Random Rants

September 19th HW# 1

2006-10-23T19:41:00.000-07:00

Reading these chapters in our books got me thinking about a lot of things. In the Concise Guide, it talked about the 1986 distaster of the Challenger, which sort of reminded me of the movie "Erin Brockavich." That case as well as the Three Mile Island incident were both implications of disreguarded memo's that quite obviously contained hints & blatant warnings about what issues should have been raised. With the reference to the Pentium III chip, it sounded very "the government is watching you & tracking you." Which just plain gives me the jellybeans. I hate the idea of my computer activity being tracked in any way. Whether I have something to hide or not, I feel it's wrong top be monitered or tracked in such a way. Of course, all of this ties in with the ethics a person has. On page 99 in the Concise Guide, it says at the end of the paragraph: "In the end, communication is never neutral. It always comes w/some type of consequence." I never really thought of conversation as having a consequence, but I suppose it does. Everything we say has a consequence, be it positive or otherwise. The paragraphs on page 102 in the Concise Guide on plagiarism reminded me of how crazy music has become when it comes to plagiarism. Every new song on the radio is really just the new artists words over the old school band lyrics. I know that covers of songs are becoming more & more popular but from an ethical standpoint, isn't it getting a little out of control? What exactly happened to originality? Originality is what drew us music lovers to the original version of a song to begin with. One the same page in the Concise Guide, it also had a blurb on privacy, which, as far as the Bush administration is concerned, we are no longer entitled to. On page 103 in the Concise Guide, it began a small section on Yielding to Social Pressure and it gave an example of a company unveiling a truck in spite of the fact that if a collision occured in a certain way, the gas tank would explode. Before I moved to Arizona, I worked for an airbag manufacturing facility and for the last half of my employment with the company, I was on the side curtain airbag line for the Honda Odyssey. Production started quickly & we built hundreds & hundreds of airbags not knowing that they were insufficiently tested before being placed in the vans. Before too long, employees were forced to rework thousands of parts because Honda had been too eager to get the car out in time for the new year. This was the same situation as was before mentioned; production took priority over safety & everyone involved suffered the consequnces because of yielding to social pressure doen by management, who in fact admitted later to select employees that certain safety issues had been overlooked. Three months after I left that job, thousands of more Honda Odysseys were recalled due to insufficient testing of the exact same side curtain airbags. Some of the faulty ones had still been sold even after the new product was reworked! In Chapter 2 of the Ethics book, it talks about our writing as also having it's own set of consequences-just like communicating does. As I mentioned before, obviously this is not a totally out there concept considering the Challenger and the Three Mile Island memos that could have done more good than bad in the long run. A semester ago, I took Legal, Ethical & Regulatory Issues in Business & a big part of it was all about the rhetoric of those three aspects. In some ways, it ties into the devlopment of our resumes & application packets. I'm sure everyone embellishes theirs at least a little bit, but where do ethics come in? When is the line drawn between embellishing & out-and-out lying? Let's stir the ethical pot a little bit...

September 12th, HW#5 Deadline Reflection

2006-10-17T01:30:00.000-07:00

Alright, so still pushing along... After reading others' blogs, I realized that I, in fact, was not the only one who was unfamiliar with the whole cover letter for a resume thing. I know it's not a completely new concept, but I really was unsure of how to construct the darn thing. I also learned the pertenance of proposals and that once I get all caught up, I'll be dealing with the construction of one of those, which will also bew helpful with the small biz class I am taking this semester (We have to prepare a proposal for a small biz loan.) I like the whole "kill two birds with one stone thing." It helps me in more ways than one. Some of the blogs on ethics are intense! Who knew that in Technical Writing we would be getting into nitty-gritty discussions on stem-cell research & donation of the body to science! Craziness! Here are the blogs I responded to: Elizabeth Dankert http://wwwtoshi.blogspot.com Oct. 10, HW#1 Reading Reflection Jeffery http://gorf959.blogspot.com Sept. 26, HW#26 Writing Project Reflection Josh http://igraver.blogspot.com Oct. 3, HW#1 Reading Reflection Mirelle http://rustybloggy.blogspot.com HW#5 10/3/06 Complex Communication Situations Tim http://rayburn78.blogspot.com Sept. 19, HW #4 Peer Review Reflection

