By Thursday, January 20, select a public issue that you want to research and write about this semester. Using the "Comment" function below, write more about your topic in terms of these ten questions. If you would like to download and print a copy of these questions, click here.
- What issue have you decided to address throughout this semester?
- Why have you chosen this issue? What investment do you have in the issue?
- Why is this issue worthy of public discussion? What’s at stake? Why should people care about it?
- What debate is at the heart of this issue? What do you want to persuade your audience to see/do? What do you want to inform them about?
- How can you ensure that this issue is “contained”? In other words, what is it about this issue that makes it large and complex enough that you can engage a debate but small enough that you can handle it over the course of the semester?
- What knowledge do you already have about the issue? Tell me what you already know.
- Who is your target audience for this discussion? Who is most likely to be interested in this topic/issue?
- What do you feel this audience knows about this issue? What is their perception/understanding of this issue?
- You will need to interview someone about this issue. Who might you interview?
- What questions/concerns do you have regarding these projects, this issue, or the course?
I have decided to address Stray cats and dogs in Morgantown. I have chosen this issue because of the great problem in Morgantown with them. I rescued a cat and I see so many animals across the city throughout my daily life, it just breaks my heart to see them. People, especially students in Morgantown don’t realize the importance of spay or neutering their pets, and if they can even have pets at all with apartments. Animals get hit by cars within city limits and people should really care about this. Pets that don’t get spayed or neutered will reproduce because of their natural instincts, causing more issue to the problems. Another major issue are the shelters and the pound, they euthanize animals, which I don’t think is right or fair. Every animal has a right to life, and that’s why non-euthanasia shelters and rescue organizations are so important. Morgantown not only should rescue animals in these shelters and rescues, but get them spayed and neutered to protect the pet themselves and should the animal accidently get out, it protects other animals that it could reproduce with. I want my audience to realize the consequences of their actions to these animals. Every day I see a dead kitten or puppy by the side of the road, and it’s just horrible. Rescue and/or get your pets fixed. The issue is not too large because I am localizing to Morgantown problems. Often, students buy pets to gift to their friends, in some cases they cannot have pets in their apartments which causes more strays as they just let them loose. Releasing these animals to the local animal shelter, the animal is surely not to be adopted in due time, but will be euthanized, which is not fair. However there are several domestic animal organizations in Morgantown that are combating these issues, which is what I intended to talk about their efforts and their teachings as well. I have said many facts that I do know about the topic, I have covered it at the Daily Athenaeum for quite some time. Citizens of Morgantown, especially students are my target audience who should be interested in this topic and issue. Students at WVU have probably had an animal at some point in their life, but they usually have other family members to rely on when taking care of a pet and making sure it gets its adequate needs and if it is okay to have them staying at the residence you have. I already have several contacts within this field to contact, the Morgantown shelter, volunteers for P.U.R.R, a feline rescue in Grafton, and the WVU Alum that started a group called Driving for Danes. I don’t really have any concerns or qualms about the course thus far.
ReplyDeleteI have decided to research issues concerning "hard hits" in the NFL and the affects and such they have on players, owners, the game, etc. I chose this issue because I feel it is a very controversial conflict discussed regularly pertaining to people who watch football, play football, or to people who are involved with football in some way. I currently an interest in this issue because I would like to learn more about the implications of "hard hits" on players are, as in the damage they do, and the impact they have on the league concerning fines and players not being happy with penalties being made. I feel that there are a plethora of people out there that are concerned with this issue and would like to know more about it just like me. I feel like researching this topic will help me understand more of what's going on behind the scenes so I can gather more about the fines and such from other sources besides ESPN, or basically what I read on the Internet. I want the audience to know that these "hard hits" are in fact causing more damage to players than we actually know or hear about and that the fines being implemented and enforced are needed so that players can be safe on and off the field. I feel that since WVU is a football school, I can use this as a tool to gain information on what people of all varieties think about this problem. My aim, is to make it so that people are aware of the damage these "hard hits" cause and why rules and fines are being implemented into the game so that these hits don't occur as frequently. I feel that some people are know of this issue because it was a very common issue discussed this year on ESPN during this current 2010 NFL season. My main concern is trying to find adequate research that helps my argument and what other people think of this controversial issue.
