Entry #11 Blogging

I am really glad I had the opportunity to try blogging. It was always something I thought would be fun, but I never really tried it because I wouldn't know where to start. I took this assignment seriously and I think it is something I will continue. I think this was an experience, not just an assignment. 

Aside from the actual blog, this project has helped me get my ideas out. I am able to express my opinion more thoroughly. I think blogging is good for people who are shy and aren't used to speaking to others. Blogs help people get out of their comfort zone and talk about things they feel passionately about. I'm not as afraid of sharing my thoughts and opinions now.

One issue I encountered with the blog was choosing topics for self-generated posts. I think instead of self-generated topics there should be a subject and everyone can choose something from within that subject. Our final writing assignment was a broad subject and everyone narrowed down to what they wanted to write about. I think that would be better than self-generated posts because some posts that I commented on just seemed completely off topic. They seemed like social media posts instead of blog posts. I also had a difficult time choosing topics that would still relate to the assigned posts.

Overall, I think the blog is a great assignment and would enjoy it if I had a blog as an assignment for every English class.

Entry #11 Food, Inc (EC)

After watching the film Food, Inc. I was surprised by many things. 

First, by the market. I was surprised to see the beef market is controlled by 5 companies making of %20 of the market in the 1970s then more than %80 by 4 companies now. It wasn't very surprising to know the whole industry is run by a handful of companies. It just made me think how hard change is when these companies are so powerful and in control. 

Another thing I wasn't surprised by was the family eating the sad-looking hamburgers. In America, there are a lot of families who can't afford to eat healthily or don't have time to. It's also crazy to think you can get a complete meal at a fast food restaurant for a few dollars and maybe a few apples at the grocery store for the same price. Of course, a family with a low income would prefer and really have to eat fast food. 

Another part of the film that shocked me was the part about the chickens. The narrator was talking about how the "re-built" the chicken so people could have more white meat. I don't think animals and food should be designed or engineered. The chickens are so much bigger in half the time. The chicken farmer also talked about how the chickens were too big for their own bodies and that's why they couldn't walk more than a few steps. I felt like she hated the way they were farming but there's nothing she could do to change it. I think if she tried she could make a lot of changes in how she farms but it would be difficult to compete with other chicken farmers. It really is sad for farmers who still care. 

Entry #10 Food Labels

Do people really care what is in there food?

If people are well informed, know what organic food is, what pestecides do, and more, will they change their eating habits?

I know a lot of people who don't change their eating habits even though they know how bad they are for their health.

It's all because of convenience. It is easier for them to buy a cheap, microwavable meal than to buy all of the engredients fresh and organic then make a meal themselves.

Food manufacturers also know how to label foods and make them seem healthy. They also create commercials and advertisments that would make it seem unhealthy if you didn't purchase their products.

So, it understandable that many consumers purchase unhealthy foods.
It is cheap, readily available, and advertised as a healthy product.
It seems nearly impossible to get people to change their eating habits.

Entry #9 Organic

                                             (http://fromthefieldtoyourplate.blogspot.com)




Is eating organic really going to affect a family's budget?

More importantly, why isn't eating organic more of a priority?

At Walmart a three pound bag of Fuji apples costs about four dollars and a two pound bag of organic  Gala apples also costs four dollars. That is a difference of about seventy cents per pound. How bad would it be to spend less than a dollar extra on a pound of apples?

We spend a lot of money. We don't realize it, but we spend money on things we could live without or that have cheaper alternatives.

Is spending an extra two hundered dollars on a designer purse to impress your friends for five minutes more important than your health?

There are a lot of extra expenses we could cut out and trade for our health. 

Organic food is better for you in the long run. 

Entry #8 Eggs

After the film Fresh, one of the things I began thinking about was eggs. What are the differences, between hormone free, cage free organic, and other things written on egg cartons? Why are brown eggs seen as healthier? Are they more expensive because they are healthier?

After a quick Google search I found a lot of information to answer my questions.

First, the reason brown eggs are more expensive is the chickens that lay them eat more food and are more expensive to raise. They are usually organic eggs, but white can can also be organic. Expensive is usually related to the word organic so that may be why people think brown eggs are healthier. In reality, there isn't much difference in the nutritional value.

The reason the yolk in brown eggs is more intense in color is because the brown chickens have more corn in their diet. That results in different color yolk.

A cage free egg means the chickens were not in a cage, but that doesn't mean they had access to the outdoors.

Free range, cerrtafied organic, and pasture raised chickens do have access to the outdoors.

Acorrdingt to humanesociety.org, "There are few regulations on what egg-laying hens eat. The exception is certified organic birds. Their feed is organic, vegetarian and free of pesticides and antibiotics, as required by the USDA’s National Organic Program."

Based off of this information, I believe the best eggs would have to be certfied organic. 

Entry #7 Fresh Foods

I have thought about where our food comes from, but never too deeply. After watching the film Fresh, I have been thinking about it much more.

That is the purpose of the film- to make us more aware of what we eat. The audience is people like me who want to know more, but don' really think about it. I think it is a really good film because it clearly shows many issues and solutions in the food industry.

I liked that the film showed solutions for the consumers and producers. There are farmers who take care of their animals and farmland and makes more money than those who don't. Consumers can easily go to local farms, family-owned supermarkets, grow their own food, and more. 

Just knowing what you are eating and where it came from can leave you with a happy mind and a happy body. I think it is important for people to know these things so that they can make better decisions about what they eat and what they buy.

