User talk:Sophiestauffer

For my rhetorical analysis, I'm looking at the article for the band The Killers. When the article was created in 2004, it consisted of one sentence. There are 500 pages of edit history, as it has been being added to and edited for the past 13 years. The most recent edit took place on March 28, 2017, so it is still very active. It is an accessible page that has been edited by various kinds of users. The most recent conversations on the "Talk page" are from 2009, so it does not appear as if this is really in use. I don't see the same editors on here, as the people on the talk page are buried in the revision history. The tone of the Talk page is pretentious, and rude. There is some crude language on it.

Strengths: It's increidbly informaive, there is now and extensive amount of information. Additionally, this shows a grand sense of improvment as when the article was created it was only one sentence. Weakenesses: There is a lot of "back and forth" in the revision history. There is a debate on what is important and what's not, so it's hard to pick the most reliable facts out of it.

New Article Ideas and Articulation
Here is my list of ideas:


 * 1) 1.) El Amigo
 * 2) 2.)Nick Jonas's third front tooth
 * 3) 3.) Andy and Olly Pesto
 * 4) 4.) The War on Christmas *
 * 5) 5.) Pura Vida Bracelets *
 * 6) 6.)Clear Mom Jeans
 * 7) 7.)Nipple Tassels *
 * 8) 8.)Nipple Piercings *
 * 9) 9.)"Ghosting"*
 * 10) 10.) Rainbow Kitten Surprise (Stub)*
 * 11) 11.)Bo Obama*
 * 12) 12.)Dandelion, the Crayola Crayon that just got retired
 * 13) 13.) Valpo Velvet
 * 14) 14.) Kopparberg*
 * 15) 15.)Tinder *

I put an asterisk next to the ones that already had pages. I couldn't figure out how to cross them out on here. I think that we should create an article for Valpo Velvet, the ice cream shop on Monroe St. It holds historic significance for the city of Valparaiso and there are sources that have written on it such as newspapers. I found these sources just by googling "Valpo Velvet" so they are not hard to come by. No one has written on it yet.

Additionally, we could search for local businesses, dairies, and home made ice cream/food to help us find other sources. We could try to link to some of these sources in the article, or we could link to the city of Valparaiso.

Prepare to Create an Article (Emily)
Cold Stone Creamery Wikipedia Page Analysis: I like how this page begins with a concise overview that includes a short list of Cold Stone’s products, and it also mentions how the company has changed its model over time. This article is organized by five main headings: History, Products, Entertainment, Legal Issues, and Corporate Headquarters. I think that our article could definitely include sections on Valpo Velvet’s history and products, including information on what stores sell their products. Many of the sources used in Cold Stone’s page are news articles that reference fairly specific events in the company's history, as well as information from the International Directory of Company Histories. I think that Valpo Velvet’s page would probably focus more on the history and local community impact, considering it is a significantly smaller company than Cold Stone Creamery.

Potential Table of Contents
 * History
 * 1) History of the company itself
 * 2) History of the location (was there a different business before Valpo Velvet at their location?)
 * Products
 * 1) A list of all the products they offer
 * 2) Reception and best sellers
 * Community Impact
 * 1) Do they hold event that are open to the community/ participate in campus/ festival events?
 * 2) Do they donate to the community/ a local charity?

I put this on Sophie's page because she is our designated editor-- hope that's alright.

Emrzlak (talk) 21:51, 6 April 2017 (UTC)

Prepare to Create Article (Sophie)
Emily put her response on my talk page, so I thought that I should follow suit.

I chose to look at Dairy Queen's article, and actually, it needs quite a bit of work. It does not live up to Wikipedia's quality standards, so it is not complete and the sources look a little shabby. I want to make sure that our article does NOT look like this. I want our article to be clean, organized and reliable. That being said DQ's page features quite a few photos. I think it would be fun if we included photos as well. I know the Brown family well, and certainly wouldn't mind taking a brief field trip to the store if need be. Plus, as I've said before, there's articles about it on the Internet, so finding photos of Valpo Velvet and their food shouldn't be too difficult.

