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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

• 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!