Netscape Tutorial for Thursday
Greetings everyone.
Sometime before class on Thursday, please download and install one of the older versions of Netscape (4.X). You can find it here
http://browser.netscape.com/ns8/download/archive47x.jspEven if you think you'll never use it, I'd at least like you to see what it can do. Thanks.
T. F.
Response to B&G...part 2
Main Points...
Of much of what I read the most urgent concept that kind of stuck out in my mind was creating immediacy through transparency. I think that this idea especially gives highlight to the possiblites in making a website geared toward college students. I know that if I was to look at a website in the mind set of maybe getting involved or in interest to a certain subject, I would want to feel as if I was exeriencing something exciting through the website. I guess drawing a line between reality and and what seems to be reality but is really not is a bigger deal than I thought. On this note...for more then just visual appeal or cool technology driven approches is immediacy, because without immediacy, we would really have no audience or very little effect on out audience.
LJ update
Since we don't have any specific reason to meet before class, I will see you guys then. We can each be working on our individual aspects and then come together midweek to look at what we have and to meet with the people at LJCC. Sound good?
See ya tomorrow!!
Littlejohn group...
I dont think we need to meet until class on Tuesday. I will have most of the research I need to do for the history page done by then. If you guys want to meet today or tomorrow that is not a problem. Im done at 5:15 today and have the same break tomorrow I always do. Let me know what you want to do.
Thanks,
Meghan
Littlejohn Group...
Yes, I spoke with her. I gave her an overview of what we are thinking and what we are looking for from them. She was going to mull it over this weekend, and get back to me at the beginning of the week. But, she said what we were thinking was wonderful and to go ahead with everything we need to do now...so that's where we are.
When do we want to meet again? Let me know...
CSF Group Blog
We will be communicating and linking our project status on a group blog.
http://johnandjacqua.blogspot.com/
Communcation and approvals should be easier to see this way.
~john
littlejohn group...
becca: did you end up talking to her on thursday? how'd it go? did she say when we can meet with her?
Remediation
The first reading in Remediation has helped me understand designing and writing even more. This process will definitley help me in the creation of our group website. Remediation as B&G explain can be seen all over the place. Just in trends alone you can tell how websites, storefronts, and even our newspapers are referring back and forth to each other as well as borrowing from the past. B&G have hit pretty much hit the nail on the head with this theory.
My main focus of the website now will be creating a user friendly site that captures the spirit and excitement of college students. I would like to create something thats not just a website, but something that lets people know exactly what CSF is, while making them feel welcome and included already. This will be a hard task, but many ideas from B&G will help in this process.
CSF - Responsibilities
Technical Website Responsibilities: John Callaway
Writing for Pages: Jacqua Morrison
Interviews for Info: Jacqua Morrison
Creation of each page: John Callaway
Permissions for site: John Callaway
That will be a general overview for our project.
John
I will be responsible for all of the technical aspects of the website. This will include page design and general mapping. Since we only have 2 people in this group, it will be good to work together on overall visual design and logistics.
Jacqua
Will be in charge of the visual aspects of the site and will be writing the information for the pages. She will also work with the campus minister on interviews and a newsletter type format main page.
A defined listing will be up soon.
I can't believe we are learning this CRAP.
I found it much easier to grasp the concept of hypermediacy at first, and then I realized that is because immediacy is necessarily transparent. Hypermediacy's goal is to remediate into immediacy. However, hypermediacy isn't a negative term. Hypermediacy marks advancements in technology and processes. Immediacy is merely the integration of hypermediacy into less noticeable technology. Taking from Becca's reference to the iPod's I started thinking about the process of remediation I went through. I no longer carry a bulky walkman that doesn't comfortably fit anywhere. I don't have to worry about changing CD's after every 12 songs and I don't have to worry about knowing exactly which song on each short playlist is coming next. Now I wear headphones that I don't even feel with an iPod that fits easily in my pocket listening to thousands of songs and music videos, never knowing what is coming next. I completely zone out sometimes (it can be debated as to whether this is a good thing or not). The simplicity of the iPod allows me to forget I have it, acheiving remediation from a noticeable process to a transparent one. I finally feel like I am learning practical skills and concepts that will apply somewhere outside of the classroom. By paying attention to CRAP I feel like I can begin to create a medium that dissolves leaving only the content. Before these readings I thought that it was important to have fancy and super technical aspects to a website to make it successful, but now I realize that by creating a uniform pattern with simple navigation and usability I can create a more useful website. My old goal was to have people say, "Wow! Look at all of the cool do-hickeys on this website," but I now hope people will forget they are even looking at a website. The best work I can do is something that will go virtuallly unnoticed, leaving the content to stand on its own.
