Final thoughts - last blog

Hello there again bloggers! This is my final blog for COMM 350. Today I am just going to share my experiences from this quarter.

I really enjoyed learning and using the tools and programs we got to use this quarter. I was so scared of photoshop before the start of the quarter, and though I still am not fond of the program, I can now navigate the program. Out of all the programs we used this quarter I liked Indesign the best. It had all of the cool things photoshop had to offer but with less of the headache. The thing I will take away from this quarter and probably rely on the most is my new learned ability to create a website. I believe this will be extremely valuable to me in my job search upon graduation.

I really liked the blog assignments and the up keeping of a blog because it let me put my personality into the posts. A lot different from writing a paper where you must stay objective and boring. I actually think I am going to create a blog about things I am interested in and continue blogging that way.

Well that's all folks! This will be my last entry!

No techonolgy - ugh

Hello again bloggers! This entry will be about my experience with trying to use no technology for an entire day. Let's just say, I failed.

I found it so difficult to not use any technology because it is so natural to depend on it since I am so use to it. I would go a couple hours without any technology this my phone would ring and I would HAVE to answer it, or I needed to get on the internet for school related activities. I think I could do it for an entire day if I was not a student and didn't rely on my computer and cell phone so much. This probably wasn't the best week to try because of the amount of school work I have to do, but all in all it was a fun experience.

Sixth Sense

Hello again bloggers!

This weeks entry is about sixth sense technology found in this video - http://www.ted.com/talks/pattie_maes_demos_the_sixth_sense.html

I thought the presentation of this new technology was really cool. When he dialed a number on his hand, my mind was blown! I also found it really interesting that the price of this device would be so affordable at only $350. 

I do believe we are tuning out the physical word. We are so consumed with our computers, cell phones, iPods, etc. that we really are missing the feeling of being in the presence of other human beings. I do believe we are getting closer to living digitally. We do everything from talk to our computers to have a conversation with someone else, to transfer money and cash checks with our cell phone. A major benefit in living in a whole like we do now is that it is really convenient for us. It is all about working smarter, not harder. But, the drawback to this is it is making every generation lazier and lazier. This could be very detrimental to our future generations.  

Week 6 Blog Assignment

Hello again fellow bloggers and thanks for reading this weeks entry! This week we will be discussing website builders (weebly.com). 

My class group created a website about activities our fellow WWU college students can do during their free time. We named this website "Time Killers". wwutimekillers.weebly.com. 

I have personally used both Wix.com (another website builder site), and well as Weebly, and I much rather prefer Weebly. I found Wix to be overly complicated and their how-to tutorial was not helpful to me at all. Weebly on the other hand was extremely easy to use. It was very clear on how to insert pictures, text boxs, how to move and rotate boxs, and their layout section is never ending! There are many different catagory of themes to choose from so you can find the perfect one for your topic. Best of all, this is all free! 

Here are a couple videos to show you just how easy website building sites are! 

 

 

Overall I found this experience of learning how to build one of these free websites using a website builder extremely helpful. Before this assignment, I thought in order to create a website you had to pay a lot of money and it was just a big hassle, boy was I wrong! Everyone is using websites now days for one reason or another, so it is a very helpful tool in communication.

Until next time!

Week 5 Blog Assignment

Hello again fellow bloggers! It is time for another informational post concerning emerging technology. This week we will be talking about social media and social change. This post will be my individual thoughts on social media and social change.

Saying social media is powerful cannot give justice to how life and world changing it actually is. In U.S. history when we think about being able to reach the masses at a time we think of the start of the news paper, the Penny Press, and of course the telephone. Indeed these were all advances in technology and social change, these cannot come close to what the internet and social media have accomplished thus far.

In the video The Social Media Revolution 2012 linked at the bottom, it claims that the social media (facebook, twitter, myspace, linkedin, ect) is the number one use on the internet. So this means less people are seeking out information whether it be for news, weather, poltics, sports ect. So, this means that these news/information producers are going to have to actively seek out people to give this news to. The best and easiest way to do this is via social media outlets.

