s OK to tear up. 

If you want a good cry…. 

Week 9- Process Post

This weeks process post was to talk about analytics and in particular the analytics of your blog. Firstly I had to download Monster-Analytics, and this is what I got.

As you can see from the screenshots of my analytic page, this is the overview of viewers I have had so far on my blog. Most of my viewers come from Canda, whereas eight others come from the US and then two from Hungary and one from India and Turkey. I found it interesting that someone in Tukey is viewing my blog, and without observing the analytic page I would have never noticed it. 

As you can see in this image below this is where it shows most of the analytics, starting with sessions which is the browsing session of a single user, then we move towards, pageviews which is pretty straightforward, then moving on to average session duration, (which I hope to be a little higher). Finally, bounce rate which means it is the number of visits a person leaves your page. 

After viewing my analytics, I have taken some steps in furthering my blog to make it more desirable and hope that more people will want to stay on it longer than 3 minutes and 3 seconds. 

Week 6- Process Post

What audience have you imagined thus far? How has that imagined audience informed your design and editorial decisions

I have imagined that my audiences range from age 18-30, all genders who have a great interest in how others live their life, and perhaps what to change the way they live at the moment. I hope that they take everything I say with a grain of salt, yet still, pick up key factors. I designed my blog around the idea of simplicity and brightness, a few on how we should live life; simply but filled with joy and sunshine. After imaging my audience, I should incorporate a bit more of sophistication given my audience may be a bit older as well.

Week: 5- Process Post

A website I frequent often is Pinterest. I spend so many hours scrolling through Pinterest- pinning articles and photos from recipes to my dream wedding colours. For the amount of time, I spend on Pinterest I haven’t closely looked at the element and thought about its design. Here is the link of the home page after logging in, https://www.pinterest.ca/. Let’s see what we have here,

The central colour scheme is red, white a grey. Which according to https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesstylefile/2013/09/09/stylish-color-combo-grey-and-red/#25a181ff6bbb,  go well together in all senses. After looking at their choice of colours I do understand and appreciate the colour choices. When you first log in you see their logo, (which is a P), then moving towards the right, the search bar, and the following categories, ‘home’, ‘following’, ‘username,’ ‘messages’ ‘notifications,’ and ‘settings.’ It is straightforward to navigate which opens up to a much broader audience of older and younger people. In the center of the page, it shows different links to things I would like; it caters to each person in its unique way. For example, I am in the process of moving, so my home page featured, links to decorating and space maximization.





If I could change anything, I would like to see more follow through with the links posted on Pinterest because soemtime you click on a link, and it takes you to a dead end place. Other than a few technical issues I like Pinterest and everything it offers, and I have yet to see something similar take off as well as it has.

Week: 4- process post; How would you spend your last day with internet.

If I only had one hour of internet left forever, I would ask Google any burning questions I had. I would ask the most obscure questions that without the internet I could never find the answers to myself. Celebrity birthdays, what year the toaster was invented, what a pack of kangaroos are called, the crazier, the better. Then after the half-hour mark, I think I would do one final message to all my family and friends who live far away and let them know I am not ‘ghosting them’ and if they need to get in touch where I will be.

according to wikipedia, The collective noun for kangaroos is a mob, troop, or court. Huh? the more you know.

rule no. 5

Learn to accept apologies you will never receive. 

“Life appears to me too short to be spent in nursing animosity or registering wrongs.” – Charlotte Bronte. 

All my life I have been stubborn as a bull, most of my family say I get it from my grandmother who has passed away. I never had a chance to meet her, but I have been told I have her eyes, and well her stubbornness. When I have an idea in my head there is no chance I’m letting it go; it is both my best and my worst quality. Growing up on the playground if someone wronged me by ‘budging the line’ or picking a fight with me I was always the last one to say I was wrong and apologize. 

That particular trait followed me up to high school, where I would get into fights with friends, and I would harbour such anger and resentment with me. I remember one particular match I had with an old friend; he decided to turn into an entirely new person throughout the summer, someone who partook in drugs and someone who I did not recognize in a good way. We had a massive argument,  things were said, and both of us held this massive grudge between our relationship for a year. That was the worst year of my life. It physically affected me; I felt heavy for a full year it was the worst birthday and Christmas of my life was during that year. I didn’t understand why I felt so badly, in my head I knew I was not in the wrong, he was throwing his life away and did not see it. One summer day after one full year of not talking, and if we did not speak it would just be either yelling or passive-aggressive text messages. I decided enough was enough and called him when he picked up I immediately apologized for acting like a child, but it all came from a place of love for him. After I finished my speech, he hung up the phone. 