ReplyDeleteMy blog is going to be about the food industry and the different components central to the production of food before it ever reaches our mouths. I feel like most people don't realize, or even stop to think about where the food they eat comes from, and the very real health effects of what we put into our bodies. Perhaps if people took a real interest in how food is produced now, they might think twice about what they eat (unless they're eating on Mcdonald's or something, then they clearly don't care). I think the biggest issue with food today, is the lack of knowledge about mass production of meat, produce, and the chemicals or pesticides it takes to produce at the rate we do, things people really should think about before they take a bite. For example, food companies have been dodging legislation to label genetically modified foods for years. To help contain my issue, every post I intend to focus on a different, but related facet of food production; the meat industry one week, agriculture the next week, legal issues relating to food production next, and so on. As of now, the information I have to work with is the major corporate control of the farming industry, lax FDA regulations on pesticides and hormones (compared to Canada and Europe), the over production of corn in this country, GMOs and possible health risks associated, and livestock being raised for size and speed with which they can be slaughtered; not health. I am hoping that people who don't know will become more informed about the food they eat from reading my blog, but I expect others who share my views about the American food industry will be interested. There are many different green movements and organizations on campus, not to mention agriculture professors I may be able to interview about these issues. I just hope I can present the information accurately, persuasively, and most of all I hope I am not getting in over my head.
ReplyDeleteThe issue that I chose to address is the requirement of a foreign language in elementary schools. I have chosen this topic due to my belief that foreign languages should be a requirement in elementary schools. This issue is worthy of public discussion because it would effect the learning and schooling of their children. I want the audience of my blog to see why it is important to start the learning of a foreign language at an early age. I know that young children are more likely to learn a language and be more fluent in it versus a middle/high school/college student just learning the language. After a young child learns a foreign language they will have an easier time learning other languages later on. My target audience is parents, school faculty, students, and other community members. The people that would most likely be interested in this topic would be parents and school faculty. I feel that a lot of people believe there is no need to learn a different language because we live in America and only have the need to speak English. Whereas, ohers see the need for foreign languages due to the globalization of our companies and country. There is a need for bilingual speakers in our country due to the need to communicate with companies from different countries. Companies from our country are doing more and more collaborating with companies of different countries. A lot of American companies are also setting up factories in other countries. The globalization of companies shows a major need of bilingual speakers. Our towns are even becoming more global with the settling down of members of different cultures. I could interview faculty from the WVU foreign language department and elementary school faculty. I don't have any questions or concerns at this time.
ReplyDeleteI have decided to not only address the importance of literacy, but focus on the positive effects reading can have on prison inmates and in turn, the overall positive effect on their behavior and the community. I decided to choose this issue because I have become partly involved with the Appalachian Prison Book Project, an organization founded by a West Virginia University professor, which is dedicated to sending free books to inmates throughout West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee. This is an important issue because it is a project I feel is often over looked and many in society feel it is not worth the time. Because there is such a negative association with those who have committed crimes, it is important to spread the word of the organization’s purpose and to also shed light on the importance of reading and literature. The true debate at the heart of the issue, which may be a struggle to convince my audience of, is to take time to help those who have committed crimes and are in jail. Many members of society immediately label those who have been imprisoned as “criminals” and it can he difficult to convince those people that those in jail, are in fact, people too. I want to not only convince my audience to try to view those who have made mistakes as worthy of a fulfilling life and respect, but to ask them to do their part in contributing to the intellectual fulfillment of these people. The larger issue at hand is helping those who many feel are criminals and don’t deserve such treatment. Society has a placed a huge negative label on those who are or have been in prison, and although they have broken laws to get there, the larger issue at hand is to see them as mistake-making humans and doing what we can to help prevent further crimes. I am keeping my issue contained by focusing in on the local community’s part in the event and following up with the APBP. I know that the APBP works closely with the Center for Civic Engagement and collects books to mail out to prisoners throughout jails in the Appalachia region. The members of the organization talk to inmates via mail and take requests and strive to reply quickly and find the literature the inmates request. The group strives to build important connections between people involved in literacy efforts, prison reform, and violence prevention.
ReplyDeleteMy target audience is the student body and faculty staff at West Virginia University. I feel they will be more interested in the topic since there is an organization working towards the issues so close to home and was actually founded by a WVU professor who works to spread the word throughout campus.
I feel that many have not heard of such a program and that at first appearance the organization can seem a bit out there. I hope to get my point across and make my audience realize that I am not advocating crime or asking others to help treat those who have done horrible things well. I am simply asking those in our society to step back and take a look at how we judge people and to listen to how much this program can help our community as a whole.
