Hypertexts invites the reader to participate in the writing. It offers multiple paths and options in the text so that the reader can learn more about the piece of writing or what things in the writing is about. With that being said, the sort of considerations you need to make before reading the text are first, there will probably be components to the text that you don't understand. A hypertext is probably about a subject that requires some sort of scholarly knowledge, so the text will provide readings for you that will help you understand the topic. Second, the text may require you to navigate it in a particular way. For instance, if you wanted to skip to the conclusion of a text, there may be things in the conclusion that you don’t understand because the text intended for you to learn some things along the way. Third, hypertext is characterized by its level of connectivity; they are rather interactive because in order for there to even be connectivity, there need to be multiple texts. They are connected to different subjects, which are often complex and require some sort of reading up on. With this in mind, the point of portfolios becoming transformed into eportfolios is brought up. An eportfolio is considered a hypertext because it is a page that “denotes excess, extravagance, going above and beyond the ordinary degree, or passing or surpassing all measure. Hypertechs and digital texts are dynamic, multimodal, interactive, and connected” (76). An eportfolio is absolutely all of these things, especially for its interactive characteristic and connectedness. As eportfolios are central to the teaching of composition, they are perfect for providing a digital database with links to students’ artifacts. When navigating one of these, it is important to make said considerations. It is also important to consider reflective questions in order to understand the focus of the students’ attention on the rhetorical elements that were emphasized. When making considerations when reading hypertext I would say the most important thing is to remember that when reading hyptertext, it won’t necessarily “flow.” You’ll have to look into something here, read something else there; it’s very interactive. The interactivity is probably the most important thing when it comes to considerations.
I think that hypertexts are important to writing because they serve as a means of specific communication between the writer and the viewer. Hypertexts serve the purpose of allowing the writer to create a landscape where the viewers can work interactively with their writing. There is a certain amount of creative freedom that hypertext offers as well. Neal states that, “even though hypertext can describe a wide array of digital texts, it is most often understood in terms of its connectivity.” Connectivity is a key word when describing the main significance of hypertexts. I think that the technology of eportfolios does a perfect job of displaying the beneficiaries of hypertext. Eportfolios allow writers to create a visually pleasing and easily navigable space where the writer can display their work for the viewer to access. I have already created an eportfolios for an internship I had to complete, and I learned just how great an eportfolio can make your work look. I had completed eight articles for the FSU communications department and I was able to arrange them on one page that was visually appealing. I also had links to my resume as well as links to the websites of previous universities that I had attended. I think in terms of considerations for reading a hypertext, I think that readers should really navigate around and make sure they click on all the links that the writers have mapped out for them. Each little detail on the eportfolios composes a greater composition that as a whole is much better than in pieces. The connectivity that is involved if the writer decides to add links to other authors that he has cited or that relates to his own work is really important for the reader to check out. Also, hypertexts are significant in terms of laying out just where the writer’s works are supposed to be on the eportfolio. Readers can become bored when they read just an article written by a writer. So, I think that eportfolios do a good job of grabbing the attention and interest of the reader by their interactive features. Readers like to follow their own journey through a collection of articles and an eportfolio allows them to naviagate that journey themselves.
When reading a hypertext, the most important thing to consider is creativity. With the new technology and media being created today, there are so many options for an author. Strict rules for composing are being broken down as new types of media are being allowed in composition/text. Therefore, you should be wary about judging a particular text in comparison to texts of the past. Maybe there is a reason he author wanted to align the text a different way or add a picture in the middle of a paragraph. Now, writing is more inclusive, and because of this, the writer is more of an artist—and art leaves room for interpretation and opinions, and there are few rules that say when a piece of art is “bad.” Secondly, you have to consider that you may be reading the text in a way different from the way the author intended it to be read. For example, on a website with many tabs, maybe the author wanted the different sections to be read in the specific order he/she placed them, and you decided to skip around to the ones you thought were interesting. If there was something important on the second tab that you didn’t read because you skipped to the last one, you could get confused and think that the author made a serious error. I think it is important to take time and wait to make judgements like this until the whole text is read, and if things are still confusing, go back and re-read some of these parts to make sense of the whole. Also, I think that in a hypertext, a "word count" shouldn't apply. By that, I mean that just because a text or composition seems short, that does not necessarily mean that the text is of poor quality. By adding in different media, like a photograph or a video, an author can make something that seems "short" be very impactful. In short, I think that the main thing to consider when reading a hypertext is to be more open to different ideas and to value when a text is different rather than criticizing it from deviating from he norm.
