Writing on the campus physically vs. virtually
The virtual world is open to anything and knows no boundaries. Websites range from entertainment sites, club sites, informational sites and so on, so that every type of writing exists on the web. In the same respect writing around the campus is open to anyone who wants to write whatever they want, no matter how crude and uncalled for it is, everyone can write whatever they want. Even though these types of writing sound similar in content the internet allows for any amount of information necessary where chalk drawing are meant to be short and direct. This being said, chalk drawings and the virtual world of writing go hand in hand with each other; the chalk drawings alert the campus of events of which more information can be posted online to describe what it actually is.
The virtual world is growing rapidly but it does have its limits. Even though upcoming events can be advertised on websites and email, there’s no way to guarantee that anyone will see it. I never go on www.case.edu because there’s no need for me to do so, so if there was an event posted up on the home page I wouldn’t have found out about it but if that event were advertised on the sidewalk that almost every student at Case walks on each weekday on their way to class, it’s pretty hard to miss that.
Chalk drawings are a great way to raise awareness about upcoming events as previously discussed in an earlier blog, but there are limits to chalk drawings effectiveness. Advertising for “Club Delt” on the sidewalk is effective because everyone will see that Delta Tau Delta is having an event but if they were to go into detail about what “Club Delt” is on the sidewalk people would lose interest and pass it by. That’s why the internet is such a good resource and why it goes hand in hand with the writings around the campus, because Delta Tau Delta could advertise for “Club Delt” and if people wanted to learn more about it the internet is a great way to go in depth about what “Club Delt” is.
The internet can be seen as taking over writing on campus, and in some ways it has, but for the most part it aids the writing all around us. No one would spend their time reading a page of information on those advertisements posting areas because, usually the expected readers are the people passing by who wouldn’t have the time to read all of that information but if there were a brief description of the event with an html address below, those people could find out just what is going on and if they want to attend.
Not only can too much information on the sidewalks be a bad thing but nothing on the sidewalks and everything on the internet hurts the event as well. Not many people would be able to find the event being advertised because there’s no way to predict who will look on the site that the event is posted on. Personally, I am almost never on my computer anymore and occasionally look at my email. I always skip over the bulk email sent out by people advertising for events because I just use my email for school purposes only, like when professors email assignments or different class information that is necessary for the next time the class meets.
The virtual writings and the chalk writings on campus are closely connected and aid each other in their purposes of advertising for whatever is going on but going to the extremes with either one is never a good thing.
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