Weekly Blog Post 2

This video had a significant impact on how I view writing as a persuasive device and what mediums it can be used in. I realized that the world is changing and writers have almost limitless methods of expressing their ideas to their audience. One of the biggest concepts I received from the video was the fact that online text is so flexible and easy to transform. Color, font, size, links, and length of text can all be altered with the click of a button. Also, by incorporating other forms of media, messages can appeal to a wider audience than if it was just in text form.

One concept that applies to this video is ethos. While there is a limited amount of information about the author that you can glean from a book, websites provide a deeper insight in this area. Observing website design, colors used, videos incorporated, images posted, and the type of audio present the viewer can get a better sense of the author’s personality and views. In this technological age, businesses aren’t making first impressions in person, by phone, or through literature; they’re making first impressions through websites. It’s crucial to have an appealing look and feel to their website so they can persuade their customers to purchase their product.

This video made me realize that the context that writers write in is changing. The digital age is upon us and everyone must adapt including writers. People no longer are just satisfied with text; they expect video, images, and audio to be included in the passages they peruse on the internet. It is paradoxical that there is so much information available at our fingertips, yet many students have trouble learning from the internet. Informational books can usually be trusted as valuable resources since they have gone through a revising and publishing process. However, there is no revising process for information put on the internet, so its credibility is thin.

I was intrigued by the last portion of the video where they questioned authority, identity, and ownership of online material. This is a troublesome issue that will need to be worked out in the upcoming years. It is impossible to regulate everything that is posted on the internet; some changes will need to be implemented to keep things in check. Also, with a diary, there is only one copy which someone would have to go to great lengths to duplicate. With a blog, the whole world can see your thoughts and anyone can print off the text and make numerous copies without the author ever knowing.