Tech Tip: Twitter Lists

For this extra credit assignment, I chose to learn more about Twitter lists. As a journalism major, our use of social media is paramount to how we connect and engage with audiences, especially in today's digital world. I have learned a lot more about Twitter over the last few years, and I've really enjoyed using TweetDeck as a more effective version of the site (I would recommend it to anyone who relies heavily on social media for their field of work). One unique aspect of the lists is that they encourage you to find the niche audiences that provide the content you're looking for. A Twitter user could follow hundreds of people at a time, but that also means they're going to get a wide range of content in return. That may be helpful for the everyday user who doesn't need to rely on lists too much, but I was able to create several personalized feeds that provided relevant information for specific topics that interest me. For this assignment, I made a list and followed every single OU sports reporter, regardless of whether it was for football, basketball, etc. This will really help me moving forward because even if I am not covering a certain sport, I can still stay updated with all their latest news, which furthers my knowledge base as a sports journalist.

Reading Notes: Dante's Inferno, Part A

Story source: Dante's Divine Comedy, translated by Tony Kline (2002).

I think it's funny that my last week of reading for this class is from Dante's Inferno, the story that inspired my storybook project. I guess that really shows that things have come full circle this semester. Without further ado, let's dive into the reading. The stories are written from the first-person point of view, which gives the reader an inside look at Dante's perspective and feelings. I think Dante's personality fits his character: he's young, innocent, and looking for guidance. As a result, a lot of the language is tailored to fit that personality. Virgil, meanwhile, provides that steady guidance as they advance through the nine circles of hell. One aspect of Dante's storytelling that I found really unique was the inclusion of characters from different historical times. For instance, the first circle of hell, limbo, contains a variety of characters ranging from philosophers like Socrates to heroes like Hector. I also think we learn a lot about Dante through this aspect of the story as well: he recognizes all of these people, and he's not completely oblivious to everything that's happening.

The first circle of hell: Limbo