Topic Proposal for Essay #4

Topic: How Social Networking is causing a growing obesity in people of all ages. 

Media: Powerpoint-Videos, Pictures

Not only is this topic funny, but also it is becoming a major issue in America. We are using Powerpoint in order to get our point across. The inclusion of pictures and video will show how serious this problem actually is.

SWA 9

Dear Skechers,
First and foremost, I want to apologize for the discontent that I brought upon the company. When examining your ad for the first time and giving my approval, I did not think through the effects, or more so, the lack of effects that this ad would have on viewers. I approved your ad because I thought an attractive woman, Christina Aguilera, as the shoe modeler, would gain immediate attention. Both women and men I thought this would be effective upon. Women for the fact that an attractive woman looks good in these shoes and therefore, upon purchasing this brand of shoe, buyers will also gain beauty. For men, this ad I thought would be more of a viewing pleasure and catch their eye, making Skechers brand a better known brand to them. However, none of what I hoped would come out of this ad, did. Viewers seem to be confused to why the model, Christina Aguilera is posed as a scandelous nurse, and also the patient(the one wearing the Skechers). Viewers did not seem to understand what this advertisement was trying to portray and therefore, did not find this to be effective enough for them to buy the shoe. Sure, women claimed the shoe was flashy, but the advertisement gave them no further information on how the shoe felt, and the advantages to purchasing Skechers brand sneakers.
Therefore, to fix this solution, some immediate changes need to be put into effect for this ad. Instead of a nurse-patient scene, I propose to show whoever is modeling the shoe, to be in action. Whether walking or running, Skechers shoes need to portray that they are both comfortable yet stylish at the same time. Sure, an attractive woman can still be used to model the shoes, but what will be different is the type of setting we put the shoe in. And Skechers are not only for women to wear. Men can wear them too. Instead of having only a woman wearing the Skechers, a male model should also be in the ad, showing off his Skechers too. This new idea will draw both men and women's attention to this ad and encourage them to buy the shoe that seems to provide comfort and style.

Once again, my apologies for the letdown. Hope this proposal adds more emphasis to selling the shoe, instead of the model.

Sincerely,
Vanessa Hartmann

#7 The Rhetoric of the Market

1. Advertisements serve the purpose of persuading potential buyers that their product is the best one out there and that with the purchase of this product, one will be guaranteed satisfaction.
2. The first advertisement that I chose is for Skechers Footwear. Starting with the explicit, this advertisement is trying to sell comfortable-looking shoes. However, for the implicit, the chosen costumes can be said to attract attention. The model is very attractive, dressed in a nurse suit, but portrayed a bit scandalous. This aspect will draw men to this advertisement. For the women, an attractive woman, modeling these shoes, encourages women to buy them also because they in a sense want to be like the model in the advertisement.
http://www.adpulp.com/archives/sketchers_print.jpg
The second advertisement I chose is for Hydroxycut, the weight loss formula. The ad shows before and after pictures of a woman dropping 21 pounds. Although the woman is shown to have successfully lost weight, it cannot all be due to this formula. Women get tricked into thinking this weight loss substance will immediately get them results, however, they must work out and eat right to effectively lose the weight. Hydroxycut is just an aid.
http://blog.lib.umn.edu/raim0007/gwss3307_fall2007/Ahydroxycut-thumb

3. For the skechers, it is all about the label. If an attractive woman is wearing skechers, then other women want to wear skechers. Wearing a generic brand name of sneaker makes people feel less confident about their style. Any other sneaker, however, may just have the same amount of use than the Skecher brand. The ad portrays Skechers as being the shoe that will make women more attractive.
For Hydroxycut, potential buyers of this formula are tricked into thinking that this formula will make them lose the most weight the fastest. However, there are many other weight loss pills and diets out there that all seem to say the same thing. Using photos to display the “rapid weight loss” of one buyer, gives potential buyers more hope.
4. The audience for the skechers is primarily young women, those that want to buy the shoe. For men, this ad is more of just something to look at.
Hydroxycut is also aimed more towards women, since the photo displayed is of a woman who lost weight through this formula. However, men may want to try this formula also.

Topic Proposal 3

On the last essay I focused on the exploitaiton of one's privacy if a social network user of Facebook. Instead of focusing on the issue of lack of privacy, I will focus on an issue that many active Facebook users come across: an addiction for Facebook. Some people will find themselves going on Facebook not only once a day but up to five times a day, causing them to waste valuable time doing pointless things. My proposal is to limit time on Facebook by giving each Facebook user a total of 2 hours max on Facebook per day. How this will work is that once signed on to Facebook, an automatic timer will go off and the two hours will be counted down. It doesn't matter how many times one gets on Facebook, however it cannot exceed the time limit of two hours. This will allow users, mainly college and high school students, to succeed better in school and complete homework on time. Limited Facebook time will significantly lessen procrastination.

Writing Assignment #5

First text:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YmHiUjr_iMg&feature=channel
Kenny G's songs seem to me to create a sense of pleasure and are relaxing.

Second text:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZM94aBsvwA
I find every Friends episode to be hilarious, but this is one of my favorites.

Topic Proposal # 2

Is Facebook risky or an overall fun, safe social networking site ?

Facebook, the most popular social networking site, may or may not be seen as a risk for those who use it. The amount of privacy one feels they have influences they way they feel about the site.

Northamption Now "Facebook: The Pros and Cons"
The amount of information a user wants to share can be controlled by that individual. One can change their privacy settings in order to control who can and who cannot access his/her personal profile. It is very important to mantain who has access to your profile, for job interviews for example. You can control what networks can view your profile, therefore if a potential employer is an alumni of your own network, there is a privacy setting in which no alumni can access your info. If you pay attention to what you post on your page to a minimum and refrain from posting things such as address, phone number, or class schedule, you can enjoy the fun features of Facebook without having to worry about stalkers. There are plenty of options to keep your profile limited and only accessible to certain people, which makes Facebook o.k.

"Facebook's Privacy Trainwreck: Exposure, Invasion, and Drama"
People using Facebook feel their privacy is taken from them due to the amount that their personal information is exposed and invasion of other Facebook users. The "news feed" can expose every single detail of what one does on Facebook, from what one posts on friends' Facebooks to what groups one joins. It is very common that not every friend one has on their "Friend list" is actually a close friend and therefore many people don't want all their personal information shown to people who they hardly know. In terms of invasion, Facebook is a "hot-spot" for gossip. The latest breakups or hookups can be announced through Facebook which then leads to gossip. Therefore, Facebook user's personal profiles are somewhat invaded by other people who thrive on gossip. What one posts on their profile forms their identity. Some people may feel controlled by Facebook because they try so hard to impress those who can access their profile.

Ars technica" "Facebook not safe enough for minors"
Although Facebook is advertised as a safe site, sex offenders are active on the site. Minors can gain access to pornographic material such as photos or through groups encouraging pornography. Although this issue was brought before the Facebook administers, they took no action to keep pornography off the site. Aside from suggestive pictures and risky groups, sexual predators may friend request a Facebook user, and if the user accepts their request, it could lead to potential sex crimes.

Cnet News: "Hackers Target Facebook Apps"
Those who develop Facebook applications are unaware of privacy issues, and therefore hackers can gain access to people's personal information who add these certain applications.

Essay 2 topics

1. privacy and Facebook
2. Lowering the drinking age