Project 4 is just about wrapped up, finally. The past two or so days working with SocialGo and our website has gotten a lot easier to navigate. There are many small details that got in the way, but as a group we found solutions to those problems. For example... when posting a video/song, I obviously want to add commentary to whatever I'm posting, but the only thing a video/song post will let me add is a caption (in very large font, not too pleasing to look at). So instead, I just added the video and then added another text blog post with the commentary.
Peer review went pretty well. We got some really good feedback from the Drug Policy group, about the quality of the content and our discussion forum. One thing we have to change, though, is the welcome message/mission statement, which was hard to find. I think most of the obstacles we're running into have to do with SocialGo itself, so it's relieving to know that we are doing the best we can as a group and are producing some quality work. Overall I'm very proud with how our bullying site turned out, especially since I was a little skeptical at first. Hopefully the work pays off!
Monday, April 16, 2012
Saturday, April 14, 2012
Progess...
After working for a bit on StB, I'm having lots of trouble with posting. I've noticed that SocialGo is pretty cluttered with stuff... I'm confused on how we even look at our site. All I see, as an admin, is the posting stream, and our individual profiles.
Also, the "media" option won't let me post a video or song. I had to upload the song we chose into a blog post, then make another blog post with the commentary for the song.
But even with some technical troubles, I've gotten farther in the project than I was before, so I suppose that's always a plus! And usually if I just fiddle around with a site I can become more familiarized with it.
Next step: think of a forum topic.
Also, the "media" option won't let me post a video or song. I had to upload the song we chose into a blog post, then make another blog post with the commentary for the song.
But even with some technical troubles, I've gotten farther in the project than I was before, so I suppose that's always a plus! And usually if I just fiddle around with a site I can become more familiarized with it.
Next step: think of a forum topic.
Stop the Bullies
Monday is finally peer review day, and our group is doing really well on the project so far. I'm liking the designated individual roles- it makes it a lot easier, but still gives us all leeway with what we want to do (i.e. choosing what to focus on in the forums). The site itself is kind of hard to navigate, but with practice is less complicated. The set-up is a lot like Facebook because it allows to chat with those you follow and other admins.
I love SocialGo itself- I think it's such a great idea to give people the opportunity to build communities and share virtually anything.
Researching bullying in American youth has been extremely eye-opening. Before the project I felt pretty aware about the subject, especially since I can see it firsthand in many places. Also, I'm not a huge fan of Lady Gaga's music, but I love how powerful her message and advocacy is regarding LGBT youth. She started the Born This Way Project, a foundation that aims to promote youth empowerment and equality by addressing issues including self-image, self-confidence, anti-bullying, and promoting positive well-being and individuality.
There are so many great foundations, big and small, out there and I want to get them all known. My goal for our site is to spread the word and reach as many people as possible, of all ages. I think the problem with bullying is that the population views it as something that simply cannot be changed, and that little comments, for instance, made by students in schools towards other students is not considered "bullying"... when, really, even the littlest of words can bruise a person's confidence and mentality.
I love SocialGo itself- I think it's such a great idea to give people the opportunity to build communities and share virtually anything.
Researching bullying in American youth has been extremely eye-opening. Before the project I felt pretty aware about the subject, especially since I can see it firsthand in many places. Also, I'm not a huge fan of Lady Gaga's music, but I love how powerful her message and advocacy is regarding LGBT youth. She started the Born This Way Project, a foundation that aims to promote youth empowerment and equality by addressing issues including self-image, self-confidence, anti-bullying, and promoting positive well-being and individuality.
There are so many great foundations, big and small, out there and I want to get them all known. My goal for our site is to spread the word and reach as many people as possible, of all ages. I think the problem with bullying is that the population views it as something that simply cannot be changed, and that little comments, for instance, made by students in schools towards other students is not considered "bullying"... when, really, even the littlest of words can bruise a person's confidence and mentality.
Saturday, April 7, 2012
Project 4: SNS
Ironically, my group and I are the same group from project 3- me, Hannah, Rachel, and Kayla. We worked really well together on the website redesign, so we're pretty excited to get the gears running on project 4. For the topic, we unanimously decided on the topic of bullying.
I think bullying is such a strong topic because it's something that has always had an ominous presence in schools and social situations alike. It's always been ignored, just because everyone assumes that it cannot be stopped nor prevented... that it's just "kids being kids" and that as a society we cannot change how kids interact with their peers. My group and I believe differently!
I saw a lot of the "It Gets Better" campaign last year on Tumblr and Twitter, but it's sort of faded into the limelight now. The project itself was created to show "young LGBT people the levels of happiness, potential, and positivity their lives will reach- if they can just get through their teen years", that they are not alone and that life WILL get better. I absolutely love this message because it applies to all young adults who are suffering or feel lost about who they are as a person. The It Gets Better Project, for me, is a stepping stone in starting our project, and is a very helpful aid.
I think bullying is such a strong topic because it's something that has always had an ominous presence in schools and social situations alike. It's always been ignored, just because everyone assumes that it cannot be stopped nor prevented... that it's just "kids being kids" and that as a society we cannot change how kids interact with their peers. My group and I believe differently!
I saw a lot of the "It Gets Better" campaign last year on Tumblr and Twitter, but it's sort of faded into the limelight now. The project itself was created to show "young LGBT people the levels of happiness, potential, and positivity their lives will reach- if they can just get through their teen years", that they are not alone and that life WILL get better. I absolutely love this message because it applies to all young adults who are suffering or feel lost about who they are as a person. The It Gets Better Project, for me, is a stepping stone in starting our project, and is a very helpful aid.
Facebook Causes
Before this class I had never heard of Facebook Causes, but after browsing the page I quickly realized how great of an idea it is, and how powerful it is- Causes has only been around since last year and it already has 9 million likes and counting. The page itself is based off of the website causes.com, but is a much more easily-accessible page, because you can share posts on your own Facebook.
The set-up of the page is just like any other Facebook page, and has the new timeline. I think that the timeline is very helpful with a page like Causes because you are given the ability to look back in the archives down to the very day to find everything posted that day (helpful if you want to know, say, the events that happened in just the month of February). Viewers who like the page can comment, making it a lot like the set-up as a thread or forum.
Something that would be useful to viewers for the Causes page would be to add categories; to make it so that you can click on a certain category such as politics or charities. This function would make it a lot easier if you wanted to view causes and ideas surrounding a certain topic.
The set-up of the page is just like any other Facebook page, and has the new timeline. I think that the timeline is very helpful with a page like Causes because you are given the ability to look back in the archives down to the very day to find everything posted that day (helpful if you want to know, say, the events that happened in just the month of February). Viewers who like the page can comment, making it a lot like the set-up as a thread or forum.
Something that would be useful to viewers for the Causes page would be to add categories; to make it so that you can click on a certain category such as politics or charities. This function would make it a lot easier if you wanted to view causes and ideas surrounding a certain topic.
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Social Action in Networking Sites
In Danah Boyd's article entitled "Can Social Network Sites Enable Political Action?", Boyd describes the reasons behind why young people don't seem to participate in "civic engagement" in an online setting. During reading, I noticed that her stance seemed to counter Bennett's, and I sort of thought of it lightly as a pessimist/optimist type of deal, with some exceptions. It's not that Boyd is a pessimist, she just sees the reality of the situation.
