Scams

In my family, we just let the phone ring unless it's a number we recognize and our parents are home. Because generally it's for them anyways and the message will usually be something along the lines of "tell your mom (or dad) that on blank-day, so-and-so needs this or that and that the meeting on this blank-day has been changed to this time." Etc. We leave it for the answering machine so our parents can actually get the message.

So the other day, when we were all together in the family room lounged on the couch, draped over chairs, or sprawled on the floor chatting about life while the television was paused, the phone rang. It was one of those numbers we didn't recognize, plus it was an unknown caller. My dad actually asked that we pick it up. We normally don't, because usually those numbers are trying to sell us something. But we did, and gave him the phone.

And guess what? Someone was calling from India! My family doesn't know anyone personally who lives there, just so you know. This person was telling us that we have a problem with our Windows on the computer and thus he called us so he could help, or whatever. Now, this guy called the wrong house. First, I think that we have only one non-Mac in the house. Secondly, we haven't had a problem with our computers. Thirdly, my dad's a computer scientist and so actually knows what computers can and can't do. Receiving a call from India about the fact that one of our computers is having problems and so reached out to this guy for help and then from that learned our actual house number to call to help was highly unlikely. Apparently impossible as well.

HTML and CSS

HTML

I’m back to my Interact with Web Standards: A Holistic Approach to Web Design reading, and it’s getting a bit more complicated. Chapter 10 introduces HTML. Thus, HTML “consists of content – the words, references that pull in images to be displayed, and other data found on a web page – wrapped in special syntax markers that indicate what the difference pieces of context are (paragraphs, lists, images, etc).” There are some important types of HTML available:

   
1. Emphasizing pieces of text: some elements are for emphasizing pieces of text within the paragraphs, such as quotes, cited quote sources, strong/important text, code excerpts, deleted or inserted text, etc.
   
2. Numbered lists: HTML elements make this list possible and is one of the more important types to know as it is frequently used.
   
3. Forms: this element allows website visitors to enter information into the page.
   
4. Images: this element I particularly like as it means that that images can be inserted into a web page. I love looking at pictures of places and people and things.
   
5. Linking documents: these are elements that allow the linking of one document to another, even other people’s.

CSS

Chapter 11 is introducing CSS. CSS stands for Cascading Style Sheets. CSS2 became a recommendation in 1998; CSS 2.1 was agreed upon in 2001. Yet, CSS3 was started in 1998 and is still being worked upon. Some important concepts of the chapter are as follows:

   
1. Inheritance: is the mechanism by which certain properties are passed from a parent element on to its children. If it didn’t exist, you’d have to specify every property for every HTML element, every time you wrote a web page.
   
2. The cascade: it’s the mechanism that controls the end result when multiple conflicting and overlapping CSS declarations apply to the same element. It has three main concepts: importance, specificity, and source order.
   
3. Importance: the importance of a CSS declaration depends on where it is specified. The later orders override earlier ones.
   
4. Specificity: it’s a measure of how specific a rule’s selector is. A selector with a low specificity may match many elements, while a selector with a high specificity might only match a single element on the page.
   
5. Source order: if two declarations affect the same element and have the same importance and the same specificity, this is the final distinguishing mark. The declarations that appears later in the style sheet will win.

Information Architecture and 'The Details That Matter'

Information Architecture

Well, here is another entry for my Web Design and Development class. Again, it is really interesting, I just wish sometimes that I had a more creative mind in making it apply to my goals in life. The textbook I have is called Interact with Web Standards: A Holistic Approach to Web Design. It’s a great textbook. Especially for such as me who does not understand most of the very basic principles. The chapters I’ve read this time were titled “Content Analysis” and “Content Strategy”. Both really great chapters. Here are 5 concepts that I think are important to recall:

   
1. Focus on the users: I would think that this is a no brainer. Don’t assume you know what the user wants. Conduct user interviews and surveys so you know exactly what they want.
   
2. Interviews and surveys: When asking questions include asking what they think (current perception), what’s their experience (history), how much they know (knowledge level), what they want (goals), what they do (tasks), what they like best/least (satisfaction level), how would they rank features (priorities), what they would suggest (opportunities for improvement).
   
3. Web analytics: You are not actually observing people and their behaviors. You are sifting through the tracks they left behind. Web statistics show you what happened, but they do not tell you why it happened.
   
