The idea of building a website from the ground up has always been something that has blown my mind. I've always looked at it as a complicated process that is intimidating to say the least. There are so many ins and outs and things I am completely unfamiliar with. Just looking at the assignment in front of me was exhausting.
The first step was putting ideas down on paper of how my website would look. As we all know, I am normally a person never short on ideas. This was a new feeling for me. I was very unsure what I wanted to make the site look like. I was even more unsure of how it would come together. I finally decided on a direction and I went to work with a flow chart and some basic concepts that I hoped would translate well onto my website.
My idea was to have 5 pages that looked similar enough that the viewer knew it was the same website, but different enough to show that the ideas on the page are very seperate. I feel as though I succeeded in that with some great backgrounds. Each page has different colors and something in the background that sets it apart from the other 4.
One thing I was sure to keep in the back of my mind was simplicity. Bells and whistles do not make a great website. Doing something that is extremely flashy or over the top will not make my website stand out. This would instead create clutter and make it easier for the viewer to become disinterested or lost. Each page is simple on my website and with good reason. I have a consistent menu bar on the left side that flows well with each page. I have one headline and a simple message below each headline. Everything is presented in the simplest way possible without appearing boring or "cookie cutter" in nature.
These websites were designed to have strong ties to social media. This is a fantastic way to market myself. Having various types of social media easily accessible shows how much of a presence I have online. They also give insight into how I use these sites and what kind of a profile I maintain. I believe promoting yourself can be extended into everything you do on the Internet. The Internet is a dangerous place that can make or break the impression people have of you. If nothing else, this website can be used as a self promotion tool that proves that I am responsible, professional and act like an adult.
One of the biggest obstacles for me was getting used to the software we were working on. The first program I encountered while creating my website was Photoshop. I have never used the program, and that proved to be an obstacle for me. Learning how to use Photoshop effectively proved to be time consuming. I discovered that Photoshop is very user friendly when the user knows how to navigate the program. This was not the case with Dreamweaver. Dreamweaver deals with coding, and that is very foreign to me. Given more time I would feel very confident that I could learn how to use Dreamweaver properly.
I had tremendous difficulty with my Resume. At first I was using an outdated word processor. After that situation I had trouble with bringing the Resume into Dreamweaver as a functional item. By that I mean the Resume would show up in Dreamweaver, but not in the Safari browser. The resume appears in a Firefox browser, so I was thinking that it shows up selectively. This helped to teach me just how difficult computer programs can be sometimes. It was not fun, but it was a learning experience for me.
Another difficulty was the Portfolio page and trying to upload my works to it. We ended up scrapping the portfolio pages as a result. This just outlines how the plan sometimes need to change when facing a hard deadline such as the end of the semester. The portfolio page would have been valuable for some others in the class, but I consider my self very lucky. All of my items I was putting on the portfolio page are already published works on my personal blog. This is a very useful tool in promoting myself, and decreases the importance of a portfolio page for my personal website. Simply linking my website to my personal blog should be a sufficient way to market myself. If a prospective employer wishes to see some professional work they can easily do so by visiting the blog.
The biggest issue when creating this website was the time constraint. The lack of time was just an unfortunate situation that really couldn't be avoided. However, it is a fact that the lack of time did make the web building process much more difficult. That was just part of the challenge presented, which my biography page outlines as something I'm always up for.
Looking back at this process, I can see why creating and maintaining websites are such daunting tasks. No amount of education can prepare someone for the unpredictable nature of computer programming. This project was especially difficult for myself and others in the class mainly because of a lack a familiarity. I like the project itself, even though I struggled like the rest of the class with it.
Overall, I enjoyed the class and what I learned from it. Prior to this class I had never seen a Twitter page or post. I had never worked in Dreamweaver or Photoshop. I had never worked with a blog. Now I can say I have at least spent time in each of these programs. I am also very happy to say that this class introduced me to the blog world and helped make me want to write again. Posting professional work to the web through blogger is an important tool for my desired career path. In the event that I am unable to coach football, I will be able to use my blogging skills to launch my backup career as a journalist or columnist. This website project, although a condensed learning experience, is the culmination of a successful semester of learning about social media on the web.
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Good and Bad Web Design
There are many elements to account for in web design. With so many options, it seems like it would be easy to get carried away with bells and whistles. One thing I find to be very important in web design is simplicity. In a phrase, "less is more". Bombarding the viewer with words or images or both will only create clutter and distort your intended message. I am using this approach of simplicity to create my website. Each page has the information intended, without extra clutter. The visual elements are limited to a background and the occasional photo.
One concept I am not a fan of is columns. A website that reads like a book, should be a book. If a website contain more than 2 columns, I am immediately turned away from that site. As stated previously, simple is good. I will choose to avoid the use opt columns on my website. Columns belong in newspapers, not on websites.
Another point similar to use of columns would be the presence of a top section on a website. The top section design always looks nice and professional. It is a simple step that goes a long way. However, I do not view it as a necessity. Having a side section on a site is a refreshing change of pace that serves the same purpose. I am using a side section and I enjoy the way it looks for a personal website. It doesn't dominate the page and it doesn't take away from the material on the page.
Although I am not using white space to my advantage, I cannot overstate how effective white space can be. I look at Apple's website as a prime example. The use of white space makes the website look so clean and refined. Everything is easy on the eyes and easily accessible on the site. White space is a useful term not only in art but in web design as well.
An essential element in website design is a simple navigation bar. I believe that the human mind desires order and organization, at least to some degree. When a website is opened, people expect to se certain things. One of those essential elements is a navigation bar. It should stand out but not take over the page. It should be very clear to understand and extremely easy to find. Anything more complicated than that will become a hinderance.
One element I find underrated in web design is the use of big text. If a site is dominated by any 12-point font, it will intimidate viewers. People on websites want quick and easy navigation. Spending an excessive amount of time on one page reading all of what you have to say is highly unlikely. I put it into terms this way: it is much easier to walk away from a website than it is to walk away from a person in mid-conversation with you.
The final element I am proud to use is colors. Colors can break up sections of a page. Colors can help separate or connect ideas within a given website. They can do so much for a website and they are so simple to add into a website. Now if the entire website is a scrolling, clicking rainbow I will question its effectiveness. However, the use of color should not be underestimated or overlooked.
These are just some of the essential elements to consider when designing a website. Of course, this is all relative. Only the company knows the message intended. Only the company knows what they want to say and what they don't want to say. The web designer needs to be able to take those ideas and bring them to life much like an artist on the canvas.
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Quick Hits On Twitter
Point #1: Twitter is Changing the World In Real Time- Twitter is instantaneous. Whenever news breaks someone has information. Normally there are multiple people tweeting an idea, making it reliable. The character limit gives the reader only the important information. Twitter is the popular source for breaking news in any field. It is quick, informative, efficient, and lightning fast.
Point #2: Companies Uses of Twitter- Companies that keep up with technology are rewarded for it. Those companies that use Twitter appear competant and capable. This creates a public perception that the company pays attention. Without a Twitter account, companies seem out of date. The simple presence or lack thereof can help or hurt a company.
Point #2: Companies Uses of Twitter- Companies that keep up with technology are rewarded for it. Those companies that use Twitter appear competant and capable. This creates a public perception that the company pays attention. Without a Twitter account, companies seem out of date. The simple presence or lack thereof can help or hurt a company.
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
My Interview As Given By Caitlin
1. How do you plan on promoting yourself? -The best way for me is getting my name out there.
-Take advantage of social media by never presenting myself in a compromising position or in a negative light.
-I always post things I feel that I can benefit from.
2. 3 goals you have between now and graduation-1. For my personal blog to have 1,000 page views by end of first month
-2. To nail down a part time football coaching job at a high school.
-3. To get into conatct with someone about an internship (maybe work with wgr550 radio).
3. What employment goals do you have after graduation? name three- I would like coaching football. I am very interested in that and have been since I was a child.
- I'd like to make it in sport broadcasting and be able to utilize my communications major.
- I'd like to become a contributor to a major newspaper/website (sports section) and possibly have his own column online/offline.
4. Name 3 best case scenario jobs you would like to have and why?-Football coach by time i'm 50, when it come to sports I want to control the team.
-Broadcasting for espn (Mike tirico is an inspiration of mine)
- Blogging for a column online/offline revolving around sports.
5. Do you prefer to work professionally with a group or by yourself and why?-No preference. I like to get my work done, and it doesn't matter what setting. I work well with just about anybody. I like to be in control somewhat though, so I tend to grab the reigns at times.
6. What contributions can you make to a group dynamic? name three things-Creativity
-Flexibility
-Patience
7. What contributions can you make working independently? name 3 things-Focus
-Organization
-Efficiency
8. What are your pet peeves in a work environment?-Disrespect. (Not big on hierarchy in a work environment.)
9. What 3 things you feel passionately about professionally?-I am all about an honest days work for an honest days pay.
-All workers should take their job as seriously as I do and leave your private life at home.
-Being punctual
.
10. How do you handle stress and pressure?-I handle it very well. I think about how I have this oppurtunity, and I want to take advantage of it. I don't look at mistakes as negative things, I look at them as a driving force and learning experiences.
11. Last 3 jobs and what were you successful with and failed at-John & Marys Restaurant
Success- Good at dealing with customers and people.
Failure- Not taking enough hours to avoid getting overwhelmed.
-Transit Valley Country Club
Success- Learned alot about cooking and upperclass people.
Failure- Didn't handle criticism well and being talked down to and left because of it.
- Subway
Success- I was almost promoted, offered, to be manager but I turned it down because of going to college.
Failure- Relationship with co-workers wasn't great, as I didn't really put in effort.
12. How well do you handle criticism?
- Much better than I used to. I used to get very defensive. I take it as another point of view, especially from someone who is more knowledgeable than me.
13. 3 strengths in school/3 strengths in work place?SCHOOL
-On time handing in work
-Determined
-I test well
WORK
-Time management/productive with time
-Work well with others
-Lightening the mood
14. How has creating a WikiPage strengthened your communication skills? 3 things
- Learned to write in a different voice.
- Learned how the Wiki environment works.
- Learned how to cite photographs to avoid copyright issues.
15. How will Facebook be used to promote yourself?
- Be responsible. Only post what will shine a positive light on myself.
- Be consistent. Maintain a presence on the site.
- Be active. Try to use Facebook to enhance my image and actively direct people to the site.
