Journal 7

Writing, editing, and composing all have a clear definitiona and meaning to me now. Although they each have a specific defintion of their own, I have learned from this class that they all work together in a triangle. You cannot have one without the other. There are a couple more terms I have learned about that help me further my understanding of the composing process. These terms include: audience, text, creativity, design, and impression. All these components play a major role in composing.

Before this class I had dictionary defintions of all these terms. Project 2 has taught me that, even though this is a good starting point, we need to understand that it goes much deeper than that. For project 2 we had to use these terms first hand, for the remediation, you had to figure out what kind of audience you were targeting, what design is going to be appealing to them, what medi, what genre, and they all work closely together.

journal 8

I liked how everyone approached their organization differently. Some, like us, had connections already that they leaned on, while others originally pursued different organizations only to be turned down and have to fall back on another. Even the way teams created their artifacts, the composing process was different for each. Some divided it up and others, like the church one, actually got together with their organization and brainstormed what the representatives wanted and what worked best.

I think everyone thought about the genre they were working in, whether it be animals that directed their artifacts into bright and fun avenues, or more serious organizations that required them to create more serious and somber texts. Everyone worked within a genre that best suited their organization and the genre they were working in. Paying attention to audience and genre were things that I think every group did well. They tailored their texts to suit the audience and the organization's needs and desires, and I really enjoyed seeing all the different takes people took. Especially with the animal rescue places, since several groups did basically different variations of the same organization, it was cool to see the direction each of them took in creating their texts and speaking to their audience. I'm curious to see which one of those did the best, honestly.

I found a lot of things that other groups did that I would have liked to employ in my group. For one, all of the groups that created shirts, I thought that was just brilliant. Thinking out of the box like that was not something that my team really carved out time to get together and do. We were all so busy and we didn't even design our texts together, so I would have liked to do that if we could do it again. Definitely paying closer attention to circulation, because some groups had specific events that they created texts for that had been done with for weeks, and their texts had a chance to be circulated much longer than ours.

Overall I learned a lot from this project, and I think everyone did very well.

Journal 7

I currently would define writing as creating a message through the use of text and imagery. Editing I would define as the careful critic of one’s work that eventually will lead to the production of the best text possible. I would define composing as the arrangement and careful assembling of texts or pictures that are meant to reach a certain audience and spread the message of the composer. In order to define these words I would use key terms such as circulation, audience, assemblage and exigence. Without realizing the importance of circulation and reaching audience, the text will never be able to reach it’s full potential. Assemblage is important in the way that recreating texts and composing old texts in new ways are very prominent in our every day life. Lastly, exigence is the sole reason we write. Without an exigence, there would be no purpose in our work. Through project two I have gained a new perspective on what these important definitions mean in my own works. When I was creating my assemblage, I really noticed the importance of design and the way that my text flowed. Without paying attention to these key elements, you may not reach your intended audience or spread the message. My experience outside of class in my work and in my personal life has also played a role in helping me define these terms. When I am composing for myself, I still find that the way that I arrange and design my texts affects the message that the work gives off. One significant change I have made from my theory of composing in week two is the fact that exigence is one of the most important factors. I neglected to see the importance and necessity for an exigence in your writing until I began work on Project 2. Without a specific exigence, we can not be certain what audience and purpose we are referring to. In my Project 2 I was able to identify my exigence in the beginning, which later helped to shape every decision I made while working. I realized that without my exigence, I would have no reason to respond through my compositions.

Journal 8

After watching the different groups present their projects, I noticed that all groups basically followed the same process or very similar processes. Each group began by contacting their organization, some groups had issues with initial contact and had to regroup with a new organization, and then they worked with the heads of their organizations to devise a plan of action. After figuring out the needs of the organization, most teams began to work on their artifacts to present to the heads. Unfortunately when some of the groups met with their organization again, their ideas were not exactly what the heads had wanted. At that point, final revisions had to be made and then relayed again to the organizations. Each group had great ideas and their creativity was evident in the ways that each individual group decided to design their texts. Some groups used mostly digital medias while other groups had a variety. Everyone did a fantastic job of choosing the correct genre that would be most effective for their purpose. Also, many groups used online or social media related campaigns in order to increase the amount of circulation their texts would receive. After listening to everyone’s campaigns and how they devised their plans, I learned many different things that I can apply to another project. If I could do the project again, I would have my team do much more research on what organization to use so that if our plans fall through we would have a sure fire back up. Another important lesson that I would take away from this would be that effective communication between the client and the group is essential for a successful campaign. Without constant and clear communication, it is much more likely that the plan will not play out as planned and will not be successful in meeting goals. Lastly, I learned that thinking out of the box is important when trying to impress your clients. Creativity and individuality are what sets you apart from the rest and will create a lasting impression that the organization will easily remember. 