She explains that there is a lack of motivation that we need to understand is happening, and address it to improve our democracy and government. She says that young people participate in social network sites (SNS's) and online communities to gain identity development, status negotiation, community maintenance, and civic engagement- that people are more interested in "looking good" and getting themselves known rather than using it for "civic-minded collective action". I agree with this thought... Like I said in my previous post, lately I've been seeing the truths behind Facebook and how people seem to utilize it. I feel that a lot of people use SNS's to convey who they want to be as a person, and also how/who they want to come off to others.
Boyd also believes that our society has turned completely narcissistic and status-obsessed as a society. I hate to say it, because I do see so much potential in our society, but let's be real here... we love ourselves. Maybe a little too much. Says Boyd, "egoists love social networking sites because of their desire to inhibit themselves for the purposes of mass validation". To me, it is especially prevalent in those of a younger age group (15-21) that beneath all of their status updates and photos, they just want validity in their actions. They want reassurance with how they are living their life. Not necessarily if they're "cool" enough, but that they have a so-called "good" life going for themselves.
On the other hand, there was one point that Boyd touched upon that I disagreed on. She basically explained that this wasn't just a finger pointed turned teenagers on the internet, but it also goes for musicians, politicians, marketers, and other populations that want attention. She says they use networking sites as a spamming device.
I mean, yes, that is true, because that's exactly what musicians and artists want to do! They want to get their name heard, and network as much as possible to gain success. I suppose in the long run it is a form of narcissism, but not to a huge extent as Boyd claims. There's a difference between spamming yourself at people to boost your ego and advertising your talents or company.
All of these points tie in with what Bennett is referring to when he explains Dutiful Citizens and Self-Actualizing Citizens. Bennett believes that every person has that "leader" in them... young people aren't interested in politics, wanting their voice heard, etc. simply because we haven't given them the proper chance to practice that at a young age; while Boyd believes that kids are just doomed from the start and too caught up in their own lives to even have a voice on a subject.
As the last word on this article, I do agree with Boyd's explanation of the internet itself, and the reality of how information really travels. Because the internet is so easily ready, at one's fingertips, is accessible, and, most importantly, free, it's used as a first source. The internet is seemingly infinite, yet at the same time you have little control over whether something to posts goes "viral" or not. "Content may be public, but the public may not be interested in your content"- I thought this was extremely true. The audience is easy to please, yet at the same time pretty hard to keep their attention. People want funny, happy, alluring things on the internet... not footage of the war. That's too depressing for the average internet-goer who just wants their daily dose of pleasure in the worldwide web.
Overall, Boyd wants to get these groups active- the people who aren't interested in participating in "civic life", she wants to convince them to leverage their own networks and get others to participate, whereas Lance Bennett believes that those people are already one step ahead of the game, and simply just need a little push.
She explains that there is a lack of motivation that we need to understand is happening, and address it to improve our democracy and government. She says that young people participate in social network sites (SNS's) and online communities to gain identity development, status negotiation, community maintenance, and civic engagement- that people are more interested in "looking good" and getting themselves known rather than using it for "civic-minded collective action". I agree with this thought... Like I said in my previous post, lately I've been seeing the truths behind Facebook and how people seem to utilize it. I feel that a lot of people use SNS's to convey who they want to be as a person, and also how/who they want to come off to others.
Boyd also believes that our society has turned completely narcissistic and status-obsessed as a society. I hate to say it, because I do see so much potential in our society, but let's be real here... we love ourselves. Maybe a little too much. Says Boyd, "egoists love social networking sites because of their desire to inhibit themselves for the purposes of mass validation". To me, it is especially prevalent in those of a younger age group (15-21) that beneath all of their status updates and photos, they just want validity in their actions. They want reassurance with how they are living their life. Not necessarily if they're "cool" enough, but that they have a so-called "good" life going for themselves.
On the other hand, there was one point that Boyd touched upon that I disagreed on. She basically explained that this wasn't just a finger pointed turned teenagers on the internet, but it also goes for musicians, politicians, marketers, and other populations that want attention. She says they use networking sites as a spamming device.
I mean, yes, that is true, because that's exactly what musicians and artists want to do! They want to get their name heard, and network as much as possible to gain success. I suppose in the long run it is a form of narcissism, but not to a huge extent as Boyd claims. There's a difference between spamming yourself at people to boost your ego and advertising your talents or company.
All of these points tie in with what Bennett is referring to when he explains Dutiful Citizens and Self-Actualizing Citizens. Bennett believes that every person has that "leader" in them... young people aren't interested in politics, wanting their voice heard, etc. simply because we haven't given them the proper chance to practice that at a young age; while Boyd believes that kids are just doomed from the start and too caught up in their own lives to even have a voice on a subject.
As the last word on this article, I do agree with Boyd's explanation of the internet itself, and the reality of how information really travels. Because the internet is so easily ready, at one's fingertips, is accessible, and, most importantly, free, it's used as a first source. The internet is seemingly infinite, yet at the same time you have little control over whether something to posts goes "viral" or not. "Content may be public, but the public may not be interested in your content"- I thought this was extremely true. The audience is easy to please, yet at the same time pretty hard to keep their attention. People want funny, happy, alluring things on the internet... not footage of the war. That's too depressing for the average internet-goer who just wants their daily dose of pleasure in the worldwide web.
Overall, Boyd wants to get these groups active- the people who aren't interested in participating in "civic life", she wants to convince them to leverage their own networks and get others to participate, whereas Lance Bennett believes that those people are already one step ahead of the game, and simply just need a little push.
Sunday, April 1, 2012
Digital Natives as Self-Actualizing Citizens
"Young people are... less interested in joining formal groups or political parties, less inclined to seek information via conventional news outlets, and more likely to avoid...voting."
The main points that caught my attention were that
-these circumstances could be just changing patterns of engagement and are "opportunities that will reshape the notion of citizenship in this century"
-young citizens are naturally focused on connecting with peers through the internet and are focusing on lifestyle issues, yet at the same time there is an ecology of young citizens who actively participate through the internet by going on public issue and global campaign sites
-there is a huge shift in citizenship styles, making a contrast between Dutiful Citizens (DC) and new century self-Actualizing Citizens (AC)
Dutiful Citizens
- have an obligation to participate in government-centered activities
- believe voting is the most important democratic act, supported by growing knowledge and contact with government
- join civil society organizations or express interest through political parties that typically use conventional communication to maintain and keep supporters
Self-Actualizing Citizens
- have a higher sense of individual purpose and don't see the government as the total ruling force
- believe voting is not more meaningful than more personally-defined acts, like consumerism, activism, and volunteering
- their mistrust of the media and politicians is reinforced by the negative mass media environment
- favors a more community-like type of interaction (loose networks)
This article made me think about the fact that it's not that teenagers don't care about politics or current issues both nationwide and worldwide, because there are a huge amount of teens who have their own opinions about certain large issues, such as marriage rights and abortion laws. I just think that many people aren't fully informed of political figures and their beliefs, including those running for government, and it isn't until that information is spread to popular sources of information, such as Facebook, Twitter, or Tumblr that the user is made aware of current issues.
