My Reflective blog essay
The Musical Revolutionary War is the name of my Blog started for my Writing andMedia class at Rutgers. It also happens to be my very first blog I have ever created. At firstwhen the idea was proposed that we as a class would be making and creating our very ownblog sites I thought I would be lost. I can say that I’m still not one hundred percent skilled in all the facets of writing and keeping up with a blog site, however I am finding it an enjoyable experience.
My blog The Musical Revolutionary War is a compare and contrast blog that incorporates the top four rock bands from Britain and the top four rock bands from America.
Between the two countries I realized that there are countless bands that could join the list of the greatest of all time, however I decided that since I am the blog master for this site I get the chance to pick them. In trying to decide who to choose I wanted to blog about bands that I not only feel are the greatest from their country, but also bands that I knew a great deal of information about. I took into consideration their fame and record sales, as well as other different aspects like radio play and durability of their music over time. It was not an easy task to complete, however that is part of the fun in it. I wanted to convey the enjoyment that I receive from these bands on my blog site. How their music has shaped not only my life but countless others. At first I thought up as many different topics that I could come up with to discuss in a blog format. I realized that as I progressed from the beginning of my blog odyssey, that I kept coming up with new topics to discuss that I hadn’t thought of before, thanks in part to the input from other students reading my blog posts. Even though I found the topic very interesting, I knew that keeping a blog site would not be as easy as I originally thought. That being said, I feel it has been a growing experience that I do truly enjoy.
Returning back to the point of my blog, the decision was finally made and all eight bands were chosen. From the British ranks I choose the Beatles, the Who, Led Zeppelin, and Pink Floyd. All of whom were the most outstanding groups in rock music, at least in my eyes. Some bands that I had though of originally but didn’t make the final cut were groups such as the Rolling Stones, Cream, and Queen. All of who made some really fantastic music in their own right, however not quite on the same level as the four bands picked. Across the ocean from America I choose the Doors, the Grateful Dead, Creedence Clearwater Revival, and the Beach Boys. Once again these four bands I feel are the tops when compared to all other American rock bands from the sixties on. Like before there were plenty of really outstanding bands that didn’t make the cut. Bands such as the Eagles, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Boston, and the Byrds just to name a few, weren’t fortunate enough to make the list.
Most of my entries dealt with the main theme of compare and contrast between the eight bands. One post in particular, dealt with taking one song from each group and comparing it with the other groups chosen one song. The blog post was titled Just one song, and I found that blog to be not only the hardest to write, but also the most rewarding. It was difficult because I was attempting to single out one song from hundreds and hundreds of really great songs, then do the justice of describing why they are the best or even why the were chosen. The set up for the blog post was as follows, “For today’s theme consider this… if you were stuck on a remote island with nothing but an iPod that could contain only one song from these eight bands which songs would they be?? For this matchup we will take a look at the single greatest song from each band. A song that exemplifies the greatness and artistry of each of the eight bands”.
This post was the most rewarding for me because it not only received the most comments, five, it was a chance for me to discuss something that I really never discussed before. This is what I feel is one of the best parts of writing a blog site. It gives a platform for anyone who wants to share their ideas no matter the importance or insignificance, to anyone who will listen, in this case read.
With in the past two weeks I have started a multi-part blog post that incorporates the most important aspect of these eight groups, the musicians playing in each group. The first post dealt with the drummers and the impact they had, not only in their respective groups, but also compared to their counterparts in the other bands. In this blog post I had the chance to dive in a little deeper into each band I was discussing. Being a musician myself I felt this was a topic that needed to be discussed since I’m dealing with bands that have similar set-ups. The next post deals with the bass guitarists in each group, and how their impacts were felt both then and now. The whole idea of delving into each instrument played by all these bands came to me while I was working on this blog site. This I would have to say was an idea that I would never have come up with had I not started to write a blog. I feel that alone has made this whole experience worthwhile and very enjoyable.
As a writer I can say that this experience has changed my view of what a writer can accomplish. The act of writing is highly enjoyable to me no matter what the topic is. Whether writing an assignment for school or one for a work related paper, writing can feel like a burden task. A very difficult subject to be one hundred percent into doing; however with a blog it becomes different. With a blog a writer gets the chance to discuss anything they wish to discuss no matter the length or subject or even audience. When a writer can feel free to discuss what ever they feel at virtually anytime of the day, the end result can be magical. It is what every writer strives for, and with the new media of blog posting, writers have that chance.
Even though this blog site is something that was set up for a class project, I feel I would like to carry it on even after this semester is complete. I find that writing a blog has encouraged me to continue to write in this media style. At first I was skeptical about keeping a blog, thinking that it may be too much work, or that it would be a glorified diary that wouldn’t really keep my interest; however the complete opposite I feel has happened. Even if I choose to do another topic apart from music, I would still like to write for a blog no matter what subject. That being said I feel the reason why I enjoy keeping a blog is because of the topic that I’m writing about. That is one of the strongest reasons why I like to blog and why many other people do as well. As a writer whenever you get the chance to write about something that you either truly love or understand, you never want to stop discussing it. In a blog format you never have to. A blog can go on forever so long as there is a writer who can keep it going, whether or not that is a good thing is still yet to be decided.