The same video as mentioned above provides a interesting quote - "Social media isn't a fad, it's a fundamental shift in the way we communicate". This is a very powerful statement, as well as a true statement. It is completely normal to add someone to facebook you just met in real life. In fact, it's more acceptable than asking for a phone number. I believe this is unfortunate, and not the best for interpersonal relationships, but it is the way our society is going. Why don't I agree with this? I don't agree with this because social media is taking away from the present. For example, when you are hanging out/spending time with a friend, then you get a text message from another friend, or you are surfing facebook during your conversation (we all have done it), you are essentially taking away from that present communication interaction with the friend you are with.

Another way social media is having an impact on society is customer affect. Since the news is now reaching us instead of us reaching the news, we are hearing about more than ever. This could be dangerous for business and a prime example of this is the recent Netflix price increase. According to the article on CNN How social media are amplifying customer outrage Netflix's facebook page got over 79,000 comments from disappointed customers concerning the price increase. This just shows that any type of news or event spreads faster now than EVER. This is an unfamiliar territory because the world has never had this instant non ending stream of information before. I'm sure there are dangers as well as benefits, but only time will tell how this change will effect the world.




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0eUeL3n7fDs

http://articles.cnn.com/2011-07-22/tech/social.media.outrage.taylor_1_cottage-cheese-netflix-blog-social-media?_s=PM:TECH

Week 4 Blog Assignment

Hello again fellow blogers! This week in class we are discussing podcasts and programs to assist in the making of podcasts! If you don't know, a podcast is an audio recording of someone talking about a subject. Usually podcasts are made about subjects people are very passionate about. The word podcast is a play on the word broadcast combined with the word iPod. I thought that was interesting because Apple had no part in creating the term podcast. Furthermore, anyone can create a podcast, it is becoming the "new" radio.
 
The main program we learned in class this week was Audacity. Audacity is an incredibly useful and easy program to use. It allows you to easily edit your recording, apply effects, and mix it with music. There are so many cool tools like fading music into and fading out of your voice recording.We also learned about some really cool side effects that you can add to your voice recording. Some of these included the sound of eating in a cafeteria, the sound of rain pouring, a door opening, and various animal sounds. These are creative ways to catch your listeners attention, build suspense, and maybe supply a laugh or two. The different number of sound effects are almost endless.

All in all, I foresee podcasts becoming even more popular than they are now, and people will continue to make and purchase them. Doing a simple search of 'podcasts' on the apple istore will provide you with hundreds of podcasts that you can choose from.

Until next time!

http://www.how-to-podcast-tutorial.com/what-is-a-podcast.htm

http://multimedia.journalism.berkeley.edu/tutorials/audacity/audio-editing/

http://podcasting.about.com/od/recordingequipment/fr/deepaud.htm

http://www.freemusicbeds.com/

Week 3 Blog Assignment

Hello again bloggers! This week I will be writing about basic web design and key principles. I will first start with the acronym called C.R.A.P. which stands for contrast, repetition, alignment, and proximity. These four key concepts can make or break your website! Contrast stands for how much something appears to stand out, finding the right balance of contrast can be difficult but necessary! Repetition stands for repeating a a certain theme or style throughout a website. If every webpage is different on the same website then the reader will probably be confused and wonder if they accidentally left the site, so make sure to stay consistent with your style! Alignment can be a difficult concept to master at first, so there are a couple things that the you must realize! You cannot be afraid of white space, or blank space. This space often sets something apart and is done purposefully by a lot of design professional. The next thing to take into mind is the tendency to want to center everything. Centering all of your text/pictures was cool when you were young and didn't know better, but it's time to master the art of a hard edge right/left alignment. Also, stay consistent with your alignments! Proximity is how certain information is grouped together. If information is related to each other or all has something in common, it should be grouped closely together so the reader knows!

I got all of my information on basic webdesign from the following site. For more information on basic webdesign, please see this site: http://library.albany.edu/imc/webdesign/


The next thing to consider when designing are a few simple rules. First, your website should be easy to read! The reader should have no difficulties reading your text or trying to find important information. The next rule is your site should be easy to navigate! No hard to find pages or hidden links. The last rule I will discuss is supplying your contact information. If you do not have your information, at least have a "contact us" page so readers can summit comments, questions, or concerns.

