Of the features and media offered on The Feather, one of the most recent additions would be a series of adjustments to The Feather Blogosphere, which houses all of the blogs produced by the staff.
The Feather Blogosphere began in 2008 when current Editor-in-Chief, Austin Ward, ’11, and former Editor-in-Chief, Suzanna Quiring, ’10, were approached by journalism adviser Greg Stobbe, who wanted to create a blogging site. The Feather Blogosphere was developed in the WordPress platform by former Webmaster Andrew Rurik, ’09.
Last semester, Ward made an effort to improve the blogging site by redesigning it with a new theme and updated functionality. Ward believes that this, coupled with blogs written specifically for special interests, will help to improve student interest in the blogging site.
“Blogs are a unique medium, which is especially true for blogs written by high school students,” Ward said. “Not many students, in my experience, are interested in reading, much less following, a student’s blog. The exception is when the students and the blogger share a special interest. That’s what we’ve tried to do with our current blogs.”
Although no longer on staff, Quiring is confident in the abilities of her previous colleagues and the media they produce.
“I think the new blogging site is a great improvement — and that’s always The Feather’s goal, to move forward and continue to build,” Quiring, who is attending Whitworth University in Spokane, WA, said. “The new bloggers are obviously doing a great job of being creative and innovative — which is what blogging is all about.”
There are currently four blogs and six writers on The Feather Blogosphere, which includes Becoming Me, Confessions of an Anglophile, Playlist: Untitled and The Guy Blog.
Becoming Me
In an attempt to tackle the issues teenage girls face, such as the superficiality surrounding clothes and makeup and the drama that friendships may be challenged with, seniors Sydney Carlson and Jessica Massie began their weekly blog, Becoming Me, on Sept. 3, 2010.
The duo says inspiration for their publication came one night when they were reminiscing about the struggles which confronted them over the course of their junior and senior high years. This idea developed over the summer into a blog which would help girls feel positive about themselves.
“The whole idea of this blog started when Jessica and I were on the phone talking about how insecure, lonely and fake we were during junior high and our underclassman days,” Carlson said. “As we talked, we felt so sad that so many girls had to go through this when they could be happier just being themselves. We felt like we needed to do something to help, so we decided to start this blog to teach girls how to be confident in who they are.”
One of the unique features Becoming Me offers is the interactive challenges that both Massie and Carlson partake in. These tests range from writing a kind note to depriving themselves of hair products for a week, and are meant to bring self-examination and experience to both readers and the writers themselves.
“What’s really cool about it is that it’s an active blog, so instead of just writing about opinions and self-examination, the blog makes us have new experiences,” Massie said. “It has taught both of us, and hopefully others, so much this year.”
With plans to continue blogging until the end of the semester, Carlson says that both her and Massie share a hope that their works can assist others in the area of personal growth.
“I would have to say that our favorite part is all of the things that we have learned and how we have both grown in confidence, our friendship and our faith in God,” Carlson said. “We got into this thinking that we would change others, and I hope we have; but we were also majorly changed in the process.”
Confessions of an Anglophile
For junior Mary Hierholzer, an admiration for the English culture has been an almost constant obsession, beginning at the age of 5 when she could list all the kings and queens of England in order and name all of Henry VIII?s wives. This is why, after years of built-up opinions and experiences, Hierholzer started her blog, Confessions of an Anglophile, on Sept. 2, 2010.
“As an Anglophile — a person who is greatly fond of Britain — I have a collection of appreciative thoughts stored up in my mind, which I aim to convey,” Hierholzer said. “Over time visiting England, building up memories and reflecting on experiences, the observations and opinions have built up. The blog is my way of putting my collection of thoughts into words.”
According to Hierholzer, the main goal of her weekly blog is to instruct the masses on all things having to do with England or the English culture.
“Confessions of an Anglophile is my way of conveying my love for England to anyone who wants to hear,” Hierholzer said. “In the blog, I express appreciation for English culture. Through this, I aim to inform readers about all of the valuable aspects of England in a meaningful way. I often wish that others would recognize the many qualities of England that I see, so hopefully readers can consider my observations.”