There is a certain art to the hypertext that actually takes quite the focus and attention to detail to use correctly. Consideration of who is reading the text, the way it conforms to new ideas and styles that change with time, and how everything is laid out all works like a puzzle piece- it all comes together only through proper placement. When taking into consideration the styles and perceptions of our generation who is much more akin to technology than before (what with E-Books rising instead of print books), one would think that it's automatically easy to grasp hypertext due to its quicker access. But not only does the technological gap exists for many people across the globe and even in our own country of the U.S. which thus causes people to interpret compositions and texts differently, but there is also the fact that not everybody works and reads the same way. When there is a book in your hand, it's common nature to just flip the page and keep reading, all books look the same when they are opened- read up and down, flip, repeat. But with hypertext online, such as with E-Portfolios and websites and articles, people may be inclined to read other tabs and pages first or be more attracted to the side ads and pictures on the page. Honestly also we could all agree that reading online is never the same thing as reading through a book, it's a feeling that cannot exactly be described, but the feeling of scrolling through a wall of text tends to feel more redundant and harder to follow than reading the text through a handheld book which is far easier to work with and read on. Hypertext of course has "hyper" in it mostly due to the concept of immediate access, and with the attention spans of everyone beginning to slip due to the technological revolution and such (plus our extremely flawed education system, but that's for another time), so I think it's not necessarily a bad thing as much as it is convenience over substance. To click links to where you want to go, to show pictures that you want to see beside the text, to be able to manipulate that which you want to see and get a better understanding of is the basis of hypertext, and I think it's beneficial to our growing generations to understand material easier and quicker.
One of the most important factors that should be taken into consideration when reading a hypertext is that there is no one way to go about it. It is in the nature of the hypertext itself that the reader should be able to go about navigating it in their own unique way without any specific bounds that would make the text harder to interpret if the reader does not follow one set path. Since hypertexts do not follow one linear path, a new degree of creativity is provided for the author of the text to express themselves in a more individualized manner than they’d be able to with just a book or something. I thought that the distinctions Neal made between paper portfolios and e-portfolios were interesting in the sense that with their move to an electronic platform, it provided the students with more of an ability to add connectivity and reflection. So with hypertexts, the connections that are able to be made are endless. Rather than just having different texts that the student had created throughout the course of the year simply assembled into one place, an e-portfolio would allow for all of those different texts to be compiled into a single location electronically with the addition of the student being able to forge connections between the material with a specific goal in mind. So with the added element of reflections thrown in there, the student is then able to talk through their thought processes of originally creating the content and what they thought of their end result. This extra element goes even further with helping the reader of the hypertext to get the full story behind what they’re reading since it is being told in a way that accurately expresses what the original author was thinking. Rather than numerous authors being forced to follow the same cut and dried template to tell stories that’ll be inherently different simply because they are coming from different minds, the individuality of the author is able to make itself more prominent as they can choose the manner in which the texts are displayed and the information that goes with each one. The main thing to be taken into consideration when reading a hypertext is that they are much more personal. A text becomes a hypertext when the author adds additional elements that they see as fitting and believe will assist with the interpretation of their content in a positive manner.
The main thing to consider when reading a hypertext is that it is interactive. While making my ePortfolio, I learned how to link a website, document, or different page of my website to something that I was talking about, and I realized that it made my ePortfolio interactive. You could not possibly get all of the information I am trying to portray without clicking the hyperlinks and learning more from external sources. Such as linking the videos I made for my Rhetorical Theory and Practice class, the videos are posted to YouTube, and without navigating to YouTube, you wouldn't be able to fully understand the projects. I think that this is pointed out when Neal talks about the difference between ePortfolios and paper portfolios, being that print portfolio's are simply a collection of paper, and they can't really portray much organization or guiding or outside information. They also aren't interactive, you are not able to communicate all the work you have accomplished because a lot of the work being done is digital. I think that print portfolios were efficient when all of our work was done on paper, but ePortfolios are moe efficient with keeping up with technologies. Another thing to consider is that hypertexts are some sort of assemblage, because rather than explaining essays and assignments, you are able to link to further research and information and make your ePortfolio that much stronger. I think hypertexts are extremely important in our ePortfolios for class, because I think it makes our overall resume and personality seem stronger. It gives us the chance to better showcase everything we have accomplished, as well as organize our website's in a collected and aesthetically pleasing way. Although Neal claims that there is no real way of organization in a hypertext, the ability to fully expand the information and inform the readers make it easy for the reader to find their own way around the ePortfolio, rather than just flipping from page to page.
Hypertexts can be a fantastic way to read and discover new information. Hypertexts allow the reader to dig deeper and find more details that might not be present in a more simpler form of text. However, when dealing with a hypertext, there are certain things to consider. The first thing that comes to mind when dealing with a hypertext is that not all of the information is going to be provided for you directly on the first page. I was looking at an example of a hypertext the other day and at first, the page seemed really simple with not a lot of information. There were several different headlines on the page, and each one would lead you to a different page if clicked on. Hypertexts are very interactive so it takes a reader who is willing to navigate around the page and discover different sections. Also when reading a hypertext, the reader must understand that there are other things besides just the words. Often times, hypertexts contain photos and videos that are just as important to the regular text. As a reader, you must be willing to explore the entire hypertext in order to obtain all of the information. I personally think that hypertexts are a great way to learn information, but I think sometimes it can be difficult to find all of the important details on a page.
When reading in a hypertext,there are many aspects to consider that differ exponentially from reading in print. Like Neal states in the beginning of chapter 5, hypertexts are unique in that they are "dynamic, multimodal, interactive, and connected." In this sense the author is able to create a world of meaning and context around the text their audience is reading through these aspects that is much more purposeful and intentional than reading print on paper. It needs to be taken into consideration that the individual/audience member is able to comprehend the text in a variety of different ways due to it's multilinear nature. All of the elements are being brought to the readers attention at once; the pieces that make up a digital composition aren't separate but a single experience that affects how the audience interprets the meaning of the text. The author is allotted much more creative freedom, and is able to influence the audience in a much more personal manner. Another thought that comes to mind is a note from guest speaker Dr. Yancey's lecture. She stated that digital compositions can be viewed as a canvas, and the writers, artists. This idea gives us liberty to engage a wide variety of senses, outside of the just the text. Overall, this newly popular way of presentation has given both writers and readers a like a better and heightened sense (aka hyper) of communication when engaging with a composition.
