Media Example #12- Week of 2/27

Here is Annabelle's example.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/24/mr-happy-man_n_1299216.html

And here is what she has to say about it:

"I first came across this article on Valentines Day, a friend of mine had posted it on Facebook and when I saw that a Bermudian icon was being written about on the Huffington Post website I quickly went to the link.

Johnny Barnes has been standing on East Broadway in the City of Hamilton, Bermuda for 28 years. He started out working on the railroad that went through that part of the island and noticed that the people going into work in the morning looked miserable. Johnny decided that everyone could use some cheering up, so he started waving and telling people that he loved them as they passed. Soon Johnny Barnes’ positive attitude was embraced and he became a local celebrity. I can remember sitting in the back seat of my car on the way to primary school waving like mad until he saw me. Sometimes if the traffic into town was at a standstill my sister and I would stretch our hands out the window and give him a hug. In any other part of the world a man standing on the side of the road, waving to people in their cars would be written off as a bum asking for money, but all Johnny wants is a smile. He is there everyday, rain or shine, doing what he loves to do.

At first I was just excited to see that an audience larger than the population of Bermuda could see what an amazing man he is, but as I read this short post on the Huffington Post I realized that the message was a lot bigger than Johnny Barnes being an inspiration. It is about finding what makes you happy and enjoying what you do everyday.

I would highly recommend watching the video at the bottom of the article, but understand that it is long."

Media Example #11- Week of 2/27

Here is Lindsay's example:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/five-myths-about-mardi-gras/2012/02/10/gIQAr2cLMR_story.html

And here is what she had to say about it:

I first saw this article on facebook via the Washington Post application. I think this is one of the greatest things that has happened to facebook in a while. It is a content reminder to read news stories and see what is going on in the world. Because lets face it, I know I am not going to go straight to MSNBC when I get on my computer and sit there and read news stories. A majority of us get directly on our computer and go straight to facebook. It is a habit. So whoever came up with this Washington Post social reader is a genius in my mind.

So I saw that a couple of my friends had read this article and I found it very interesting. Being from New Orleans and just getting back from Mardi Gras last week I found it to be very appropriate. I have also never seen an article like this stating the facts about what Mardi Gras is really like. There are some misconceptions about this holiday and this really points them out. Starting with the first misconception, which is the biggest. The French Quarter during Mardi Gras is full of tourists flashing in order to get beads. This only happens in the French Quarter. Mardi Gras is a very family oriented holiday for the people from New Orleans. It also gives an insight into the culture of what New Orleans is like during Mardi Gras. This includes Mardi Gras balls which are very important and occur every weekend leading up to Mardi Gras. These balls are a very historical tradition. This article really sets the record straight in terms of what Mardi Gras is really like and the story behind it.

Also, if you have never been to New Orleans, I would highly suggest to go during Mardi Gras. The people and the atmosphere are great and it is one of the happiest times of year down there. Plus you can walk around outside with any alcoholic beverage and its not a problem. Who doesn’t love that?

Media Example #10- Week of 2/20

Here is Caroline's example:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/CofC-Memes/192534927512975

Recently I have noticed college themed memes being posted on Facebook. The first page of memes I saw was for Clemson University. I loved it! I mean, truly loved it! I instantly wondered if there was a College of Charleston meme page. I also wondered that if there wasn’t, how long it would take for someone to come up with it. Within days, I found what appeared to be a new Facebook group called CofC Memes. Already, there are several memes that have gained significant popularity. Over 200 likes on one posted meme, and the CofC Memes page has over 2,000 “likes.” There is a link to www.memegenerator.net for all users to create and submit their own memes to the group easily.www.memegenerator.netwww.memegenerator.net Some of the memes are the exact same within different campus communities. These are ones that are pretty universal across colleges.

For example:

This one can be used for multiple campuses—even high schools. Yet, the situation presented can relate to many students, former students, and probably educators.

Several are unique to the College of Charleston. People have created and submitted their own memes in relation to events and characteristics of the College. Some examples are:

Personally, I enjoy spending my time reading through these memes. My roommates and I will even bring them up in conversation saying, “Have you seen the one that….?” Based on the number of likes on the page and the growing popularity, I am not the only one who is talking. I think these school meme pages are an excellent way to create a greater sense of community within our College. I hope people continue to create and post more memes onto this page for a long time. Who knows? Maybe I will come up with one someday.

Media Example #9- Week of 2/20

Here is Annie Rose's example:

http://www.popmatters.com/pm/feature/149488-your-whole-life-is-leading-up-to-this-developing-six-feet-under-at-h

And here is what she had to say about it.

This article from popmatters.com, explores HBO's series Six Feet Under. As I read it, I had to hold my breath in fear that it would be another article bashing the five season series. Instead, to my surprise this article praises the series for what it was truly worth. I recently watched Six Feet Under from season one to season five in about two months, and I can confidently say it changed my view of life and death. If you have not watched the series, I highly recommend it. The quirky Fisher family, who owns a funeral home, will quickly find their way into your heart or maybe just your head. The series was based on the idea that life happens and then we die, so as Ceasar would say, "Carpe Diem." This series touched on some controversial topics including abortion and Gay rights, in that real and relatible way that HBO series usually do. It was edgy and pushed the limits to make the audience at times fairly uncomfortable. After all was said and done, (and watched), I had a new outlook on death and dying and grieving. Sounds like a lot to get out of a TV show but, I found a connection with the characters and with the emotions that overtook them. I hope this inspires more people to watch the series.