Although she has visited England several times and frequently views shows on BBC America, Hierholzer says that overexposure often makes her writing process difficult in that there is so much to say about the vast subjects pertaining to her blog. Despite this, Hierholzer aspires to eventually complete her musings in a concise, expressive denouement.
“The only obstacle I face in writing this blog is channeling my thoughts; I always have so much to say, and could make one paragraph’s subject into an entire blog,” Hierholzer said. “This, however, is a positive challenge, which teaches me how to convey a meaningful idea in a concise way. With so much to say about my life as an Anglophile, I hope to continue the series in order to bring a satisfying conclusion to my blog — even though my love for England will never fade.”
Playlist: Untitled
With topics ranging from unusual instruments to a series devoted to classic rock, junior Nick Avery’s weekly music blog, Playlist: Untitled, covers a variety of music-based categories.
Avery began the blog on Sept. 3, 2010, after replacing former writer Jennifer Boudreau, 10, and says the new style gives him a fresh outlook on writing.
“I’ve been wanting a music blog of my own since I came onto The Feather staff last year, but had to wait because Jenn Boudreau was writing for it at the time,” Avery said. “Thankfully, this year I got the spot and have been really enjoying it. It gives me a breath of fresh air at times when I want to channel my thoughts into something other than an article or essay that is short and concise.”
After playing the saxophone for a number of years and growing to appreciate music throughout his life, Avery believes a blog concerning music is an appropriate fit for him.
“I absolutely love music and I think it’s one of the most important things on this planet,” Avery said. “I’ve listened to all of the different types of music as far back as I can remember, so as far as I’m concerned, a music blog is really the best possible choice for a blog I could have picked.”
Due to the broadness of the musical world, Avery says that the one problem he faces every week is deciding which subject he wants to discuss. Despite this struggle, Avery believes this obstacle only inspires him more as a writer and an admirer of music.
“Each week, I have to take some time out of my busy schedule to sit down and pan through a couple of different ideas I have for a blog,” Avery said. “With all the different topics I have the chance to cover, I often get lost in the vastness of it all. This can become frustrating at times, but I really have to smile at the opportunities I have as a writer and music-lover, because I have this blog to direct and vocalize all of my thoughts. It’s simply stunning.”
The Guy Blog
Perhaps the most casual of the blogs, the biweekly publication, The Guy Blog, written by juniors David Casuga, Nick Avery and Trevor York, aims to share the experience of being a growing boy in an average high school.
As a writer, York believes the blog is primarily produced not for the teenage guy but for those who are truly befuddled by the activities and social behavior of the typical male.
“Our blog is fundamentally there to describe the arduous journey through high school as a man,” York said. “We are not writing this because we believe our knowledge is superior to [that of] the ordinary teen guy, but because the public must know, and most importantly, girls must know, that there are very specific reasons behind our sometimes unknown madness.”
Although the publication is the newest of the blogs featured on The Feather, its first issue being published on Jan. 31, 2011, Avery says the idea has been a long-anticipated one.
“Trevor, David and I first came up with the idea of a ‘guy blog’ a few months ago, but weren’t able to get the ball rolling until winter break came around,” Avery said. “So far, I’m extremely pleased with our blog’s outcome. The sky is really the limit with a concept like this, and I’m really glad we’re doing it.”
Though the trio has received criticism for some similarities their blog shares with that of Massie and of Carlson, Casuga believes that where Becoming Me focuses on challenges and transformation for young women, The Guy Blog aims to merely state the characteristics and attributes men possess.
“When we first came up with the idea, we got a lot of flak from the girls, saying that we were basically copying their idea,” Casuga said. “Really, though, what it comes down to is that we aren’t trying to change who we are or our flaws. Guys are guys, plain and simple, and that’s something that we intend to highlight over the coming months with our blog.”
For more information, or to read past and current blogs, visit the The Feather Blogsphere.
