Reflection on Project 3

This post will go over some of the things that I did in between drafts of project 3.

The Central Intelligence Agency "hand mirror" Via WIkimedia Public Domain

1. The most important thing that I had to revise was the formatting of the draft to fit into the genre I was writing for.  I had to add hyperlinks and find places where I could create smaller paragraphs to better fit the genre.  I also added a banner at the top with the title because that is how it looks on the website.

2.  I changed my thesis a little to make it more clear that I would be refuting a certain point of view.  Also I changed my organization to make shorter paragraphs in general.

3. I made these changes because after reading through the article I realized that it is not particularly clear that it is a refutation, so I wanted the earlier paragraphs to reflect that better.

4. I think that the only way that they affect my credibility is the fact that it is more on topic, so it is more effective.  Aside from that it does not much affect credibility.

5. These better address the audience because it is better at addressing the specific topic, and will be better at addressing potential questions about the issue.

6.  I changed structure to generally be shorter when possible, and I tried to cut down on jargon as much as possible and keep it relatively informal.

7. The changes will assist my audience in understanding my purpose because especially the first two paragraphs have been changed extensively to make them seem more specific and relevant to my argument.

8. I did go through a few iterations of my draft and how it reflects the genre.  I initially thought that I was going to model it after articles on gizmodo, but I changed it to a less image based tech blog after giving the nature of the topic some thought.

9. I do think that this project has helped me to establish my identity as a writer because I have been able to state my opinion in a way that I have essentially complete control over.

Publishing Public Argument

This is my final draft of my public argument.

llyushka "Done" Via Wikimedia CC BY-SA 3.0 

Link to project 3: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1vus_I_dz9ASSpkF4LsPkPEPGx_4NnYTzepLae4Bh2uk/edit?usp=sharing

1. Mark with an "x" where you feel your target audience currently stands on the issue (before reading/watcing/hearing your argument) below:

←----------------------------------------------------|----------x----------------------------------------------->

Strongly                                            Totally neutral                                                    Strongly

agree                                                                                                                          disagree

2. Now mark with an "x" where you feel your target audience should be (after they've read/watched/heard your argument) below:

←--------------------------------x--------------------|--------------------------------------------------------->

Strongly                                            Totally neutral                                                    Strongly

agree                                                                                                                          disagree

3. Check one (and only one) of the argument types below for your public argument:

         _______ My public argument etablishes an original pro position on an issue of debate.

         _______ My public argument establishes an original con position on an issue of debate.

         _______ My public argument clarifies the causes for a problem that is being debated.

         _______ My public argument prooposes a solution for a problem that is being debated.

         _______ My public argument positively evaluate a specific solution or policy under debate (and clearly identifies the idea I'm supporting).

         ____x___ My public argument openly refutes a specific solution or policy under debate (and clearly identifies the idea I'm refuting).

4. Briefly explain how your public argument doesn’t simply restate information from other sources, but provides original context and insight into the situation:  

Because essentially all of the current opinions on the issue are in the form of open letters and statements to the media, there has been little to no back and forth argumentation.  I think that I bridge that gap by directly addressing and refuting a point of view that has not yet been directly addressed in this context. 

5. Identify the specific rhetorical appeals you believe you've employed  in your public argument below:

Ethical or credibility-establishing appeals

                    _____ Telling personal stories that establish a credible point-of-view

                    ___x__ Referring to credible sources (established journalism, credentialed experts, etc.)

                    ___x__ Employing carefully chosen key words or phrases that demonstrate you are credible (proper terminology, strong but clear vocabulary, etc.)

                    _____ Adopting a tone that is inviting and trustworthy rather than distancing or alienating

                    ___x__ Arranging visual elements properly (not employing watermarked images, cropping images carefully, avoiding sloppy presentation)

                    _____ Establishing your own public image in an inviting way (using an appropriate images of yourself, if you appear on camera dressing in a warm or friendly or professional manner, appearing against a background that’s welcoming or credibility-establishing)

                    _____ Sharing any personal expertise you may possess about the subject (your identity as a student in your discipline affords you some authority here)

                    ___x__ Openly acknowledging counterarguments and refuting them intelligently

                    ___x__ Appealing openly to the values and beliefs shared by the audience (remember that the website/platform/YouTube channel your argument is designed for helps determine the kind of audience who will encounter your piece)

                    _____ Other: 

Emotional appeals

                    _____ Telling personal stories that create an appropriate emotional impact for the debate

                    _____ Telling emotionally compelling narratives drawn from history and/or the current culture

                    ___x__ Employing the repetition of key words or phrases that create an appropriate emotional impact

                    ___x__ Employing an appropriate level of formality for the subject matter (through appearance, formatting, style of language, etc.)

