DTC 355 10 steps for a portfolio website

http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2009/02/26/10-steps-to-the-perfect-portfolio-website/

I really liked the suggestions on this website and the examples had some really great designs. After looking at them, I won't use all the 10 of the steps. I won't have a logo because I haven't really branded myself yet but I will have my name stand out on the first page. The tag line seems useful for conveying the real purpose of the website instantly.  I will obviously try to put up high quality images for the portfolio, but I'm not sure what kind of image viewer yet. I will definitely include an about me and link to a blog (although it's just academic stuff at the moment,) and a link to a contact page will be on the home screen but I don't think I'll link to my facebook. I don't think you have to be facebook friends with clients. The call to action on the first page will likely link to the portfolio, but the about me and contact links will stand out as well.

I like Ryan O'Rourke and Chikezie Ejias (Nine Lions) websites. First I liked the thumbnail on the 10 steps page but naturally, both sites are different now. I was initially drawn to the large room at the top that was designated for their name/logo. I like graphic design and that would be a cool way to show some skills on the very first page. Also, the image sets the color scheme for the rest of the page and it has a clean readable feel on both. On the new Nine Lion page, I like that the first page is just attention grabbing text/image that makes the viewer want to learn more. They are already interested before they learn anything. That also might be a dynamic way to set up a home page.

http://rourkery.com/

http://www.nineliondesign.com/

DTC 356 egypt and facebook

I thought Tom Slee's article "More Egypt, More Facebook" did  a good job relating the Arab spring event to previous revolutions. He talks about generational space, something that usually features a new technology that activists employ in order to raise awareness or coordinate events. He points out "... Facebook is still a generational phenomenon (60% of Egypt’s Facebook users are under 25 (»)). It is an environment where youth feel more at home than the older generation and the authorities, at least for now." It makes sense, the younger generating has latched on to something that they consider second nature, using this technology to further their cause.

On TV and in different articles, all I heard was that Facebook started a revolution. I'm glad that this article illustrates that is the people who started the revolutions, and they simply used Facebook as their modern tool. "Yes, the activists used Facebook and other tools, because that’s where the people are and because that is the medium characteristic of the time and place. But the Internet has not leant a new character to the uprising." Like pop music in the 1960s, Facebook was able to reach a widespread international audience. Facebook was something that everyone was paying attention to. Everyone heard the messages and common feelings of dissent were building.

This relates to the movie "Pump Up the Volume" with Christian Slater as a pirate DJ who ignites rebellion at a school (we watched it in my Digital Diversity class this summer). The kids rebelled because through their medium, in this case radio, they were all able to share collective feelings. They were able to come to the same conclusion at the same time which resulted in direct action.  

               

 Slee goes on to talk about how Faecbook is a big corporation and that they are making lives unnecessarily difficult for the young leaders. Facebook tends to delete accounts abruptly based on their rules for posting. He says "Most problematic is the policy that bans pseudonyms. Facebook defends the policy by saying their service is about “real people making real-world connections.” But what if the real world is full of secret police looking to crack down on dissent, or snooping bosses who might be supportive of a regime?" This is a good point but I don't think Facebook has an obligation to these people. Maybe they don't really want to get actively involved. Facebook was the right place to start and get the attention of their peers but before it was deactivated, but maybe they should have posted a link to a new blog or something. Facebook isn't the only option and shouldn't be have to be relied on entirely.

That being said, it would have been reasonable for Facebook to give them a warning, or at least give them a day or two before deleting accounts, given the gravity of the situation.

We would love if Facebook stepped up. If they recognized that they could play an important role as the new generational space. However, they must choose to take on that responsibility. However, they are a business, and they can choose to run it how they please. We all choose to sign up. 

DTC 356 new job openings

To start off I liked really liked some of the copyright related comments from John Perry Barlow. "We will need to develop an entirely new set of methods as befits this entirely new set of circumstances" While this seems to point at material the last half of the class, the important part of this statement is that we have an entirely new set of circumstances.  "They are proceeding as though the old laws can somehow be made to work, either by grotesque expansion or by force. They are wrong" (2). This applies to all policies that govern our current relationship with the internet not merely copyright.

