Deb H's Blog

Reflection

2007-05-04T13:08:00.000-07:00

It has been just about 4 months since I first began this blogging experience. When I created my first entry, I was rather confused about the entire concept of blogging and its usefulness in the real world. I could not fathom someone spending any time looking through someone’s blog. It seemed to me that blogging was something that very few individuals did for research and references or something businesses used to communicate with their constituents. However, after I published my first blog entry, I decided to look through a few blogs created by other members of the blogging world. I think I spent two hours reading blogs that night. My entire view about blogging had changed in just a matter of minutes.

I learned new and innovative techniques that could be incorporated into a blog, as well as, the appropriate way to communicate your ideas and theories through blogs. The entire experience has been eye opening. I have to admit that I spend at least one hour a week reading blogs about various topics. I even gained an interest in corporate blogging.

My blog has gone through a subtle growth. My writing has increased in content and I try to use hyperlinks when possible. There are images and videos present in some of my entries; these things did not exist in my earlier entries. I also experimented and learned how to include widgets. Overall, my experience with blogging has been positive and rewarding. I hope to continue my growth as a blogger in the current months and years.

Collaborative Writing 101

2007-04-25T17:45:00.000-07:00

In recent years, collaborative online writing has received a great deal of attention. Collaborative online writing refers to shared writing that posted online through a website that is accessible to the appropriate individuals. The writing is edited, revised, proofread, commented on and added to by a group. An excellent example of a collaborative writing tool is Writeboard.

My experience with Writeboard is limited, but it offers an easy to use and understand interface that makes collaborative writing assignments simple. The interface is very user friendly and designed for the novice user. One of the best features offered on Writeboard is being able to view previous copies of the documents text before each person made a contribution. This feature enables each person to receive credit for their work and allows the new contributor to track the steps followed by those before him/her.

I have one complaint with the software. Despite being very easy to use, the help function is hidden. While it is very simple to edit the collaborative document, it is also very simple to create several revisions. When I first encountered the program, I created 3 different revisions, all within one minute of the last. This may confuse the next person editing the document. Having a help tool to allow users to search for help topics would be very useful.

If I were to use Writeboard again, I think it would be beneficial to assign roles. Assigning roles would allow the document to be more comprehensible. The document that I edited seemed to include a variety of ideas that did not necessarily have any order. Each contributor probable chose not to edit the writing of previous editors, instead, just added their own piece. In the future I would assign someone to correct grammar, spelling, punctuation, cohesion, and typeface. Each person would be able to make his/her addition to the document, but at the same time complete his or her task.

Being in a graduate program that is offered completely online, I have a great deal of experience working in online forums. This too could prove to be an excellent tool for collaborative writing. I have completed several collaborative projects using forums and chats. This method has its advantages because it allows synchronous chats and clear distinction as to who contributes what, because names are assigned to posts. This tool also has its disadvantages. The amount of posts can be become overwhelming making a specific message hard to find. Not to mention, your immediate thoughts are typed out, which may take a long time depending on your typing speed. Hopefully, you get your thought typed out before someone changes the topic.

In general, I am very pleased with the collaborative writing tools I have been introduced to. I like not having to waste paper, unless absolutely necessary. Collaborative writing also gives you the opportunity to view others at work and gain insight into new ideas.

Tips for Web Writing

2007-04-11T14:31:00.000-07:00

When companies create print material, the content used is often a duplicate of information found used elsewhere on other company materials. It is important to provide customers and web users with a range of information that fits their needs and desires. Often time, web based material allows designers to include much more than print material. Below is a list of methods that should be observed when writing for the web.

Summary of Methods

1. Determine the appropriate audience.
2. Provide general overviews, and then allow the user to receive additional information through links.
3. Perform usability tests to ensure the appropriate audience is reached and capable of navigating the site with little to no confusion.
4. Provide captions under visuals.
5. Use more visuals, when appropriate, depending upon the audience.
6. Make the organization of the site easy to navigate because the user determines the sequence of the content and what and when to view.
7. Use space appropriately.

Methods in Detail

Audience – Print media is often geared towards a certain audience. For instance, user manuals are often very technical. Web based writing needs to be a little more general in design. General information can lead users to more specific and technical information, if it is desired.

