Introduction

As the world becomes more integrated into computer technology, there are many ways to communicate. In just a few decades, we’ve seen the evolvement of videos, images, posts, and more. Whereas blogging may not be the top contributor, it still has its own advantages and complications.

Personally, I believe blogging is a great way to convey our thoughts and ideas in a professional manner, but there are many concerns about posting things on the Internet. In this blog post, I will discuss my opinions on the pros and cons of blogging.

How We Convey Information

Blogging is sort of like expanding on an idea, where you can delve into topics and ideas without creating visuals. The writing of an article is similar to that of an essay, except the structure is more flexible and you do not have to follow a set pattern. 

The Point Of Comments

Commenting is a major part of blogging, although not everybody agrees with it. Some people believe that commenting is a great way to interact with others and discuss the pros and cons of your blog. While sometimes this can be true, others argue that commenting encourages and creates negativity and hate to the blogger and other commenters. I understand both points of view and their arguments, but I have more explanation and reasoning as to why both of them are both good and bad.

For a blogger, comments are an excellent way to interact with their audience. Comments can go either way, but they’re basically a major part of a blog post.

The Positives In Commentating

1. Commentating encourages engagement and discussion.

After a visitor reads your blog, they might make a comment or to discussing their thoughts on it. Other people may respond and share their own opinions. With this, the blogger can view them and make adjustments to their blog, or perhaps get suggestions for future improvement.

2. Enabling the comment section can also lure readers to spend more time on your blog.

If readers linger on your post more, it can drive up visits and perhaps earn more ad revenue. This is both good for the blogger and the commentator.

3. Commenters can provide feedback and areas of improvement

You may get new ideas to elaborate on, or suggestions for your articles. This is helpful for gaining more views and perhaps revenue.

The Negatives In Commentating

1. Spam

Some blogs disable commentating because it can lead to people spamming their comment section. Some readers may read the first part of your blog, then scroll down to the comment section to see other people’s opinions. If they see a bunch of spam, it may discourage them and stop reading the blog altogether. This also makes your blog look unprofessional and disorganized, which can make leave a bad impression.

2. Negativity

Many trolls will probably comment rude and’ disturbing text on your blog, and it is painful to report and block them considering they could just make another account. Plus, a reader might click off if they see trash talk in the comment section, assuming it’s unprofessional

 3. Time

This point isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it can be very unproductive. If you plan on enabling comments, try to prioritize them and read a few, otherwise, it’s a waste of time.

The “Easy Way Out”

When asked about the negatives of commentating, some people may ask “Why not just stop blogging altogether? If you don’t like being criticized, just don’t do it. There are two major problems with this.”

To begin with, I’ll discuss the group of people who would rather not present our blogs to online commenters. If you don’t write a blog, then nothing will happen. Simple as that. Your ideas won’t be shared and you won’t have something to do.

Also, we interact with others on an everyday basis. Blogging is just like interacting with others, except it’s done digitally. We all know the dangers of using the dangers unsafely, but it’s just like the same as talking face-to-face.

Dealing with Trolls

Commentating can also lead to negativity. Many trolls will probably comment rude and disturbing text on your blog, and it is painful to report and block them considering they could just make another account.

It’s also important to discuss why someone may be a troll. Usually, trolls are people who are angry, frustrated, or having a bad day and want to vent their anger out on someone. They usually have no purpose in doing this besides making the blogger as mad as possible.

When it comes down to this, it leads to how you, the blogger, react and respond to this. There are various ways to respond, but mainly just don’t respond to them. If you don’t send hate messages to them, they’ll eventually get bored and move on.

Note that it’s still your responsibility to deal with these trolls and remove their comments. If you’re not ready for that possibility, then I suggest turning off commenting.

Conclusion

Like I said before, there’s no right or wrong answer when it comes down to commentating. it is your choice and it depends on your comfort level. I’ve seen many posts, images, and videos before where presenters have various stages in their comfortability level. Some don’t allow commenting, some don’t mind when faced with a swarm of trolls.

If you believe that comments don’t bring value and purpose, then disable them. If you think they improve your site and bring value, then keep them.

Works Cited

various ways we could improve

Introduction:

Microsoft Word is an essential and critical tool for everyday life. The app offers many features that allow us to enhance our writing. Some useful useful, while others don’t have much purpose. There are also several features that we rarely or improperly use. In this blog post, I’ll discuss how to use the draw option effectively and how it can add to your document.

What is the draw feature?

We’ve all seen the different tabs in Microsoft words, and probably came across the draw feature. Perhaps we didn’t pay much attention it since it’s not really applicable for a word document. When drawing, we can simply use Photoshop or do it by hand. Despite its lacking necessities, there are various powerful ways it can capture a reader’s attention and make the document more appealing. I will show you a step-by-step guide on the various draw features, and how each one has its own advantages.

What does the draw feature have to offer?

To start, open the document or make a new one. Make sure the document is opened in the desktop app, otherwise this feature won’t be visible. Next, navigate to the top bar and click on the Draw option.

You will now be presented with various options. I will explain their differences, similarities and the purpose.

The cursor

This option is pretty self-explanatory, but it allows the use to select objects such as text areas, ink and shapes. It’s useful when editing text, moving the cursor, changing the ink settings, or just resizing.

How to use it:

1. Navigate to the draw tab.

2. Click on the cursor option.

3. Click on any text or ink you’d want to adjust/make changes to.

The Lasso

Ink can be selected by drawing a shape using the Lasso tool. It’s useful when grouping two pieces of ink together and making adjustments. Note that this only applies to ink, not pictures, shapes, etc.

