The art of war...literally

I just reviewed a milblog about an artist in the military and thought it was incredible. I feel that it really illuminated another side of the war and the thoughts of our brave soldiers. I wrote the artist- soldier thanking him and his comrades for their sacrifices. I also thanked him for showing me a cultural phenomenon- the art of war…literally.

Is Blogging here to stay?

I think that the future of blogging is going to have to be more structured and condensed to stick around. I find so many parts of blogging to fade away, because there are so many things that are and will become negative about the experience. I feel that legal issues will continue to surface. I also believe that with blogging being so diverse there is no way to quantify the content.

Security will always be questionable and with so much private content, I think that many will fall out. Just a note, I am actually surprised with the culture of worry that the U.S. has adapted that so many people are willing to expose themselves so openly. On the other hand, I think that blogging anonymously brings people together and we embrace that sense of community and anonymity.

Overall, I think that bogging will become more structured and that is when people will decide whether or not it is worth their time. Not to mention, the price will continue to rise with blog popularity and demand.

What I learned about selling my ideas

The three most important things that I learned from the given articles were:

Be precise and rid your bid of fluff, they have heard it all before. Have a catchy and honest angle on what you have to contribute. Keep it short and sweet.
Have confidence in your opinion and make it stand out. Be persistent with your intentions.
Pick your target audience and adapt your blog to attract them on all levels, from design to content.

I will keep all of these ideas in mind in creating my blog and submitting it to bigger arenas for attention.

Restaurant blogs times 3

I have found three sites that will compliment my project, although they are not the same blog type that I am writing. The first site is a how- to guide to creating a restaurant blog. I found “Starting a Restaurant Blog” and it really provided a lot of information regarding choosing a theme and a service with plenty of links to blogging sites. It also provides resources and tips with links to aid in creating a credible and appealing blog. I was very surprised at the lack of restaurant blogs in the sphere.

The second site that I researched was a restaurant blog in the Boston area entitled; Boston’s Hidden Restaurants. I liked the site and its many features, although I am not so sure I would follow the same structure. The site is more or less based on links. The main page has search options for finding a restaurant within a specific region, and pricing guide. It also tells about restaurant features, the creators of the blog, and links to other blogs by the same creator. I felt that it was a little overly link- ready. I chose this site to demonstrate the contrast that I will have in my blog.

Lastly, I chose the Spark Woodfire Grill Restaurant Blog to review because it is one of the only restaurant blogs in the sphere. If I would choose to expand on my blog and create an actual restaurant blog designed for a particular company, I wanted to know what to expect. This blog gives information about restaurant as far as the type of menu and structure of the restaurant. There is an option for comments and a rating system for the blog. I can see now that restaurant blogs are few and there is definitely room for growth. After reading about the top ten mistakes that bloggers make, I found most of the information to be common sense after reviewing so many different blogs. For instance, I found it fairly obvious that in order to gather attention and be remembered, a photo is necessary. I also think that irregular blogging frequency affects the credibility of a blog. It reminds me of a news channel that only reports when there is news. That would not happen, and it would not appear as reliable. It seems that mixing topics would not be sensible unless it was the foundation of the blog. And it certainly stands to reason that all information posted to a blog should be filtered in order to ensure that it would not negatively affect one’s professional future.

I did not realize the importance of picking a catchy and proper headline for each entry. It definitely seems necessary when I consider what I choose to read in a blog. I can also see how linking should relate directly to the topic and be clear. In addition, I would agree that linking within a blog really creates a structure and increases validity. Calendars are a good way to add structure, but should not be used as a navigating tool. Lastly, I was unaware of the importance in choosing a home for one’s blog. I will certainly review the options in the future.

Overall, I believe that all of these tips will become instrumental in setting up the structure of my restaurant blog. They will help me in creating my blog and creating boundaries to adhere to during this process. It is a checklist to follow.

