Blogging

To this point I obviously haven't kept up with my blog posts as this is only my fifth post out of the thirty I need. Blogging just always seemed awkward to me, the idea of putting your thoughts into a space where literally anyone with access to the internet can see them. I never really been open about my thoughts and blogging forces you to have that openness. One of the biggest struggles I have with blogging is finding something to write about, and, after that, making what I have to say worth reading. In addition to that, I usually don't have much to say about many things. I consider myself a person of few words and I think that is evident in my four short blog posts. Even in writing this post I'm struggling to find things to say. I guess one of the nice things about blogging is the freedom and somewhat casual nature of it as opposed to writing a paper. I have to be honest, though, I don't really like blogging, but nevertheless I plan on getting as many blog posts done as possible before the end of the semester.

Review of Explanatory Synthesis

I found that my final draft adhered pretty close to my original design plan. There were some topics that I had decided to include in my final draft that I had not included in my original design plan and some ideas that were in my original design plan were not included in the final paper. This was not because a change of purpose in my paper but rather because of weak reasoning behind some of the ideas I had originally planned to include. Another thing I ended up changing was the sources I used. Out of the original three sources I had found, I only incorporated one in my final draft. The original image I was going to use summarized the ideas that I presented in my paper and I instead opted for an image that provided a new idea and reasoning. Throughout writing the paper, I rearranged the order in which I presented topics to produce a better flow and build up to a conclusion. I felt that I ultimately accomplished the goal of this project as I provided multiple topics that help explain my thesis.

Reflection on Revision Process of Explanatory Synthesis

One of the difficulties I have had with this paper is connecting the ideas presented and linking them together so that the paper flows better. Writing about the relevance of cash in today's economy is a topic that offers many points and arguments which can be difficult to organize into something that is easy and pleasant to read. One thing that I don't like about this paper is having to use APA format. This is the first time I have ever used any other format besides MLA.

Explanatory Synthesis Notes

In my explanatory synthesis I am explaining why we still use cash and why it is still relevant. Over the years many new forms of electronic payment have come in to play forcing a decline in how often we use cash. This forms of electronic payment include things like credit and check cards, apple pay, Samsung pay, and other forms of online banking. With the rise of so many options for ways to pay cash has still survived despite the ability to condense money into a single plastic card or phone app. My essay aims to explain why and how cash has maintained its relevance and usefulness in today's high tech economy. Source 1 - Why is Cash (Still) so Entrenched? My first source is a paper written on the predominance of cash use over electronic payment in Canada. The paper discusses why cash is still used in over half of transactions in Canada despite the rise of other payments such as store-valued cards and debit and credit payments through phones. The research ultimately found that people prefer cash because of its ease and speed of use as well as its wide acceptance among vendors. Source 2 - Image This sources gives a plot of why cash is used relative to age and income. The chart divides reasons for cash usage into seven different categories: cash is more convenient, less expensive for the merchant, easier to budget, can be used for personal payments, can be used for contributions, debit cards aren't always accepted, and customer gets discount for using cash. Source 3 - Paper Money Collapse This source is a chapter from a book that explains the benefits of paper money to banks and other institutions.

What are our responsibilities to each other when we blog? Do we have responsibilities to others when we communicate?

A blog is a place where knowledge can be shared and stories can be told. It is a place where we can reach out to anybody who cares to listen and share our experiences. What is offered in a blog must mean something to those who read it. It cannot be singular and secluded to the writer. A blogger must expose him or herself to the outside world by offering opinions and thoughts that can be related to, otherwise, what purpose do the readers have for reading your writing. Blogs must offer something of use, no matter how minor or trivial a post may seem. Communication is a powerful aspect of the human experience and a blog provides effective means for communication. Through communication we can provoke emotion, spark a thought, spur a debate, and even reconcile hard feelings. I believe that any successful bloggers have made it their goal to make use of one of these abilities of communication to the fullest.