Writing and Grammar

For Monday's class (Feb. 1), please post a response to the following:

Many of you have indicated that you enjoy electronic and informal writing because you don't feel the same pressure to use proper spelling/grammar. What would your definition of grammar be? How did you learn grammar in your previous education? What function do you think grammar plays in the writing process? Are there advantages/disadvantages to using proper grammar? Are there times when it is inappropriate to use it?

Feel free to explore the topic a little beyond the structure I've provided here. If you have a strong opinion or feeling for an aspect of grammar I haven't included here, please share it in your post!

As always, shoot for around 500 words in your response, which should be posted as a comment to this post.

Blogging

I'm personally not a really big fan of blogging, so therefore I rarely do ever. I always seem to be on facebook because its always addicting when you're sitting around bored. Also I feel that it's a bit annoying having to read exactly what people are doing when they're about to do something new every minute of the day. I actually text quite often its a very convenient to keep in touch with family, friends, and your significant other. In this case I don't mind blogging because its an easy way to get points, other than that I don't feel the need to just go and write random stuff about what I'm doing, and I'm sure not many people care if any. I'm the type of person to go out and always be doing something. It's hard for me to just sit around and write about things. I would just really rather be going to play catch or shoot around at the gym. There is a lot of new technologys that help us communicate it various ways. People always seem to know what one another is doing at the exact time they are doing it. Personally I think this is a very relivent way to keep in touch also.

I would say I have quite a bit of experience writing electronically, but not as a blogger. I spend a lot of time on the computer and much prefer to do work on the computer than on paper, but I have never actually blogged before. I used to use IM a lot more in middle school before social networking sites got big, but as the times changed and sites like MySpace and then Facebook began popping up, there became less and less use for IM, especially now that there's a Facebook IM. I never really saw the use for e-mail, and pretty much the only reason I have one is for school and work. I have a Facebook and spend a lot of time on it, but I never really saw the use for Twitter, especially if you already have a Facebook. I try to keep my writing styles as similar as possible between computers and paper, but I think my writing tends to be a bit more informal on the computer and sounds more like the way I would talk. I think this happens because I am a pretty fast typer, so I just type what comes to my mind the way I would talk. When you're writing on paper, however, you really think out what you're about to write before you're writing it. The speed and ease is the thing I like most about writing electronically, though. I usually have a very hard time getting started on writing my papers, but once I get the first few sentences down, I tend to crank out an entire paper in the time that it took me to get the first few sentences down. Once my ideas get rolling, I basically just write the paper in my head as I go along, which is something that is a lot harder to do when you're writing with a pen and paper. However, I am not opposed to writing with a pen and paper. As I said earlier I think I tend to be more formal on paper, and it is useful for making outlines and things like that. Although I don't enjoy writing to the point that I take the initiative to do it without being assigned something at school or work, I generally enjoy writing as I am doing it and after the fact. There is a very pleasant feeling of satisfaction when you read over a piece of writing that you are proud of and that you know you did well on. With all that said, I look forward to what this class has to offer this semester, and trying my hand at this blogging thing.

I would say i have a lot of experience writing electronically. I have been typing on a computer and IMing since 6th grade, starting with AOL instant messenger. Then when Myspace came out started talking more on that. After facebook came out i stopped using myspace and just mainly used facebook. I've had an email for a long time using it to sign into websites but never really emailed untill I started college when we had to sign up for our flashline ID's and the only way to really talk to the teachers was to email them. Also i never blogged before this class. I think writing is completely different on the computer then from writing with a pen and paper. When you talk online either with AIM, Facebook, emailing, blogging, etc. people dont have to write out complete thoughts because there is so many acronyms that people made up to get out what there saying such as LOL, brb, w/e. Also with the computer you can talk to whoever whenever even if there in a different state. Unlike if you were to write a letter it may take a week just to get a response. When you have pen and paper your thought process takes a lot longer because you usually have to make a rough draft, then you have to revise the rough draft, finally you make your final copy and eventually type it up on the computer. Now a days computers make it a lot easier and faster to type something up since most kids can type faster then they can write something out. Also with the computer its easier to fix your mistakes since word has spell check and grammar check.

