Original Piece

As discussed below, my original piece is a revamping of an existing online document, the English department homepage at Wake Tech. This is still a work in progress, and unfortunately, I am working on this project with a number of other faculty. I would like to provide you with a finished product, but it is still in the approval stage. Once the homepage design is approved, then we (the committee members) will each take on the responsibility of completing staff bios and taking photos for those pages. Again, the audience consists of staff, faculty, and students (current and potential). Our short-term goal is to create a simple, attractive homepage that provides easy navigation for informational purposes. It is not designed to be exceptionally dynamic or interactive but should help readers find basic information on the English department and its members.

Below you will see two screenshots in jpg. format: Sketches 1 and 2 (pending approval and revisions). Please click on the thumbnails for a larger view and zoom in to see full size. Please keep in mind that these are just sketches and info will be added. Because these are images, you will not be able to navigate. These pages are temporarily on the college intranet, and access is restricted via password.

Sketch 1

Sketch 2

Notes:

Personally, I don’t love the colors used under the text as seen in Sketch 2. The images are actually books which can be seen more clearly in Sketch 1. My department head wanted more color, particularly in the center of the page. The current problem is implementing this without hindering the readability of the text. More info will be added, though the plan is to keep the homepage basic. The bulk of the text will be found on the node pages (faculty, courses, Faulkner Award, etc.). The click “here” link will certainly be replaced prior to publishing on the Web.

I am open to ANY and all suggestions. Looking forward to your feedback.

Details for online content (Mod Wk 8)

Assignment: Give details regarding online content you will create for your organization discussed last week.

I, along with members of the web committee at Wake Tech, will be revamping parts of the existing college website while creating additional information. Currently, the Arts & Sciences homepage is lacking in both content and good design. There is excessive white space and large margins. A navigation menu or buttons would ideally go in the left margin rather than top center. The graphics used on the page are not representative of anything, nor do they link to any other location. The page was last updated in September 2004, which in itself says a lot about the importance of the page. This is surprising because the Arts & Sciences division is probably the most important part of the curriculum in terms of student numbers. In community college terms, we’d say it earns the most “FTE,” which stands for full-time equivalent. The FTE generated determines the college budget for the following year.

In addition to making the Arts & Sciences page consistent with the college homepage, each department will be responsible for updating its own part of the website. I will be involved in writing content for the English department. Once design elements have been agreed upon, faculty bios will be posted. Depending on the privacy preferences of the instructor, some bios may be extensive while others will be very basic. Every instructor must list his or her contact info, though personal info is not required but optional. Some will include photos, and some will not–again the choice of the instructor. The only mandatory photos will be that of our department head and department secretary because they are the most “seen” by students. We will also be posting information about the newly coined “Faulkner Award,” which is given to a deserving student each year. Determination of other data is still in the works.

Semiotic Analysis

Assignment: Write a post that explores how semiotic analysis might help us plan our content, Web pages, and sites.

Sherson states that, “metaphors are still essential communication components in human-computer interface design,” and goes on to say that semiotics is more than what we often refer to as “signs.” Semiotics involves the study of anything which stands for something else–how these signs are created and how an audience interprets and understands the signs. See visual below (image courtesy of UCSB Dept. of Geology):

Metaphors in interface design helps users learn systems more quickly. According to Sherman, “even the terminology of the ‘web’ and ‘browser’ are metaphorical and make use of metaphor in the way they function.” Iconic representations help users use tools and features on a page and can be used for navigation as well. A designer who uses common or easily recognizable icons will find that his or her page communicates better and leaves less room for error. Consider the word processing icons with which computer users have become familiar:

Take for example the “Print” icon (printer) or “Save” icon (disk). These icons help the user find the feature he or she is looking for without requiring the user to access the dropdown menus or look for words. The dropdown menus can be confusing with additional “foldouts” that can frustrate a novice user, whereas an icon is located more easily. The icons also eliminate unnecessary steps even for experienced users.

What Web designers and authors must remember about using semiotics is that the sign is only useful if the readership agrees on a simple or denotative meaning. Otherwise, its meaning will be lost, especially among new or international users.  

Online content & style guide

Assignment:

1. Identify a publication, company or organization for or about which you will create online content. It should be one with which you have some connection or affiliation.
2. Tell as much as you can about the point of view you will be taking and about the organization.
3. Tell about your audience.
4. Indicate your style guide for online content.

