Hello there brain. Are you home?

I have to admit that the readings of this week took me quite a while to get through. There is something about reading about academic research methods that literally puts me to sleep. BUT I did finally get through the readings, and here I am writing about them. I thought, as previously mentioned, that "Finding Evidence" was a very dense chapter, and it took me three days just to get through it. It did make very good points though, and I do believe that many does not take advantage of the resources we have as students when it comes to finding information. I think the chapter also highlighted something very important, and that is that different types of research fits differently into what you are working on. Some research that could be viable in one paper, could be deemed unfit for another. Making sure we use the proper type of research for what we do is key.

I also think that "From Backpacks to Briefcases" gives us as readers a good idea of how much it means to be able to analyze the sources we find, and the message that they try to convey. By increasing our own media literacy we can make better choices and draw more sound conclusions compared to if we only fell for the appeals to our basic needs. I have studied this a little bit before, and I find it very interesting how many messages one can pick apart as long as one understands the glue that keeps it together. What we need to learn is how to make our glue waterproof, so that our own messages won't fall apart like papier mache when someone tries to drown them.

As for the article analysis... I was a little bit confused, but I managed to get the words down. I used the Genre Analysis guiding questions as just that, a guide. I am however prone to over-analyzing instructions, so my biggest fear regarding this assignment is that I have completely misunderstood the idea. I have done my best, and I hope that I did it right.

I chose three different artifacts from three completely different genres, and I both analyzed and compared them to a certain extent. Below is the finished product, and once again, I hope that I did it somewhat correct.

 

Artifact Analysis

Marta Waldrop Bergman

Academic Writing, Fall 2015

 

            I am analyzing three artifacts from the perspective of Tyler Beerman, the founder of Conscious Kombucha. I have chosen a document from TTB.gov, an article in the Independent, as well as the information found on their official website.  I decided to analyze the official document from the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau first. It is written in a very factual and informative way, and since the main point of the document is to inform about the regulations surrounding kombucha the tone seems quite correct. It is on a federal website, which speaks of its authoritative nature. A federal employee has written it, and it is aimed towards those who intend to sell their kombucha. It is formatted in a very non-personal way, since its goal is to be purely informative. It has multiple link-outs, which sends one to more sites containing information regarding regulations that could apply. The text is mostly aimed towards the commercial brewer of kombucha, but since it has some background information on what kombucha is and why the regulations exist, anyone could read it and still understand the message that is being sent. The references to precedent regulations do show some jargon, but since they are linked it doesn’t necessarily exclude anyone. This type of genre does however seem to have the intent to intimidate the reader to some extent. As with many other official documents that informs about regulations, it re-states the severity of breaking the laws, as well as how strict the regulations are.

            My next artifact is an article published in the Santa Barbara Independent in 2013. It tells the story of two kombucha brewers, one of whom is Beerman. This type of writing is more informal in the way it speaks to the audience. It contains a story-telling element that one cannot see in the government documents. This type of genre gives a short background before it dives into the actual story. It uses a more informal tone in the way it is written, as well as in the way it is formatted. The text is separated into lighter paragraphs than one would see in a textbook, or a regulatory information pieces. It is formatted to make the reader want to continue reading. The article is an entertainment piece, so heavy information is being left out in order to keep it light and fun. Since it is written for a local newspaper and it deals with a local event, the emphasis is on Santa Barbara throughout the article. The author is playing around in the text, making the occasional pun or adding a parenthetical thought while writing. The author seem to have a positive attitude toward her surroundings, and in the article she assumes that the reader shares her views and by doing that she is unwittingly excluding those who might expect a more serious piece of journalism.

