Media Strategic Writing - Michelle Obama Fighting Childhood Obesity

One of the classes that I really enjoyed was the COM345 Media Writing course. During this course, I learned the different career possibilities that can be obtained in this field. One career choice is a Copy Writer. A Copy Writer needs experience in producing material that will capture the attention of the audience while using a language that is easy to understand. They will also need Internet and website experience to perform the necessary research to compile the data that will be a part of the final article. Researching the makeup of the audience who will be reading the final production is important. Having organizational skills is necessary to organize the information that will be included in the document.

The final assignment was to write a feature story based on research conducted on the subject that was chosen to be featured. The paper would either add to what has already been written on the subject, or you could change up and write on a whole different topic. We first had to write a proposal on what we thought is known about the topic or what we believe is new information on the topic.  Websites that I reviewed were on CNN.com Larry King Live and Lets Move, a website from the U.S. government for Michelle Obama's Let's Move program.

 

Several excerpts from my final paper that discusses her program reads as such:

First Lady Michelle Obama’s agenda while occupying the White House is recognizing the plight of obesity of America’s youth. She unveiled a plan to “reverse the epidemic of childhood obesity” (Obama, 2010). Her Let’s Move program is a plan to raise a generation of Healthier Kids in America. She released a report entitled Solving the Problem of Childhood Obesity Within a Generation. Mrs. Obama states a little known fact that currently, one in three children are considered to be overweight or obese, ‘If we meet the goals we set, we will reverse a 30-year trend’ (King, 2010).

 On eating healthy:  Consulting with the Academy of Pediatrics, Mrs. Obama is working with “providing counseling for healthy eating early on” and the academy, for the first time ever, will write prescriptions for parents laying out the simple things they can do to increase healthy eating and active play” (Obama, 2010). Mrs. Obama knows that it is not always convenient to eat right, so parents can find healthy facts and tools to help their children make healthier food choices in the Eat Healthy – Food & Nutrition section of her Let’s Move plan.

Mrs. Obama believes that while it is important to get enough exercise, we should also get enough sleep. It helps developing healthier children. She states that we can encourage our children by limiting TV time, encouraging them to join a sports team, purchasing toys that get our children off the couch, make sure children get enough sleep that they need. Most children under age 5 need 11 hours or more per day. Naps included. Children age 5-10 need at least 10 hours per day and children over age 10 needs at least 9 hours per day.

Helping America’s children to develop a healthier lifestyle results in not only looking good, but to eat healthy and get physically fit.

References: 

Let’s Move. (February 9, 2010). America’s Move to Raise a Healthier Generation of Kids. The Epidemic of Childhood Obesity. Let’s Move.gov. Retrieved July 13, 2010, from http://www.letsmove.gov/eathealthy.php

Larry King Live. (May 11, 2010). Michelle Obama’s ‘Road Map’ to Fight Childhood Obesity. CNN.com. Retrieved June 30, 2010, from http://larrykinglive.blogs.cnn.com/2010/05/11/michelle-obamas-road-map-to-fight-childhood-obesity/?iref=allsearch

Process Mechanism Description -Lock the Door!

During the course of my Communication Studies, while in my Technical Writing class, I had to write a simple process that I would routinely perform as the topic for my process/mechanism description. I chose to write a process of Locking the Door of the Home. There was a two-fold purpose to the document. One was to discuss the importance of locking the door when leaving home, and again locking it when you safely arrive. The other was to show the implements used, i.e., a key or push or turn-knob lock to lock the door. Below are excerpts from that paper.

There was a time when one could leave their home and knew the contents therein would remain undisturbed. In the present time, one is not guaranteed that the contents of their home will remain in place should they leave the premises and not lock the front door. Intruders will break into homes through unlocked doors; even when the occupants are present, which is why it is important to lock the door whether leaving or staying in the home. 

There are different elements used to lock doors. The basic element to locking the door is a key. The key is a small metal bar with notches or grooves that when inserted into a lock and turned, it operates the locking mechanism within the lock to either secure or open the lock. Locks are a fastening mechanism for doors to secure the premises. 

