Dear Class,
Please take a look at the blog www.feministing.com, which we will talk about in more detail next week. You will want to comment here (roughly 200 words) about the blog, using the handout on carmen (it should be uploaded shortly) to guide you in responding. Remember to focus on the "how" (the rhetoric: ethos, pathos, logos), not necessarily the "what" --that said, you will want to use the content of the some of these posting if they help back-up or further develop your analytical thoughts.
Feministing is a example of the type blogs that I want your group to find for us to discuss. This blog site is funny, provocative, and controversial. They always have something to say about what is happening in the zeitgeist. For instance, take a gander at the "What We Missed" entries that detail what the media lightly or insufficiently covered that the bloggers wish to underline or highlight more thoroughly. Also, some time back they posted this music video, which is hilarious, but also is a moment of activism: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sO-msplukrw. Think about, for class on Thursday, how we might analyze this source. How does it use humor, allusion, images, lyrics, etc., to express a certain point of view? Is this video offensive? Who is the audience? Who is this video "sending up"?
Since we are dealing with issues that might offend, try to stay as objective as possible. This will keep your mind alert at noticing details and help you remain focusing on the rhetoric.
The site, feministing.com is convenient and easy to navigate. One of the things that I notice about this site is its logo and page color; purple. The logo is weird but at the same time interesting and it is appropriate for the blog. The logo symbolizes that whatever the society has to say about feminism is not their concern, and the site promotes other feminist and their views and ideas. I think that it's really interesting that the femisinsting staff were able to warn off anti-femist and inform them that their opinions is not welcomed on the site. I'm in support of preventing oppression and hate on the blog especially since we have enough of that in the real world.
ReplyDeleteThe choice of words on this blog can either be positive or negative; positive in the aspect that that can draw in potential readers, on the other hand it can be negative because the profanity can turn some people off. I really like the video "Do I look suspicious", because there is a lot of controversy about this matter and whether wearing a hoodie makes someone suspicious. This video was able to illustrate the rhetorical triangle; ethos, pathos, and logos. Ethos: "America is led us to believe that all young black males are not suspicious"
Pathos: Black males are doing big things and they will continue to change the world.
Logos: the men were able to use the logic (that some of the men will be Lawyers, Doctors), as a way to persuade America that wearing a hoodie is not a reason to kill someone.
When first opening feministing.com, what I noticed was the lack of visual elements that were on the page. However, I started to look and read the articles and realized that this is most likely what the site wants. If the site were to have a lot of visual elements and flash, it would take away from the content on the site. I also noticed the logo of the site. The logo of the women flipping off everyone shows that the site will say what it believes and feels and stand up for those beliefs. Not only does the site contain articles but there is a featured video section. There is also a link on the top of the page that takes one a screen which has feministing on YouTube. This gives an added dimension to the page in addition to just simply having the articles. On the side of the page is a link to information about the contributors and editors. This is beneficial because those who are not familiar with the blog can read a little about the contributors and editors. An individual is able to see what other articles they have written and view their profile to get to learn a little more about them.
ReplyDeleteWhen first opening the blog, feministing.com, I merely scrolled through the site just to obtain a visual overview. At first glances the site seemed to be appealing. It was easy to navigate, the titles stood out, each article had some sort of media image to help draw attention, and their logo was clever and appropriate for the blog. Though each section typically had a video or picture, the rest of the site was mainly plain. I think this is an effective technique because the images on the site draw the reader into the text rather than away from it to things like multiple advertisements. The subjects within the blog are interesting to read. The contributors clearly voice their opinions through their text and are not afraid of what others think. The site contains articles that would be expected to be found in a feminist blog, such as the article on rape and about the woman injured in Iraq. However, it is also nice to see that they post some current relevant news topics like that of the Trayvon Martin story. I also appreciate that readers are able to view the profiles of the various contributors to learn more about them. Though this is not a typical site that I would visit, it does do an excellent job of portraying their messages, views, and drawing their readers in.
ReplyDeleteUpon entering the blog, feministing.com, I immediately noticed how simply this blog seemed to be put together. While scrolling through it I noticed that it was actually quite plain with no background format in order to capture the attention of the reader. However, when i was finished scrolling through the blog, I began to look at it much more in depth and found some of the links to be pretty interesting. For example, the section about the Trayvon Martin case which has caused a great deal of debate was talked about. As a matter of fact the article about this tragedy actually shed some new light on the situation that I had not heard up until that point. While I was reading the articles, I noticed that they all had something to do with some sort of activism. It seemed to me that whatever was on the bloggers mind at the time showed up in the blog, which is what I believe to be the point of a blog. The blogger shared her opinions on controversial topics, shared some info and or videos on activism, and even helped me to think about some of these issues on a much more in depth level than i would have had a never visited the blog. In the end, I feel as if the blogger succeeded in her objective, which was in my opinion, to educate people on activist topics as well as give those already involved something to read and learn about as well.