Hypertexts gives the reader; audience a chance to interact within the text and dig deeper on discovering details that progress the context behind the text; article; paper ect. Instead of loading up a text with messy information, hyperlinks and hypertexts organize and portrays a concise presentation that gives the audience an organized form of thought. When I read articles on a medium like VICE ENTERTAINMENT, I usually find myself reading over hypertexts, and as I read, I will click the links that entice me most. And next thing you know I find myself ten internet tabs open later, discovering new information I have never discovered before. I will argue that hyperlinks and hypertexts are a form of advertisement that stand out to specific audiences. It just depends on the person reading the article; texts. Hypertexts are a great source for visuals. If a text is bland, black and white, and dry, hypertexts can add photos, videos, and other social medias. This is important because our generation is very visual and love to utilize various mediums of social medias. So as technology progresses, I think that hypertexts will only progress with it. I look forward to expressing hypertexts in my portfolio, because it looks good and professional for future internships; jobs, ect.
Hypertexts are all about connection: the connection between the writer and the readers, the connection between a text and other related content, and the connection between the message and the media. A hypertext is less about just the surface text and more about what lies beyond, because it can lead the reader to a whole other line of thought. This can allow readers to gain a better understanding of something they find that is relevant but not entirely central, or can even set readers onto a new train of thought completely. Hypertexts are interactive- they're meant to make the text not only more dynamic and interesting for the audience, but also more subversive. Hypertexts can fill in the blanks within writing, without forcing a side note or a complete pause in thought. The purpose is to engage a multitude of different sense, and to make the reading experience one that is more immersive and relative. The addition of hypertexts has allowed writers to bring relevance and connection to their writing, through content and media. However, when creating a hypertext it is still important to not drift too off topic and lose focus, because the result could be losing the audience entirely.
In approaching hypertexts, I think the most important aspect is simple navigation. In my graphic design experience, I have always made digital versions of the texts I compose. Every boss I’ve had usually pushes me to cater to a specific audience since the intention of all the work has been to advertise. When creating any hyper text one must first consider that people read left to right and are easily distracted. Paying specific attention to navigation comes first efficiency is key and practically the purpose of creating hypertexts. After that, the goal of the hyper text needs to be determined. For example, if it is an e-portfolio it needs to catch the eye of the reader but also encompass the person that the portfolio is selling. That leads me to my next point, the hypertext needs to be visually pleasing and not overly chaotic to the eye. Hypertexts have to be legible and aesthetically pleasing at the same time. I think this is where there is a disconnect because everyone has a different idea of what is aesthetically pleasing. To me, if you are creating an item such as an e-portfolio, the work should speak for itself and the overall composition of the hypertext should be based upon leading the viewer to all of the work in a way that anyone can understand. Having pieces that are explicit and say things like “click the buttons below to view artwork” or “click the photo for full effect” are very helpful to people who are outside of the technological world.
When we talk about hypertext, we need to understand that it can come in many forms. When relating it to the digital medium, it becomes something extremely versatile and allows for an immense amount traffic. The author of 'Hyperactive Hypertechs' talked about how that even though verbal and non-verbal texts are connected through hypertextuality, they should also be taken in through different eyes. For a digital text, it is as much about the information as the presentation. In a digital text, you are able to jump around in a non-linear fashion. This allows for potential confusion and the information that you presented may not all be seen in the right way. We are actually talking about this in my Rhetoric class. If we do not have some sort of flow to the digital medium, we lose the 'linear'ness of the final product. For example, I created an e-portfolio for this class using the webiste WIX. I set up my webiste by having the homepage very minimalistic. The only things that you are able to click on are four links to pages that display different projects that I have done over the years. These projects are in subfolders under the year that they were created. It says in 'Hyperactive Hypertechs' that ePortfolios need to have both connectivity and reflection and I completely agree. Without both a chance to sift through who this person is and a time to reflect, it can become irritable or even chaotic. By adding subfolders and links, it adds almost a '3D' perspective to the webiste. Instead of being a flat computer screen, it becomes something that enables you to dive in to.
While reading through a hypertext it is important to keep a few considerations in mind. It is important to first consider that hypertexts are based on their ability to create a sense of connectivity over texts. George Landow defines hypertexts as, “an information medium that links verbal and nonverbal information” (3). The compile of multiple information that has been put into a single location is the basic set up, but what makes it into a hypertext is how all that different information connects over a broader spectrum. The second aspect to consider about a hypertext is the way in which you navigate through the hypertext. Usually, this requires you to look at different areas to obtain the information to describe something you do not understand. An eportfolio embodies that of a hypertext perfectly; it is an electronic assemblage of a multiple array of text, images, links, blogs, etc. For our next project we will be compiling all of our work from this semester into an eportfolio, and while doing this the most important thing I know I must keep in mind is the way in which I arrange all of my work to smoothly connect with each other. Some hypertext take the focus of certain moments to drag your focus to other information. In my assemblage of my eportfolio I want to create such a nice flow between work that my audience doesn’t even have to think about the altering into new information. I believe creating a sense of easy flow between subjects and informations is what makes a hypertext into what it is. Hypertexts are also very person as will be the work that I submit into my eportfolio. The interactive sense behind a hypertext allows audiences to completely be engaged in author’s works, this is why I will create links and buttons to press in my eportfolio to reach different written works. Overall, I believe hypertexts to be the best way for an individual to obtain information because it requires them to engage and interact between multiple mediums.
