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“With Apologies to Virginia Woolf”

As women we are always playing catch up to the male revolved world. Powerful women rarely earn respect more often they receive unpretentious stereotypes. As Hillary Clinton embarks on her campaign trail she has bestowed a new hope in women across the nation. That was until she cried on the campaign trail! According to a recent article posted on Jezebel, entitled “Crying at Work: Generally a Dumb Idea, Right?” They reflect on women crying in the workplace. It seems the only positive they find from it is advancing your position, pathetic I feel. Once again we are regressing by proving to men and others we are too weak and need them to empower us. I once said “For it is a perennial puzzle why no woman wrote a word of that extraordinary literature when every other man, it seemed, was capable of song or sonnet” (woolf 41). Now that women are beginning to receive the power in which they have strived for they are learning to adjust to their new role in society which should not include crying in the work place!

http://jezebel.com/369295/crying-at-work-generally-a-dumb-idea-right

Throughout the entirety chapter two in Virginia Woolf’s, A Room of One’s Own, there is a paradoxical tone. Some of it is due to the fact that I as the reader have to interpret what she is saying. She begins by mocking individuality “We were all being shot backwards and forwards on this plain foundation to make some pattern” (Woolf 26). Woolf is describing the aura she feels in London as if individuals are overseen it is the whole picture of London that anyone gives any importance to. It is interesting because in the first chapter she proclaims that men are powerful individuals and now she is saying that everyone goes through the same motions. As she continues on with her day into the library to research her ideas on women and fiction she develops a frustrated tone. She reaches a point where she cannot bear to read what male authors have to say about females. “One might as well leave their books unopened” (Woolf 31). She realizes that it might be best for her to make her own observations and tangible evidence, not the arbitrary work of men. The most profound idea of irony Virginia Woolf professes relates to what she had been working towards during the proximity of the chapter, “Yet it is in our idleness, in our dreams, that the submerged truth sometimes comes to the top” (Woolf 31).  This is so ironic because here Woolf has spent the entire book searching for answers and than admits that sometimes answers and the “truth” just come to you when you expect it the least. It is interesting to read her work as she writes from the mind leaving much for the reader to interpret.

The paragraph I feel is very influential in the reading of  “Web of Influence,” talks about how blogging can relay information from all around the world that other news sources might not have access to. Consider foreign newspapers for example, regular television and local newspapers are not going to take the time to translate the articles for Americans to read. On occasion they might talk about a headline story from another country but for the most part one has to search for their news on other countries. My point is that mainstream media is not going to take the time to give you small detailed stories. They focus their time on big issues that involve their coverage area. Although some readers may object that foreign countries are well represented in mainstream media, I would answer that not enough attention is given to current events beyond our American boarders.

After reading the interviews and scrolling through the websites of both Markos Moulitsas Zuniga and Marie Cox, I feel I would personally be influenced towards a particular vote by Marie Cox. She is brutally honest which I admire. On her site she uses catchy titles and has made the sure the site is navigable. At one point in her interview she compares blogging to drunken talk. Meaning that there is a lot of babble but every once in a while something profound comes out of it. I cracked up when she said “I don’t want to ruin anyone’s life. But I don’t mind ruining their day,” (Cox 62). This comment lead me to believe that she will be truthful about candidates, however will not post the backstabbing garbage many political blogs use in attempt to kill a campaign career. Usually I find female political advocates and writers overbearing with a feminist tone however I truly enjoyed Cox’s writings. I give props to Marie Cox she is an admiral women.

After looking over Scobles’ rules of engagement for the blogosphere I have decided to use Jezebel as my blog to analyze. They follow number eighteen very well in linking to competitors (Scobel).  Often when I am browsing through and reading posts I will click on a link and be on another blogging site without even taking much notice of it. Jezebel really focuses to bring readers what they want even if they themselves cannot provide it they will pool the resources available to them to give the consumer easy access. In addition Jezebel also uses rule two “Post fast on good news or bad,” (Scobel).  This is probably not the exact context in which Scobel was referring to however; Jezebel posts many blogs a day in connection with celebrity news and gossip so that readers can be informed of events almost instantly. I fell that Jezebel might not always be telling the truth which applies to rule number one (Scoble). It is not that they are intentionally lying, it is just that gossip and trends can be deceitful. That being said this sort of trend blogging really does not need to follow the Corporate Weblog Manifesto because it is a hub of many information sources. I think that the operators of Jezebel are accomplishing what there site is intended for with whatever guidelines they currently follow.

