So Long and Adios!!

I am extremely thrilled that summer is finally here! I finished my last exam this morning, and work starts tomorrow. Despite my excitement, graduation looms at the end of next year, and there is so much I still have to do. I have to decide what I want to do after graduation, find another summer job, and finally close this blog. In the first week of this class, I would have been able to do this with no reservations. I was worried about having my opinions out there for everyone, and wanted to delete the blog upon completion. However, through the course of the semester, this has changed, and I now have a new appreciation for blogging. Overall, my experiences have varied, but I would like to take this time to share with you my likes/dislikes from this blog, and what I have taken away from this experience.

I might as well start off with the positives, since it is a beautiful day outside, and I am finally free from school for the summer. So, the aspect I liked the most is being able to read other people’s work. Class time is very limited, and it is nice to see the opinions of other classmates on the topics discussed. On top of that, I feel that some students are afraid to speak up in class, but when they write in their blogs, it is a whole different arena. The small sense of anonymity, allows students to open up and share their opinions. Also, it is nice that I know all of the people writing these blogs due to the small class size. It is more interesting to read when I am at least somewhat familiar with the person writing, which helps to gain a deeper understanding of where he/she is coming from. At the same time, the blogs allow us to become more aware of their experiences. Another aspect that I really liked is that it is a shared blog. In the beginning, it seemed like all of us just had really random experiences and there would be no way to create one blog to encompass all of our personalities. However, it is interesting that within the first few prompts, it was easy to see that we really are four college girls with a unique view of the world. Aside from these positives there are some negative aspects of my blogging experience.

The first thing I dislike is extremely hypocritical. I really hate having other people read my work. I rarely feel truly confident in my work, and the prospect of having people read and judge my statements kind of freaks me out. It is funny that my favorite part is to read other people’s blogs, but I do not want them to read mine. I know that this is a silly fear, and that I should have more confidence in myself, but it is not something that I am used to. Although I have adjusted through the semester this part of blogging is still not my favorite. I also dislike the requirements and deadlines for the blog. Although my group did a good job organizing who was going to write and who was going to respond, there were many times where I wouldn’t realize it was my week. In this case, I had to quickly scrounge together an outline and write a coherent blog/response. I guess this mainly bothers me because blogs are kind of like an opinionated journal, and there should just be a general requirement for how many times in the semester a student has to blog. I understand that in a structured class it is difficult to accommodate this style of writing, but I think it would create a more established ethos.

Aside from the bad aspects of this project, I would say that overall it was a good experience. I was not familiar with the many facets of blogging, and I now have a new sense of the public argument it can create. Although the writer may not know who is reading the blog, it can be assumed that someone, somewhere will read it, and possibly be affected by it. Also, it has helped me be able to share my writing with other people, and through the process I think I have become a better writer. I am able to formulate my thoughts more coherently, and I do not spend as much time looking at a blank screen. Even though I had a good experience with this project, I am happy and relieved to close this blog. Who knows maybe there will be a future blog by MS. (Time pending). But for now, so long and adios.