I think one of the most important things to consider with a hypertext is organization. A hypertext is a text which has references that connects them to other texts. They are connected by hyperlinks that when clicked, bring the user to similar texts. If not properly organized, the reader/user won't understand how they go hand in hand. Its one thing to understand your own Portfolio, but if your audience doesn't find it navigable or understandable, then it isn't successful. Creativity and uniqueness is something also need to seriously consider. You want to make sure that your hypertext catches the eye of your audience and expresses everything that you intend to express. If something is dull and boring looking, quite frankly, people will skip right over it so its really all about methods of engagement. With this in mind, its important not to overwhelm the reader with too many graphics or words. This goes back to organization and making it simple for the reader to navigate.
I remember going down the hypertext rabbit hole on Wikipedia last spring semester during my History of Text Technologies class. It is impressive to see how few degrees it takes for topics or people to be related to each other, a la Kevin Bacon. At risk of sounding like any millennial (gross, self aware) in any given English class, hypertexts are the future. They are the futuristic footnote. This can be seen in the Gallagher article, which is interesting in itself because it’s serving the primary purpose of being an example of hypertext in practice (hypertext=multimodal writing?) In lieu of traditional encyclopedias, nay, even just opening a separate tab to "Google it,” there is a literal, direct link to the source or definition. Going back to the Gallagher article, which cites and hyperlinks Kenneth Burke. Hypermedia in general is fun, you add graphics and images to aide the text. Hypertexts, however, give that added (or maybe I’m wrong on this) sense of moving visuals and audio, they make a text interactive and all-encompassing. As with anything, hypertext and multimodal writing come with their fair share of critics. I understand where they are coming from. The Neal reading, for example, compares hypertexts to skipping to the end of a novel after only reading part of the beginning and then feeling upset that you missed some key elements so the end isn’t so much ruined as it just does not make sense to you. I see this, but disagree. I see it as a tool for improvement, to help the text and the reader. Granted, if misused, it could perpetuate terrible writing online. It’s a cheap way out if you allow it to be. If not, to supplement a writing is to not let you reader or audience feel they are missing the depth of the text. But hypertexts do not delegitimize a person’s writing, that’s a very narrow-minded way to to look at it. It’s a mistake to think that texts are fundamentally different online. Sure, there are things you have to keep in mind, like the aforementioned footnotes, but the material and message itself does not change because you didn’t care to physically look it up. The content of the writing is the exact same, across any screen.
Reading in a hypertext is much more engaging than reading a text without any hyperlinks or various other visuals. To me, it seems almost as if there’s a sort of built in dictionary or encyclopedia while engaging in the text. When we were younger we were always told to look up the words we didn’t understand while we were reading in a dictionary, and hyper texts are like the easier and much more broad version of that. I particularly appreciate the way BuzzFeed news incorporates hypertexts into their articles. For example, while reading an article on Justin Timberlake, BuzzFeed linked the previous story about a reference they had made just in case you didn’t know what had happened between him and Britney Spears, and you knew it was linked because the sentence changed colors in the middle. So when reading a hypertext, it’s important to consider that you may not understand everything the article is talking about, but it provides a way to learn more and keep up while reading that same article. It adds to the level of coherence of the piece through the connectivity of all the ideas. I think it’s also important to consider that it’s possible to get off track going from hypertext to hypertext and going further and further down the rabbit hole, so to speak. It’s a great way to further engage and enlighten the reader with them doing as little of the work as possible to gain an understanding.