I would interview Katy Ryan, the professor who founded the program. I would also interview professor Mark Brazaitais, APBP member and professor. I would like to contact student members of the program also.I am interested in finding out how far my blog can go and what it can do to promote the cause that I feel is important. I am hoping this will stir up some conversations and bring attention to the subject, but I am also concerned that people will misjudge the concept of the program because of the sensitive subject matter.
I have decided to focus my blog on the role of social media in PR and advertising. I have chosen this issue because it is a very important aspect of PR and advertising currently and it is a subject that I hope to learn more about for my own benefit by researching topics to write about in my blog. My major is PR so, I’m hoping learning more about the role of social media in PR and advertising campaigns will greatly benefit me in future endeavors.
ReplyDeleteThis issue is worthy of public discussion because it is very current. Social media outlets are a fairly new concept and many people still don’t realize just how helpful they can be to PR and advertising campaigns. I also hope to explore the negative aspects that the use of social media outlets can also create.
I want to get my audience thinking about the importance of learning more about the role of social media in PR and advertising and in general. I also want to inform my audience of the potential dangers that dependence and all encompassing trust of social media outlets can pose.
This issue will be easily contained because I have chosen to speak about the role of social media in PR and advertising as opposed to speaking about the role of social media in our every day lives. By only focusing on the role of social media in PR and advertising, I’m giving myself a more specific topic to focus on which will help me speak more directly about a topic instead of in generalizations.
I already have some basic knowledge about the role of social media in PR campaigns because of classes that I’ve already taken and am currently taking in my major. I know of specific examples of PR campaigns that were based solely on the effects of social media. I know that being able to utilize many different social media outlets is becoming more of a requirement for those in the PR and advertising fields.
My target audience will be those interested in PR, advertising, public affairs, media, and social media. The people that would be interested in this topic will likely be other PR or advertising students or people currently working in PR or advertising.
If my audience will be those people mentioned, I’m sure they will all have at least some knowledge about the role of social media in PR and advertising. I think that all of them will have some experience in using different types of social media outlets or have at least heard of them and what they’re used for.
I will probably interview someone within the PR faculty in the journalism school that has a vast knowledge of social medias and how to utilize them.
My only concern for this course is whether or not I will be able to find something interesting and exciting to write about each week. I don’t want to find something random and not that great and attempt to write a blog entry about it. I want every week’s post to be pretty interesting and I’m worried that I might not be able to do that.
I have decided to address the issue of book banning. I have chosen this issue because I am an avid reader and the majority of my favorite books are “so called” banned books. I’ve always been interested in how a book is banned and why a book is banned and why certain books are banned in particular. This issue is worthy of public discussion because the idea of banning books because of their content is absurd to me. I also think that people need to know that these books aren’t bad. People should care about books being banned because some of the best books end up being banned from schools or even libraries depending on the locale. I would like my audience to see that banning books isn’t necessarily wrong, but it is highly unjustified seeing as the author spent a great deal of time writing the book and it should have the chance to be read by everyone and, if the situation is right, be read in a school setting. I’d like to focus on the area of schools and banned books. Why certain books aren’t allowed to be read in schools but other books are. I’d really like to focus that on the topic of Harry Potter vs. the works of William Shakespeare. Why one is allowed to be read while the other isn’t. Why one is considered to be a classic and the other an abomination. I’ve been interested in book banning for a while, ever since I read Fahrenheit 451, which is a book that is widely known for being banned because of the content of the book. People ban books for many reasons, but the main reason that I have found is usually because of the content of the book and what its message is. While, people can misconstrue a message and make it whatever they want it to be, which is probably why books get banned in the first place. I’m not quite sure there is a target audience for this subject, most people don’t even know that books get banned or are banned. I think that everyone should be interested in this topic because it will affect everyone who takes a high school English class or someone who lives in a certain area where they won’t allow libraries to carry certain books. I’m hoping that this class, which is my personal target audience, at least knows that books are being banned and have been banned for many, many years. I was thinking about whom I could interview and I have two people who I’m considering. One would be my English teacher from my senior year in high school. We had the same personality and the same ideas on books and the subject of book banning. I was also thinking of interviewing one of the professors that I’ve had while attending this school. I’m not quite sure if they would suffice, but I’ll be doing more research to see if there is someone near the area that deals specifically with book banning. My main concern is being able to represent both sides of the argument adequately and being able to find enough information that will help out along the way.
