Writing for New Media: Web Blog
Before taking the Writing for New Media class, I was very skeptical because I didn’t know what I would learn in this class. I’m not into journalism and writing stuff on the Internet. This class was totally new for me because I’ve never created or wrote on any web blogs before.
However, as the majority of the students in this class, I’ve heard about blogging and how people like celebrities use blog such as Twitter or the popular Facebook social network to keep in touch with their fans. After hearing about the web blog’s reputation, I have thought that it would be helpful for new blogger to know certain things…Some pro and cons that you might consider if you want to start a blog:
Advantages
First of all, anyone can create a blog; just use a template from tumblr.com or wordpress.com to set your first blog, it’s EASY, QUICK and FREE! From there, you can start posting and sharing any comments, thoughts, ideas and uploading videos or pictures. I’ve found out that the more interactive your blog is, the more visitors will follow you. For example, sharing links to your blog allows other viewers to be aware of your blog. Also, if you leave some pertinent comments on other bloggers’ page, you can be sure that people will notice you. Make sure to do spell check and grammars as well. Writing for blogs helps a lot of students to improve their writing skills. Usually, web blog’s writer is focused on writing on a specific topic. Another thing that I like about web blogs is that they are updated regularly, usually on a daily basis so if the writer is competent, and the topic is really interesting, you can get the latest news in real time.
It’s also common for blogs to feature advertisements so the blogger can make money promoting a product. Web blogs don’t only benefit students, but also businesses who want to expand their professional work outside of the community or country. So if you have a business or have intention to start making so money using the blog, just start creating one right now! The sooner you do, the faster you will get followers!
Disadvantages
However, as a new media writer, you should be aware of few things that can sabotage the success of your blog. Web blogs involve a lot of time to update and post an entry. Sometimes having so many ideas can take more time for you to write down your entry. There is no confidentiality as it is a public forum, so don’t put too much personal information that can be used against you by others. Provide accurate sources, and make sure to cite your sources as well. And as everywhere, competition is rude; always update and provide QUICK relevant information!
To Conclude
Writing for new media such as web blog requires a lot of your time because you need to update it regularly if you don’t, people can stop following you at anytime. You must be organized and share quick information as people want to hear relevant stories from you. The future of web blog is optimistic and in constant development as nowadays, bloggin is not only about entries but also about tags and RSS feed which notify readers when you enter a new entry. At the beginning, I’ve always been against creating a blog because I didn’t feel the need to do it especially to share personal things. But, I’ve felt very motivated when I knew that some of my HPU friends were checking my blog because I’ve been talking about the HPU off-campus housing. It’s a nice compliment when you know that people out there appreciate what you do, because in return you do them a favor by helping them getting the specific information that they want to know without googling on the Internet for hours.
420 friendly home?
While I have been looking on craigslist these past days, I’ve realized that some people who were posting their ads, didn’t mind putting “420 friendly” like this ad:
“Looking for a roommate in a 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom apartment in the middle of downtown Honolulu. Ocean view, big lanai, central a/c, pool, bbq area. Electricity and cable included. Looking for a roommate who’s relaxed, respectful, and 420 friendly is a must. Email me with a brief description of yourself and if it seems like a good match we will go on form there.”
If you are looking for a home that is also 420 friendly, you can check out craigslist.com at your own risk !!
The Tradewinds on Hawaii Five-O!
Hawaii Five-O is an American television series filmed in Hawaii. The original series run from 1968 to 1980. On September 20th 2010, the new version of Hawaii was aired on CBS and followed the traditional casting crew with exception of younger faces and modern cinematography.
Living in Hawaii is a cool experience, so of course, watching the new series of Hawaii Five-O makes it more fun because you always try to identify at which location the crew shot the scenes. If you follow TV reporter, Tim Ryan on his web blog, he might give you a hint where the next shot will be. In the opening sequence, we can see the Kualoa Ranch, and some scenes that have been shot in Pearl Harbor, Waimea Bay, and in Waikiki.
On March 11th, 2010, Hawaii Student Suites informed Hawaii Five-O’s fans that the crew was shooting at the Tradewinds Student Suites using one of the rooms as Danno’s apartment. Since then, many pictures of the crew have been posted on their Facebook’s page.