1. Click on the Draw option as previously mentioned

2. Click on the Lasso option

3. Using the lasso tool, select the pieces of ink you’d like adjustments/modifications

Note: the ink will have a white outline when selected by the lasso tool

The Eraser

This is again quite clear, but it allows you to erase ink. Note that erasing abolishes all of the ink within the frame, so only erase where necessary.

1. Click on the eraser tool

2. Erase the ink you want to get rid of

The Pens

This tool allows you to draw on your document. Using this tool requires some precision and practice, so its better to switch to tablet mode if you’re on a windows laptop.

1. Select one of the pen options

2. Click the small arrow for more options and choose one

The Highlighter

Unlike the regular highlighter, this tool lets you choose where to highlight. For example, you can highlight a picture that normally wouldn’t normally be highlightable. Likewise with the pens, you can scale and readjust your highlights.

The Action Pen

This tool is similar to the Lasso, except it can also select images, text, highlights, and much more. Its useful for selecting many different items, not just ink.

Using The Draw Feature For Other Purposes

Throughout my classes, I noticed some of my teachers used the draw feature on MS to enhance their classes. It is a simple, yet effective method of delivering information. For example, my math teacher took notes on the PDF, as if we were writing them. This is a huge time saver. Overall, the draw feature is like an online version of making additional touches to your work in an efficient and timely manner.

Conclusion

In conclusion, I find the draw feature of MS to be very underrated and underrated. There are lots of ways this feature can improve your documents, and I believe everyone should give it a try. Even though it may be simple, it is sueful for drawing, coloring, altering pictures and text.

Citations

Introduction

We all have completed final projects for a subject. In my opinion, this is the best way for students to demonstrate their learning in a productive, and enjoyable manner. It seems, however, that final projects have their own complications and issues, and students sometimes stress out over them. In this blog post, I will discuss about my past experiences completing final projects and share my thoughts and suggestions.

End of Semester/Course Options

Teachers have several options when it is time to test students on the material they have taught in class. Exams, final projects, or essays are usually selected by most teachers.

While these are all great options, they all have their own complications. Ideally, I prefer completing a final project, but that doesn’t mean it is perfect.

Why I Prefer Final Projects 

In my opinion, final projects are the best way to test a student’s knowledge in a course. It allows someone to convey their thought and ideas in a clear and productive way. Being overwhelmed during an exam can cause students to forget everything. A lengthy essay is less exciting, more boring, and less satisfying. I prefer final projects because they eliminate most of these complications.

Complications with Final Projects

To begin with, it usually takes students quite a long time to find the sources they need. Unless the material is in a textbook or notes, students are forced to scour the internet and spend hours searching. This is both unproductive and tedious.

I saw this happen to me once when completing my Buddhism project in grade 8. I was assigned to research one of the sacred places for Buddhism, but not all the websites had concise and relevant information. Thus, I was forced to piece together the facts and paraphrase them in my own words. This is extremely stressful, and I easily lost my temper.

Final projects can also be boring if it lacks the student’s interest. If they don’t enjoy researching and the material taught throughout the course, they won’t be motivated to work. Perhaps they just don’t care or the teaching method wasn’t right for them. Therefore, it’s important to keep final projects interesting, or at least be appealing.

This is perhaps the most annoying issue, and I’m sure mostly everyone has experienced it. It’s called Parkinson’s Law, and it plays a negative role in our daily lives.

Parkinson’s Law states that work expands to the time allowed for it. In this scenario, the teacher probably assigned the project due in at least a week, which means the student probably have an abundant amount of time.

However, this isn’t usually the case, especially if they dislike completing the assignment. They will most likely do a little each day, barely making any progress. As a result, they become more and more bored and mad.

I see myself in this sticky situation almost every day. For example, If I have a math worksheet that I don’t understand or is extremely monotonous, I will complete it at the last minute. This results in rushed work, which brings me to my next point.

Managing work can have a huge impact on one’s final project. Even if they’ve got all the necessary details, it could be totally disorganized. For example, they could have never-ending paragraphs on information, and disorganized topics. Therefore, It doesn’t matter which case it is, unproductive work management could lead to disorganization and wasted time.

The Solutions

Having said that, there is much complexity involved when it comes to final projects. Fortunately, I found some solutions on the web and from my past experiences as a way to ease some of that stress. Here is what I found.

My first and foremost solution is to come up with a plan. Having a mindset of what needs to get done at what time will keep them focused and time-effective. Complete a set amount of work each day, and leave a 1-2 day buffer gap to make any possible last-minute corrections.

Ask a classmate or a teacher for advice if there are no or very few reliable sources. Perhaps they have a suggestion for a website that may be helpful or informative By doing so, one will not spend hours surfing useless websites.

This actually happened to me when completing my cell-fie science project in grade 9. When I first began researching, I had difficulty finding reliable sources. All the websites I scoured had irrelevant information or just a huge paragraph. After changing my research topic, I found sources, but it took some time. My past experiences have taught me to ask students or teachers ask if they run into this problem. 

Although it may seem simple, this method is extremely effective. It’s better to conduct research based on one’s style. For example, watching videos may help someone learn better than reading notes, or vice versa. The goal is to minimize stress and boredom wherever possible. 

My Concluding Thoughts 

In conclusion, there is no wrong way to complete a final project. However, there are strategies to minimize the time and strain on someone, so they view it as an accomplishment. Whatever the issue may be, I would strongly advise my past experiences and thoughts so the next time a final project is assigned, it will be completed in an effective and timely manner. 

Works Cited

Final Thoughts Stock Illustrations – 173 Final Thoughts Stock Illustrations, Vectors & Clipart – Dreamstime, https://www.dreamstime.com/illustration/final-thoughts.html. Accessed 9 Feb. 2022.