16. How would you promote an organization of Facebook?
- Stay up-to-date. Do not fall behind or have Facebook that looks out of touch.
- Hold events. People notice events. They create attention.
- Stay positive. Do not post anything negative or anything involving competitors.
17. How will Twitter be used to promote yourself?
- Have strong opinions. Limited characters force people to take a stand.
- Be diverse. Comment, re-tweet, and follow many different genres of Twitter pages. Makes you appear wordly and knowledgeable in many areas.
- Be active. Keep my name out there commenting on things. More people have a chance to see me and what I'm about if I am an involved user.
18. Graphically what do you want to have on your website?
- Links to my Twitter, Facebook, and Resume.
- Comments section for feedback.
- Some items that identify me as a person (Not too many).
-Take advantage of social media by never presenting myself in a compromising position or in a negative light.
-I always post things I feel that I can benefit from.
2. 3 goals you have between now and graduation-1. For my personal blog to have 1,000 page views by end of first month
-2. To nail down a part time football coaching job at a high school.
-3. To get into conatct with someone about an internship (maybe work with wgr550 radio).
3. What employment goals do you have after graduation? name three- I would like coaching football. I am very interested in that and have been since I was a child.
- I'd like to make it in sport broadcasting and be able to utilize my communications major.
- I'd like to become a contributor to a major newspaper/website (sports section) and possibly have his own column online/offline.
4. Name 3 best case scenario jobs you would like to have and why?-Football coach by time i'm 50, when it come to sports I want to control the team.
-Broadcasting for espn (Mike tirico is an inspiration of mine)
- Blogging for a column online/offline revolving around sports.
5. Do you prefer to work professionally with a group or by yourself and why?-No preference. I like to get my work done, and it doesn't matter what setting. I work well with just about anybody. I like to be in control somewhat though, so I tend to grab the reigns at times.
6. What contributions can you make to a group dynamic? name three things-Creativity
-Flexibility
-Patience
7. What contributions can you make working independently? name 3 things-Focus
-Organization
-Efficiency
8. What are your pet peeves in a work environment?-Disrespect. (Not big on hierarchy in a work environment.)
9. What 3 things you feel passionately about professionally?-I am all about an honest days work for an honest days pay.
-All workers should take their job as seriously as I do and leave your private life at home.
-Being punctual
.
10. How do you handle stress and pressure?-I handle it very well. I think about how I have this oppurtunity, and I want to take advantage of it. I don't look at mistakes as negative things, I look at them as a driving force and learning experiences.
11. Last 3 jobs and what were you successful with and failed at-John & Marys Restaurant
Success- Good at dealing with customers and people.
Failure- Not taking enough hours to avoid getting overwhelmed.
-Transit Valley Country Club
Success- Learned alot about cooking and upperclass people.
Failure- Didn't handle criticism well and being talked down to and left because of it.
- Subway
Success- I was almost promoted, offered, to be manager but I turned it down because of going to college.
Failure- Relationship with co-workers wasn't great, as I didn't really put in effort.
12. How well do you handle criticism?
- Much better than I used to. I used to get very defensive. I take it as another point of view, especially from someone who is more knowledgeable than me.
13. 3 strengths in school/3 strengths in work place?SCHOOL
-On time handing in work
-Determined
-I test well
WORK
-Time management/productive with time
-Work well with others
-Lightening the mood
14. How has creating a WikiPage strengthened your communication skills? 3 things
- Learned to write in a different voice.
- Learned how the Wiki environment works.
- Learned how to cite photographs to avoid copyright issues.
15. How will Facebook be used to promote yourself?
- Be responsible. Only post what will shine a positive light on myself.
- Be consistent. Maintain a presence on the site.
- Be active. Try to use Facebook to enhance my image and actively direct people to the site.
16. How would you promote an organization of Facebook?
- Stay up-to-date. Do not fall behind or have Facebook that looks out of touch.
- Hold events. People notice events. They create attention.
- Stay positive. Do not post anything negative or anything involving competitors.
17. How will Twitter be used to promote yourself?
- Have strong opinions. Limited characters force people to take a stand.
- Be diverse. Comment, re-tweet, and follow many different genres of Twitter pages. Makes you appear wordly and knowledgeable in many areas.
- Be active. Keep my name out there commenting on things. More people have a chance to see me and what I'm about if I am an involved user.
18. Graphically what do you want to have on your website?
- Links to my Twitter, Facebook, and Resume.
- Comments section for feedback.
- Some items that identify me as a person (Not too many).
The Tweet Taste of Victory
Twitter has changed the game as was stated in a previous post. The site has plenty of positive and negative parts to it. I have found it to be very interesting, and unlike any website ever before. I heard about it for years now and was pressured to join. I always resisted and declined the invitations, because I just did not believe the hype. Now I can see why the world went crazy over Twitter and is largely still crazy about it today. Twitter is not only a form of social media. Twitter is so much more.
The rate at which information can be passed via Twitter has made it a very effective source for news as well. people love to know something, anything, before anyone else does. Any form of gossip or any story that people want to talk about has the attention of the masses. This makes Twitter the optimum place for all current information. Twitter is instantaneous. Twitter operates faster than any other news source you can find. I have a friend that sent me a text message about Santorum putting an end to his campaign, 15 minutes after I saw it on Twitter. It reminded me of those AT&T Commercials: "That was so 15 seconds ago." I almost sent my friend a message back similar to AT&T, but instead thought better of it.
Twitter can be used as a news source as every major company in news is on Twitter in some capacity. One must be wary of false identities, however. Users that are authentic celebrities, news sources, organizations, etc. will have a blue checkmark next to their name. This helps to minimize and avoid the imposters that are out there. News sources on Twitter must also be responsible. With information at our fingertips and the masses only a tweet away, it is very easy to be the first to break a story. However they must not sacrifice accuracy and checking their sources.
Twitter also allows people to connect with celebrities. Many famous people have their own Twitter and manage it as well. This allows the world to see what the celebrity is thinking about, what they want to post about, what they are doing today, and so much more. This makes it increasingly important for all those in the public eye to be careful what they put on Twitter. Countless athletes have posted something their team found inappropriate and were forced to take the post or image down from Twitter. As former NFL coach and current ESPN analyst Herm Edwards would say, "Only you can hit send athletes, Don't hit send!"
Twitter has a use for organizations as well. Any organization that wants to gain a following can go onto Twitter an increase their fanbase, viewership, clientele, etc. Twitter is wildly popular and this means that millions of eyes are watching what goes on. My own personal experience has made me realize just how addicting Twitter can be. I was limited to follow 5 organizations and I wanted to follow so many more organizations and people. The desire to increase what I can see on Twitter is likely shared by the majority of the Twitter community. An organization can put their information and ideas out there without fear; they will be noticed. Twitter makes it very easy to find more "nouns" to follow.
I chose to follow 5 organizations. The first I followed was the Green Bay Packers. I would feel guilty if I had picked any other Twitter account first. Their are many interactive polls and trivia questions and debates held by the Green Bay Packers Twitter. I enjoyed keeping up with what they had to offer.
The second organization I followed was ESPN because I am a sports junkie. I love everything about sports and ESPN encompasses just that. I found that ESPN retweets many posts from their TV shows to their main ESPN account, making it very easy to follow the people and shows at ESPN that I like.
My third organization I went after was The Huffington Post. They are a news source I truly enjoy and find on the cutting edge of everything. keeping up with "The Huff" is nearly impossible. They have so many tweets about all things news. I was very impressed with their content and use of links to stories, photos, etc.
My fourth organization to follow was IMDB. They are my go to source for all things movie related. I find it really convenient that they use Twitter to talk about upcoming movies and events. The only drawback is that the IMDB Twitter seemed to have very few tweets. This may have been a result of comparing IMDB to "The Huff" in frequency of tweets. Perhaps there is more on the IMDB Twitter than I was able to see at a glance.
My final organization of the 5 I followed is LiveNation. This Twitter account was a big disappointment. I could not find anything close to what I wanted to. I looked around for upcoming concert promos and came up empty. All LiveNation seemed to have were posts from recent shows that already happened or a section about starving unknown artists. They also seemed to have some tweets about an upcoming country music show featuring several country artists that I've never heard of (which isn't that hard because that genre is nails on a chalkboard to me).
Twitter is the big fish in the Internet pond as far as I'm concerned. Twitter is abbreviated information that leaves room only for details and links to more information. Facebook is bogged down by advertisments and itineraries for someone's day you likely do not care about. Twitter gives facts and basic information. Facebook gives emotion and reasons. Twitter is much faster and much more direct than Facebook. Half the time I am on Facebook I become bombarded by advertisements and game invites. Twitter leaves this nonsense behind but brings with it one troubling detail.
Twitter makes the users want to sit and watch and wait for more information to be posted about anything. The content matters little. I envision thousands of people staring at their screens just waiting for something to gossip about like an enormous band of high school cheerleaders ready to talk about whatever they can get their hands on.
The rate at which information can be passed via Twitter has made it a very effective source for news as well. people love to know something, anything, before anyone else does. Any form of gossip or any story that people want to talk about has the attention of the masses. This makes Twitter the optimum place for all current information. Twitter is instantaneous. Twitter operates faster than any other news source you can find. I have a friend that sent me a text message about Santorum putting an end to his campaign, 15 minutes after I saw it on Twitter. It reminded me of those AT&T Commercials: "That was so 15 seconds ago." I almost sent my friend a message back similar to AT&T, but instead thought better of it.
Twitter can be used as a news source as every major company in news is on Twitter in some capacity. One must be wary of false identities, however. Users that are authentic celebrities, news sources, organizations, etc. will have a blue checkmark next to their name. This helps to minimize and avoid the imposters that are out there. News sources on Twitter must also be responsible. With information at our fingertips and the masses only a tweet away, it is very easy to be the first to break a story. However they must not sacrifice accuracy and checking their sources.
Twitter also allows people to connect with celebrities. Many famous people have their own Twitter and manage it as well. This allows the world to see what the celebrity is thinking about, what they want to post about, what they are doing today, and so much more. This makes it increasingly important for all those in the public eye to be careful what they put on Twitter. Countless athletes have posted something their team found inappropriate and were forced to take the post or image down from Twitter. As former NFL coach and current ESPN analyst Herm Edwards would say, "Only you can hit send athletes, Don't hit send!"
