Blog Post #4

-Summarize one of these annoyances. Give examples of the annoyance you summarize, that are not used in Kyle Stedman's article. You can make them up or you can take from another text, but be sure to cite if you do take from another text.

Dating Spider Man- Some writers have the tendency to either being, or end a paragraph with a quotation. This isn’t good writing etiquette. The quote is just being thrown into the paper, unexplained, which means the quote is essentially useless. Stedman relates this practice to dating Spider Man, as he says that as you read the quote, you want to learn more about it, but after you read it, nothing else is said of it. This is much like you being on a date with Spider Man, asking him a question and him just flying to the building next to the one you’re in, because he has heard a cry for help.

An annoyance I made up (that I also struggle with) is the Lead on. This annoyance is very similar to the dating spider man annoyance, but these quotes are just left hanging, with no context and no explanation. When reading your paper, the reader wants to know what the point of the quote is in context, as well as why it is in the paper. Some people, including me, have trouble explaining some things that should be expanded on. The best fix to this problem is to ask yourself, “Why am I putting this in my paper?” Or, “How does this tidbit connect to the topic of the paper?”

-Out of the annoying ways people use sources, which annoying way do you do most in your writing? According to Kyle Stedman, how can you correct this specific annoyance?

The annoyance I find myself doing the most dating spider man annoyance, as I find myself constantly throwing unexplained information into my essays. I can fix this by simply adding some depth to the essay and to never leave a quote hanging on its own.

-And, as Kyle Stedman asks, "Rank the annoyances in order of most annoying to least annoying, pretending that you are a college professor. Now, rank them from the point of view of a newspaper editor, a popular blogger, and another college student. What changes did you make in your rankings?" (Stedman 255).

Most annoying: College Professor

1. Armadillo Roadkill

2. Dating Spider Man

3. I swear I did some research

4. Am I in the Right Movie?

5. Uncle Barry and His Encyclopedia of Useless Information

6. I can't find the stupid link

Newspaper Editor:

1. I swear I did some research

2. Armadillo Roadkill

3. Dating Spider Man

4. Am I in the Right Movie?

5. Uncle Barry and His Encyclopedia of useless information

6. I can't find the stupid link

Popular Blogger:

1. Armadillo Roadkill

2. Dating Spider Man

3. I swear I did some research

4. Am I in the Right Movie?

5. Uncle Barry and His Encyclopedia of Useless Information

6. I can't find the stupid link

College Student:

1. Uncle Barry and His Encyclopedia of Useless Information

2. Armadillo Roadkill

3. Dating Spider Man

4. I swear I did some research

5. Am I in the right movie

6. I can't find the stupid link

Basically, in my rankings, I looked at position and what would be most annoying to these people in their respective states. I ranked most of the annoyances having to do with quotations highest, as these are probably most important, as you are establishing a rapport between you and the reader. Personally, I find the least important to be the annoyance, “I can't find the stupid link.” I rank this last on every list because I don’t believe that looking through sources is as important, as long as the writer clearly explains the quote in relation to the context of the paper.