Website!

I am so excited to announce that I officially have a website!

Please make sure to check it out at http://courtneygerman92.wix.com/courtney-german (or you can just click here!) and let me know what you think!

I have really enjoyed having a blog for this semester of Digital Communications, and I look forward to keeping it updated!

Personal Favorites

I am so excited about this post, because . . . it's all about me!  My favorite aspects of websites, my favorite designs, even my favorite colors - all are important features of any website of mine.

I checked out wix.com and felt like I was planning a party!  So of course, what is the first step to planning a party?  The guest list!

There are tons of important decisions to make when it comes to designing a website.  Who is my audience?  Who am I catering it to?  Why?  And most importantly, what decisions do I need to make in order to cater to my intended audience?

In my case, my intended audience is targeted to interest graduate school committees, future or potential employers, and internship opportunities.  So, my website needs to be polished and professional, to attract such an established audience.

The next step is to figure out the party (read: website) objective.  Simply put, my objective is to impress each of the above audiences.

So what's the strategy?  What is my party's entertainment going to be?  How can I establish and successfully complete my objective?

There are a lot of contributing elements to interesting these audiences.  First, I think a strong resume is essential.  It builds the argument for my experience (another very important element.)  I also think it would be really helpful to have my work, writing, etc. easily available for review on the website.  That way, with the click of a mouse, my audience can see the pieces that I want them to look at.

However, I don't think it's all about content (though I definitely think content is THE most important element!  It gives the audience the most to work with). I think the site needs to be easy to navigate, clean, clear, attractive, and organized.  I think it needs to have tabs to allow the audience to find the information they want to - maybe separate tabs for my experience, resume, example pieces, links to my videos, my contact information, links to my social media, etc.  I want my website to put everything out there - to show my audience my very best, and even more.

One element that I didn't think about until Professor Price mentioned it is "applicable life experience."  What a great idea to put on my website!  For example, I am hoping to attend a 3 week long Study Away in New Zealand this May.  The trip is all about media and culture in New Zealand - so my experience on the trip would likely apply to my future career.  That is definitely something that I want to be able to bring to the table on my website, so a tab for "applicable life experience" is a fantastic contribution to the site.

For my website design inspirations, I had so much fun checking out websites that I thought communicated effectively.  Here are some of my favorite elements!

I really appreciate how clean and simple the tabs are - really articulate.

I love the little blurbs about each person, and how readily available the contact information is!  Both of the above examples come from Melbourne Promotions - the site is available at this link!

In this example, I really appreciate that the title is BOLD and stands out, and I love the organization of the tabs across the top line.  Very accessible and organized!  Click to view the full blog 

I love the tabs, and the picture is beautiful and striking.  It definitely makes the website standout.  I also like the links to social media that this provides!  Check out the entire site here!

All of this "party planning" also caused me to become obsessed with logos . . . Here are some of my favorites!

I found all these logos through webdesignledger.com.  Check out more through this link!

So. Much. Fun!  This definitely made me want to design a logo for myself - kind of to brand myself!  I will have to get going!

What are your suggestions for branding yourself?  For attracting these types of audiences?  What else should I aim to add to my website?

Online Editing

Chapter 6 of Brian Carroll's work Writing for Digital Media focuses on the idea of online editing, from both the perspectives of design and publishing.  Carroll brought up several excellent points, and I want to highlight and discuss each individually, below.

Carroll asserts in one of his first paragraphs:

 "Online publishing is not at all like editing for print, at least in terms of job responsibilities.  In print, there are clear distinctions between roles and duties among writers, designers, editors, and copyeditors.  Media convergence online is blurring and blending the job descriptions and responsibilities traditionally assigned to writers and editors.  Even hotshot page designers need to know how to write a declarative sentence; writing skills are not optional" (Carroll 120).

His assertion stating that writing skills are not optional was of particular interest to me.  Am I the only one who notices the constant spelling, grammatical, and content errors spread across Internet websites?  To what writing skills is Carroll referring to?  

Certainly, there are well written pieces available on the Internet - but because anyone can "publish" his or her work on the blogosphere or create a website, I definitely feel as though writing abilities and quality is decreased on the Internet.  Something to think about . . . .