Twitter has a use for organizations as well. Any organization that wants to gain a following can go onto Twitter an increase their fanbase, viewership, clientele, etc. Twitter is wildly popular and this means that millions of eyes are watching what goes on. My own personal experience has made me realize just how addicting Twitter can be. I was limited to follow 5 organizations and I wanted to follow so many more organizations and people. The desire to increase what I can see on Twitter is likely shared by the majority of the Twitter community. An organization can put their information and ideas out there without fear; they will be noticed. Twitter makes it very easy to find more "nouns" to follow.
I chose to follow 5 organizations. The first I followed was the Green Bay Packers. I would feel guilty if I had picked any other Twitter account first. Their are many interactive polls and trivia questions and debates held by the Green Bay Packers Twitter. I enjoyed keeping up with what they had to offer.
The second organization I followed was ESPN because I am a sports junkie. I love everything about sports and ESPN encompasses just that. I found that ESPN retweets many posts from their TV shows to their main ESPN account, making it very easy to follow the people and shows at ESPN that I like.
My third organization I went after was The Huffington Post. They are a news source I truly enjoy and find on the cutting edge of everything. keeping up with "The Huff" is nearly impossible. They have so many tweets about all things news. I was very impressed with their content and use of links to stories, photos, etc.
My fourth organization to follow was IMDB. They are my go to source for all things movie related. I find it really convenient that they use Twitter to talk about upcoming movies and events. The only drawback is that the IMDB Twitter seemed to have very few tweets. This may have been a result of comparing IMDB to "The Huff" in frequency of tweets. Perhaps there is more on the IMDB Twitter than I was able to see at a glance.
My final organization of the 5 I followed is LiveNation. This Twitter account was a big disappointment. I could not find anything close to what I wanted to. I looked around for upcoming concert promos and came up empty. All LiveNation seemed to have were posts from recent shows that already happened or a section about starving unknown artists. They also seemed to have some tweets about an upcoming country music show featuring several country artists that I've never heard of (which isn't that hard because that genre is nails on a chalkboard to me).
Twitter is the big fish in the Internet pond as far as I'm concerned. Twitter is abbreviated information that leaves room only for details and links to more information. Facebook is bogged down by advertisments and itineraries for someone's day you likely do not care about. Twitter gives facts and basic information. Facebook gives emotion and reasons. Twitter is much faster and much more direct than Facebook. Half the time I am on Facebook I become bombarded by advertisements and game invites. Twitter leaves this nonsense behind but brings with it one troubling detail.
Twitter makes the users want to sit and watch and wait for more information to be posted about anything. The content matters little. I envision thousands of people staring at their screens just waiting for something to gossip about like an enormous band of high school cheerleaders ready to talk about whatever they can get their hands on.
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Changing the Game With MicroBlogging
I have just become comfortable with the idea of blogging, and suddenly a new term was introduced to me; microblogging. As I stared at the word for the first time, I wondered what it could mean. My first thought was that it must be more detailed blogging, to resemble the term micromanaging. However, I was wrong. Microblogging simplifies the activity. Blogging has transformed into a form of communication with rigid structure and heavily defined rules. Microblogging reverts back to the exploratory nature of the infant stages of blogging. In that stage, there were no real rules, just adventure and the expanding of the concept of blogging. Today, blogging has much more thought out ideas and a format that must be follwed on a given site.
The most popular site that can be considered a microblogging site is Twitter. Twitter sped up communication to almost instantaneous communication. The only restriction Twitter has is a character limit per post. This forces users to be clear, concise, and succinct. Those who are longwinded like myself, need to cut it down or not apply at all.
Twitter has also found a way to separate itself from social networking like Facebook. Twitter doesn't contain the nonsense that Facebook does (games, nagging statuses, commercials galore, etc.). You follow what you'd like and they post simple messages. It is an all new information highway. Although it is just as addicting as Facebook, it simplifies communication. On Twitter you don't have to be bombarded by game invites to "FarmVille" or "Mafia Wars" or "Words With Friends". Twitter takes the main concept of Facebook that everyone likes and magnifies it; status updates. Twitter is based on simple messages that each user posts. Sure you can add video and article links, but it is really just about written words that top out around 140 characters per post.
When thinking about how I would use Twitter, the answer is clear. I could use Twitter to place my thoughts on news in sports at any given moment. As I've stated in previous posts, I started a blog which I am marketing through Facebook. I could tweet about those same topics on Twitter and have many more people see what I'm doing. The bottom line is that people don't want to read long articles of 700 words or more. Our attention spans are getting slower by the minute. If you can summarize a thought into a tweet or two, many more people are open to reading 100 or 150 words of what you have to say.
The only danger I can see in using Twitter is that I might become too lazy to bother writing on my blog anymore. I value writing more today, than I ever have in my life. I like fleshing out ideas on my blog and bringing up supporting details and statistics to support my often uncommon views on sports. The concept of crafting and argument or building a case for something interests me. Not to the point where I'd like to become a lawyer, but to the point where I'd be happy to contribute to a news source with my opinions and outlooks on a topic I'm very comfortable with.
Twitter makes people lazy. Twitter makes people use improper grammar. Twitter creates many bad things in society, but Twitter is where society is headed. It is time for the rest of us to catch up and try to adapt to the most popular communication tool on the Internet.
The most popular site that can be considered a microblogging site is Twitter. Twitter sped up communication to almost instantaneous communication. The only restriction Twitter has is a character limit per post. This forces users to be clear, concise, and succinct. Those who are longwinded like myself, need to cut it down or not apply at all.
Twitter has also found a way to separate itself from social networking like Facebook. Twitter doesn't contain the nonsense that Facebook does (games, nagging statuses, commercials galore, etc.). You follow what you'd like and they post simple messages. It is an all new information highway. Although it is just as addicting as Facebook, it simplifies communication. On Twitter you don't have to be bombarded by game invites to "FarmVille" or "Mafia Wars" or "Words With Friends". Twitter takes the main concept of Facebook that everyone likes and magnifies it; status updates. Twitter is based on simple messages that each user posts. Sure you can add video and article links, but it is really just about written words that top out around 140 characters per post.
When thinking about how I would use Twitter, the answer is clear. I could use Twitter to place my thoughts on news in sports at any given moment. As I've stated in previous posts, I started a blog which I am marketing through Facebook. I could tweet about those same topics on Twitter and have many more people see what I'm doing. The bottom line is that people don't want to read long articles of 700 words or more. Our attention spans are getting slower by the minute. If you can summarize a thought into a tweet or two, many more people are open to reading 100 or 150 words of what you have to say.
The only danger I can see in using Twitter is that I might become too lazy to bother writing on my blog anymore. I value writing more today, than I ever have in my life. I like fleshing out ideas on my blog and bringing up supporting details and statistics to support my often uncommon views on sports. The concept of crafting and argument or building a case for something interests me. Not to the point where I'd like to become a lawyer, but to the point where I'd be happy to contribute to a news source with my opinions and outlooks on a topic I'm very comfortable with.
Twitter makes people lazy. Twitter makes people use improper grammar. Twitter creates many bad things in society, but Twitter is where society is headed. It is time for the rest of us to catch up and try to adapt to the most popular communication tool on the Internet.
Thursday, March 29, 2012
5 Twitter Organizations I'm Following
This is my first time on twitter. All I've ever heard about is how addicting it is and how I need to be on there. Friends, co-workers, and even family members have tried to nudge me in this direction. Well, this class project has finally forced me into the Twitter world. Here our the first 5 organizations I chose to follow on the blue bird site:
1. Green Bay Packers- For better or worse, the Pack is my lifeblood. I've loved them since I was a child. I have followed them for as long as I could understand football, and even a couple years before I knew what was going on. I could go on and on all day about my love for the team, but it seems to be common knowledge now. The Packers are the first organization I'm following.
2. ESPN- They are the worldwide leader in sports. I am a sports junkie. They love football just about as much as I do. I can't think of a better match of organization and follower. They are always up to date with technology, so it is no surprise that they are on twitter and have incorporated it into their programming seemlessly.
3. Huffington Post- Anyone who isn't at least trying to be well informed of current events in the world is being foolish in my eyes. Turning away from the news makes you less informed and less prepared for the future. I like to voice my opinion. I try to be as informed as I can be. This is my favorite site to get my news from, so I am interested to follow them.
4. IMDB- I am finding this organization more and more helpful as I use it. They have everything I need that is movie related. No matter the case, I am interested in whatever I can find from IMDB.
5. LiveNation- I love concerts. My favorite band (Dave Matthews Band) has concert updates that frequently run through LiveNation. Usually the concerts that this organization promotes turn out to be fantastic performances. I am excited to see what I can find on Twitter with up to the minute updates on music.
1. Green Bay Packers- For better or worse, the Pack is my lifeblood. I've loved them since I was a child. I have followed them for as long as I could understand football, and even a couple years before I knew what was going on. I could go on and on all day about my love for the team, but it seems to be common knowledge now. The Packers are the first organization I'm following.
2. ESPN- They are the worldwide leader in sports. I am a sports junkie. They love football just about as much as I do. I can't think of a better match of organization and follower. They are always up to date with technology, so it is no surprise that they are on twitter and have incorporated it into their programming seemlessly.
3. Huffington Post- Anyone who isn't at least trying to be well informed of current events in the world is being foolish in my eyes. Turning away from the news makes you less informed and less prepared for the future. I like to voice my opinion. I try to be as informed as I can be. This is my favorite site to get my news from, so I am interested to follow them.
4. IMDB- I am finding this organization more and more helpful as I use it. They have everything I need that is movie related. No matter the case, I am interested in whatever I can find from IMDB.
5. LiveNation- I love concerts. My favorite band (Dave Matthews Band) has concert updates that frequently run through LiveNation. Usually the concerts that this organization promotes turn out to be fantastic performances. I am excited to see what I can find on Twitter with up to the minute updates on music.
Websites That Are Good and Not So Good
Websites come in all shapes and sizes. This is a good thing and a bad thing all in the same. Some sites work very well, and others cause more problems than anything.
Here are some sites I consider good:
1. ESPN.com (http://espn.go.com/) - The worldwide leader in sports has found a way to be a worldwide leader in websites. The website is up to the minute with any breaking sports news. The layout is very easy to understand and operate. There is a scoreboard feature to keep track of all games going on in all sports. With so many contributors, there are links to stories anywhere you turn. I find that to be effective, since I can just roam around the home page and pick and choose what to read up on.