I also think that in some cases, there are people who possess traits of both dutiful and self-actualizing citizens. But I agree when Bennett mentioned that schools should help students develop their own public voices by using multiple digital media that allows students to find their own means of leaning about political issues and also develop peer-learning communities. He says that the ideal learning environment would be one that includes "identifying individual preferences for personal expression and peer-to-peer discovery of issues" and offers learning paths for "issue resolution".
Basically, we need to create a learning environment for young people in which they can practice being a citizen, for lack of a better phrasing. If teens are aware of their rights and how their voice can affect the government, it's more likely that they will want to participate. After all, they...we... are the future.
Social Networking Sites
It's impossible to deny the fact that society uses the internet as an important source of communication. Because I've had both a Facebook and Twitter for a few years now and have always looked at it as sort of its "own world" for just students, it's pretty weird to see it so quickly turn from a place to keep in touch with friends into an outlet for businesses, organizations, and people of all ages to communicate.
Although Twitter is more of a fast-update site (and seems like a perfect tool for those with a quick wit and short attention span) and is quite different from Facebook, Facebook has definitely become the most popular social networking website.
Both sites have a live feed of the people you are either friends with or following, yet all Twitter updates are the same- just people tweeting; whereas with Facebook, the feed could be any updates of different forms of activity. Facebook overall is a lot more interactive because of the ability to access people's photos, videos, and posts on their wall. Twitter is much more organized and simple- your profile is just the things you post (like a blog), instead of people posting on your profile, like Facebook.
Although I used to be an avid Facebook user, but lately I've been a bit turned off from it. I do really love the networking aspect of it, though. I think it's a smart tool for businesses, local artists, bands, etc. to use to get their name out there and heard, but for me it's starting to seem like a contest. And ignore me if I come off a little cynical or naive, but I see as a place for teenagers to post about their lives simply because they want everyone's feedback and gratitude. When I'm on my Facebook newsfeed I get too caught up in other people's lives, especially ones that I don't even need to be (for instance, a random acquaintance that I had French class with my freshman year of high school). I see that in a lot of my friends, as well, who admit that they barely even know a large chunk of the people they're friends with on Facebook. I think that sometimes it's easy to get yourself caught up in those lives that are around you, rather than focusing on those you love and especially yourself and your own happiness rather than happiness of your ex-roommate's friend's girlfriend during her trip to Cabo.
Yes, Facebook is a great tool for networking just about the entire world to, well, the rest of the fast-paced world, and being a Communications major I 100% see the many positives it comes with. But me? I feel less stressed without Facebook, which is why I deactivated it. It started to turn into an impulse to check every single time I connected to the internet, and since I have such an addictive personality, it became a negative thing. I like staying in touch with my family and friends through other means of communication.
...I still love Twitter though. Hehe.
Although Twitter is more of a fast-update site (and seems like a perfect tool for those with a quick wit and short attention span) and is quite different from Facebook, Facebook has definitely become the most popular social networking website.
Both sites have a live feed of the people you are either friends with or following, yet all Twitter updates are the same- just people tweeting; whereas with Facebook, the feed could be any updates of different forms of activity. Facebook overall is a lot more interactive because of the ability to access people's photos, videos, and posts on their wall. Twitter is much more organized and simple- your profile is just the things you post (like a blog), instead of people posting on your profile, like Facebook.
Although I used to be an avid Facebook user, but lately I've been a bit turned off from it. I do really love the networking aspect of it, though. I think it's a smart tool for businesses, local artists, bands, etc. to use to get their name out there and heard, but for me it's starting to seem like a contest. And ignore me if I come off a little cynical or naive, but I see as a place for teenagers to post about their lives simply because they want everyone's feedback and gratitude. When I'm on my Facebook newsfeed I get too caught up in other people's lives, especially ones that I don't even need to be (for instance, a random acquaintance that I had French class with my freshman year of high school). I see that in a lot of my friends, as well, who admit that they barely even know a large chunk of the people they're friends with on Facebook. I think that sometimes it's easy to get yourself caught up in those lives that are around you, rather than focusing on those you love and especially yourself and your own happiness rather than happiness of your ex-roommate's friend's girlfriend during her trip to Cabo.
Yes, Facebook is a great tool for networking just about the entire world to, well, the rest of the fast-paced world, and being a Communications major I 100% see the many positives it comes with. But me? I feel less stressed without Facebook, which is why I deactivated it. It started to turn into an impulse to check every single time I connected to the internet, and since I have such an addictive personality, it became a negative thing. I like staying in touch with my family and friends through other means of communication.
...I still love Twitter though. Hehe.
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Final Project
Project 3 turned out to be a success!
It wasn't until the peer review day that I realized our project is actually quite long and filled with a ton of information. Other groups had more simple sites that only had 4 or 5 extra pages, but since Mama's Cheesies has a lot of subgroups, being a clothing site, it was pretty lengthy. It made for a lot of work on our part, but didn't seem like too much the work was spread over the period of a few weeks.
I am very impressed with the final turnout. The website redesign is neat, organized, and pleasing to the eye because of color repetition, font repetition, and alignment of texts. The peer review was extremely helpful because of the advice we got regarding the titles- placing a green bar behind the title at the top of each page separates the title from the information on the page. Looking at it now looks so much neater. Before it was there, it felt like there was something missing from the page that I couldn't quite place my finger on... that's something I love about design work. The reader him/herself could not know exactly what it is that's wrong about a page, it just looks "weird", but once that aspect is there everything falls into place (especially with word alignment). When things are jumbled around, it's hard to tell exactly what the "job" of some text or a picture is.
Another important change we made after the peer review was taking out a separate contact page and just adding those few bits of information to the homepage, near the bottom. This is a lot more convenient to the shopper, who would want to have the contact information easy and accessible, because if you think about it, a telephone number and an email address are not things that you should need to look for.
I think it's safe to say that all this hard work really paid off.
It wasn't until the peer review day that I realized our project is actually quite long and filled with a ton of information. Other groups had more simple sites that only had 4 or 5 extra pages, but since Mama's Cheesies has a lot of subgroups, being a clothing site, it was pretty lengthy. It made for a lot of work on our part, but didn't seem like too much the work was spread over the period of a few weeks.
I am very impressed with the final turnout. The website redesign is neat, organized, and pleasing to the eye because of color repetition, font repetition, and alignment of texts. The peer review was extremely helpful because of the advice we got regarding the titles- placing a green bar behind the title at the top of each page separates the title from the information on the page. Looking at it now looks so much neater. Before it was there, it felt like there was something missing from the page that I couldn't quite place my finger on... that's something I love about design work. The reader him/herself could not know exactly what it is that's wrong about a page, it just looks "weird", but once that aspect is there everything falls into place (especially with word alignment). When things are jumbled around, it's hard to tell exactly what the "job" of some text or a picture is.
Another important change we made after the peer review was taking out a separate contact page and just adding those few bits of information to the homepage, near the bottom. This is a lot more convenient to the shopper, who would want to have the contact information easy and accessible, because if you think about it, a telephone number and an email address are not things that you should need to look for.
I think it's safe to say that all this hard work really paid off.