When reading in a hypertext, it is imperative to first ensure awareness and comprehension of the term's definition. To quote George Landow, hypertext is "an information medium that links verbal and nonverbal communication." Two examples of this would be the underlined/highlight-able text on on a web browser, like the "home" button on Facebook, or the "About Me" section of an ePortfolio. There are multiple considerations to make before one is able to read and understand a hypertext accurately. It is important to anticipate multiple paths with non- or multi-linear arrangements, and the reader might have to navigate them with or without prior context. This should not provoke them to criticize the author if it hinders their comprehension, but encourage them to try and understand the connections between the texts. Also, one should consider that hypertext is characterized by the extent of its' connectivity. In order for texts to interact, there need to be multiple and can connect to different subjects that often require outside knowledge or research. Using an ePortfolio as an example, recognizing the purpose behind the content, and how each link interacts with the next will allow the reader to create an overall understanding of what the author is trying to achieve, that is if they are even aware of their own choices within creating. As a millennial in a new media world, I find that these considerations are imperative when trying to understand how hypertexts work, and this comprehension can be of great use when creating digital texts in the future
Hypertexts invites the reader to participate in the writing. It offers multiple paths and options in the text so that the reader can learn more about the piece of writing or what things in the writing is about. With that being said, the sort of considerations you need to make before reading the text are first, there will probably be components to the text that you don't understand. A hypertext is probably about a subject that requires some sort of scholarly knowledge, so the text will provide readings for you that will help you understand the topic. Second, the text may require you to navigate it in a particular way. For instance, if you wanted to skip to the conclusion of a text, there may be things in the conclusion that you don’t understand because the text intended for you to learn some things along the way. Third, hypertext is characterized by its level of connectivity; they are rather interactive because in order for there to even be connectivity, there need to be multiple texts. They are connected to different subjects, which are often complex and require some sort of reading up on. With this in mind, the point of portfolios becoming transformed into eportfolios is brought up. An eportfolio is considered a hypertext because it is a page that “denotes excess, extravagance, going above and beyond the ordinary degree, or passing or surpassing all measure. Hypertechs and digital texts are dynamic, multimodal, interactive, and connected” (76). An eportfolio is absolutely all of these things, especially for its interactive characteristic and connectedness. As eportfolios are central to the teaching of composition, they are perfect for providing a digital database with links to students’ artifacts. When navigating one of these, it is important to make said considerations. It is also important to consider reflective questions in order to understand the focus of the students’ attention on the rhetorical elements that were emphasized. When making considerations when reading hypertext I would say the most important thing is to remember that when reading hyptertext, it won’t necessarily “flow.” You’ll have to look into something here, read something else there; it’s very interactive. The interactivity is probably the most important thing when it comes to considerations.
ReplyDeleteI think that hypertexts are important to writing because they serve as a means of specific communication between the writer and the viewer. Hypertexts serve the purpose of allowing the writer to create a landscape where the viewers can work interactively with their writing. There is a certain amount of creative freedom that hypertext offers as well. Neal states that, “even though hypertext can describe a wide array of digital texts, it is most often understood in terms of its connectivity.” Connectivity is a key word when describing the main significance of hypertexts. I think that the technology of eportfolios does a perfect job of displaying the beneficiaries of hypertext. Eportfolios allow writers to create a visually pleasing and easily navigable space where the writer can display their work for the viewer to access. I have already created an eportfolios for an internship I had to complete, and I learned just how great an eportfolio can make your work look. I had completed eight articles for the FSU communications department and I was able to arrange them on one page that was visually appealing. I also had links to my resume as well as links to the websites of previous universities that I had attended. I think in terms of considerations for reading a hypertext, I think that readers should really navigate around and make sure they click on all the links that the writers have mapped out for them. Each little detail on the eportfolios composes a greater composition that as a whole is much better than in pieces. The connectivity that is involved if the writer decides to add links to other authors that he has cited or that relates to his own work is really important for the reader to check out. Also, hypertexts are significant in terms of laying out just where the writer’s works are supposed to be on the eportfolio. Readers can become bored when they read just an article written by a writer. So, I think that eportfolios do a good job of grabbing the attention and interest of the reader by their interactive features. Readers like to follow their own journey through a collection of articles and an eportfolio allows them to naviagate that journey themselves.
ReplyDeleteWhen reading a hypertext, the most important thing to consider is creativity. With the new technology and media being created today, there are so many options for an author. Strict rules for composing are being broken down as new types of media are being allowed in composition/text. Therefore, you should be wary about judging a particular text in comparison to texts of the past. Maybe there is a reason he author wanted to align the text a different way or add a picture in the middle of a paragraph. Now, writing is more inclusive, and because of this, the writer is more of an artist—and art leaves room for interpretation and opinions, and there are few rules that say when a piece of art is “bad.” Secondly, you have to consider that you may be reading the text in a way different from the way the author intended it to be read. For example, on a website with many tabs, maybe the author wanted the different sections to be read in the specific order he/she placed them, and you decided to skip around to the ones you thought were interesting. If there was something important on the second tab that you didn’t read because you skipped to the last one, you could get confused and think that the author made a serious error. I think it is important to take time and wait to make judgements like this until the whole text is read, and if things are still confusing, go back and re-read some of these parts to make sense of the whole. Also, I think that in a hypertext, a "word count" shouldn't apply. By that, I mean that just because a text or composition seems short, that does not necessarily mean that the text is of poor quality. By adding in different media, like a photograph or a video, an author can make something that seems "short" be very impactful. In short, I think that the main thing to consider when reading a hypertext is to be more open to different ideas and to value when a text is different rather than criticizing it from deviating from he norm.
ReplyDeleteThere is a certain art to the hypertext that actually takes quite the focus and attention to detail to use correctly. Consideration of who is reading the text, the way it conforms to new ideas and styles that change with time, and how everything is laid out all works like a puzzle piece- it all comes together only through proper placement. When taking into consideration the styles and perceptions of our generation who is much more akin to technology than before (what with E-Books rising instead of print books), one would think that it's automatically easy to grasp hypertext due to its quicker access. But not only does the technological gap exists for many people across the globe and even in our own country of the U.S. which thus causes people to interpret compositions and texts differently, but there is also the fact that not everybody works and reads the same way. When there is a book in your hand, it's common nature to just flip the page and keep reading, all books look the same when they are opened- read up and down, flip, repeat. But with hypertext online, such as with E-Portfolios and websites and articles, people may be inclined to read other tabs and pages first or be more attracted to the side ads and pictures on the page. Honestly also we could all agree that reading online is never the same thing as reading through a book, it's a feeling that cannot exactly be described, but the feeling of scrolling through a wall of text tends to feel more redundant and harder to follow than reading the text through a handheld book which is far easier to work with and read on. Hypertext of course has "hyper" in it mostly due to the concept of immediate access, and with the attention spans of everyone beginning to slip due to the technological revolution and such (plus our extremely flawed education system, but that's for another time), so I think it's not necessarily a bad thing as much as it is convenience over substance. To click links to where you want to go, to show pictures that you want to see beside the text, to be able to manipulate that which you want to see and get a better understanding of is the basis of hypertext, and I think it's beneficial to our growing generations to understand material easier and quicker.