The InfoDev article illustrated that an entirely new economic system is being developed due to new online work opportunities. They aren't talking about internet start-ups, but unskilled labor that completes simple tasks. It's funny they use 'unskilled'. Not too long ago my grandma put typing on her resume as a skill. While I didn't understand a lot of the economic jargon, I was really intrigued by the possibility of the third world getting involved with these jobs. With a little infrastructure, they could work online mining for gold, then receive online payment. The hardest part might be establishing a way to use that money when an ATM doesn't seem like the right fit. I don't know how it would work but some really smart people are probably gonna figure it out soon.

I read an article recently where One Laptop Per Child gave a bunch of kids in Ethiopia a box with tablets and no instructions. The kids were able to open the box, turn on the tablets, and begin using apps. While how much they will learn on their own is an interesting study, a little instruction could go a long way too. Now what if some of those apps taught the children how to mine gold, fill out forms, etc? When an internet connection is available, they will already have the skills to work on the spot.

If one laptop per child is successful, there will be an entire generation of people in third world countries that will be digitally literate. A entire work force with the skills and tools ready to make an impact on the economy. I don't think these developments will be easy to regulate, especially on a global scale. The normal economic policies will all have to change to respond to these new jobs on the rise. 

DTC 355 project 3 proposal

My literacy narrative is going to be about how I communicate visually.

I want to begin with photos of my work from when I was little.
A quote from my mom will be playing but you don't actually have to watch her say it.
From there I will talk about how visuals changed from a hobby to a possible profession.
Next I'll talk about architecture and the two years I spent there.
Finally I will get to DTC and what kinds of visually oriented projects I have in the future.

I would like to convey humor but I think that will come as I'm writing/researching. Maybe from a few cut slides and exaggerated faces like the guy we watched last class.

Also, I want to music to play a large role because music also influences my art.
Hopefully I can convey a little humor or at least entertain with dramatic music and changes in tempo.
I want to use a combination of slides and video but I haven't quite decided what should be filmed.
Any ideas are welcome!

DTC 355 peer reviews

Sorry this is late. I totally spaced about the post until I went to finish the project just now and looked for the advice sheets.

The reviewers thought that I had a handle on the text. I had finished the intro and the first set of analysis and they were happy with the connections I made. I will try to re-emphasize the political nature of the works rather than just trying to explain the positive/negative effects of pot. I used a lot of the terminology from class but Josie mentioned that you can always use more!

A very useful piece of advice was to include a transitional statement or paragraph at the end of the intro calling the viewer to continue clicking the links on the side. This will help navigation for people who don't really know the project that well. Additionally, they mentioned that I could also look at what didn't work very well rhetorically which is something I hadn't thought about yet.

As far as aesthetics and functionality go, we agreed that a black outline on the titles was best and that the subtitle should also be black to separate it from the main text. Also, I need to add home links and links to the actual websites I'm analyzing.

DTC 356 Online Privacy

In the article "How Companies are Using Your Social Media Data" Leah Betancourt  begins by telling the audience that users have no idea that potentially every comment they have made online are being added to a large database. Most people's first reaction may be alarm but honestly, I think people should have figured that out by now. Almost every commerce side offers suggestions based on your purchases, favorites, and sometimes even what you viewed earlier that day! Everything we 'touch' in a digital  environment can be recorded and stored. We volunteer this information the second we click a link.

Problems occur when people forget this all important rule. In the study "Aliases, creeping and wall cleaning," Kate Raynes-Goldie includes the quote "Facebook makes things that should just have happened in passing totally permanent and public." This is the all important point that people need to understand. There really isn't online privacy. The article goes on to describe different methods people use to circumvent the view privacy setting that are put in place. A Facebook conversation can't be treated the same was as one with friends in person. You can't take back words once they make them online and phrases without context are especially dangerous.

