Monthly Archives: April 2021

Essay #2

Over the last semester, I have gotten to build and grow my website, Brooke Reads Books. This was a really interesting experience for me, as I have always wanted to try blogging but never made the leap. Although there is so much back-end customization that goes into a website, it’s not as scary as it seems, and the most important thing is to start sharing content. I’ve enjoyed getting to cultivate a “digital garden”, a space of my own on the Internet (Basu, 2020, para. 3). 

My website is for book lovers or for people who are wanting to get into reading books. I decided to do a mix of blog posts, some being book reviews and other being articles relating to books, such as new releases for 2021 or gifts for book lovers. I thought this would be a good way to reach an audience that wants book reviews or who wants book related content but aren’t completely interested in the books I have reviewed. Gifts for book lovers could also potentially reach an audience that doesn’t usually read but was wanting to buy something for someone else, and then potentially while on the site they could have found a book they might have been interested in themselves. 

I hope that an audience would find value in my website for all things books. For book reviews, I would be going up against Goodreads which someone might first turn to for a book review, but hopefully they would find value in my blog posts as well. I’ve also linked all the book titles to go directly to the book on Indigo so they could purchase it easily if they wanted to. I hope my other articles are also useful to an audience to find book related information that may be more effort for them to search for, such as gift ideas or upcoming releases. I was inspired by the Digital Garden reading for this, stating that my site can be not “the definitive source, just a source” (Basu, 2020, para. 8). I hope that book readers looking for different opinions and reviews on books may find mine helpful, even though it is just my personal opinion.

Over the last month in Google Analytics, I have had 66 users come to my site. I thought this would mostly be clicks from other Pub 101 students, but I had 17 Canadian users and 48 Americans on my site. I would be interested in continuing to track this long term and learning more about my audience. I wasn’t able to collect enough data to see the age or gender statistics. I think tracking this longer term would be very interesting to get a sense of who my audience actually is. For my imagined audience, I figured that most would be girls, as the books I am reviewing are usually marketed towards girls, as well as my website having a “girly” theme. I think the age range of my imagined audience would be teen girls to young women, in the 15-29 age range. This is because that is also the age range for most of the books I am reviewing. 

I think that the past 13 weeks of creating this website has been a really interesting challenge. I’ve learned a lot about what it takes to create a website, design elements that are important, search engine optimization, and other little things I wouldn’t have thought about for creating a website, like the importance of linking out and how important fonts are. I’d like to continue to learn more about SEO and Google Analytics for the future. Since I focused most of this class on making my blog look how I wanted it to and creating content I thought was important, I would like to explore more of how to promote and market it in the future. A goal of mine would be to get my blog posts into the first page of Google search results. Currently I have found that one of my blog posts is at the top of the second page on Google results, I would be interested in learning in-depth about search engine optimization and applying it to my blog post to get it to the front page. Hollingsworth (2018) states that the first three positions on the front-page result in 40 percent of click-throughs, while up to 30 percent after that will not get clicked at all (para. 54). I need to focus on SEO in order to rank higher on google search results, so I can get more organic website viewers. 

Creating a website and posting on it weekly is a great learning lesson, and I think it would benefit any student to do this, not just one that is planning on a career in publishing or communications. Campbell (2009), lists some of the benefits to students having a personal cyberinfrastructure, such as technical skills, multimodal writing, social networking, and more (para. 7). Learning to be a digital citizen is very important for students, and I think this has been a very beneficial class. This has prepared me for “creative and responsible leadership” for my future (para. 9). 

Having a website domain is a great way for students to create a portfolio to take with them. When their assignments are posted on their own website, they are able to take the work with them and carry it through their education and future work experience (Watters, 2015, para. 6). It can show the progression of a student’s learning progress, rather than just grades locked in a school system (para. 19). As a communications student, it is very important for me to have a portfolio of writing and design work I have done. I think creating a website is a great way to carry this with me and has been a great opportunity to practice writing samples and get experience with WordPress and Google Analytics. 

 I think I would like to continue to blog, but I may change it up slightly. I think the book reading niche was a great way to get started and to create for this class, but I would be interested in writing different content in the future, maybe on a separate website. The freedom to write and create whatever I want is something I liked the most about this class, it is my own personal digital garden that doesn’t follow any rules (Basu, 2020, para. 6). I will definitely be taking the knowledge I have learned from this class and using it in some sort of digital garden somewhere in the future. 