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Project 3: Google Docs
I couldn't imagine doing this project without Google Docs. It's such a helpful tool- for as many different people to work on one presentation at the same time using different computers in different time zones... it amazes me. I love that the changes you see being made by your partner are happening at that very moment, and the chat room makes for quick and easy communication between all group members. It makes me wonder why every group didn't use Google Docs for this specific project, especially since it's so hard for a group of 4 or 5 to meet in person, when each member has such a busy schedule, and because Spring Break was placed smack dab in the middle of the project.
Project 3: Group Work
Working and interacting with people is one of my favorite things. It's something that I thrive on... if I don't at least see people everyday, let alone converse with them, I feel lost. Don't get me wrong, I love my alone time, but I just love being around people and studying firsthand how people's strengths and weaknesses balance out with, and bounce off of, others'. Working with my group on redesigning Mama Cheesy's crappy site was such a good way to see the way my peers express themselves both creatively and in writing, since this project was pretty creative. The week before the extended due date, on that beautiful 75-degree Wednesday afternoon, we met on the quad to divvy out jobs. It's funny, because since we are all friends, we do tend to wander off in conversation and start socializing, but I've noticed that no matter what, we always get back on task. In 10 minutes we managed to assign everybody at least 3 different jobs, discuss the layout of the final slides, color schemes, descriptions, etc.
Overall, I'm very impressed with how everything is going!
I wish I posted in this blog during the actual project to get more accurate commentary, but looking back, I felt that this project was a very successful one.
Website Re-Design Work
Working on the website re-design for the very interesting (...pretty strange) "Mama's Cheesies" clothing site has actually been pretty fun. I'm glad my group and I have worked together so well, it really gives me faith in group projects. I'm usually quite concerned when informed that there's going to be a group project in any class, but this time I was proven wrong. Everyone contributed their fair share, and we all worked together to figure out times to meet up on Google Docs, online, and in person to share our thoughts, ideas, and incorporate elements into the slideshow.
I was very impressed with how our website turned out. The website layouts I've seen in the past have been really professional (my sister majored in graphic design and I would always look over her shoulder when she'd work on such projects), so a slideshow on Google Docs wasn't exactly how I pictured the actual website would look like, but it's pretty damn close. The project itself made me love web design, especially after learning about the four key website design aspects: alignment, proximity, repetition, and contrast. I've always loved design, and I think this project made me love it even more.
Overall, our group works very well together. Since my roommate Rachel was pretty close with Hannah and Kayla first semester, it was easy for all four of us to become very good friends. We listen to each other's ideas and, in my opinion, blend together quite nicely. If one person is struggling with what to fix or do to one thing, another will help out; or if one person doesn't want to do one task, another would love to do it. This trust and balance are two important things that make group work so much easier.
I was very impressed with how our website turned out. The website layouts I've seen in the past have been really professional (my sister majored in graphic design and I would always look over her shoulder when she'd work on such projects), so a slideshow on Google Docs wasn't exactly how I pictured the actual website would look like, but it's pretty damn close. The project itself made me love web design, especially after learning about the four key website design aspects: alignment, proximity, repetition, and contrast. I've always loved design, and I think this project made me love it even more.
Overall, our group works very well together. Since my roommate Rachel was pretty close with Hannah and Kayla first semester, it was easy for all four of us to become very good friends. We listen to each other's ideas and, in my opinion, blend together quite nicely. If one person is struggling with what to fix or do to one thing, another will help out; or if one person doesn't want to do one task, another would love to do it. This trust and balance are two important things that make group work so much easier.
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Project 3: Website Re-Design
Me and my group's website re-design for mamascheesies.com was due today, and I think our project came out really really well. We worked well as a group, dividing up the work and assigning jobs for each person. Because the original site itself had a lot of content on it, the slideshow did take quite a bit of work, but once we got the hang of it, everything came together.
At the start, our initial decision was to divide the clothes into categories that were easy to find- tops, bottoms, dresses, accessories, etc. We thought that when the shopper clicks on a picture, a pop-up window should appear, revealing a larger picture of the item, its cost, description, and sizes (also, options to add to wishlist or your shopping cart). This is a feature that is on many clothing and shopping sites, and we thought that it would be an easy way to modernize the site.
We also made the site a lot more aesthetically pleasing overall, by having one color scheme instead of a ton of crazy backgrounds and colors everywhere like the original site had.
At the start, our initial decision was to divide the clothes into categories that were easy to find- tops, bottoms, dresses, accessories, etc. We thought that when the shopper clicks on a picture, a pop-up window should appear, revealing a larger picture of the item, its cost, description, and sizes (also, options to add to wishlist or your shopping cart). This is a feature that is on many clothing and shopping sites, and we thought that it would be an easy way to modernize the site.
We also made the site a lot more aesthetically pleasing overall, by having one color scheme instead of a ton of crazy backgrounds and colors everywhere like the original site had.
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Maine
Well, turns out my final Wikitravel project is on my hometown, Gorham, instead of the city of Portland. Portland already has a huge Wiki with just about every single restaurant and thing to do in it, so I wouldn't have too much to add to the page. At first I was a little mad that I was confined to just Gorham, but in the long run I'm really glad I got to do the town where I grew up. It made me realize how much I really do love Gorham. It's such a great community with underrated small local businesses. I thought I knew everything about Gorham, but it turns out there is a whole lot more to do in my town that I thought previously.
I went home during the long President's Day weekend for a short but sweet visit. Although me and my sister did go into Portland, we also stayed in Gorham too. GHOP for dinner, Goodwill for a little bargain shopping, and Mr. Bagel with my old friend Jasmyn for breakfast on the day I left. Like any small town, all the high schoolers and naive teenagers constantly complain about having "nothing to do" on the weekends... but I think completely differently. I love how queit Gorham is. It's so calming. From anywhere you go at night, you get an amazing view of the crystal clear night sky; something I really missed while I was at school or in the city. And researching about PineCrest Inn (a place my parents visit frequently... my mom is involved in the Town Council and always has meetings or parties there) makes me want to be 21 so I can be all fancy and have a wine tasting party while watching a live band with my friends (haha).
Overall I had a lot of fun talking about the different things to do in Gorham. Getting to know Wikitravel itself was pretty fun as well. Like any site, just by looking at what other people have done it's pretty easy to catch on, especially with formatting. Wikitravel looks confusing, but the contributors and moderators make it as simple as possible for you.
All I have to do now is the "Get In" section, which won't be that hard. I just have to inform about the Jetport and Amtrak. I also have to add pictures, which my extremely kind mother is sending me some from home that she already has, since I didn't have a camera when I went home last! I'm excited to see when my page is completely done, because it's been really fun seeing it come together.
I went home during the long President's Day weekend for a short but sweet visit. Although me and my sister did go into Portland, we also stayed in Gorham too. GHOP for dinner, Goodwill for a little bargain shopping, and Mr. Bagel with my old friend Jasmyn for breakfast on the day I left. Like any small town, all the high schoolers and naive teenagers constantly complain about having "nothing to do" on the weekends... but I think completely differently. I love how queit Gorham is. It's so calming. From anywhere you go at night, you get an amazing view of the crystal clear night sky; something I really missed while I was at school or in the city. And researching about PineCrest Inn (a place my parents visit frequently... my mom is involved in the Town Council and always has meetings or parties there) makes me want to be 21 so I can be all fancy and have a wine tasting party while watching a live band with my friends (haha).