jacks blog 1

I have never really blogged, or been a big fan of blogging . I don't see why people need to post there opinion on something for the whole world to see. I do often use electronic devices to communicate through family, and friends. Texting is something that i use every single day. Texting someone can be extremely convenient if you just have something short to say, or even long to say. When you text someone you can really think out what you want to say next, which is nice. I also often use fcaebook. Social networking is a great way to communicate with all of your friend. If someone is having a big party, all you have to do is post it on facebook and everyone will see it. Other social networking sites like twitter, and myspace, i have never really been a fan of. I have never really blogged on a website before, but i am open to the idea. It is nice that everyone can see what the other people in the class have to say. Not only can they see it but they can also comment on it as well. For the most part i am happy with blogging for now because it is easy points and not really difficult. I look forward to this class and seeing every ones opinions on the subject Mr. Sabo has us writing on. Should be a good time

Ive never blogged before and dont exactly enjoy it either. I only write electronically when i text, use facebook, which i rarely do, or email somebody. When i am writing electronically its alot different from writing with pen and paper cosidering school is the only time im writing with them and electronically is usually to friends. when im writing to friends electronically im not worried about the correct spelling or grammar or thinking carefully about what im going to say i just write what i want to reply and send it away. on the other hand if im writing with pen and paper i want to carefully plan out what i want to say and check for spelling or grammar mistakes so i dont look like an idiot when i turn in my work.

Blogging

I always used to write electronically. I have used AIM to instant message, myspace and facebook to keep in touch with friends and emailing. I have enjoyed all of them but I think I have grown out of them. I believe that I can show a lot of myself through writing online. I remember my freshman year of high school there was this guy in some of my classes. We never talked much in person but we would talk through AIM everyday. I got to know him so well and we became close friends and have now been dating for three years. I think that myspace and facebook were just fun ways to talk to friends and express myself online. I had fun messaging people on myspace and felt it was like emailing but easier. I have had many email accounts and I’ve always thought I was too young for one because I thought that emailing was for old people. I have read people’s blogs on a site called xanga. I never really understood blogging so I have never tried it. I’m not exactly sure what blogging is at all. In my mind I think it is supposed to be like an online diary. People go on and they just write about their day or how they feel. I think they could just do that on paper but I feel that blogging is just a way to have a diary in our generation. Back in the old days, many people kept diaries. Now, I don’t think I know one person who has an actual diary.
I think that opposed to pen and paper, writing electronically lets many people express themselves more to others. Although some blogs can be private, others I know are open to the public to read and comment. I think it is a good idea to get comments on blogs because some people do want to let people into their lives even if they are strangers. It is always nice to get input from others on any kind of writing whether it is a research paper or a diary entry. If blogging is what I think it is like, then I don’t think that I will enjoy it. I don’t really enjoy getting on my computer much anymore. I personally think that computers are a waste of time and when I’m on a computer I get side tracked easily by the internet and such. I love writing though and I think this may be nice to write on a computer because I am anal about how neat papers look. I think the only reason I would chose to write electronically opposed to pen and paper is for the look of the paper, not the content. I think that I will be able to write the same electronically that I can write on pen and paper.
I think that there is a bad side to blogging and writing online. It is the fact that even though it is easier to get things out, it is also easier to be a fake person. It is hard for people to see who you really are through blogging.
Writing electronically may be interesting to some people but I honestly don’t believe I will like it. But, I guess since this is for a class I have to give it a try! J

College Writing I- First Blog

I have plenty of experience writing electronically such as, email, when writing to a friend or Professor, facebook, when posting status updates or writing on my friends walls, texting in every day life, and IM when talking to friends. Although I don't really have experience blogging, I am very open to new experiences. Writing will obviously change if you are using an electronic medium due to the fact that what you are writing is not necessarily graded and the words that you may use are not appropriate for the situation. What a person would write to a Professor in an email should be a lot more formal than when writing to a friend or relative. The writing should be proper and have no spelling or grammatical errors in the writing when writing to a Professor or colleague. Also, when blogging, the writing says something about the blogger and should be correct and not inappropriate because the reader of the blog could possibly get a different opinion of the blogger when reading it. A lot of my electronic writing is usually informal, because I mostly just talk to my friends. However, if I'm talking to a Professor, I must use formal writing. Writing says a lot about a persons personal skills and how they present themselves to other people, therefore the writing must show the audience what kind of writer you are and how you present yourself.