ReplyDeleteIn the first sight, the website appears to be neat and clean with not much usage of bright colors, instead, purple and blue make up the main style. It kind of suggests that the establisher of the website want the viewers to be calm and keep a somewhat objective position while going over the contents. On the other hand, the simple color usage, together with the pure white background implies confidence and emphasis on the overall quality of the blog in contrast with the appearance.
ReplyDeleteThe main parts of the home page is divided into left and right. The articles occupies about two third of the space on the left, while the right side goes into the deeper contact parts and advertisement. This kind of structure lead the eyes directly to the blogs. I also notice that every blog has some thing visual like videos or photos besides words. The use of these visual materials enforces the credibility of the articles. Additionally, the contact information of the authors with photos listed on the right also increases responsibility and interactivity of the blog. The most appealing part should be the small logo. It is portrayed as a skinny woman who is sitting with her one arm pointing out in the sky and the other hand supporting her body. The gesture of the woman in the logo act as an announcement to the public-- female are self-supported and actively strong in voices, which points out the theme of the blog.
When I first entered Feministing.com, it is not very fancy like what I imaged before. But the concise and bright style makes it is easy for readers to browse. The logo of Feministing.com is very unique. I think it clearly illustrates why the website named ‘Feministing.com’. In the main page, there is a specific link for each topic and news. Some articles are showed below the page all have attracting titles with pictures and videos. Those titles will effectively draw readers’ attentions. On the right of the page, it has a list of ‘Most popular’ topics. If you hit one of them, you can see what is happening and what other readers’ opinions about this issue. I have to say, there is only one thing that I do not like is the advertisements. In my page, Amazon’s advertisements are in the center of the website, on the top of the page and on the right of the web page. It is really distracting you from articles. I know the website has rely on advertisements to survive, but at least do not place advertisement in the center of the web page. All in all, I still like this website.
ReplyDeleteWhen I opened feministing.com for the first time, the thing that caught my attention first was the logo. It is purple with the silhouette of a woman. It seemed normal enough at first, but upon further inspection I noticed that the silhouette is holding up her middle finger. I believe this logo is representative of the way the women who write the blog feel about men.
ReplyDeleteAnother thing I noticed about the site is that there are no pictures or other embellishments within the site except the ones that go with the articles. Although it is not very exciting to look at, I believe this is done to put the most emphasis on the articles and the point the author is trying to make.
After noticing the lack of decorations and layout creativity, I noticed the content and diversity of the articles. Although they all have to do with women's rights and giving women a voice that is equal to and as powerful as men, there are articles that nearly every woman can relate to. I believe this is one of the most important aspects about this site, the fact that almost any woman can go to it and find something she can relate to contributes to win the woman reader over.
When I first saw it, I thought the website looked clear. It is not complicated. It just has a few links and a few videos posted. Each video has a short comment or a story attached below to help introduce it or illustrate it better to help the readers to understand. Then I started to look at the top. Then the logo caught my eyes. It was a shape of a sexy woman and it was concise. I think it highlight the main theme or topic of this website clearly – feministing. Actually I was taken Women’s Gender and Sexuality Study this quarter. I think this website happens to offer me a lot of useful information and resources. Then I realized that below the comments or the links posted, there are some quick buttons that allow the readers share the videos with their friends through social work website like Twitter. It is convenient and can also contribute to he website’s popularity. It is a wise way to help broadcast this website. On the right side of the index, it is the advertising bar with some most popular videos recommended. Also, some buttons allow the readers to subscribe the website and follow the latest news. What’s more, I can also see who already has an account in the website. Overall, I think this website has provide the things that the readers need and it is very easy to look. It provides the information that I need. So I like it.
ReplyDeleteWhen looking at feministing.com, you can’t help but notice that the site is very plain - it has a white background with a logo on the upper left corner of the page. Although simple, this site is very easy to navigate and there were many blogs that caught my attention.
ReplyDeleteOne blog that caught my attention was the shooting of Trayvon Martin which has been covered by numerous television stations. After reading the comments about the notorious “self defense” act of George Zimmerman against victim Trayvon Martin, I noticed that there was a larger disagreement as well as two things that the whole community seemed agree on.
There is a surveillance video in the article that shows Zimmerman being escorted into police custody after the shooting Trayvon Martin. Zimmerman claims that Trayvon approached him and started to beat him up, and that he was only trying to defend himself by shooting him. The larger disagreement presented in this article is deciphering between what constitutes as evidence of self defense; bloody noses and scars, or lacerations that are not able to be seen from a surveillance camera approximately five feet away. Most bloggers think that Zimmerman is lying and that even if Trayvon initiated the attack by punching him in the face and bashing his head into the concrete, there is no visible evidence on Zimmerman to claim that. However, one commenter thinks that punching someone in the face does not automatically constitute as a bloody nose, and that investigators should look beyond the surveillance video to learn more about this case.
Despite this larger disagreement, two things that the blog readers valued as a community were the truth and moreover, justice for Trayvon Martin.