After completing this project, I have to say that out of all of the projects I have done for this class, this was not only the most challenging, but also the one I enjoyed the least. Although I can see how social networking can be used to impact a cause, this project was just not very exciting for me.
For my cause, I chose domestic violence. I believe this was the right choice as I have a lot of experience with the topic since I volunteered for many years at a domestic violence shelter where my aunt worked. I also had a lot of prior knowledge which I was able to bring to the project and which made research fairly easy.
However, although research and choosing the cause were not very difficult, constructing the site was. I had never used socialgo.com before, and I found it a little challenging to manage. I would have liked to have used one of the pre-made templates, but I wanted to include purple as that is the color of domestic violence awareness, and unfortunately I was unable to customize the templates to change the colors. So, that was a little frustrating. Still, I got past it and decided to just make my own template, which was pretty easy for me to figure out how to do.
When it came time to format the welcome page, though, I had a lot of difficulty. It was formatted as a table, which was fine, but when I tried to add a picture it would not let me fix spacing and add text below. I ended up having to add text first and then go back and add the picture, and that was only after I accidently messed up the table and had to find some way to get the original html code back.
I also found it a little difficult to find local events. Domestic violence awareness month is not until October, so trying to find some events before then was difficult, but I managed by searching around many different sites and online newspapers.
My last difficulty was deciding what to write about in the forums and the blog. I had a lot of research, but it was hard to make it fit into blog and forum posts like I wanted. I think it also would have helped if we had been given some examples.
Overall, I think I did alright with the project, although it still would have been nice to have an example for some guidance as to what was expected. I tried to include everything in the assignment sheet, and I think I was successful. However, I still don't feel that this project is the one that best showcases my abilities, and I do not feel like I learned anything from it other than the fact that social networking can help causes.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Monday, May 2, 2011
Enthusiast Blog Post Write
Again, I'm not sure if we are supposed to do a post write for our enthusiast blogs, but I thought I would. If nothing else, it will help me with the final portfolio.
The enthusiast blog was one of my least favorite projects. That might be a bit unusual since most seemed to like it, but I liked the website redesign and Wikitravel projects more. It wasn't that the blog was difficult to do, or that I didn't enjoy writing in it. I did enjoy writing in it, but it seemed to become tiresome after awhile. Towards the end, I had difficulty thinking up new topics. I also felt frustrated because I didn't know how to fix the topic, as the professor wanted, without starting over. Perhaps I picked too broad of a topic. I thought I had done a good job of relating all of the posts to the main idea, which essentially was that you can learn more from college than just academic knowledge (specifically what you learn about yourself and what life lessons you learn in college). Looking back, I should have probably chosen a simpler topic, but I thought it was the best idea I had at the time.
Although I did not enjoy the enthusiast blog project as much as some of the others, I did not have any major challenges with it, besides not knowing how to fix it and having some trouble thinking up new topics towards the end. The only other challenge I may have faced was making sure to write a new post each week, and that was only challenging because I was not used to it, having never done a blog before.
As for what I liked about the project, it was nice writing every week, and I can see how blogging could be fun. I think I just would have enjoyed the project more if I had chosen another topic. So if anything, the project taught me how important it is to pick a topic that will keep you enthusiastic throughout the blogging process. I also learned that blogging might be something I would be willing to do more of in the future, provided the topic is right.
The enthusiast blog was one of my least favorite projects. That might be a bit unusual since most seemed to like it, but I liked the website redesign and Wikitravel projects more. It wasn't that the blog was difficult to do, or that I didn't enjoy writing in it. I did enjoy writing in it, but it seemed to become tiresome after awhile. Towards the end, I had difficulty thinking up new topics. I also felt frustrated because I didn't know how to fix the topic, as the professor wanted, without starting over. Perhaps I picked too broad of a topic. I thought I had done a good job of relating all of the posts to the main idea, which essentially was that you can learn more from college than just academic knowledge (specifically what you learn about yourself and what life lessons you learn in college). Looking back, I should have probably chosen a simpler topic, but I thought it was the best idea I had at the time.
Although I did not enjoy the enthusiast blog project as much as some of the others, I did not have any major challenges with it, besides not knowing how to fix it and having some trouble thinking up new topics towards the end. The only other challenge I may have faced was making sure to write a new post each week, and that was only challenging because I was not used to it, having never done a blog before.
