Blog Posting/Saving

Here's a quick tip for blog posting on this site: 

I know many of you already know how to do this, but I want to make sure everyone knows the difference between POSTING a blog and SAVING a blog. 

When you're on the "Posting" page and you're writing your blog, you'll notice two buttons at the bottom of the page: "Publish Post" and "Save Now." 

Please make sure you click on the "Publish Post" button if you're done writing and editing your blog and intend to publish on the site. If you just click on the "Save Now" button, it'll just save it as a "Draft" file on the site and it won't publish the post. 

Email me if you have any questions about this: albrtlopz@gmail.com

Usernames

Since many of you have chosen nicknames for your profile usernames please make sure you sign your blog posts with your real name, that way I know who did the blogs and I can grade them accordingly.

If your username is your actual name then you don't have to do this. Before publishing your blog posts remember to check your grammar and spelling and that your blogs are at least 400 words each.

Email me if you have any questions about blog posting. Have a great weekend... Well, try to at least!

Greetings and Salutations

Welcome! Now that you're here, remember to show respect to everyone on this blog site. That means no inappropriate language and/or content. Please keep your thoughts, ramblings, rants, and other written forms of expression PG-rated. No foul or offensive language will be tolerated.

I encourage everyone to read and comment on each other's blogs, and I also encourage everyone to post pictures and videos as long as they are appropriate to this blog site's intent of describing what happens when we deprive ourselves of mass media for 48 hours. Again, show respect for the academic purpose of this project and be sure to use this blog only as a forum to discuss the project.

You can view the guidelines here in case you misplaced the handout I gave you in class.

Media Deprivation Project: Dec. 5-6 (48 hrs)

As we established at the very beginning of the semester, mass media in its many forms dominates every waking moment of our lives. TV, Internet, iPods, video games, cellphones, movies, and radio are just some of the many forms mass media takes today, and we are all subject to its stranglehold whether we know it or not.

The point of this experiment is threefold:

1. To see just how powerful that stranglehold is on our daily routine.
2. To discover the advantages of being free of the many distractions mass media provides for us.
3. To leave our cocoons of indoor media consumption and be more active, more social – Get outside for a change!

PROJECT GUIDELINES – YOUR "DOs and DON'Ts"
The following guidelines will help you determine when you can and cannot use a form of mass media in your daily routine:

CELL PHONE - TELEPHONE USE:
DO use your cell phone and/or telephone for basic contact purposes; but DO NOT have your cell on your person while at home. You may call or text message but only if it's for a good reason; DO NOT pass the time texting or talking to someone. Finally, DO NOT use your cell phone for web surfing. You may check email, but no games, videos, etc.

COMPUTER - INTERNET - GAMING USE:
DO use your computer/laptop for educational purposes such as writing papers, doing research, checking email, etc.; but DO NOT use it for recreational purposes such as gaming, online shopping, fantasy sports, file-sharing, etc. Academic purposes only!

RADIO - STEREO - MP3 PLAYER USE:
DO NOT listen to the radio, stereo, or any MP3 players under almost any circumstance. The only instance you can listen to music is if you're at a restaurant/bar/party and there happens to be music playing in the background. DO NOT listen to your iPod or stereo while working out or studying, and DO NOT listen to the radio while driving. NO MUSIC!

TV - DVD - MOVIE THEATER USE:
DO NOT watch any TV or DVDs under almost any circumstance. The only instance you can watch TV is if you're at a restaurant/bar/party and there happens to be a TV playing in the background. DO NOT watch the local or national news. DO NOT go to the movies either. NO TV, MOVIES, OR VIDEO GAMES!

NEWSPAPER - BOOK - MAGAZINE USE:
DO read the newspaper, but only the print edition; no online news is allowed. DO NOT read any magazines, unless it's for academic purposes. DO read books, both for academic and recreational purposes. Graphic novels and/or comic books are acceptable reading, too. Like that old NBA commercial once said: READING IS FUNDAMENTAL!