There are other types of locking mechanisms used to lock the door. Some locks are within the door knob. One such lock features a button on the outside tip of the knob that can be pushed in to lock, and as a toggle button, can be pushed again to unlock the door. The locking mechanism used to activate the lock is a small bar that is pushed into the door from the lock to prevent the door from being opened. Other door-knob locks feature a turning mechanism on the outside tip of the knob that can be turned to lock the door. Turning the tip activates the lock. Turning the tip back to the original position will unlock the door.

Failure to lock the door when leaving can result in intruders entering the premises and stealing personal belongings. Failure to lock the door can also result in intruders entering the premises while individuals are in the home resulting in home invasion robberies.

It is important to remember to lock the door when leaving for any reason. It is not always strangers who enter and steal. Unfortunately, it can be one’s neighbors. It is also important to remember that when entering the home, and especially if there are no plans to leave, to lock the door while staying in the home, whether daytime or nighttime. This simple act will ensure that intruders can’t enter and threaten the occupant’s safety.

Designing an Effective and Visually Appealing Blog

 

Anyone can blog. Some bloggers are professional journalists and some bloggers are students. The word blog is “a contraction of two words, Web and log. Blogs are just one of the many sites via the World Wide Web that individuals use to express their opinions to a wide audience. They exist as Web pages, but some blogs have print links that allow the text to be printed as a hard copy. Blogs can serve as a means for individuals to communicate with one another by submitting comments to the published blog. Readers can use these comments to agree, disagree, or continue the discussion.

Blogs are informal, informative and can be entertaining. Some blogs serve as a daily journal or a personal essay. The design of an appealing blog will attract readers who will want to access the blog. The best thing to do when designing a blog is to view and read other blogs. This will not only help the development of the blog, but one may also find a blog that they want to link with. Well written blogs are informative, updated frequently. They may also include links to other blogs that serve as a resource for their blog.

The content and organization of a well written blog can be developed by first reading other blogs. People can Google “blogs” to help steer them to blogs that are of interest. Most blogs have a focus or a topic that the blogger wants to discuss. Blogs can range from one to several paragraphs. Authors G. Marsh, D. Guth & B. Short encourage blog writers to “be informal: Use the first-person pronouns I and we” (p. 109). Because blogs are informal writings, it is acceptable to use sentence fragments and slang within the blog and comments. However, blogging etiquette must be used.

Obscene or threatening comments can be reported and deleted from the blog page. Some blogs are set to not post a reader’s comments until the blogger has reviewed it. If the comment simply disagrees with the blogger, then the blogger can use it as an opportunity to extend the discussion between the reader and the blogger.

Sometimes no one will access the blog, but even if no one looks at it, the blog may have some information that is important to the blogger and it will allow the author to access that information anytime they wish.

Blogging can be a fun way to journal thoughts and ideas, or to talk about and get the opinion of the reader about a specific subject. A well designed blog will attract readers and invite comments. Successful blogs open lines of communication that can be instrumental in developing a relationship between the blogger and the reader.

Reference: Marsh, C., Guth, D., & Short, B. (2009). Strategic Writing. Boston: Pearson Education, Inc.

Now That You Have Earned Your Communications Degree, What will You do with It?

The question has come up “What do you want to do with your Communications Degree?” 

  Many of my classmates have different career fields in mind. Earning this Communications degree will open the door for many media related opportunities. I already work as a technical writer, but perhaps it is time for a change. Eventually, I’d like to go for the Communications Director position here at work.  I have a side gig working at a music recording company here in San Diego as their contracts and booking administrator.  I fell into this position when I earned my certification at USD for a paralegal in Business Litigation. Contract law was a part of the curriculum, which came in handy. I also have a friend who I’ve known before he was a DJ, who is now the station manager of KURS AM Gospel radio here in San Diego. They are a 24-hr Gospel radio station that has just been voted #1 on the entire West coast. He is excited about my completing this degree. You never know, I just might try my hand at working in the radio station…

Classmate Jody Terry is looking at a variety of choices from Human Resources Administrator, Communications Director, Media Planner, Public Affairs, to Technical Writer. Best of luck to you!