Categories Featured: * History * Stores * Products * Advertising * Logos

For sources, there are two books cited and various links mentioned in the notes. For the links mentioned in the notes, some of them were not up to date as they did not work when I clicked on them. I've touched on this already, but I definitely want our sources to be reliable and up-to-date. I like that this article features products, I think it would be really cool to feature some of Valpo Velvet's products in our articles. Valpo Velvet serves food in addition to ice cream, so I'd like to make sure that that is one there.

For our article, we could feature * History The building itself and how it changed How it's developed into what it is today * Reception Postive (VERY BIASED HERE I LOVE VV) and negative (some say it's expensive) Tourists come to see it, so talking about it as a tourist attraction could be cool. * MAYBE something on the Brown family It's been owned by them for three generations, so talking about that lineage would be cool. The current owners Cathy and Mike ROCK so we could talk about them * Products THey have some big sundaes named after stuff around Valpo (including VU!!) that we could feature They also serve classics, like root beer floats and banana splits that we could feature.

Sophiestauffer (talk) 01:36, 7 April 2017 (UTC)Sophiestauffer

Prepare to Create an Article (Brian)
I visited the Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream page and found it to be only mildly helpful but very interesting.

They featured 1 History 2 Original flavors and sundaes 3 Controversies 3.1 Commercial 3.2 Political 3.3 Social 4 Global locations 4.1 Former markets 5 Wages as their table of contents.

I think that most of those won't apply to Valpo Velvet Ice Cream, such as the controversies hopefully, but I can see that those above me have already drafted good Table of Contents For my part I think that they have it covered pretty well. I think the tag 'original flavors and sundaes can be encompassed by the products tag suggested by both Emily and Sophie. Something like 1 History 1.1 Company 1.2 Family 2 Stores 3 products 3.1 reception 4 Advertising 5 Community Impact would work pretty well. I think we could fit logos tag under advertising and each product could get its own reception if that's possible if not then we can do a general reception section. BrianDor (talk) 14:26, 7 April 2017 (UTC)

Potential Resources (Emily)
'''Mahlmann, Chris. "Valpo Velvet's Grand Opening." ValpoLife. N.p., 04 May 2009. Web. 09 Apr. 2017. ''' This article talks about the ice cream shop’s grand opening for the summer season in 2009. The article itself does not contain much information, but there is an attached interview video that might be helpful. The video talks about how the ice cream is all made in-house, It shows how they create the ice cream mix using large machinery. It gives a mini tour of the facilities, showing where they make and store the ice cream. This source would probably work well under the Products section, or maybe in the general overview summary.

Noteable Quote: “The Brown family does everything. They pasteurize it, then they homogenize it.”

'''Cobble, Mary. "A Valpo Life in the Spotlight: Cathy Brown Brown." ValpoLife. N.p., 07 Jan. 2015. Web. 09 Apr. 2017.'''

This article gives a lot of information about the owner and a little bit on the history of the shop. Some key info:

-She’s a Valpo native

-attended Indiana University to study Elementary Education

-Husband’s family opened Valpo Velvet in 1947

-three children, took time off teaching to raise them

Noteable Quote: “‘My favorite part of the job is the product. I'm really proud of the product, I'm proud to talk about it, I'm proud to sell it. There's not one part of me that's hesitant, and I truly believe we make something great,’ she said.”

"The Valpo Velvet Shoppe." Dig The Dunes. Dig The Dunes, n.d. Web. 09 Apr. 2017.

Cobble, Mary. "A Valpo Life in the Spotlight: Cathy Brown Brown." ValpoLife. Valpo Life, 7 Jan. 2015. Web. 09 Apr. 2017.

'''Phil Wieland - Phil.wieland@nwi.com, (219) 548-4352. "Valpo Velvet Battling Wal-Mart Ouster." Nwitimes.com. North West Indiana Times, 10 Oct. 2009. Web. 09 Apr. 2017.'''
 * This article mentions the time frame in which the family had the shop started and closed as well as when it was reopened in 2009. It mentions some of the ways that they sold there merchandise as well as some of the stores in which it has been sold over the years.