ReplyDeleteOne of the most important factors that should be taken into consideration when reading a hypertext is that there is no one way to go about it. It is in the nature of the hypertext itself that the reader should be able to go about navigating it in their own unique way without any specific bounds that would make the text harder to interpret if the reader does not follow one set path. Since hypertexts do not follow one linear path, a new degree of creativity is provided for the author of the text to express themselves in a more individualized manner than they’d be able to with just a book or something. I thought that the distinctions Neal made between paper portfolios and e-portfolios were interesting in the sense that with their move to an electronic platform, it provided the students with more of an ability to add connectivity and reflection. So with hypertexts, the connections that are able to be made are endless. Rather than just having different texts that the student had created throughout the course of the year simply assembled into one place, an e-portfolio would allow for all of those different texts to be compiled into a single location electronically with the addition of the student being able to forge connections between the material with a specific goal in mind. So with the added element of reflections thrown in there, the student is then able to talk through their thought processes of originally creating the content and what they thought of their end result. This extra element goes even further with helping the reader of the hypertext to get the full story behind what they’re reading since it is being told in a way that accurately expresses what the original author was thinking. Rather than numerous authors being forced to follow the same cut and dried template to tell stories that’ll be inherently different simply because they are coming from different minds, the individuality of the author is able to make itself more prominent as they can choose the manner in which the texts are displayed and the information that goes with each one. The main thing to be taken into consideration when reading a hypertext is that they are much more personal. A text becomes a hypertext when the author adds additional elements that they see as fitting and believe will assist with the interpretation of their content in a positive manner.
ReplyDeleteThe main thing to consider when reading a hypertext is that it is interactive. While making my ePortfolio, I learned how to link a website, document, or different page of my website to something that I was talking about, and I realized that it made my ePortfolio interactive. You could not possibly get all of the information I am trying to portray without clicking the hyperlinks and learning more from external sources. Such as linking the videos I made for my Rhetorical Theory and Practice class, the videos are posted to YouTube, and without navigating to YouTube, you wouldn't be able to fully understand the projects. I think that this is pointed out when Neal talks about the difference between ePortfolios and paper portfolios, being that print portfolio's are simply a collection of paper, and they can't really portray much organization or guiding or outside information. They also aren't interactive, you are not able to communicate all the work you have accomplished because a lot of the work being done is digital. I think that print portfolios were efficient when all of our work was done on paper, but ePortfolios are moe efficient with keeping up with technologies. Another thing to consider is that hypertexts are some sort of assemblage, because rather than explaining essays and assignments, you are able to link to further research and information and make your ePortfolio that much stronger. I think hypertexts are extremely important in our ePortfolios for class, because I think it makes our overall resume and personality seem stronger. It gives us the chance to better showcase everything we have accomplished, as well as organize our website's in a collected and aesthetically pleasing way. Although Neal claims that there is no real way of organization in a hypertext, the ability to fully expand the information and inform the readers make it easy for the reader to find their own way around the ePortfolio, rather than just flipping from page to page.
ReplyDeleteHypertexts can be a fantastic way to read and discover new information. Hypertexts allow the reader to dig deeper and find more details that might not be present in a more simpler form of text. However, when dealing with a hypertext, there are certain things to consider. The first thing that comes to mind when dealing with a hypertext is that not all of the information is going to be provided for you directly on the first page. I was looking at an example of a hypertext the other day and at first, the page seemed really simple with not a lot of information. There were several different headlines on the page, and each one would lead you to a different page if clicked on. Hypertexts are very interactive so it takes a reader who is willing to navigate around the page and discover different sections. Also when reading a hypertext, the reader must understand that there are other things besides just the words. Often times, hypertexts contain photos and videos that are just as important to the regular text. As a reader, you must be willing to explore the entire hypertext in order to obtain all of the information. I personally think that hypertexts are a great way to learn information, but I think sometimes it can be difficult to find all of the important details on a page.
ReplyDeleteWhen reading in a hypertext,there are many aspects to consider that differ exponentially from reading in print. Like Neal states in the beginning of chapter 5, hypertexts are unique in that they are "dynamic, multimodal, interactive, and connected." In this sense the author is able to create a world of meaning and context around the text their audience is reading through these aspects that is much more purposeful and intentional than reading print on paper. It needs to be taken into consideration that the individual/audience member is able to comprehend the text in a variety of different ways due to it's multilinear nature. All of the elements are being brought to the readers attention at once; the pieces that make up a digital composition aren't separate but a single experience that affects how the audience interprets the meaning of the text. The author is allotted much more creative freedom, and is able to influence the audience in a much more personal manner. Another thought that comes to mind is a note from guest speaker Dr. Yancey's lecture. She stated that digital compositions can be viewed as a canvas, and the writers, artists. This idea gives us liberty to engage a wide variety of senses, outside of the just the text. Overall, this newly popular way of presentation has given both writers and readers a like a better and heightened sense (aka hyper) of communication when engaging with a composition.