Classmate Darnell Baker’s choices range from Public Relations Specialist, Advertising Account Executive, Technical Writer, to Film Industry (Producer). His choices are artistic, but realistic enough to apply to his current government position.

Classmate Barbara Thompson’s interests ranged from Communications Specialists, Copy Writers, Market Research Analysts, Publications Specialists, to Technical Writers or Technical Communicators. I believe she will do well in any path she chooses to take.

This Communications degree will indeed open many doors to either make a career change, or enhance the career path we currently work in. Best of luck to all!

It's April Fool's Day!

This is the day that people pull pranks that range from little white lies to the over-the-top and outlandish gotchas! Here are the top 3 April Fool's Hoaxes of all time from the Museum of Hoaxes. Enjoy!

#1: The Swiss Spaghetti Harvest
1957: The respected BBC news show Panorama announced that thanks to a very mild winter and the virtual elimination of the dreaded spaghetti weevil, Swiss farmers were enjoying a bumper spaghetti crop. It accompanied this announcement with footage of Swiss peasants pulling strands of spaghetti down from trees. Huge numbers of viewers were taken in. Many called the BBC wanting to know how they could grow their own spaghetti tree. To this the BBC diplomatically replied, "place a sprig of spaghetti in a tin of tomato sauce and hope for the best." 

#2: 1985: Sports Illustrated published a story about a new rookie pitcher who planned to play for the Mets. His name was Sidd Finch, and he could reportedly throw a baseball at 168 mph with pinpoint accuracy. This was 65 mph faster than the previous record. Surprisingly, Sidd Finch had never even played the game before. Instead, he had mastered the "art of the pitch" in a Tibetan monastery under the guidance of the "great poet-saint Lama Milaraspa." Mets fans celebrated their teams' amazing luck at having found such a gifted player, and Sports Illustrated was flooded with requests for more information. In reality this legendary player only existed in the imagination of the author of the article, George Plimpton. 

#3: Instant Color TV

1962: In 1962 there was only one tv channel in Sweden, and it broadcast in black and white. The station's technical expert, Kjell Stensson, appeared on the news to announce that, thanks to a new technology, viewers could convert their existing sets to display color reception. All they had to do was pull a nylon stocking over their tv screen. Stensson proceeded to demonstrate the process. Thousands of people were taken in. Regular color broadcasts only commenced in Sweden on April 1, 1970.

 

Critiquing Blogs

The background of my blog's URL, http://sis2locks-liveadayinmylife.blogspot.com/ has the look of a library. I liked the look of the colorful books lined on the shelves. My picture at the top is of a woman who is very busy working on her computer. She’s spilled coffee on her blouse, but she’s still working as a challenge to invite readers to live a day in her life before they criticize her. The content of the blog discusses the assignments as directed from our instructor and the target audience is my classmates who will read the site. To me, blogging is on-line journaling. The only difference is that the audience will be able to reply to what has been written.

I reviewed and liked Jason’s blog, but was surprised to see that his background has changed from its initial background in Week 1 to look like my current background so I may be changing my background. His theme relates the theory and technologies of communications. His focus is to showcase his talent for writing and his audience are those who have an interest in blogging. Jason has since changed his blog background, and I must say, it looks fantastic!

I liked Jody’s blog. Her background color combination is eye-catching. I like her super woman-comic book theme. The way her pictures overlay her text frame. I like the look of her blog. It captured my attention and kept me interested in reading what she has to say. The only thing I might suggest is to enlarge the font size of the blog header. There are 5 comments that read the blog has been removed by the administrator. I suggest removing the statements altogether. Her audience can be influenced by her underlying theme of being able to have balance, yet have strength to multitask.

I like the open field background on Carley's blog. I also like how the blog scrolls above the background as though it floats above it. Her blog seems to serve as a personal journal with the potential to include other articles that relate to her blog.

