Analyzing Your Model Text: Maddie Simon
1.
What
modes does your text make use
of?
The modes in the model texts (blogs) I used include
text, dialogue, pictures, and web design.
2.
Audience
a.
Who,
very specifically, is the audience for your text? NOTE: It might be worth considering if you think you fall into the
author’s intended target audience for the text. If not, what are the
differences between how you might read/perceive the text and how the target
audience might?
The audience for these blogs are young-adult, social
media users. Also the specific blog
focused on helping entrepreneurs and small business owners to help them
increase their credibility and popularity within their social media following
and marketing. And the other was just a popular informational blog designed to
entertain young adults.
b.
How
does the author use pronouns like “you,” “we,” and “us?” When the author uses
these pronouns who is he/she specifically referring to? How do these pronouns
affect the way the author is constructing an audience?
The
author is referring to their specific audience and makes them feel welcome in
reading the information. The author is
trying to gain respect and understand the audience by using “we” and “us.”
c.
How
does the author construct a relationship between themselves and their audience?
The author constructs a relationship with their audience by describing similar
interests and experiences through their writing and by using certain pronouns.
d.
What
words or phrases stand out and let you know how the author is imagining their audience?
This
specific quote relates to their audience and engages them through questions and
pronouns. Keeping the reader thinking
and engaged is a good way to relate to them and keep them coming back to the
blog.
“ask
yourself:
-how
does this image support my goals?
-how
will it convert?
-Who
will care about it?
-How
will it make my audience feel?”
3.
Authorial Identity:
a.
How
does the author construct his/her own identity in relationship to the reader?
Sometime
they use “I” but rarely. The author of
this blog likes to engage the reader constantly by saying “we.” She only uses “me” to give an example of her
past experience or knowledge of the topic.
I think she limits her use of those words though to not distract the
reader from thinking the blog is about the author. The reader wants help, not to hear about
someone else. Keep focus on the reader
and helping them.
b.
Does
the author use “I” or “me”? Why? And how does this affect their relationship with their audience?
4.
Purpose:
·
What
is the author’s purpose in writing? What is the author hoping to accomplish in
the world with their text? How do they want people to feel, think, or act
differently as a result of their text?
The authors
purpose is to help her readers build a sustainable social media strategy that
is comprehensive, effective, and produces remarkable results.
Find
the sentence or two where the author first gives the indication of their
argument and highlight it. Where does this fall in the text
a.
Find
the sentence where the author most clearly states their purpose or argument?
Where, within the text is this?
The key is a well
thought out digital marketing strategy that’s targeted and concise. It connects your
business with the exact right people, putting you in a position of trust and
authority. Whether you’re a small business, entrepreneur or brand, now is the time to define your
online identity. I work with companies and global brands across
multiple verticals. The goal is always the same: create manageable,
measurable and explosive results. This statement is located in a section
labeled “Work with me” some of the other titles are called, “consulting”,
“training”, “blog”.
5.
Does
the author make use of outside
research or secondary sources? If so, how and where?
She
quotes other credible authors and businesses that have used her strategies and
have become successful. The other blog used many different genres such as
sports, fashion, and entertainment as outside research sources.
6.
Organization:
a.
How
does the author organize the text? How does he transition from idea to idea?
The
author uses blog posts to organize her ideas.
Each one is split up in its own bubble with a title, short description,
date, then the actual blog post, sources, and social media links.
b.
What
kinds of words or language does the author use to connect his or her ideas
together?
Since
each post has its own title and different idea, there isn’t any words that
specifically connect each one together.
The different blog posts might be similar in some regard to center the
focus of the whole blog. Since every
blog is different there isn’t anything that specifically connects each post but
they all have the same idea. With my
blog, none of the posts will have the same wording but will have the same idea
in mind.
7.
Genre:
a.
How
would you define or name the genre of your text. Remember, a genre is a type of
thing that reoccurs, has conventions, and uses those conventions to convey
meaning.
The
genre of my text is an persuasive blog and an entertainment blog.
b.
What are the conventions
of this genre?
The
conventions in the blog include the title, heading, text, pictures, color, and
background.. etc that are included in the blog posts.
8. Images
a.
How did the author use still images (photos or drawings) in the text? The
author of the blog used a lot of pictures in each title of the posts. This would persuade the reader into wanting
to know more if there was an interesting picture.
b.
What work are these images doing to help the author accomplish his
purpose? The pictures add to the visual
idea for the reader. I was persuaded to
click on certain posts if the picture was intriguing.
c.
Are they photos, drawings, charts, graphs, etc.? photos and a few
charts to show statistics.
d.
Why might the author do this?
The charts would also add to visual effect so that the reader would be
drawn to believing the facts and wanting to know more.
e.
How do these images work with the text or spoken speech around them? The
images complement the blog posts.
9. Document Design and Layout:
a.
What font did they choose to use
and why? The blogs use a large, clear,
and easy to read text.
b.
How did they make use of headings, titles, bold font, or italics? Why
do you think they did this? The headings
are larger than the rest of the writing.
This is done to cath the readers attention for each new post. The bold font is used for important words and
phrases throughout the writing and is done so the reader will remember those
certain facts. Italics are used for
certain words that might have an alternative meaning, but the blogs I used for
model texts don’t use italics.
c.
How is the text laid out on the page? In columns? Large blocks of text?
Short paragraphs? Long paragraphs? Is it wrapped around images? The text is designed in large blocks of text
normally with a box around it. Once you
click on each box the full article pops up.
The blocks of texts are split up between pictures and quotes.
d.
How does the text make use of color? What colors does the text use and why? The colors of this blog are orange and
white. This color is unlike any specific
social media site so its not biased. It
is bright and simple.
e.
What other visual elements does the text use to help convey it’s ideas?
Tables? “Pull quotes”? etc. There are adds on the side and also social media
icons to click on to go directly to the blog authors sites.
f.
Recipe for making a blog
Instructions
for making a blog (centered around young adult social media users)
The
ingredients for a blog include certain text, pictures, links, and quotes that
need to be included in each post.
First
you must create a blog online. This was done by selecting a template which was
designed similarly to the my two model texts. Next I gave my blog a title and
started editing the font and color background of the whole page. Next I added blog posts. Each one was different and some were just
pictures and some were only writing. No
matter what type, they all need a title and some type of information that will
make the reader want to click on the link and read the actual article. I also included links in some posts to make
it interactive. Videos were helpful too
to include in posts to add a variety of modes.
Lastly I put the finishing touches on the design to make everything look
formal and organized. I tried to keep it
simple so it wasn’t overwhelming to look at.
The color, fonts, and other conventions were important to make the blog
look professional. Finally, I saved and submitted
my work to create a website where people can go and look!