ReplyDeleteHypertexts gives the reader; audience a chance to interact within the text and dig deeper on discovering details that progress the context behind the text; article; paper ect. Instead of loading up a text with messy information, hyperlinks and hypertexts organize and portrays a concise presentation that gives the audience an organized form of thought. When I read articles on a medium like VICE ENTERTAINMENT, I usually find myself reading over hypertexts, and as I read, I will click the links that entice me most. And next thing you know I find myself ten internet tabs open later, discovering new information I have never discovered before. I will argue that hyperlinks and hypertexts are a form of advertisement that stand out to specific audiences. It just depends on the person reading the article; texts. Hypertexts are a great source for visuals. If a text is bland, black and white, and dry, hypertexts can add photos, videos, and other social medias. This is important because our generation is very visual and love to utilize various mediums of social medias. So as technology progresses, I think that hypertexts will only progress with it. I look forward to expressing hypertexts in my portfolio, because it looks good and professional for future internships; jobs, ect.
ReplyDeleteHypertexts are all about connection: the connection between the writer and the readers, the connection between a text and other related content, and the connection between the message and the media. A hypertext is less about just the surface text and more about what lies beyond, because it can lead the reader to a whole other line of thought. This can allow readers to gain a better understanding of something they find that is relevant but not entirely central, or can even set readers onto a new train of thought completely. Hypertexts are interactive- they're meant to make the text not only more dynamic and interesting for the audience, but also more subversive. Hypertexts can fill in the blanks within writing, without forcing a side note or a complete pause in thought. The purpose is to engage a multitude of different sense, and to make the reading experience one that is more immersive and relative. The addition of hypertexts has allowed writers to bring relevance and connection to their writing, through content and media. However, when creating a hypertext it is still important to not drift too off topic and lose focus, because the result could be losing the audience entirely.
ReplyDeleteIn approaching hypertexts, I think the most important aspect is simple navigation. In my graphic design experience, I have always made digital versions of the texts I compose. Every boss I’ve had usually pushes me to cater to a specific audience since the intention of all the work has been to advertise. When creating any hyper text one must first consider that people read left to right and are easily distracted. Paying specific attention to navigation comes first efficiency is key and practically the purpose of creating hypertexts. After that, the goal of the hyper text needs to be determined. For example, if it is an e-portfolio it needs to catch the eye of the reader but also encompass the person that the portfolio is selling. That leads me to my next point, the hypertext needs to be visually pleasing and not overly chaotic to the eye. Hypertexts have to be legible and aesthetically pleasing at the same time. I think this is where there is a disconnect because everyone has a different idea of what is aesthetically pleasing. To me, if you are creating an item such as an e-portfolio, the work should speak for itself and the overall composition of the hypertext should be based upon leading the viewer to all of the work in a way that anyone can understand. Having pieces that are explicit and say things like “click the buttons below to view artwork” or “click the photo for full effect” are very helpful to people who are outside of the technological world.
ReplyDeleteWhen we talk about hypertext, we need to understand that it can come in many forms. When relating it to the digital medium, it becomes something extremely versatile and allows for an immense amount traffic. The author of 'Hyperactive Hypertechs' talked about how that even though verbal and non-verbal texts are connected through hypertextuality, they should also be taken in through different eyes. For a digital text, it is as much about the information as the presentation. In a digital text, you are able to jump around in a non-linear fashion. This allows for potential confusion and the information that you presented may not all be seen in the right way. We are actually talking about this in my Rhetoric class. If we do not have some sort of flow to the digital medium, we lose the 'linear'ness of the final product. For example, I created an e-portfolio for this class using the webiste WIX. I set up my webiste by having the homepage very minimalistic. The only things that you are able to click on are four links to pages that display different projects that I have done over the years. These projects are in subfolders under the year that they were created.
ReplyDeleteIt says in 'Hyperactive Hypertechs' that ePortfolios need to have both connectivity and reflection and I completely agree. Without both a chance to sift through who this person is and a time to reflect, it can become irritable or even chaotic. By adding subfolders and links, it adds almost a '3D' perspective to the webiste. Instead of being a flat computer screen, it becomes something that enables you to dive in to.
While reading through a hypertext it is important to keep a few considerations in mind. It is important to first consider that hypertexts are based on their ability to create a sense of connectivity over texts. George Landow defines hypertexts as, “an information medium that links verbal and nonverbal information” (3). The compile of multiple information that has been put into a single location is the basic set up, but what makes it into a hypertext is how all that different information connects over a broader spectrum. The second aspect to consider about a hypertext is the way in which you navigate through the hypertext. Usually, this requires you to look at different areas to obtain the information to describe something you do not understand. An eportfolio embodies that of a hypertext perfectly; it is an electronic assemblage of a multiple array of text, images, links, blogs, etc. For our next project we will be compiling all of our work from this semester into an eportfolio, and while doing this the most important thing I know I must keep in mind is the way in which I arrange all of my work to smoothly connect with each other. Some hypertext take the focus of certain moments to drag your focus to other information. In my assemblage of my eportfolio I want to create such a nice flow between work that my audience doesn’t even have to think about the altering into new information. I believe creating a sense of easy flow between subjects and informations is what makes a hypertext into what it is. Hypertexts are also very person as will be the work that I submit into my eportfolio. The interactive sense behind a hypertext allows audiences to completely be engaged in author’s works, this is why I will create links and buttons to press in my eportfolio to reach different written works. Overall, I believe hypertexts to be the best way for an individual to obtain information because it requires them to engage and interact between multiple mediums.