As for what I liked about the project, it was nice writing every week, and I can see how blogging could be fun. I think I just would have enjoyed the project more if I had chosen another topic. So if anything, the project taught me how important it is to pick a topic that will keep you enthusiastic throughout the blogging process. I also learned that blogging might be something I would be willing to do more of in the future, provided the topic is right.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Critical Literacy Presentation Reflection
I don't know whether we're supposed to do a reflection for our critical literacy presentations, but it felt only right that I should do one, albeit a little late. It seems especially important as well since I plan on including the presentation in my final portfolio.
The critical literacy presentation is the one project where I didn't feel completely unsure of what to expect in the beginning. I've worked with PowerPoint many times before, and even though I hadn't used it recently and did not have much experience using it with my Mac yet, I was sure I could figure out how to do everything I needed to.
Researching my topic was easy once I knew how to go about looking. The iPad is pretty popular and was in recent news due to the premier of the latest version. The one thing I had a problem with at first was finding information on the original iPad in comparison to the newest one. However, once I began searching for "iPad 2010" things got easier. The first place I went for research, of course, was apple.com, which helped quite a bit. I also contacted my cousin, who works for Intel, which works with Apple, and he pointed me to a lot of good resources online.
Organizing the PowerPoint was a bit more difficult because there was so much information concerning the iPad. I tried to concentrate on the essentials, which I viewed as explaining what it was and giving background information so anyone unfamiliar with the topic would understand it, as well as answering all of the questions or covering all of the points on the assignment sheet. Overall, I think I did a pretty good job. I tried my best to keep it as concise as possible, but with so much information it was difficult, and the PowerPoint was a little longer than it was supposed to be.
My biggest challenge with the project, besides trying to condense information, was figuring out how to narrate the presentation. I became really excited when I realized that the PowerPoint on my Mac came with its own narration tool. However, I soon learned that it wouldn't be that easy. Every time I recorded, the narration would get cut off on playback. Upon doing some looking around online to see if anyone else had encountered similar problems, I learned that it was not just my program, but that everyone who had purchased the Microsoft Office for Mac software had the same problem. I also learned that no one had discovered a way to fix it. With that option out, I figured I'd use GarageBand, as had been recommended. I hit another stumbling block as I learned that GarageBand had somehow been uninstalled on my computer. After finding the disks I needed, I successfully reinstalled it. I wish I could say it was smooth sailing from there, but it wasn't. I had never used GarageBand before, and I couldn't seem to get the voice recording to sound exactly as I wanted. It recorded with an echo-like quality to it, and I couldn't figure out how to fix it. In the end, I figured a narration that sounded like it echoed was better than no narration, and I went with it. The entire time, I wished that the narration in PowerPoint had worked.
Overall, despite the problems, I was proud of how the PowerPoint came out. Besides the length and the echo of the narration, I thought it was well done, especially for it being the first time I had used PowerPoint so much on the Mac and for it being the first time I had narrated a PowerPoint. I feel like I chose the right topic and put in a lot of effort, and I hope the professor agrees.
The critical literacy presentation is the one project where I didn't feel completely unsure of what to expect in the beginning. I've worked with PowerPoint many times before, and even though I hadn't used it recently and did not have much experience using it with my Mac yet, I was sure I could figure out how to do everything I needed to.
Researching my topic was easy once I knew how to go about looking. The iPad is pretty popular and was in recent news due to the premier of the latest version. The one thing I had a problem with at first was finding information on the original iPad in comparison to the newest one. However, once I began searching for "iPad 2010" things got easier. The first place I went for research, of course, was apple.com, which helped quite a bit. I also contacted my cousin, who works for Intel, which works with Apple, and he pointed me to a lot of good resources online.
Organizing the PowerPoint was a bit more difficult because there was so much information concerning the iPad. I tried to concentrate on the essentials, which I viewed as explaining what it was and giving background information so anyone unfamiliar with the topic would understand it, as well as answering all of the questions or covering all of the points on the assignment sheet. Overall, I think I did a pretty good job. I tried my best to keep it as concise as possible, but with so much information it was difficult, and the PowerPoint was a little longer than it was supposed to be.