Strangely as soon as I said thos little words ‘i’m sorry,’ it felt as if a weight was lifted from my chest… as if I have been drowning for 12 months and now I could breathe again.  Even though he never to this day has apologized for the hurtful things he has said and done to me, I walk the streets filled with no resentment or grudges towards him. That is the greatest gift he could have ever given to me. 

In life you have to learn to accept apologies that you may never receive, I don’t think I will ever get an apology from him, and I am okay with that, the weight has been lifted off me, and I hope one day he can be freed as well. I will always keep my stubbornness with me in life, but there comes the point where the cons outway the pros and you have to give it up, or you will die trying.

This photo really stands out to me about letting go, imagine the fog being the grudges you hold. You just have to let go and it will all eventually float away and you will be free again.

Essay #1; (Un) Democratic Discourse on Social Media: The Inherit Anti-Woman agenda on Instagram, and fellow social-media forums.

Since its launch is 2010, Instagram has grossed over 800 Million users, with over 60 million photos and videos shared daily. The only way a media platform of this density would ever thrive the way Instagram has is with the help of community guidelines and rules. With such regulations comes original agreement of following them, if you choose to participate in said platform. “Attempting to enforce community standards at such a scale will no doubt inevitably result in accidental takedowns and confusion. However, the frequency with which Instagram takes down photographs involving the female body and expressions of feminism has provoked controversy – and suggests a broader tension between the network and its users.” -Warren, Rossalyn, and Charlie Warzel. “Why Did Instagram Delete These Women’s Photos Of Their Bodies?” BuzzFeed, BuzzFeed, 2 Apr. 2015, www.buzzfeed.com/rossalynwarren/deleted-instagram-photos-that-are-causing-controversy. Until we address the inherent anti-women bias that is a part of our society, social media along with all other social forums cannot be entirely free and fair. This paper will examine how sexual mores assigned to women are not only present in the smilingly progressive world of social media, but in fact, enforce these restricting perspectives.

     This issue first came to prevalence in 2014 with Courtney Adamo a London based “mommy blogger” with over 40,000 followers at that time. Adamo posted a photo of her 18-month-old daughter in a dress and yellow rain boots, lifting her dress showing her belly button. Later that day she received emails from Instagram saying that her photo has been removed due to a violation of the rules and guidelines. A few hours after discovering that her picture was removed, she then re-posted only to come to find that her account was deactivated, due to the same reasoning of violation. Courtney Adamo rebutted with the following.

“She is a baby! It is no different from a photo of a baby wearing a nappy, or a little boy in swim trunks, and to entertain the idea that it is even remotely inappropriate is a disgusting thing in itself. Instagram has deleted four years of my family photos and memories: all the photos of our travels, my children’s birthdays” – “Sadness and Outrage and Gratitude All in One.” Babyccino Kids: Daily Tips, Children’s Products, Craft Ideas, Recipes & More, 9 July 2014, babyccinokids.com/blog/2014/06/20/sadness-and-outrage-and-gratitude-all-in-one/.

Adamo was met with a wave of support from other Instagram users which ultimately led to was the site’s decision to reactivate her account. The gendered bias that there is something taboo about this child’s body reinforces the sexualization of the female form on social media. In a 2009 study “THE SEXUAL DOUBLE STANDARD AND ADOLESCENT PEER ACCEPTANCE” Derek A. Kreager and Jeremy Staff states “the belief that women and men are held to different standards of sexual conduct is pervasive in contemporary American society.” This “double standard affect women being shamed for promiscuity and can trickle down to cases such as the sexualization of a toddler. 