References:

Basu, T. (2020, September 03). Digital gardens let you cultivate your own little bit of the internet. Retrieved April 04, 2021, from https://www.technologyreview.com/2020/09/03/1007716/digital-gardens-let-you-cultivate-your-own-little-bit-of-the-internet/

Campbell, G. (2009, September 4). A personal cyberinfrastructure. Retrieved April 04, 2021, from https://er.educause.edu/articles/2009/9/a-personal-cyberinfrastructure

Hollingsworth, S. (2018, April 13). 12 reasons why your business absolutely NEEDS SEO. Retrieved April 04, 2021, from https://www.searchenginejournal.com/why-seo-is-important-for-business/248101/#close

Watters, A. (2015, July 15). The web we need to give students. Retrieved April 04, 2021, from https://brightthemag.com/the-web-we-need-to-give-students-311d97713713#.4d7j8rs6x

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Book Review: They Both Die at the End

I thought the title of this book would prepare me for the ending. I was wrong. They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera takes place in a world where Death Cast calls you on the day you will die. There is nothing you can do to change this, just decide how you want to live your last day. Both Mateo and Rufus got the call, and they both unfortunately will have to spend their last days alone, without their friends and family. They come together to try and live an adventure on the last day of their lives.

I thought the writing and the plot of this story was great, and I started to care so deeply for the main characters, Mateo and Rufus. It’s hard to get attached to characters when you know they’re gonna die, but they were very well written. The book was written so well I felt that I could visualize everywhere they went, imagining what every setting looked like.

Even though the title of this book is a spoiler in itself, the real plot of the book is the journey along the way. It’s not focused on death, but instead on how they live. With that said, this book hit me hard, and I finished it at 2:00 am and had to have a good cry. It made me think about my life, my loved ones, and how I would spend my last day. I would still warn everyone to have tissues on hand during the reading of this book.

If you’re up for it, I would highly recommend this book. It’s such a great story, and such a great piece to make you think. What would you do on your last day? Would you tell your friends or sneak away to live one last day?

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Process Post #12

Prompt: Develop community guidelines for your site. Why are those the right guidelines for you? How will you implement them?

Guidelines:

Be polite and respectful: No rude, defamatory, offensive, and threatening posts will be allowed. Comments with offensive or hatred material on the basis of gender, race, sexuality, religion, ethnicity, age, or disability will be allowed.

No links: Links will not be allowed in posts in case they lead to spam or inappropriate material.

No self promotions: No self-promotions or promotions of others will be allowed.

Be Helpful and Relevant: Keep on topic, don’t comment irrelevant information.

No Doxxing: Sharing personal information is not allowed.

I think these guidelines are good to have for this site. I don’t anticipate my target audience posting anything like this, but trolls might. These would be implemented through monitoring of posts, and immediate removal of anything that breaks these rules. For larger sites, there may be a community manager in charge of reading through all posts are making sure they all fit into the guidelines, but for my site I would be able to manage them alone.

The most important rules on this list are the first and last ones. The first, to be polite and respectful is important because trolling and offensive behaviour will never be allowed on this site. The last one, no doxxing, is an important safety feature to make sure private information is not being posted. The other guidelines aren’t as important, but instead are there to ensure there is no spam and to keep comments and posts running smoothly.

I think it’s important to set guidelines, so anyone who comments knows the rules right away. This way there can’t be any complaints, as it was clearly laid out. Guidelines help keep the posts as a safe place, which is welcoming to anyone who wants to join the site.

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My Site’s Community Guidelines

Process Post #12

The community guidelines for my blog site aren’t going to be much different from the guidelines on other online platforms. It is important for me to respect the views of my audience and vice versa. Jaapsfilm’s community guidelines strive to create a safe and fun space for all. It is expected that these guidelines are being followed by everyone. With that being said here are my community guidelines:

Respect other’s viewpoints
Respect the privacy and personal details on this site Do not defame others Do not plagiarize No hateful, unlawful, abusive, vulgar, racist, sexist, threatful, etc comments Communicate politely and respectfully. Always be thoughtful of others Treat others online as you would treat them in real life

I believe that the guidelines above are suitable for my blog site. The guidelines that I have created are not anything unknown or completely different from the basics. I had looked over at Instagram and facebook’s community guidelines for inspiration and direction before creating my own. They are just simple courtesy rules on how one should behave especially in public. They aim to create a safe online space for all individuals while giving my viewer the freedom to express their opinion. Now comes the question of how will these community guidelines be implemented? I will create a special section in my menu bar on my site in the coming weeks to access these guidelines. This way my viewer will be aware of the rules and regulations of my site.

