I was recently notified that an analysis paper was written about my site here, which honors me. I think this is the second one, as someone also cited this crazy place for the thermite article, which guides the reader on making it. Anyway, this was written by a nice guy named Brennon, and you can see his blog by clicking here.

Thesis: I don't directly state a thesis but it is How Matt Parnell is appealing and why his blog is good.

Today, there are hundreds upon thousands of blogs taking up space on the internet. If it exists, more than likely is it blogged about. Topics range from technology to personal information, music to cooking, science to religion, and whatever else you can think of. I, myself, tend to be into all things technology and, when searching for a blog to do my analysis, I came across a web-blog that seemed rather interesting. It was named “Matt Parnell’s Brain: Plugged In!” and after careful analysis, I can concur that this truly is a good blog for internet techies everywhere.

First things first, the moment you go to the website you are greeted with a welcome message towards the top of the webpage. The welcome message gets right to the point and says this, “Welcome to my site. I usually write about technology, such as>satellite television descrambling, comparing Linux and Windows, and I also talk about other things when they fit my fancy. I currently have two past articles in 2600, regarding Internet Archeology, as well as Blackhat SEO. I also am interested in collecting SURGE merchandise, and enjoy all things Power Rangers and Super Sentai” (Parnell). The statement alone defines him, what he usually writes about, and what his whole purpose is for running that website.

However, he defines himself even more by the style he has setup for the website. It all looks very neat and organized, as well as the color scheme seems to make everything look perfect, which could give off the impression that maybe he is a bit OCD or is just a perfectionist. Next, is how does he appeal to a certain demographic? He does it in a few ways. The first is with his welcome statement. By already stating what he usually talks about, he is getting rid of all people who are either not interest in technology, or just do not care what his website has to say. The second is by reading his about section. In it he states, “I am a devout Evangelical Christian, first, and foremost. I enjoy anything to do with hacking, cracking, modding, cooking, technical stuff, music, dumpster diving, etc. I may post some vocal music samples sometime, just for kicks”(Parnell) By showing all the things that enjoys, the reader can then compare that to their own likes and dislikes, then decide if they want to continue to browse the website or not. The final thing that gets a certain demographic in is the fact that he is some what knowledgeable in internet culture. In his about section there is a picture of him wearing a Guy Fawkes mask and you can link that to a certain internet group whom will not be named. Also he wrote a blog about Guy Fawkes Day, which was the 5th of November. With all three of those techniques, he is able to bring in a fairly mixed group of visitors to his website.

However, what is the point of his website? Matt stated in his about section, “I created this site with the intention of just letting it be an extension of my brain. It isn't as much a blog as it is my brain in a very organized detail.” (Parnell) That statement shows his whole purpose, which is to blog about whatever he feels like. I believe the message he is trying to bring to the masses is to just see what kind of technology Matt Parnell is going to write about today or, what other random thing is he going to do. He must be writing about the right things because he has been around since 2006. Overall, Matt Parnell is just one example of what a good, organized blog should look and be like. He has managed to stay up to date for the most part for the past three years, and he continues to deliver his technological messages in a very timely manner. Hopefully, one day we can all follow in Mr. Parnell’s blogging foot steps.