ReplyDeleteI have decided my topic will be on the fact that there needs to be more foreign languages offered at WVU. I chose this issue because I strongly believe that WVU students should have more foreign languages available for them to take. There are only a few to choose from right now and they are the basic ones most people tend to learn. US students have different interests and maybe more selection will even bring in students to WVU. This issue is worthy of discussion because most jobs have gone global and we need to be prepared. English is a very proper language but for someone to know a country’s language will help with a business transaction. Especially a business transaction that would not have gone through if it wasn’t for you knowing their language and proving your respect to their culture. I want to persuade my audience to allow more different foreign language classes to be available to the students here at WVU. I want to inform my audience that there are only six different languages that you can major in. There is one language that you can only minor in and there are two other languages that are available but have no minor or major. So in total WVU has 9 different languages available. Since this issue only pertain to WVU’s language department it will don’t big to big to handle. Also I will have enough info to hold me over the semester. There will be people for this and against it. There will be money, faculty, space , and more factors that will effect this issue. Like I said before I already know that there are only 9 languages available but only 6 you can major in and 1 you can only minor in. WVU gets many foreign exchange students from all over the globe it would be nice to also offer languages from all over the globe. My targeted audience would be WVU board and staff members, also the students of WVU. Business would be interested in this matter because of the global issue. They need employs with different language knowledge. For instance South Korea is the leading country when it comes to technology. Korean is sadly not available at WVU but would be much needed for a company that would love to do business with South Korea. Also the exchange students would probably be interested to know that their language is available here. There could be students that they can talk to that go here in their native tongue. This would help them feel more welcome and being willing to make more friends while they are here. Most of my audience should know what languages are available here at WVU but not all the students would know. Most students would love to have more choices. The school would get more kids taking more classes but it there are cost and space issues. I could interview someone from the foreign language department about this issue. I could also interview some students and get a poll on their opinions.
ReplyDeleteThe topic that I have decided to blog about for the remainder of the course is the epidemic of obesity and what foods are deemed at good vs. bad for one’s health. I chose this issue because obesity is the primarily the fastest-growing cause of death in America. I have invested my own personal health into an issue like this particular one, as well as my families’ health. I took the time to make everyone more aware about what they are consuming as well and burning (e.g. exercising). This issue is worthy of a public discussion because weight gain can cause more than just the obvious physical complications in the body. Weight gain can also develop tangent consequences that most people are unaware of unless tested for.
ReplyDeleteThe core debate is really to understand what causes the majority of obesity cases? Is it genetics, food, culture, depression, etc.? The other part of the debate is, if it is preventable or at least has a chance to lessen the severity. I want the audience to see that there are alternatives to fighting obesity and its consequences. Obesity can be hit in any angle because it is such a large issue, however, I chose to focus on the consequences/affects of obesity and how to prevent it by choosing specific foods over others.
I already know most consequences that obesity endures onto its victims such as: diabetes, arthritis, heart complications, death, etc. I also know several foods that are good and bad for your health for various reasons and functions. The audience that I would be targeting is anyone that can benefit from healthy lifestyle advice or that is interested in the effects of the epidemic that obesity had lead to. I feel like the audience know about the “on the surface” information on obesity because it’s such a well-known topic, however, I don’t feel like they are completely aware of all of the consequences that come along with obesity or how to maintain a healthy lifestyle to prevent it. I may interview Nancy Oliverio, Fitness and Wellness Manager or WVU’s dietician. I do not have any questions regarding the project or class at this time.
I have chosen to address bullying/harassment of gay teens from their peers and what is and isn’t being done about it in schools and government. One relevant case is the Tyler Clementi suicide which took place at Rutgers last September. The media has really taken a stance on fighting against homophobia and harassment in general.
ReplyDeleteI think harassment in general is an issue that should be discussed. As a young adult who has gone through personal persecution for my sexuality in home, school, and work I understand the importance that attention is brought to making sure there is an ongoing look at what is being done to preventing the harassment of teens in the LGBT community.
I think there is a debate about this issue mainly because it’s a hot topic issue in media after the events in New Jersey and other places across America. I think it sparks debate over whether or not a school can discriminate against a person because they want to bring a same sex date to the prom.
At the heart of this issue I believe is the civic duty to report and stop harassment when it occurs and more importantly to make sure that we aren’t harassing individuals for any reason.
