Here are my two annotated bibliographies although I have to admit, I am not 100% certain of my topic. I am still debating on what to research :(
"Lincoln Park." Everyblock Chicago. Msnbc.com, 2011. Web. 20 Oct. 2011.
http://chicago.everyblock.com/locations/neighborhoods/lincoln-park/.
The "everyblock" website is a very helpful link that discusses the different issues occuring throughout a certain neighborhood. For example, the neighborhood of my choosing, Lincoln Park, is not discussed in a very prosperous viewpoint as the majority of the websites advertise it to be, but as a place that has some range of crime. Here, people from Lincoln Park (or anyone who has information on the area) are capable of updating information and of talking to one another about the important issues that not only includes crime, but, for example, renovations around the area. I really liked this website because it helped me learn about new issues that other websites did not take the time to adress and it helped me hear, in respect of the residents of the neighborhood, what they really thought of it. The reason why I think this website is credible is because it is based on their first hand experience; yes, the residents all live in different parts of Lincoln Park, but the information is logical and insightful. As for an overall intended audience is actually, from what I have read, is directed to other locals so they can help each other out. The residents from Lincoln Park have an authority to write this information down based on the number of years they have lived in Lincoln Park; however, many other factors can give them the authority to write about what happens daily. One reason can be that these peope see something happen and since no one else has reported the incident, these people can feel obligated to report it somehow which is why this website is set up. For whatever the reason was/is, I believe this to be a reliable source that I have obtain insightful information from.
"Lincoln Park, IL." Zip Codes and Area Codes. 2011. Web. 22 Oct. 2011.
http://www.zipareacode.net/lincoln-park-il.htm.
Although I have found a well-rounded graph concerning the demographics of Lincoln Park, this website game me the precise statistics of the population. Even though the information is very limited/small it is very informative and is an eye opener because it showed that the white population is 57,688 while the Hispanic and the black populations are well under 4,000 people each. This website may not explain why this area is like this; however, it is a good start to what I am trying to research: why the majority of the people in Lincoln Park are white. This is no problem with a white population, but the fact that Hispanics and the black community, that are said to be growing everyday in numbers, are so significantly low in this area is questionable. The authority of the website is somewhat questionable since I have never heard of the source and because the information is so "basic"; however, pertaining to its credibility, it is credible. The website is based on zip codes and everyone can relate to this because we all have them. I doubt that a website would lie about the number of people living in a certain area. I will back this website up (in the future) with a more reliable source such as a graph or chart by a popular magazine or newspaper. The audience this website is trying to get attention from must be people that want to buy homes in a certain area that would like to know basic facts about the area to determine whether or not they would like to live there. With the information provided by this website, anyone can have a good image concerning a certain area, like for example, Lincoln Park.
Nice start, Janet. Don't despair if you're not exactly sure how you want to focus your research. I think the seeds are here. For example, how do you think the demographics (which is to say "plenty of caucasians") of the neighborhood are related to the perception of crime? I doubt the Wikipedia entry covers that!
ReplyDeleteI like how you're grappling with issues of credibility and authority with sources that are not necessarily conventional. I wonder, though, in what context is someone an authority if he or she has seen something happen on the street? I think of authority as related to power, so a person's power in this connection would be very incident specific. But maybe there's something about the message board that allows "average" citizens to have more authority? What do you think? It's a tough question!