English 420Y - Business Writing Online

After watching the video provided, I did a little searching for another response by someone who experienced the JetBlue crisis. I found a video filmed by a guy traveling with three other guys from New York to Sacramento, California. The web address for the video is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOo-tG9q2h0&mode=related&search. The four guys kept a video record of everything they endured during their trip. They would give updates every so often saying how long they had been waiting and what it was like.

I found a video on YouTube filled by a college age student and three of his friends while going through the termoil of the snow storms with JetBlue. It took him two and half days to get from JFK in New York to Sacramento California. I understand why he was angry at JetBlue and the reason for his complaints in the video. He did mention the Customer Bill of Rights and how he was going to get a refund for his ticket, but he said that he was not going to get a refund for the two extra nights of hotel rooms he and his buddies had stay.

I thought the chapter about writing and rhetoric was valuable. It showed the complexities of writing and how there is so much to consider. There is obviously more to consider than content and grammar. When writing for JetBlue I should think about it as a rhetorical situation considering: the reader, the writer, and the text thus creating the context. I should consider the reader's knowledge, experiences, memories, expectations, feelings, and desires. Understanding my reader would really benefit in helping my letter or press release to be read positively.

After reading chapter 1, I grasped a better understanding of writing and rhetoric in context. On page 7 of the Thomson Handbook, the questions a writer needs to ask themselves I thought was most helpful. It put in perspective as to what exactly it is I need to focus on as I am developing context for the reader. The checklist on page 13 was also very useful because it broke down the different types of context and gave a template for the writer to shape their own framework around a specific project.

The conditions costumers had to go through in the JetBlue crisis were appalling. The video shown in yotube shows how, even inside the airport, things were uncomfortable for everyone. I can say from experience that every time I travel, deep inside I fear that will happen. As I learned with chapter 1, we must be sure that we know the audience in order to give the information in the right context. In order to communicate properly we must understand what the other party has been through and then come up with the position they want us to assume.

Bryce Sexton
Reading Response – 4

After watching the video and then finding one of my own on YouTube, I know understood just some of the hassles that Jet Blue customers faced during the blizzard of 2007. There are definitely two very different audiences that need to be addressed in the same letter by Jet Blue. The first audience would be the customers who experienced the ordeal first hand. The second audience would be the customers who were at home that Jet Blue needed to convince to fly with them again.

In my opinion chapter 1 presented the information that the people already use but just don’t realize it. It is very important to study the audience that is going to read the text and also the setting or the circumstances in which they are going to do that. For example it is very much different to ask an advice on personal essay from a good friend and just an acquaintance. The example provided in chapter 1 that talks about the mad truck driver is perfect.

I found another Youtube video that can be watched if you click on the following link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOo-tG9q2h0&mode=related&search

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnnJeV-Gtas&mode=related&search=

After reading the selections in The Thompson Handbook, I realized how important it is to take context into account when writing. The writer must utilize his or her knowledge and incorporate feelings for a specific purpose. The reader has certain expectations and knowledge. The writer must work to create a piece that accurately brings the information to the reader. You really need to analyze your audience and the situation in order to write a meaningful message. You need to make sure you are concise and very direct with your writing.