I think there is personality and securities are at stake. If people feel scared to be who they are they run of risk of living in fear and not ever feeling they can be who they are or want to be. I want to inform people what it’s like to be harassed from my own perspective and give information on how to stop it if they see it. I want them to fight back against those who have persecuted them in life and to know in their hearts that they have the right to be the person they want to be.
I think this issue is big because it’s gotten a lot of national media attention over the past six months, however I also think that if I focus on the issue and then centralize, what is WVU doing to make sure harassment doesn’t happen in the dorm, what are Morgantown High School’s views on harassment. I want to know if anything has happened locally as well as tying in my experiences with harassment, but making sure it’s in line with the theme of the blog.
I have quite a bit of knowledge on the topic as I focused all of my projects last semester on the crisis communication aspects of what happened with Rutgers, but because crisis communication isn’t really a public debate issue, I wanted to focus on the act of harassment itself. I have a lot of information and papers that I’ve written and compiled about the facts and examples of what exactly happened to Tyler Clementi and just last week three gay teenagers committed suicide, victims of homophobia/harassment.
I think that my target audiences are parents who have teens going though this, school administrations who don’t have a tough policy on harassment, and teenagers who need knowledge on what to do if they are the victims of harassment, hate crimes, and anything related. I think that because it is a national issue people will have some knowledge, even my conservative mother was aware of and affected by the suicides. I think that the audience is there; it’s just about showing my blog to people and getting it out there to the right market.
I think there is a variety of people I could speak with, primarily representatives from the BiGLTM (the gay advocacy group on campus) the heads in the WVU Social Justice department, and perhaps the heads of dorm/residence hall/residents assistants to know what training about harassment is given to those who guide freshmen students when they arrive at West Virginia University.
I don’t really have a lot of questions about the projects except, I know that this is a writing class, but is there any way I could incorporate some video blogging along with written blogs to really make this blog more updated, a lot of blogs have video blogging as a part of it, I’d really like to incorporate it within this blog especially along the lines of the “It Gets Better” project. It was just an idea that I’d really like to work with as I work on this project this semester.
I have decided to write about undergraduate student debt at WVU. As a student myself, I have used loans to pay for my education and when I graduate I’m going to be have to start paying back all that money, which will be in the ten thousand range, plus interest. Many other students at WVU will also face the same thing as they graduate. I also have three younger siblings who are still in high school but are nearing graduation. Just because I’ll be stuck in debt doesn’t mean they should be as well. I would like to help them get all the available information on financial aid and assistance with paying college fees as possible. The cost of tuition for colleges and universities are going up, which means students are going to be further in debt. This could be incentive for high school graduates to enter the workforce straight away instead of seeking a higher education. Also, we live in a country has enough debt as it is, shouldn’t we start doing something to help out the next generation so they don’t have to be stuck with the same set of problems we face today? I remember when researching potential colleges to attend, that the websites belonging to these schools would boast that some 200 or 300 million dollars was given in scholarships and grants in the previous year. The reality is that not every student gets scholarships or grants and even if they do, it doesn’t cover the whole cost. I want to inform my audience of all the available assistance to people seeking a higher education. This audience will be high school students who are preparing to crossover from high school to college as well as their families. Also, in this audience will be an older group who wish to go back to school or have decided to a higher education was something they needed. I want to explore what is being done to help students with their debt and identify the best available methods of reducing student debt at WVU. Because student debt and rising tuition rates are global concerns, I have chosen to focus only on WVU. I know probably about the same as any other student at WVU. I know how the FAFSA and financial aid work, as well as scholarships and grants available. I know my student loan works and what I’m going to be facing when I graduate from college. What I don’t know and hope to learn is what I can be doing now to help myself with the debt I’m going to be facing and future college students and my family members can avoid as much college debt as possible. As stated before, the target audience will be students in high school who are nearing graduation and are planning and applying for college, as well as their students. Also, an older group of people who wish to return to school will be included too. I feel that the audience knows just about what I knew about student debt. When I entered college, student debt was just part of a higher education and it was going to be something I would have to face when the time came. In preparing for college, I did my best in high school and applied for multiple scholarships hoping to get as much as money towards my educations as possible. I think this is how most families see the situation. I don’t have anybody particularly in mind but I know where I would go to find someone to interview, most likely the financial aid office or the admissions office. I’m new to the whole blogging thing so naturally I’m concerned I may not catch on quick enough but I’m hoping I will. Also, in the past I’ve struggled with conducting interviews.