Blog guidelines to success

After reading about the top ten mistakes that bloggers make, I found most of the information to be common sense after reviewing so many different blogs. For instance, I found it fairly obvious that in order to gather attention and be remembered, a photo is necessary. I also think that irregular blogging frequency affects the credibility of a blog. It reminds me of a news channel that only reports when there is news. That would not happen, and it would not appear as reliable. It seems that mixing topics would not be sensible unless it was the foundation of the blog. And it certainly stands to reason that all information posted to a blog should be filtered in order to ensure that it would not negatively affect one’s professional future.

I did not realize the importance of picking a catchy and proper headline for each entry. It definitely seems necessary when I consider what I choose to read in a blog. I can also see how linking should relate directly to the topic and be clear. In addition, I would agree that linking within a blog really creates a structure and increases validity. Calendars are a good way to add structure, but should not be used as a navigating tool. Lastly, I was unaware of the importance in choosing a home for one’s blog. I will certainly review the options in the future.

Overall, I believe that all of these tips will become instrumental in setting up the structure of my restaurant blog. They will help me in creating my blog and creating boundaries to adhere to during this process. It is a checklist to follow.

Losing jobs for just being you

I am not a bit surprised that careers are being compromised due to undesirable online profiles. Personally, I have a my space as a way to keep in touch with some old friends and to track some of my favorite blogs, but my use for it stops there. I certainly do not believe that the internet is all that secure to post anything more personal than my name and potentially my sign. I find it hard to believe that interns or potential employees would not be more aware of the depths that an employer would go to find out the inner workings of a potential employee, especially in the higher paying and public jobs.

In addition, I have found after having to explore blogging in this class, just how popular it has become. I hear it mentioned all over the media. I feel that my security is most important online. I would like to think that my personal information is not readily available for online predators or undesired parties, but I also feel that is a chance that I take submitting it to the World Wide Web.

Milblogs

I think that milblogs are a great use for a blog. I can see there being problems with security dealing with the infiltration of military blogs by unintended parties. I can see this being a dangerous practice for the preservation of private intelligence and the lives of our soldiers. However, what a efficient way to correspond. I have a cousin in the military and on his first tour, I would write him letters and it would take a long time for him to receive them and write back. Obviously milblogs are a time saver that relieves stress on the relationships between families and soldiers. My only concern is the security and safety of the troops. The internet is just not the most secure method of information transmission.

Blog Controversies

http://althouse.blogspot.com/2005/11/academic-blog-controversies.html

I found this article interesting as it covered another side of blogging. I was curious as to how an organization or business could be against blogging when it can in fact promote an organization or business. I guess that analyzing organizations and businesses is a foundation of democracy. I think that it is important that we are able to address our impressions of the world good or bad. This just creates another fine line of interpretation from viewers. When thinking of my restaurant blog, I thought how could the restaurants possibly be upset with my free advertising of factual information. After reading this article, I can see that there are more factors to be considered. Being that most businesses are not versed in blogging, they could easily become defensive regardless of the content. In addition, there is no consistent way of judging the content of a blog or the realistic interpretations one gains from reading such a novice account of a business which can lead to poor credibility and bad advertising.

http://dipperchick.blogspot.com/2006/12/brad-lavigne-blog-controversy.html

This is a short and sweet blog entry concerning blog controversies. I found it particularly interesting because the blog is in defense of other blogs that this particular blogger finds inappropriate. In this case, this particular Democratic blogger uses her blog as somewhat of a soapbox in voicing her concerns against political propaganda that she feels strongly about. I think that is an excellent way to contribute to the democratic structure of this country. I can see some great dialogue building. I feel that her issues should be the foundation of blogging, to speak your mind on credible issues.

http://blogs.herald.com/infomaniac/2005/11/blog_controvers.html

This is yet another unique use of a blog, to report on “blog controversy” and other media related topics. I think that I will continue reading this blog. I find it’s apparent anti- conservative nature to be of interest to me and would like to further explore conservative- liberal blogs. I think that it is probably not the most credible source for information, but I would like to see how blogs interpret the news and reflect on it.