Entry #6 Online Learning

There are many ways to benefit from the Internet besides making money. The best way could be online education. Online learning allows anyone, anywhere to learn. I think it is a great thing for people who are unable to attend school regularly because of health or family issues. 

Some people, like me, choose to attend online school for other reasons. I attend an online high school because I like to be more focused on my education. I found that in regular schools teachers and students usually don't care much about the actual learning. It is more about socializing. 

Others may think online school or homeschooling means that a student can't socialize. Actually, students have many opportunities to socialize through volunteer work, school field trips, clubs, and more. It all goes down to the student's preferred way of learning.

Entry #5 Likes and Comments

 I think people see likes and comments as compliments on a larger scale. Like when you get a new haircut you expect people to compliment you when you go out. If you don't get any compliments, you start to re-think your haircut. Its the same on social media. When you post a picture, you expect people to tell you how great you look. If nobody says anything, you start to think the picture doesn't look so good. If your picture gets a like, you are liked.

In real life when we compliment someone they usually compliment us back. That's why many people on social media feel they need to reply with a comment in the form of a compliment. Comments are important to people on social media. They also want a real compliment, not just the same comment that's been posted on countless other pictures.

A like is much different from a comment and when a person posts something they wonder about people who like but don't comment on their picture. Is it because the picture doesn't deserve a comment? Do they not care enough to comment? To some people liking is just easier than commenting, but others take it more seriously.

Entry #4 Online Influencers

Online influencers are exactly what the name portrays. They influence people through social media. They can be paid by companies to influence consumers or they can be influencing consumers towards their own products or services.

They can influence people through many different social media platforms, but usually through Instagram or Youtube. This is because companies can clearly see the number of followers or subscribers. This means they can pick the people with the largest amount of followers to advertise for them.

Many people do take influencer opinions into consideration when making purchases, but others find it difficult to trust them. They can get paid for saying practically anything is good. Does that mean they'll only advertise things they actually approve or will they advertise anything they benefit from? It also makes you wonder why people care about their opinion either way.

Entry #3. Digital Identity

One online personality that has always interested me is Huda Kattan. Not only does she have the same name as me and comes from the same country as me, but she is very successful. She became successful through her online identity.

Her path to success started on her blog. She connected with the beauty community and created her own niche. She gained popularity through her blog and even more through her youtube videos. Many of her videos went viral for being a bit over the top or intriguing.

After creating her own beauty line and her rise to fame, Huda Kattan used Youtube much less. Her blog is also being run by a team instead of by her. She mostly uses Instagram now as a way of self-advertisement. Followers flock to her page in hopes of having their pictures reposted. Having a picture reposted by her is a big deal considering she has over 24 million followers. She, of course, chooses the ones who use her products in their pictures or videos.

She is still seen as a very important person in the beauty industry. To me, it seems as though her money is now more important than her audience. As with many influencers, it is harder to trust her opinion now that everything she recommends is a paid advertisement. 

Entry #2 What Makes a Good Blog

After reading several blogs, I want to share my thoughts on what makes a good blog.

#1. Having a Purpose

I think this diagram clearly illustrates what a purpose can be.
Without a purpose, the blog doesn't really mean anything.


#2. Being Organized

Having an organized blog is just as important as having organized papers and files.

Posting in a certain order, creating tabs, and adding tags make the blog easier to navigate.

#3. Staying on Topic

As a reader, I don't want to go on a cooking blog and end up reading someone's life story. It is nice to have some personal details, but not so much that the reader forgets why they're on the blog in the first place. 

#4. Using Descriptive Language

To describe food, saying it tastes good isn't enough to let the reader know what the food tastes like. Using more descriptive words, like the ones in the picture, will give a better understanding and will make readers more interested. 

There are many more things that make a good blog, but these are a few things I like to see in blogs and make me want to continue reading.

Entry #1. Blogs

I enjoy most blogs. I prefer casual/professional blogs over other types of blogs because they provide information while still being enjoyable to read. Some blogs seem to have no reason to exist. Other blogs have too much information to process.

I dislike gossip blogs because they seem unimportant and to me, not entertaining. For example, http://perezhilton.com is full of "scandals" and rumors that are insignificant. Some people, I'm sure, enjoy reading these types of blogs, but I can live without them.

Other blogs, like http://fairlanguages.com/page/2/ , have a clear purpose. I like this blog because it has all kinds of information about language including other resources for language learning. I like that it is clear, organized, and easy to navigate.

One blog I really don't like is http://www.living4impact.com . Looking at the title of the blog, I thought it would be about raising awareness about one thing or another. After looking through the blog I'm not sure the author thought it through or knew what they wanted to write about. One post is about taking care of rabbits, the next maid service in California, one about online casinos, and another about plumbing service in Canada. None of the posts seem related to each other. I know I never want to read it again.

After reading the last blog, I understand why it is important to have a clear purpose, audience, and tone when writing. Otherwise, the writing doesn't make any sense to the reader.

Introduction

Hello!

My name is Huda and I am a high school senior preparing myself for college. I have many goals, mostly geared towards my education. First, I want to graduate on time, then finish my bachelor's degree in biology, study dermatology, and have my own clinic. I am only eighteen years old and I believe I will create many more goals along the way of the reaching the goals I have already set for myself. For now, my top priority is graduating high school on time. The high school I attend is an online high school so I hope through this blog I will be able to express myself in a better way with peers. I enjoy blogs because they are an excellent way of voicing opinions and ideas for constructive criticism. I am excited to be writing this blog so that I may share my thoughts and receive feedback from readers.

All constructive criticism is welcomed, thank you.