Delivering Bad News Tactfully and Effectively

No one likes to receive bad news, which is why it important to use tact when discussing a problem or having to deliver a bad news message. Even though the message negative, it still should convey a sense of support or amity to the reader. If the situation is minor or insignificant, but enough to bring it to the person’s attention, then a direct approach can be used to inform or alert the them of the issue. A direct approach “is basically the same plan used for good-news or neutral messages” (Roebuck, D., 2006, p. 87). If the message is significant enough that a denial or rejection has to be delivered, then it is best to take an indirect approach, as author Deborah Roebuck (2006) states, it “softens your audience’s resistance, arouses their interests, and increases their tendency to see you as fair-minded” (p. 88). The “bad news” should be made clear to the person; however, the deliverer should make it clear to the person receiving the bad news that there are no hard feelings toward them personally.

Because the employee has been confrontational, a hostile work environment was created, so there can be an expectation of defensiveness on the part of the employee. An investigation needs to be completed so all of the facts and incidents of the employee’s substandard performance and complaints from each customer and all co-workers are accurately documented and ready to be presented during the meeting with the employee. This is in order to present the evidence as facts that cannot be disputed. “We typically feel defensive when others have something critical to say about us. We do not want to know that we are not doing well or not doing all we should do (Abigail, R. & Cahn, D., 2011, p. 73).

The conflict resolution that would work best in this case would come from managing organizational conflict. The objective is to engage productivity in the workplace, and if there is an employee who is not civil to the other employees and not satisfying the customer’s needs, then a meeting should take place to discuss his or her poor work performance. Respect for the employee must be uppermost as an objective when discussing the documented incidents. The climate in which the meeting takes place should be professional, and the language is objective and non-discriminatory. Active listening should be used to hear what the employee has to say. Every incident has two sides, and in all fairness, their side should be heard. Some employees deal with “work-life” conflict. This arises from not being able to keep “a balance between one’s personal life and the demands of work” (Abigail, R. & Cahn, D., 2011, p. 249). This may serve as an explanation, but their negative behaviour is what is being dealt with.

Using positive language, the meeting should begin with discussing the positive behaviour and performance of the employee, which both the employer and employee can agree upon. Then the results of the documented evidence reporting negative behaviour with the customers and co-workers, the hostile work environment and substandard work performance should be presented and discussed. The employee should be allowed to explain their behaviour. However, the bottom line of the expectation the company had of the employee versus what the company got in relation to the employee’s substandard job performance and behaviour should be presented as the consequences for not complying with the company’s policies and procedures, resulting in the employee’s impending termination from the company.

No one likes bad news, whether giving it or receiving it. The approach in regard to presenting the bad news depends on the type of relationship with the recipient and how serious the situation is. As the deliverer of bad news, the situation and the recipient determine how to approach delivering the bad news. 

References:

Abigail, R., & Cahn, D. (2011). Managing conflict through communication (4^th ed.). Boston: Pearson Education, Inc, publishing as Allyn & Bacon

Roebuck, D.B. (2006). Improving business communication skills. (4^th ed.). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall

What is Skype?

Skype – Sky peer-to-peer is a free software application that allows any user with a computer or cell phone with the front load camera to visual conference/chat over the internet. Where communicating long distance on the cell phone would be monitored by the minutes spent, thus, creating an expensive bill, Skype makes it easy to communicate with those far and near. Individuals more or less use Skype in place of long distance calling. Nadeem Unuth (2011), shares that “[w]hile in the past you needed to take particular care of the minutes and seconds you spend speaking on international calls, you no longer need to bother about that now. If you use Skype to make PC to PC communication, you pay nothing more that the monthly Internet service, which you would pay anyway have paid without Skype” (p.1.). When connecting to communicate with other Skype users, the connection is free, no matter where in the world the other connection is made as long as the other person is also using Skype . “Skype allows you to know if a buddy is offline, when she or he is willing to communicate, you can log back in at that time” (N. Unuth, 2011, p.1).

Skype also runs on servers and uses background processing on computers running Skype. Wikipedia states that “[s]ome network administrators have banned Skype on corporate, government, home, and education networks, citing reasons such as inappropriate usage of resources, excessive bandwidth usage, and security concerns.

References:

Skype From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved March 15, 2011 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skype

Unruth, N. (2011). What is Skype? An introduction to the most popular VoIP software and service. Retrieved March 21, 2011 from

http://voip.about.com/od/voipsoftware/a/whatisskype.htm

What is LinkedIn?