Blog Controversies

http://althouse.blogspot.com/2005/11/academic-blog-controversies.html

I found this article interesting as it covered another side of blogging. I was curious as to how an organization or business could be against blogging when it can in fact promote an organization or business. I guess that analyzing organizations and businesses is a foundation of democracy. I think that it is important that we are able to address our impressions of the world good or bad. This just creates another fine line of interpretation from viewers. When thinking of my restaurant blog, I thought how could the restaurants possibly be upset with my free advertising of factual information. After reading this article, I can see that there are more factors to be considered. Being that most businesses are not versed in blogging, they could easily become defensive regardless of the content. In addition, there is no consistent way of judging the content of a blog or the realistic interpretations one gains from reading such a novice account of a business which can lead to poor credibility and bad advertising.

http://dipperchick.blogspot.com/2006/12/brad-lavigne-blog-controversy.html

This is a short and sweet blog entry concerning blog controversies. I found it particularly interesting because the blog is in defense of other blogs that this particular blogger finds inappropriate. In this case, this particular Democratic blogger uses her blog as somewhat of a soapbox in voicing her concerns against political propaganda that she feels strongly about. I think that is an excellent way to contribute to the democratic structure of this country. I can see some great dialogue building. I feel that her issues should be the foundation of blogging, to speak your mind on credible issues.

http://blogs.herald.com/infomaniac/2005/11/blog_controvers.html

This is yet another unique use of a blog, to report on “blog controversy” and other media related topics. I think that I will continue reading this blog. I find it’s apparent anti- conservative nature to be of interest to me and would like to further explore conservative- liberal blogs. I think that it is probably not the most credible source for information, but I would like to see how blogs interpret the news and reflect on it.

Blog Laws

The issues discussed in the website are going to be instrumental in setting up my restaurant blog. I can see now how important it is to be an unbiased and informative guide and not to critique the restaurants. I can see just how easy it can be for these restaurants to hold me responsible for negative publicity. I also found that it is a thin line that divides responsible journalism and free speech.

Seeing that I am not interested in being sued or having my own character defamed, I will certainly use the information as a guide to posting a responsible and informative account of local restaurants. I particularly found the FAQ section of the site helpful in outlining the boundaries and impending consequences of blogging such as defamation laws, intellectual property, trade secrets, right of publicity, publication of private facts, and intrusion into seclusion.

I have learned from this site that I will need to learn more about the rights of an individual to submit information about people or place outside of my personal experience. Honestly, I did not realize that so many laws were set in place to protect bloggers and/ or companies. I will not only continue to review this site, but also keep an eye on how laws are developed concerning blogs and the enforcement of existing laws that may apply to blogging.

Intern infiltration

I feel that the issue being discussed within this article about private practices in Corporate America is extremely relevant. I have pondered the impending issues that would arise in accordance to blogging’s fast and furious trend. I must say that the bloggers mentioned are walking a dangerous road of not only divulging inside information about these companies and/ or private employers but, compromising their personal integrity and privacy.

I have read the “Nanny Diaries” and found that to be quite a story about the employers as well as a look into the private lives of the women. The story itself is in a diary style account of the trials of the women in being a nanny for high class New Yorkers. It goes without saying that true stories do indeed sell. People must have a natural curiosity for the inner workings of others lives, especially when they are juicy stories. Most stories like these depend on the hero or heroine beating the odds and rising above persecution. However, over time, following the very existence of an individual is just as appeasing.

I do agree with the article in the fact that blogging only speeds along a good expose’. For instance, if an employee is disgruntled by working for a corporation and writes a tell-all. They will privately track the incidents leading up to the conclusion and then write the book. After writing the book, they will need to search out a publishing outlet and then market their story. The internet definitely speeds up this process as well as lends itself to the online diary, in which people are able to follow the story on a daily basis.