                    _____ Appropriate use of humor for subject matter, platform/website, audience

                    _____ Use of “shocking” statistics in order to underline a specific point

                    _____ Use of imagery to create an appropriate emotional impact for the debate

                    ___x__ Employing an attractive color palette that sets an appropriate emotional tone (no clashing or ‘ugly’ colors, no overuse of too many variant colors, etc.)

                    _____ Use of music to create an appropriate emotional impact for the debate

                    _____ Use of sound effects to create an appropriate emotional impact for the debate

                    ___x_ Employing an engaging and appropriate tone of voice for the debate

                    _____ Other: 

Logical or rational appeals

                    _____ Using historical records from credible sources in order to establish precedents, trends, or patterns

                    _____ Using statistics from credible sources in order to establish precedents, trends, or patterns

                    ___x__ Using interviews from stakeholders that help affirm your stance or position

                    ___x__ Using expert opinions that help affirm your stance or position

                    ___x__ Effective organization of elements, images, text, etc.

                    _____ Clear transitions between different sections of the argument (by using title cards, interstitial music, voiceover, etc.)

                    ____x_ Crafted sequencing of images/text/content in order to make linear arguments

                    _____ Intentional emphasis on specific images/text/content in order to strengthen argument

                    _____ Careful design of size/color relationships between objects to effectively direct the viewer’s attention/gaze (for visual arguments)

                    _____ Other: 

6. Below, provide us with working hyperlinks to THREE good examples of the genre you've chosen to write in. These examples can come from Blog Post 11.3 or they can be new examples. But they should all come from the same specific website/platform and should demonstrate the conventions for your piece:  

https://gigaom.com/2015/10/23/how-hybrid-will-reshape-the-entire-cloud-market/

http://gigaom.com/2015/11/02/snapchats-effort-to-make-its-policies-more-readable-backfires/

http://gigaom.com/2015/10/12/the-dell-emc-deal-is-huge-but-wheres-it-headed/

Reflection On Project 3 Draft

Here is where I will reflect on the review of my first draft of project 3.

 Shminkelspiegel, Alter"Makeup Mirror" Via WIkimedia CC BY 3.0

Link to my peer review:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_Pq4xM6JO3dZaBPvflVHdfb0d-
moHq0JaRSfyWhmupQ/edit?usp=sharing

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1RuAEvSAn4R1qWbby8VEtfa-MrXVZGd5uQBCJlTfymv4/edit?usp=sharing

1. I have not received any information that indicates that my draft has been reviewed, so I have to wait for this before I can comment on this.

2.""

3. I think that I need to give my genre and tone a lot of thought still, and with my edited versions I will understand better how I can make my subject fit into the genre while still coming across as genuine and serious.  Because I am making a tech blog article it needs to match the conventions but stay serious and somewhat academic.

4. I am confident about my project because I am confident about the message that it presents and my points.  The part that I will have to pay extra attention to is making sure that it matches the genre effectively while maintaining the tone well.  I am less confident about this but I think that as long as I model it well after examples I can find on the internet I will be fine in this respect.

Draft of Public Argument

Reneman "Icon Draft" Via Wikimedia CC-BY SA 3.0

This is my first draft of my project 3.


Here is the link:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1vus_I_dz9ASSpkF4LsPkPEPGx_4NnYTzepLae4Bh2uk/edit?usp=sharing
There are a lot of things missing from this draft that I have every intention to add in (images etc) but most of the text that I plan on putting is in there, so criticism is welcome there.  I think that I will increase the length by one paragraph and change the organization of the text to be easier to read.

Considering Visual Elements

This post covers the visual elements of my project 3 draft

OpenClipArtVectors Via Pixabay CC0 Public Domain.