--Sophiestauffer (talk) 19:48, 9 April 2017 (UTC)Sophiestauffer


 * Schultz, Jeff. "Valpo Velvet Owner Cathy Brown Named to Tourism Board." Valpo Velvet Owner Cathy Brown Named to Tourism Board. Chesterton Tribune, 20 Apr. 2016. Web. 10 Apr. 2017.


 * Lavalley, Amy. "Food Inspections Heat up Events, Ensure Safety." Post-Tribune. Chicago Tribune, 28 June 2016. Web.10 Apr. 2017

''' Lavalley, Amy. "Block Party Brings Community, Opportunity Enterprises and University Together." Post-Tribune. Chicago Tribune, 19 Aug. 2016. Web. 10 Apr. 2017.'''


 * This article provides brief information and may be used to catalogue the community events that Valpo Velvet is apart of. N

Notable quotes:
 * 'The ice cream, he said, was his favorite part of a block party held for OE clients and the community by the Valparaiso Parks and Recreation Department and the Valparaiso University Graduate School, put on Thursday at Urschel Pavilion in downtown Valparaiso. The public event was followed with a dance just for OE clients.'


 * In addition to free ice cream, the first-time event included face painting, corn hole games supervised by VU fraternity Phi Sigma Kappa, and the chance to flutter a large, brightly colored parachute.

'''Sehgal, Mona. "Front Porch Music Festival Brought Community Together for a Rockin' Good Time." ValpoLife. N.p., 1 Aug. 2016. Web. 10 Apr. 2017.'''


 * This article provides notability as to the activities that Valpo Velvet is associated with. Additionally, it quotes Cathy Brown, something that we can possibly use to show how important community is to Valpo Velvet.


 * Quote: Cathy Brown, Owner of Valpo Velvet, said, “The reason I think it’s so important for music festivals like this to exist is because it’s vital for young musicians to have a place to perform and showcase their talents. Front Porch is a genuine organization that is positively impacting the Valparaiso community.”


 * Staff, Times. "Friends with Benefits Festival Will Leave Them Talking." Nwitimes.com. N.p., 11 Aug. 2016. Web. 10 Apr. 2017.


 * O'Leary, Susan. "Colors Abound at Annual Chalk the Walk Fundraiser." Nwitimes.com. N.p., 07 May 2016. Web. 10 Apr. 2017.

Josssoto (talk) 05:50, 10 April 2017 (UTC)


 * Kosky, Ken. "Valpo Velvet Ice Cream in Valparaiso: For 65 Years." Littleindianacom. N.p., 5 Oct. 2013. Web. 10 Apr. 2017.


 * "Nutrition Facts." Myfitnesspal.com. Under Armour, n.d. Web. 10 Apr. 2017.


 * "Valpo Velvet - Supporting Tri Kappa's Tast of Valpo for 26 Years!" Trikappavalpo.org. N.p., 16 May 2016. Web. 10 Apr. 2017.
 * The article attaches the shop to the taste of Valpo which it had participated in for the entirety of its existence. it also comments on some of the fan favorites of the items sold by valpo velvet, including their food. It makes brief mention of the history of valpo velvet as well as quote Cathy Brown again on the importance of community

BrianDor (talk) 14:29, 10 April 2017 (UTC)

Annotated Bibliography
'''Mahlmann, Chris. "Valpo Velvet's Grand Opening." ValpoLife. N.p., 04 May 2009. Web. 09 Apr. 2017.'''

This article talks about the ice cream shop’s grand opening for the summer season in 2009. The article itself does not contain much information, but there is an attached interview video that might be helpful. The video talks about how the ice cream is all made in-house, It shows how they create the ice cream mix using large machinery. It gives a mini tour of the facilities, showing where they make and store the ice cream. This source would probably work well under the Products section, or maybe in the general overview summary.

Noteable Quote: “The Brown family does everything. They pasteurize it, then they homogenize it.”

'''Cobble, Mary. "A Valpo Life in the Spotlight: Cathy Brown Brown." ValpoLife. N.p., 07 Jan. 2015. Web. 09 Apr. 2017.'''