Personally, I think that this obvious invasion of personal and corporate privacy needs to be regulated. At first, I felt that blogging was going to cause more problems with the slanderous information emitted by employees, consumers, people in general. However, it seems that blogging could be harmful on multiple levels for big business. I think that many corporate businesses need to follow in suit with Viacom and revise employee conduct laws. I also think that the consequences should be somewhat more effective than mere termination. It seems obvious that if an employee writes about the inner workings of a business they probably do not take their position too seriously as it is said to be common sense not to publicly expose a company without consent.

Although, I feel that it is an individual’s right to speak out on prejudice or mistreatment in the workplace, I feel that employees should be limited in their rights to expose the lives private or corporate individuals for personal gain. I think that it is fairly obvious that the internet is not all that secure and those trained in technological advances are able to find all kinds of confidential information on- line. This story was a good lesson in the importance of safeguarding a corporate or private business.

3 Restaurant Review Sites

http://reviewsby.us/

Reviewsby.us is a site concerned with restaurant reviews. The site features selected restaurants throughout the United States. The site provides premier dishes of these restaurants and personal feedback on the menu item. The site also has a scoring system for the restaurant that is based on a five star system, one being the weakest and five being the strongest. The blog also has links to restaurant websites and addresses of the restaurants listed as well.

Although, this is not exactly the direction that I am headed, it is a nice reference for customizing my restaurant blog. The blog is well organized and easy to follow. I especially like the pictures of the selected menu items.

http://tcrestaurantreview.blogspot.com/

Marty Andrade heads up this blog on restaurants in the Minneapolis area. He features his latest restaurant ventures in a diary style blog, much like the ones we use in class. His blog is varied in his style of reviewing restaurants. In his latest submission, he describes the history of a burger restaurant. He describes this restaurant in regard to their assumed invention of the “burger”. In other submissions, he casually reviews his personal dining experiences from food to service. He also discusses the latest reconstructions and news of the restaurant community.

Personally, I like his method and his candor. I do want to have a little more pizzazz in my blog. I think it is more difficult to find credibility in some of his submissions. Being that I have worked in the restaurant business for much of my adult life, I feel more than capable to deliver an informative and beneficial blog to the community. Marty does not have many comments in his blog and it hard to judge the effect it is having. I am not sure that matters, but I was glad to be able to see that.

http://www.jatbar.com/

The Jatbar site is a restaurant review blog that is filled with information. The site provides links to helpful restaurant resources in the bay area, such as city maps, chat board, frequently asked questions, and downloads. This site is upheld by two men that do not profess to know much about restaurants per say, but love food. They lead off their blog with their mission statement of providing honest restaurant experiences from their perspective. They have 830 restaurants listed on their site and links to some of the restaurant websites or at least a quick access to a past review. Their blog is also in diary style. Specific commentary for each entry is not accessible.

I think this is the blog that I most identify with as far as style and what I hope to display in my blog. I want to be able to list all the restaurants and their locations. I also loved their idea of having a feature restaurant with a picture of a specified dish. One thing that I would do differently would be to keep on the focus of the blog. The Jatbar blog entries seem to go off topic and be more synonymous with a journal than an ongoing informative guide to restaurants.

Proposal Blog: Restaurants

My proposed blog will be to provide an informative resource for the restaurants in the Warsaw area. I believe that this will not only benefit the citizens of Warsaw, but the people that vacation around Warsaw and visitors in general. Readers will find this blog to be very valuable. I hope to help the eateries by posting the most factual and only the most positive comments about the local restaurant market. Those that choose to follow the blog will have the most up to date information about the local restaurants and the services held.

I plan to review a new restaurant each week and highlight their signature dishes. Some restaurants in the Warsaw area also provide entertainment and other services that are not common knowledge among many Warsaw residents. I intend to bring their unique ambviances to the attention of the readers. I will be covering all the restaurants in Warsaw from the franchises to the out of the way hidden treasures.

