Persuasive Argument: Grade for the Semester

I was actually pretty nervous about taking this course once I realized how much blogging we’d be doing since I had never blogged in my life, nor had I planned to. For the first few assignments, I wrote my pieces as though I were writing a regular feature story or essay. But after viewing some of my classmates’ blogs, I realized I needed to make some changes; and looking back at my first blog posts, I wish I had caught on a little sooner. Many of my original posts contain no pictures or any types of media, which I now understand is crucial to a good blog post. The use of visuals catches the reader’s attention, and adds variety to the blog, keeping them interested and reading what you have written.

A visual I should have used in my
post about Ivan!

The worst blog post I did was the feature on one of our guest speakers Ivan Lajara. 
Looking back at my notes, Lajara gave plenty of facts and information I could have incorporated to make my blog post more interesting, and a picture wouldn’t have hurt either. It is no surprise I earned a C for this post, which was the worst grade I received throughout the semester. As I continued to blog, I felt myself becoming more comfortable in doing so, and my experience was reflected through my grades. Besides that one C on the piece about Lajara, each of my blog posts earned at least a B, but mostly A’s.

Twitter 

I am proud of the amount I’ve improved in blogging,  which is something I never imagined I’d be doing. I think my level of improvement should be a significant factor in the grading process, because it shows that I not only can complete an assignment, but that I am able to take constructive criticism and refine my writing. I am also thankful that you showed us the importance of blogs and social media such as Twitter, and Storify, as they are becoming larger and widely used in the journalism world today. For my final grade in this class, I feel I deserve an A- or a B+ based off of my grades, and level of improvement throughout the semester... I hope you agree! 

Aids social media storytelling.