Sunday, November 14, 2010
What is a good web design???
To talk about a few rules, craigslists follows some such is consistency. When looking at the website everything is aligned right under each other. It gives you option such as state, city and even what you’re looking for. The Buffalo State website that we have to register on is called Banner. Now Banner sustains consistency also. When you click around on that website you would think that you are on the same page because of the same alignment and text. When it comes to H&M, there is some consistency but it seems like the font is doing too much. It maintains the same color but that’s not enough to make the website good.
Another rule that is followed is precedence, something guiding to the eye. That also means the position of where something is on the page. The use of color which should be simple and also the size using things to create a contrast. On banner you have a few selections so therefore there is no getting lost on the page. The color of the font is blue on a white page. There is also an explanation of what you’ll be clicking without clicking the actual thing. When it comes to craigslist its easy on the eye. The contrast is the font of black and blue so you know where you’re clicking. Now H&M is way to busy on at first glance. The font is in white but you can’t really see where to find something such as customer service, which is at the top. There is no contrast to me.
A good website should be easy to read and follow. And to be honest there is a lot of websites that we just go on because we want to, not because we really know the rules of a good web design and wont go on it because of that. I just know that the H&M website is way to busy and I hate how you cannot buy anything off of the website. I don’t know where to look first or what to click on because its doing way too much. To be honest I just can not hold my attention to it either. I know when I go on craigslist, I know where to click and what to click. It also has nuggets to help me go back to where I came from and I like that. The banner website is also easy to use. I have to use that website so I know the ins and outs of it.
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
MY USAGE OF Twitter
Microblogging is different from blogging because blogging gives you a sense of freedom to right whatever as much as you want without a limit. Microblogging has a limit. The limit is about 140 characters in a limited space. The message can be viewed by anyone or you can choose to follow someone or something, such as Twitter. With Twitter you follow as much people as you want and tell what your doing and where. With blogging you can write things in depth and everyone can have a better opportunity to understand your idea and opinion.
Microblogging is totally different than other social networks like Facebook because on Facebook yes you can write a quick status, but you can also write a long paragraph about how you feel. As opposed to being limited to a quick sentence because of the characters limitations. On Facebook, you know who your friends are and there real names to friend request them. But with microblogging such as twitter you can friend request anyone without really knowing his or her names. I mean it’s a kind of the same with facebook, but with facebook they make you put your real name.
I have never used microblogging such as Twitter. I just didn’t want to get sucked into the style of the Twitter wave. It seemed really pointless to me to write about what I’m doing and where I am at for the whole world to see. I think know one cares if you just woke up late or what you are eating for breakfast. What I have used is facebook and I created one to stay in contact with those I knew before attending college. It was a nice way to stay in contact with them.
I’ve heard from fellow classmates that they were able to get a job from using Twitter. So now that I know how to utilize it in a different way, a more professional way I might actually consider using it to really network with company’s about future employment. I think that would be a fantastic idea and definitely help build a resume for myself. I might actually become a better Twitter user and branch out to other employers.
I think twitter is been used beyond socializing because company’s use and it and educators. My boss actually told me that she was going to a conference and the conference tweets what’s going on and what are the schedules for the conference. She actually likes that the conference does that because those who are going to attend follows them on twitter so they are aware of what’s going on. I think that it depends on the way you utilize twitter to your use. I also think that twitter is been also to promote an even or organization. Twitter is being used to branch out to other viewers and demographics. It’s helpful to know what other opportunities that are out there because of the Internet.
Twitter can be useful for journalistic tool because journalist is required to know the facts and information on any occurring event. So using twitter can help them figure out other facts about the event. Twitter is liked for journalists because it is brief and fast. Information gets put out there quicker than it does print or television. News organizations tweets and are followed by those who watch on television everyone doesn’t mind knowing the facts or any information as it is going on. For example in February, a federal judge gave his blessing to Ron Sylvester of the Wichita Eagle to use Twitter to report on a trial of six suspected gang members, the first time tweeting had been permitted inside a federal courtroom. Sylvester tweeted frequently from the trial, providing a nearly contemporaneous account. On the other hand, not all tweets are equally useful. Tweets from reporters covering the heavily choreographed political conventions last summer produced plenty of snark and trivia, but little in the way of important or interesting news (Twitter journalism pg3).