2. Yahoo! (http://www.yahoo.com/) - Much like ESPN, Yahoo! works as a tool to find anything you need. Yahoo! has a great deal of subsections to click on in a side menu. I find this really helpful when looking for games or business articles, sports or shopping information. This website can cater to almost any online need. The layout of Yahoo! is fantastic in my opinion.
3. Google (https://www.google.com/) - So simple and yet so versatile. This page has more white space than any website I've ever seen. However, anything you type leads you to thousands of search results. When people say that information is at your fingertips, they are referring to your time spent on Google.
4. Wikipedia (http://www.wikipedia.org/) - Shunned by professors, I contest that Wikipedia saves more student papers than any site on the Internet. Powered by specialized knowledgeable people I find Wikipedia to be very helpful and extremely informative. Wikipedia used to have a great deal of information on a given page that wasn't cited and often times false. I feel as though this has been cut down severely by the Wikipedia staff. I see fewer and fewer pages that are missing citations or have other issues.
5. IMDB (http://www.imdb.com/) - I am not a movie lover. However, anytime I am looking for information on a movie quote, character, release date, or any other information; I head to IMDB. This site has never let me down and I find it very easy to navigate. You can find movies by year, by actor/actress, upcoming films, reviews, biographies; all things movies are found here.
Here are some sites I consider NOT so good:
1. NFL.com (http://www.nfl.com/) - As a football guy it pains me to do this. I cannot stand the layout of NFL.com. I cannot stand how slow it loads no matter what computer I am on. The fact that there is a massive margin on either side of the website annoys me. This makes the site very long vertically, which makes scrolling a constant task.
2. Packers.com (http://www.packers.com/) - I love my Green Bay Packers, but this website needs fixing. It has the same issue with massive margins that I mentioned with NFL.com. There is also an extreme lack of visuals. The text is small in many areas, often hiding the stories from plain view. I have to squint and hunt for daily Packers news. The smallest font on the page has the title "Spotlight". That is just too much of an oxymoron for my blood.
3. Urban Dictionary (http://www.urbandictionary.com/) - I have a hard time with large margins, I've decided. This website also contains these dreaded margins to make the page look bigger than it should be. I am also not a fan of the content that is commonly found on the site, although that's not stylistic.
4. Homestar (http://www.homestarrunner.com/main7.html) - Perhaps the worst website I have ever seen. It is childish and very poorly designed. I think the terrible look is somewhat intentional, as the site is intended to be comedic and simple. If you can stomach it, spend five minutes looking around on this site and you'll soon agree with me.
5. Buffalo State (http://www.buffalostate.edu/) - In my time dealing with this site, I have found nothing short of frustration from it. The site is terribly slow. The emailing system was resuscitated by introducing Gmail, but the system was and is still troublesome. When trying to get where I need to go, I find myself going in circles from link to link. Maybe it's just me but I not a fan of the website for the college that I attend.
Here are some sites I consider good:
1. ESPN.com (http://espn.go.com/) - The worldwide leader in sports has found a way to be a worldwide leader in websites. The website is up to the minute with any breaking sports news. The layout is very easy to understand and operate. There is a scoreboard feature to keep track of all games going on in all sports. With so many contributors, there are links to stories anywhere you turn. I find that to be effective, since I can just roam around the home page and pick and choose what to read up on.
2. Yahoo! (http://www.yahoo.com/) - Much like ESPN, Yahoo! works as a tool to find anything you need. Yahoo! has a great deal of subsections to click on in a side menu. I find this really helpful when looking for games or business articles, sports or shopping information. This website can cater to almost any online need. The layout of Yahoo! is fantastic in my opinion.
3. Google (https://www.google.com/) - So simple and yet so versatile. This page has more white space than any website I've ever seen. However, anything you type leads you to thousands of search results. When people say that information is at your fingertips, they are referring to your time spent on Google.
4. Wikipedia (http://www.wikipedia.org/) - Shunned by professors, I contest that Wikipedia saves more student papers than any site on the Internet. Powered by specialized knowledgeable people I find Wikipedia to be very helpful and extremely informative. Wikipedia used to have a great deal of information on a given page that wasn't cited and often times false. I feel as though this has been cut down severely by the Wikipedia staff. I see fewer and fewer pages that are missing citations or have other issues.
5. IMDB (http://www.imdb.com/) - I am not a movie lover. However, anytime I am looking for information on a movie quote, character, release date, or any other information; I head to IMDB. This site has never let me down and I find it very easy to navigate. You can find movies by year, by actor/actress, upcoming films, reviews, biographies; all things movies are found here.
Here are some sites I consider NOT so good:
1. NFL.com (http://www.nfl.com/) - As a football guy it pains me to do this. I cannot stand the layout of NFL.com. I cannot stand how slow it loads no matter what computer I am on. The fact that there is a massive margin on either side of the website annoys me. This makes the site very long vertically, which makes scrolling a constant task.
2. Packers.com (http://www.packers.com/) - I love my Green Bay Packers, but this website needs fixing. It has the same issue with massive margins that I mentioned with NFL.com. There is also an extreme lack of visuals. The text is small in many areas, often hiding the stories from plain view. I have to squint and hunt for daily Packers news. The smallest font on the page has the title "Spotlight". That is just too much of an oxymoron for my blood.
3. Urban Dictionary (http://www.urbandictionary.com/) - I have a hard time with large margins, I've decided. This website also contains these dreaded margins to make the page look bigger than it should be. I am also not a fan of the content that is commonly found on the site, although that's not stylistic.
4. Homestar (http://www.homestarrunner.com/main7.html) - Perhaps the worst website I have ever seen. It is childish and very poorly designed. I think the terrible look is somewhat intentional, as the site is intended to be comedic and simple. If you can stomach it, spend five minutes looking around on this site and you'll soon agree with me.
5. Buffalo State (http://www.buffalostate.edu/) - In my time dealing with this site, I have found nothing short of frustration from it. The site is terribly slow. The emailing system was resuscitated by introducing Gmail, but the system was and is still troublesome. When trying to get where I need to go, I find myself going in circles from link to link. Maybe it's just me but I not a fan of the website for the college that I attend.
Facebook Review
I can recall my first encounter with Facebook very clearly. I was a Freshman in college at SUNY Brockport and a friend forced me to sign up for some site I had never heard of. This was in the Fall of 2006. What I didn't know is that it would grow into this massively popular site that connects people, distracts people, and gets people into a great deal of trouble.
I have been using Facebook since my friend talked me into signing up. Until recently, I have only used it for socializing. I have played games and commented on statuses for as long as I've been on Facebook. Honestly I look back and think of all the time I wasted on it while at SUNY Brockport and wish I would have done more with my time.
Recently, I started a blog with a friend of mine (tonyandmike.blogspot.com). We have decided to use Facebook as an avenue to generate popularity. In our first two weeks, we topped 500 pageviews. This is largely due to the fact that news travels fast on Facebook, and everyone can see what we post. The support has been great and has fueled us to continue to put out quality material for others to read.
There are many ways to use Facebook outside of the ways that I have. One way would be to gain recognition as a business. Having a Facebook presence can make a busniess easier to find, seem more legitmate, and simply appear to keep up with the times. Of course, having a bad Facebook page that is not frequently updated can have a negative impact. If it looks like the business doesn't care to stay up to date, the potential customer might think the business is lazy in its proceedings.
Another way to utilize Facebook that I have seen quite often but never done myself is to maintain relationships. By that I mean intimate relationships rather than friendships. Many people have used Facebook to keep in touch with family overseas either by war or by travel. This makes it much easier families to deal with whatever the circumstances are.
A third way to use Facebook would be to ask for advice. I have seen so many posts from people asking one another for help with a given problem. People ask for advice on cars, advice on relationships, advice on what phone to buy; you name it and it has probably been discussed on Facebook. This is also a way to give the person dealing with a conflict support during a tough time. That support is often times invaluable.
As far as privacy is concerned, I would have to say you check that at the door when you log onto Facebook. Facebook is very public and once you choose to post something, it spreads like crazy. I reference my blog again. Within an hour of posting a comment on Facebook about a new article I wrote, there were over 70 views of my page from Facebook users. This experience really drove the point home for me. Anybody can stumble across your page on Facebook. You can only keep so much of your information private. Facebook is a designed to spread information and ideas, and it certainly lets that happen.
I personally do not feel there are any rules of etiquette within social media. I do believe that there should be rules to follow. If there was a set of helpful tips, guidelines, or even rules, that might stop people from making tremendous mistakes on social media. Here is a list of five tips I would implore people to follow when using social media.
1. Don't Hit Send- In my life experience, I have learned that people are very reactionary. When we are mad, we post things to reflect that. When someone makes us angry or upset, we feel compelled to share the story with someone else. On social media, you share your story with many more people than you realize. What you say may get back to the person you were talking about, which can cause further issues. Another thing to realize is that your employer or future employers can find what you have posted. Think before you hit send and consider the consequences.
2. Use In Moderation- Social media are an effective way to waste a great deal of time. You can become sidetracked for minutes or even hours at a time. This does not help you accomplish tasks you need to for your job or personal life. I suggest avoiding Facebook games as much as you can. These games are designed to be addictive and keep you on the page as long as possible. Don't fall for it and stay focused.
3. Watch your photos- Photos of you on social media are a great way to send the wrong message to people. Employers can see them, friends and family can see them, and if they look bad then you look bad. Keep track of what photos are attached to you on social media because once they are online, those photos are fair game.
4. Be Professional- Keep your friendships in a professional manner over Facebook. Don't get involved in drama or continuously use poor grammar in what you post. If your Facebook page reflects organization, consistency, and class that casts you in a positive light. Conversely if you choose to use poor grammar and appear dishevled, that reflects poorly on you.
5. Protect Your Identity- Don't fall prey to suspicious links on social media. Many links have viruses and can compromise the safety of your online identity. Any social media with popularity have hackers trying to tear it down. Just like anything else online, you must be wary of hackers trying to steal identities and cause harm to accounts, finances, and anything else you can find on the Internet.
I have been using Facebook since my friend talked me into signing up. Until recently, I have only used it for socializing. I have played games and commented on statuses for as long as I've been on Facebook. Honestly I look back and think of all the time I wasted on it while at SUNY Brockport and wish I would have done more with my time.