            My last artifact that I have chosen to analyze is the official website of Conscious Kombucha. This is part of a genre, which is becoming more and more common in today’s web-based society. Compared to official federal documents, or the lightweight pieces in magazines or newspapers, the information a company has on their website is structured not only to draw the consumer in but also to give information on how to get in touch, where to get the product, and how they started. Conscious Kombucha is a much smaller company than for example Amazon.com, or Wal-Mart, but they share the same concept. They do not offer any online purchases, so the goal of the website is to sell their brand well enough to get people to find the local retailer and purchase their product there. It is a very simple concept, and it is directly aimed at the potential consumer. On the website they establish both ethos, logos, and pathos in the sense that they seek to get the consumer to understand that they have the knowledge to create a good product, they take their environmental responsibility seriously, and that they do it with love and pride. As well as many other websites that companies set up, it is short and concise which makes it easy to get a grip on what kind of product they are selling. One can look at it as an interactive advertisement that also gives the consumer the possibility to connect with them through social media or by email. Many larger websites usually have a FAQ page, but since this website is of a smaller nature as well as the company being quite young it doesn’t have it. The readers of this genre is usually consumers of a more curious nature, those who seek to know more about the brand, and the writers try to fulfill that need in the best way possible.

            These three artifacts all belong to completely different genres and sub-genres, and they are all defined by the different conventions that they share or do not share. Even though they are from three different types of mediums they do have one thing in common, and that is that they all seek to connect with, and inform, the reader.  The TTB document seeks to establish an authoritative tone when explaining to the reader the regulations, the Independent article invites the reader into a more personal sphere of storytelling, and the Conscious Kombucha brand-website tries to convince the consumer that their product is the right choice for them. They do it in very different ways, and being aimed towards different audiences, but they are all written in an open and inviting manner, not completely excluding anyone by using a heavy load of jargon or slang, and in my slightly bias opinion, I think they succeed.

Artifacts used:

Conscious Kombucha. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.consciouskombucha.com/

Kelley, S. (2013, August 20). To Your Health! Retrieved from

http://www.independent.com/news/2013/aug/20/your-health/

Kombucha. (2015, September 24). Retrieved from

http://www.ttb.gov/kombucha/index.shtml

I hope you have a wonderful week!

Keeping it Real

I think that one of the most interesting tools we have as human beings is being able to conjure an image of ourselves that can cater to a lot of different people. I enjoy writing, and it comes quite easy for me, but the problem that I have faced multiple times is that I can find myself confined by rules as conventions that I might not necessarily like. Through the years I have learned how to do it though, at least to some extent, but I know that I still have a long way to go before I am as proficient as I want to be.

In the two readings I found a lot of great tips (yes, I will define what I mean and not keep it this generic) and I do think that many of us might think ourselves better at self representation/rhetoric than we actually are. I found the "Murder!" text quite interesting, since it really shows us how much we have in our minds even though we might think us not knowledgeable. But it also showed me that we easily jump to conclusions -or simply follow a frame- rather than stop and think about what we are actually writing. Being able to understand and respect different genres, as well as their content (jargon, formality, etc. etc.) will make us better writers as well as better individuals in the sense that we may make more rational decisions in life. In text numero dos I found the same thing as in "Murder!". It is easy for us to pretend something, but it is harder to really do it. Anyone can put on a mask and pretend do be someone, but to actually understand it it takes more work. The chapter emphasizes the importance of research, and of not lying, when writing about something, and I think that is a very good point. We can only represent ourselves, the trick is how to do it so that we can be seen with respect from many different points of view.




Over and out

Marta

It's time to play the music, it's time to light the lights..

Hello everyone! Hope your week is going swell.

My name is Marta Waldrop Bergman, and I am (to no ones surprise probably) Swedish. I have been in SB for two years, attending SBCC where I graduated this spring with two AA degrees. I am a communications majors, as well as an environmental studies major. I am very excited to get started at Antioch, and I feel ready to embrace any challenges that may come my way. I am 23 years old, an animal lover, huge fan of puns, and I love trying new things.

After reading the three pieces for this weeks reading response I noticed that I connected them without really thinking to hard about it. I think the main ideas of the texts were that everything we say or write, or communicate in general, will always be perceived differently depending on who the receiver is. We need to be able to adapt our way of communication in order to get the most out of what we are trying to say. I think the texts really gave a good idea of how important it is to be aware of how and when you communicate in order to become an eloquent writer/speaker. I also enjoyed the explanation of rhetoric, since I think that the art of being a good speaker has gotten lost a little in modern day society. It might seem as if there is a lot of work that has to go into the work you create, and that is very true. But by being able to understand why and how to do it, it will become fun and interesting. Practice is key, basically.

So, let's do this!

Marta

PS. I am loving that we get to read comics, I am pretty much five years old on the inside. DS.