To look at either Scobles’ Rules or Jezebel Blog click the links below.

http://jezebel.com

http://radio.weblogs.com/0001011/2003/02/26.html

Since reading Joi Ito’s “Japanese Blogger Champions Internet Democracy,” I understand a new meaning behind blogging. Actually I have developed a stronger since for the importance of the freedom of speech I have as an American. After all in many countries one cannot express their own values or contradict a political authority. Ultimately Ito says the importance of being able to express oneself freely very well, “Giving people a voice may be more important that giving people the vote,” (Ito 150). Despite the fact that blogging has much minutia the fact that people are willing to pay to have their voice be heard shows the importance of speech in our society. Although it is hard to make a living off of blogging, a person can pay to express themselves through clothing or words. No one can duplicate your expression of words it is truly blissful.

I feel that the impact of blogging is more important on businesses. I came to this decision after reading “Blogs Will Change Your Business” by Steven Baker and Heather Green. The fact that blogs are changing media and businesses depend on media to advertise and sell their products proves they must invest into blogging. The term invest in the case is more of a time issue than a financial one. At first glance businesses might say that blogs are just online journals. But on closer inspection one can see that consumers voice their opinions and have a powerful influence on companies through blogs. Baker and Green really enforce the importance of connecting your business to the blogosphere, “Go ahead and bellyache about blogs. But you cannot afford to close your eyes to them, because they’re simply the most explosive outbreak in the information world since the Internet itself. And they’re going to shake up just about every business- including yours.” (Baker, 222). While blogs might influence some ways of online communication the impact will directly effect businesses. The reading made me think how in the beginning of the internet some companies doubted the necessity of an online site, now a business is nothing without one. The same thing will soon happen with blogging.

Out of the blogs I watch I enjoy Jezebel the most. I was recently interest by their new post entitled “Free People: Someone Watched the Darjelling Limited Before Booking This Photo Shoot.” The reason I was interested in this article is because I enjoy the fashion industry and seeing the personas models develop to sell a particular product. Dodai states, “So yea, it’s kind of like Darjeeling Limited 2: Electric Booglaloo, if Wes Anderson wanted to do such a thing.” Basically Dodai is saying that these advertisements are making a joke out of Americanized people in India similarly to a recent film Wes Anderson produced. In all of the pictures or ads they depict designer clothing emerged in Indian culture however they missed some important themes in the culture aspect that could be argued as offensive. As Dodai points out, “Hey, is she rocking a leather purse while standing next to a scared cow?” Dodai is trying to show that there is a fine line of mixing the use of an ethnic setting with the culture and local people as a theme for models with the trends of the first world countries and advertising. If you would like to see the photographs, amusing captions and article click the following link.

http://jezebel.com/356222/free-people-someone-watched-the-darjeeling-limited-before-booking-this-photo-shoot/

I recently visited the Kenyan Pundit, Http://www.kenyanpundit.com to learn more about the site. I wanted to compare my findings of the blogging site to the ones Rebecca Mackinnon described in her article “Making Global Voices Heard,” It is a very simple site with a photograph of Kenya at the top of the page followed by blogs relating to events, politics and other news about Kenya. The text is written on what looks like white paper tacked to a cement wall it feels austere. There is only one photo visible however there is a link provided of more photographs.  The blogs are written by Ory Okolloh who is a Kenyan Native that graduated from Harvard. There is formal writing used however the blog can range from updates on Kenya to descriptions of events to benefit the country.  I agree with Mackinnon’s statement “These young tech-savvy professional Kenyans are using blogs to criticize the mainstream press, which they find a bit tame.” (Mackinnon, 330). I feel that the website is still developing the Kenyan blogosphere while enlightening others about the true happenings of Kenya. Here many journalists would probably object that their articles are well researched and hold much credibility. I still feel that it is reassuring to have articles written by native representatives.

I just read Ayelet Waldman’s “A Weblog Save My Life Last Night,” and am perplexed by her virtual vulnerability. As an accomplished writer she allows others into her personal life through her livelihood, words. I’m of two minds about Waldman’s claim that “From the perspective of a writer who works hard at making every word count and being thoughtful, the blogs are true and amazing in some ways but it can bleed over into the rest of your writing,” (Waldman, 311). On the one hand I agree that writers put meaning into every one of their words and that blogging can mesmerize one’s thoughts. On the other hand, I’m not sure if Waldman allowed her mental instability to mesh her personal blogs with her work related writings. Waldman is trying to express that her blogging affected her ability to focus on career writing. That explained life happenings in her blogs that her and her husband would normally incorporate in there work.
She contradicts herself in her writings and cannot have it both ways. On one hand she claims she is proud of being able to post such vulnerable thoughts such as her suicidal post. But on the other hand, she also says “At that moment I realized I didn’t want to be having that kind of a breakdown in front of 2,800 people.” (Waldman, 313). She made a post and received feedback providing support and implying she needed help. Did she honestly expect a different reaction from blogging world or did she realize that in her career writings she could express her true feelings in a way that was incognito.