ReplyDeleteI think one of the most important things to consider with a hypertext is organization. A hypertext is a text which has references that connects them to other texts. They are connected by hyperlinks that when clicked, bring the user to similar texts. If not properly organized, the reader/user won't understand how they go hand in hand. Its one thing to understand your own Portfolio, but if your audience doesn't find it navigable or understandable, then it isn't successful. Creativity and uniqueness is something also need to seriously consider. You want to make sure that your hypertext catches the eye of your audience and expresses everything that you intend to express. If something is dull and boring looking, quite frankly, people will skip right over it so its really all about methods of engagement. With this in mind, its important not to overwhelm the reader with too many graphics or words. This goes back to organization and making it simple for the reader to navigate.
ReplyDeleteI remember going down the hypertext rabbit hole on Wikipedia last spring semester during my History of Text Technologies class. It is impressive to see how few degrees it takes for topics or people to be related to each other, a la Kevin Bacon. At risk of sounding like any millennial (gross, self aware) in any given English class, hypertexts are the future. They are the futuristic footnote. This can be seen in the Gallagher article, which is interesting in itself because it’s serving the primary purpose of being an example of hypertext in practice (hypertext=multimodal writing?) In lieu of traditional encyclopedias, nay, even just opening a separate tab to "Google it,” there is a literal, direct link to the source or definition. Going back to the Gallagher article, which cites and hyperlinks Kenneth Burke. Hypermedia in general is fun, you add graphics and images to aide the text. Hypertexts, however, give that added (or maybe I’m wrong on this) sense of moving visuals and audio, they make a text interactive and all-encompassing. As with anything, hypertext and multimodal writing come with their fair share of critics. I understand where they are coming from. The Neal reading, for example, compares hypertexts to skipping to the end of a novel after only reading part of the beginning and then feeling upset that you missed some key elements so the end isn’t so much ruined as it just does not make sense to you. I see this, but disagree. I see it as a tool for improvement, to help the text and the reader. Granted, if misused, it could perpetuate terrible writing online. It’s a cheap way out if you allow it to be. If not, to supplement a writing is to not let you reader or audience feel they are missing the depth of the text. But hypertexts do not delegitimize a person’s writing, that’s a very narrow-minded way to to look at it. It’s a mistake to think that texts are fundamentally different online. Sure, there are things you have to keep in mind, like the aforementioned footnotes, but the material and message itself does not change because you didn’t care to physically look it up. The content of the writing is the exact same, across any screen.
ReplyDeleteReading in a hypertext is much more engaging than reading a text without any hyperlinks or various other visuals. To me, it seems almost as if there’s a sort of built in dictionary or encyclopedia while engaging in the text. When we were younger we were always told to look up the words we didn’t understand while we were reading in a dictionary, and hyper texts are like the easier and much more broad version of that. I particularly appreciate the way BuzzFeed news incorporates hypertexts into their articles. For example, while reading an article on Justin Timberlake, BuzzFeed linked the previous story about a reference they had made just in case you didn’t know what had happened between him and Britney Spears, and you knew it was linked because the sentence changed colors in the middle. So when reading a hypertext, it’s important to consider that you may not understand everything the article is talking about, but it provides a way to learn more and keep up while reading that same article. It adds to the level of coherence of the piece through the connectivity of all the ideas. I think it’s also important to consider that it’s possible to get off track going from hypertext to hypertext and going further and further down the rabbit hole, so to speak. It’s a great way to further engage and enlighten the reader with them doing as little of the work as possible to gain an understanding.
ReplyDeleteWhen reading in a hypertext, it is imperative to first ensure awareness and comprehension of the term's definition. To quote George Landow, hypertext is "an information medium that links verbal and nonverbal communication." Two examples of this would be the underlined/highlight-able text on on a web browser, like the "home" button on Facebook, or the "About Me" section of an ePortfolio. There are multiple considerations to make before one is able to read and understand a hypertext accurately. It is important to anticipate multiple paths with non- or multi-linear arrangements, and the reader might have to navigate them with or without prior context. This should not provoke them to criticize the author if it hinders their comprehension, but encourage them to try and understand the connections between the texts. Also, one should consider that hypertext is characterized by the extent of its' connectivity. In order for texts to interact, there need to be multiple and can connect to different subjects that often require outside knowledge or research. Using an ePortfolio as an example, recognizing the purpose behind the content, and how each link interacts with the next will allow the reader to create an overall understanding of what the author is trying to achieve, that is if they are even aware of their own choices within creating. As a millennial in a new media world, I find that these considerations are imperative when trying to understand how hypertexts work, and this comprehension can be of great use when creating digital texts in the future
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