Sept. 12 HW# 2 Annotated Bibliography

2006-10-03T22:01:00.000-07:00

Alright, now that I have finished my cover letter & resume, here are some of the sites I used: http://www.nfdma.org, which was the first place I was able to find any sort of job ads in funeral science. This website is for the National Funeral Directors Association. I heard about this website from Michael Smith, who is the executive director for the American Board of Funeral Service Education. I also checked out their website, which is where I ended up finding the job advertisement at Westford Funeral Home, in Washington. That website is: http://www.abfse.org. Both of these websites were helpful because they had recent advertisements for funeral science positions. You can't just look in the paper and find a job ad for a career like that. You have to find certain resources for finding that sort of information.

September 12th HW#1 Readin' Reflection

2006-09-23T15:27:00.000-07:00

I liked the little blurb about organization in Ch.5 about how soem websites are incredibly illiogical as far as helping the reader to find information. Sometimes my brain is all over the place so I hope my writing and online posted stuff doesn't read the way that my mind spits it out! I also hope my typography isn't shot to hell because I use so many different fonts sometimes, as well as text colors.Whoa. Reading all the stuff about blogs makes them seem so much more important! Was I the only one who found it amusing that it mentioned colleges using blogs to "support classroom teaching & provide space for student discussion?" How conventient! In Ch.8 it talks about effective page layout design and I think it really ties in with some of the stuff we have been doing in class because when you read something online, you don't want to feel like you are reading a book that's been put online, it's much more effective to get short bursts of info. In Ch.8 it also talks about size headings by level, which I used to highlight things in my resume. In the Ethics In Technical Communication book, the first Chapter is all about the ethics of writing, but aren't ethics sort of determined on a person to person basis? What might seem right to one person, might seem completely wrong to another...provokes some thought doesn't it?

September 5th HW# 7 Deadline Reflection

2006-09-19T16:38:00.000-07:00

Okay, so this is very late, but here it is, for my information maybe more than yours. This week's work helped me learn how to focus more on the rhetorical sitatuon & apply it to my own writing-be it for technical or other reasons. I have missed a few opportunities to view my peers' work and that is my loss, unfortunately. I have really enjoyed the focus we have made on our future careers because I think it puts things in a very real perspective.

September 5th Annotated Bibliography HW#1

2006-09-17T17:40:00.000-07:00

At http://jobstar.org/tools/resume/res-def.php which I located through the Google search engine, I found lots of resources for resume constructon there were lots of examples & it shows other's resumes & gives advice on formats to use. It also has a section on length of types of resumes which I found helpful because I always assumed that a resume is only supposed to be one page. Another source located through the Google search engine was at http://www.jobweb.com/Resumes_Interviews/default.htm which I found to be helpful because it not only gives you advice on how to put together your resume but it also gives some really good advice on interviewing. Really, resumes, job application packets & the interviewing process all go hand in hand. Just because you have a very professional and well put together resume doesn't necessarily mean you will do fabulous when you are actually interviwed. A well informed resume basically just gets your foot in the door. Lastly, & also located through the Google search engine (one of my favorites-obviously) was at www.productionhub.com/jobs/resume.asp This website was helpful because it has over one-hundred examples of successful, professional resumes, but don't bother reading about the 12-step resume writing process because it's really redundant.