1. Wake Technical Community College located in Raleigh, North Carolina.

2. Wake Technical Community College (hereby referred to as Wake Tech) is a tax-supported public nonprofit educational institution under the control of a Board of Trustees. It is an institutional member of the NC Community College System, State Board of Community Colleges. The college was chartered in 1958, and operation begain in 1963. The college was accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools in 1970. The mission of Wake Tech is to help improve and enrich lives by meeting the lifelong educational, training, and service needs of its diverse community. Currently the second largest community college in the state, Wake Tech serves thousands of students each year.

I am a full-time English Instructor at this institution and will be focusing on creating an interface and online content for the Arts & Sciences division as a whole and, more specifically, for the English department.

3. As the college catalog states, the institution adheres to an open-door policy by offering quality accessible and affordable educational opportunities to all adults regardless of age, sex, socioeconomic status, ethnic origin, race, religion, or disability. Though this is specifically pertaining to the “brick and mortar” institution, an institution’s website is equally representative of its facilities and faculties. And as any community college employee or student knows, community colleges cater to not only an extremely diverse group of learners but to a group with very specific needs. We have students from many countries, with varying levels of language, reading, and technological skills. The website is geared toward current students, but it is also used to advertise to potential students. In addition, the site is utilized by faculty, staff, and community members.

4. The Arts & Sciences homepage and the English department homepage are lacking in both design and content. They are in serious need of updating and do not really match the updated version of the college webpage. The style guide is determined by the Communications and Marketing department in conjunction with the Web Technologies group. Only members of a website technology committee (including myself and a number of other faculty and staff) have access to the approved templates and design choices that correspond with the Wake Tech branding. We are currently working on changing the interface, navigation, and content for the pages. Some of the standards that will be used are:

• Any web site that is maintained by someone other than the webmaster should have contact information so people can contact you directly.
• Wake Tech colors must be used.
• Wake Tech’s fonts shall be used on your web site – Arial for most text, Impact for headings and titles, Edwardian Script for embellishments.
• Consistent navigation must be provided throughout your site (users will not be forced to hit the “Back” button to get back to your home page).
• A link back to Wake Tech’s home page must be provided on the top of each page (also consistently in the same location) PREFERRABLY each site will provide global site navigation back to all main sections of the Wake Tech web site.
• Wake Tech’s physical address, main phone number and copyright information must be shown on every page.
• Every web site must be accessible in compliance with the ADA.

Headlines continued

Assignment: for a story lede in the course book, write an eight-word headline, a six-word headline, and a six-word headline with an eight-word subhead.

Popcorn and Petting Zoo on Terror Database List

Federal Antiterror Database Flawed but Valuable

Surprising Targets on Federal Terror Database: Homeland Security Assures List is Flawed but Valuable

Article Revision

Paragraphs vs. Lists

Assignment: Find one article on the Web that could be improved with the use of lists. Submit before and after version.

Five Ways to Speed Up Your PC by Jim Edwards would benefit from a numbered list and separation of steps. Edwards had headings but instead of using numbers, he used tildes. For example: ~Buy More RAM~. I inserted numbers 1-5 and separated sequential steps with carats as shown below.

Revision to Edwards’ Five Ways to Speed Up Your PC

No matter how fast your processor and regardless of how much ram you carry, there comes a time when you realize your computer just doesn’t run as fast as it did when you bought it.

Windows loads slower, programs take longer to launch, and, in general, your computer drags like it just came off a 2-night drinking binge.

If this sounds like your situation, these 5 tips should help you get some extra speed from your PC.

1. Disk Cleanup Utility

You may not realize it, but just because you finish with a file doesn’t mean your computer does.

In many cases, if your computer’s hard drive were a garage, you would have unused junk files piled 20 feet high and spilling out into the street.

Everyone should use the Windows “Disk Cleanup Utility” to delete old, unused, and temporary files that clog your hard drive by following these steps:

Click Start > point at All Programs (or Programs) > Accessories > System Tools > Disk Cleanup. Analyze your hard drive for files you can eliminate and it may shock you to see how much hard drive space (and speed) you can free up with a few clicks.

2. “Defrag”

Imagine a properly maintained hard drive as room the size of Wal-Mart filled with filing cabinets.

Now imagine ripping open every drawer of every filing cabinet, slinging the contents onto the floor and trying to find one document -that’s a fragmented hard drive.

Sometimes lack of speed simply results from your computer working too hard to find the files it needs.