Journal 8

     After seeing my peers present, I was very impressed with the caliber of work done by them. Every project was different and original and I really felt like I learned more about each person in this class through the genre and presentation of their projects. I remember really struggling with the idea of genre when I first began this class. I chose genre as my keyword for Project 1 because it was the most challenging concept for me because I have only ever thought of genre in terms of types of books. Through this class, and especially now after the presentations, I saw genre come to life. As a marketing major as well, I realized how genre of their marketing tools really does affect how a company works and runs effectively and according to company and audience, some genres will circulate better than others. I noticed though, that a lot of the constraints experienced by the groups had a lot to do with the lack of communication that they were able to have with the organizations they were working for. Time also seemed to be a constraint for most groups. We weren’t truly able to document the circulation effectiveness due to the constraints of the works not being publicized for long enough. I felt we desired to circulate a lot amongst college aged people and therefore circulated our works through certain networks that way. It is true though that we are the majority of the public voice, especially in Tallhassee as it is a primarily college oriented town. Social media is the networking platform of the world right now. I noticed that press releases and news articles really wasn't going to do the job for this project. We needed to create attention-grabbing campaigns for impatient American students and professionals, so that means graphics, and social media. If I could redo this project, I would’ve made out third artifact a short video illustrating the organization and its mission. I feel this mode would have been better suited for our audience and would’ve received a more emotional response on the issue that perhaps would’ve led to more circulation.

Journal #8

After watching the presentations, each group prioritized one keyword that benefitted their organization. Whether it was design to get people to recognize there message or a t-shirt to circulate, I liked how we were exposed to all of these keywords. Although they interconnected other keywords in the campaign, I did get the sense that one was the umbrella term for the others. One of the process that I noticed was the idea of circulation through participation. Instead of the usual social media posts, some groups actually physically promoted their work by wearing it. One of my goals for this project was to get college students to participate without even having to do too much. I loved how the groups were able to accomplish this. Some of the groups were constrained by their lack of communication with their organization or simply coming up with a design that they all can agree upon. In the end, they used the needs of the organization to create a genre that would successfully circulate and gain recognition. Some of the groups also used networking to even come in contact with the group they worked for. Each group took a different approach to this project which was pretty cool to see. All of the campaigns weren't just to let people be aware of the organization, but to also be a part of it.  After viewing the presentations, I would most definitely think of genre that was unique in a sense. The t-shirt ideas really stuck with me because it could have effectively gotten the word out. Like a group pointed out, most college students wear big shirts to school so it would have been a good idea to exploit our laziness and lack of dressing up for school. It reminds of the time where I would always to Madison social t-shirts being worn on campus. Now, I frequently hang out there. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this project, even with its ups and downs. It was a great learning experience that I will forever remember and take on with me when I begin working in my field.

Journal 8

All of the different themes used many of the same key terms, but one that really stood out to me was circulation. I didn't realize how important circulation is for a project like this one until I saw all the presentations. Each group seemed like their main focus on the project was circulating. Whether it be online circulation or physical, there are specific ways to pinpoint the target audience.  I saw a common constraint among almost every group being a lack of time. Although we did have a lot of time to do the project, I feel like it took a while for a lot of people to solidify an organization.

Journal 8

When looking at how each group went through project 3 it seemed that most of the processes were similar. They started by brainstorming different types of organizations they could work with and what they could bring to the table. This process was different for each group because it depending on whether the first organization they pursued wanted to work with them. Once each group got an organization they focused on the groups needs. This is where each of the groups could've gone in different directions. This part was all about what the organization wanted and who they wanted the audience to be. Each of these ranged from social media accounts to flyers to videos. The options of this project were endless and the range was wide. I loved this project because we got to see first hand how it felt to cater to the needs of an organization and to wait on them hand and foot.

When thinking about what my group would have done differently, I think I would focus more on the audience alongside with what the organization wanted. I think we should have tried to incorporate what we thought would be appealing. The organization knew exactly what they wanted, but they didn't seem like they thought about what would work for the audience. I think our artifacts were good, but if we had a little more time we could have made them seem more professional.

Journal 8

I like how circulation was done differently looking across the different presentations. Some groups used T-shirt designs to circulate and appeal to specific Audiences; other groups used posters, and one group even used an infographic. Audience was also used differently, in reference to circulation, as different things were used to appeal to different audiences. I also learned about different constraints, sometimes organizations fall through and stop replying, sometimes they have an event coming up and it gets cancelled, and oftentimes you think you're appealing to the right audience by doing certain things but its still difficult. My team and i should have provided our peers with information on how many people attended the event, how many followers the Instagram ended up with, and maybe even created a map with the cat rescue locations.

Journal 8

I think I was pleasantly surprised with everyone’s project 3. It was really cool to see how different theories and themes of composing influenced each different project and how some people focused more on different ideas. While some groups relied on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for circulation, others stuck to the old fashion way of circulating flyers throughout the campus by posting them on billboards in hallways or on boards on Landis Green. I learned about design and medium and how groups used T-shirts, infographics, videos, and Facebook headers to raise awareness for their organizations. I thought it was interesting that some people focused on different audiences. One group not only posted on FSU’s campus but also reached the Tallahassee community as a whole by posting flyers in Veterinarian Offices throughout the city. It was awesome seeing everyone’s focus and differing styles.

I thought it was interesting to see the different constraints when it came to working with others. Many groups had issues with communication with their organization, which I can understand how frustrating that is. It limited them on their ability to work and design. Some people were also constrained by their already existing marketing teams and their ideas as well. My group, specifically, was constrained by our organization’s posting. Because they didn’t circulate our materials, we weren’t able to see how well our texts assisted them. It would have been nice to see how we helped them.

I think that we could have thought a little more outside of the box. I wish that I had had more time to create a video because I think it would have been a great addition. I also would have loved for them to circulate our texts so we could have had a better understanding of circulation. I really love the t-shirt idea and think that that would have been a great marketing tool for our organization.