Recently, I started a blog with a friend of mine (tonyandmike.blogspot.com). We have decided to use Facebook as an avenue to generate popularity. In our first two weeks, we topped 500 pageviews. This is largely due to the fact that news travels fast on Facebook, and everyone can see what we post. The support has been great and has fueled us to continue to put out quality material for others to read.
There are many ways to use Facebook outside of the ways that I have. One way would be to gain recognition as a business. Having a Facebook presence can make a busniess easier to find, seem more legitmate, and simply appear to keep up with the times. Of course, having a bad Facebook page that is not frequently updated can have a negative impact. If it looks like the business doesn't care to stay up to date, the potential customer might think the business is lazy in its proceedings.
Another way to utilize Facebook that I have seen quite often but never done myself is to maintain relationships. By that I mean intimate relationships rather than friendships. Many people have used Facebook to keep in touch with family overseas either by war or by travel. This makes it much easier families to deal with whatever the circumstances are.
A third way to use Facebook would be to ask for advice. I have seen so many posts from people asking one another for help with a given problem. People ask for advice on cars, advice on relationships, advice on what phone to buy; you name it and it has probably been discussed on Facebook. This is also a way to give the person dealing with a conflict support during a tough time. That support is often times invaluable.
As far as privacy is concerned, I would have to say you check that at the door when you log onto Facebook. Facebook is very public and once you choose to post something, it spreads like crazy. I reference my blog again. Within an hour of posting a comment on Facebook about a new article I wrote, there were over 70 views of my page from Facebook users. This experience really drove the point home for me. Anybody can stumble across your page on Facebook. You can only keep so much of your information private. Facebook is a designed to spread information and ideas, and it certainly lets that happen.
I personally do not feel there are any rules of etiquette within social media. I do believe that there should be rules to follow. If there was a set of helpful tips, guidelines, or even rules, that might stop people from making tremendous mistakes on social media. Here is a list of five tips I would implore people to follow when using social media.
1. Don't Hit Send- In my life experience, I have learned that people are very reactionary. When we are mad, we post things to reflect that. When someone makes us angry or upset, we feel compelled to share the story with someone else. On social media, you share your story with many more people than you realize. What you say may get back to the person you were talking about, which can cause further issues. Another thing to realize is that your employer or future employers can find what you have posted. Think before you hit send and consider the consequences.
2. Use In Moderation- Social media are an effective way to waste a great deal of time. You can become sidetracked for minutes or even hours at a time. This does not help you accomplish tasks you need to for your job or personal life. I suggest avoiding Facebook games as much as you can. These games are designed to be addictive and keep you on the page as long as possible. Don't fall for it and stay focused.
3. Watch your photos- Photos of you on social media are a great way to send the wrong message to people. Employers can see them, friends and family can see them, and if they look bad then you look bad. Keep track of what photos are attached to you on social media because once they are online, those photos are fair game.
4. Be Professional- Keep your friendships in a professional manner over Facebook. Don't get involved in drama or continuously use poor grammar in what you post. If your Facebook page reflects organization, consistency, and class that casts you in a positive light. Conversely if you choose to use poor grammar and appear dishevled, that reflects poorly on you.
5. Protect Your Identity- Don't fall prey to suspicious links on social media. Many links have viruses and can compromise the safety of your online identity. Any social media with popularity have hackers trying to tear it down. Just like anything else online, you must be wary of hackers trying to steal identities and cause harm to accounts, finances, and anything else you can find on the Internet.
Monday, March 26, 2012
Facebook Communication Is Crucial
Facebook is the modern day telephone. The only difference is how much more you can do on FB. You can share messages, photos, videos, and so much more. There are live chats with one another available. Facebook is mobile with the proper phone. With the exception of Google, Facebook is likely the biggest enterprise on the Internet in the present day. Everyone is on Facebook and if they aren't, they know what it is and how to get to it. I find it amazing how within 5 years Facebook has went from a marginal communication device for those in college to a mass communication tool for anyone of any age.
Having said all of this, there need be no more explanation as to why it is important to have an event posted on Facebook. I will pull an example from my own life. Over spring break I started a blog with a friend of mine as a new challenge (tonyandmikeblog.blogspot.com). We are trying to gather a following as we post about whatever is on our minds. As you might have guessed, my blogging will deal mostly with sports. We post each of our blogs on our personal Facebooks after the new post goes live. Within hours, our blog gets around 100 hits from FB. The neat thing about blogger is being able to track your pageviews and stats, which we have taken full advantage of.
That is some first hand experience with how important it can be to use Facebook for events or to market anything in general. It is an invaluable tool that is free marketing. If you know people, or people are familiar with your business, the sky is the limit when using Facebook.
Having said all of this, there need be no more explanation as to why it is important to have an event posted on Facebook. I will pull an example from my own life. Over spring break I started a blog with a friend of mine as a new challenge (tonyandmikeblog.blogspot.com). We are trying to gather a following as we post about whatever is on our minds. As you might have guessed, my blogging will deal mostly with sports. We post each of our blogs on our personal Facebooks after the new post goes live. Within hours, our blog gets around 100 hits from FB. The neat thing about blogger is being able to track your pageviews and stats, which we have taken full advantage of.
That is some first hand experience with how important it can be to use Facebook for events or to market anything in general. It is an invaluable tool that is free marketing. If you know people, or people are familiar with your business, the sky is the limit when using Facebook.
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Five Organizations Without Facebook Presence
1. Subway Restaurant (French Road Store, Cheektowaga, NY) This restaurant has changed ownership three times in the past 6 years. This likely explains why there is no presence on Facebook. Although it is next to a factory, in front of an office park, and across from an apartment complex, it has not seen success. The goal should be to raise awareness about the store and increase business through in-store deals. Facebook would be a good avenue for this.
2. John and Mary's Restaurant (Alden, NY) This restaurant is just like any other John and Mary's. The interesting thing about this franchise is that each store is separately owned and operated. Therefore each menu varies slightly. The Alden branch could highlight items only they sell on Facebook. This would accomplish the goal of attracting more customers.
3. Sakura Sushi Japanese Restaurant (Cheektowaga, NY) This restaurant has seen some success in the public eye. Considered one of the best sushi places in Western New York, it has been featured on local news stations twice in its three year existence. However, they do not have a Facebook presence. This is puzzling to me, and I feel as though Sakura could only benefit from being represented on Facebook to increase their growing popularity even further.
4. Coles Restaurant (Buffalo, NY) You would think that a restaurant/bar in competition with every other establishment of its kind in the downtown area would have a Facebook presence. This is not the case for Coles. Even though it is a well known restaurant/bar with old wooden booths and a heavily Irish influenced setting, they are not on Facebook. This could only help people find Coles, and pick it out of the crowd of establishments on Elmwood Avenue.
5. 7-11 (French Road Store, Cheektowaga, NY) It is hard to make a case for a 7-11 to need a Facebook. They are big business and pretty much everywhere you go has one or twenty. However, with three 7-11s in Cheektowaga less than 5 miles apart from one another, it wouldn't hurt to gain an upper-hand on the other two. Especially when trying to create business and keep the French Road location up and running, as opposed to being leveled due to lack of activity.
2. John and Mary's Restaurant (Alden, NY) This restaurant is just like any other John and Mary's. The interesting thing about this franchise is that each store is separately owned and operated. Therefore each menu varies slightly. The Alden branch could highlight items only they sell on Facebook. This would accomplish the goal of attracting more customers.
3. Sakura Sushi Japanese Restaurant (Cheektowaga, NY) This restaurant has seen some success in the public eye. Considered one of the best sushi places in Western New York, it has been featured on local news stations twice in its three year existence. However, they do not have a Facebook presence. This is puzzling to me, and I feel as though Sakura could only benefit from being represented on Facebook to increase their growing popularity even further.
4. Coles Restaurant (Buffalo, NY) You would think that a restaurant/bar in competition with every other establishment of its kind in the downtown area would have a Facebook presence. This is not the case for Coles. Even though it is a well known restaurant/bar with old wooden booths and a heavily Irish influenced setting, they are not on Facebook. This could only help people find Coles, and pick it out of the crowd of establishments on Elmwood Avenue.
5. 7-11 (French Road Store, Cheektowaga, NY) It is hard to make a case for a 7-11 to need a Facebook. They are big business and pretty much everywhere you go has one or twenty. However, with three 7-11s in Cheektowaga less than 5 miles apart from one another, it wouldn't hurt to gain an upper-hand on the other two. Especially when trying to create business and keep the French Road location up and running, as opposed to being leveled due to lack of activity.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Thoughts and Reactions To Group Project
As a part of team separation, I was very happy with the way things turned out. The group worked well together and we all seemed to understand the task in front of us, and what needed to be done together to accomplish that task. We had the luxury of being three creative individuals. Ideas were not rare or small in number. In fact, we were creative almost to a fault.
As a group one of the first difficulties we had was deciding on what approach to take. We mulled over many ideas of how to convey separation, while maintaining a group portion. We tossed around different shots we wanted to try and incorporate, we tried to find some common ground to make a focal point in our video. We all filmed on our own at first, and quickly realized that did not provide much continuity as a group even though we found some common ground. One thing we focused on quite a bit was having solid creative transitions. Each person has their own portion in the video, but as one part ends and another begins we creatively link the two.
We were fortunate enough to have relatively open schedules on Wednesdays so the bulk or our work was done between that day as a group and our individual self portrait shots on our own time throughout the project time. Everyone was actively involved in all parts of the video and there was no dominant personality. This is interesting to me because sometimes I have the tendency to try and dominate certain things. Whether a conversation or a group project, I do have this capacity. For this group video, I did not find myself doing that. The group was easy going and functioned very well.
After thinking about where to post our group video (YouTube or Vimeo), I would prefer YouTube. I am confident in our final product. I like the idea of presenting the video to the largest possible online community, which YouTube provides. I try not to focus on how clean the window is in which the video is viewed, and I wouldn't be worried about the distraction. My philosophy is if you want to be noticed, increase your odds. Vimeo just doesn't provide big enough audience potential. Having to pay for the full service of Vimeo also doesn't help their cause in my eyes.
As a group one of the first difficulties we had was deciding on what approach to take. We mulled over many ideas of how to convey separation, while maintaining a group portion. We tossed around different shots we wanted to try and incorporate, we tried to find some common ground to make a focal point in our video. We all filmed on our own at first, and quickly realized that did not provide much continuity as a group even though we found some common ground. One thing we focused on quite a bit was having solid creative transitions. Each person has their own portion in the video, but as one part ends and another begins we creatively link the two.
