Sunday, March 11, 2012

Travel Blogging 3/11

When I read these blogs, I immediately went for connection. "So, okay, they are all travel blogs, but what makes them different?" The approach, the feeling you get when reading them, the tone, point of view, and style of writing (etc) have unique positions. They create the movement of the piece and draw in their audiences accordingly. One thing the reader is able to trust unanimously is the first hand experience.

Sprouts En Route- used a very successful tone for its purpose. The author sounded like a teacher who was talking to her students before they go on a field trip or a tour guide. The voice provided informational credibility. She designates credibility by stating:

I really hope this series will bless you and help you to avoid the mistakes that I and others have made in the past. We have had some amazing guests come stay with us, and I think each of us can always improve in this area. 

Down to all her main points being underlined and in bold font, her language was easy to follow and guiding.

White Water rafting at the Source of the Uganda- guided its readers through the authors personal thrill. The language was fitting and exhilarating. He made his experience understandable to readers who may have never rafted before. And for those who have, a place where they were able to relate and relive those moments.

This blog came off as an entertainment piece. He did things like including factual information about rafting and the different levels of rapids to show their intensity level, drawing attention to all the elements combining in this action.

I found myself laughing (out loud) and clapping to the excitement. Side note, I LOVE rafting, and have had the privilege of going several times.

Starbucks in Beijing- had an entertainment/homey feel. It read somewhat informatively and utilized humor. This blog was especially neat because it talked about something which was familiar to us in another country. The subtle differences between Starbucks were somewhat humorous. The light reading, info and pictures load kept me interested. I also noticed how this blog really appeals to what people want to hear. Even when the author included the talk about calories at the end: 


I asked my tutor if people like Starbucks here and she said, "I think if you work in the CBD in one of the tall buildings [note: she means a corporate job, probably] then you’d like very much to bring your cup of Starbucks to work with you." Does she drink it? "No, it has too many calories! I’d have to run around all day…"

 I get the "magazine vibe" here. There isn't much room for opinion either.

Brook vs. the World, Anxiety Towards Flying: You're Not Alone- was interesting to me. The point seemed to be to encourage people to get past their anxieties of travels and find out what they are missing out on, or prevent them from missing out. But, for me, the tone of the blog had a reverse effect. I found myself getting anxiety from reading it. I know her intentions were more along the lines of, "I can offer some tips and insight from those (other travelers) who have struggled and overcome their fear (at least to a degree)," but I felt more repelled. She started to make me think about all the things which make people anxious a little too much. The negative outweighed the positive maybe?

There wasn't enough revaluation for me. I also didn't agree with the advice the people were giving. I think this blog would have been more successful if she integrated herself in between the people and gave more of an intro to the different pieces. The intro and conclusion weren't enough for me. I have had my battles with anxiety and am not impressed with this blog. It isn't as simply solved as some people make it seem. She is sort of pushing too hard to soften up a complicated topic. (Sorry if this portion was a little too opinion based.)















5 comments:

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  2. I like the observation you make about the Starbucks in Beijing blog--that it is so interesting because it discusses something familiar to us but with a foreign twist. I think this is very true. She could have chosen something completely culturally Chinese and that would have been interesting and exciting to learn about, but instead he gives us a comparison of details which I feel sets this piece apart from your average travel blog. I also thought it was pretty neat how she used the pictures almost more prominently than the text, that in some places the words illustrated the pictures rather than the other way around

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  3. I think when you're in a foreign country it's the almost-familiar things that remind you that you're not home. I'm perfectly fine walking Israeli streets, speaking broken Hebrew, swimming in the Mediterranean, and eating shwarma, It's when I realize that all the french fries are soggy and there's no ranch dressing that I want to go home. "I'm in Israel!" is a very different feeling from "I'm not in America!"

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  4. The observations here do reveal how writers go about setting the tone. The level of detail vs seems to direct audience the most. I appreciate Laura's comment too. Thanks for picking up the writing technique and styles.
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  5. Great observations about the technique that set tone and style. Clearly there's an information, vs, opinion vs detail thing going on in comparing these. It directs audience as well. Laura has a good response too. That could be a blog subject :)
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