Entry #11 Farewell

Well... This could potentially be my last blog ever.  I am going to tell you all about my blogging experience.  I am finally at the end of my course and I get to  tell you all about my experience with blogger!

Before this class I had never touched a blog in my life.  I had read many and kept up with a lot but never even thought of starting my on.  I am very glad that this was a requirement for this class because I loved this project.  It was very fun and I got to talk about things I wanted to sometimes, and even the times I didn't I really liked the topics my teacher provided.  I really took blogging seriously because I enjoyed it so much.  I believe there are many benefits to blogging.  I think that it is a great outlet to get away from the real world and basically write whatever is on your mind.  You can make it how YOU want it and you don't have to worry about getting a horrible grade for having a certain tone.  

Blogging was so much fun and easy to do that I don't think there were many challenges.  The only one I could possibly think of is that because i'm taking this class as an 8 week course, sometimes there are multiple blog entries a week and that can be challenging.  

I learned a lot about writing when blogging.  One of the things I learned was that you are an author and you can make your writing however you want.  As long as you have 3 main parts to each blog, you could potentially make each entry however you wanted.  When it comes to being a student using blogger I definitely learned how to manage my time better.  There is no way you can procrastinate when doing the blog project because, like I said, sometimes you have more than one entry per week.  

I learned a lot about my fellow classmates through blogger just by what theme they chose for their blog.  Of course, I also learned a lot about them by reading what they wrote each entry.  I also learned about a whole blogging website that everyday people can access for free.  

For this class I believe that blogger was very useful.  It gives the students a chance to write however they want and really express themselves.  I would totally continue to blog just because it really helps to relieve stress and is super fun.  So... for the last time, for now.....Happy blogging!! :)

Entry #10 Fidget Spinners

I finally made it!! This is my last blog ever where I get to choose the topic.  Honestly, I was in the same dilemma i'm always in.  I can never choose just one topic to write about.  There is an endless amount of topics to choose from.  

I wanted to talk about something that has become super popular very fast.  They're called fidget spinners.  Really all they are is this toy you hold and spin it around in your hand.  Seems crazy that so many people are obsessed over them right? 

They are made so people can "fidget" with the without making a big scene.  There are so many people in this world that constantly have to be doing something such as making noises with their mouth, tapping their foot, or for some they have to be up and walking around.  These were made to help with that and prevent people from doing things to annoy other people.  

After researching how much these really cost it is INSANE!!  My brother just got one and he paid $16 with shipping and everything.  Now while that doesn't seem to be too bad, I found one that is made out of titanium and they are selling it on Amazon for $200.  I can't believe that someone would really pay that much for a little toy.  

While these might seem fun and all, there are a lot of problems with them.  A lot of schools across the country have already banned these because they are way too distracting in schools.  A good thing about these is that the stores are selling out of them SUPER fast.  They are constantly ordering news ones. 

I think these are good for people that have a lot of problems with constantly having to be doing something.  Anyways, here is a great website if you were interested in getting one.  

Entry #9 Thoughts on Media

As you probably know by now, sometimes I am given a topic to blog about and sometimes I get to choose.  This week my professor gave us the topic of writing about media.  This past few weeks in class we have discussed many different types of media and what kind of power they have.  Now I get to talk about media and basically my opinion of it.  

Since we began talking about media in class I have definitely paid a lot more attention to it.  I never realized there were so many different types of media.  I mean even words on someone's shirt is considered media.  I find myself really trying to figure out if there is a secret meaning behind what is on media related things.  Also, I have been actually watching the news with my dad and my opinion on that hasn't really changed.  Before I never used to watch anything on the news because I thought all they do is dramatize everything and make it look way worse than it is most of the time. Sadly, it still hasn't changed one bit. 

Here's an example of how all the news cares about is the views and making everything seem worse than it is.  I work at a high school and about 2 weeks ago there was a girl and her family who were all killed in a house fire.  She went to the school I work at and everyone was very very devastated.  The fire happened around 1 in the morning and the next day at school (so basically the same day) the news channels were there trying to get people to talk to them.  I was leaving work and they were waiting outside the parking lot asking people to talk about the situation.  They didn't even give anyone time to grieve about the loss of one of our own.  

This is a photo from the morning of the accident provided by CBS 5.

Like I said before, this is just a prime example of how the news only cares about one thing.  They need to start taking into consideration people's feelings and really make sure they are giving information that is 100% true. 

I feel like a lot of my friends and family are very much influenced by media.  We watched a video in class about different statistics about media.  It said that 93% of buying decisions are influenced by social media.  I can certainly see how this is the case.  Almost all of the things that are bought in my house my dad research's and makes sure it has good reviews and is well known.  

Since learning more about media it has really influenced how I think about it.  I pay a lot more attention to it than I ever did and I think it will always be that way from now on.  Thank for reading and... of course, happy blogging! :) 

Entry #8 YouTube Tutorials

In class for the past two weeks we have been writing an essay on anything as long as it relates back to some type of media.  I chose to write about the cons of social media.  As you all probably already know, there are many forms of social media.  One of my favorite's is YouTube!  

When you're on YouTube I'm pretty sure there is everything you could possibly imagine on there.  There's shows, movies, funny videos, sad videos, but most importantly tutorials!!  I think this is something I really enjoy about YouTube.  The fact that you can literally type anything into the search bar and more than likely find a tutorial on it.  

What I think is funny about this is I watch tutorials for things that don't even matter to me.  For example, I watch makeup tutorials all the time and I don't even wear makeup very often.  One of my favorite YouTube channels is NikkieTutorials. 

These people that create channels and use them often are really devoted to their followers.  One thing I really thought was interesting about YouTube is that there are many users that use it almost as a blog.  My brother watches this guy who does pranks, but also makes videos dedicated to family vacations, his dog dying, or even what the gender of his baby is going to be.  

After going on YouTube and typing "tutorial" into the search bar, almost everything that came up was a makeup tutorial.  I think that makeup tutorials have really taken off and people are getting very famous off of them.  It is crazy how much YouTube has taken off in the past two years.  I never remember there being so many tutorials when I was younger.  Now you can find a tutorial for almost anything.  

Now you know that next time you need helping doing something, there is more than likely a tutorial on it.  

Entry #7 Hashtag

I like getting actual topics to write about even more than I like having to pick my own.  This week my assignment is to talk about hashtags.  Do people really even use hashtags?  Just kidding I know the answer to that.... OF COURSE THEY DO!! Hashtags are used to put a "tag" on something so you an easily find it.  At least I think that's what they're for.  Hashtags are everywhere.  I see them on social media, on billboards, in magazines, they are pretty much anywhere you can think of.  

This just shows how much hashtags are used.  

One thing that I really notice a lot when talking about hashtags is television.  I watch reality t.v. shows often and i'm pretty sure every single show I watch has it's own hashtag.  I think that sometimes they are overused.  For example, whenever I'm on Instagram there are certain people that feel the need to put (what seems like) 200 hashtags on one picture just so they can get more likes.  Here is an example...

I don't think hashtags can really be "harmful", but to some they might be annoying.   I personally do not use hashtags, I think they are really annoying and I don't see a purpose in them.  Although there are many "popular" hashtags, I don't really know of many.  Some of the ones I'm familiar with are your typical, #selfie, #throwbackthursday, and #WCW.  I think most of these are hashtags that my generation came up with.  I believe (hope) that one day hashtags will die down and no longer mean anything to anyone.  Hashtags started as a cool trend but I think they will start to become insignificant sooner than later.  

Entry #6 Here I Am Again....

Here I am again, having to google what to blog about... I wish I knew why I'm having such a hard time finding my own topics.  I think that this time I'm going to pick something that really interests me.  With that being said, this blog entry is going to be all bout cooking!  You may or may not know this, but right now I am going to school and taking 16 credit hours as well as working part time.  So free time to me is kind of non-existent.  Although, when I do have free time I often cook dinner for my family, or bake desserts.  I think my love for cooking was brought upon me when I was old enough to actually use all the utensils in the kitchen and was able to come home after school and plan what I wanted to cook for dinner that night.  My favorite part of cooking is that fact that although you have recipes to follow, you can tweak them and make them your own.  My favorite thing to cook is pastas and basically anything Italian. My grandma is Italian and has given me a lot of family recipes that I love recreating and putting my own twist on them.  Tonight I actually made minestrone soup that was delicious!  Another huge reason I love cooking so much is because it is a big stress reliever for me.  If I have a lot of homework or something and I can't stop stressing, if I start cooking a meal I completely forget all about everything.  I think that it is very important to have a hobby/interest in life that takes all of your stress away and really relaxes you.  Mine just so happen to be cooking and baking.  I hope you find something that takes all your stress away just like cooking does for me.  Happy blogging. :)

Entry #5 Do We Need More College Graduates?

For my english class we had to read an article and write our thoughts on it.  First of all, i'm going to start by saying how important college is to me personally.  Since I was young enough to remember, going to college and getting a degree has always been engraved into my head.  Not going to college was never an option for me or anyone in my family.  With that being said, I find it very interesting that the article mentioned how better educated households have higher financial stability in the future. Since I think it is very important to go to school and get an education, I think it is great that they are setting a goal to educate at least 60 percent of Arizona by the year 2030.  I love this goal and feel it will have nothing but a positive outcome.  I feel that as time passes jobs are accepting less and less people because they don't have a college degree.  Having an education is very important in my opinion.  It is crazy to me that as of right now only 42 percent of Arizona has a degree or training past high school.  Being in college and seeing the benefits from it, I realize how great it is.  One thing that I think should be changed if they want to get to 60 percent, is the cost of school.  I truly do believe a lot of people don't get an education past high school simply because they cannot afford it.  This, in my opinion, has a huge impact on the fact that there is only 42 percent right now.  This article really made me realize how many people actually don't have a college education and I think it should be more easy for people to acquire.   I really enjoyed reading this and am very hopeful for the future.  I think America is way too smart to not be educated past a high school diploma. As always, happy blogging! :)