Overall I had a lot of fun talking about the different things to do in Gorham. Getting to know Wikitravel itself was pretty fun as well. Like any site, just by looking at what other people have done it's pretty easy to catch on, especially with formatting. Wikitravel looks confusing, but the contributors and moderators make it as simple as possible for you.
All I have to do now is the "Get In" section, which won't be that hard. I just have to inform about the Jetport and Amtrak. I also have to add pictures, which my extremely kind mother is sending me some from home that she already has, since I didn't have a camera when I went home last! I'm excited to see when my page is completely done, because it's been really fun seeing it come together.
Thursday, February 23, 2012
The Beginnings of my Wikitravel
Over the long weekend I took a bus back to Maine to visit my family- obviously a few trips to Portland were definitely in order.
Portland has always been apart of my life, and I feel so lucky that I'm just a 20-minute car ride away from it. I grew up in Gorham, and always took trips to Portland with my family to go out to dinner, see a show, go to the museum... really for anything. It's such a beautiful place to visit, even (or especially) when you don't have any particular reason, because there is always something to do and see in Portland. The local shops, restaurants, boutiques, and art galleries owned by Mainers are probably my favorite thing about Portland; it's big enough to be considered a city, yet it has a welcoming, community-like feel about it. I know everyone says this about their city, but Portlanders and Mainers alike are always so friendly. Plus, Portland is literally right on the water, surrounded by lobstermen and boats galore. Smelling the fish and salt water, feeling the ocean breeze, and hearing the seagulls while in the Old Port make me feel right at home.
My first three entries are going to be my three favorite places in Portland.
Portland has always been apart of my life, and I feel so lucky that I'm just a 20-minute car ride away from it. I grew up in Gorham, and always took trips to Portland with my family to go out to dinner, see a show, go to the museum... really for anything. It's such a beautiful place to visit, even (or especially) when you don't have any particular reason, because there is always something to do and see in Portland. The local shops, restaurants, boutiques, and art galleries owned by Mainers are probably my favorite thing about Portland; it's big enough to be considered a city, yet it has a welcoming, community-like feel about it. I know everyone says this about their city, but Portlanders and Mainers alike are always so friendly. Plus, Portland is literally right on the water, surrounded by lobstermen and boats galore. Smelling the fish and salt water, feeling the ocean breeze, and hearing the seagulls while in the Old Port make me feel right at home.
My first three entries are going to be my three favorite places in Portland.
- Flatbread Company (eat)- Flatbread is a stone-oven pizza place and bar, serving flatbread pizza with all organic vegetables, cheeses, etc. from local farms in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Massachusetts. The new wave generation would probably call Flatbread a "hippie" restaurant; but for all the good reasons. Flatbread thrives on their classic recipes, and provides both employees and guests as a "place to renew your spirit". Flatbread is huge on atmosphere and a warm environment- its Commercial Street location, literally right on the water, provides a true East Coast feel. The restaurant itself is one huge room with enormous high ceilings and dim lighting that sets a casual atmosphere. There's even a bench in front of the ovens, where kids can sit and watch their pizza being tossed, prepared, and then slid into the oven by the cooks, using long wooden paddles. Hanging from the ceilings and walls are banners painted with Buddhist quotes, positive mantras, and depict some of the all-natural ingredients featured in the flatbreads. As you eat, from just about any spot you can view the Casco Bay harbor out of the bay windows, and watch as ferries and sailboats dock- literally right there. Flatbread's staff doesn't disappoint, either. All of the waiters and waitresses are very friendly, mostly young, dressed in casual streets clothes. But obviously, the best part of Flatbread is the pizza. Thin crust, cooked to perfection, huge pizzas cut into squares instead of triangles. The menu has an array of different choices, from the classic Jay's Heart- "homemade wood-fired cauldron organic tomato sauce, whole milk mozzarella and Parmesan cheese baked on organic bread dough with garlic oil and a blend organic herbs"- to every vegetable you could imagine (my favorite is goat cheese, roasted red peppers, rosemary, and sautéed onions). I mean when I say, I could eat an entire pizza by myself. You can't have just one piece!
- The Portland Museum of Art (do)- The Portland Museum of Art was founded in 1882 and is Maine's largest and oldest public art institution. The entire building is made up of three different mansions, including the McLellan House. The museum is home to an extensive collection (17,000 pieces) of fine arts that date back to the 18th century all the way up to present day modern art. PMA has numerous multi-media exhibits, many that change bi-weekly and monthly, but some permanent, including impressionism, modern, surrealism, European, etc. The museum also holds art courses, family festivals, presentations, musical concerts, movie nights, book groups, and art camps. Plus, every Friday from 5 p.m. until close, admission to the entire museum is free! The museum itself is very easy to find, right on Congress Square, and is simple to just walk in, pay, and explore. Just like any museum, though, it's pretty easy to get lost in all the different hallways and exhibitions, but there are guides and signs to help.
- Eastern/Western Promenade (do)- Just on top of Munjoy Hill, overlooking the Portland harbor, is the Eastern Promenade- a huge (68-acre) grassy park that slopes down to the water. It's often visited by locals and tourists, and is open to anyone to sit and enjoy the view of the water and islands and watch lobster boats, cruise ships, ferries, tankers, and tugboats cruise the bay. The "Eastern Prom" has many courts open to the public, including a tennis and basketball courts, a baseball diamond, playground, and multiple walking trails which snake around the shoreline. You often see different events taking place, especially in the summertime. It's not unusual to see concerts going on, programs, games, speakers, fundraising walks, and other events happening daily. But mostly, the Eastern Prom is a place to sit and relax. At the bottom of the hill near the rocky shoreline is a small beach area. The Eastern Prom is one of my favorite places to get away if I ever get sick of city life!
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Important Tips for Wikitravel Contributors
Upon reading the Wiki page about tips and tricks for new Wikitravel contributors, I found many that stood out.
- The "help" section- this has a bunch of information regarding exactly how to post, using the software, specific guidelines, and also how to set a lively tone while you write. To have this available to bloggers is a great idea. If someone was completely new to the site (like me), this section would be a great first stepping stone towards publishing a great, professional-looking Wikitravel.
- The "talk" page- this is where contributors post and discuss about how to make an article the best it can be. I thought this really showed that everyone on Wikitravel really cares about these places and want readers to get the most accurate and helpful information. The fact that users can communicate to each other is a great addition.
The list of tips really helped me in starting with this project. Wikitravel's goals are very clear and outlined. I find this site extremely friendly and professional, but casual, too. I feel like instead of a huge big-name company trying to sell readers a place to see, it's made up of real people who want to share their hometowns or places they love, and also create a site that brings travelers together- it shows that Wikitravel is a site that's made by the travelers, for the travelers. Some other tips that I will keep in mind while posting include
- Setting a good tone- you want to be pretty informal, but not too informal- set a happy medium. Your writing shouldn't be bland, like reading out of an encyclopedia. I really liked how they highlighted that your Wikitravel post should "celebrate travel"... you should share the adventure and excitement of traveling through your writing.
- Being fair vs. being nice- you should be honest about the quality of a restaurant's food, but you shouldn't say that it's crap and... will make you crap. (sorry.) If another Wikitraveller disagrees with something you say, the description should be edited until both agree that the description is fair.