1) Shapes, Text Boxes, Headings and Lines: The most relevant thing that could be used here is the headings.  Headings are obviously useful at the start of a post, but also can be useful in breaking the text up further on into the document.

2) Image Selection: There is a very important balance that needs to be struck in my situation, less because of the genre and more because of the subject.  I do not want to over saturate my project with pictures that do not effectively contribute to my point, but if my whole project consists of data and tet then it will not be effective use of images and will turn readers away.

3) Image framing/anchoring: There image is typically located at the top of the article that is important to set the tone.  After this, it is important to frame images in relevant locations that does not break up the text in important places.  There is very little imagery that can be used in my instance that will directly add to the argument, so I will be light on them.

4)  Visual organization: It is important to section off my argument in a way that flows naturally, lines and section headings could be useful to transition.  I will take overuse of images into serious consideration, and omit any that make it over saturated.

5) Is the visual tone consistent?  I have to make sure that the visual "tone" is consistent in that it does not stray too much from a serious and realistic standpoint.  I think that going overboard with how dramatic my images are is a mistake that will take away from my credibility.

6) Are the consequences of not taking action clearly expressed?: Yes this is a highly emphasized part of my argument.  This is because this is a main point of contention and I think that this is where people tend to disagree and not believe the threats of AI.

Reflection:
http://adutcher109h.blogspot.com/2015/11/considering-visual-elements.html?showComment=1446946778153#c5087510461866259555

http://mlubniewski.blogspot.com/2015/11/considering-visual-elements.html?showComment=1446947178031#c6161211189558723484

Reading the other blog posts I saw a lot of projects that could be very beneficial to projects including mine.  They seem to be projects that have more political implications than mine, which historically are heavy on imagery. There was a definite lack of specifics though in the posts I read.

Project 3 Outline

This post will outline my project in various ways.

Mikael Haggstrom "The Man Shadow" Via Wikimedia Public Domain

Introducing your public argument:
World view:  I think that my argument is interesting because the bearing that it could have on humanity is huge, but it is an issue that doesn't affect us yet.  It is basically preparing for the future, and it is important to do so.

The situation:  The situations relevancy today is highly related to Stephen Hawking and Elon Musk bringing the situation further into the public eye, and an open letter signed by many figures concerning the future of AI.

Frame the Consequences: This is a very crucial part of my argument, because the short term consequences are low so people tend to ignore it, but the potential consequences are so high because it could effect the whole world and everyone in it.

Define or Narrow the Problem: The plan for action is to spread awareness in order to determine the path for the future of the technology, so that we can get on the right path before it is decided for us.  Basically, the people need to be educated on the subject preemptively so that we can guide its development in a productive and cautious way.

Developing Strong supporting paragraphs:

Supporting arguments:  There are many public figures in technology that have gone on record about the possible consequences of human level AI being developed haphazardly.  This is because there is concern about its implementation in military as an early potential consequence to it not being regulated, and in the long run there is an undeniable possibility of the AI progressing far beyond humanity and overtaking us, especially if it is not programmed with extreme caution.

Major Criticisms: Because we don't know how far into the future this will affect us, many people say that it is an overblown issue. It is also said that is is quite possible that we will never be able to reach this point for an extremely long time, and that the timeframe means that we should wait before taking any sort of action.

Rebuttals:  The time frame is not reason to discard the issue entirely, it can be comparable to knowing about global warming before it started affecting us, so that we can structure our society's structure in order to prevent the issue before it comes.  A.I. though it might be a distant technology is progressing steadily and all signs point towards it progressing to human level, potentially within our lifetimes, but whether it is within our lifetimes or not should not affect the direction it heads towards.

Topic sentence:  Time is not a large factor in the determining how important it is to keep a close eye and regulation on AI because we need to start onto the right path well before AI reaches a level where it poses a threat, and guide its development in a productive and cautious manner.

Evidence: There are quotes from many major figures in technology that support this viewpoint, however, I have not decided which ones to use yet because they have to specifically be used as a rebuttal to Rodney Brooks  and his viewpoint.