Twitter is pushing the envelope because before this judge no one was allowed to use a cell phone in the courtroom. Controversy can arise from this as well. To use twitter as a political tool can also keep everyone in the loop of things. I used twitter to tweet about the election as I was watching it from CNN in my house. Some people probably wanted to know what was going on minute by minute and someone actually thanked me for tweeting about it. I had to embrace twitter because it is in when it comes to technology. Everything is on the Internet know a days. Twitter can also be used as a political tool to get to the younger demographics. To reach out to those of all ages. For example, Barack Obama used the Internet for his political campaign because he was trying to get the young vote. He depended on the younger vote to get him in the office. So he used youtube and created a campaign video, he reached and young people voted.
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Facebook Article
I agree with this: “The potential uses of Facebook are perhaps more limited than those of Second Life, but the connectivity of Facebook mixed with its ability for integrated multimedia, polling, and asynchronous chat could be put to use in an academic setting” from A World I Don't Inhabit: Disquiet and Identity in Second Life and Facebook Fixed. Facebook creates another way for people to stay connected. With that being said I’m not sure being connected with a professor on facebook is acceptable. The idea of a higher authority being able to read what you did last night makes you feel a little uneasy to be honest. I have a mentor who I love so much but we are not friends on facebook. It keeps life separate. I’m not afraid of what my professor knows about me but at the same time I want to write what I would like to write without feeling censored.
Feeling censored from a professor should be the least of my worries. I say that because I don’t think any of my information is private. You can actually goggle someone’s name and his or her facebook page will pop up. Allowing millions of people maybe with the same name view your facebook. So if all I share is how class was or maybe if I’m studying abroad. I don’t like to put anything major on facebook. And I don’t think anyone else should either. But who am I to tell someone what to put on his or her page. Everyone is allowed freedom of speech. I think there’s etiquette for facebook like perceived loss in staff productivity; data leakage from staff gossiping freely in an open environment; malware and phishing scams practiced by cyber-crooks (Social Networking and Business page 2). All those to me should be the things you don’t do with facebook. That seems like your taking advantage of your privilege to share information.
I try my best not to air my personal life on facebook. I guess by doing that I have not been in an awkward situation because of something I posted or did not post.
Friday, October 22, 2010
About Video Interview
In the video I am the talk show host and my friends are sitting in chairs of course looking at the camera. And although you cannot see my face I’m still prevalent in the interview. I asked questions such as how has it been attending Buffalo State College, tell me things you like about the school, dislike, what are some upgrades you suggest for the schools and about classes and there major, etc. They had a lot to say. Such as a problem that they have is the parking at the school. I know from experience that even though Buff state does not allow freshman and sophomores have cars on campus that parking is still inconvenient. Also how living on campus is not what it is appeared to be. It is very noisy from the other students, the rooms are really small and not having your own space is a problem when dormming. My friends and I do not live on campus because of those problems.
So they were able to explain their frustration in a well mannered way and without being in an uproar. They tried to give some positive feedback, such, as the faculties are there to help them when they need help. Or that attending Buff State is not that bad it just needs major upgrades. I like the video because hopefully a few students agree with it. They will know that other people understand there frustrations with attending and living on campus.
I just wanted to do something that i was interested in and had a lot of questions about. My friends did an amazing job expressing the way they felt about our school. It always seems like students voices are not heard and I guess that is primarily because things have not been changed, so how will we ever know. We all understand that the school is trying but my question is are they trying hard enough?
Monday, October 18, 2010
Creating Wiki Page
First I would like to say that I enjoyed creating a wikihow. It was my first time and technology wise it was a good experience. It wasn’t hard to do mainly because the hardest part was for my partner and to create a topic that wikihow didn’t already have. My partner and I were trying to figure out what we had in common and as females generally do it’s shopping. What is comfortable and what is not. So we first sat and pondered about it and finally we came up with the topic “How to find the right pair of snow boots”. Granted that we are attending school that we do need all the snow gear we can possibly need. I thought it was awesome topic because when I first started attending Buffalo State College, the main question was always what to put on my feet when it gets cold.