My favorite, most informative piece that I grabbed from these articles regarding posting to Wikitravel was this:
"We don't have any agenda on Wikitravel. We are not advocating any religion, political philosophy, environmental practice, feminist theory, international language, home cooking device, tour company, or any other idea, business, or cause. We aren't trying to put any hotel out of business or punish any restaurant because they wouldn't honor our expired Diners' Club card. We are trying to put personal feelings about destinations behind us, while sharing our knowledge and impressions with other Wikitravellers."
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Thoughts on Wikitravel
I think Wikitravel is a great site. Before this class, I had actually never heard of it, but through these few links and in-class discussion, I've come to realize that it is a great tool.
One thing I find interesting about Wikitravel is that real people contribute to it, which is perfect for travelers who want real opinions on a certain place. Those who post a guide are doing it because they want to share their passion for that city, which, in turn, makes for a lot of ethos. Readers trust their opinions and advice on where to travel because it's not just a book or travel guide telling you where to go. People, unlike a book, can tell you details of an experience.
Wikitravel is very handy to readers because it's 100% free. I think this is one of the best things about Wikitravel- it's trustworthy, real information right at your hands without having to spend a single cent on any travel books.
It is also very user-friendly. Readers can search any destination or attraction and find everything associated with it. There are other links on the site, too, to help you with common travel issues, such as dealing with money, visas, staying safe, and dealing with language barriers. Plus, if your questions aren't answered by the guide alone, you can contact a docent, or a volunteer guide, to answer further or more personal questions about their experiences. Cool, right?
Overall, I think Wikitravel is a great tool and I am looking forward to this project so that I can share my passion and favorite places to go, do, and see in the city of Portland, Maine.
One thing I find interesting about Wikitravel is that real people contribute to it, which is perfect for travelers who want real opinions on a certain place. Those who post a guide are doing it because they want to share their passion for that city, which, in turn, makes for a lot of ethos. Readers trust their opinions and advice on where to travel because it's not just a book or travel guide telling you where to go. People, unlike a book, can tell you details of an experience.
Wikitravel is very handy to readers because it's 100% free. I think this is one of the best things about Wikitravel- it's trustworthy, real information right at your hands without having to spend a single cent on any travel books.
It is also very user-friendly. Readers can search any destination or attraction and find everything associated with it. There are other links on the site, too, to help you with common travel issues, such as dealing with money, visas, staying safe, and dealing with language barriers. Plus, if your questions aren't answered by the guide alone, you can contact a docent, or a volunteer guide, to answer further or more personal questions about their experiences. Cool, right?
Overall, I think Wikitravel is a great tool and I am looking forward to this project so that I can share my passion and favorite places to go, do, and see in the city of Portland, Maine.
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Well, I've been running my clubhouse blog on indie music for a little over a week now and I absolutely love it! Although I'm used to the whole "running a blog" thing (I've had a Tumblr for almost 3 years), having a blog on one topic is so much fun. During the day I always think of songs or albums I want to post about and I always want to go home and update right away; I feel like a little kid who gets excited over the littlest things! I'm also very used to Blogger, which is a plus. I want to add more gadgets today, and figure out how to make my background fixed instead of having it scroll with the posts.
I'm very happy I stuck with indie music as my topic. It's one specific genre to focus on, but it's broad enough so I can talk about an array of different bands. I think I'm going to alter a few things regarding targeting my audience because of the feedback I got from the peer review session in class on Friday.
I'm hoping I will keep updating The Independent Sound even after the semester ends!
I'm very happy I stuck with indie music as my topic. It's one specific genre to focus on, but it's broad enough so I can talk about an array of different bands. I think I'm going to alter a few things regarding targeting my audience because of the feedback I got from the peer review session in class on Friday.
I'm hoping I will keep updating The Independent Sound even after the semester ends!
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Ethos in Blogging
I am no music critic. I don't have a degree in music education and history, nor do I produce for major record labels. But I am an opinion. With a clubhouse blog, you can be the anonymous, self-proclaimed fan and critic of your favorite- anything. As the writer you have the power to express your thoughts explicitly, gaining readers who are interested in what you have to say.
Although I am not a professional indie music critic, I believe my blog will attract readers because it is a raw outlook on some amazing and very underrated bands. I am always amazed at the fact that there is so much music in the world and I have only listened to such a small percentage of it. I love discovering artists that are new to the industry, or maybe not even discovered yet at all.
An audience should deem me a credible source of information because all of the artists I talk about on The Independent Sound are artists that I have connected with while listening to their music. To me, quality music is when a song's lyrics somehow fit perfectly with the score like a 500-piece puzzle set... when the music sounds like the idea itself. (You know a good song when you cannot imagine any other words fitting with any other note, or guitar strum, or drum beat.)
I think when someone reads another's personal blog about a passion, they want a true opinion; an opinion that is being said because it wants to be said and not because of money or fame. I am hoping that from my blog, The Independent Sound, readers will get a true look at another fan of indie music and keep returning because they enjoy hearing another fan's take on a certain band, lyric, or song meaning.
Although I am not a professional indie music critic, I believe my blog will attract readers because it is a raw outlook on some amazing and very underrated bands. I am always amazed at the fact that there is so much music in the world and I have only listened to such a small percentage of it. I love discovering artists that are new to the industry, or maybe not even discovered yet at all.
An audience should deem me a credible source of information because all of the artists I talk about on The Independent Sound are artists that I have connected with while listening to their music. To me, quality music is when a song's lyrics somehow fit perfectly with the score like a 500-piece puzzle set... when the music sounds like the idea itself. (You know a good song when you cannot imagine any other words fitting with any other note, or guitar strum, or drum beat.)
I think when someone reads another's personal blog about a passion, they want a true opinion; an opinion that is being said because it wants to be said and not because of money or fame. I am hoping that from my blog, The Independent Sound, readers will get a true look at another fan of indie music and keep returning because they enjoy hearing another fan's take on a certain band, lyric, or song meaning.
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
The Final Decision
I made my final choice for my clubhouse blog- the winner is indie music! I narrowed it down to indie music or Spongebob, because I knew I would have so much fun doing either. But I decided I would have more leeway with starting a music blog because I could talk about so much regarding different bands and how independent music has developed and succeeded throughout the past decade.
Still, I am brainstorming different ways to approach it. Should I only post one song per band I talk about? Should I spend a few days focusing on one band, and only talk about 4-5 throughout the two weeks? I've gone through my iTunes library and highlighted some of my favorite artists that I really want to include in my blog. These are bands that stand out to me as an avid music-listener... bands that are passionate about what they do. Bands who, when they perform live, perform because they want to expose their music for every ear to hear. Bands who like to have fun and express their thoughts through killer off-beat baselines that catch your attention and thumping, feel-it-in-your-stomach drum solos. Bands who capture glimpses of something truly human- love, lust, loss... or simply, just to have fun.
