What Makes A Good Blog?

     I recently created my first blog (permecaecivident.blogspot.com). It seemed pretty simple at first, but as I researched blogs and received feedback from peers about my blog I realized that there are guidelines and parameters for creating and maintaining a blog. Initially you must have a purpose; your reason for creating a blog. The purpose for my blog is to display different forms of writing.

     The audience is another factor in creating a blog. Who do you want to read your blog? In my case, I wanted student peers to be my audience. This audience would understand the purpose of my blog. Being that blogs are open to other Internet users, it is possible for the core audience to grow if others are interested in following my post.

     What attracts individuals to your blog is the design. Color schemes, pictures, titles, and overall look of your blog can be the key to lure readers. There are many options for designing a blog. Incorporating images is one way to design the background of the blog. The blog post can have a totally different background. In my experience, I believe it is best to use a solid color for the background of the text. This leaves no distractions when viewers read your post. I think that it is a good idea to have a profile photo. It does not have to be your own image. Having a profile photo personalizes the blog. I initially started my blog with an all-black and white color scheme. With suggestions from my peers, I found that adding color made the blog more inviting.

     My own creativity and the suggestions of my peers have helped me create a blog that is satisfying to me. I am still a beginner at blogging. As I continue my journey in the realm of blogging, I hope to continue to gain more tips on purpose, design, and content and use them effectively.

     Considering that this is my first blog, it was challenging critiquing blogs created by my peers. Some of my peers seem to have already had experience creating blogs. I felt that there was very little help I could offer.

     Emily (insidetheframe1.blogspot.com)  was one of my peers who seem to have been using a blog for quite some time. The purpose for her blog is clearly stated by name and through content. By viewing her blog, it was a model of how many different avenues of approach you could take in designing a blog.

       Viewing Brien’s (wordsworthamillion.blogspot.com)  blog inspired me to use a background image for my blog. I found his blog to be full, but not cluttered. The tools provided on the blog made it easy to navigate. The highlights of Brien’s blog are the images. The photos used to design the blog presents a sense of user friendliness.

     Many of the blogs created by my peers were very creative. One of my favorite blogs to view was created by Denise (hottalkfromthedesert.blogspot.com). I find the appearance of the blog to be great. It is not as flamboyant as some of the blogs I viewed, but it is just right for the purpose in which it was created for. The content was most intriguing to me. Denise displays well written content pertaining to the blogs purpose.

     Creating a blog has been quite an experience. I am fortunate to have had a diverse group of people to share this experience with. By creating a blog simultaneously with my peers allowed us to analyze blogs and offer suggestions to support our development as a whole.

Virtual Worlds

     Modern technology has made it possible for people to communicate over great distances. One of the most popular ways of communicating is through virtual worlds. Virtual worlds are created through the use of computers, XBOX, PlayStation, or similar systems and gadgets that allow people to be linked and share a common automated program or application. Through these programs, individuals are able to interact simultaneously. The use of the Internet and its many functions has become universal. Because of this, people from different regions of the world can participate in virtual worlds which create open lines of intercultural communication.

     “With more and more people using the Internet for online gaming, chatting, business, and other things, cross-cultural communication is happening like never before.” (Bass, 2011) The Internet provides many facets to be used for communication. Virtual worlds are one of many ways for people of different cultures to interact. One of the benefits in using virtual worlds is the exposure to a community of people from different backgrounds.

     The exposure to virtual worlds is an education in itself. Through the interaction with multiple people from different backgrounds, an individual can assimilate information gathered from these individuals about their cultures. The virtual world itself creates a culture of people.

    The limitation of virtual worlds is that in most cases the members who participate will never meet in person. The extent of the relationship between the individuals is the virtual world. There are several barriers outside of the virtual world that can hinder an ongoing relationship. These barriers may include social background or separation by region.

 

Reference

Bass, S. (June, 2011). Virtual Worlds and Intercultural Communication. Retrieved from:

     http://shannondenisebass.blogspot.com/2011/06/virtual-worlds-and-intercultural.html

Oral History

     The diversity within the human race creates a continuous educational experience. Food, water, clothing, and shelter are our basic needs for survival. In most cases, these are the extent of our similarities. There are many languages we speak and different regions of the world we live in. Each community sparks its own culture and norms. These practices can be developed from religion, invasion, or from a charismatic few. However each culture was developed, the one thing that they each have in common is their uniqueness.