Media Example #8- Week of 2/13

Here is Joe's media example.

Link: (http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/09/fashion/christian-siriano-seeks-fashion-industrys-approval.html?pagewanted=2&ref=fashion)

And here is what he had to say about it:

I just returned from New York Fashion Week this weekend, so I figured I would make my media example something fashion week-related.

Eric Wilson from the New York Times wrote a profile on designer Christian Siriano, which was published last Thursday to coordinate with the official kick off to this season's Mercedes Benz New York Fashion Week. Wilson's numerous fashion-related stories are all written in the New York Times style you would expect, which is a breath of fresh air after seeing the thousands of fashion blogs who can tear a designer apart just because they don't agree with a color choice.
Siriano is best known for winning "Project Runway" four years ago. Anyone who watched the show knows that he was also recognized for use overuse of the term "fierce."
I thought it was interesting that this article was the cover story for the New York Times Fashion & Style section, even though one of the main focuses of the story was the fact that Siriano has not been fully accepted into the fashion world by fellow designers and critics.

Part of the reason I chose this article is because I attended his runway show on Saturday in NYC's Meat Packing District, where he received a standing ovation. Celebrities including Mena Suvari, Gabrielle Sibidi (better known as Precious), Brad Goreski (Rachel Zoe's former assistant), & Fern Mallis (creator of Mercedes Benz Fashion Week) all came to support Siriano. After reading through some of the critic reviews, it seems that Saturday's show was a huge step for Siriano finally being accepted and praised in the cut-throat fashion world.

Picture I took from Christian Siriano's NYFW show

Media Example #7- Week of 2/13

Here is the example from Grace:

unf**kyourhabitat

And here is what she had to say about it:

"I don’t know about you guys, but I am unfalteringly lazy when it comes to cleaning and organizing. Before I lived alone it was not a big issue- I had 3 roommates and we altered the cleaning schedules, so all I really needed to do regularly was my tiny bedroom. Now that I live alone in a fairly large 1-bedroom apartment, I need the motivation to get cleaning every now and then. This blog is the perfect solution- it is hilarious, vulgar, and chock full of pictures and funny gifs that make the task at hand a lot less daunting. It has a simple and easy to follow layout and isn’t cluttered with obnoxious fonts or distracting colors or ads. This site is full of before/afters, challenges, tips for cleaning and organizing your mess, and the “lazy way” to make your place go from hot a** mess to looking brand spankin’ new. Also, this blog really makes you realize that you are not as filthy as you think you are…some of these apartments look like they are straight out of a Hoarders episode. Anyways, if you are needing that extra push and inspiration to go ahead and tackle your junky or dirty spaces, from desks to tea stashes to spice racks and closets, this blog is just for you. Now get to cleaning!"

Media Example #6- Week of 2/6

Here is Kimberlee's media example.

http://hellogiggles.com/?s=illustrated+tweet+of+the+day&x=0&y=0

And here is what she had to say about it:

"Well, first of all, hellogiggles.com is an awesome site. Despite the whimsical name and typeface, it's actually a blog very rich in writerly skill and intelligent subject matter - everything from nail polish to politics. It was founded by Zooey Deschanel and a couple of her friends, but they allow a lot of public contribution which is very endearing. Every day there is an 'Illustrated Tweet of the Day.' Even though I don't tweet (..much), I still think Twitter has done something pretty important for the online world. Here we see (predominantly) well-written daily doses of humanity - be it notions of joy, sadness, humour, cynicism, or hunger, Twitter provides an outlet for people to bond over the mundane and deliberate nature of daily life. Does the internet (personified) care if you drink too much coffee? No. But can it make you feel connected and honest to broadcast such information? Yes. Also, the pictures are fun to look at."

Media Example #5- Week of 2/6

Here is Ivy's media example.

http://www.relationshiprepair.net/blog/thinking-of-tying-the-knot-5-tips-to-make-sure-you-stay-together/

And here is what she had to say about:

"Michael Webb discussed how love isn't necessarily a "chemistry" thing, but a process that takes time to truly feel. Couples who believe this is so usually end up experiencing bad break-ups and heartbreak. So, he gave friendly 5 friendly tips for couples to follow before rushing into marriage. I enjoyed reading this article not only because he gave sound advice, but also because I can relate to it in the sense that I've gone through a bad break-up that resulted from not really knowing the person I was with for a year and 5 months...isn't it a bit baffling that after being with someone for that amount of time, you'd at least be able to connect with them on a deeper emotional level? Not my ex-boyfirend and I!!!"

Media Example #4- Week of 1/30

This is the link to Lauren's example.

http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/2010/04/alot-is-better-than-you-at-everything.html

And this is what she has to say about it:

" This is a post from Hyperbole and a Half. It discusses the writer, Ally’s annoyance with grammar mistakes. Especially “a lot.” Although it’s older I love it because I run into this all the time when reading other people’s writing- especially a certain professor of mine who has the worst grammar and spelling I have ever seen. (Not you, Kerry!) It makes me want to scream to the heavens that it is indeed two words, because it is “A” “lot” of something. Similar to “a bunch” or “a dozen.” How many is a lot? I don’t know. But it’s a lot. I don’t see abunch or adozen, so people’s desire to make a lot one word is perplexing at best. Plus the humor behind the post and the good intentions help to teach its lessons. (I do not recommend reading it in class.) I think if people taught lessons as funny as this there would be a lot fewer grammar mistakes. The use of pictures and how relatable it is what I really liked about the blog post. Plus it’s laugh out loud funny."