When it comes down to experience writing electronically, I am in short supply. I have never once blogged or read a blog in my life, to date. I generally do not use things such as facebook or twitter and tend not to IM. I use e-mail almost exclusively for business purposes. This is probably due to my not having a modern phone capable of these things or internet access where I currently reside, much to my displeasure. Generally, when I write electronically, I tend to be much more formal than if I were to write on paper. It has always struck me as weird to write short texts or emails in any other manner and the misspelling/abbreviations used nowadays I just can not seem to get myself to use, though I enjoy the brevity of the message, however easy it is to flub up information that way. The only times I've ever done something like that would be on forums where I posted casually, and this has only ever been a few times.

To be honest, I've no clue as to why I write formally, both on paper and electronically. Usually, it seems that writing electronically causes less formality and more liberties. I often wonder why it is I write that way, but I can't seem to pinpoint a reason, but I do know that when I write electronically, I tend to look down my nose at the screen. Maybe it is some sort of arrogance or a feeling of superiority, but I doubt either one is true, since I am lacking in both. Perhaps the feelings are due to thinking that most electronic writings are less formal, less spell checked, less grammatically sound, etc. that by not writing in such a manner, I am putting myself ahead of the norm instead of behind it, where I usually believe myself.

Usually, I only ever write for grades or for classwork. Homework, in-class essays, notes, papers. The first three almost always tends to be on paper while the latter is typed. The exception to the first group would be for classes such as this. Writing for myself almost always tends to be on paper, usually just short lists, reminders, plans and the like. Avoiding writing is something I've done very well in the past, and now that I am writing more, it almost feels like I ramble on and off topic, making points and comments as I think of them. Would that be considered as prose? That word seems to almost have a negative connotation to it, or a slight one already. Maybe my writing is not technically prose, but it is probably close, since I always fall far short of word limits. Even now, I'm short by a small chunk. Usually, when I write on paper, I look back at what I've previously written and seen what I could do to extend the sentence, but when typing I rarely look back except for proofreading for mistakes. The last four words.

My First Blog

I’ve never been a big fan of blogs. The only time I really write electronically if either Facebook, email, or on a forum. I’ll usually post a few status updates per week on Facebook, I’ll email very occasionally to a professor or friend, and I used to post a lot on a few forums. I believe that my writing does change when writing electronically, but not just because I’m typing but more for the audience that will be reading what I’m writing. Like on Facebook when I’m posting how I feel about my friend’s picture where he’s laying in the snow without a shirt on, it usually very informal compared to say emailing a professor about some project that I have questions on. If I have a question about how my car is stalling out I’ll go to my car’s forum and post it so someone will hopefully help me out, it would be somewhere in between informal and formal. Sometimes I’ll I’m someone, and that style of writing is just as lazy as my texting. The only time I really write with pen and paper is when it is some sort of research paper I’m writing for a class, so it’s always formal. Usually when I write electronically Google chrome will spell check my words so my spelling is always perfect. I do seem to read over what I write electronically compared to pen and paper because my hand writing is terrible, so my electronic writing tends to be formed very well. I’m usually distracted while writing on my computer, be it music, texting, Facebook, Amazon, TV, or Craigslist. So writing on my computer will usually take slightly longer than if I was writing on pen and paper in a classroom. So as I see it, my writing style mostly depends on its audience more than whether or not it’s electronic or pen and paper.

