Final Blog Post

This quarter, I learned more than I ever thought I would.  In the matter of 6 weeks, I learned how to make a website, business cards, brochures, and many more while in the process becoming skilled at the variety of programs.  My favorite aspect that I found enjoyable to work on was using the Adobe Photoshop.  I just find it fascinating all the possibilities that can be done with that program and how a simple image from a camera can become clearer, distorted, have borders, and many other components around it.  I can make it my own and at the end feel like i created my own masterpiece.



I also enjoyed making the Podcast with my partner.  We became creative instantly and before I knew it we had a script ready to go and it was truly a cooperative effort in editing the podcast, and fun as well.



With every experience like this there can be a challenging portion.  But it wasn't the assignments that were challenging, it was just taking the time and patience with each one. 
That is the biggest thing I learned from this class.  With technology today, we can't expect everything to be done with the touch of a button.  Each component must be looked at carefully and given our full attention if we truly want to feel we gave it our all.

I feel great that I will be able to take the skills from this class wherever I go.  Already I have an assignment for one of my professors to help make her personal website, so I know these skills will not go unused.

Blog 5

I think that this social media and Revolution theory is unstoppable.  There is nothing that could have been done to stop it because we all know that the world is always changing.  It's not just changing physically but changing in the resources it uses and the technology is improving at rapid rates, which changes the social life of people our age, since we have grown up with this technology.  Malcolm Gladwell stated in  Small Change: Why the revolution will not be tweeted that social networks are not social movements.  There is no one leading them so to speak.   I disagree.  I think for instance Mark Zuckerburg has become somewhat of a leader in the social movement by being the face of Facebook.  The facts about Facebook are presented to us in numerous videos talking about how many people use it and what it would look like if it were a country.  This is true for all type of social network/media.

4th blog post

Working on the group website this week helped me realize the type of schemes and layout i may want to consider using on the personal website.  I found that i need to make the text a little more readable, but i am confident that my strong point will be in color scheme and layout.  I just want to make sure it doesn't look like it was done by a beginner, which it was.

We think we know the basic layout rules when it comes to a website, because we visit them everyday.  But the key thing to keep in mind is the design we are choosing, must be reflective of the audience we are appealing it to.    According to http://www.siggraph.org/education/materials/graphics_design/mitchell_S96/chap1_3.htm, one aspect to keep in mind is balance.  The weight of certain objects/pictures and how they are portrayed on screen.  The contrast can direct the viewer's eye.  But when the contrast between elements is too great, the essence of harmony in the layout is lost.

Another principle to be aware of is Navigation.  According to http://inspectelement.com/articles/the-principles-of-good-web-design-part-2-navigation/, navigation is one of the most important elements to focus on when creating your website.  The reason being it determines how the user will interact once at your webpage.  The main idea is to keep it simple.  Simple clicks get you here and there, nothing fancy so that they do not know how to get back to the original page.

With this information in mind, i realize that with creating the individual websites I must make sure that the user understand how to get around the website and use it in a way that is easy to know where to go next.  With this aspect, making it pleasing to the eye will only enhance the enjoyment by the user.

Blog 3

This week we were introduced to the Audacity program in order to work on our Podcasts.    According to http://www.how-to-podcast-tutorial.com/what-is-a-podcast.htm, a podcast is a digital audio file made to be able to download from the internet.  With Audacity, you are able to record your Podcast and "play" with it however you like.  You can make a voice higher or lower, make music fast or slower, its a really neat tool.  I had used it before, and it made me realize the amount of time that goes into editing these type of projects.  With Audacitiy, as stated before, you can record live audio, convert tapes and records into CD's mix sounds together and plenty of more http://audacity.sourceforge.net/about/,

Here are some videos just to show you how Audacity can work.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IC3VZkfdgV8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9gSNGPFuz8&feature=related
We also found sites where we could use sound effect for our podcast.  Sounds like a dog barking, women crossing the street.  So when you think about it, you could make a podcast for a blind person, and you wouldn't have to film anything for it to be a movie for them necessarily.

 

Week 2

This week in Comm 350 we learned to use Photoshop, InDesign, and Dreamweaver.

Dreamweaver is a program that is used to help make websites for anyone interested.  In class we learned how to make domain names, download pictures from the internet, make links to multiple pages as well as make secret pages.  We were taught that when using pictures, especially searching Google, to use safe search in order to find pictures we can modify if needed to.

More info on Dreamweaver: http://www.ncsu.edu/viste/how_to_use_DW/index.html
                                            http://www.siteground.com/tutorials/dreamweaver/

                          Video Tutorial: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wWjrkET3G4

The second program we used was InDesign.  This program was used to make a cover page for our class book. We were able to distort pictures from the internet and make colorful settings and crop.  This program is similar to Photoshop and can in fact be used in turn with it.

More info on InDesign:  http://www.ehow.com/how_5065632_use-indesign.html
                                     http://www.brighthub.com/multimedia/publishing/articles/68233.aspx

                            Video Tutorial:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmiXPoz_PlQ&feature=fvwrel


Leading us to the final program of Photoshop which was used for distorting photos of our choice and adding any kind of creativity with them.  I used Photoshop once to make a band flyer, so it was nice to get reminded of the simple stuff again.

More info on Photoshop: http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/ps.htm
                                     http://sixrevisions.com/graphics-design/35-basic-tutorials-to-get-you-started-with-photoshop/

                             Video Tutorial:   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__KkSu248OU

The Top 10 Rules in Designing a Website

When designing you own website, there are a number of rules to keep in mind.      

1.  According to http://www.sharpened.com/web/about/rules.html, the first rule in creating a website is to keep it simple.  The last thing people want to think about is "Where do I go on this page?"  Keep it clear and simple and plus the page will load faster.

2.  http://create.sitewith.us/website-guide/10-rules-for-creating-a-good-website/  This site mentions to keep in mind that the website is not for you, it is for the users.  So keep that in mind as to what will be appealing to the type of audience that will be using the website.

3.  Among the rules on http://www.sharpened.com/web/about/rules.html, another one mentioned is that design is paramount.  It's like making a first impression when meeting someone.  If the design does not catch their eye, chances are they won't be too interested.

4.  http://www.grantasticdesigns.com/5rules.html Your website should be easy to navigate.  It should be simple to go through the links and not get lost wondering how to get back to the home page.  Simple clicking of the mouse and you should know exactly where you are.

5.  http://create.sitewith.us/website-guide/10-rules-for-creating-a-good-website/ Invest in content.  If your site is merely for show with color and design, it will be visited once.  If it has content that has a purpose, it will be visited frequently.

6.  http://www.sharpened.com/web/about/rules.html Consistency is key.  Visitors should not feel like they are going to a completely new web site when clicking on your links.  Each page within your website should be consistent with each other to give it that natural feel.

7.  http://create.sitewith.us/website-guide/10-rules-for-creating-a-good-website/ Be active.  Even if the site may look done, you still have to make your website be known.  Meaning put your website out there and advertise it

8.  http://www.sharpened.com/web/about/rules.html Use the full browser window.  It is not effective to have your website open pages where the visitor must scroll up,down, left, or right to see it all.  It shoudl all be in front of them.

9.  http://www.grantasticdesigns.com/5rules.html Your website should be quick to download.  If it is not, the visitors won't bother waiting for it.

10.  http://www.sharpened.com/web/about/rules.html Write your own code.  It's your site, so it should be built by you.  Every part of it.

COMM 350 Post #1

Welcome to my blog.  This is for my COMM 350 class and I am excited to experience the world of blogging for the first time!