4. Content strategy statement: it’s a guideline for anyone who will be creating or editing content for the site. Content for whom and why? What content? What style? Finable content? This is what needs to be considered.
   
5. Good content doesn’t just happen: Good content is the core of a good site. Don’t wait until the end of the project to discover that the quality needed is no where to be found.

“The Details That Matter”

As part of my assignment I am to read an article from AListApart.com. It’s a really interesting site. I found and article entitled “The Details That Matter” by Kevin Potts. He begins by telling us how the graphic arts industry used to be; with it’s professionals in each field. Since then there has been a “the lower cost of entry and increasing commoditization of design” which requires all in the field to have an eye for detail to succeed, elsewise they will fail. Potts says:

Only the luckiest website builders actually build websites all day. Most of us are also part-time proofers, project managers, usability experts, design critics, navigational architects, therapists for copywriters, and general go-to experts on all thing interweb. We are responsible for not only testing in different browsers, but for knowing which browsers our audience will use, and why. We have to sit in on conference calls and listen to people criticize our work and ask the same question nine times. We are responsible for checking the consistency of link treatment. Button design. Form functionality. Whether little decorative flourish A matches little decorative flourish B. We have to pay attention to a lot of stuff, and a lot of it falls well outside the sphere of design.

It’s important to recognize that a Web Designer is no just a Web Designer, he or she must have other skills in order to succeed. But the one skill to have would be an eye for detail, because if you do not have it and you miss something “it often leads to Old Testament, end-of-the-world stuff”. Every detail needs to be thought through: top to bottom, inside and out, Potts tells us. Else you may develop a bad reputation and it becomes rather hard to raise above it. But the thing to keep in mind is “creative professionals who can see all angles of a project are the ones who ultimately succeed in the industry.” I think any profession should require an eye for detail, but if it does not, and you pay attention to the details anyways, it’ll surely lead you to success with a great reputation.

Information Architecture and Internships

Information Architecture

My web design and development class requires us to write 5 important concepts about information architecture. However, I (as I am sure many of you) had no idea what information architecture was. Luckily for me the chapter actually defines it (a total surprise, of course). What an information architect does is analyze, organize and label information on websites so regular people can actually find what they are looking for. I suppose this means that information architects are not regular people... :D

   
1. Information architect responsibilities: develops documentation on the primary audience goals, persona(s) or fictional character representing the audience, current content inventory, competitive analysis, content strategy statement, content outline, content gap analysis, site diagram, page description diagrams and wireframes. They are very much involved with the website planning process.
   
2. Defining the project: requires an interview of the client, a project brief based on the information given by the client, document technical specifications for what they wish to have on the site, develop a maintenance plan of how often the site will be updated and reviewed, and create timelines for when each phase of the project will be done.
   
3. Interviewing the client: there should be a list of questions written out to gain information from the client. Preferably, try to give the client the list before the interview, thus the client will know the answers or have pondered on them, and so you can begin work. Do not give them the answers.
   
4. Project brief: simplifying all the information given in the interview into a one-page project brief. It’s to confirm that you understood what the client said they wanted/needed and you’ll use it to share the big picture with those working on the project.
   
5. Maintenance plan: the content must be kept complete, current and accurate. It’s important to clarify how the site will be maintained and who will be responsible for it.

These are all ideas that go great with web designing, but with that not being my particular goal in life, I see it as also a way to help with any company or business. These steps would help make any company successful with their costumers, and you could make it individualized: making sure the information is organized, making sure the project (any project) is defined, if there is a client make sure the you know what the client wants and then putting it into one page so all those involved can easily access it and know the big pictures. Finally, making sure everything is maintained; how often and who maintains it.

Internship

The Web Design and Development majors all have to have an internship. I do not believe with my English-Creative Writing major that an internship is required. However, during the in class discussion on this topic, I thought to how this could benefit me as well. It gives relevant work experience in your field of study. It offers a possibility of a full-time job opportunity and helps you discover what you do or don’t like. You also can rub shoulders with those who are experts in that area. Beginnings of a great networking if you work it right. I love how networking is basically an I-know-someone-who-knows-someone and it can get you a job. Also, an internship. Networking can cause you to end up where you want to be, but it’s amazing at how many connections you have, but you have to become aware of them and strengthen those connections. It’s recommended to make contact at least 3 to 6 months perviously. Our guest speaker said:

The internship should be done on the off-track semester, about your Junior Year. Begin to network by creating a list of people you know who may know someone. You are responsible to finding the place to intern at. Research some companies and industries you are interested in, one relevant to your major or minor. It’s recommended that you go to a paying internship rather than volunteer. Have it approved by the school before you accept.