If you are a college student in search of a place, you may have heard about the Hawaii Student Suites company that manages student rentals at different properties including the Beachwalk, Island Colony, Kalo Terrace, Maile Skycourt, Pagoda, Palms, Waikiki Wes, Nohonani, and now the famous Tradewinds! Who would have thought about it?
Enjoy watching Hawaii Five-O and maybe tomorrow you will see the crew coming in your neighborhood!
For more information:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawaii_Five-O
http://www.studentrentalshawaii.com/
http://www.studentrentalshawaii.com/tradewinds/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Hawaii-Student-Suites/326127766649
Ok, sorry completely new to this thing!
Warning
If you have been looking for a room to share with somebody, you probably saw this message posted recently on Craisglist…This is what I like and don’t like about this forum; the good thing is that there are some honest roommates out there willing to help others, and the “not good thing” is that there are some crazy people who only want your money! You are your own judge on this.
$650 WARNING!RE:$650 Room in large Manoa home-across from Manoa Marketplace (Manoa)
Dear Craigslisters,
BE ADVISED!!!
This is not a joke. Beware of two young girls subleasing rooms in a 5 bedroom Japanese style Manoa house behind Starbucks. They do not have the authority to sublet and will lie about it. They will significantly overcharge you and lie about rent prices. Subsequently, the rent prices for this exact room have changed over the past couple of days. It was first listed at $700 and currently listed at $650. The house is filthy and ridden with cockroaches and bedbugs due to their uncleanliness (especially in the kitchen, YUCK!).
Find yourself a cleaner, happier, drama-free home
Aloha!
HPN Link
The Hawaii Pacific News is now available. I’ve posted my story on the pro and cons of living on-campus vs. off-campus. For more news click on:
Stay away from cheap places?
Yesterday, as I drove by Kalihi area with my friend, she asked me how people could live in this area. I asked her why she was so concerned about it. Her answer was straight and clear “because of drug dealers!”. Well, I don’t really know about the community of Kalihi, but I have known people who were telling me to stay away from Kalihi. Then, I was wondering if that’s the reason the rental cost in this area is so cheap compare to Waikiki or Hawaii Kai?! It is actually interesting to see that when an apartment is rented at a low cost is mainly because of the following reasons:
1. Drug dealers
2. Traffic
3. Not safe community
On the forum bellow, people have asked others where is the best place to move in Honolulu, and I found interesting that one says ” The reason Ewa is so cheap is because traffic is ridiculous trying to get anywhere from there.” He is certainly right! Traffic is horrible in Hawaii, and that could be one good reason to affect the price of the house rentals!
So, watch out before you decide to rent a cheap place…Think about it twice!
Read more:
Hawaii Pacific News…soon!
So, here is the deal, Hawaii Pacific News is going to be launched pretty soon on the Internet!!! Yes, you’ve heard it…finally!!! The website is going to talk about news and events around our community…sounds interesting to you??!!
Well, part of my job for this new website would be to interview some HPU students about the advantages and disadvantages of living in a dorm room. And, because it is not everybody who lives on-campus, I’m going to interview students who rent their own places, and ask few questions regarding search processing, budget, the cons and pros, etc. So, if you have any ideas or comments, please let us know! Thank you!
See you soon!
HPU Housing
By the way, if you are looking for an apartment, you can check out HPU website by clicking on this link, http://eads2.hpu.edu/client/index.php?catnav=1&catname=Housing&catdisplay=2
Just wish that this link is more exposed to the students, because I think it is a great way to find HPU roommates!
Where to find an apartment?
If you are looking for an apartment off-campus, you can start first by browsing on HPU’s website at http://www.hpu.edu/index.cfm?contentID=164. It gives you the main important things that you need to know from searching an apartment to paperwork such as rental application and signing lease.
Second, I would go on http://honolulu.craigslist.org/. If you look under the section Housing-rooms/shared, you might find some places. Just be careful to bring a friend with you if you go visit a place, especially if you are a girl, because you never know who is going to open the door!
laters…
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