Rhetoric, Writing, & Digital Media Studies

Introduction At this point, 2 of my first 3 blog posts involved writing about Bitcoin. By now, most have heard the word "Bitcoin". Some may even know a thing or two about it. But still, few know how it works. I won't be explaining that, here, but I will share a few resources. 1. (blog) I wrote a blog post about Bitcoin in order to explain it to beginners. 2. (website) Coindesk is an excellent resource for understanding Bitcoin . (more technical) 3. (video) John Oliver recently did a segment to explain it , and the general consensus in the cryptosphere is that his take is pretty fair and well done. (more playful) 4. (video) A great explanation of how Bitcoin works under the hood! (more technical) Social Media and the Cryptosphere I was introduced to cryptocurrency initially because I have a friend who invested some money and earned a 50x return on his investment, which is 5000%. He basically contacted me and said, "Hey! Yo

Blockchain: Frontier of a Writing Genre Blockchain is an experimental and developing frontier in every sense: thought, concept, technology, education, genre - you name it. Spellcheckers don't even recognize the term as a valid word. It's categorically defined as a "technology", but it's much more than that. I began writing about Bitcoin and blockchain technology only a few months ago, after visiting a Seoul Bitcoin meetup . I was fascinated, asking question after question until I showed enough interest to where the organizer of the meetup told me that the best way to understand how it works is to jump in. So I did. I published my first blog post about Bitcoin on December 2, 2017, called " Unmasking The Bitcoin Frenzy ". I also have become a contributor to the Seoul Bitcoin meetup by giving beginner presentations to answer questions about what it is and how it works. I was captivated by the innovation of how it works, and I was challenged wh

Explorations of Written Communication:  Social Media, Church, & New Parents   The Concept Way back on June 28th, 2011, technology giant Google Inc. launched a social media platform called Google+ (“Google Plus”). One of the few defining features which set Google+ apart from other social networking sites was the way they organized your friends. Those clever chaps at Google re-imagined  how our real-world relationships are actually organized and applied it to their social media platform. They cleverly named this feature “Circles”. The idea goes like this: Everyone has relationships. Most of us have a family, close friends, coworkers, colleagues, and acquaintances. However, we don’t always mix these relationships together when we spend time with these people. We keep them separated into… circles. This concept is the essentially the application of some theory in the academics of literacy and composition. You are part of several Discourse Communities (like Circles

Writing Conventions for Education in Technology Photo Credit: Nathan Simpson  (visit his website to see more awesome pictures) How it Started Ruben Somsen Studying the language is what first brought Ruben Somsen to South Korea, and interest in the culture and society are what caused him to return.  Soon after his return, he began looking for a challenge, and having a natural interest in computer technology, he began studying programming as a hobby. That's how he came across Bitcoin for the first time and was struck with fascination and curiosity. He immediately knew that the blockchain technology of Bitcoin would change the world, and began searching for a place in Korea where he could learn more and meet others who shared his intrigue; but there was nothing. So he went ahead and started one. From that time, the Seoul Bitcoin Meetup was born, drawing blockchain developers, enthusiasts, investors, and many others to this day. A Bitcoin Meetup In February of 201