Monday, October 19, 2009

Update on 417 Project

Since I finally figured out what I wanted to do for my project, I have been scribbling down ideas for a bunch of posts. Each post I want to be different, but I want them all to have a purpose to them, where you can get a lot of information from each post. I figure that each one should be about a page in length.

I also figured that I was going to start writing them up using Word, and then I would transfer them into the blog when I was ready. I don't want to have this website up, and then have people reading it, wanting more, when I'm not finished. I would rather have numerous posts up to get started, and then keep adding to it.

I do like the idea of interviewing people around campus, getting their thoughts on where to eat and where to hang out. I want this to blog to be used by a massive audience, incoming freshmen who are interested in more facts about Ferris, and also students who might be interested in switching to Ferris.

Where it stands, I currently have about 20 separate pages (which will turn into their own separate blog posts) thought out. I will include an introduction that explains what this blog will be used for as well. Right now, I am focusing on writing each blog and saving them to my computer, and then I will create the blog and start plugging each one in.

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Confirmed 417 Project

So I have been sitting on ideas and ideas, and everything I have come across did not really connect with me. I didn't feel a strong connection with any of the project ideas, and I didn't find myself being as excited about the project as I should have been. I was hungry for something that I would be proud of the finished product, and something I would enjoy working on as well. I still wanted to do the personal website, but I thought of a different twist to put on it.

As you may know, the ENGL 280 class is currently doing interviews of people who are in the technical communication field. This is a broad range, and includes many individuals with different opinions and career options. I was fortunate enough to set up an interview with Maranda at WOOD TV for one of my interviews, and I had a great time. However, it is what she told me at the end of the interview that gave me the idea for my project.

She told me that her daughter is a senior in high school this year, and is about to head off to college next year. As a parent, she would be interested in reading blogs from students who have been at these schools, and get their perspective of what the school is really like. She said she would be more interested in reading these blogs about what the school is really like, along with the community as well, than to read the school's personal website. This is where my idea for my project came from.

For this project, I will start a blog that highlights my 5 years at Ferris, and the information I found out on my own. This will be directed to incoming freshmen and their families who are looking at Ferris as a potential school. Not only will I discuss some of the academic information, such as advisors and classes and studying, stuff you normally wouldn't know unless you deal with it yourself, but also my own experiences. I will give anecdotes about what happened to me, typically humorous, and it will give the students a feel for what college is like. I will discuss some of the local hang out places int he community as well, and give a general overview of what Ferris is really like. I will also add some aspects of my 5 years that maybe I would like to go back and change, such as being a communter opposed to living on campus.

This blog will be a way for me to express myself and my experiences that I have had at Ferris, but it will also be educational to those high school seniors and their families. Hopefully it will reduce the worry that students may have as they get ready to go off to college, and also lower the anxiety of mom and dad about sending their child to college.