You can solve this problem by “defragging” your hard drive.

Click Start > point to All Programs (or Programs) > Accessories > System Tools >Disk Defragmentor. Choose the disk you want to defragment and expect to let
the program run for several hours.

3. Uninstall Unused Software

We all maintain software on our systems we rarely, if ever, use.

That software can steal system resources. Click Start > Control Panel > Add Remove Programs to pull up a screen that allows you to remove old programs you don’t use anymore.

Simply select and uninstall all programs you know for sure you don’t need or want.

4. Buy More RAM

Increasing your RAM, a computer’s memory, can dramatically increase speed when running certain operations or programs.

RAM costs so little now that you should install the maximum amount of memory your system can handle.

5. “Stop Them At Startup”

This operation requires a bit more technical savvy than the other four, so proceed with caution.

Many programs load into the system tray in the lower right of your computer’s desktop and consume system resources even if you never use them.

Click Start > Run > type in msconfig > press Enter. Click the “Startup” tab to see a list of programs that automatically start with Windows.

Clear the check box next to programs you know you don’t want to load at startup.

Don’t clear any checkbox unless you are 100% certain of a program’s purpose.

Once finished, click OK and it will prompt you to restart Windows.

Note to readers: I also considered making the numbered steps boldface. Any thoughts?

Headlines Solutions

Poor Headlines

Assignment: Find three examples online of poor headlines used as links and provide their solutions. Note: I pulled all three straight from today’s Yahoo News.

Headline 1

Original: Actress Amanda Peet Marries: People Magazine

Problem: Unclear, misleading. Even with the colon (and even though a person can’t marry a magazine) the title may be misinterpreted, especially by a “scanning” reader.

Solution: Actress Amanda Peet Marries Screenwriter

Headline 2

Original: Anna Nicole Gets Committed

Problem: Misleading. Under the actress’s current circumstances, this headline leads the reader to believe she has been “committed” to a mental institution. Upon further reading, the reader will see that in this case, “committed” means married. Perhaps that is the tactic of the writer (to get attention), but if someone didn’t take the time to read the article, rumors could get started…and well, you know the rest. What if Anna Nicole’s image was tarnished? Gasp!

Solution(s): Anna Nicole Marries Lawyer or Anna Nicole Marries Again

Headline 3

Original: Boater Rescued After Day in Atlantic
Problem: Inaccurate, lacking info. The title suggests only one boater was saved. When in fact, five boaters were saved after their boat capsized, and the men were separated. Upon reading the article, you see that one of the men was in the water for 24 hours, while the others were rescued periodically throughout the night. Although his length of time in the water warrants emphasis, the title shouldn’t prioritize this one man’s ordeal. Isn’t the rescue of five men better than one?

Solution(s): Five Florida Boaters Rescued or Five Boaters Safe After Coast Guard Rescue

Web critique

NetLingo.com defines “wired” as “To be connected, online; to be a surfer, or part of the digerati. This term also refers to what happens when cappuccino cowboys drink too many mochas. It’s also the name of a popular magazine, Wired, a leading publication that covers all things high-tech, thanks to the team of Kevin Kelly, Louis Rossetto, and Jane Metcalfe.” Wired News (aka wired.com) is a product of the afore-mentioned publication. I love perusing this site; there is always something new and exciting to be found. It’s like going through the piles of clothes in my closet and finding something with tags attached that I don’t remember buying. However, for this assignment, I will present a non-biased critique focusing on the following ten criteria: readability, navigation, coverage, considerations, accessibility, timeliness, reliability, accuracy, credibility, and peer review.

At First Glance

Wired.com can be a bit overwhelming, especially to a novice Internet user. The number of animated ads vary daily; presently a banner of moving smilies graces the top of the page. They are smiling, crying, frowning, and sticking out their tongues at me–hoping that I will click and download them to my AOL IM. Unlike many of the better sites out there, Wired does not offer a motto or defining statement to identify its purpose. The designer assumes the reader knows this is a site about technology-related news. The color scheme and contrast are suitable making the site aesthetically pleasing. There is an option to resize text, which shows consideration for the visually challenged reader. The sidebar to the left of the screen reiterates the topic buttons found at the top; both provide links to the following categories: technology, culture, politics, columns, news wire, blogs, or Wired Mag. The right margin contains excessive white space, which could be used to showcase other links or even ads in moderation. The top stories are located in the middle and contain headlines, lead-ins, and brief summaries. Today’s headlines include an array of interesting titles such as Grow Your Own Limbs, Taste Networking for Better Porn, Apple Goes After Podcast Ready, and NASA Fights Premature Graying. It seems that there is something for everyone. Each headline is accompanied by an icon. If the significance of the icons matters, the reader can scroll to the top to view the legend.