We were fortunate enough to have relatively open schedules on Wednesdays so the bulk or our work was done between that day as a group and our individual self portrait shots on our own time throughout the project time. Everyone was actively involved in all parts of the video and there was no dominant personality. This is interesting to me because sometimes I have the tendency to try and dominate certain things. Whether a conversation or a group project, I do have this capacity. For this group video, I did not find myself doing that. The group was easy going and functioned very well.
After thinking about where to post our group video (YouTube or Vimeo), I would prefer YouTube. I am confident in our final product. I like the idea of presenting the video to the largest possible online community, which YouTube provides. I try not to focus on how clean the window is in which the video is viewed, and I wouldn't be worried about the distraction. My philosophy is if you want to be noticed, increase your odds. Vimeo just doesn't provide big enough audience potential. Having to pay for the full service of Vimeo also doesn't help their cause in my eyes.
Overall, I enjoyed this experience. I think making a video is a very effective way to communicate. Videos also leave room for interpretation by the viewer. I compare this to listening to lyrics in a song. The creator has their own point of view and their own lens through which they create their work. Outsiders may see a completely different side of a given medium, that may be better or worse than the intention of the creator. Regardless of whether the audience is receiving the intended message, active media such as songs or videos cause people to think. People will think about where the creator is coming from and apply the medium to their own life experiences and knowledge. Videos much like songs cause what I call active viewing. Being able to comment on the video increases participation tenfold.
Below is my Self Portrait Video:
Below is my Self Portrait Video:
Thursday, March 8, 2012
YouTube and Vimeo: My Take
Let me start off by saying I had never heard of Vimeo prior to reading these articles. I was not surprised that Vimeo has a smaller online community and isn't a big self promoter. My first impression of Vimeo is that it seems to carry a more professional reputation. I have always used YouTube for my video needs. It is the most popular site with the biggest online community for this service in the world. Searching for videos online is synonymous for going on YouTube in my eyes. With this comes a lot of extra trash you are likely to run across on YouTube.
After taking a closer look at these two sites and their pros and cons, I can't say I feel much differently about the subject. Vimeo seems to have a professional, clean look. Vimeo doesn't limit video length. Vimeo cuts down on advertisements that can slow down the viewer. It also costs money for the full service. YouTube is a constant self promoter with the logo always in sight. The command bars take away from a clean look very much so. Videos cannot exceed 10 minutes on YouTube. Advertisements run rampant on YouTube, seemingly before every video you watch. YouTube also has the classic slogan, "Broadcast Yourself" and let's not forget it is completely free.
One article claims that Vimeo is gaining popularity amongst the masses. I personally do not see it. With social networking as a social norm and word of mouth in the everyday, I feel as though the term Vimeo would have come up in conversation by now if it were such a popular tool. Unless YouTube nosedives like our economy, Vimeo could never surpass it in popularity. Some of the pros of Vimeo, are not that great in my eyes either.
Vimeo does not put a limit on video length. I do not think this is a good thing. Everyday people can post limitless amounts of garbage on video without time cap. These useless videos of dogs rolling on the ground or people walking around in shopping malls would take up even more space without a cap. In the event that a user has useful content that exceeds the 10 minute mark, how hard is it to make a "Part 2". Furthermore, you can provide a link to "Part 2" at the end of the "Part 1" video. Many people reference the advertisements that YouTube is clogged with. I see this as a slight issue only because most advertisements I have seen let you skip past them after 5 or 10 seconds. If you don't have an extra 5 or 10 seconds in your life, I recommend you rework your schedule because that must be stressful and unhealthy.
When unpacking the elements of each website and analyzing what they have to offer, YouTube is clearly superior. The biggest flaw a website can have is being irrelevant. Vimeo's online community is dwarfed by that of YouTube. Viewers are what matters in this scenario. If your video isn't being looked at or has less of a chance at being looked at, you are already at a disadvantage. You post where people are watching, you "Broadcast Yourself" on YouTube.
After taking a closer look at these two sites and their pros and cons, I can't say I feel much differently about the subject. Vimeo seems to have a professional, clean look. Vimeo doesn't limit video length. Vimeo cuts down on advertisements that can slow down the viewer. It also costs money for the full service. YouTube is a constant self promoter with the logo always in sight. The command bars take away from a clean look very much so. Videos cannot exceed 10 minutes on YouTube. Advertisements run rampant on YouTube, seemingly before every video you watch. YouTube also has the classic slogan, "Broadcast Yourself" and let's not forget it is completely free.
One article claims that Vimeo is gaining popularity amongst the masses. I personally do not see it. With social networking as a social norm and word of mouth in the everyday, I feel as though the term Vimeo would have come up in conversation by now if it were such a popular tool. Unless YouTube nosedives like our economy, Vimeo could never surpass it in popularity. Some of the pros of Vimeo, are not that great in my eyes either.
Vimeo does not put a limit on video length. I do not think this is a good thing. Everyday people can post limitless amounts of garbage on video without time cap. These useless videos of dogs rolling on the ground or people walking around in shopping malls would take up even more space without a cap. In the event that a user has useful content that exceeds the 10 minute mark, how hard is it to make a "Part 2". Furthermore, you can provide a link to "Part 2" at the end of the "Part 1" video. Many people reference the advertisements that YouTube is clogged with. I see this as a slight issue only because most advertisements I have seen let you skip past them after 5 or 10 seconds. If you don't have an extra 5 or 10 seconds in your life, I recommend you rework your schedule because that must be stressful and unhealthy.
When unpacking the elements of each website and analyzing what they have to offer, YouTube is clearly superior. The biggest flaw a website can have is being irrelevant. Vimeo's online community is dwarfed by that of YouTube. Viewers are what matters in this scenario. If your video isn't being looked at or has less of a chance at being looked at, you are already at a disadvantage. You post where people are watching, you "Broadcast Yourself" on YouTube.
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Wiki Comments
Mike Hargrave's Article "Replacing Your Car Door"
I really enjoyed this Wikihow page. I know it sounds crazy, but I have always wanted to pull this as a prank on my brother. Now that I have it all mapped out in front of me, I'll have something fun to do for his birthday in August! This page was seriously informative and I can tell you have a great deal of experience with cars. This is certainly a foreign topic for me, so keeping it very simple helps a lot. If you can break down car door replacement, I can only imagine what you would be able to do in explaining much more complex parts of the car.
Ryan Hooker's Article "How To Cook a Binghamton Spiedie"
I never knew about this food. I find that to be something special since my brother is a chef. He is well seasoned in his craft and has tried food all across the country. Not once has he mentioned the Spiedie. As the brother of a chef I like food quite a bit and I am always up for trying new foods. This was very well done in describing the history of this food as well as giving clear direction on how to make it. I enjoyed the article and applaud the approach. The only drawback is that it is late at night and I am now hungry.
CocoChai's Article "How To Convince Your Boyfriend To Celebrate Valentine's Day"
So I am one of these COD guys. I love to play my games and watch my sports. I am also not much for Valentine's Day. However, your article surprisingly outlines what my girlfriend did when approaching me to discuss the holiday. We had a fantastic time and I am glad I could make her happy. The steps in here are very detailed and clearly outline a plan for success. Any decent man would have a hard time saying no to his significant other in this situation. This page is very well done and I am impressed that this topic turned out so well.
Shane Devine's Article "How To Do a United States Road Trip On A Budget"
This might be my favorite topic of all. I am a huge Dave Matthews Band fan. I've been to a ton of shows across the East Coast. Although my trips haven't been to a place like Kansas City, I have seen some great places. One way I was able to save money on food was keeping it very simple. Buying snacks at the local 7-11 in (name the city) really helps. It's also not a bad idea to grab a $5 footlong at Subway, as they are very filling when loaded with the veggies. Anyway, the page struck a good note with me and I really enjoyed your steps and the information presented.
My fifth post was on Stephanie's post. Unfortunately, she is no longer in the class. I could not access that information.
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Final Wiki Page
==Introduction==
[[Image:FootballPositionsChart 2.jpg|right|180px|thumb|Base
Formation of Offense (In Black) Basic 4-3 Defense (In white)
http://www.rawlingsgear.com/football-instruction/position-guide.asp]]Football
is a very complex game that is hard to follow for the first time. This page
provides basic knowledge of the positions in football. Once the viewer knows
what each position does and how they contribute to the game, it will be much
easier to follow. There are various formations used in football by both the
offense and the defense. The rules of football allow for countless formations.
This results in a game that is constantly changing.
In order to understand the positions, one must first know a
few terms. The first term the viewer must know is the line of scrimmage. The
line of scrimmage (LOS) is the place where the football is at the beginning of
a play. The offensive line and defensive line will get into their stances on
either side of the LOS. This area is frequently referred to as "the
trenches" by broadcasters. The next term viewers need to know is first
down. Football is based on the ability or inability to move the football
towards a goal known as the endzone. An offense starts with the ball on first
down. This team has 4 downs to gain 10 yards or the ball is given to the other
team. If 10 or more yards are picked up, the offense is rewarded with another
first down, and the process repeats itself. If the offense cannot gain 10 yards
after 3 plays, they have the option to punt. Punting forces the opposing offense
to travel a longer distance in order to score. This offense will use the same
process to attempt to score. If an offense tries and fails on the fourth down,
the opposing offense starts with the ball in that exact spot. Next, the viewer
needs to become familiar with the positions.
The offensive line consists of 2 tackles, 2 guards, and 1
center. Next to a tackle can be a tight end. There can be a tight end on either
side of the offensive line or sometimes two on one side. Behind the center is
the quarterback. This is the facilitator of the offense, as he touches the ball
on every play. Behind the quarterback can be a fullback in some formations, a
running back in other formations, sometimes both, sometimes neither. There can
be up to 5 wide receivers on the field depending on formation.
[[Image:220px 3 4_base_defense.svg 2.png|right|thumb|Base
3-4 Defense (In blue) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3%E2%80%934_defense]]The
defensive line consists of 2 defensive tackle and two defensive ends in what is
known as a base defense or 4-3 (4 stands for amount of defensive lineman on the
field and 3 stands for amount of linebackers on the field). In a 3-4 defensive
alignment there would be 3 defensive lineman consisting of 1 defensive tackle
and 2 defensive ends and 4 linebackers. Next,comes the linebackers. These
players line up behind the defensive line and there is normally 3 or 4 on the
field, depending on the formation. Behind the linebackers are safeties.