HW# 1 September 5, 2006 Reading Reflection

2006-09-17T16:23:00.000-07:00

In Chapter 3, there are lots of tips on how to make your writing usable & it makes reference to unpacking nouns, which I have a terrible habit of doing. Sometimes I just want my writing to come off as professional & informed, but I do pack a little too much into my sentences at times when I should make them a bit more short & sweet.
I agree with another point made in Chapter 3 about not reying solely on grammar & spell checkers. If you write a sentence that says "Their were lots of people attending." It is spelled correctly but some grammar/spell checkers don't edit things like that.That's one of the many conundrums of the English language-one word can have a thousand meanings.
Also discussed was the use of chunking in writing. I've noticed that our blogs seem to take on this format of organizing iformation because each section of homework is supposed to be clearly titled & when published, becomes a separate peice of writing. I've seen how my classmates blogs are organized & have tried to follow in their footsteps to make my blogs more understandable & organized in a sequential way. I have a habit of sometimes jumping all over the place. I like that the syllabus uses chunking as far as what expectations there are & where to find what.
In Chapter 10 it discusses all the language aspects of e-mail. Really, I think sometimes we don't realize what our message conveys in the way it was typed. For example, it says not to use all caps because it implies yelling. This is true. I used to have an out of control chatroom addiction & I used to irritate the hell out of other peeople in the chatrooms by using the biggest, most obnoxious font I could possibly find & printing everything in bright red so that the other people in the chatroom would be forced to notice what I had written. It used to really get to people & they would constantly tell me "Turn down your font" & "Stop writing in all caps!" Depending on what my purpose for being in the chatroom was, sometimes I would adjust the font & color of my writing to increase my presence in the chatroom & okay, sometimes I wouldn't change it just because I got a kick out of seeing how mad other people got about it.
I also liked that in Chapter 10 it talks about how overused these silly "emoticons" have become. I can't stand the silly little faces & things like that that people put in their e-mails. I find it just about as irritating as those girls who dot their i's with hearts or happy faces. Okay, yeah, it was cute when the internet first became super popular, but now I see it as just juevenile. I also find myself annoyed by the whole sublanguage of the internet such as LOL (for laugh out loud) and OMG (for oh my gosh!). Just type out what you are trying to say- it has a lot more resonance if you do. Believe me, I may do the occasional silly style of writing but you will never see a happy face or an 'LOL' on my e-mails & posts!

Deadline Reflection Continued...

2006-09-17T14:58:00.002-07:00

Okay, so here are the blogs I checked out & commented on: Angie Aguiar http://.aeaguiar.blogspot.com Replied to: HW#2 Blog Posting on my questions or concerns for Technical Writing. Chelsea Davis http://seachel.blogspot.com Replied to: 9/14/06 What Makes a Job Application Packet Accessible, Usable & Relevant? Elizabeth Dankert http://wwwtoshi.blogspot.com Replied to:September 12, HW#5 Annotated Bibliography x2 Josh Graver http://igraver.blogspot.com

Deadline Reflection Assignment #1

2006-09-17T14:58:00.000-07:00

Okay, so the work this week was a little overwhelming. (Obviously because I am so far behind.) I think now that I've finally completed the first assignment, I'm going to be able to get through the next ones a lot easier & in a more organized way. I like that we look at our classmates blogs too because I think it helps to see how other people have done their assigments in comparison to my own. I had no idea this course was going to involve so much research! Whoa! I think I can do it, it's just that my old research ways aren't cutting it, I will tell you that! It's also crazy to me that in all of the writing that I've done in my life, I've really never considered the 'audience' aspect of it. I just wrote what I felt & what I thought pertained to whatever it was I was writing, but after this weeks work, I know better.

CLaSs feARs! ...(aka concerns)

2006-09-14T11:56:00.000-07:00

As far as questions I've had...they have all been promptly answered-thanx SheLLey! As far as concerns...I'm just worried I won't be able to keep up. (I'm already behind-my fault!) But also, I'm not really a very technologically advanced person. I can barely check my e-mail & I'll be damned if I can program a VCR! I couldn't even figure out how to open the laptops in class! Urgh! But, on the more positive side, I am willing to learn.

Audience Analysis ....continued!

2006-09-14T11:32:00.000-07:00

And now...context! Role within the organization: Most likely in charge of hiring & other tasks. Political or Social Situation: Power (if you're hiring employees you have to have some sort of power to do so.) You also most likely have some sort of social obligations to other people you work with and to higher-ups. Community membership: Any workplace is a type of community with it's own politics. (Believe me-I know. I've had 20 jobs & I'm only 23!) Whoever is reviewing the application packet in terms of hiring potential, has to consider social obligations to other employees and to fellow managers or personnel. Legal Issues: Some, if not most, of an application packet could not be shared or distibuted in most ways. You would want to keep aspects private such as phone number, address, social security information, & other private info. Professional Values: Creating harmony in the workplace, finding reliable, good, trusted, employees. Other contextual Issues: None.