Organization and Content

Though the content is organized and audience centered, it is difficult to search for information without further navigation. There is no search query available on the page. The reader must click on the online version of the magazine or the archives to get access to the search box. The archives, however, are easily searchable and date back to the year 2000. Wired offers an extensive variety of articles covering everything imaginable from portable gaming to virtual reality to the history of Web browsers. The list is endless (though not literally). One could certainly become immersed and spend days reading if he or she had the time and were so inclined. The articles are pertinent and come from legitimate sources such as BBC, New Scientist, and the Washington Post to name a few. They are accurate and reliable, which establishes credibility, which in turn promotes return visitors. Information is layered mostly by the use of headings and links. Visuals are used sparingly and usually only to emphasize and attract the reader to the headlines. The designer of Wired focuses on text rather than graphics. Since this is a news site, the reader expects up-to-date info and breaking news. You will get that with this site.

Recommendations and Summary

Wired.com is an informative site catering to the technology enthusiast. I would not recommend it to a novice Internet user due to the multiple layers and the sheer amount of information; however, navigation is user-friendly, and the designer clearly considered user limitations in the development stages.

As previously mentioned, the site has excessive white space and often annoying ads. More conservative ads would prove less distracting, though the items and services advertised are appropriate for the intended audience. A search query on the news homepage is needed and could easily be placed in the top margin above the legend and text indicator. Overall, I give this site an A-.

711 Revision

Notes to BC and Becky: Thanks for your generous feedback. I’ve made quite a few changes based on your suggestions.

BC: I like the usage of “bleed” in paragraph 3. I’m trying to set a tone…like in the end when I say that pages “litter” the web. I hope that is okay. Some clarification regarding my purpose–based on some of your feedback, I got the impression that you thought I was bashing netspeak in general–not the case. I just think it is inappropriate in what should be more formal writing. My argument was not that it is bad per se, but that it is being abused and is subsequently causing poor writing. I tried to make that clearer in this revision.

Becky: I took out the reference to “article slashing editors.” Although I thought it was witty, in retrospect, it really isn’t relevant where the editors are. In regard to students, whom I focused on in the first part of the article, they don’t have editors. In regard to online authors, unless they work for a company, newspaper, etc., they don’t have access to editors either. Thanks for pointing that out along with the other inconsistencies. I really do appreciate it.

Can U Write? Why Online Communication is Degrading Writing

No one can deny we are living in the Age of the Internet. Most households have at least one computer with Internet access. I know some families in which each member has his or her own PC. Due to high speed connectivity and wireless capability, many PCs (and their owners) are connected or “wired” 24/7. To many, this is a necessity not a luxury. And because online communication is so quick and convenient, many people are using the keyboard/keypad more, thus creating an increasingly accepted informality. The question I pose today is, “Has this degraded society’s ability to write well?”

In a world where e-mail, chat, mobile messaging and online discussion boards are preferred modes of communication for many computer and Internet users, it is imperative to understand the lingo if one expects to keep up in an online environment. Acronyms, abbreviations, and emoticons are understood by most. For users not yet proficient in “netspeak,” there are a multitude of sites that list and define commonly used terms and characters. See http://www.netlingo.com and http://www.techdictionary.com/ for examples.

In an online atmosphere, this is all perfectly acceptable; however, in the classroom and the workplace, this shorthand becomes problematic. An ever increasing number of people are allowing their online habits to bleed into what should be academic or professional writing. Are they truly losing sight of what is good writing, or are they simply lazy?

From a teacher’s perspective, I would have to go with the latter. Students are becoming more tech savvy, which is what we encourage in the classroom; yet, they seem to have trouble understanding that that the casual way they communicate online has no place in appropriate writing style. They certainly know the difference, but they think the entire universe is doing the same and will understand the jargon. Believe it or not, it is not unusual for a college level student to turn in a paper with “U” as a replacement for the personal pronoun “you.” This is becoming an epidemic! If measures are not taken to correct this, road signs will soon read NTOR (no turn on red) and BP2S (be prepared to stop)!