Warsaw is surrounded by many lakes and with them come “lakers” or seasonal residents that will find this blog of interest to see what changes occurred in the restaurant market in the off season. Each year, restaurants come and go and this blog will be a great resource for learning of these changes in the area. In addition, readers will find out about the new restaurants and what they offer.

This blog is not meant to be a source of review, but information. The information will be opinion based, but will only contain the more positive and factual information about the business and not a personal visit.

This blog is designed to provide information about Warsaw restaurants. It is not meant to be a complaint center. The goal is for readers to have an excellent resource for choosing an eatery that fit their style and appetite.

Work Happy update

Work Happy has recently entered a new submission to their blog. The new item is an advanced way to shop in the virtual superstore. The idea is called the “Fat- Free Cart” and was invented by Robin K.

This new way of checking out on-line is directed to those that sell merchandise on their sites. The new cart option combines PayPal, Google Checkout, Clickbank, and 2Checkout for a faster and more efficient way to sell items on the web. This new feature comes with the latest security measures and offers the same familiar standard checkout procedures. The “Fat- Free Cart” is made by E- Junkie and offers a more economical way to shop online.

Like many other products advertised on Work Happy, the Fat Free Cart is only raved about on the site and is not given any downsides of the service. It is the “killerest”.

www.workhappy.net

POLITICAL MUMBO- JUMBO

I suppose I walked into this minefield of political banter biased as I maintain a more liberal position on politics. I found the liberal article to be far more enlightening despite the mudslinging rather than that of the conservative stand. I certainly do not feel swayed by either site.

I like the way the conservative site was easier to read. I found their site to be informative and ironically too filled with content. After reviewing the effects of visual rhetoric, I found their cartoon to be the most honest thing about the site and it was dry at that. I try not to dive too far into a conservative standpoint because, I see more elaborate excuses than fact or condescending distractions from political realities.

I thought that the liberal site was short and sweet. I liked the way that they did not skirt around the point that they were trying to achieve. I also appreciated the backup they gave to their argument about Dick Cheney. I did not feel patronized by their submission, but enlightened.

Superbowl Sunday 2007

The Superbowl is at a T- 4 hours and Midwest fans are preparing for the game with much anticipation. It should be a great game as the Colts offense is one of the best and the Bears defense is unmatched as well. Neither team has seen a Superbowl opportunity in the last two decades, today they will face off. This is a historic game on a few levels as the famous Colts quarterback, Peyton Manning has never seen a Superbowl and the Bears did not come up up with a sequel to the original
http://www.superbowl.com/

Superbowl Shuffle. In addition, the opposing head coaches are of African- American descent for the first time ever.

The Colts are being named the favorite to win this game as they are said to be due and with a strong quarterback such as Peyton Manning, how could they lose? However, we can not discredit the fact that the Bears’ defense is strong and will target Manning for the duration of this game. The Colts have not seen a superbowl since they were members of the East Coast as the Baltimore Colts. They appeared in the 1971 Superbowl under the leadership of Don Shula with infamous players such as, Johnny Unitas.




http://www.sportsecyclopedia.com/nfl/indy/icoltsimages.html


Despite the rumors of the Colts taking this game, the Bears have strong support from around the country especially their hometown of Chicago. It was because of this outstanding support that the Chicago Bears created the Superbowl shuffle and was extremely successful on several fronts and was even nominated for a grammy award. Ironically, other teams have tried to copy their interesting form of celebration by adapting pop songs to their individual teams such as the Giants tried to copy the eighties’ hit “Walk like an Egyptian” and turn it into “Walk like a Giant” with no success.

All in all, the game will not disappoint many fans. We will be sure to see some amazing runs from the Bears offense, and most likely see some moon blasting passes from the Colts offense. The exciting part is that these two teams know each other pretty well and will be ready to achieve the greatest reward possible as a NFL team, the Super Bowl National title. Over one billion people will be watching to see the outcome.


http://www.sportsecyclopedia.com/nfl/chicago/bearsimages.html