ReplyDeleteI have decided to address the issue of pancreatic cancer research. Although I am still a little fuzzy on how to debate this issue, I am thinking about the research and case studies being done and the lack of funding that (pancreatic) cancer research receives. Even with all of the donations received by cancer foundations around the world, there is still a lot of money needed to fund the research in hopes of finding a cure.
ReplyDeleteThis issue has a lot of meaning for me because my mom passed away from the disease three years ago. My great-grandmother also had the disease, and having two family members with it increases my chances of getting it. 10% of pancreatic cancer is hereditary. There is still very little known about the disease. Pancreatic cancer is usually not diagnosed until it is too late to do anything about, and those diagnosed with it have little or no chance to fight it.
This issue is worthy of public discussion because it affects 38,000 Americans each year and around 34,000 of those will die from it. The government spends little money on research despite the high mortality rate. Without research, a cure will never be found.
Because I am talking about a specific type of cancer rather than cancer in general, the topic is contained enough that I can discuss it without losing sight of it throughout the semester. At the same time, it is a large enough issue because of the amount of people it affects each year, not just including those diagnosed, but also their families, and the doctors who treat them throughout the length of their disease.
I think that people who come in contact with this disease, either by having it, or by knowing someone who has had it know very little about it other than how deadly it is. Outside of the seriousness of the disease and the 5% survival rate, I don't think people really know that much about it. Perhaps writing this blog will teach people about it, and even teach me a few things I didn't know before.
The National Familial Pancreas Tumor Registry (NFPTR) sends out a newsletter with updates about their research studies as well as news about their doctors and any discoveries they make throughout their trials about the disease. The doctor in charge of this registry, who also helps with the research would be an interesting person to interview. I receive their newsletter already and have sent in my information to receive a questionnaire about my family medical history in hopes of possibly participating in one of their studies to aid in their research. I don't have millions of dollars to donate, but I have the potential to aid in Johns Hopkins Medical's research in a different way.
I'm not really sure of any questions I have at this time, though I am sure some will come up throughout the semester. I think that it would be interesting to be able to add videos to the blog in order to watch interviews with doctors as well as news clips, etc. I am blogger-challenged, so hopefully I will be able to figure out how to do that.
The issue that I would like to address throughout the semester is American’s over investment in the celebrity/entertainment world. I feel that people today are growing unsatisfied with the quality of their own lives because they feel it doesn’t compare to the lives of the rich and famous. The lives of those considered famous is considered news these days that society has grown obsessed with and I feel that this obsession is unhealthy, especially while there are so many other issues in the world that deserve attention. Social, economical and international issues are of equal importance to the average American as what Angelina Jolie wears to the Oscars. As focus on the entertainment industry increases, as it continually is, society, the economy and international relations continue to worsen. It is my belief that idealization of celebrities and the entertainment world is making Americans stupider and is a waste of time. If people focused more on the world around them rather than constantly striving to be up to date with standards set by celebrities the world wouldn’t be so vein. I’m not against celebrities themselves or the people we consider to be famous, but I feel the idea of fame is becoming detrimental both to society and to these celebrities.
ReplyDeleteI would hope that through my blog, I could reach out to these audiences who obsess with celebrity culture so that they may take a step back and realize how shallow and negative this celebrity complex has become. Being obsessed with someone’s every move, what they wear, who they are dating, etc. is ridiculous. Information on celebrities is gaining too much attention; for example, the Arizona shooting has received less media coverage than Tiger Wood’s indiscretions with women. To me, that is absurd. Another example of America’s obsession with celebrity culture can be seen even at the supermarket at the checkout line – while there are several tabloid magazines promoting absurd headlines that may or may not be true, not one news paper or magazine with substance, like Time, is there.
I believe most Americans are aware with this growing obsession and choose to ignore it. I hope through my blog, I can help my audience reevaluate themselves and what they choose to invest their time in. In terms of interviewing, I feel there is a wide range of possible interviewees ranging from those obsessed with celebrity culture to those who are against it in order to create a happy medium. My only concern is that audiences might misconstrue my message and think my stance is that of an anti-celebrity world, which is not the case. Realistically, I don’t expect people to completely lose interest in this culture but maybe by addressing the issue audiences will be more aware and make an effort to balance their interests a little bit more and gain a higher sense of self esteem.
