Self-Evaluation #2

     Since the last evaluation, I have altered the content and writing style of my posts to attract a wider audience.  I have attempted to make my posts "newsier" by searching for news articles related to lasers to find something new and exciting.  I have especially focused on controversial use of lasers, such as for weapons.



     I have also compiled and edited two videos for my viewers using a new video editing software I have installed on my computer.  I put a lot of effort into making them.  My goal was to use humor to draw the viewers' attention while addressing some serious ideas.  Unfortunately, I think my attempts were not as fruitful as I intended them to be.  I will take that into account for future posts.

     I believe one of my posts, in particular, was a strong form of science communication.  In They're Actually Out There!, I showed a video of a weaponized laser, which would catch the audience's attention due to the controversial nature of weaponizing lasers.  Then I describe why the "plasma ball" in the video resulted from shot of the laser.  Unfortunately, that post did not receive much attention from the class.  If everyone in the class read that post, I think there would be many more comments.  Another post, Laser Hype..., uses framing and successfully snags some comments from a few readers.  I will definitely have to use what I have learned from these posts to make the most alluring posts possible, while communicating laser science.  I tried using sarcasm in one post, and it actually provoked one reader (other than Jen) to comment, which is interesting.  I may use that method in future posts, but I want to keep things serious as well.  I wrote another post to make my sarcasm clear to my readers while still communicating a point I wanted to make.

     As for commenting, I have regularly visited other classmates' blogs and made comments on their posts.  There are a few students' blogs that I like to return to, but I try not to leave out any of the other students.  I also comment on CommForge, and I have commented on several of the blogs that are in links at CommForge.  Additionally, I have posted comments at four separate IEEE posts.  When I comment on outside blogs, I try to relate the article to something I have posted on my blog.  That way I can copy the link to my blog and hopefully increase my audience to include IEEE frequenters, etc.

     Overall, I have experimented with different forms of communicating and different styles.  I have learned a lot about what works and what doesn't.  I have kept up with commenting and feel I have added to post discussions while advertising my blog.  I will continue to do these things and improve my writing based on the feedback receive.