Rhetoric, Technology, Culture Spring 2011

Amber, I really did enjoy your podcast for this week. When trying to decide which podcast to focus and comment on, yours in particular came to mind. I believe it was most memorable because of the way you presented your own thoughts alongside of Ong’s. I really appreciate the honesty you express by admitting that some of the other articles were "incomprehensible." By starting off in this way, you clearly set up your own persona, and this is something that can be difficult to do when providing a podcast that so heavily relies on others’ works. In addition, this sort of honest acknowledgement of your own troubles actually makes you more credible because you show that while some of the course material escaped your grasp, you have a good sense of Ong’s arguments.

In addition, you do a good job of integrating your own thoughts with Ong’s article by posing questions throughout the podcast instead of waiting to the end to offer your own opinions/extensions of Ong’s work. Although this may be why your podcast is significantly longer than many of the others, I don’t feel like you wasted a lot of time. You provided the listener with a clear framework for your arguments and got to the point quickly. Perhaps the timing could have been shortened by focusing on fewer points in the article.

As for content, I was particularly impressed when you pointed out that speech is also edited because it is so true. Kylesaurus-Rex comments on this in more detail when commenting on “Warning: Podsafe Content.” I most definitely agree that oral communication is constantly shaped and goal-oriented, and I want to consider further the type of oral communication (speech) that is put through multiple technology vehicles. For example, when a politician gives a speech, there is usually a group of people that first discusses what the politician will say orally. Then, there is usually someone who writes and edits the speech before the politician then presents it orally. Furthermore, these speeches are often then rewritten and uploaded onto the internet for others to share. What does this mean in terms of oral communication editing?