I'm going to take a moment to share with you the benefits of three things I enjoy: procrastinating, internetting, and paper writing. These three activities can complement each other in surprising ways. Here's the secret: use the time you procrastinate on the internet to think about writing. Change the way you think about research: it's just as entertaining and satisfying as scrolling through every page of texts from last night. For example, I am writing a research paper on language in (and outside of) the Internet, so right now I am constantly reading and writing about the Internet; if I try to procrastinate, I still get to think about my project. Here are some websites I have found most useful in both procrastination and getting a fascinating look into writing and language on the Internet. Everyone, yes, even @agnesscott has a twitter. A fun example of an average twitter account is @PeteASCDining. Let's look at what (not) to do on twitter using @PeteASCDining as an example.  Pete's tweets are true to the Bio on the right panel: "All about food at Agnes Scott College"; however, he doesn't make good use of #reallysweethashtags. He also doesn't cite his source to the claim "Fried chicken is the most popular meal ordered in restaurants in the United States". He could have used tinyurl to shorten a link to let us know where he got his information from. Given that one has to be concise when using twitter, it's important to be as clear as possible. When Pete follows his former sentence with "The next in popular is the Evans Mozzarella Sandwich!", he is not being very clear. He could have said that "At ASC, the most popular is..." or at least "The next in popularity..." Pete does use an internet staple--an emoticon--in an earlier tweet to convey emotion and give the reader a sense of tone. Twitter was created for producing a condensed amount of language, to say something of value with only 140 characters. While you can't embed pictures within the “tweets”, links to other webpages, images, audio files, etc. are commonly fit (usually with sites like tinyurl) into the 140 character limit. Another feature is “re-tweeting”, a safe way to quote someone without plagiarizing them. #Hashtags appear to have gained their own grammatical value within the structure of twitter; they're a way to “tag” or categorize a tweet (or other types of posts on the internet). On the internet in general, "tags" are usually one-word descriptions used to make searching easier without pre-established categories.  On twitter, #hashtags have also been used as a way to indicate one's inner thoughts, the subject of the tweet, an aside, or to illustrate some kind of irony or humor.
A positive aspect of this growing social networking/information sharing site is its insistence on brevity. It is difficult to get across as much meaning as possible within the strict limit of 140 characters. This may have something to do with the #proliferation of the hashtag as a shortened way of conveying emotion or other context to the tweet. With tumblr., there is no character limit for your "tumblelog", yet remains (at least on wikipedia) under the category of “micro blogging” as is twitter. It also seems to serve as a social networking site as well. There is a huge variety in content on tumblr. From libraryland to the daily what to curate to a small and creepy blog, there's a seemingly endless supply of images, video, audio files, quotes, text and links to occupy your time (there's even rumors of an underground Agnes Scott blog somewhere on tumblr.). And the beauty of tumblr. is, if there isn't a blog of your favorite band, you can always make one yourself! While "tumbling", you may find yourself finding inspiration for assignments, reading a particularly poignant quote (as one may find on this student's tumblelog), or bouncing ideas off of your "followers" through the magic of comments and "reblogging". I have seen many a student post about their current project and get feedback from their friends on tumblr. Google buzz is a new (as of February 2010) social networking/messaging tool—what makes it different? If you have a Gmail account, Google buzz is automatically integrated into the side panel of your home page. While checking the 9,001th ASC email of the day (you do forward your emails to Gmail, right?) you can see what the "buzz" is about. Google buzz be used to share posts from your Google reader, links, images, videos; users can comment, and these comments are put into “conversations” in your inbox. Of course, you could just skip all of this and just write your paper, but if you find yourself gravitating toward these tempting websites, now you have an idea of how to use your fun time for your academic benefit. Happy surfing :-) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cory Struder is a junior English Literature major and a tutor in the Writing Center.
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- - - - - Finals are hard on everyone but don’t give up. While the next two weeks don’t determine your future they do have a say. J ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Nadi Nuhu is a sophomore biology major and a tutor in the Writing Center. So, it’s that time of the year again. The smell of summer is in the ai
Location: Across from the MARTA station in downtown Decatur Pros: Java Monkey is very well known and popular in the Agnes Scott and Decatur communities. Its hip atmosphere and delicious food/wine bar make this a good choice for writing a paper. Its close proximity to the school and late hours are also a bonus. Pros: Café Cliché has great food, ice cream, and ChocoLatte Location: North Decatur Road, next to Rainbow Natural Foods Cons: It’s probably best to have a car to get to --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Racheal Jenkins is a senior English Literature major and a tutor in the Writing Center No, I do not advocate procrastination. Yes, I am fully aware that writing a clear, effective essay takes time. But let's face it- most of us have found ourselves in situations where we are too busy to spend weeks upon weeks plotting and crafting the perfect paper. Whether or not we like it, there are times when it's going to get written the night before it's due. If this is the case, don't panic! There are some things you can do to make sure the final product is not a mushy pile of nonsense.
-Calm down. Stress is a dangerous enemy to the writing process. When I have a million thoughts and anxieties running through my head, there is no way I can accomplish anything. This problem is especially acute when I don't have much time to work with. To drive away stress, I suggest taking a few minutes to relax before you even consider putting pen to paper. Even if you feel like you are wasting time, it will pay off in the end. -Just write. I cannot count the number of times that I have sat in front of a computer screen for hours, typing and erasing the same words over and over again. This is not only unproductive, but also incredibly frustrating. After a while, I begin to think that I am no longer capable of forming a single coherent sentence, let alone enough of them to fill an entire paper. Recently, I have employed a new tactic. I force myself to write. Even if nothing I say makes any sense, my motivation is boosted tenfold when I see that I am making process. More often than not, the result is much better than expected, and only a few changes are needed at the end. -Keep it simple. If you're planning on pounding out a last-minute paper, chances are that you won't have much time to revise and rewrite. For this reason, it is best to organize it in the simplest way possible. Although the finished product may not be as creative as you would like, you will have a much better chance of not changing your mind and starting from scratch at the last minute. Use your instincts and group your ideas together in the way that makes the most sense to you. Save more complex, subtle styles of organization for essays you have plenty of time to finish. -Thesis, thesis, thesis Your thesis is the most important part of your paper, and even if you are in a hurry, it deserves some significant time. Personally, if I can manage to think of a really strong thesis, my paper tends to write itself. On the other hand, if I settle for a sub-par thesis, writing the paper is an excruciating experience. So even if you only have a few hours to write a paper, take as much time as you need thinking up a convincing thesis. Then, all you have to do is stick with it and relate all of your points back to it. While these tips may help you complete an assignment or two satisfactorily, remember that writing is a process. That means that it should not be accomplished in one night. Try as much as you can to budget your time so that you can fully embrace this process. Now get back to work, I know you're procrastinating! __ Kelsey Clodfelter is a sophomore Writing Center tutor. | Blog posts are written by a range of students from Agnes Scott College. Some are tutors at the Center for Writing and Speaking. Others are students who engage in writing through local festivals and events. ArchivesApril 2010 CategoriesAll |
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