Straight out of my Desire Drive

Blog Summary Post

12th January – Review of blog in its current state

This post was an attempt by me to ensure that the presentation of my blog communicated what I wanted it to, because the presentation communicates a first impression. This first impression is crucial, because it creates the context by which the audience interprets your content in.

13th January – Recall: Linear and Database Ways of Communication

This post was a post where I establish an academic authority to my writing and draw on out of course knowledge to improve the work of my assignment for the course.

23rd January – Wordle and meta data

A short post where I link an image to my blog, but I also bring in the experience I had, how I resolved it, and established a degree of knowledge of coding, by talking about how I fixed it by closing tags.

30th Jaunary – Website Ideas

A brief post explaning my creative direction for my hypertext essay.

30th January – The Importance of Saving Drafts

This blog post was probably where my posts stopped being so formal, and took on a more personal tone. It’s definitely away from the original image I had for my blog, but possibly closer to how people normally use their blogs.

31st Jaunary – About Me

I finally get started updating my blog Pages, which helps because if a user does not know a clear idea of what my blog is about, the About Me is usually the best way to get a feel of the writer. My About Me also establishes my authority in the subjects I discuss, and the Contact Me Page, allows me to be contactable for projects.

6th February – Worldometer

Whilst we have learnt about hyperlinking very early on, I am very pleased with this post. I take an in-class experience, relate it to out of class knowledge and hyperlink to use the database function of communication to bring about tangential learning to the audience.

8th February – Websites and the Internet, Private Spaces in Public Spaces

A well written piece on a current topic, with an educated view, backed by references, and more tangential learning.

10th February – Friendship and Professionalism

Written on personal experience, in regards to a professional viewpoint, mixed with a personal viewpoint. I reinforce and justify my actions, and thus, my blog becomes a method of public relations to ensure my actions are not seen in the wrong light.

11th February – LOOK!!!
Definitely out of the usual style I write in, it takes on an extremely casual tone, designed to be humorous, then segues into a academic opinion meant to be thoughtful, more in line with my usual writing style.

Participation and Self-Assessment

If I’m too take a good look at myself, I need to compartmentalize the specific areas I will assess myself in.

Participation Criteria Evaluation (Reference here)

1) Proper Online Presentation of Information

I felt that majority of my posts have followed a writing style that is professional and succinct enough to get to the point before losing a reader’s interest, but still creative enough to have personality.

2) Basic HTML Design

I think my prior knowledge of C++ programming was a huge asset. It allowed me to use a premade theme, but make specific adjustments to cater to my preferences. I don’t think I’m capable of coding in CSS right off the bat, but I have enough knowledge of it to be able to read the code, and make adjustments where I need it to be, and in a professional setting, I can easily communicate as a graphic designer or team leader to my programmer, and that is definitely an asset if I were to enter the industry.

3) Designing for Purpose

My blog isn’t overly decorated, meaning the reader’s attention is directed to the text and buttons. Wording is clear and the buttons on the left side, meant to direct users to specific key areas of interest are good. Unfortunately, due to time constraints, I was not able to develop those pages, but the design structure is there.

4) Designing for Style

My blog might be simplistic in style, but I feel that the simplicity complements it. The appearance of a blog, communicates before the audience even reads a single line of text. Int hat communication, I have, in a aesthetically pleasing way, chosen a style that is both personal without being overly casual.

5) Discipline

I could have done better here, it wasn’t as regular as I’d like.

6) Expansion in ways of presentation

I feel I have adequately experimented with different writing styles, using imagery and hyperlinking.

Preparation for the end

So, I’m sitting in my last tutorial/lab for Network Media getting ready to submit my Participation blog post and my Reflection blog post and I’m thinking about what I’ve done over the course of this semester. I hate doing things like this, because the minute I write that post, the authenticity of the blog is damaged. I’d rather not write it, but I don’t want to fail.