While Instagram is often viewed as a progressive and forward thinking space, it is not free of unlaying double standards. Best selling author and poet Rupi Kaur posted a photo on Instagram in and unknowingly sparked a revolution. The image displayed, showed a spot of blood on her legs, as well as blood on her bedsheets.  As most women and men will understand, this event often arises when a woman is on her period.  She posted the photo along with the caption; “I bleed each month to help make humankind a possibility… Moreover, communities shun this natural process. Some are more comfortable with the pornification of women. The sexualization of women. The violence and degradation of women than this”-: ‘Thank You @Instagram for Providing Me with the Exact Response My Work Was Created to Critique. You Deleted a Photo of a Woman Who Is Fully…”.” Instagram, www.instagram.com/p/0ovWwJHA6f/.  The blood used in this photo was not real and therefore did not violate any of Instagrams written rules. Instagram thereby took down the photo and declared that it did not go with the community guidelines, which led them to take down the photo- not one but twice.

    So we ask why? Why is this epidemic of women shaming becoming so mainstream on social media? “A recent book by Nancy Jo Sales, American Girls: Social Media and the Secret Lives of Teenagers, provides a snapshot. Based on interviews with more than 200 adolescent girls, Sales concludes that social media often reinforces a culture of sexism and misogyny (1).” This argument proceeds to say that: 

“Emerging empirical research also corroborates the notion that while sexualization of females is rewarded online (usually by males), females are also punished for these same displays and are quick to be labelled by other female peers as “sluts” or “skanks”(2). This perpetuates sexual double standards that reinforce gender stereotypes.” – Sales NJ: American Girls: Social Media and the Secret Lives of Teenagers. New York, Knopf, 2016.- Daniels EA, Zurbriggen EL: 

This philosophy is the reason for the scandals that came from Instagram’s rules and regulations page; it is based on a constant digression stimulated by the age of social media which is allowed to perpetuate damaging patriarchal expectations. By media platforms taking away the voice of women no matter the age by telling them what they can and can not post it is only contributing to this mass epidemic. The only way we can work through this social-media virus is by teaching the young men of this upcoming generation what equality is and how it must manifest in public forums. Until this is done, we cannot claim that our social media as we know it is not indeed free and democratic.

Peer Review #2; ‘D Blog’

‘D Blog’ is a fascinating blog that displays artwork around the world in different cultures at its finest. Denny is a very talent creator, he speaks so passionately about art, it is very refreshing. 

Denny has taken his blog to the next level; you can tell that art is a passion of his. His blog speaks wonders of his travels and the art he has seen across the world, and it is fascinating to see how different yet the same as it is no matter the country. I enjoyed his blog post titled “Vallea Lumina,” I loved the way he captured the colours and lights with his words. If there were no photos attached, I still could have imagined it with his colourful verbiage. The images add so much though, looking at it as a spectator there could not have been more perfect photographs in place. I enjoyed how this article tied in some of his personal life as well, as we learn he went to Whistler with some friends for a getaway.

As for the general aesthetic of his blog, I think it’s beautiful, and he has it laid out in an accessible format, the whole way the blog is structured makes it very comfortable to use. The ‘about’ page is short and sweet, everything you need to know about him, plus I like how he added his email so his viewers could get in touch. One thing that stood out for me was the use of images he chose to use per post. I liked the variety used, some cartoons and others real photos, the range of them stood out and made every post especially different. On the right-hand side below the search bar, he has categories for each of his posts, which I found very useful for navigational purposes. I noticed if you scroll to the bottom of his page you can see his social media, which I found to add that extra step for his viewers and to make it easy and accessible for them to keep updated with him and his life.

Overall I think Denny has done a fantastic job with his blog so far; I had a hard time coming up with things that Denny could improve on. If I have to choose something maybe to add a few more personal touches, and perhaps a homepage photo? I would also love to see some more colour, he could add a personal touch by adding in his favourite colour as the header background, just a thought. I never used to be a big fan of art, I never called myself an artistic person, but after reviewing and looking at Denny’s blog, it indeed has changed my mind. The way he describes art make me have a better appreciation. Keep up the excellent work Denny!

I look forward to your next entry.

http://dennygu.com/

Week: 3- process posty; Mapping the Online Persona


My PUB 101 content would go in the drop-down menu on the left-hand side with other subjects that I want to talk about in my blog. And under the PUB101 tab, it includes process posts and any other assignments related to this course. I also want to add some sort of graphic that captures the essence that my blog displays.