Normally there are 2 safeties, sometime only 1, usually no more than 3. On the
outside edges of the defense are cornerbacks. There are 2 cornerbacks in a 4-3
or 3-4 defense. There is also a nickel and dime defenses, which have 3 and 4
cornerbacks respectively.
==Position Breakdown==
===Offense===
* '''Center''' -This position starts with the ball on every
play. The center is part of the offensive line. The player is in charge of
snapping the ball to the quarterback and informing the rest of the offensive
line the blocking scheme before every play.
* '''Guard''' -There are two guards on the field, one on
either side of the center. These players are also a part of the offensive line.
This position is crucial when running the football as they need to excel in run
blocking.
* '''Tackle''' -There are two tackles on the field as well.
These players line up outside of the guards. This position is crucial when
passing the football as they need to be proficient in pass protection.
* '''Tight End''' -This position can line up outside either
tackle. There can be multiple tight ends or no tight ends on the field for a
given play. This depends on the formation the offense chooses. These players
have skills in blocking as well as receiving, making the position diverse.
* '''Wide Receiver''' -This position can line up anywhere
between the sideline and tight end. There can be up to 5 receivers on the field
at once, depending on the formation. These players are traditionally the
primary pass catchers of an offense.
* '''Quarterback''' -This position lines up behind the
center. This player is often the centerpiece of an offense. This player hands
the ball off for running plays and throws the ball for passing plays. The
player relays the play to his offense from the coaching staff and changes the
play at the line of scrimmage if need be. A lot of what an offense does
revolves around the play of their quarterback.
* '''Fullback''' -This position lines up behind the
quarterback. There can be one, two, or no fullbacks on the field depending on
the formation. This position is similar to the tight end, as this player will
have blocking skills and some pass catching ability. The traditional purpose of
a fullback is to create space for the halfback.
* '''Halfback''' -This position lines up behind the
fullback. The halfback can also line up beside the quarterback when the
quarterback is in "shotgun" formation. Instead of being right on the
line of scrimmage (under center), the quarterback lines up 3 yards off the line
of scrimmage when in shotgun formation. The halfback is the primary ball
carrier for run plays. This position may also catch passes during pass plays,
or pass protect when needed in other pass plays.
===Defense===
* '''Defensive Tackle''' -This position lines up across from
the center or either guard. There are 2 of these in a 4-3 defense, and only 1
in a 3-4 defense. The main job of these players is to prevent the opposing
offense from running the football.
* '''Defensive End''' -This position lines up outside of the
defensive tackles. There are 2 of these on the field in a 4-3 or a 3-4. These
players are proficient at pass rushing, which is trying give the quarterback
very little time to throw the football or tackle the quarterback thus ending a
pass play.
* '''Outside Linebacker''' -This position lines up outside
of or behind the defensive ends. There are two of these on the field for both
4-3 and 3-4 defenses. These players are able to stop the run and defend the
pass. They can pass rush or cover tight ends and running backs.
* '''Middle Linebacker''' -This position lines up behind the
defensive tackles. These players are traditionally excellent run stoppers. This
position is in charge of getting the defense organized before each play starts.
The play is given to this player from the coaches and the linebacker tells his
teammates. There are 2 of these players in a 3-4 and only 1 in a 4-3.
* '''Free Safety''' -This position lines up behind the
linebackers and is the furthest player from the line of scrimmage. Free
safeties normally excel at defending the pass and are not as effective at
defending the run. During most plays, the free safety acts as the last line of
defense between the offense and the endzone.
* '''Strong Safety''' -This position lines up next to the
free safety, but closer to the line of scrimmage. This player is normally
better at defending the run than the pass. The position is often thought of as
a smaller, faster version of a linebacker.
* '''Cornerback''' -This position lines up across from the
wide receivers. The main purpose of cornerbacks is to stop the wide receivers
from catching passes. There is normally 2 cornerbacks on the field, but there
can be as many as 4 on the field, depending on formations. These players are
fast and must be agile to keep up with wide receivers.
===Special Teams===
* '''Kicker''' -This position is not an every down position.
This player kicks the ball off to start the game and kicks off after every
score. When an offense is in range on a fourth down, they can attempt a field
goal. If an offense scores a touchdown, the kicker attempts the extra point
after the touchdown. Field goals and extra points are converted by the kicker.
* '''Punter''' -This position punts the football. When an
offense chooses to give the ball to the other team on fourth down (that is, they
are out of field goal range and choose not to try for a first down), the punter
will punt the ball. If the punter has a stronger leg than the kicker, normally
he will have the responsibility of kick-offs. Kick-offs happen at the start
each half and after every score.
===Tips===
*The best way to learn the positions is through practice.
Normally broadcasters are very helpful in explaining the action to a novice
fan.
*When watching a game, pay close attention to the replays.
Replays often highlight exactly what took place and that is when in depth
descriptions are given by the broadcasters.
==For More Information==
* For a look at the most popular league:
[http://www.nfl.com/]
* For a look on what certain positions are measured
by:[http://www.nflcombine.net/]
Lastly, here is a link to my WikiHow: http://www.wikihow.com/Learn-the-Positions-in-Football
Lastly, here is a link to my WikiHow: http://www.wikihow.com/Learn-the-Positions-in-Football
Monday, February 13, 2012
Looking At Web 2.0
My Views
Web 2.0 is the interactive Internet. I feel as though Web 2.0 is a user friendly world wide web. The Internet contains more and more information every day. People collaborate like never before. Wikipedia is a great example of this. The Internet is advertising. Every video we watch, every game we play, everything we do online is accompanied by advertisements. I feel as though Internet can and will slowly replace the television. Streaming programs online has grown increasingly popularity. Many people lead busy lives and will likely find it more convenient to watch a show on their terms on the Web.
Web 2.0 is forever changing, which is scary. I compare it to journalism in the present day. Accuracy is compromised by so many journalists in today's society because it is a constant race to break the story first. Who cares if it is right or wrong, just be the first person to say your piece on what might be news. There is constant evolution with interactive websites, which invites trouble. Things such as roulette camera sites, blogs, and social networking, bring out the worst in people. You can stalk people, flash people, put down people, curse at people, etc; without them ever seeing your face or knowing your identity.
It concerns me that the people rely so heavily on the Internet for everything. So many people have smart phones and keep all of their important information on the phone that is linked to the Internet. This makes the Net a playground for hackers and Internet geniuses. All of your personal information can end up in the wrong hands at the blink of an eye. As much as we want to believe we are safe, the hackers are always one step ahead.
The Facts of Web 2.0
Web 2.0 is not a new world wide web. The Internet has not changed. Web 2.0 focuses on the way that the web is used. Now we can all exhale, as I'm sure some of us thought we had to go out and buy the next big thing (such as a 4G phone or computer that can walk your dog).
Gone are the days of Encarta and Britannica Encyclopedias online. The Internet is no longer a one way highway. Instead, the road leads both ways now. With the introduction of Web 2.0, the user now has a voice that can be heard on the website. That is, now we can post or comment on articles. We can have input on articles if there is new information to be presented. We can voice our opinions on current issues and events. We can now look to the Internet to help solve problems as others may have experienced the same issue and posted about it. Businesses can have conferences and online meetings, making it much easier for a business to expand globally.
The introduction of a user friendly, interactive Internet has made nearly anything accessible. All the answers are there. They are waiting to be found on the World Wide Web. Everything people do in their daily lives has some connection back to the Internet. We can even post our daily lives on the Web for the world to read. Seemingly, there are no limits to what the Internet can do as a result of Web 2.0. It is the wave of the future, and it has arrived.
Sources: http://web2010.discoveryeducation.com/web20tools.cfm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_2.0
http://www.udel.edu/fth/courses/web2resources/examples.html
Web 2.0 is the interactive Internet. I feel as though Web 2.0 is a user friendly world wide web. The Internet contains more and more information every day. People collaborate like never before. Wikipedia is a great example of this. The Internet is advertising. Every video we watch, every game we play, everything we do online is accompanied by advertisements. I feel as though Internet can and will slowly replace the television. Streaming programs online has grown increasingly popularity. Many people lead busy lives and will likely find it more convenient to watch a show on their terms on the Web.
Web 2.0 is forever changing, which is scary. I compare it to journalism in the present day. Accuracy is compromised by so many journalists in today's society because it is a constant race to break the story first. Who cares if it is right or wrong, just be the first person to say your piece on what might be news. There is constant evolution with interactive websites, which invites trouble. Things such as roulette camera sites, blogs, and social networking, bring out the worst in people. You can stalk people, flash people, put down people, curse at people, etc; without them ever seeing your face or knowing your identity.
It concerns me that the people rely so heavily on the Internet for everything. So many people have smart phones and keep all of their important information on the phone that is linked to the Internet. This makes the Net a playground for hackers and Internet geniuses. All of your personal information can end up in the wrong hands at the blink of an eye. As much as we want to believe we are safe, the hackers are always one step ahead.
The Facts of Web 2.0
Web 2.0 is not a new world wide web. The Internet has not changed. Web 2.0 focuses on the way that the web is used. Now we can all exhale, as I'm sure some of us thought we had to go out and buy the next big thing (such as a 4G phone or computer that can walk your dog).
Gone are the days of Encarta and Britannica Encyclopedias online. The Internet is no longer a one way highway. Instead, the road leads both ways now. With the introduction of Web 2.0, the user now has a voice that can be heard on the website. That is, now we can post or comment on articles. We can have input on articles if there is new information to be presented. We can voice our opinions on current issues and events. We can now look to the Internet to help solve problems as others may have experienced the same issue and posted about it. Businesses can have conferences and online meetings, making it much easier for a business to expand globally.
The introduction of a user friendly, interactive Internet has made nearly anything accessible. All the answers are there. They are waiting to be found on the World Wide Web. Everything people do in their daily lives has some connection back to the Internet. We can even post our daily lives on the Web for the world to read. Seemingly, there are no limits to what the Internet can do as a result of Web 2.0. It is the wave of the future, and it has arrived.