Links - Web writing should include links. This allows the creator to easily include references and cite specific sources when needed. Providing links also aids the user in determining the level of information they wish to view.

Usability Tests – It is difficult to measure the usability of print media because the audience, or those who actually read and comprehend the material, is very specific. Whereas, performing a usability test of a web based design may provide an overview from a wider audience.

Visuals – Visuals are often helpful in clarifying the meaning of text. By providing visuals, the audience is expanded to visual learners. Visuals found in web design are often more pleasing to the eye then visuals used in print media.

Captions placed under visuals are another essential element needed in web writing. Captions give users more information, which increases usability, when used correctly.

Organization and Sequencing – Web sites allow users to determine the sequence of pages, links, visuals, etc that they wish to view. Users are in control of when and what they view based upon the labeling used. The organization of the web is key in determining if users are able to navigate through the site and get only the information that is essential to their task(s).

Space – It’s obvious that there is more usable space when writing for the web. Make sure that this space is used appropriately, depending on the purpose of the site and the audience.

Social Bookmarking: Beneficial or A Waste of Time and Space

2007-03-29T17:33:00.000-07:00

A folksonomy is a taxonomy of web content, such as web pages or web links, that is created by being categorized together under a label or tag defined by the creator of the taxonomy. The purpose of the tag is to make it easy for researchers to search and navigate through the World Wide Web by placing tagged information about a topic in one central location.

Folksonomies are very inexpensive because they are user generated. The intent of folksonomies is that a shared vocabulary could be created amongst the users. Tags allow viewers to identify the originator of the tag. The originator may use tags that are understandable to the researcher, thus, making his/her search easy. This would create a shared vocabulary. The user may find that the originators tags are very helpful and look through other categories of tags created by the originator. In a sense, a silent social network is created.

When dealing with folksonomies, the social bookmarking is mostly a disorganized arranged collection of individual preferences. It is only assumed that a shared vocabulary exists. In my opinion, the same type of research could be achieved using most search engines. The tag originator could easily mislead a researcher. Unless tags are specified by a teacher, employer, or within a social group setting, the tag is personal and does not represent anything concrete. A user could spend hours searching through tagged content and not find anything useful if the shared vocabulary is lacking.

I don’t want to insist that social bookmarking is a complete waste of time and space. There are practical uses for it. I created an account with del.icio.us. My badge is below. I tagged several sites with the label MSPTC. Each link is to a web site that discusses an element of professional and/or technical communication. The site http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gmP4nk0EOE provides a description and video clip on Web 2.0 and http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2005/10/69114 also discusses Web 2.0. The http://www.digitaljournalist.org/ site discusses photojournalism. The sites http://www.webdesignfromscratch.com/, http://www.search-this.com/2007/03/26/10-quick-tips-for-an-easier-css-life/ and http://www.guidancecom.com/alphabet/ define the essential elements of visual design. The site http://www.socialresearchmethods.net/ gives insight into statistical research methods. By tagging these sites I am able to help create a source for MSPTC students.

For professional and educational purposes, social bookmarking is very beneficial. Teachers and other professionals could tag useful information for their students or employees. This could also work vice-versa. In this case a shared vocabulary is in existence and all parties benefit.

I am debann1 on del.icio.us
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Visual Design Using Flash

2007-03-25T20:31:00.000-07:00

The Russian Converse website, http://www.converserussia.ru displays many of the key elements of visual design. The design elements used on the flash site are clearly geared towards a young athletic audience. The websites introduction provides audio of a basketball game, just before a player makes a key shot. The figure on the site starts to dribble the ball, makes a shot and the basketball hoop falls down which pulls open the websites main content.

The colors used on both the intro page and the main site are bright, but very retro. This element sheds light on the history of Converse by showing that Converse has a long history dating back to the 1970’s when the retro look was in. Many elements on the site are interactive. There is a sneaker scroll bar used to view the text based portion of the site. The icons used are easily understood by the intended viewer. The font is consistent with the sites structure and easy to view.

Audio is constantly playing. Sports paraphernalia is on just about every inch of the site, which further illustrates who the intended audience is supposed to be. One key feature I found interesting is that the site scrolls automatically with the motion of your mouse. There is no real need to click on any element of the site, much of the visual design elements move by simply placing your cursor over them.

