Blog Reflection

When I first found out in the beginning of the year that we were starting our own blogs, I was extremely eager to begin to write my opinions/conclusions on the books I was to read throughout the year. It was something that I was surprised I hadn’t thought of doing for myself beforehand, and so when I learned we were to make one, I thought it was such a cool idea. Personally, I really enjoyed blogging this year, and the entire experience was generally positive for me.

One of the benefits that came along with creating a blog was that, in my opinion, it’s different than writing in a notebook. I feel that it’s different because when you write in a notebook, there are some limitations in terms of the way the writing looks. For example, in many of my blog posts there are sentences where I put italics on some words, to emphasize that word more than the rest. But in a notebook, if someone were to just read it normally, you would have no way of knowing which words are supposed to have more emphasis than others. I believe this is an important thing, because it can not only change the entire way the sentence is read, but it can also portray a specific personality or style of the writer. Another thing is that when writing in a notebook, I tend to constantly reread what I'm writing and change the tiniest details. Whereas when writing a blog post, I tend to either feel more comfortable with the very first thing I write, or I'll think more about what I'm going to write next before doing it.

I learned that I tend to pay attention to some very similar things when writing a blog post about a book. For example, I really seem to be interested in character relationships, as I have written about them both in one of my posts about the book "Perfect" by Ellen Hopkins, and in my post about "Fangirl" by Rainbow Rowell. Another thing I tend to take note of while reading, and then later write about, is author's craft. In another post about the book "Perfect", and a post about the book "Burned", also by Ellen Hopkins, I mention different things she does within both books that in fact make it more interesting. Another separate thing I learned about myself while keeping up a blog was that the part of each post I either do best in or have the most to say in is towards the end, when I get to state my opinion. This is usually because I have a lot to say either to strongly agree with or strongly oppose what the author of a book or article is saying. I have also found that this part of my posts, from my perspective, is the most powerful and thought-provoking.

I don’t imagine myself keeping up with this blog specifically, only because it is entirely devoted to posts about books and articles. However, I could definitely see myself creating another blog, and keeping up with that. This is because, for organization preferences, I’d like to keep this blog for my schoolwork, and possibly make another for something else. I would make my second blog about something such as a personal blog, in which I just write about things I’ve done or things I find interesting, or I would create a blog devoted to product reviews. In fact, I have already made a blog for the second one, alongside Chloe in 804. We have been writing about different products we like and dislike, and why. My opinion on blogs in general is overall quite favorable. This is because, for the most part, I find that blogs are a way for people to express themselves and their opinions, whether it’s about books, products, or anything in between. It doesn’t matter if you use a pseudonym, or even if you portray yourself in a more fake way, because you’re still getting to share your thoughts and feelings to the world.

In conclusion, I truly loved having the ability to have my very own blog this year, and I feel that it was a great experience for more possible online writing in the future.

Non-Fiction Critical Analysis

    In the article “American Girl’s All-American Success” by Amey Stone, the author wants the reader to know how the American Girl industry is currently thriving and even put other stores, like FAO Schwarz, to the test. Stone quotes people such as Richard Hastings, chief economist at retail consulting firm Bernard Sands, Michael Silverstein, head of the consumer and retail practice at consulting firm BCG, Ellen Brothers, Pleasant Co.’s (the company that produces American Girl) President, and Chris Byrne, an independent toy consultant. She uses these people to help prove her point about how greatly American Girl and its products are booming. Throughout the entire article, Stone continuously makes points that are either positive towards American Girl, or just show its success.

       Within the article, Stone mentions the positive aspects of American Girl over other toy brands, as well as their new advance in popularity. For example, Stone says, "...American Girl is thriving while selling toys and accessories exclusively for young girls at premium prices." This shows how although the dolls and all of the things that come with them are expensive, they are still incredibly fun for girls ages 5-10 (or any other age) to play with and to love. Also, the author later says, "Silverstein believes the real secret of American Girl's success is its status as a "New Luxury" item, where despite premium prices, customers perceive that they're getting a good value for their money due to high-quality materials and skilled marketing." This helps to prove the point above by showing how because the dolls and everything that comes alongside them are so well-made, they are worth those high prices if your child will love them. An example the author gives about American Girl's achievement is, "American Girl doesn't disclose its earnings, but it did $350 million in sales last year, up almost 17% from when it was acquired five years ago." This proves how American Girl is arising as a new and well-known toy company that could (if it wanted) even dominate the entire industry. Although on the more negative side, there are other popular toy brands that American Girl could have a hard time beating out such as Barbie, Lego, Playmobil, and more. But, as the author says,"...FAO Schwarz, sitting 10 blocks north and boasting an aging floor keyboard as its major draw, seems to be an endangered species." This proves that it seems American Girl has already scared one huge and popular toy store, only leaving people to wonder who they'll scare next.

       I may have a little bit of bias when stating my opinion about American Girl and Stone's article. That bias is that when I was younger, I myself had not just one or two, but eight American Girl dolls. I was totally obsessed with their cuteness, but also I loved how they were so life-like and I could do whatever I wanted with them. I used to sit in my room for hours playing with them and setting up all my furniture I had for them. So, personally, I'd have to agree with Stone that American Girl is undoubtedly a constant success. Stone already did point out specifically what makes American Girl so great, such as their quality, uniqueness, and lack of advertisement, but I think it's more than that. I feel that the fact that American Girl is able to take each and every doll they produce and give them a story. Sure, if you get one of the look-like-you dolls, it'll be entirely up to you, but with all the historical characters and girls of the year, American Girl manages to make one doll so extremely special. When you buy, say, a Barbie doll at the store, sure, one would probably be excited, and yes, maybe there will even be a little description on the box. But disregarding that, the Barbie doll you're purchasing has no story, no full-length book about her, no lesson about a historical time period, and is no different from any other Barbie doll you could buy except look wise. All in all, American Girl is an amazing company, and I fully agree with Stone and her opinions.