Map: https://coggle.it/diagram/Vj5l9zCrecoFNq8L/bf6a4623de9c4792ccfe72da025973e9a402a057a85f431335b9a99d43180f21

Concluding Strategies:

How to act on it: Simply by understanding today so that we can move into the future with caution and understanding is the best that people can do right now, future legislation may involve this as well.

Negative consequences: Though it may not affect humanity for many years to come, the consequences of carelessness towards AI could spell the end of the human race in the long term, but in the short term it could lead to deaths on a smaller scale if it is implemented in the military.

Positive Consequences:  If AI is developed properly, its affect on humanity is nearly endless, and could potentially solve many of the worlds toughest problems like unemployment and hunger if it is done right.

Common ground:  Nobody is saying that AI is going to kill us in five or ten years, and nearly nobody is arguing against its furthering and advancement.  There is simply a misunderstanding between those who take AI seriously today and those who think that it is simply "fear mongering" to feel this way.

Future of the debate: This debate is exciting because it is bound to grow in scope as time progresses with technology. This is just the very beginning of the debate, which is mostly going on based on theory, but as technology progresses it will get more and more specific and developed.

Analyzing My Genre

This is a post that analyzes the various aspects of my genre.

Steve Jurvetson "Friendwheel" Via Flickr CC BY 2.0

Examples of "Blog Articles"

• http://gizmodo.com/if-a-solar-plant-uses-natural-gas-is-it-still-green-1740719895
• http://www.zdnet.com/article/ios-9-1-better-but-still-broken/
• https://gigaom.com/2015/10/27/its-time-to-shake-up-the-enterprise-software-market/
• http://www.zdnet.com/article/tpp-isps-will-hand-over-copyright-infringer-details/
• http://mashable.com/2015/11/05/htc-apple-commercial/#MrHqiXF.GPqD

Social Context:

• Typical setting:  This type of post is typically included on some sort of blog publishing website such as Gizmodo, which aggregates blogs that pertain to technology.
• Subject:  The subject of the genre is very versatile and can cover just about everything because it is a blog, which tends to be good for whatever interests the blogger.
• Who uses it?: Almost anyone can use this genre because of what it can encompass, it is generally not used very academically though.
• When is it used:  It is used usually when there is a subject of interest to a person, and blogs allow for anybody to put there opinion into text, but in my case it is more formal.

Rhetorical Patterns:

• What type of content is included/excluded:  Generally, a blog is not a particularly research heavy medium, and its images usually are not data visuals but are typically used to simply give an idea of the subject and create an emotional connection.
• Appeals:  Most blogs are generally skewed towards having an appeal to ethos as opposed to logos, but generally speaking it varies a lot based on the subject.
• The organization allows for a lot of variation, with the exception of having a title and image at the top, which is exceedingly common.
• Sentence styles: In comparison to many other genres, blogs are relatively informal and this is reflected in the sentences structure.  It is generally not too high level language and it focuses on being relatively short and legible. As it is common to voice opinion there is a lot of emotion, and therefore it would be likely to find high amounts of exclamation points.
• Word choice:  There is generally not too high level of word choice, and is often informal, but because of the variation of the genre, if it is a specialized blog it would not be uncommon to find jargon in a blog.

Analyze What those Patterns Reveal about the Social Context:

• Who does the genre include/exclude: This genre is unique in that it includes almost anyone with an opinion.  However, it is not typically used as an academic source where a publication could be used.  
• What roles does this encourage?: This encourages a symbiotic role that is not common in most publications, because there is a comment section that is often used for discussion that partakes between readers and writers. 
• There are generally no values or beliefs that are assumed, aside from the demographic being younger than that of newspapers or other traditional forms of news such as television.
• The genre tends to treat emotional appeal more valuable because of the nature of the internet and blogs that attempts to appeal to the largest groups of people.

Reflection:

http://deweydecimatrix.blogspot.com/2015/11/analyzing-my-genre.html?showComment=1446777292553#c8846343527811186009

http://mlubniewski.blogspot.com/2015/11/analyzing-my-genre.html?showComment=1446776952074#c9110360453975680923

Reading the other blog posts was interesting specifically for their points on context, socially and more.  Reading about context though I found it interesting that in one of them it was noted that context is not always necessary to an extent, which I actually agree with if you know your audience well enough.