Still, I am brainstorming different ways to approach it. Should I only post one song per band I talk about? Should I spend a few days focusing on one band, and only talk about 4-5 throughout the two weeks? I've gone through my iTunes library and highlighted some of my favorite artists that I really want to include in my blog. These are bands that stand out to me as an avid music-listener... bands that are passionate about what they do. Bands who, when they perform live, perform because they want to expose their music for every ear to hear. Bands who like to have fun and express their thoughts through killer off-beat baselines that catch your attention and thumping, feel-it-in-your-stomach drum solos. Bands who capture glimpses of something truly human- love, lust, loss... or simply, just to have fun.
- Born Ruffians
- The Strokes
- Animal Collective
- Arcade Fire
- Best Coast
- Death Cab for Cutie
- Built to Spill
- The Shins
- Grizzly Bear
- Passion Pit
- Modest Mouse
- Mumford & Sons
- Silversun Pickups
- Bon Iver
- Sleigh Bells
- The XX
Of course, I'll have to narrow these down. I'm going to start tomorrow. Looking forward to it!
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
The Norton Field Guide to Writing: Bullock's Rhetorical Situation
Bullock's writing on rhetorical situations is divided into 5 main points regarding any type of writing: purpose, audience, genre, stance, and media/design. These 5 components are all intertwined; a piece of writing isn't complete without all of them present.
Every piece of documented writing, whether it be a persuasive speech, an editorial, or commentary, has a specific purpose. Before starting, any writer should identify his or her purpose. A writer should be constantly keeping in mind of the audience- what do you want the audience to think or feel when they read your piece of writing? I found this very helpful, because a lot of times when I'm writing a long paper, I tend to lose track of what my original purpose was.
Identifying a certain genre is also vital, and goes along with who your intended audience is. For instance, if you are writing an article for a town newspaper, you would want to appeal to an average, middle-aged citizen. But if that newspaper was a college campus newspaper, you would want to address to young adults.
The fourth component is stance- having an attitude and opinion on the topic you are writing about. A writer must be clear and concise so that his or her stance is obvious to the reader.
I found the last point, media and design, very interesting. Bullock refers to medium as "a way for information to be conveyed from one person to another", such as verbal or nonverbal.
The media you choose for your piece of writing depends on how you're going to convey it. You could choose to write it in print, give a speech, or post it on the internet, just to name a few.
Design is also very important because, as humans, our initial opinions depend on how something looks. If your writing is in some sort of crazy font, for example, it would be hard for the reader to focus on the point you're trying to make.
Bullock's helpful information regarding rhetorical situations gives any writer the basic principles for any piece of writing.
Every piece of documented writing, whether it be a persuasive speech, an editorial, or commentary, has a specific purpose. Before starting, any writer should identify his or her purpose. A writer should be constantly keeping in mind of the audience- what do you want the audience to think or feel when they read your piece of writing? I found this very helpful, because a lot of times when I'm writing a long paper, I tend to lose track of what my original purpose was.
Identifying a certain genre is also vital, and goes along with who your intended audience is. For instance, if you are writing an article for a town newspaper, you would want to appeal to an average, middle-aged citizen. But if that newspaper was a college campus newspaper, you would want to address to young adults.
The fourth component is stance- having an attitude and opinion on the topic you are writing about. A writer must be clear and concise so that his or her stance is obvious to the reader.
I found the last point, media and design, very interesting. Bullock refers to medium as "a way for information to be conveyed from one person to another", such as verbal or nonverbal.
The media you choose for your piece of writing depends on how you're going to convey it. You could choose to write it in print, give a speech, or post it on the internet, just to name a few.
Design is also very important because, as humans, our initial opinions depend on how something looks. If your writing is in some sort of crazy font, for example, it would be hard for the reader to focus on the point you're trying to make.
Bullock's helpful information regarding rhetorical situations gives any writer the basic principles for any piece of writing.
Clubhouse Blog: Brainstorming Ideas
Just like anyone else here, obviously, I have a ton of interests. Though it's hard to narrow them down and choose just the right ones, I think I've got some pretty solid ideas for what topic I want my clubhouse blog to center on. I browsed Technorati and found a lot of good inspiration.
Independent/"Indie" music
Indie music is pretty hard to identify, just because there are so many different sub genres of independent music. I like to listen to anything from acoustic to a more rock with a little 60's vibe, like The Black Keys. If I did a clubhouse blog on indie music I would post a Song of the Day, and talk about a band, how long they've been around, and where they're headed in the music industry. This would be a great topic for me because I could talk and listen (ha) to music for hours.
Desserts
I have the biggest sweet tooth. I'm not even kidding... I think I'm addicted to chocolate. Sometimes I just eat sweets until I'm in a chocolate coma when I can't even move. So naturally, doing a blog about desserts would be very easy! I would post mostly pictures. I'm not the best baker, but I would also like to incorporate recipes, or some great ice cream shops into my blog as well.
90's movies
A good amount of my favorite movies were made in between the years 1990 and 1999, and I think this topic would be really interesting to blog about. Similar to the music blog, I would post a Movie of the Day, give a plot summary, and a rating of said movie.
Tattoos
It's kind of ironic that I love tattoos because I don't even have one myself... mostly because I'm broke. Regardless, I have such an appreciation for clever tattoos of great quality. It would be cool if I could include a story behind each picture of a tattoo I post, but I'm not quite sure how I'd go about finding tattoo stories. Possibly finding another blog source?
Spongebob Squarepants
Not to brag or anything, but I know just about every line from seasons 1-3 of Spongebob. Ask anyone and they'll tell you that I will recite the most obscure quotes at any given moment.
People overlook the deeper meaning behind each character and theme of each confound, educational episode.
...Just kidding. It's just a freaking hilarious show and I'd love to blog about it.
Independent/"Indie" music
Indie music is pretty hard to identify, just because there are so many different sub genres of independent music. I like to listen to anything from acoustic to a more rock with a little 60's vibe, like The Black Keys. If I did a clubhouse blog on indie music I would post a Song of the Day, and talk about a band, how long they've been around, and where they're headed in the music industry. This would be a great topic for me because I could talk and listen (ha) to music for hours.
Desserts
I have the biggest sweet tooth. I'm not even kidding... I think I'm addicted to chocolate. Sometimes I just eat sweets until I'm in a chocolate coma when I can't even move. So naturally, doing a blog about desserts would be very easy! I would post mostly pictures. I'm not the best baker, but I would also like to incorporate recipes, or some great ice cream shops into my blog as well.
90's movies
A good amount of my favorite movies were made in between the years 1990 and 1999, and I think this topic would be really interesting to blog about. Similar to the music blog, I would post a Movie of the Day, give a plot summary, and a rating of said movie.
Tattoos
It's kind of ironic that I love tattoos because I don't even have one myself... mostly because I'm broke. Regardless, I have such an appreciation for clever tattoos of great quality. It would be cool if I could include a story behind each picture of a tattoo I post, but I'm not quite sure how I'd go about finding tattoo stories. Possibly finding another blog source?
Spongebob Squarepants
Not to brag or anything, but I know just about every line from seasons 1-3 of Spongebob. Ask anyone and they'll tell you that I will recite the most obscure quotes at any given moment.
People overlook the deeper meaning behind each character and theme of each confound, educational episode.
...Just kidding. It's just a freaking hilarious show and I'd love to blog about it.