LinkedIn is a business-oriented social networking site. It allows users to connect with one another to professionally network with one another. You can see who is connected with the people you are connected to. Through your profile, others who view your page can read about you based on what you’ve posted about yourself. Your page informs those who view your page how many other people you are connected to and their affiliations. It allows the user or owner of the page to make status updates about them; such as, if you got a promotion, won a big contract or whatever you want viewers to know about you. You can post your resume on your home page, so if you are seeking employment, others can see your resume and determine if you will be a good candidate to contact to schedule an interview.

People who work for different companies can link to those who either work for the same company or link to one who works for the same company, but that person is also linked to another person who works for a different company. Case in point: There is a job announcement at Company X. I log into my LinkedIn site and look at my connections to see who is connected to a person at Company X. I contact my connection to see if they will connect with their contact at Company X and inquire if I may connect with them about getting my resume into their HR dept. It’s a great professional networking site.  

Reference:   LinkedIn. (2011) Retrieved March 21, 2011 from www.linkedin.com

What is Instant Messaging?

Instant messaging (IM) uses real-time text based communication between two or more people who are set up with IM. It allows immediate communication between users. It is different from email, because messages appear instantly, on can respond much quicker to a conversation using IM than instead of email, which can be left sitting in an in-box. Instant Messaging is comparable to chatting in your own private chat room with only the person or persons you’ve connected with to chat. You can create a list of people as buddies that you choose to contact or communicate with. It is a faster and simpler way to communicate with others than using email. Texted conversations can be saved for later reference. WiseGEEK (2011) shares that “caution should be exercised with messaging. Children should be supervised carefully when instant messaging and should not add people they do not know to their IM list without approval from their parents” (p.1). This is to monitor who contacts your child, as predators have been known to frequent chat rooms to seek out victims.

Like other media technologies, TopBits.com (2011) states, “instant messaging is rapidly replacing the telephone as the primary method of ‘reaching out and touching someone.’” (p.1). There are various IM software applications to choose from to create IM clients. They are Pidgin, Miranda, Psi, Adium, Trillian, AOL and Babuki. These software applications enable clients to connect with one another to communicate instantly.

References:


TopBits.com, (2011). Instant Messaging. Retrieved March 21, 2011 from http://www.tech-faq.com/instant-messaging.html

WiseGEEK, (2011). What is instant messaging? Retrieved March 21, 2011 from http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-instant-messaging.htm

What Is Email?

Email is the short name for Electronic mail. It is how digital messages are sent and received. “Though there is some degree of uncertainty as to when email was invented, the father of the modern version is generally regarded to be American Ray Tomlinson” (WiseGEEK, 2001.p.1). WiseGEEK also shares that in the beginning, messages could only be sent between users connected to the same computer (2001, p.1). In the business world, email is the most common and more preferred way messages are communicated whether intercompany or intra-company.

One message can be sent to multiple recipients. Text, graphic images or data files can be sent within the page or sent as an enclosure. It operates across both public and private internet and established computer networks. One needs to have established an email account to send or receive messages. Address books or distribution lists can be constructed to make it convenient to select single or multiple recipients of the same message. Typically, it takes moments to receive an email that was sent; however, if the enclosure is a large file or the graphic is over the minimum size, it may take time to arrive, or it may not arrive at all. Once email is received, the recipient can return a reply to the message that they received, save the message in an established folder, or delete it. Emails are more convenient to send to those recipients who are long distance, than spending the money for a long distance call or using the U.S. Postal Service.

Reference:  

WiseGEEK, (2011). What is Email? Retrieved March 21, 2011, from

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-email.htm

Celebrating Lent

Today is Ash Wednesday; the beginning of Lent. Lent is the 40 weekdays from Ash Wednesday until Easter that is observed by Christians as a season of fasting and penitence in preparation for Easter. The first year that I participated I gave up sweets, the next year meat, then coffee. Last year I gave up sweets again, but before Lent was half over with, I messed up and had cookies at an office meeting. I really felt bad, so I abandoned participating in Lent for the rest of the duration. However, this year, I'm trying to make up for it, so I gave up coffee and sodas.

Do you particpate in Lent? If so, what did you fast from?

Holla back!