I have also observed a severe lack of editing in more student assignments, professional documents and online publications over the last few years. Because typos and other mistakes are not considered important in online correspondence and writers are not making the distinction, errors are abundant in what should be more formal writing. Students are paying less attention to traditional grammar and structure rules because this is not a priority in their interpersonal communication methods. Sadly, students are not the only culprits. I see blogs and other online literature riddled with misspellings and careless mistakes. Did Bill Gates decide to remove the spell check tool from MS software and no one told me about it? Sure, we all make these mistakes from time to time, but I’d be willing to bet these errors can be attributed to a lack of good revision techniques.

Why is the editing process becoming less important? Simply put, technology has made it easy to publish to the Web, and self-editing is not required. To produce a Web page or blog, one does not have to go through a publisher or other media institution, and potential readers can be found in all corners of the globe. The increased opportunity to publish materials is certainly observable in the countless personal pages that litter the Web, facilitated by the emergence of free web hosting services.

I am afraid that forcing people to write well at all times is out of our hands. To all fellow teachers…I say stand firm. Continue teaching sentence diagramming ad nauseum, and take off ten points per spelling error. Scare tactics really do work, no matter what the administration says.

I will end my online rant here and continue grading papers, which is what I do best. But first I need to get another red pen to finish this pile of papers.

Writer’s Workshop

 

This is an opinion piece on whether chat, e-mail, and other forms of online communication have improved or degraded society’s ability to write well. The primary audience for my piece is anyone interested in reading/writing for the Web or teaching in a tech savvy classroom.

Can U Write?

No one can deny we are living in the Age of the Internet. Most households have at least one computer; I know some families in which each member has his or her own PC. Of course, PCs would be virtually useless without an Internet connection and access to the Web, so this is a necessity not a luxury. To sum it all up, most average households in the U.S. are considered hi-tech and are constantly “wired.” The question I pose today is, “Has this degraded society’s ability to write well?”

In a world where e-mail, chat, mobile messaging and online discussion boards are quickly becoming preferred modes of communication, it is imperative that one understand the lingo. Abbreviations such as LOL (laughing out loud) are understood and take the place of true laughing. One can also use emoticons—typed symbols that represent facial expressions or gestures—to make conversations more personal.

In an online atmosphere, this is all well and good; however, in the real world—in the classroom and the workplace—this shorthand becomes problematic. An ever increasing number of people are allowing their online habits to bleed into what should be academic or professional writing. Are they truly losing sight of what is good writing, or are they simply lazy?

From a teacher’s perspective, I would have to go with the latter. Students are becoming more tech savvy, which is what we encourage in the classroom; yet, they seem to have trouble drawing the line between electronic communication and appropriate writing style. They certainly know the difference; they just think the entire universe is doing the same and will understand the online jargon. Believe it or not, it is not unusual for a college level student to turn in a paper with “U” instead of you somewhere in the text. This is becoming an epidemic of epic proportions! If we don’t put a stop to this, road signs will soon read NTOR (no turn on red) and BP2S (be prepared to stop)!

Another problem that I’m seeing is a severe lack of editing. Because typos are not considered important in the aforementioned types of correspondence, errors are abundant. Students are paying less attention to traditional grammar and structure rules because this is not a priority in 95 percent of their communication methods. And it doesn’t stop with students either, so all you web authors can erase your smirks. I see blogs and other online literature riddled with misspellings and other careless mistakes. Did Bill Gates decide to remove the spell check tool from MS software and no one told me about it? Sure, we all make these mistakes from time to time, but I’d be willing to bet these errors can be credited to a lack of good revision techniques.

Where are the article slashing editors, and why is the editing process becoming obsolete? Simply put, technology has made it too easy to publish to the Web. To produce a Web page, one does not have to go through a publisher or other media institution, and potential readers can be found in all corners of the globe. The increased opportunity to publish materials is certainly observable in the countless personal pages that litter the Web, facilitated by the emergence of free web hosting services.

I am afraid that forcing people to write well at all times is out of our hands. Teachers…I say stand firm. Continue teaching sentence diagramming ad nauseum, and take off ten points per spelling error. Scare tactics really do work, no matter what the administration says.

I will end my online rant here and continue grading papers, which is what I do best. BTW…I’m out of ink, so I’ll BRB. I need to get another red pen to finish this pile of papers.

For a list of abbreviations, check out http://www.techdictionary.com/chatsms.html.