There is a unifying theme and structure that holds the site together. The visual design elements used allow the viewer to be guided throughout the entire page and never feel overwhelmed. The viewer’s attention is grabbed by the interactive elements. Also, despite the many flask elements used, everything loaded fairly fast.

Web 2.0: The New Internet

2007-03-10T10:53:00.000-08:00

In 2004, the term Web 2.0 was coined by O’Reilly Media. Web 2.0 marks the creation of a second generation to the Internet. The generation that existed before Web 2.0 was marked by a rush of dot com companies that truly did not understand the wide range of uses and the complete platform for the web. The Web 2.0 generation would include those companies that survived the dot com burst in 2001. Web 2.0 describes a revised World Wide Web that provides web-based services and promotes social networks. Examples of Web 2.0 are Wikipedia, eBay, and iTunes.

One of the most interesting features of the Web 2.0 is social networking. I think it’s intriguing that the second generation of the web is receiving a great deal of credit for promoting social networks. I never really gave it much thought, but I’m certain that social networking existed during the dot com era. However, I have to admit that many great improvements have been made during the Web 2.0 generation.

The social networks that existed before Web 2.0 were not promoted or advertised as heavily as they would be in today’s society. Social networking sites such as Facebook, MySpace, or YouTube are widely known by adolescents and the elderly. They are the topic of many headlines and the rave on the social front. Many people spend more time building social networks through the Internet than they do in any other medium. For instance, look at the MSPTC program. A distance-learning program is a form of social/academic networking that is becoming widely used. This very weblog is also an example. Just 15 years ago the mainstream public did not care about weblogs. Yet, today blogs are created and updated by the millions each day.

Visual Design Style You Can See

2007-02-27T18:32:00.000-08:00

Visual design style is a specific style that a designer would use to reach his/her audience. Some visual designers add a certain aspect to everything they design. That aspect becomes part of the designer’s style. Anything could apply as part of a designer’s style, including a signature, an animation, a sound added to an image, a particular product that is always used, and many more.
A web designer may find it useful to appeal to his/her audience by using a specific background, font colors, and/or typeface. A video designer may tend to use a specific genre to make movies or short films. One example that always sticks out in my mind is movies directed by Spike Lee. He usually creates a part in every movie where the main character goes through a tough problem and decides to take a walk. Just as the movie climaxes, there is a scene where only the actors face or body is highlighted and appears to be floating down the street as if he/she is all alone and nothing else going on around them seems to matter. This is only one example; there are many others that also fit the mold.
A photographer may also use the same genre or specific element that they wish to bring to light. A visual design style doesn’t necessarily only apply to what is deemed everyday art. Advertisers use visual design styles as logos. For example, UPS and FedEx have a unique design style. One could even go as far as to notice the visual designs on food packaging. For example, the visual design of Dole, Wonder Bread, Nestle, Pepsi, or Coca Cola. Visual styles are endless and they cover just about every aspect of our daily lives.
A design style that stands out to me is that of Johnson and Johnson. Johnson and Johnson have been in business since the 1880’s. Their design is smooth and clean to emphasize the safety and cleanliness in their hygiene products. The company’s long history has allowed it to create a logo with personality. Their design style is easily recognizable and difficult to duplicate. A designer that I have grown quite fond of is Claude Monet. His use of Impressionalism makes his artwork stand apart from that of other artists. I enjoy his use of light and bright color.

Images Speak Louder Than Words

2007-02-20T18:57:00.000-08:00

A graphic artist as defined by Princeton Wordnet, is a printmaker or an artist that designs and makes prints. This definition may be correct, but leaves a lot of room for interpretation. A graphic artist does much more than make prints. One of the more difficult tasks that a graphic designer takes on is creating and organizing images in a visually pleasing environment. I located a few websites that uses different styles to replace words with images.

Illustrations
Museums seem to know how to effectively use images on their websites to replace words, not to mention, show of their exhibits. The Newark Museum uses illustrations on their homepage to supplement the navigational instructions. The Smithsonian Institution uses a similar style. The illustrations are used help guide visitors through the site. They also give the viewer a small taste of what’s in each section. For instance, at the Smithsonian Institution’s website viewers have the option of viewing an exhibit the displays orchids. The bright pink illustration of an orchid will take you through the exhibit.

The 3D show about lions is displayed with an illustration of a lion.

