Blog V

Using Google, I searched the word “inquiry” and the definition was, “an act of asking for information.”  I found this ironic that I was seeking a definition of a word that is asking a question.  I also searched using the “Free Online Dictionary” (Link: http://www.thefreedictionary.com/inquiry) and I found the following as the definition:

1. The act of inquiring.

2. A question; a query.

3. A close examination of a matter in a search for information or truth.

Synonyms: inquiry, inquest, inquisition, investigation, probe, research.

I can connect to this word because many college students are entering school and starting new things.  This is a big transition and change of lifestyle.  My classmates and I are entering a new phase that entails questions, inquiries and uncertainties about everything.  Students do not have a normal and predictable high school schedule any more.  At one point, the high school schedule was new to us, but we became accustomed to it and that will happen in college as well eventually.  Right now there are a lot of questions, inquiries, and queries for information and they will be answered soon enough. Inquiry can also relate to projects and research and I know that at the college level, many professors must conduct and publish research.  Inquiry relates to other college courses as well.  In my Media and Everyday Life course, we learned “Media” which is mass communication, and “Symbol” as two new vocabulary words.  It relates to my studies because I am a Communication major.  Inquiry is all about creative thinking and I cannot wait to think creatively.

Blog I

#23. Take the New Haven City Bus (B) into Downtown New Haven and

back during the day. Walk around, go to the Green, visit the Yale Art

Gallery (free), get pizza, or do something else that might interest you.

Note street names, bus times, specific destinations. You may need to go

online to get all of the information you need. Write a post detailing your adventure and including pictures.

During the first week of school, I met a lot of different people and made many new friends.  Students went to various activities provided by the school for the Orientation at Welcome Weekend.  This past Tuesday, August 27, was an optional opportunity to take a day trip to the beach, the outlets to go shopping, or visit Downtown New Haven.  My friends and I decided it would be a smart idea to know the area of New Haven and where we would be living for the time being.  Walking around and familiarizing downtown was a good choice.  When we reached downtown, I saw many interesting shops and little boutiques. I bought a little blue owl figurine and owl box for my desk in my dorm.

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I am collecting owls because I am going to Southern Connecticut State University and the owl is the Mascot.  Ever since I enrolled in SCSU, I have seen more and more owl items while out shopping anywhere and I never have noticed them before.  Around almost every corner in Downtown there is a pizza place to eat. New Haven is famous for its thin and greasy cheese pizza.  We had lunch at Yorkside Pizza on York Street and it was delicious!  When we arrived back on campus, we received the UPass from the Wintergreen Building, which allows you to travel to many locations such as the mall or the Yale art museum. Personally, I love the city and I can see myself living there in the future.  Being on a campus where there is a city near it is a plus because there is always something to do.  I will use my UPass to go back to the Yale University Art Gallery because we did not stop there.  Yale University is built right in the city and many students were walking around to go to class.  Even though Tuesday was an optional activity, I am glad I went and saw parts of New Haven that I have not seen before. 

Blog B

The first thing I see when I opened the Blog for Tagan’s Kitchen (http://taganskitchen.blogspot.com/) was a giant picture of a blueberry pie with stars and stripes cut into the pie crust and I immediately thought of my grandmother who loves blueberries and I know she would be proud of me because I am attending SCSU!  This blog is exciting because of the picture and also well written and clear.  This blog has links on the right hand side to receive emails, follow on Facebook, and even on Twitter.  I want my blog to include links as well as pictures.  I truly enjoy taking unique pictures as well as finding interesting pictures and sharing them with others so I will be sure to add this to my blog.

The second blog I clicked was Productive Flourishing (http://www.productiveflourishing.com), which discussed creating a successful small business.  A video is imbedded in the blog and I believe that is an effective way to show the viewer the theme of the blog.  I plan on posting videos in order to portray my ideas as well on my blog.  Unlike the previous blog for Tagan’s Kitchen, this blog has links across the top of the page, such as “Home”, “About”, “Services”, “Contact”, “Blog” and more.  Therefore, this blog is a link off of the main website.  Simliar to the first blog I have reviewed, this blog also provides links to Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest, which is convenient because many people check these sites very often through their cellular phone.

Another blog I checked was Rebecca’s pocket (http://www.rebeccablood.net/index.html) and in my opinion this blog has too many words and not very much personality.  The text is black and the background is white.  There are no pictures.  There are too many links on the side panel, which seems overwhelming.  I think an appropriate number of links on the side would be approximately three to eight and it is important to keep them consistent and clear to the viewer.

I decided to create an exciting title for my blog, called Valerie’s Gallery and include a pretty picture to capture my audience’s attention. In addition, I plan to include relevant pictures, videos, and links for my viewers.

Blog A

I feel very happy, excited, and thankful to be here at Southern Connecticut State University.  This has been a great experience so far and I have met so many new friends beginning with my Orientation in May, I found that there are so many activities in college and different clubs I am able to join.  Since my classes end by 1:00 every afternoon, I want to join a club to keep myself busy. I am living on campus in Neff Hall and therefore there are so many ways to become involved at campus.  For example, I am very interested in the Programs Council club, which is an event planning club and would be beneficial for my major.  At the club fair, I also signed up for a sorority.  Ever since I was young, I swam on swim teams and I would like to continue to swim even in the recreational facility.   Welcome Weekend here at Southern was very entertaining and the school held events for the students to get to know each other better as well as the campus.  It is important to balance both extracurricular activities with my class work and I have always been a very diligent and hard working student.  My family values education.  My sister graduated from the University of Connecticut with a Bachelor’s Degree in May 2012 and a Master’s Degree in May 2013 and my parents also attended college.  I know that it is a great deal of work to attend college, including classwork, homework, reading, essays, and assignments.  I am a very organized person and I plan to study every day.  My major is Communication and when I graduate, I plan on living in Los Angeles, California or New York City for my career.  I want to be very successful and I know that a positive attitude and a college degree are vital.