Worldometer

http://www.worldometers.info/

Full of depressing data really, but it also makes me remember a report on metrics that I’ve seen before. In the modern era, with the ability to collate and communicate so quickly, it’s easier to keep metrics on things, and whilst it has it’s uses, it has it’s downsides. Sure, having more overweight people, as opposed to malnourished people, can be a sign of wealth discrepancies, but it fails to take into account specific contexts. How many of those malnourished people are suffering from eating disorders? How many of those overweight people are overweight due to depression? What about their family backgrounds? Have they been raised now knowing that they should eat healthy?

If there is any major flaw tied to looking at the big picture, it is that we forget the details, we forget that each person is unique. It goes against a fundamental ideology that is tied to freedom; that everyone is unique and cannot be summarized into a statistic.

Week 3 Wednesday Lecture: Navigation

• Originally just displayed as folders and files in said folders.Navigation was difficult
• Development of the User Interface
• The Cursor
• The Scroll
• Tags, which are used to link ‘related’ content
• Critics of tagging feel that tagging results in less diversity in taste since consumers are streamlined towards certain products.
• Intuitive Interaction: Based on standard interaction ‘Don’t make me think’
• Tablets use elements of other navigational tools
• Non-intuitive Interaction: Makes user put effort into using the media and thus feel rewarded upon success

Week 3 Monday Lecture

• Covers of songs are allowed if you cite the original artiste(s)
• ‘Fair use’ in copyright law and the issues around it
• Copyright is granted the moment you create the object and have it in a public sphere
• Lasts for the author’s lifetime and for 70 years after
• It is not granted for thoughts/verbal expression
• Has to be original
• Companies buy rights for the copyright owner to have a share in the product when it’s created
• Issue of montage and remixes (Research it?)
• New musical avenues through remix, especially with methods to access music that listeners normally would not listen to. (Example)
• Royalties? (Research it?)
• An agreement in America regarding copyright law? (Research it?)

Lecture on Hypermedia

• Today, through technology, we can do so much over the internet that saves us a lot of time. (Shopping, sending mail, reading new, etc)
• Original Text was very linear
• Power Relations. Text dictating meaning Vs Reader dictating meaning (through changing the links)
• Part of how texts have changed involves intertextuality, the referencing of another text by one text.
• Spatial Montage as an alternative (Has been present for quite some time)
• Referencing Editing Media Text where meaning is derived from the cuts made in the text

My first webpage

http://raws.adc.rmit.edu.au/~s3305076/Webpage/Start.html

We’ve had a hands on attempt at making links, and I’ve done my own independent research to learn how to add in a background and change font sizes ad colours.

I still need to try making lists by myself.

I still need to look into adding comments into my coding.

I need to look into my blog stats.

Update on Annotated Bibliography Assignment

• The deadline has been extended by a week.
• Submitted by email, with information in subject line.
• Final blog entry should link to the other nine.
• Well organized in paragraphs and posts
• Well researched with points that address the arguments directly
• Referencing the main text and research text
• Critique the author’s arguments
• Consider and draw on personal knowledge
• Good links can be found on Hugh Davies’s blog
• Good use of language
• Understand the significance of the reading in relation to the course
• Most of the previous ‘Annotated Bibliography’ posts were not appropriate and has been relabeled as ‘notes’ that I will use as reference for the proper ‘Annotated Bibliography’

Description of Readings for Annotated Bibliography

In regards to my chosen reading

• Writing around 2000
• Writing on the early days of blogging
• Writing about the changes in writing in and outside of the internet
• Writing about the desire to achieve their fifteen minutes of fame
• ‘About being seen being seen’
• Reverse-Panopticon: Ideas of a Big Brother society where you are always visible used to scare people. Nowadays, the idea of not being seen terrifies people. We upload content, talk about our lives, reveal our personal feelings, all to be recognized for them.
• ‘The promise of reality television’, the chance to be famous, and the ability to make that chance for yourself.