The images used on both websites help viewers navigate the site without actually reading.

Icons
When I first thought about icons, my mind immediately wondered to my cell phone. The main menus of most cell phones are pictorial representations of the action the user wants to make. Since Apple is introducing its new iPhone, I thought it would be appropriate to mention them here. The Apple home page shows am image of their new iPhone.

The icons used to navigate the site are similar to those used on their cell phone. An iPod symbol takes viewers to iPod options, a telephone symbol directs viewers to information on the iPhone, the list continues. There is even a virtual simulation with audio on how to use the icons to navigate the phone options. There’s no need to read anything on the site, except the terms and agreements because images and icons guide users and customers through every step of their product.

Wayfinding
Recently, it dawned on that wayfinding is found on hundreds of websites, but receives little attention. Being able to navigate a site is essential and to a user appears to be easy to create. However, to a graphic designer, it’s an art. The Museum of Web Art uses wayfinding effectively to navigate users through the site. The homepage uses an arrow to guide users to the next page. Once inside the site, everything is laid out in steps. The visitor’s center also uses arrows; some steps to guide visitors are numbered. While it may be necessary to read the captions under the images, the viewer has a clear picture as to what direction he/she is going in.

Charts and Graphs
Each year The New Jersey Department of Education presents the public with school report cards for every public school in the state. There are hundreds of charts and graphs on elementary, secondary, charter, and vocational schools. The charts tell a story that may or may not be given in words. Most of the charts will be accompanied with words, the numbers dig deeper to show a true depiction of the states educational

Elements of Design: Typography Movie

2007-02-11T14:17:00.000-08:00

The embedded YouTube video, below, is an effective example of typography. It clearly illustrates how the elements of visual design play an intricate role in getting and maintaining the audience’s interest. To describe the design elements found in the video it is essential to understand the role of each element.

Color
The video makes use of a black background which presents a mystifying experience. The words are in white, red and a light purple. The emphasis is placed on the colorful words. The white words are used as a transition to get to the key words displayed in color. Words of emphasis include “pain”, “hurts”, “suicide”, “you”, “heart”, “soul” and “me”. With these words displayed in color and different type, it becomes clear that if the author were speaking, those words would have the most emphasis.

Theme
The theme of the video is very sad. The narrator is hurting inside and is probably lonely because he/she is no longer with that special someone. The type and color used in the video add to the theme. The words are in a color that expresses the felling of intended meaning of the word. The word “hurt” is in pointy, red letters and has a shadow. The feeling that is given from that word provides the sadness and pain of the video. The background music also adds to the theme. An emphasis in the tone of the music is heightened at key words.

Shape
Each word has a unique shape to illustrate the meaning of the word. The video begins with sharp, pointy letters to show the narrators frustration and hurt. It moves to bold lettering, then back to pointy letters to show his/her confusion. The video ends with rounded letters that have a softer shape to show hope and love.

Hierarchy
The shape and color of the words creates a hierarchy. There is a clear emphasis on certain elements. Scales are used at specific points to emphasize the hierarchy. The most important words are displayed when the music gets louder and the rhythm of the words increases.

While the video may be only thirty-three seconds long, it makes effective use of key elements of design.

Typography and Web Site Advertising

2007-02-04T13:13:00.000-08:00

Typography is a way of presenting a text based work of art to an audience. If this is done effectively, the typography will set the appropriate mood and time period of the text and put it in a suitable context. Typography is often used as an advertising strategy to convince consumers to purchase a product or service. Many companies will make use of bold lettering, all capital letters, and a variety of colors, shapes and images. Regardless of the product, the typeface is what draws the attention of the consumer. Typeface, font size, line spacing and letter spacing is used to convey different messages to the reader.

Products like Halls cough drops make use of the bold, all caps lettering to draw the attention of consumers. Their web site makes use of one typeface, except for the logo, to convey a professional image. The page headings are in a larger font size than the rest of the page to draw viewer’s attention to a specific topic.

Toys R Us makes use of various font styles and sizes to draw the attention of toy buyers from every age group. Their site is filled is bold lettering, words in all capital letters, small font for searching, and larger fonts for discounts. The typography used on the web site conveys the message that their products are designed for kids. The color and size of the type used is geared to the intended audience.