Littlejohn Group Update, etc.
Hey guys. So I never received an email from the lady at Littlejohn with contact info etc, however I spoke to my teacher again who has some connections to the center and she gave me the name and phone number of who we will actually be working with on the website. I gave her a call but she was not there. I left her a message and I will call in the morning when I get to work around 9am. Like I mentioned earlier, I'm at work until just before class tomorrow so I will get everything straight with her on the phone in the morning and find out about meeting on Friday.
I will email you directions to my office but in case you don't get it in time the office number is 123 Brackett, first door on the left in the shared area. Any professor or staff looking person roaming the halls on the first floor office area should be able to point you in the direction of 123 or ask for the Landscapes for Learning office. See ya around 1pm!
Becca
Remediation and its impact on my thinking...
So it is the beginning of yet another semester...I worry that although the classes I am enrolled in this semester will teach me information I do not know, they will not challenge the processes that I have come to know as the "way I think". Thankfully, it doesn't seem to be the case in Electronic Media. This class has already enhanced the way I look at many of the "machines" that take up my time (television, movies, the internet and even my iPod).
Immediacy, according to B&G, is an occurrence in which the medium is transparent and one is immersed in that which they are experiencing without the realization of the technology producing it. Hypermediacy, according to B&G, is an occurrence in which one returns to the reality of the technology which they are using in order to access the media. Remediation is a continuing process in which one may progress from hypermediacy to mediacy, mediacy to hypermediacy or both (for example, one may be initially aware of the website they are viewing, but as they read they may move toward immediacy and no longer realize the medium. However if they are asked to download an application to view a file they may again realize the medium, therefore returning to hypermediacy.)
With that understanding, I now have a better grasp on what we are striving for as a group with our website project (creating a space in which the viewer feels a connection with the children and develops a desire to learn more/contribute to the organization because it is not merely a webpage they are vieweing). As a sociology major with a communications minor I am now very interested in learning more about society's visual response to media and the impact it may have in the future. I know when I wear my iPod I am able to transcend the busy world that is around me and instead be immersed in the music I am listening to. I hope to realize more this semester how immediacy, hypermediacy and remediation can impact a world consumed by technology.
Littlejohn group...
PROGRESS...
Here is a look of who is responsible for what:
• MEGHAN
o History page (All info by week 10)
o Volunteers page
o Linking from sites
o Obtain permission from parents to use artwork and pictures
o Get flyer printed and ready for distribution (by week 14)
• JAKE
o Contact page
o Hosting events page
o Linking from searches
• BECCA
o Programs page
o Learning portal user names & passwords
o Photos & album page
• ALL
o Menu (by week 4)
o Home page (by week 5)
o Design flyer to hand out at various locations (by week 12)
We expect to hear back from our contact later today to set up a meeting time. We have a basic idea of what she needs so we have been able to get started. We have our questions we need to ask based on each part of the project we are working on. We need to find out if we can use pictures of the kids and possibly some of their artwork on the site. We will get a formal list of programs and descriptions at the meeting. We will also divide the programs into the different age categories they use. We have all downloaded the software and are beginning to understand and use it.
- Meghan, Becca & Jake
*next meeting - tentative! THURS 1pm in BECCA'S OFFICE*
Remediation
As far as these new ideas come into play with the website we will be constructing, I now have a greater grasp of what things should look like in relation to one another. Most importantly I have come to realize that Each thing or object on one page should and must connect to one another, to keep the attention of the audience and to create a flow. The use of certain appeals toward the emotions of our audience also gives the oppurtunity for them to become consumed and almost lost inside the flow of the website. I now realize the importance of knowing the audience and the concepts best used to persuade or sway the audience's attention.
Reaction to B & G
Hypermediacy, Immediacy and Remediation are different ways to view and manipulate the visual pathways of the viewer. Remediation is the means from hypermediacy towards immediacy. Hypermediacy has a lot to do with visual graphics and the reality of the site. Examples of hypermediacy are digital video game first person perspectives and sonagrams. Hypermediacy is hard to get used to if one is used to other command line interfaces instead of the new graphical interfaces. Hypermediacy consists of the varied uses of images, sound, text, animation and video. Remediation is defined in B and G as the representation of one medium in another (hypermediacy in immediacy). The goal of remediation is to obtain immediacy and smooth visual pathways to the information. Barriers to remediation include waiting for images or files to load or needing to open in seaperate players or windows.
One example of remediation in my daily life is in note-taking. Messy and unorganized notes distract me from the information. Colorcoded and organized notes with different proximity or contrasting values provide a visual picture when I am reading. I organize the information in my mind similar to my notes... I guess you can say I'm a visual person.