I also enjoyed Carroll's online editing step-by-step directions.  I found it very appropriate and useful for people who edit and publish their work independently on the Internet.  In particular, I enjoyed his recommendation to define the style of the website or Internet source that content is published on - I agree it makes a difference to how the piece should be edited.

The case studies Carroll featured in this chapter were also quite informative.  I especially appreciated Case Study 3: Error Prevention Project in Brazil, because I found the idea of training writers and editors to learn how to prevent errors really interesting.  If we start with educating children as they learn to write, perhaps writing skills will only be enhanced and nourished as they grow up.

What do you think about all the various elements of online editing?  Do you think it is the same or different than print editing?  Why?

Reading Images

In the article "Reading Images" by Gunther Kress and Theo van Leeuwen, the authors break down the composition of photographs, in order to depict the meaning behind the images.

Most notably among the various compositions, in my opinion, was Kress and van Leeuwen's explanation of why compositions matter.  The authors state that composition as it is selected by photographers and layout editors, develops the way that readers view the image (and often its corresponding article).

The type of photograph that I personally find the most striking is the "fly on the wall" photograph.  The authors explain this type of image as one that the subjects are unaware that someone is photographing them, unaware that this event or experience or time in their life is being recorded.  One example that immediately came to my mind was the following:

This photograph was taken by a "fly on the wall" and yet it had a tremendous impact result from it.  The photograph was taken by Wayne Tilcock of The Enterprise and was captioned, "University of California, Davis Police Lt. John Pike uses pepper spray Friday to move peacefully Occupy UC Davis protesters while blocking their exit from the school's quad in Davis, CA.  Pike is a retired US Marine sergeant twice honored for his police work on campus."

The image's photographer may not have known exactly what the media audience's reaction would be to it, but he still had a purpose in mind when he took the photo.  It was to very clearly make a statement about the almost "assailant" role the police officer played for the "victims" or students.

My questions for discussion are though, do all photographs have this same power?  Who decides the impact that a photograph will have?  Is this another case of the infamous "CNN Effect"?  How is the CNN Effect determined with regard to photographs?  Do all photographs have credibility if we know that photographers take certain pictures to represent certain perspectives?

Mission Statement

The first time I remember being asked what I wanted to be when I grew up was when I was seven. 

The question fell under a section in my School Days memory book, a book I filled in annually with memories and details of each school year.  Although I did not wonder about the question at the time, as I reflect upon it now, I am astounded that a book would ask a child of seven what career goals she wanted to accomplish over a decade later.

Although my answer to that question when I was seven was “a nurse,” by time I filled in the second grade year of my School Days book, I had laid out for myself the same dream that I have today.  I wanted, and still want, to be a journalist.

Now, I am a third-year Communications Studies major at Furman University, with plans to work at a major magazine after I graduate – preferably as a columnist at Good Housekeeping.  I am still fascinated by stories, perspectives, and retellings, just as I was a seven year old.  I still love to read and even to be read to.  My progression is now, I live and breathe words.  Now, I find intrinsic value in that every word in a language possesses its own distinct, articulate meaning.

It is my hope that my experience in Digital Communication this semester will afford me the opportunity to broaden my understanding of digital journalism.  Although I have always seen myself as a print journalist, I am faced with the undeniable truth that the field of journalism is rapidly changing.  New ideas are constantly emerging, and I hope to be prepared to not only face these changes and new way of thinking, but to embrace them.  I believe this class will teach me these emerging techniques and ideas with regard to not only words, but photos and videos as well, and that it will prepare me to enter my field as a capable journalist, with a thorough understanding of the different forms of digital communication.

The topic I hope to explore throughout this class will be focused on the digital communication engaged by the Furman University Admissions Office.  I am an Admissions Ambassador at Furman, and also serve as a member of the Admission Ambassador Executive Board, so I am particularly interested in investigating the techniques employed by Furman Admissions to attract prospective students to the university.  It will also be helpful to the Admissions Office to see if its employees are engaging all the technological resources that are available.  My research will allow me to either confirm the status of the Admissions Office with regard to its technological engagement as satisfactory, or present me with the opportunity to aid the office in further developing its technology.