Friday, January 29, 2010

Week 3 - Clear - "Types of Websites"




When I signed up for this class I didn't think I would need it. I have been in the workforce for over 12 years before I decided to return to UF to complete my education. But as I go through the material I find that there is so much to learn still.


As I search the Internet for information I need for class or for work I come up with Wiki and Blogs and was not totally sure what they were. This chapter describes 12 types of websites.


When you go into Wikipedia it states that a blog is a site usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentaries and descriptions of events. Before this class I don't think I had ever read a blog or paid much attention to them. I think my very first blog and the only one I had looked at in many years was one set up by a brother of a friend. My friend had had a serious accident that left her in a coma. The blog helped us all stay up to date with our friend's progress and to know the status of the case against the drunk driver that hit her. The one thing that I realize is that by having the blog the family was able to let us all know the status of things without having to call us or have us calling them to repeat the same information over and over.


It was also interesting to learn that the "wiki" websites allow users to modify or delete information. This brings me to the question of the accuracy of some the wiki sites.

Week 2- Clear "Data/Datum singular or plural"

Being bilingual I find the quirks of the English language funny. After reading the FAQ in the text book I went on to look into this irregularity. According to Common Errors in the English Language there are several words with Latin or Greek roots whose plural forms ending in "A" are often confused for singular ones. Data is the plural form of datum. Datum is so rare now that many confuse data as the singular form. As stated in the FAQ it is now common for us to use "data" for both the plural and singular form. Other examples of this oddity are criteria and media.

I wonder how many other words do we try to make plural and are already in thier plural form. ummmmmm!

Friday, January 22, 2010

Week 2 -Muddy - No book

I just recieved my boook today. It was ordered on the 4th of January but there was some complications. I will do my best to catch up this weekend even though I know I won't get credit for the blogs that I missed.