Well PWR 2 is finally over, how ! I learned so much in this class not only about web design, but also on how to suit your writing to a particular audience. Having the task of converting the same material into different media, is really difficult since you have to engage your reader every time with the same topic over and over again. I was astounded at how different a presentation of material may become when you transform into a completely different type of presentation (from text to speech to hypertext).

In doing this blog, I realized the importance of forms of expression. This blogging project not only allowed me to reflect on controversial issues in digital cultural, but it also allowed me to vent my frustrations with my current assignments. By placing my concerns on this online journal, I was able to attack my assignments with a clear head and with goals in mind. Just as technology has caused the replacement of many once thought to be useful items, it appears that this same technology has revolutionized even the way we express ourselves. Forget about the pen and paper, since now we have the technology that enables us to think freely behind the comfort of a computer screen. I can say or do whatever I want, without worrying about the consequences.

In the research proposal, I was able to gain some experience in proposal writing that might help me in my career either in law or in psychology. As a lawyer I may want to suggest a particular course of action to my colleagues, and the only way to present it in a manner that would sound appealing is through a clearly thought out proposal.

For the research proposal presentation, I was able to gain valuable hands on experience in speaking in front on audiences and accomodating my presentation to suit their interests. As a lawyer, I think I will use this skill as I must to multiple artist to achieve my ultimate goal: the jury, the judge, the prosecution, the witnesses, and the criminal himself.

The research hypertext allowed me to get gain some insight into website design as well as in internet writing. Since the internet seems to be revolutionizing everything in which we live, it is now a valuable skill to know your way around the internet. This includes a business like setting where you are trying to maintain or attract a particular group of people. Also, having the ability to design a webpage for your particular industry allows for you to give your customers accessible knowledge whenever they want or need it. I have also noticed that I tend to think that people who have such technologically advanced things like webpages are much more credible, than people who don't since more technology means more wealth which means more room for development. I think I will definitely apply the skills I learned in this class in my future occupation, whatever it maybe since a hypertext is versatile across any industry.

The research hypertext presentation allowed me to develop the skill of formulating a rather short oral presentation with as much information as possible. At first I thought, how am I going to be able to fit something resembling a fifteen page paper into a ten minute presentation without omitting something important? Believe it or not, it was very possible. This is a valuable skill to have since in the workplace I maybe asked to make a presentation to persuade an audience about a particular course or action. In doing this assignment, I was able to prepare for my future by learning how to make a valid and persuasive case in a relatively small period of time. You want to be able to make a big impact in a short period of time. This is when you know that you are a truly effective speaker.

Overall, this class allowed me to explore writing in a totally different dimension. In PWR 1, I thought that I was never going to be able to use writing of that nature in my future. Now the whole purpose of these two classes comes together. You learn the basics in writing and the rhetorical strategies in PWR1, and in PWR 2 you convert them across different methods of communication that is appropriate to the society we currently live in.

Well there have been many revisions to my hypertext since the design was first implemented. For one the color scheme is in place and the majority of my pictures are uploaded, but I am still having a problem with my links. I think everything should be ready by Monday, I mean what other choice do I have.

Well I had a meeting with Christine and  I was rather pleased with the outcome of our conference. Even though my design is still not set, she said that I shouldn't worry too much about making it all that elegant that as long as my content was all there. Fortunately, she all said that the content that I already had was one of the best she had seen. I am really happy with that outcome, now I just have to finish up the my research section and include my conclusion. Other than that, I am pretty much done. Finally, what a relief. The next task at hand is the final presentation, which makes me rather apprehensive since i don't think i did that well on my last presentation. I mean I said what I wanted to say, but I felt that I was just so nervous and that people knew that I was feeling that way. This time around, I plan to take a little bit more time to rehearse and make sure that I have everything down. I have started to prepare a little bit earlier so I am confident that I will do much better. The only problem that I am finding is that I have so much information that I don't know how to decipher was not to include. All of my info is pretty interesting, so I need to be a little bit more cautious since I don't want to go over my time limit like i did last time. Well we'll see how it goes.