The issue which I have decided to focus on throughout this semester is the affect large chain stores such as Wal*Mart have on smaller, family-owned local stores. For the past 2 summers I have been employed with my local Wal*Mart, and (surprise) I’ve had a less than satisfying experience with them as a company. I am interested in what has been dubbed the “Wal*Mart Effect” because in my own personal experience I have found that while Wal*Mart presents itself as a wholesome corporation, what goes on behind the scenes is much less pleasant. Because of this, I want to see if this negativity spreads to the surrounding community, or if there really is an affect at all. I think this issue is worthy of public discussion because we, as a society, are obsessed with convenience and cheap service, even if it is at the expense of good customer service and consumer identity. While we may be getting a better deal shopping at Wal*Mart as opposed to a smaller store, we become lost in a sea of faces, and there is no longer anybody there to listen to what we really want. My goal in pursuing this topic would be to get my audience to acknowledge the down-sides of consumer convenience, and understand what, if anything, is really at stake. As far as “containment” goes, this issue is contained because the effects of stores like Wal*Mart on their surrounding communities can be boiled down to a local level. Data can be compiled looking at how local businesses faired before and after the construction of a Wal*Mart/Other chain store, and then a generalization can be made based on the findings. I mentioned earlier that I have experience working with Wal*Mart, and while I can’t say for certain that the store has the nasty habit of running smaller stores out of business, my negative experience with the company has compelled me to find out. What I do know about Wal*Mart simply from my own experience is that individual employees do not matter, and people who chose to work for Wal*Mart are taken advantage of. My target audience here is just the average consumer; the person who chooses to shop at Wal*Mart above a smaller local store who might not know all the facts. Individuals who have family who work in smaller business would probably be the most interested, but I feel like the argument can be accessible to consumers everywhere. I might choose to interview the owners of smaller local businesses to get their input on large chain stores like Wal*Mart.
ReplyDeleteI've chosen to focus my blog on childhood obesity in West Virginia and possible solutions to the problem. Many of my close family members have issues with weight control, and it worries me that they are compromising their health, but I'm even more unhappy when I see children with weight problems because they're being let down by both the education system and their own family.
ReplyDeleteI feel that it's an important issue because obesity is almost equal to tobacco as an underlying preventable cause of death in the US. Children who are overweight are beginning a life that could be cut short unnecessarily. Many people see nothing wrong with letting children eat large amounts of unhealthy food; McDonald's, Burger King, and other fast food restaurants market insanely unhealthy food directly to children, and they often grow up thinking that fast food is perfectly okay to eat on a regular basis.
I would like to explore potential solutions to the problem, both in schools and the home. I'll mostly focus on solutions that involve lifestyle changes that will equip children with the skills necessary to lead a healthy, active life, and I'll limit the area to WV.
I watch documentaries on a regular basis--many are food-related or obesity-related since I want to improve my own life as well as the lives of any children I may have in the future. My audience will be health-conscious people or people looking to improve their lives or the lives of their children. They may be well-informed about the issue or they may not have thought about the implications of unhealthy living. Many people, especially Americans, take things like fast food and weight problems for granted since obesity is such a common issue in the U.S.
I'm thinking about interviewing someone at WVU's rec center--maybe a personal trainer that can address the issue of childhood obesity and the ways that exercise could be incorporated into a child's daily routine.
I have decided to address the issue of accessible information to advertisers/marketers from Facebook. I chose this issue because of how big Facebook has become over the past few years and my interest in advertising. Facebook started as a college craze and has now branched out to families and friends of all ages. I know I am not alone when I say that Facebook is at the top of my Internet line up. I have been using it for years now; never really questioning where information was stored or who else can get a hold of it and for what purposes. Recently, in one of my advertising classes, my professor was discussing how a simple Facebook status could trigger certain key words or tags that will display advertisements that are related. My mind started wondering how easy it is for a company to gain information on me. I think that the issue is worthy public discussion because so many people use Facebook everyday. People may be as naïve as I was and not think twice about posting something about themselves online. The heart of this issue is privacy. I want to persuade my audience to stay “connected” but to be aware of what they’re posting. I want to know if advertisers use it in the “right” way. I do think that Facebook is a great social media tool. I just want to inform my audience about what not to post and the pros and cons of Facebook with advertising. I can ensure that the issue is contained because enough people can relate to using Facebook but at the same time I have specified my issue on privacy with Facebook instead of a larger topic, like social media in general. I do not know much information past the point of users being able to “protect” their account by delegating who is allowed to see certain information in their profile. On the other hand, advertisers and marketers are using social media to their advantage. My target audience is college students, specifically undergraduates. I think that my audience currently knows around the same information that I know about Facebook: Not to post pictures that you wouldn’t want to show your mother and don’t forget that future employers may go over your profile before considering to give you that second interview. I think my audience may not understand how much information people can assume from a single glance at a profile. I want to interview someone on the advertising end about this issue. How much info do they use? How much more effective can advertising be with more information on their target audience? This would be the type of questions I would ask. My only concern for this blog is whether or not I will get enough information from both sides to be effective on presenting the issue.