Non-Designer's Guide...
This was a very helpful book and gave me a lot of the basic knowledge to start planning our site - the part in the "extra tips..." section was especially useful. I liked many aspects of the book including the examples of what to do and what not to do. They also showed how to fix different projects. I even noticed some faults in previous projects of mine and fixed them. Now the formatting of our site will go a lot smoother since we wont have to do so much expirementing with typestyles or alignment.
Our site is going to be viewed by all ages so we want to make it as appealing and organized as possible. Now I know to use the same color scheme, the same buttons and bullets. The four basic principles proximity, alignment, repetition and contrast seem like common sense but once I read the chapters I realized how much difference details mean. The categories and developing of families of type are good ways to establish the tone of the web site.
Tuesday Meeting
I sent an email since my webmail was working, but just in case ya'll's isn't, tomorrow at the same place as last week is great with me. I will go into work an hour early so I can leave an hour early to meet. 1:00?? See ya then!!
littlejohn group...
Becca & Jake - would you like to meet tonight or tomorrow? I think tomorrow will work fine. I will revise the written part and get the timeline started as a chart. Post here when you get a chance; I'm not sure when webmail will be back up.
Thanks!
group project
I started to make a list of stuff to be included in the timeline. I will be free tomorrow from 12:15 until class tomorrow if you guys would like to meet then. Becca: mabye you can write the part about what the center wants to get out of this site? Email or post here if you guys can meet tomorrow... I might be able to meet tonight if tomorrow doesnt work. Thanks!
ALSO... my email is MJOYCE@clemson.edu and my screen name is EBELLABLUE if you have any questions!
Groups
So because Sally Ann decided to drop I guess that means I will be working with the Community Center group of 3. I believe Becca said she will be getting the contact info. If the other two of you in my group would like to get together sometime tonight or figure out a way for us to work on the GANNT or PERT proposal that would be cool. I'll be checking the blog again later so just let me know.
CSF Group Update
First, I should apologize for not posting yet. We have talked about mostly everything, so far, in class, and I didn't think about posting. (I moved the date back so it would be in order with the rest of the posts)
Jacqua and I will be working on a project for First Baptist Church, Clemson. This church has a college group called the Cooperative Student Fellowship, which formed 2 years ago. The group really doesn't have a website that functions or serves the purpose of attracting students. Our project will be to create a functional site that will attract students and provide information about what the group is and does. The site will provide calendars, photo alums, news, and other information to accomplish this goal.
Tentative projects:
As of Tuesday's class, it sounds like the class is thinking about working in two groups, one working on a community service website (to be determined) and one on the 1st Baptist Clemson.
Non-profit Project Ideas
I work with a program called Landscapes for Learning (LFL) that is a part of the Clemson Extension office. One of LFL's recent/ongoing projects is Clemson Community Care (CCC) on Highway 76 in Clemson. The primary purpose of the organization is to reach out to less fortunate families in Clemson, Pendleton, Central and Six Mile. CCC provides a food pantry, mobile clinic (run partially by CU Students), provides utility bill assistance, etc. The organization is primarily volunteer driven and currently is only represented on the web as a small part of the City of Clemson's website. They do not have their own site as of now. My idea is to get together with the primary organizers of CCC to put together a webpage separate from
www.cityofclemson.org in order to provide all of the information that may be useful to those in need, as well as to those who wish to volunteer or make donations. Let me know what you think...or if you would like any info about volunteering, etc.
SKILLS
I have never completed a website but did I start one last semester. My digital portfolio in ENGL 190 gave me some insight to the technology. I downloaded dreamweaver and photoshop onto my computer and have been trying to figure some stuff out on my own. I am really excited to learn more and am willing to put a lot of time into this project. Qualities I am looking for in a partner would be some more computer knowledge than I have and a positive and hardworking attitude. The client we choose does not have to be one I mentioned in my earlier post. I am up for anything! I am also willing to put in time at our professor’s office hours and get extra help from other students.
PROJECT IDEAS
I have always had an interest in fashion and clothes so I thought about developing a site for a clothing store. Most stores have sites but are very simple and don’t have the current inventory of designers updated. The sales of the store could increase if they show everything they offer.
Another idea I had would be working with an organization on campus. I am not currently involved in any clubs but if any of you are or know of some clubs who could benefit from a website I think it’d be fun. Popular events this spring might also need a website to promote and increase attendance.
A new semester, a new beginning!
This is where you will put your weblog postings, and, for graduate students, your precis.
Although you will have prompts most weeks, you should also feel free to use this space to facilitate collaboration. Try to keep posts on topic (at least on the wide topic of the course) but make the space work for you.