College Writing I-first blog

I originally started a blog a few months ago. I had good intentions of keeping up with it, but only have one post. I am addicted to Facebook and send out emails to my friends and family, but have never really been interested in Twitter. I used to write more with pen and paper, but now have focused more on electronic writing. I used to journal everyday, I did this for several years. My writing style changes drastically when writing electronically as opposed to writing with pen and paper. When writing electronically, be it on Facebook or what I have blogged, I usually will type an inspirational story, quote, etc. Sometimes I will post something on Facebook to get a message across to an individual or individuals that I may not want to say face to face with them, because I feel that it's not worth the confrontation. Also on Facebook, I might see one of my friends or family post that they either are having a bad day, or that something is wrong and it's an easy tool to use to send them a comforting thought, or suggestion without having to call and spend an hour or two on the phone with them. Which, in my opinion, would also be the downfall of electronic correspondence. With most conversations happening either via Facebook, text message, etc. alot of people have lost some of their social skills and being able to talk to another person face to face. One of the pluses of Facebooking is being able to locate friends that you would not have been able to locate and communicate with. For example, I have several friends that since high school have moved to other states and even other countries that I probably would have never known what has become of them, through Facebook I have found them and we are able to correspond, mainly through the chat or via Facebook email and I'm able to see what accomplishments they have had. I also am a part of a chat room called CafeMoms, where I can post on my wall and/or other's walls. We chat back and forth through IM, and exchange tips, ideas and suggestions through the forums.



As far as writing with pen and paper, as I have previously said, I used to journal alot. Usually if I'm writing on paper, I'm writing down what has occurred that day and my feelings and thoughts about the events. Sometimes I journal about my goals that I want to achieve. I also journal about the things that really hurt me or how I truly feel about what someone has done. Usually those writings are more personal, and not to be shared with others. It just helps me to put my thoughts and feelings out on paper. Besides journaling, I have also written poems, short stories, songs, etc. I like putting my feelings down on paper, it's a way to help relax, and de-stress if I've had a stressful day. I handwrite very few letters or cards to others, with the exception of Christmas cards and thank you notes or invitations. It has been years since I have handwritten a letter just to see how someone is doing, or give words of encouragement. With the internet and texting, and all of the other technology, it is just quicker and easier to text or post a comment or even send an email than it is to write a letter and put it in the mail, or even call a person on the phone. Some phone calls can last for hours, when you can send a text that might only take you a couple of seconds. Text messaging also saves several hours by being able to send a multiple text to several people at once instead of having to call each individual person to say invite them to a party or get together, etc.



In summary, when I'm writing electronically I can be very opinionated, usually I am trying to get a point across or send a message to someone without the confrontation. Writing electronically I also like to be inspirational and help cheer up others by posting quotes, words of encouragement, etc. When I'm writing with pen and paper, it's usually for only my benefit. Writing with pen and paper is usually meant for only my eyes to see, the writings are usually very vulnerable and private.

College Writing first blog

I have never written on a blog before or started one myself but I do use other electronic communication methods such as email, facebook and texting on my cell phone. I think our generation has poor grammer and spelling skills because everyone uses texting and social networking sites and begin to create their own type of shorthand by typing in a sort of texting speak and abbreviate many words to how only we can understand. Also, I think this is a bad trait because it is a bad habit to get into for life after college in the professional world. Employers and coworkers will want to be able to properly read the emails and electronic communication that you send and not have to figure out your code of abbreviations and misspellings. Even though these communication devices are helpful for getting in touch with people far away or keeping in touch with friends and family at any time anywhere it can affect how you write or even speak, when writing even I find myself almost writing shorthand or in abbreviations when you are in a rush to type or write something out. Also, people will use words like idk in their speech just because they think it is known by everyone but if they were in a work environment it would be frowned upon and they would be seen as uneducated or not professional. This could become a growing problem with younger people since they have been around these things longer so they will be comfortable with talking in text and it will have to be dealt with for our people to stay professional like. I do not use blogging and things of that sort until now so I think that this type of work will be a fun and interesting experience.