My biggest challenge with the project, besides trying to condense information, was figuring out how to narrate the presentation. I became really excited when I realized that the PowerPoint on my Mac came with its own narration tool. However, I soon learned that it wouldn't be that easy. Every time I recorded, the narration would get cut off on playback. Upon doing some looking around online to see if anyone else had encountered similar problems, I learned that it was not just my program, but that everyone who had purchased the Microsoft Office for Mac software had the same problem. I also learned that no one had discovered a way to fix it. With that option out, I figured I'd use GarageBand, as had been recommended. I hit another stumbling block as I learned that GarageBand had somehow been uninstalled on my computer. After finding the disks I needed, I successfully reinstalled it. I wish I could say it was smooth sailing from there, but it wasn't. I had never used GarageBand before, and I couldn't seem to get the voice recording to sound exactly as I wanted. It recorded with an echo-like quality to it, and I couldn't figure out how to fix it. In the end, I figured a narration that sounded like it echoed was better than no narration, and I went with it. The entire time, I wished that the narration in PowerPoint had worked.
Overall, despite the problems, I was proud of how the PowerPoint came out. Besides the length and the echo of the narration, I thought it was well done, especially for it being the first time I had used PowerPoint so much on the Mac and for it being the first time I had narrated a PowerPoint. I feel like I chose the right topic and put in a lot of effort, and I hope the professor agrees.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Website Redesign Reflection
When I first began the website redesign project, I was pretty nervous. I had some website design experience from a class I took in high school, but that was two years ago, and my experience overall was fairly limited. So when I read the assignment sheet and found out we were using google sites, I felt a lot better. I had never used google sites before, but it seemed pretty easy to learn how to use it (and it was). Overall, I figured google sites would make the whole process of making the website redesigns easier.
While that turned out to be true for the most part, I did encounter some problems and frustrations. There were times, for example, that google sites did not want to work as I wanted it to. I would be editing a site and hit the button to take away an indent, and it would instead increase the indent. Little problems like that were a bit of an annoyance.
The cause of most of my frustration concerning google sites, however, was its limitations. There were times when I wished that I could customize the sites further without having to use html code (which I can't quite remember how to do). This was especially true in regard to the themes of the sites (I kind of wished they had more of a selection or that I could edit them further). I also wished I could have changed the alignment of the headers. (If that was something google sites allowed, I did not find it.)
Besides that, though, I found google sites to be pretty easy to learn and use. So far, I am pleased with how my redesigns are turning out (I only have one more page to work on for each), and I think the changes are beneficial. I reorganized the entire site, adding pages and making edits to existing pages. For example, I moved the menu to its own page, and deleted other restaurant listings and listings with links that did not work off the "what's nearby" page. Speaking of that page, I also added more listings for things to do in the area and a couple more places to stay, as well as a brief description of the area in which the restaurant(s) is/are located. For the home page, I added a little description of Flo's. Other pages I added included a directions page, a history page, an awards page, and a contact page. I also put photos throughout the entire site, and overall it is more welcoming and navigable.
The original site: www.flosclamshack.net
My first redesign: sites.google.com/site/flosclamshackmiddletown/
My second redesign: sites.google.com/site/flosclamshackri/
While that turned out to be true for the most part, I did encounter some problems and frustrations. There were times, for example, that google sites did not want to work as I wanted it to. I would be editing a site and hit the button to take away an indent, and it would instead increase the indent. Little problems like that were a bit of an annoyance.
The cause of most of my frustration concerning google sites, however, was its limitations. There were times when I wished that I could customize the sites further without having to use html code (which I can't quite remember how to do). This was especially true in regard to the themes of the sites (I kind of wished they had more of a selection or that I could edit them further). I also wished I could have changed the alignment of the headers. (If that was something google sites allowed, I did not find it.)
Besides that, though, I found google sites to be pretty easy to learn and use. So far, I am pleased with how my redesigns are turning out (I only have one more page to work on for each), and I think the changes are beneficial. I reorganized the entire site, adding pages and making edits to existing pages. For example, I moved the menu to its own page, and deleted other restaurant listings and listings with links that did not work off the "what's nearby" page. Speaking of that page, I also added more listings for things to do in the area and a couple more places to stay, as well as a brief description of the area in which the restaurant(s) is/are located. For the home page, I added a little description of Flo's. Other pages I added included a directions page, a history page, an awards page, and a contact page. I also put photos throughout the entire site, and overall it is more welcoming and navigable.