Readability is not an issue with either of the websites. The fonts are legible and easy to recognize. However, I have found that a lot of advertisements will post there terms and conditions and privacy policy in small font at the bottom of the page. For instance, Visa places their company information at eh bottom of the page in a small hard to read font size.

Regardless, of the advertisement, product, or web site typography plays an intricate role in persuading readers/consumers to purchase.

School vs. The Internet

2007-01-26T20:22:00.000-08:00

Traditionally school has been a forced daily experience for school aged children. The material taught is often dull in content and one-sided. The Internet becomes so appealing because it allows kids to view anything that they desire. It is an autonomous experience where the user is in control. The Internet is designed to be centered around the user’s strengths, abilities, and desires. Schools have to focus on a large group of students and each lesson needs to be tailored to every student in the class. Another aspect that differentiates school from the Internet in its approach to audience centered design is that school is often text based learning. The Internet offers inactive learning to students who are visual and hands-on learners.

Because the internet allows the single user to explore any web page on any topic, at any given time, the user becomes solely responsible for their own learning. There are no other students or teachers to ask questions to, but instead the user has to recognize the need for additional assistance and perform an appropriate search for that information.

Schools need to learn that it is beneficial, although time consuming for teachers, to teach to each student’s unique learning ability. If each student feels like a lesson was created just for their learning style, they are more likely to be more attentive. While the Internet does provide a huge amount of information on just about every topic, it does not show how reliable sources really are. Schools, teachers in particular, can point students in the right direction to locate the most reliable source.

Corporate Blogging

2007-01-22T15:39:00.000-08:00

In my search to learn more about blogging and to expand my knowledge in the world of blogging, I decided to look at a few corporate blogs to get a better understanding of how the corporate world is evolving with the times.

MacDonald’s created their corporate blog to attract customers that are concerned about nutritional information. Their goal is to share information about their corporate social responsibility, as well as, to receive feedback from their audience. Their blog does allow readers to make comments. A few comments are posted for just about each post. The average entry for the blog is fairly short compared to some posts on other corporate blogs. The comments are very short. However, there are numerous topics posted. Each topic is separated into its own post. This gives the appearance that the word count of the post is small, but in reality there are about twenty topics on the page to discuss. One that I thought was very interesting is posted here. Several visual elements can be found on the site including podcasts, multi-colored font, the Macdonald’s logo, and various smaller images. My overall perception of the corporate blog is that it is very professional. It’s hard to tell that it is a blog for a restaurant, let alone, for MacDonald’s. I envisioned a blog that would be geared towards teenagers or parents. However, I get the feeling that the blog has global elements. It pays close attention to the health conscious. It is apparent that a lot of time and energy went into making sure this blog presented MacDonald’s in a good light.

Dell’s corporate blog is geared towards their customers and those individuals wanting to learn more about what’s new in the technical world. Their goal is to give customers more information beyond what’s provided on their website. Links that discuss topics such as battery recall and products make this blog an extension to their website. I especially enjoyed the link to vlogs. Dell does allow for comments, however, there are very few comments posted. I think it has a lot to do with most customers just calling customer service, rather than posting a comment. The average entry is pretty long and usually contains several links to other pages or websites. A video or picture is usually present with each posting. There are several visual elements on the blog including videos, pictures, logos, different font, and audio. The blog is very user friendly. It does a lot of Dell product promotion, rather than focus on a specific topic. The blog does have a professional layout, nice design and a technical feel.

Nike’s corporate blog shows off high profile NBA players and, of course, sneakers. The blog is definitely created to attract athletes, sports lovers, especially basketball fans, and sneaker buyers. The site does not provide links to add comments, but there other interactive options provided. Currently a vote is being taken to determine what era of basketball has made the strongest statement. There are also links for wallpapers and myspace themes. Several interviews are provided by different NBA players and a number of pictures are displayed against their black background. The average entry is fairly short, but contains several pictures. Currently the only written posts are interviews. The overall image portrayed through the blog is that of athletics. The site is promoting basketball and The Second Coming Athletes.

Mission Statement

2007-01-17T18:11:00.000-08:00

So what is this blog all about?
A little of everything, but not anything!
It's about me, technical communication, the transmission of knowledge, the promotion of literacy, and so much more. Basically, I'm going to write some stuff and hope that you listen and respond.