This week, I read Jonathan Lethem’s essay titled “The Ecstasy of Influence,” and I was surprised by one of his assertions: Everyone is a plagiarist to some extent. Lethem explained that since we are constantly being influenced by everything and everyone around us, the ideas we consider to be completely original have been inspired by someone else. Thus, when we use these ideas, we are technically plagiarizing. While it is still wrong to steal large amounts of someone else’s work, Lethem demonstrates that it is okay to take bits and pieces from other people by using the words of authors, musicians, filmmakers, etc. to write most of his essay. According to Dustin Edwards, author of the article “Framing Remix Rhetorically: Toward a Typology of Transformative Work,” Lethem’s essay is a remix since it is built by using materials that were already in existence.

I was amazed that Lethem constructed most of his essay by using other people’s words. Apparently, the essay would be categorized as a “collage text,” which makes sense, given that a collage is also made by using materials that are already in existence. I had never heard of a collage text before reading Lethem’s essay, and I didn’t know that it was permissible to plagiarize in this way. “The Ecstasy of Influence” was very eye-opening because it showed me that it is acceptable to use other people’s ideas fairly, and it is necessary if we want art, music, literature, etc. to keep progressing.

Hello! Welcome back to my blog!

First, before we jump into talking about universally designed websites, let’s discuss the definition of universal design, so we can get a general understanding of what it means. Universal design is “The design of products and environments to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design.” For example, stairs are not a universal design because people who use crutches, wheelchairs, canes, etc. can’t climb them easily, if at all. On the other hand, a ramp is a universal design because everyone can use it. If a product or environment has a universal design, no one will be excluded from using it.

Website designers also want to give their websites a universal design to make it more user-friendly. Whether someone is designing a website, a building, or a product, they would be wise to use the principles of universal design as a guide. Although there are seven principles, I think four in particular should be applied to website design. If designers keep the following four principles in mind when creating their website, the majority of people should be able to better use and understand it.

1. Equitable Use – the design is useful and marketable to people with diverse abilities.
   • Everyone should be able to use the website equally; it should not be useful for only one group of people with a special set of skills. The design should be appealing for everyone, and provisions for safety, security, and privacy should be available to all users.
2. Simple & Intuitive Use – use of the design is easy to understand, regardless of the user’s experience, knowledge, language skills, or concentration level.
   • To make a website simple and intuitive for the users, designers should eliminate any unnecessary complexity. For instance, they should take away technical language or any slang terms that could cause confusion. Additionally, the website’s most important information should be located at the top of the page to make it easier for the user to find.
3. Perceptible Information – the design communicates necessary information effectively to the user, regardless of ambient conditions or the user’s sensory abilities.
   • To effectively communicate information to the user, a website can use pictures in addition to the their verbal messages; this makes the essential information more redundant. Fonts should be legible, and there should be a fair amount of contrast between the important information and its surroundings. Also, websites should have features for those with sensory disabilities. For example, a website could offer the option to read the information to users who are blind.
4. Tolerance for Error – the design minimizes hazards and the adverse consequences of accidental or unintended actions.
   • A website designer can try to prevent errors by making the user click several buttons before the task is complete. While this might be an inconvenience for the user, it helps to avoid unintended actions. For example, Amazon makes the user place an item in their cart, go through the payment process, and review their order before it is placed. I’m sure this method has helped prevent many accidental purchases. Some websites even have a button that allows the user to cancel the order within a few seconds of the purchase, just in case it was a mistake.

Websites should have a user-friendly, universal design that clearly conveys its information. Following the principles of universal design during the creation process helps make this goal a reality.

This week, I read the first chapter of a book called Algorithms of Oppression: How Search Engines Reinforce Racism, which was written by Safiya Umoja Noble. The chapter says that search engines perpetuate racist and sexist stereotypes about women, particularly African American women. When Noble googled the phrase “Why are black women so,” Google automatically filled in results such as “mean,” “angry,” “loud,” and “attractive.” Similarly, when she entered the phrase “Why are white women so,” Google suggested words like “pretty,” “beautiful,” “mean,” and “easy.” Google’s algorithms are prolonging stereotypes that women have been trying to resist, and no one seems to doing anything about it. When I googled the word “beautiful,” pictures of women were the main result, though I didn’t google the word “women.” The employees currently working at Google must be white men who do not have an issue with seeing women sexualized on their computer screens. The solution, then, is to hire more women at Google. Women can clearly explain to the men in power why the search results are not appropriate, and they can work to change the algorithms. In the meantime, we need to make sure the public is aware of the faulty, biased system. Even though it has been repeated time and time again, many people still don’t know the general rule of thumb when it comes to the internet: that you should not trust everything you see. Additionally, just because an article or a picture is the first search result does not mean it is the best or most credible; advertisers have paid to put it at the top. I am disappointed that Google hasn’t done more to fix this problem, but I am glad there are women like Noble who are exposing the issues and calling for change.