The original site: www.flosclamshack.net
My first redesign: sites.google.com/site/flosclamshackmiddletown/
My second redesign: sites.google.com/site/flosclamshackri/
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Facebook & Privacy
The one social networking site (SNS) I use regularly is Facebook. Just as many popular social networking sites, Facebook faces its share of privacy issues. Recent privacy issues have included Facebook making phone numbers on users' profiles public and selling access to users' consumer information. Facebook also changes its privacy settings constantly, making it difficult for users to keep up, and many users are not aware that they can customize their privacy settings. Even with customization enabled though, users have to keep up to date on the latest privacy changes, as I found out when my phone number was released publicly despite my privacy settings being customized to only show certain information, my phone number not among it.
The many changes to privacy settings and the fact that Facebook, like other online companies, sells access to users' consumer information is troubling. What makes it more so is the fact that current laws, as Boyd and Ellison point out, are not really equipped to deal with online privacy. However, if the "Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights" currently being proposed as described in a Time article (www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,2059442,00.html) is enacted, companies such as Facebook would be required to tell users what information they are selling and what it is being used for. This would be a plus in and of itself, seeing as many were unaware until recently that Facebook was even selling access to information, myself included. However, the proposed bill would also allow more regulation, which is even better.
Besides the privacy issues stemming from Facebook's actions, there are also the privacy issues relating to users' actions. Although users have the choice to make their profiles private, many either do not know how to, do not want to, or just don't care. As a result, potential employers and college admissions officers have been known to view applicants' profiles for any material that would change their decision to hire or admit them. Since the profile is public, there is really no legal reason why they cannot do this. However, what if, as Boyd and Ellison point out, the police were to do something similar? The question then becomes, is the information truly public? Or is a warrant necessary? As Boyd and Ellison say, social networking sites like Facebook "are challenging legal conceptions of privacy."
The many changes to privacy settings and the fact that Facebook, like other online companies, sells access to users' consumer information is troubling. What makes it more so is the fact that current laws, as Boyd and Ellison point out, are not really equipped to deal with online privacy. However, if the "Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights" currently being proposed as described in a Time article (www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,2059442,00.html) is enacted, companies such as Facebook would be required to tell users what information they are selling and what it is being used for. This would be a plus in and of itself, seeing as many were unaware until recently that Facebook was even selling access to information, myself included. However, the proposed bill would also allow more regulation, which is even better.
Besides the privacy issues stemming from Facebook's actions, there are also the privacy issues relating to users' actions. Although users have the choice to make their profiles private, many either do not know how to, do not want to, or just don't care. As a result, potential employers and college admissions officers have been known to view applicants' profiles for any material that would change their decision to hire or admit them. Since the profile is public, there is really no legal reason why they cannot do this. However, what if, as Boyd and Ellison point out, the police were to do something similar? The question then becomes, is the information truly public? Or is a warrant necessary? As Boyd and Ellison say, social networking sites like Facebook "are challenging legal conceptions of privacy."
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Website Redesign: The Flow of Flo's
The website I plan to redesign is Flo's Clam Shack: http://FlosClamshack.net/
This website does not have much of an internal flow. By that, I mean that it does not have many inside pages that it links to. The home page has one inside link to the second page, which lists venues that are nearby. This second page is supposed to have one inside link, linking back to the home page, but though the home page url is there, it was not linked to the home page.
As for links to outside sites, the website has quite a few. On the home page, there is only one outside link to Yahoo maps. However, on the "nearby neighbors" page, there are many outside links (15 in all). The good thing about all the outside links is that the sites open in a new window, keeping visitors on the Flo's site.
For the most part, when you click on the links, they take you to where you would expect. However, there was one link on the "nearby neighbors" page that takes you to a site that has not yet been constructed.
Overall, the flow is not terrible, but it is not great either. Flo's needs more inside links to keep visitors interested and to better organize information.
This website does not have much of an internal flow. By that, I mean that it does not have many inside pages that it links to. The home page has one inside link to the second page, which lists venues that are nearby. This second page is supposed to have one inside link, linking back to the home page, but though the home page url is there, it was not linked to the home page.
As for links to outside sites, the website has quite a few. On the home page, there is only one outside link to Yahoo maps. However, on the "nearby neighbors" page, there are many outside links (15 in all). The good thing about all the outside links is that the sites open in a new window, keeping visitors on the Flo's site.
For the most part, when you click on the links, they take you to where you would expect. However, there was one link on the "nearby neighbors" page that takes you to a site that has not yet been constructed.
Overall, the flow is not terrible, but it is not great either. Flo's needs more inside links to keep visitors interested and to better organize information.