This article gives a lot of information about the owner and a little bit on the history of the shop. Some key info: -She’s a Valpo native -attended Indiana University to study Elementary Education -Husband’s family opened Valpo Velvet in 1947 -three children, took time off teaching to raise them

Noteable Quote: “‘My favorite part of the job is the product. I'm really proud of the product, I'm proud to talk about it, I'm proud to sell it. There's not one part of me that's hesitant, and I truly believe we make something great,’ she said.”

'''Phil Wieland - Phil.wieland@nwi.com, (219) 548-4352. "Valpo Velvet Battling Wal-Mart Ouster." Nwitimes.com. North West Indiana Times, 10 Oct. 2009. Web. 09 Apr. 2017.'''

This article mentions the time frame in which the family had the shop started and closed as well as when it was reopened in 2009. It mentions some of the ways that they sold there merchandise as well as some of the stores in which it has been sold over the years.

Notable Quotes:

The shop was open from 1997 to 2001, when the family closed it in order to concentrate on the ice cream business.

The e-mail says they will close briefly in November to do some remodeling and re-open in December. They also will stay open through the winter for the first time. Another change will be a new line of pint containers to compete with specialty ice cream makers like Ben & Jerry's and Haagen-Dazs.

While the other local grocery stores, like WiseWay, Jewel and Town & Country, continue to carry Valpo Velvet

'''Lavalley, Amy. "Block Party Brings Community, Opportunity Enterprises and University Together." Post-Tribune. Chicago Tribune, 19 Aug. 2016. Web. 10 Apr. 2017.'''

This article provides brief information and may be used to catalogue the community events that Valpo Velvet is apart of. N

Notable quotes:

'The ice cream, he said, was his favorite part of a block party held for OE clients and the community by the Valparaiso Parks and Recreation Department and the Valparaiso University Graduate School, put on Thursday at Urschel Pavilion in downtown Valparaiso. The public event was followed with a dance just for OE clients.'

In addition to free ice cream, the first-time event included face painting, corn hole games supervised by VU fraternity Phi Sigma Kappa, and the chance to flutter a large, brightly colored parachute.

'''Sehgal, Mona. "Front Porch Music Festival Brought Community Together for a Rockin' Good Time." ValpoLife. N.p., 1 Aug. 2016. Web. 10 Apr. 2017.'''

This article provides notability as to the activities that Valpo Velvet is associated with. Additionally, it quotes Cathy Brown, something that we can possibly use to show how important community is to Valpo Velvet.

Notable Quote: Cathy Brown, Owner of Valpo Velvet, said, “The reason I think it’s so important for music festivals like this to exist is because it’s vital for young musicians to have a place to perform and showcase their talents. Front Porch is a genuine organization that is positively impacting the Valparaiso community.”

'''"Valpo Velvet - Supporting Tri Kappa's Tast of Valpo for 26 Years!" Trikappavalpo.org. N.p., 16 May 2016. Web. 10 Apr. 2017.'''

The article attaches the shop to the taste of Valpo which it had participated in for the entirety of its existence. it also comments on some of the fan favorites of the items sold by valpo velvet, including their food. It makes brief mention of the history of valpo velvet as well as quote Cathy Brown again on the importance of community

Notable Quotes:

Vanilla is still the most popular flavor and Vanilla Malts are still the chosen drink among the Brown Family. Some other popular flavors are Chocolate Almond, Mint Chocolate Chip, and Butter Pecan.

°°°Schultz, Jeff. "Valpo Velvet Owner Cathy Brown Named to Tourism Board." Valpo Velvet Owner Cathy Brown Named to Tourism Board. Chesterton Tribune, 20 Apr. 2016. Web. 10 Apr. 2017.

“She’s a lifelong Porter County resident and I think she will make a great addition,” Blaney said.

°°Lavalley, Amy. "Food Inspections Heat up Events, Ensure Safety." Post-Tribune. Chicago Tribune, 28 June 2016. Web.10 Apr. 2017

"Valpo Velvet in Valparaiso added a second mobile truck last year and its employees are well familiar with the inspection process, said Cathy Brown, who owns the ice cream shop with her husband, Mike."

BrianDor (talk) 07:19, 12 April 2017 (UTC)