Audience Analysis Worksheet (job app. packet)

2006-09-14T11:06:00.000-07:00

Demographic Info: Male & Female, Ages 20-50, Usually at least high school diploma, maybe some technical training and/or college, ethnicity could range from anything. Primary Audience: Managers, human resources personnel. Secondary audiences: other employees, other forms of management. Attitudes towards info: Looking for good work ethic, experience, good job references, previous work history, ideas for future goals, plans for longevity if hired. Technical experience with topic: view of current employees, previous hiring experiences, human resources information, any work-related training or tasks. Primary Purpose: To learn previous work history, what kind of employee this person has been in the past & will be in the future, what kinds of goals this possible future employee has set for themselves, what level of experience they are bringing to the table, what reasons they have for not currently being employed or wanting to leave their current work situation. Secondary purposes: to start a file for record keeping to be done by the employer, or to make future reference to & add to at later dates. to be continued...

Job App Packet Stuff...

2006-09-13T15:34:00.000-07:00

What makes a job application packet accessible is that if it contains a cover letter, right off the bat, you'll have access to whose packet it is. Another thing that makes it accessible is the way you may have mulitiple packets organized. What makes it usable is the information it contains. The more questions on the application packet, the less questions you have to ask during the interview process. Another thing that makes it usable, is that you could leave a space on the packet for additional comments. I am not in charge of hiring people at my work, but being that I am a voice they trust, they leave space on the front of the packet for the hostess, server or bartender to write first impressions on. For example, I myself have written comments such as: "Looked very professional & shook hands." "Came without their own pen!" "Ordered a cocktail at the bar while filling out an application!" If someone implies unprofessionalism right from the start, we can decide if we want to read the contents inside of the job application packet before an invitation to an interview is given. As far as relevance is concerned, who wants to hire someone who can only fill out their name & address? You get an idea of someone's work experience by reading through their application & you can get key answers to other employment questions such as work history, personal goals, etc. if you ask the appropriate questions.

RhEtORICaL SiTuaTiOn

2006-09-11T00:59:00.000-07:00

I understand the rhetorical situation as looking at writing & speaking not just just as a gesture, but as an act. The author, the audience, & the context all influence the medium being used to relay whatever message is being put across.
As far as an example of the impact of these features, I am reminded of my uncle Keith's funeral. The audience had an impact on what the funeral director was saying. He had to take into account that the people in the audience included people who knew Keith really well, there were children in the audience, his mother was in the audience, & so on & so forth.He had to account for the fact that really, in all honesty, he was up there speaking fondly of someone he had never met but that the audience had had a personal relationship with. He had to take into account the purpose behind each word & what the audience would take from each thing said. As far as the context is concerned, as a funeral director, he had to utilize a sensitive side of himself to make sure his carefully chosen words were not taken out of context or related to in a negative way.

Reading Reflection #1

2006-09-10T23:43:00.000-07:00

I found it kind of amusing that in the online webpages, one of the paragraphs mentions that readers of your writings don't want to be distracted by improper spelling & grammar & then I noticed myself being distracted by some of the grammar mistakes in some of the paragraphs themselves! I do notice that a lot though. If there are a lot of grammatical errors, it does distract me. I think it's because I've always liked reading & english & I notice things like that.
I agreed with the posting that discussed how your writing should read somewhat like a conversation. I think writing flows more naturally when it reads like a conversation. It's not like everything should read like an instruction manual & writing is more personal when it feels like you're being talked to, not directed.
I noticed in Chapter 2 & in the online readings that they both kept on referring to the reader as an "audience". Really, the reader is your audience, but that word makes me nervous, because it makes me think of talking or performing in front of a group which freaks me out to no end. In this class, I do think it's relative though, because our audience will not only be the prof but also our fellow classmates.

New Beginnings

2006-09-04T16:43:00.000-07:00

Hiya. My name is Charlene Lusby. My favortite color is orange & I'm an Aquarius. When I grow up...I wanna be a funeral director! Hmmm...what do I expect from this class? To blow your mind & to have mine blown too!...and an excellent grade cetainly wouldn't hurt.