Website Redesign 2
The website I plan to redesign is Flo's Clam Shack: http://www.flosclamshack.net/
As it stands right now, Flo's website is very basic and appears as though it was kind of thrown together. There is not much included on it at all, aside from basic information about Flo's, such as its location, hours, menu, and prices (all located on the home page) and some information about what is nearby.
Although the alignment is consistent throughout, the center alignment that was chosen for the home page and the left alignment that was chosen for the what's nearby page look awkward on pages with no design elements besides text. However, the fact that only one alignment was used does help to make the pages a little more organized and easy to follow.
The proximity of some of the text is a little awkward. First, for the home page, a lot of information is on one page, so everything seems to run together. The main heading of the page (Flo's Clam Shack) is very close to the next few lines, which give the spring hours, and the hours are close to the next lines, and so on, so it is hard to distinguish where the heading begins and ends. The links to a map and the what's nearby page are also quite close to the start of the menu. As for the what's nearby page, the proximity is still an issue, but not as bad as on the main page. The heading of the page is still close to the next few lines and can't be distinguished. The link to go home (which hasn't actually been linked) is very close to the start of a list of nearby venues. In addition, the information toward the bottom of the page all runs together, even though there are different questions and answers being asked. The headings (the questions) are only distinguished through a change in font. Still, the spacing of the venues listed is good.
As for repetition, there is little opportunity for seeing any repetition as there are not many elements to begin with on either page. However, the use of repetition on the site right now is pretty poor. The fonts seem to vary across the page, with different fonts being used for different groups of information. The headings of the menu on the home page are a different font than the items listed on the menu. In addition, on the home page the font is a different color on the main heading and next few lines with the hours (red) as opposed to the rest of the page (where the font is white).
Finally, although most of the text on the site contrasts nicely with the green background as it's white, the red text of the heading and underlying information about hours on the home page does not contrast very well at all. There is also not really any main focal point on either page that can be distinguished, although the menu does stand out a little more as the change in font is very noticeable on the home page.
Overall, the site is too simple. The fact that the information is spaced oddly, presented in different fonts and colors, and that it is all on one page makes it harder to follow. The site does not seem very professional or organized and could benefit from better spacing, more repetition, the addition of other media (like photos), and focal points on each page. It would also be better organized if the menu were relocated to another page.
As it stands right now, Flo's website is very basic and appears as though it was kind of thrown together. There is not much included on it at all, aside from basic information about Flo's, such as its location, hours, menu, and prices (all located on the home page) and some information about what is nearby.
Although the alignment is consistent throughout, the center alignment that was chosen for the home page and the left alignment that was chosen for the what's nearby page look awkward on pages with no design elements besides text. However, the fact that only one alignment was used does help to make the pages a little more organized and easy to follow.
The proximity of some of the text is a little awkward. First, for the home page, a lot of information is on one page, so everything seems to run together. The main heading of the page (Flo's Clam Shack) is very close to the next few lines, which give the spring hours, and the hours are close to the next lines, and so on, so it is hard to distinguish where the heading begins and ends. The links to a map and the what's nearby page are also quite close to the start of the menu. As for the what's nearby page, the proximity is still an issue, but not as bad as on the main page. The heading of the page is still close to the next few lines and can't be distinguished. The link to go home (which hasn't actually been linked) is very close to the start of a list of nearby venues. In addition, the information toward the bottom of the page all runs together, even though there are different questions and answers being asked. The headings (the questions) are only distinguished through a change in font. Still, the spacing of the venues listed is good.
As for repetition, there is little opportunity for seeing any repetition as there are not many elements to begin with on either page. However, the use of repetition on the site right now is pretty poor. The fonts seem to vary across the page, with different fonts being used for different groups of information. The headings of the menu on the home page are a different font than the items listed on the menu. In addition, on the home page the font is a different color on the main heading and next few lines with the hours (red) as opposed to the rest of the page (where the font is white).
Finally, although most of the text on the site contrasts nicely with the green background as it's white, the red text of the heading and underlying information about hours on the home page does not contrast very well at all. There is also not really any main focal point on either page that can be distinguished, although the menu does stand out a little more as the change in font is very noticeable on the home page.
Overall, the site is too simple. The fact that the information is spaced oddly, presented in different fonts and colors, and that it is all on one page makes it harder to follow. The site does not seem very professional or organized and could benefit from better spacing, more repetition, the addition of other media (like photos), and focal points on each page. It would also be better organized if the menu were relocated to another page.
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