It’s very possible to do multiple internships, but I’ll only receive credit for one. Though with me not having to even have an internship I do not know if I’ll gain any credit. But I think that this would be a great idea for me to do. It’d look great on any resume and give me great experience in the field of my choice, making it easier for me to get into that same field.

Web Business

I have a class called Web Design and Development. It's an introductory course for those who wish to become Web Designers or Web Developers, or even both.

The class actually has no influence on my major or my minor, and I took it only because I wished to know more about Web Design. Someday I'd like to create a website for myself. The only problem is I currently have no specific purpose for it. So I'm taking the class to gain ideas and information, and then pass it along to my genius brother who is majoring in computer science.

He's a fella who can create a website. I'd like to think that I'm the person who can help design and come up with ideas. Though, it would be more of a blending of ideas because, well, he's a genius.

Last Friday in class, we had a guest speaker. His name is Kent Lundin. He teaches Web Business 250.

Web Business 250 is a class with no prerequisites. It's a class where you make and build an online business for the semester. Weither you have any experience with building a website or not.

There are a few steps he spoke about:

1. Choose a Business

2. Build a Site

3. Legal

4. Searching, SEO, Google

You learn of the process and gain tools to help you choose a successful business. Once that is done you build the site. You purchase a hosting and a domain name. You learn how to work with credit cards, etc. Then you learn of the legal things, like taxes.

The last step is what I think would be the most fun.

Getting people to come to your site and to return there.

Using Search Engine Optimization can help you become one of the top sites when people are googling or searching online for something that could work with your business. Taking advantage of the social media is also a great way to get word out there. Having ads is also something to consider.

Using Google Analytics you can see information about the people who visit your site. From it you can determine why it is someone stays or leaves the site and how you can convince people to stay on your site once they have arrived. Perhaps the design of the site needs to be tweaked. Or on one internet browser the website shows up excellently, but on another it does not.

You need to ask: Is this making or losing you money? What do you want them to do at your site?

You can learn from other sites too.

Why do you return to this site? What do you like about it? Why don't you visit this site? What don't you like about it?

Learning from these questions can help you better organize your own site in a way that it is attractive to many.

Yes. Someday I'll have a website and hopefully it'll be with my brother.

First I just need to get him to take the class. Though I think it'd be a beneficial skill for him to have anyways, especially considering his interests.

:D

Counting Down

My vacation is coming to an end and I'll be going back to Idaho in January. I'll miss my family. I'll miss my ward. I'll miss the kids I babysit. However, I'm excited to go back to the college life. It went by so fast last time, and I'm sure these next two semesters will be no different. I'll be home again soon enough.

What's exciting is that for the Spring semester my brother will be up at school with me! This will probably be the only semester I'll have with him as he'll be turning 19 next Fall and going on his mission. The Spring semester is the best! It's warm! It's bright and sunny! It'll be a lot of fun! and my brother will be there!!!

But I have Winter to go through first.

Today I registered for my classes. I was able to get most of the ones I wished to have. Young Adult Literature, The Developing World, Family Foundations, Essentials of Human Nutrition, Money Management, and Intro to Web Design/Development. It looks to be a fun semester!

Young Adult Literature fits with my major and is something I have an interest in. I love to read all types of books and young adult literature is always a favorite.

The Developing World will be a foundation course, but looks really quite interesting. I like to learn about other countries and how they work. I don't know how exactly that class will go, but I'm excited for it!

Family Foundations is a religion course based on The Family: A Proclamation to the World. I had a Family course the last semester, but that was for my minor. This will be a different aspect of it.

Essentials of Human Nutrition will obviously be about nutrition. I think this is an important subject matter for me to know as being healthy and being wise in one's intake is something that will be significant for me to work towards living in tip-top shape.

Money Management is a class that will be much appreciated and valued. I, as a poor college student, will hopefully learn the wisdom and knowledge of how to best handle my money throughout my life. It also happens to work for my minor.

My Intro to Web Design/Development class will be for me to know more about, well, Web Designing and such. My brother is into computer programing and it might be helpful for me to know these things in the future.

In anycase, I am rather excited for this next semester. It'll be cold, but it'll be fun!

A few more weeks.