The Relevance of Blogging

Before I started the Creative Communications program, I had never read a blog in my life. I thought a blog was really just another word for online journal. But now that I’ve had a few months of writing and reading them, I’ve changed my view on what they are and what they can accomplish. Here are just a few of the examples I believe show the relevance of blogging.

First, when you write your ideas and post them for everyone else to read, you’re exposing not only those ideas but also your writing to comments from others. This really helps you evaluate your thinking and writing processes. It helps you to see your views more thoroughly by examining the issue from different angles. Also, you can watch as your style of writing evolves, and which style works best to communicate with the public.

Second, you can really get to know people by their posts. By reading my classmates’ blogs, I’ve been able to see a lot more of who they are. How other people think is an amazing thing and you can see the thinking processes of other people in your class, which is not only enlightening, but also helps you to adapt new ways of thinking for yourself. The diverse writing styles also help to increase your own writing skill set.

Third, if you want to know what issues are important to others, just read their blogs. I think this is very important for anyone in the communications field. We need to keep up to date with how people are getting their information, and what issues they want to find their information on. Blogs are a great way to see trends in how this is changing.

Fourth, blogs can get things done. Just think of the Progressive Winnipeg blog; he writes about issues around Winnipeg that get him and the public angry. His writing and how he relates the issues to the public have even gotten the city to change some things in order to make conditions better for us. Personally, I never thought a blog could have this much power, but as you can see, it can.

I am still quite new to the world of blogging. I don’t have a specific focus yet, or see how my blog relates to other people. But I can say that it is developing into something that will. My biggest take-away from blogging thus far is how to communicate with others online. Not only can you use facebook, and various other social sites, to network with people you meet, but you can also use a venue like blogging to communicate to the world at large. To know that so many people have access to your ideas and writing is a scary, but powerful thing.

Whether you want to improve your writing, learn to see issues through more angles, keep up with changing communication trends, or actually right the wrongs you see around you, blogging can help achieve it. The difficult thing is spending the time required on learning how to do it effectively.

Time Management

So not too long ago, I was sitting at home, stressing about how much homework I had to do. I think it took me a good hour to finish worrying about how I was going to get it all done before I actually started my work. And then, time started disappearing until I had to go to work. At which point, I started to stress again. That was probably two hours that day wasted; I could have gotten a lot done.

Why do we procrastinate so much? Personally, I think I have it down to a science. I've found that cleaning my apartment is an especially prominent procrastination technique. But, I do have many others, for example TV, I don't even watch this show, and I don't care about the content at all, but here I am mesmerized by the moving pictures. Then at the end of the night I wonder where all my time went.

I was inspired the other day to take a good hard look at my time management skills. I was at the University of Manitoba, interviewing Steve Kirby, the Director of Jazz studies when I realized there are a lot of people with more to do than me. He runs the Jazz program, is the editor of a magazine, runs extracurricular music activities, and has two children at home.

But when I asked him if he would have it any other way, he said "if you want something done, ask a busy man."

After thinking about this for a while, I realized It's very true. The busier you are, the more you get accomplished. If Steve Kirby can juggle all that is on his plate, I can examine my own life to find more time.

So I found, even with working 30 hours a week, going to school full time, cleaning, and visiting family and friends, I could still find a lot of time to get the homework done. You just have to do. Sit down at your computer, turn off the TV, turn off your phone, and "Just do it!"

Buyer Beware

How many paper cups do you use every day? According to Reuters' website, "about 28 billion cups end up in U.S. landfills every year." Can you imagine the number if you combined all the landfills in the entire continent of North America?

We are becoming more environmentally conscious every year, but we are also economically conscious. So how do we solve the environmental issues that come with drinking our cup of coffee every day while being cost effective?

A group of us set out to find the answer. Keeping the life of a student in mind, we went out and purchased five coffee tumblers from different providers: Starbucks, Tim Hortons, Superstore, Sears, and Dollarama. We subjected each to a variety of different tests to test leakage, temperature retention, and durability.

So, you're on your way to school, jumping onto the bus, riding your bike, or just dodging traffic while you cross the street, when you finally get to other side and your coffee has spilled all over you brand new scarf. I don't know about you but I'm pretty darn angry. We simulated these situations by shaking the heck out each tumbler. Dollarama - there wasn't even any liquid left, Tim Hortons and Sears - a lot of spillage, Starbucks - two or three drops, and Superstore - earned the perfect store.

When we did the temperature retention tests, we took readings at 15 minute intervals, first sitting at room temperature, then at freezing. The only two mugs that were still piping hot, after an hour sitting at room temperature, were Starbucks and Superstore.

And then we dropped all the tumblers down concrete steps, and again the only two that survived were Starbucks and Superstore, do you notice a trend here?

The thing is, if you have the money to buy the Starbucks tumbler, do it. The stainless steel ones cost about $20 - $22 dollars. It will keep your coffee hot, keep your scarf clean, and survive if you happen to drop it a few times. However, you can buy the Superstore tumbler for about $15 dollars and be just as happy.

It's totally up to you. Personally, I'm gonna stick to the Starbucks label simply because I love them. I've worked there for more than 3 years, 1 of which was spent as an Assistant Manager, so I guess I am a bit biased. But the point is, I was very impressed with the little tumbler that could. Almost enough to buy that one instead.

Disconnecting Yourself

What is it that gives some people the ability to separate themselves from their fear? What gives a person the balls to place themselves in the middle of a war-zone to report on a story? How do you take a leap of faith, perhaps, that you'll survive driving down a road that may be littered with landmines to get a story?

I've always wondered if I would have what it takes to put myself in that position. Maybe it's a bit like when you're in a car accident. A few years ago I was driving to my house in St. Andrews through a snow storm, and my car hit a patch of ice and I began swerving. There were other cars on the road near me, and my first thought was "I'm going to hit these people!"

But a weird thing happened, a shot of adrenaline surged through my veins. I was scared, but somehow that rush helped me focus. I was able to forget about my fear of getting into an accident enough to steer myself into the ditch rather then another car. After it was over, and I was nicely resting in the ditch, fear of what could have happened rushed back.

Is this what might happen when there is gun fire over your head? Does an adrenaline rush take over and you can more easily focus on the task at hand? Do you think that state can last for months at a time, so you don't even realize the danger until you're out of it?

And if this is possible, what kind of effects does this prolonged state cause to you physically as well as mentally? The mind is an amazing thing, and it's ability to compartmentalize your experiences astounds me.

Technology Addiction

Until very recently, I thought I was a person who could survive without technology. Well, let me tell you, that is apparently not the case.

It was a beautiful day at the end of August. I was intently applying makeup, getting ready for a night out. I was preoccupied with what I was going to be doing that night. It was a girls night out, and I was so excited. For many of my friends, prying them away from their boyfriends is tough. So this was a rare occurrence.

I'd just finished my makeup, which I'm ashamed to say took 45 mins, so it was time to start on the hair. As I turned to plug in my hair straightener, my lovely blackberry slipped off my makeup case, and fell directly into the toilet.

I was then faced with a very difficult decision, do i reach into the toilet to save my phone or do i save my dignity?

Well, of course the phone won. (Don't worry, I have since cleaned and sanitized it!)

Did you know, that if you get your phone wet, the ENTIRE warranty is void? Well I do now, so I was gonna have to come up with upwards of $700 to replace it, yikes!! But my dad with his advanced technological abilities took my phone apart, and dried it out with a hair dryer. Its now going strong.

But I was without my phone for an entire weekend. Is it even possible to exist today without your phone? How do you live without it, I certainly can't!