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Thoughts on Blogger
I never thought I'd be into Blogger. In fact, the day I set up my account I was pretty intimidated by it; it just seemed too confusing for me. But after tinkering around with the site I've actually come to find that it's very user-friendly. Although I wish there were more options with designing your own background, layout, and color schemes, I do love the feel of Blogger. It might sound strange, but it feels accomplishing learning the basics of a whole new website. Expanding my horizons outside of what I already know (the only blogging site I've used before this was Tumblr, which I've had for a little over 2 years now) is refreshing.
It makes me realize how much the internet really has to offer. It sounds lame, but it's true... because I also just learned that Google has a search engine made specifically for blogs called Google Blog Search. Just type in any band, food, topic, culture, anything, and it gives you every blog associated with it. It's a perfect tool for inspiration right now, because I'm still trying to figure out what to do for my Clubhouse Blog. Hopefully something will come to me!
It makes me realize how much the internet really has to offer. It sounds lame, but it's true... because I also just learned that Google has a search engine made specifically for blogs called Google Blog Search. Just type in any band, food, topic, culture, anything, and it gives you every blog associated with it. It's a perfect tool for inspiration right now, because I'm still trying to figure out what to do for my Clubhouse Blog. Hopefully something will come to me!
Blogs as Clubhouses
by Suzanna Stefanac
In this excerpt, Suzanna Stefanac illustrated key tips for new bloggers who aren't familiar with clubhouse blogs, or who are unsure of what one topic to blog about in the first place. These tips ranged from engaging your audience to posting regularly and keeping consistent, ensuring that readers can always get their "fix", per say.
She highlighted that the most important thing is to showcase your personality- this was probably my favorite bit of advice, and I could tell it was one that Stefanac follows herself. Sometimes I think that individuality (ironically) is not a trait shared by everyone, which is why I am always attracted to anything unique and off-beat. Blogs as Clubhouses definitely reassured me that a good clubhouse blog is one that is memorable to readers and wants them returning for more.
Stefanac also mentioned examples of blogs, one of which is one of my favorites. The Sartorialist is a site by photographer Scott Schuman, who walks the streets of Manhattan and photographs real-life street fashion, capturing trends and inspirational pieces, and posts the results. Another blog she mentioned but one I was not familiar with was Flame Effects- an art blog by ex-engineer Mikey Sklar who takes pictures of fire. (side note: I checked out Flame Effects for myself, and I never thought I was a pyro until now... the pictures were absolutely beautiful!)
Suzanna Stefanac's piece on blogging was extremely helpful. She convinced me that you don't have to be a diehard fan of something to make a clubhouse blog- you just need to be truly passionate about it.
In this excerpt, Suzanna Stefanac illustrated key tips for new bloggers who aren't familiar with clubhouse blogs, or who are unsure of what one topic to blog about in the first place. These tips ranged from engaging your audience to posting regularly and keeping consistent, ensuring that readers can always get their "fix", per say.
She highlighted that the most important thing is to showcase your personality- this was probably my favorite bit of advice, and I could tell it was one that Stefanac follows herself. Sometimes I think that individuality (ironically) is not a trait shared by everyone, which is why I am always attracted to anything unique and off-beat. Blogs as Clubhouses definitely reassured me that a good clubhouse blog is one that is memorable to readers and wants them returning for more.
Stefanac also mentioned examples of blogs, one of which is one of my favorites. The Sartorialist is a site by photographer Scott Schuman, who walks the streets of Manhattan and photographs real-life street fashion, capturing trends and inspirational pieces, and posts the results. Another blog she mentioned but one I was not familiar with was Flame Effects- an art blog by ex-engineer Mikey Sklar who takes pictures of fire. (side note: I checked out Flame Effects for myself, and I never thought I was a pyro until now... the pictures were absolutely beautiful!)
Suzanna Stefanac's piece on blogging was extremely helpful. She convinced me that you don't have to be a diehard fan of something to make a clubhouse blog- you just need to be truly passionate about it.
"An intelligent human being filters through the mass of information packaged daily for our consumption and picks out the interesting, the important, the overlooked, and the unexpected..."
Rebecca Blood's Weblogs: A History and Perspective
It's strange to think that I was only 6 years old in 1999, when only 23 internet blogs existed. It's even stranger to think that it didn't even take a few years for that number to skyrocket. As I began reading noted blogger Rebecca Blood's article on the subject itself, I was automatically intrigued by her way of relating the history of blogs and the way they quickly rose in popularity with seeing blogs as an outlet to be an artist rather than constantly being referred to as the "consumer" by the media.
One line stood out to me- "as advertisements creep onto banana peels, attach themselves to paper cup sleeves, and interrupt our ATM transactions, we urgently need to cultivate forms of self-expression in order to counteract our self-defensive numbness and remember what it is to be human... I sternly believe in the power of weblogs to transform both writers and readers from 'audience' to 'public' and from 'consumer' to 'creator'." Blood is absolutely right. I think blogs are a great outlet for one to express not just feelings but a voice. Yes, one can speak an opinion by word of mouth to friends, family, and peers, but with such a blank canvas like a personal website made specifically to write really anything at all and the huge possibilities of the internet as an art museum, so to speak, writers have the power to express without restrictions. We don't always have to play the role of the audience.
Blood notes that Blogger (also known as Blogspot) was the first blogging website that did not have a structured template for its users. Instead of being restricted to a certain number of characters or needing some sort of previous HTML knowledge like the community site Metafilter, Blogger makes it simple. Although I have only been on Blogger for a few days now, I already love the fact that you are free to write commentary, personal stories, journal entires, etcetera, without any limits.
I enjoyed reading this article- although I have been acquainted with the concept of weblogs and blogging sites, I did learn a lot more about their history, and I found myself identifying with Blood's opinions on self-expression.
It's strange to think that I was only 6 years old in 1999, when only 23 internet blogs existed. It's even stranger to think that it didn't even take a few years for that number to skyrocket. As I began reading noted blogger Rebecca Blood's article on the subject itself, I was automatically intrigued by her way of relating the history of blogs and the way they quickly rose in popularity with seeing blogs as an outlet to be an artist rather than constantly being referred to as the "consumer" by the media.
One line stood out to me- "as advertisements creep onto banana peels, attach themselves to paper cup sleeves, and interrupt our ATM transactions, we urgently need to cultivate forms of self-expression in order to counteract our self-defensive numbness and remember what it is to be human... I sternly believe in the power of weblogs to transform both writers and readers from 'audience' to 'public' and from 'consumer' to 'creator'." Blood is absolutely right. I think blogs are a great outlet for one to express not just feelings but a voice. Yes, one can speak an opinion by word of mouth to friends, family, and peers, but with such a blank canvas like a personal website made specifically to write really anything at all and the huge possibilities of the internet as an art museum, so to speak, writers have the power to express without restrictions. We don't always have to play the role of the audience.
Blood notes that Blogger (also known as Blogspot) was the first blogging website that did not have a structured template for its users. Instead of being restricted to a certain number of characters or needing some sort of previous HTML knowledge like the community site Metafilter, Blogger makes it simple. Although I have only been on Blogger for a few days now, I already love the fact that you are free to write commentary, personal stories, journal entires, etcetera, without any limits.
I enjoyed reading this article- although I have been acquainted with the concept of weblogs and blogging sites, I did learn a lot more about their history, and I found myself identifying with Blood's opinions on self-expression.
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