     To assist with this report on intercultural communication, an interview was conducted with Jamshid “Jim” Farhardi. He is a co-worker of the author. He and the author have worked together for over five years. Jim is of Persian descent and speaks Farsi, an Arabic dialect, as his primary language and English as a second language. From the interview with Jim, three different cultures were revealed. The first being his cultural experience in Iran under the rule of the Shah. His second cultural experience was also in Iran under rule of the Ayatollah. During the early 1980s, Jim immigrated to the U.S. to experience and embrace the American culture.

     Some of Jim's earliest memories began in the mid 1950’s in Iran. Jim explains that these were some of the better days in Iran’s history because it was still under the rule of the Shah. The Shah of Iran during this time was Reza Shah Pahlavi, the founder of the Pahlavi dynasty.  He would visit friends and family often. One particular friend Jim remembered had a very beautiful country home with a large garden. Like most cultures, having strong family and friendship ties strengthen are an important part of growing up. School under the Shah’s regime was mandatory for all children through the 9^th grade.  

    A big part of the culture in Iran and the Middle East is religion. The religion that the majority of the people practice is Islam. “The religion held by the majority of the Iranian population is Shia Muslim (89%). Sunni Muslims in Iran constitute about 9% of the population and the remaining 2% of Iranians are from ‘other’ religions – primarily Zoroastrian, Christian and Jewish.” (Country Facts, 2010) Jim is not an exception to this fact. He is a follower of Islam which is a common trait in the Iranian and Middle Eastern culture. He states that under the Shah, religion was important but it was not the bases of the entire culture as it is today under the rule of the Ayatollah. Since his move to the U.S. he has continued to practice Islam, but rarely participates in the rituals and traditions that are practiced in his native land.

     Iran is a place with high morals and values. My interviewee reinforces this fact when asked about the communication with the dominant culture of Iran. He stated that the dominant culture were the older generations. The older generations expected a certain level of respect from the younger generations when communicating or any form of interaction. The main barrier in communication was the age difference. Jim stated that the older generation was reluctant to accept new trends and this sometimes created a lack of shared interest.

     Jim states that in Iran, English was taught ass a second language in grade school. One of the most significant differences was the written language. In Farsi, language is written from right to left and the alphabet consists of 32 characters. “Persian alphabet has 32 letters (as compared to 26 in English) and is written from right to left. Some of the letters can be connected to from both left and right and some can only be connected from right.” (Texas PCC, 2012) Learning to speak and write in English is important to the Iranian people because of its widespread use around the world.

     In 1979, while still living in Iran, Jim experienced and was affected by a political turning point; the overthrow of the Iranian government. The Shah of Iran and his regime were overthrown by an opposing Islamic force led by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. “On February 1, 1979, after nearly fifteen years in exile, Khomeini returned in triumph from France.” (Macrohistory, 2011) This experience would eventually change Jim’s life forever.

     Under the rule of the Shah, Jim stated, life was good. This was the regime Jim had known all his life while living in Iran. He expressed the freedoms he enjoyed and in certain aspects how the culture was similar to that of the U.S. Many of these freedoms were taken away under the reign of the Ayatollah. Jim stated how extreme the change was and that the changes happened almost immediately. Everything from the style of government to what was allowed on television and radio stations was affected.

     The drastic changes that occurred in Iran in 1979 are experiences only the Iranian people could understand. Here in the U.S. we have experienced difficult political and economic challenges. Even through those challenges our government managed to stay in tack and consistent. Because of the stability of this nation, it attracts those from other nations that seek a better life. After the Iranian Revolution, “tens of thousands of Iran's middle class had found it best to flee Iran.” (Macrohistory, 2011) Jim and his family were among this group. 

     The unstable government and in fighting between the forces of the Ayatollah and the forces still loyal to the Shah impelled Jim, along with his family, to move to the U.S. This was a hard decision, but a necessary one. Jim had to think of his family and what was best for them. The state of Iran’s future was uncertain at the time of his decision.

     Jim arrived in the U.S., along with his family in 1982. He first settled in Plattsburgh, New York. His relocation to the U.S. was a smooth transition without any major hardships. He quickly found work as a car salesman by day and janitor by night at a local hospital. After sending his youngest child off to college, Jim and his wife relocated to Maryland where they currently live today.

     The diversity among human beings creates a need for intercultural communication. Intercultural communication helps develop a tolerance, understanding, and respect for other cultures and lifestyles.

 Reference