Betancourt goes on to say that it doesn't seem all that scary. Why wouldn't these companies look at public information and try to profit from it. Seems natural enough to me. I don't mind if these companies use my facebook to give me ads designed for me specifically. I'm going to have to see ads regardless so they might as well be about things that interest me. The problem I have is when she starts to mention how facebook may affect your credit. She assures us our credit score is safe but specific offers can be determined by your friends on Facebook. This is where I would draw the line. Advertising is one thing but my friends should have nothing to do with any financial decisions in my life.

She says " Do you know if your Facebook friends have good credit histories? Likely not, but if you associate with people who are a good credit risk, than you’ll probably be a good credit risk, according to Sandberg. “The whole idea [is] like follows like.” Should I start unfriending people with bad credit scores so I'll look better? This may mark a shift between posting about yourself and posting what you want companies to think about you. This would defeat the purpose of most blogs and social networks that focus on expressing one's self. She reiterates is as tip #2 at the bottom of the page. Eliminate those you don't need. I guess one option would be to simply eliminate them from your social media connections. Maybe questionable friends should only be reached by phone or actually in person. Still this kinda bugs me. Your friends shouldn't be able to influence your job and certainly not financial offers. 

This is especially a concern because recently I read an article, (sorry I couldn't find a link,) that said that companies are wary of hiring people without Facebook because it may mean they are difficult to work with or they lack social skills. Raynes-Goldie also mentions "Moreover, the choice to use (or not use) sites like Facebook is often framed as one that is made freely and without consequence, when in reality there can be a high social cost to non–participation." So we have to use Social Media but companies will soon prevent us from socializing the way we want. I'm all for specific advertisments and song suggestions but eventually someone is going to take it too far....

DTC 355 sources for project 2

http://www.marijuanaharmsfamilies.com/

Author: SaveCalifornia.com

Title: Marijuana Harms Families

Summary: A multimodal website featuring text and video. This site show the perspective of the debate from the anti-marijuana side. This site targets families and focuses on how marijuana will damage our children. The visual choices they made will be analyzed to compare to the pro-marijuana websites.

Rights: existing asset. Fair use should cover it because I'm using it for educational analysis and it is based off factual evidence.

http://www.calmca.org/

Author:

Title: Citizens Against Legalizing Marijuana

Summary: This site takes a more friendly approach to target its voters with warm colors. However, it does immediately bring children into the front of the debate like the other anti-pot website. They both use the same strategy to target the audience but go about it in different ways. I will try to determine which is more successful during analysis.

Rights: Original asset. Sponsored by the Fair Political Practices Commission.

http://justsaynow.firedoglake.com/2012/09/14/2012-historic-year-for-marijuana-reform-on-the-ballot/

Author: Firedoglake

Title: Just Say Now.com

Summary: Provides a lot of images from the very beginning. It seems obvious that they are trying to get your attention. They then approach the call to action links which encourage people to call voters, buy t-shirts, etc. It seems al lot like the campaign sites looked at in class and this connection will be expanded on during analysis.

Rights: the site itself seems to be an Original asset but the articles it features are all from separate publications. I think fair use covers these because only small portions will be sampled and for educational purposes.

http://normal.org

Author: Norml Foundation

Title: Norml- Working to refor marijuana laws

Summary: This site focuses on reports concerning the marijuana debate. The site offers statistics on the states that are considering these reforms. Again it is laid out like the potential governors' websites. While the other was all about action, this site separates by talking about specific laws and using more political jargon.

Rights: Existing asset. Fair use should cover the use based on the nature of my project and the website is based on factual information. I won't be taking their opinions, just their facts.

http://www.regulatemarijuana.org/about

Author: Campaign to Regulate Marijuana like Alcohol

Title: YES on 64- Campaign to Regulate Marijuana like Alcohol.

Summary: Focuses directly on one amendment that is trying to be passed in Colorado. The site gives details about what the amendment will do and possible outcomes if it's passed. This site doesn't try to distract or attract its viewers. It provides clear information with color that isn't normally related to the weed debate. It offers simple links to events but the professional nature of the site makes their arguments much more believable than some other sites.

Rights: Existing asset. Fair use will cover my use because of the educational nature of my project and the factual nature of this website.

Part 3

I will use an MLA format for the sources because it is a widely recognized style that includes all important information.