ReplyDeleteWhat I want to focus on are the positive portions of communism and what changes could be made to the U.S. system to incorporate some of them. I have selected this because there are several elements of capitalism that have had large contributions to many issues, such as the global financial crisis. The greed that seems to be inspired by capitalism has created several major issues and a more objective system should be able to help. The target audience would primarily be politicians. I would probably want to find a political science professor to interview for this, hopefully one who taught a class pertaining to communism specifically.
ReplyDeleteThe topic I have chosen to focus on in the course is whether or not legislators in the national, and local, government should have term limits. I chose this issue because it is a topic that reaches from the top to the bottom of our government. Everyone should have an opinion on this issue because these are truly the people that have the say on our everyday life. They decide on controversial issues in their job. All other controversial issues in this country are dictated by the people who pass laws and with the recent shake up in the congress shows that people are willing to vote out people who have been in power for multiple terms. West Virginia is a traditional style of democracy (in that elected officials are re-elected over and over again). The late senator Byrd and the current senators from the state are examples of this. I want to try and inform people that it is a problem in that people put in a familiar situation over and over again tend to act as same over a long period of time which is can be a bad thing in an ever expanding and changing world. In short, a dynamic world calls for a repetitive change in leaders. This being a university, I have ample opportunity to interview experts in the fields of politics (city officials and professors in political science). The problem with this topic is that I would have to find people to interview that agree with me which would be difficult if I decided to interview public officials. Another problem, yet intriguing aspect, with this topic is that it is completely debatable with no right or wrong answer. To some, this might not be a pressing matter when looking at other issues but this because they do what they do, it truly is the root of these other issues. My plan is to have the blog have points from both sides yet lean in one direction of my own opinion.
ReplyDeleteI've chosen to address the issue of Net Neutrality and the attempts by Internet service providers to limit user access to sites and services.
ReplyDeleteAs one of the millions of people who use the Internet every day I feel maintaining the freedom of information and ease of communication it allows us is undeniably one of the most pressing and emergent issues we face. Every generation has a defining struggle; this is ours, and the very future of truth is at stake. It is our responsibility to defend the future of free information from antiquated ideologies of ownership and property. Those who once ran the business of information have conglomerated into amorphous, sprawling, gluttonous corporate bodies. They feel their grip loosening and realize that in order to stay sated, they must strain their arms and grasp the Internet firmly by the throat.
I believe that at the heart of this debate is a battle for free speech. I aim to encourage readers to look into the issues driving the Net Neutrality debate and to hopefully see the threat it poses to their Internet experience.
The issue of Net Neutrality is one with personal and global consequences. If service providers are given the option to control what customers are allowed to view they could feasibly effect the decisions and opinions of individuals. My knowledge of the Net Neutrality effort has waned somewhat recently as a series of less severe laws and legislative decisions have passed under the radar of the greater community, myself included. Slowly, some the senators and proponents in favor of Net Neutrality have been waning and losing interest in the effort as well. Ideally, I would like to inform readers who aren't familiar with the debate over Internet service provider rights. I suspect nearly anyone who uses the Internet regularly will be interested in the topic once the circumstances are placed in realistic and personal enough terms.
The majority of us use the Internet for something nearly every day. Those who primarily use the Internet for sites like Facebook and Yahoo might not be seeing or hearing about Net Neutrality as it remains a somewhat obscure issue, not often highlighted by large news sites. Those aware of the threat internet service providers pose to their on-line experience are likely already somewhat informed on the issue. The people I would like to reach are in the former crowd; those who have yet to give substantial consideration to Net Neutrality.
There are a great deal of high profile Net Neutrality proponents such as Apple Co-founder Steve Wozniak and President Barak Obama as well as organizations dedicated to the cause such as "SaveTheInternet.com" and "OpenInternet.gov". Interviewing a high profile figure would certainly be interesting, but I would be more inclined to pursue a correspondence with a senator or an organizer of one of the aforementioned website organizations.