We are winding down to the final weeks of the hypertext project and let me tell you that it is not going as well as I expected. Well for one my first draft of my hypertext was okay content wise, but the design stunk. There were no pictures and the font was purple, but that was the only things i knew how to do. The second draft had the content and some of the design, but it seemed like everything went wrong. My RA who has been helping design my site said quote on quote that "Dreamweaver screwed me over". I don't quite know if he told me this to make me feel better or to really justify how bad my hypertext was, but to make this short my hypertext stunk. None of my links worked, my images didn't show up, my coding was really messed up, and my layers overlapped. I thought layers were supposed to stay in place, not move all over the place. After a series of coding modifications my RA was able to get my images to upload properly and some of my pages to show up. I was pretty happy after that, but there is still progress to be made. I am also having problems in finding certain information on the artists who favor filesharing. I have enough opposition, but I don't know where else to look. I guess I will just have to keep search the web and my library. I can't believe that at this point I am still struggling to find research, I thought I would be done by now, but I guess I had to expect the unexpected.

The final step is finally in the making with the oral presentatons next week. I have a basic set up for what it will be like, so I am optimistic of the outcome of my presentation. So far I plan on taking three volunteers from the class and acting out a skit on the pros and cons of filesharing. I will then utilize a few power point slides to offer the different sides of the argument, with finally offering a conclusion that will benefit all parties involved.

So this is the story, my research hypertext draft was due this past and I had a little trouble completing it. See the thing is my brother was getting married on Valentine's Day (oh how romantic you might be thinking, but in reality he had really bad timing), so as the only sister I had to attend, since I was the maid of honor and all. Well on the bright side my brother's wedding went well and I have two rooms now, but now on the dark side I have a lot of work to do, this of course including my hypertext. After final fittings, rehearsal dinners, bachelorette parties, and driving relatives back and forth from the airport, I was only able to draft a few nodes, and by a few I mean two or three nodes. I guess at this point you can imagine my dilemma especially since I have no clue how to use Dreamweaver.

When I got back, I opened up the wonderful, yet complicated world of Dreamweaver. I mean when we did it in class it seemed super simple, but I must tell you I did struggle. After working all day and all night since my return, my hypertext draft ended up having about 17 or 18 nodes with a simple purple color scheme. I mean purple out of all colors, but that was the only color I actually knew how to use since it automatically came on. I guess for it being my first time the outcome was okay, but I definitely have higher expectations for the final draft.

I imagine my hypertext to look very sleek and contemporary, while incorporating aspects of professionalism. I'm still trying to determine what professional means in the internet world, since it is ultimately necessary for me establishing my ethos as an internet writer. I plan to follow a subtle color scheme, maybe something red, black, and white (I'm still not too sure). I am definitely planning to incorporate some images, I just don't know how to do it yet, but I will learn. I have downloaded a few images, the task at hand is to determine whether or not they further or support my argument. Even though I have about 85% of my content down, I plan to refine the wording, make additions, and make it more internet friendly. I also have to go back and incorporate my citations and my footnotes. I have a lot of work ahead of me, but I plan to be finished with it by this coming weekend, so that I can come back to it later and revise it once again. This process will allow me to look at my second draft with a more critical eye since I haven't been exposed to it for a while. Well I will keep you posted on my progress.

We have also been discussing the controversy of gender in gaming. In an article that we read, the author presented us with a statistic that stated that women make up about 39% of all gamers. The author of this article tried to identify some reasoning to explain this phenomenon, but I think he/she underestimated the statistic. Well to start with the gaming industry has been and will be a male dominated industry as is apparent with the small amounts of women friendly games. But what exactly do we define as "women friendly"? Well for one, the gaming industry has a stereotyped view of what a game aimed at women should be like. For instance, gamers have developed games like Barbie and other derivatives of the sort to attract a solid female customer base. Not only do they have a stereotyped view for female aimed games, but they also have a stereotyped view of what male games should include. Gaming industries believe that male aimed games should include violent, sport affiliated, graphic, provocative, warlike images to satisfy their testosterone driven interests. All though there are women who enjoy games of feminine nature, there are others who need the same warlike, dangerous, violent adrenaline rush that men get from these games and vice versa. The gaming industry is so interested in conducting research that would allow them to maintain their male customer base that they fail to conduct extensive research on the desires of their female customer base. If the gaming industry took the time, then their customers would reap the benefits of customized entertainment and the manufacturer would receive increased profits.