It was a very cool experience. My partner Heather and I worked as a team to come up with topics and different ideas to make this wikihow a 1,000 words. We thought of the different variety of boots that we have to wear for snow boots. We thought of pros and cons of the boots. Such as the price range, how to take care of the boots and when to even wear them. We broke up into categories of expertise and amazingly it tied together with no problem. Our parts that we had written went very well together that it was as if one of us wrote it.
When we met in class we knew what we were going to write and how. Then we exchanged numbers. The next day we met up in the library and copied and pasted our thoughts together. We re-read it to make sure our thoughts came together and we high-fived each other. We were so happy.
As we discussed previously in class, wikis has many down falls that can inflect your opinion on it. Like for me personally I don’t like the fact that you can change or edit information. Okay, yes it is suppose to be a place where people can make an input but it’s like where is the line being drawn. I noticed on my wikihow they put how it is not a wikihow and maybe shut down. Who are they to tell me that it isn’t telling someone how to buy a pair of snow boots without writing steps with number.
I would love to make inputs on wikis but I don’t know how much time I can invest in it. If I don’t like the fact that other people changed information, I wouldn’t change it.
Friday, September 17, 2010
why i post the journalistic article
Web 2.0 in the 3rd person
Web 2.0
Web 2.0 can be explained as simply as what is being used from day to day. It is the 2nd generation of web- based communities that enables others to share, to share information, creativity and to collaborate with one another. It is in a sense a “web platform” that makes programming and technology easier.
You may wonder about the usage of the Internet and has it progressed or when did it progress. Or have you wondered when social networking was more accessible. Well the use and upgrade of web 2.0 from web 1.0 is the answer to that. You may have not noticed but the development of the web in general from one to the other is the use of the images and it gives everyone a better direct means to communication. For example, the use of Facebook or Twitter. If it wasn’t for the upgrade of 2.0 who can really say that communicating on the Internet is a cool or convenient way. Everyone that you may know has a Facebook or Twitter account and is able to communicate with co-workers, family and friends.
Even though web 2.0 is great and all it has its downfall. Because it is easy to use and access it also makes it easy for children to search the web and view things they shouldn’t. There has always been a problem with predators on the Internet and parents protecting their children from harm. Some kids even go to the extent of bullying online and the child doesn’t tell anyone because it’s easy to hide. It also allows people to be very anti- social and only focusing on the Internet. Or allowing others to pry into someone else’s life because there is a lack of privacy and security issues.
2.0 also made it easier to use and navigate. The technicality behind the progression of web 2.0 makes others believe that it is easier to use and understand the use of elements in the design such as the color, fonts, text size and the buttons. The basic point is that the customer can find anything on the website. Other things like the navigation, bigger fonts and rounded corners can also help that. When it comes to on-line shopping it became easier to actually shop.
On another note when web 2.0 is the most talked about source to use, colleges and universities have to also merge and enable it into the structure of the schools. The professors have to be aware that this is what students are using to complete assignments every day. For example, at SUNY Buffalo State College there is a program called ANGEL Learning. This enables the teacher and student communication to strengthen. Instructors post assignments, quizzes and even access to email and ask questions.
Monday, September 13, 2010
The 1st time I used the internet
Ahh, the first time I used the Internet.
Now I remember. I was at least 10 years old and my dad had gotten my brother and little sister a Gateway computer. We had really cool CD ROMs that we would played and it was soo much fun. We literally spent hours on the computer. I had to do homework assignments and that is when I can honestly say I became a technology savvy person. From then on I loved being on the computer and really wanted to understand how the computer worked. I would help my father type different documents and change font and all that jazz.
I remember using the computers in school when I was in the 5th grade. We used Mac desktop computers and for some stranger reason I never asked for on, I wish I did because they came in really cool colors. Anyway we had to do a research paper about mammoths and I remember that we were restricted of certain things we could research. Back then and still now the schools would restrict students from what they could research. I used the computer and go on the Internet and search music lyrics. I do not recall a time where no one knew what he or she was doing on the Internet. Now that I think about it, I did not know how far the Internet would go. I use it now and love it.
And I defiantly remember using AOL, I use Yahoo now and really hate the AOL.