This week, I learned about typography by reading an article called “When Typography Speaks Louder Than Words.” Typography, which can be defined as “the style and appearance of printed matter,” is the visual aspect of an image; the verbal aspect, on the other hand, is the literal meaning of the words in the image. The size of the text, the font, the color scheme, and the placement of the text all contribute to the visual aspect. Graphic designers can make the visual and verbal aspects coincide to create a cohesive image, or they may decide to make them diverge to prove a specific point. There are many great examples of typography in the article, such as the picture below:

We recognize the visual as the Kit Kat logo, but the verbal message is completely different. I tried to find a few images in which the visual and verbal meanings seemed to be in alignment.

For example, the text in the picture below says, “Wake Her Up with Coffee,” so that is the verbal message. The font dances across the page, making the appearance very lighthearted and fun. The font for the word her is bolder than the fonts for the rest of the words, which separates it from the surrounding text and emphasizes it. The color scheme is light and bright, providing a sense of warmth. Additionally, the picture of the coffee cup complements the verbal message, and the hearts convey a feeling of love. The visual aspect is very cheerful and affectionate, and it seems to match the verbal aspect since we make coffee for the people we care about.

The picture below offers another interesting example. The verbal aspect is the word grill, and the visual aspect incorporates a picture of a spatula, which is an appropriate choice since it is a tool used for grilling. The visual and verbal messages coincide:

The last example is my favorite. Below, you will find various words that describe a cat, and they are arranged in the shape of a cat. The words that describe the cat are the verbal messages, while the arrangement of the words to make it look like a cat is the visual message. The words reinforce the image of the cat:

The authors say that “typographic treatment works alongside verbal language to create, alter, or enhance meaning,” and it can also “manipulate feelings and reactions.” There is no question that typography can be very powerful when delivering a message and can affect us even more than the literal words can. The visuals make us take an initial interest in the image; my eyes were drawn to the picture of the cat before I knew what the words said. Graphic designers deserve a lot of credit for all the thought and effort they put into their creations. Click the link below to check out the article if you want a more in-depth explanation of typography! https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2012/04/when-typography-speaks-louder-than-words/

Hello! Thank you for taking the time to visit my up-and-coming blog. My name is Marissa Moldoch, and I will be taking you, my readers, on this exciting new adventure. I’d like to introduce myself, so you can get to know me better. I am a Junior at Salisbury University, and I am an English major on the Writing and Rhetoric track; I am also a Communications minor. I love to listen to music, read, and write. I also have a love for all things Disney; I have been to Walt Disney World nine times! I previously published a blog on the platform Blogspot, but I have not kept up with it. Other than my forgotten blog and a few social media accounts, I don’t have much multimodal or digital writing experience. This semester, I hope to learn as many new skills as I can to take with me into future jobs. I am excited to now be able to write on my resume that I am familiar with WordPress! I am looking forward to learning how to analyze and create digital texts this semester; a job in Public Relations sounds intriguing to me, so I am hoping this class will give me the knowledge to potentially acquire a job in that field or a similar field. I am also interested in learning more about podcasts this semester. I have listened to a few, but I don’t know much about what happens behind-the-scenes. Thanks again for stopping by!

This is an example post, originally published as part of Blogging University. Enroll in one of our ten programs, and start your blog right.

You’re going to publish a post today. Don’t worry about how your blog looks. Don’t worry if you haven’t given it a name yet, or you’re feeling overwhelmed. Just click the “New Post” button, and tell us why you’re here.

Why do this?

• Because it gives new readers context. What are you about? Why should they read your blog?
• Because it will help you focus you own ideas about your blog and what you’d like to do with it.

The post can be short or long, a personal intro to your life or a bloggy mission statement, a manifesto for the future or a simple outline of your the types of things you hope to publish.

To help you get started, here are a few questions:

• Why are you blogging publicly, rather than keeping a personal journal?
• What topics do you think you’ll write about?
• Who would you love to connect with via your blog?
• If you blog successfully throughout the next year, what would you hope to have accomplished?

You’re not locked into any of this; one of the wonderful things about blogs is how they constantly evolve as we learn, grow, and interact with one another — but it’s good to know where and why you started, and articulating your goals may just give you a few other post ideas.

Can’t think how to get started? Just write the first thing that pops into your head. Anne Lamott, author of a book on writing we love, says that you need to give yourself permission to write a “crappy first draft”. Anne makes a great point — just start writing, and worry about editing it later.

When you’re ready to publish, give your post three to five tags that describe your blog’s focus — writing, photography, fiction, parenting, food, cars, movies, sports, whatever. These tags will help others who care about your topics find you in the Reader. Make sure one of the tags is “zerotohero,” so other new bloggers can find you, too.