Unit 1

Unit 1

Memes:

The first week that classes started we got to learn about memes. Memes are a way the new generation communicates. It is also a way to share comical images or GIFS. Now, for our first assignment for class was to make a meme about ourselves and it was a good start to the class because it got the class to see where our skills are. We also got to see the different type of meme formats (so the pictures for example) and where to find these images and how to create our memes. Most of my classmates did not include an image of themselves or anything about them, but some did. What I included was either my face or something I enjoyed as well as something that described me. I feel like it is really easy for me to create memes about myself because I am honestly a walking meme. Anyway, we also got to read articles on how the word "meme" became a thing. How the word “meme” became the word we all love and know today is from a biologist named Richard Dawkins who published a book called The Selfish Gene. It was about organisms and how they spread fast. Then he created the term “mimeme”. Then the abbreviation of meme became a reality. (You can read more here at this link: “Memes Throughout History: Where Did It Begin?”)

          Memes are also where people can be really creative. With a meme you basically pick a picture or video (like a GIF) and see if you can make it relatable to the public. So, you then pick whichever style you want and then decide what type of caption you can put into the picture or GIF to make it relatable. So many people like memes the can relate to and then they can share that meme to the general public on their social media or through messages to their friends or families. Now, memes have also been in the marketing part of social media because it is a new way a brand can get to consumers and a younger generation.

 My Memes:     

    

     

GIFS:

          The battle over the word GIF has been nonstop since we have all heard of the word. Some people would pronounce it as Jif, like the peanut butter, or actually pronounce the “G” in it as like the word gift, but without the “T”. It would be pronounced with the hard “G” as like the word graphic, according to the article, “Battle Over ‘GIF’ Pronunciation Erupts”. Mr. Wilhite, who created the video format, said at an award ceremony that it is pronounced like “JIF” not “GIF”. So, personally I go with the word “JIF” because if that is how the creator of it says it is, I will follow that. I, also even pronounced it like that before I even learned about that so, I feel good!

  

Blogs:

            The next thing we learned was about blogs. It was a short lesson on them because we should all be pretty familiar with how to use blogs and how to set them up. So, we started off by learning about the “How to Writean Awesome Blog in 5 Steps”. These steps seen pretty self-explanatory because you basically have to plan what you are going to do your blog on. It honestly can be about ANYTHING and there are so many blogs out there that you can find to get examples from. Next, is you need a good headline that can grab your readers attention. The third step is writing on your blog or I should say typing because that is what you will be doing most of the time. My advice would be to get a piece of paper and a pencil or you can even do it on a Word document and write out what you want to say and then go back and check it again. It is OK to do a rough draft for your blog. The fourth step is using images. You do not want your blog to be plain with just text. Having images is a good thing because it gives the reader a break from reading all of this text and it makes it interesting. The final step is editing your blog. You can save them as drafts and then go back and see if you want to make any changes. It will help you out in the long run!

               

Listicles:

      The last item that we learned in class was a listicle and yes, it is was it sounds like. It is an article that has a list of items. So, the project we did in class was we picked what we were interested in and we did a list on them. You can have as many items as you like. Then you need a catchy title to grab your audience’s attention and then you need to decide how many items you want to do and then add text with those items and add either images or videos with it. Then at the very end you can add your sources or where to learn more. The one I did was the “Top 10 Bands Albums in the 2000’s” (It can be viewed with the link there). I decided to do bands because it is what I am interested in and also it is hopefully my future career to be writing for a pop culture or music magazine company. Listicles are very fun to do and they can be some tedious work. I say before you would like to create one look up some examples before doing one! (More about Listicles here).

Listicle Example: