My Website Experience

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.

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.