I got all of my information on these from the following site. For more information on these rules plus more, please see this site: http://www.grantasticdesigns.com/5rules.html#find


The last topic on basic webdesign I will cover is layout. There are three important parts to layout. First is the home page. Your home page is similar to your "first impression" when meeting someone, so make sure it is clean and clear! The next part is your site index section. This is where all your links/tabs to the webpages contained on your website. Make sure these links are easy to find and are consistent throughout the website. The last part of your layout is your content. This could be text or pictures. With your text and alignment your content sections it is important to stay consistent throughout each page!

I got all of my information on web layout from the following site. For more information on basic web layout, please visit: http://www.rocketface.com/organize_website/website_basic_layout.html

Week 2 Blog Assignment

Hello again bloggers! This weekend in COMM 350 we have began learning about Adobe Photoshop and just the basics the program offers. Thus far I have learned about the text, move, gradient, and layer functions. I find it so interesting that there is so many different things you can do with the limited functions we have just touched on. The most important aspect of photoshop that I have learned so far would be about the layers. When creating a image, I find it so cool that you can tweak and edit each layer without effecting the entire image. Here are some helpful websites and videos to help you get started with the basics of photoshop!

http://www.photoshopessentials.com/basics/

http://sixrevisions.com/graphics-design/35-basic-tutorials-to-get-you-started-with-photoshop/

http://www.photoshoplab.com/photoshop-tool-basics.html

Week 1 Blog Assignment

Hello readers!

My name is Jake and this will be my blog for Winter quarter of 2012. I am a senior at Western Washington University, and this blog is an assignment for my COMM 350 Emerging Technologies. I chose to take this class because when I gradate on March 17th 2012, I want to be a step ahead of people that I will be competing against for the same jobs!

The top ten rules of webdesign!
 

One	Simple is good. All of my favorite websites are very simple. Google, Apple, Facebook, all ready simple designed websites. When I make my website I imagine it being very simple and easy to follow for the reader while still being aesthetically pleasing.
Two	Design is paramount. When I first visit a website, I always look at the overall design of the site. If it has a good design the site will flow well and be organized in a way that makes the reader have to the least about of "searching" possible.
Three	Navigation should be intuitive. This goes off of organization and "searching". The better your website is organized and there are clean and clear links to information, which will make "searching" very easy for the users.
Four	Consistency is key. Just like designing any sort of page (brochure, magazine, book, ect) it is very import to stay consistent for the entire piece. It will make the website much easier to follow for users.
Five	Color choice is critical. We have all been to websites that just plain hurt our eyes, that is not what you want to do. This rule goes off of rule number one - stay simple. You neutral colors that do not clash with each other. Do not use too many colors on one page.
Six	Don't forget the content. Nothing frusterates me more than visiting a website that has little information on each page, but a lot of pages! Make sure you haee a lot of information on the topic you decide to create your website about. No one wants to visit your website and feel like its "missing" something.
Seven	Make use of the full browser window. People with large monitors typically don't like seeing all the content of a Web page crammed into one tenth of their screen. Most sites created by Sharpened Productions scale to fill the browser window so that people with monitors of all sizes can make the most out of their screen real estate. If you need to use a fixed size, you can count on most visitors using a resolution of at least 1024x768.
Eight	Develop for multiple browsers. Despite what Microsoft would like you to believe, not everybody on the Web uses Internet Explorer on a Windows-based PC.  That is why we check our sites in multiple browsers on multiple platforms -- to make sure everything appears uniformly. It is always best to catch problems ahead of time instead of relying on visitor complaints.
Nine	Check the site for errors. Just like we proof-read our academic papers before we submit them, it is important to check your website for errors! We don't want our users to come to our site and find bugs or errors.
Ten	Write your own code. Though we typically use Adobe GoLive to create your page layout, we also follow and edit the HTML that is being generated. When it comes to Web scripting, we write everything from scratch.  While some people tend to grab pre-written scripts for every action they need, they are clueless when something goes wrong or doesn't work.  It is also easier to customize the code we write, allowing us to avoid the "template appearance" of many other sites on the Web.