Five Major Concepts

The five major concepts that we have covered in this class have been:
1. Circulation
2. Composition
3. Collaboration
4. Design
5. Revision

  Writing for the digital world relies heavily on circulation. The internet allows for texts to be circulated through several different means than print media can travel. Platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, and Reddit allow for texts to become viral media, and reach several different audiences simultaneously. When we read Penny and Dadas, we learned about how Twitter helped to facilitate the Occupy Wall Street movement. When circulated correctly, online texts can create communities and facilitate real life change.
  Digital writing requires a different attention to composition. Dr. Yancey talked to our class about the function of the page in text versus print and the differences needed. She said that she doesn't believe that MLA is necessary for all types of writing. She also talked to us about the uses of margins and how different texts require different uses of the page. Blog posts are going to be formatted differently than research papers, and Instagram posts use different means of composition than an online newspaper would. Online writing opens up endless possibilities for writers to format their texts.
  A large portion of the work we have done in class has been collaborative work, from our classroom google docs to our QQCs to creating this blog. Community writing is something that has flourished in the digital age, so it is only appropriate that our class is structured around it. Writing collaboratively keeps authors accountable and accurate.
  Design is crucial to online texts, not only for aesthetic purposes but for functionality. The way in which a text is designed can attract or lose an audience. It can affect whether the text is circulated or not. Also if the text is designed poorly--in a functionality sense--it can prevent readers from interacting with the text.
  Finally, revision. Revision is essential to online writing. Online texts are under much more scrutiny than written texts are because they are more accessible.  Therefore, the need to be easily revised is key. Online platforms make revision easy, so that if a text is published with false information, incorrect grammar, or punctuation errors, the author can easily revise. Also, online accessibility allows for communities to contact the authors and help the revision process, reinforcing the idea that online writing is collaborative.