For my service learning assignment, I’m planning to write a story on global warming. We’ve all been exposed to its existence through media, but personally I see “global warming is bad” repeated far more often than the cause or why it’s so harmful to our planet. I’ve known people whose science teachers didn’t talk about the subject and don’t have the motivation to research it themselves, so I’d like to go into depth about it in an interesting manner. I feel like certain media outlets blame the general population for global warming when in reality the majority of it is caused by a handful of corporations, which I want to emphasize on. However, I still want to provide ways to live a greener life by eliminating unnecessary use of plastic and recycling to make an impact on your own, however small it may be. 

To ensure my interview went smoothly, I prepared by finding an interviewee well in advance and coordinating a place and time to meet that didn’t interfere with either of our schedules. I choose my classmate Alex because I remembered her mentioning that she is a mass communications major as well, and I wanted to gain insight from someone on the same track who isn’t in my current class or the intro to mass communications course I took over the summer. This way, we’d have different experiences but be able to relate over the same general idea. It was difficult to overcome my initial anxiety about conducting an interview, as I’d never done one before, and worried that I was either not behaving professionally enough or came across as too formal. However, as we fell into the rhythm of talking, I relaxed and became more comfortable and let the conversation expand beyond the questions I’d specifically written. 

”I feel like journalism is a dying art,” says mass communications major Alex McMahon.

We sit in a Starbucks abuzz with commotion. College students, engrossed in their work, type eighty words a minute and steal sips from their coffee while impatient customers crowd around the counter, tapping their feet to an inaudible beat as they wait for their name to be called. My classmate, Alex McMahon, nurses a Frappuccino across from me as we make small talk. Things have gone smoothly after overcoming the initial awkwardness of proposing an interview to a student who leads a normal life to inquire about their normal major. Mentioning the importance of hearing a different perspective from a student with the same course path (plus the added promise of coffee) proved to be convincing enough.

“I feel like journalism is a dying art,” she says when I ask her reason for pursuing mass communications. “There’s so much bias on news websites, magazines and so on. I want to be one of the people who change that.” It’s a bold statement, but easily agreeable. Regardless of the side you support, it’s hard to deny that misinformation and one-sided thinking is rampant amongst many journalists who should report concise facts. She’s visibly passionate about this issue, so I follow up by asking how long she’s been interested in this career.

1. Why did you choose this major?
2. How long have you been interested in a career in mass communications?
3. Which field do you specifically want to pursue?
4. Are there any challenges that may prevent you from completing this degree?
5. Has anyone encouraged you to pursue this career? Has anyone discouraged you?
6. What’s your favourite newspaper or news program?
7. What has been your favorite and least favorite classes throughout college so far?

I have a long list of people I’d love to but will likely never get the opportunity to interview, from celebrities to long dead scientists. But the person I would pick above any other is definitely Zendaya. From a childhood of watching her on Disney Channel to being in awe of her accomplishments as a young adult, I’ve always looked up to her and been inspired by her kindness and the positivity she spreads. She bounces from one project to the next and outdoes herself with each new role she takes on, which motivates me to be productive and put my heart into everything I do. Though I don’t personally know her, she’s played a great part in molding me into the person I am now, and I’d be overjoyed for the opportunity to interview her. I’d narrow my questions down to things such as what do you do to get in the headspace of certain characters? Do you do anything in particular when you feel creatively drained? How do you juggle so much at once while remaining humble? And so on.

Hi! My name is Gabi, or any variation of the name Gabriella that my friends can think of to annoy me. If I’m not at class or work, I’m probably on Twitter, sleeping or rewatching Euphoria for the third time. I’m eighteen and majoring in mass communications at HCC, and plan to transfer to USF next fall after completing my associates, which I’m fourty-five credits into. I genuinely enjoy writing, both academically and for leisure, and have always envisioned myself employing it in my future career in one way or another. I enjoy the idea of traveling to different places rather than being stuck in one location for eight hour shifts five times a week, because I get restless very easily and like to remain active. I also want to interact with interesting people and document their stories for others to read and draw inspiration from. I tend to ramble a lot to my friends and family about things I’m passionate about, so I’m definitely going to utilize this blog to yell (or type) into the void and put my thoughts out there. I want this blog to be a personalized space where I can express myself, and I’d like to write about political issues, fashion and entertainment, specifically music and movies. I have approximately two good selfies, so I instead attached a picture that really embodies me as a person.

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This is an example post, originally published as part of Blogging University. Enroll in one of our ten programs, and start your blog right.

You’re going to publish a post today. Don’t worry about how your blog looks. Don’t worry if you haven’t given it a name yet, or you’re feeling overwhelmed. Just click the “New Post” button, and tell us why you’re here.

Why do this?

• Because it gives new readers context. What are you about? Why should they read your blog?
• Because it will help you focus you own ideas about your blog and what you’d like to do with it.

The post can be short or long, a personal intro to your life or a bloggy mission statement, a manifesto for the future or a simple outline of your the types of things you hope to publish.

To help you get started, here are a few questions:

• Why are you blogging publicly, rather than keeping a personal journal?
• What topics do you think you’ll write about?
• Who would you love to connect with via your blog?
• If you blog successfully throughout the next year, what would you hope to have accomplished?

You’re not locked into any of this; one of the wonderful things about blogs is how they constantly evolve as we learn, grow, and interact with one another — but it’s good to know where and why you started, and articulating your goals may just give you a few other post ideas.

Can’t think how to get started? Just write the first thing that pops into your head. Anne Lamott, author of a book on writing we love, says that you need to give yourself permission to write a “crappy first draft”. Anne makes a great point — just start writing, and worry about editing it later.

When you’re ready to publish, give your post three to five tags that describe your blog’s focus — writing, photography, fiction, parenting, food, cars, movies, sports, whatever. These tags will help others who care about your topics find you in the Reader. Make sure one of the tags is “zerotohero,” so other new bloggers can find you, too.