Sources: http://web2010.discoveryeducation.com/web20tools.cfm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_2.0
http://www.udel.edu/fth/courses/web2resources/examples.html
Thursday, February 2, 2012
How to Learn the Positions in Football
Football is a very complex game that is hard to follow for the first time. This page provides basic knowledge of the positions in football. Once the viewer knows what each position does and how they contribute to the game, it will be much easier to follow. There are various formations used in football by both the offense and the defense. The rules of football allow for countless formations. This results in a game that is constantly changing.
In order to understand the positions, one must first know a few terms. The first term the viewer must know is the line of scrimmage. The line of scrimmage (LOS) is the place where the football is at the beginning of a play. The offensive line and defensive line will get into their stances on either side of the LOS. This area is frequently referred to as "the trenches" by broadcasters. The next term viewers need to know is first down. Football is based on the ability or inability to move the football towards a goal known as the endzone. An offense starts with the ball on first down. This team has 4 downs to gain 10 yards or the ball is given to the other team. If 10 or more yards are picked up, the offense is rewarded with another first down, and the process repeats itself. Next, the viewer needs to become familiar with the positions.
The offensive line consists of 2 Tackles, 2 guards, and 1 center. Behind the center is the quarterback. This is the centerpiece of the offense, as he touches the ball on every play. Behind the quarterback can be a fullback in some formations, a running back in other formations, sometimes both, sometimes neither.
The defensive line consists of 2 defensive tackle and two defensive ends in what is known as a base defense or 4-3 (4 stands for amount of defensive lineman on the field and 3 stands for amount of linebackers on the field). In a 3-4 defensive alignment there would be 3 defensive lineman consisting of 1 defensive tackle and 2 defensive ends and 4 linebackers. This bring me to linebackers. These players line up behind the defensive line and there is normally 3 or 4 on the field, depending on the formation.
http://football.about.com/cs/football101/a/positionoff.htm
http://www.ducksters.com/sports/footballplayerpositions.php
http://football.calsci.com/Positions.html
In order to understand the positions, one must first know a few terms. The first term the viewer must know is the line of scrimmage. The line of scrimmage (LOS) is the place where the football is at the beginning of a play. The offensive line and defensive line will get into their stances on either side of the LOS. This area is frequently referred to as "the trenches" by broadcasters. The next term viewers need to know is first down. Football is based on the ability or inability to move the football towards a goal known as the endzone. An offense starts with the ball on first down. This team has 4 downs to gain 10 yards or the ball is given to the other team. If 10 or more yards are picked up, the offense is rewarded with another first down, and the process repeats itself. Next, the viewer needs to become familiar with the positions.
The offensive line consists of 2 Tackles, 2 guards, and 1 center. Behind the center is the quarterback. This is the centerpiece of the offense, as he touches the ball on every play. Behind the quarterback can be a fullback in some formations, a running back in other formations, sometimes both, sometimes neither.
The defensive line consists of 2 defensive tackle and two defensive ends in what is known as a base defense or 4-3 (4 stands for amount of defensive lineman on the field and 3 stands for amount of linebackers on the field). In a 3-4 defensive alignment there would be 3 defensive lineman consisting of 1 defensive tackle and 2 defensive ends and 4 linebackers. This bring me to linebackers. These players line up behind the defensive line and there is normally 3 or 4 on the field, depending on the formation.
http://football.about.com/cs/football101/a/positionoff.htm
http://www.ducksters.com/sports/footballplayerpositions.php
http://football.calsci.com/Positions.html
Internet Discussion
My group had a very productive discussion about our first encounters with the Internet. I enjoyed my conversation with Mike Hargrave, Mike Lewandowski, and Elenni Davis. All of us had some interesting stories and similar ways we used the Internet over 10 years ago. All of us used a music downloading site such as Napster, Limewire, or Kazaa. We all recalled how long it took to download a song. Our group also used AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) when it was very popular. We discussed how fascinating it was to be able to talk to our friends online and meet new people. I told the group about my best friend meeting his future wife over the Internet, which rose some eyebrows.
Mike Hargrave and I had a lot in common as far as what we would do on the Internet. He and I shared stories of how our friends would do interesting things over AIM. One thing he told me about was his friend spamming messages to get the user booted off of AIM. I told him about the IP Relay service a friend of mine discovered and abused over a summer vacation. My group enjoyed that story quite a bit. Mike Lewandowski mentioned a computer class he took in elementary school as his first encounter with the Internet. He also mentioned that he was once turned down by a girl on AIM. Looking back he says asking a girl out online was probably a bad decision. I would tend to agree with that, but he still has a good story to tell. Elenni talked about her time spent with friends on AIM and also brought up an interesting idea involving Youtube that I might try.
Mike Hargrave and I had a lot in common as far as what we would do on the Internet. He and I shared stories of how our friends would do interesting things over AIM. One thing he told me about was his friend spamming messages to get the user booted off of AIM. I told him about the IP Relay service a friend of mine discovered and abused over a summer vacation. My group enjoyed that story quite a bit. Mike Lewandowski mentioned a computer class he took in elementary school as his first encounter with the Internet. He also mentioned that he was once turned down by a girl on AIM. Looking back he says asking a girl out online was probably a bad decision. I would tend to agree with that, but he still has a good story to tell. Elenni talked about her time spent with friends on AIM and also brought up an interesting idea involving Youtube that I might try.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
The Good Bad and Ugly of Social Networking
+ I have a very close friend that moved to Texas during my college years. Without social networking we would rely solely on texting and couldn't share videos or pictures since neither of us have smart phones.
+ For some people I do believe it is harder to interact in person, especially at a young age. Social networking may provide enough "cover" (that is really the wrong word) and give confidence to these shy individuals.
+ People share anything on the Internet. Good days, bad days, it really doesn't matter. I someone is posting dark thoughts it may be much easier to direct them towards help before it's too late. I love this feature of social networking.
- Social networking is a great waste of time. It can consume free time if you let it with so many pointless games (Mafia Wars, Farmville, Bejeweled, etc.).
- As more and more people use poor grammar and slang on these sites, I have noticed increased usage in formal writing such as personal emails, letters, and in everyday conversations. It has become a pet peeve of mine.
- Hackers are always one step ahead, so as more people place private information on the Internet through these sites, it leaves the door open and invites hackers to take advantage. This is inescapable and will only become a growing issue as we move forward with no way to avoid it in my opinion.
+ For some people I do believe it is harder to interact in person, especially at a young age. Social networking may provide enough "cover" (that is really the wrong word) and give confidence to these shy individuals.
+ People share anything on the Internet. Good days, bad days, it really doesn't matter. I someone is posting dark thoughts it may be much easier to direct them towards help before it's too late. I love this feature of social networking.
- Social networking is a great waste of time. It can consume free time if you let it with so many pointless games (Mafia Wars, Farmville, Bejeweled, etc.).
- As more and more people use poor grammar and slang on these sites, I have noticed increased usage in formal writing such as personal emails, letters, and in everyday conversations. It has become a pet peeve of mine.
- Hackers are always one step ahead, so as more people place private information on the Internet through these sites, it leaves the door open and invites hackers to take advantage. This is inescapable and will only become a growing issue as we move forward with no way to avoid it in my opinion.
First Encounters With "The Net"
My first experiences with the Internet were two side by side instances. My sister and I had been trying to convince my mother to sign up for AOL. After many discussions, she finally gave in. We signed up just as the music downloading site Napster was popular. My sister and I took full advantage of Napster, as we would download songs everyday. The connection we had was slow. Each song would take at least an hour to download. We would replay the fragment of the song we were trying to download as my mother would cook dinner. Sometimes we would multitask and play RollerCoaster Tycoon together while the songs were downloaded. I look back at this usage of the Internet as a very positive experience for my sister and I. We weren't fighting over what was on TV, or the radio, or who sat in the front seat. We were bonding and spending quality time together as a family. I value this experience very much.
My other experience was likely a very negative one. Our subscription with AOL also gave us access to the chat rooms. I spent a lot of time in these chat rooms with people I would never meet. Often times in these chat rooms, many people around my age would have inappropriate conversations about things our parents would not be pleased we were discussing. My friends would also sign on their computers and join into the same chat rooms. We quickly found an interest in joining in on these false realities that other users would create. Someone would say, "Hanging out by the pool" and then proceed to describe how old they were or what they are wearing. All the guys in the room would compete in this false reality to win the assumed females "hanging out by the pool". Eventually as we became more experienced with chat rooms, we decided to become pests in the chat rooms. Internet savvy people would know this as "trolling" today. We would go into a chat room to stir up trouble. We laughed and joked and stayed up extremely late, especially during summer vacations from school. At the time we would crack jokes about our online adventures in person with our other friends that didn't have "the net". We look back in the present day, and cannot believe what we used to say to complete strangers.
These two experiences yielded very different results. The first experience brought my family closer together, as we would all be in the same room after school until dinnertime talking about all kinds of things. It was a very healthy family environment that I would not trade for anything. The second experience brought a foul mouth loaded with sexual inuendos and a great deal of inappropriate ideas into my head. Over time I grew out of these bad habits online chat rooms taught me. I had a good enough head on my shoulders to get through this negative experience that I wish never happened.
My other experience was likely a very negative one. Our subscription with AOL also gave us access to the chat rooms. I spent a lot of time in these chat rooms with people I would never meet. Often times in these chat rooms, many people around my age would have inappropriate conversations about things our parents would not be pleased we were discussing. My friends would also sign on their computers and join into the same chat rooms. We quickly found an interest in joining in on these false realities that other users would create. Someone would say, "Hanging out by the pool" and then proceed to describe how old they were or what they are wearing. All the guys in the room would compete in this false reality to win the assumed females "hanging out by the pool". Eventually as we became more experienced with chat rooms, we decided to become pests in the chat rooms. Internet savvy people would know this as "trolling" today. We would go into a chat room to stir up trouble. We laughed and joked and stayed up extremely late, especially during summer vacations from school. At the time we would crack jokes about our online adventures in person with our other friends that didn't have "the net". We look back in the present day, and cannot believe what we used to say to complete strangers.
These two experiences yielded very different results. The first experience brought my family closer together, as we would all be in the same room after school until dinnertime talking about all kinds of things. It was a very healthy family environment that I would not trade for anything. The second experience brought a foul mouth loaded with sexual inuendos and a great deal of inappropriate ideas into my head. Over time I grew out of these bad habits online chat rooms taught me. I had a good enough head on my shoulders to get through this negative experience that I wish never happened.
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