Personal Web Page

This page is my personal web page that chronicles all of the events and fun memories that I have had during the 2010 Fall Semester of my Sophomore Year at Linfield College.

These pictures display my free time with friends; happenings within my sorority, Phi Sigma Sigma; and outings with my co-workers from The Linfield Review.

Some of the events include fraternity functions, sorority functions, Phi Sigma Sigma sisterhood events and community service, dances, and bowling.

Web page design critiques

When looking for an example of a good, professional web page design, I thought the MTV website worked well. There are minimal advertisements, and the ads that are on the page can relate to MTV is some way since it is a pop culture icon. The page also has bright, colorful fonts, ample pictures and videos, as well as music. The different tab options are large and easy to navigate, and when you slide your mouse over them they pop up the sub categories that can be found within that section. The web page is also packed full with information about what is being featured on MTV, as well as ways to follow MTV through different networking sites.

A good example I found of a personal web page design is by a photographer Anne Stuart. Her personal web page is called Anne's Mountain Pages. Her page is colorful and includes pictures, and a picture slide show. The tabs can be found at the top in plain sight and are easy to navigate. She also has a brief description about the purpose of the web page so that the viewer is not left wondering.

Lastly, a bad example of a personal web page design I found is one by a man named Guido. His page is extremely boring. The text is small and there are few pictures or images to look at. Besides this, there is almost no color apart from black and white, and the only way you can navigate to what the page offers is through hyperlinks he has set up.

Instructional Video Project

Here is our (Sam, Ian and Me) instructional video post: How to Bake a Frozen, Pumpkin Pie

What makes a good instructional video?

I chose to focus on instructional videos because my group plans to do one for our project. A good instructional video is clear and easy to follow and understand. It should take the viewer through all of the steps and not leave any unanswered questions. However, the video should also be engaging and keep the viewer interested in watching it, like the one that we watched in class about getting scratches out of CDs. Here are a few examples of good instructional videos:

How to tie your shoe faster than normal

This video is good because it shows two ways that a person can tie his or her shoes, and it zooms in and breaks down the faster way to do it. It also gives a few facts about the average time it takes to tie a shoe.

How to bake a chocolate cake

This video is also good because it shows what ingredients will be needed ahead of time and then breaks down the steps. It is also a little bit more engaging because it uses music.

How to make a paper airplane

Lastly, this video is another good example of an instructional video because it not only has verbal instructions; but, it also zooms in and shows physically how to do it.

Audio Project Interview

This is my audio interview with my friend Ryann about her horseback riding career. The clip was originally 3 minutes and 49 seconds long; but, I cut out unnecessary portions of it such as background noise, long pauses, etc. Now, it is approximately 2 minutes and 57 seconds long. So, my main focus during the lab time was cutting.

I used the microphone during the interview so the sound quality is decent. But, it is obvious when my interview source backs away from the microphone, especially at the end of the clip. Other then that, I did not have any problems with the audio kit. The most difficult part was getting the mp3 linked to my blog. However, I finally did it so enjoy!

p.s. If the Ryann link does not work, try the horseback riding link; it is my back up link.

Outdoor Adventure: Photo Editing Lab

Edited Photo

Original Photo

To edit my photo, I first opened it in iPhoto and cropped it so that the black corners were gone. Next, I boosted the color to bring out the green. Although the center is where eyes should look first, I feel like it is difficult to focus on it since my subject is hidden behind tree branches this is why I slightly blurred the edges to bring more attention to the center of the photo.

After my edits in iPhoto, I opened the photo up in Photoshop and made additional edits. I lightened the shadows and lowered the contrast so that the picture was not so yellow looking. Then, I slightly increased the brightness to cancel out some of the contrast affects.

Once I was finished with my edits, I saved the photo as a TIFF file, but then realized that Blogger is not compatible with it. So, I changed it back to a JPEG and posted it.

Original Still Photo

iphoto and Photoshop edits

Photoshop

iphoto

JProko following Lady Gaga on Twitter

Photo courtesy of Google.com

I decided to follow the category of entertainment, specifically Lady Gaga because she has been all over the entertainment scene lately, as well as the political news with her campaign to overturn the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy. The ten tweeters I am following are:

1. MTV


2. DreamyGaGaStyle


3. LadyGaGaOnline


4. gaganewsdotcom


5. fansofladygaga


6. ladygagadotnet


7. gagadaily


8. ladygagapix


9. ladygagagossip


10. ladygaga

The reason I wanted to follow these ten tweeters is because each ones tweets almost entirely about news regarding Lady Gaga, including fashion, pictures, recent appearances, future appearances, political statements, etc. And, I like that some are professional twitters, like the MTV, ladygagagossip and ladygaga. Although the rest are mostly created and maintained by fans, each provides substantial news and information for my research.

To see more, follow me at http://twitter.com/JProko

What Makes a Good Blog???

Photo courtesy of altpress.com

There are many different elements that can make up a blog. Some are more useful than others, whereas some are primarily for looks. Here are some things that do make up a good blog:
Title
An eye catching and unique title is a must, in order to attract followers. However, the title should also be relevant to the topic, even if it is just an interesting snippet of the blog.
Relevant Information
Although your topic might be about something as little as keeping up with every episode of Family Guy, the information you post should be relative to the topic and factual even if your opinion is included.
Links
A blog always appears more professional and interesting for viewers when they can interact with it. Including a link to the episode of Family Guy that you are referring to or even a snippet of it would appeal to your audience.
Photos
Even with links, categories and tabs to click on, adding photos to a blog appeals to the eye and can supply viewers with even more information about the topic if captions are used.
Page Design
Putting effort into your page's design shows viewers that your blog is important to you and not something that you neglect.
Comments
Allowing followers to post comments on your blog tells them that you do care about their input. Plus, you might even learn something new from one of your followers. However, if you are worried about inappropriate comments, filter settings can be set.

Here are two examples of blogs that I found. One is professional (MTV Newsroom) and the other personal (Amy Grindhouse.com). However, both are on the same topic, the VMAs.

I chose these blogs because they are on current topics; in fact, I am watching the VMAs right now. I also picked them because both are very interactive and eye catching. Both blogs included all of the elements I listed, and a few more. For instance, the personal blog not only allowed comments, but the blogger also responded to most if not all of them. The professional blog had more links to other articles regarding the topic. And, both blogs included advertisements. All of these reasons are why I chose these blogs, and now you can check them out yourselves.

Test Post for Sam

Sam likes to eat a lot. This is not an insult it is a fact.

Sam likes to eat a lot. This is not an insult it is a fact. Sam likes to eat a lot. This is not an insult it is a fact. Sam likes to eat a lot. This is not an insult it is a fact. Sam likes to eat a lot. This is not an insult it is a fact. Sam likes to eat a lot. This is not an insult it is a fact. Sam likes to eat a lot. This is not an insult it is a fact. Sam likes to eat a lot. This is not an insult it is a fact. Sam likes to eat a lot. This is not an insult it is a fact.