References

The Instagram Team. (2021). Facebook – Meld je aan of registreer je. Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/unsupportedbrowser

3 Things I Do When I Feel Like Giving Up

Blog Post #12

I am sure we’ve all felt like giving up at one point or another in life. If I had to describe what giving up feels like in a few words I’d say it is when in a specific moment you think you can’t do something any longer because you are mentally and physically exhausted. The photo above is of a hike that I did with my friends this past summer and I can say that numerous times during this hike I had thoughts about giving up and going back to my car. I am going to share a few tips and tricks that I use when I feel like quitting.

Most of the time if I can win the mental battle that I fight with myself before giving up I can find a way to succeed. There are a few strategies that I have learned over the years to overcome failure. I will be sharing three main startegies today.

(1) Distract yourself with something

Usually, when I go for runs and feel like giving up I distract myself with thoughts, future events, the things I am going to do after my run to direct my attention elsewhere. So that I don’t have time to say “I am tired”, “I give up”, “I want to stop.” I have been using this strategy not only for running but also for when I’m doing other everyday tasks.

(2) Envision your goals

When you are able to envision your goals it becomes easier to reach the finish line. For example, I make to-do lists when I’m feeling unmotivated to finish a task. Personally, the reward of finishing tasks for me is when I get to cross off everything from my to-do list. It gives me a sense of satisfaction and achievement which keeps me going.

(3) Find your role model

This one is a big one for me and has positively influenced my actions. Role models are pivotal for self-development as they create a standard to strive for (Fayyaz, 2018). A role model can be anyone who you look up to, inspires you, and encourages you to do better.

References

Fayyaz, N. (2018, September 29). Why role models are important. DAWN.COM. https://www.dawn.com/news/1435581#:%7E:text=Positive%20role%20models%20influence%20our, the%20most%20of%20our%20life.&text=Role%20models%20are%20a%20must, for%20or%20compare%20ourselves%20with.

Mini Assignment #6

Automated Smart Blinds

For my project I chose to install automated blinds by Hunter Douglas. This decision was made to increase blind longevity, convenience, and smart home capabilities. Blinds usually fail quickly due to user error. From pulling too hard, too fast, or the wrong way, strings fray, fabrics fail, and blinds ultimately do not last as long as they should. As this project was designed with longevity and convenience in mind, I decided to use automate blinds. These are battery powered and do not require any electrical work, and the hub runs on WIFI allowing me to use if this then that, on anything in the house. These blinds also integrate two blinds into one by having a blackout layer and a room darkening layer.

Spring is Here!

For my last mini assignment I was tasked to make a gif for my blog and this is what I came up with!

Last week, I went to White Rock, and I can certainly say that I am officially ready for the hot weather. If you didn’t know, White Rock is this cute oceanside city in South Surrey. And fun fact, it has the longest pier in all of Canada. The palm trees and beach house vibes got me all excited for spring and summer! With all this in mind, I decided to start dressing more appropriately for the weather.

My Outfit details:

Shirt: lace bustier from Victoria Secret

Pants: Dickies High-Waisted Ankle Pant from Urban Outfitters

Socks: Nike crew socks

Shoes: Nike air force 1’s

Community Guidelines

The topic of homelessness has always spurred controversy and debate – should our tax dollars go to helping those who can’t help themselves? (yes). Are we as a society obligated to help those who are not contributing to the economy? (yes). These harsh perspectives, (unfortunately) cannot be silenced – but they can be greatly reduced if we remove the opportunity to post comments anonymously. Both Konnikova and Suler agree that the freedom to post anonymously makes a poster more comfortable with posting hateful vitriol, intended to inflame and upset the reader.

Thus, while we cannot make it impossible for a poster to post anonymously (people can make burner, or “troll” accounts), we can make it more difficult, forcing people to link their opinions to their Facebook or something similar. Through this, people will still have the option to post abrasive comments, but they will have to post it alongside their faces.

Comments which foster a culture of dehumanization, and do not contribute to a healthy and respectful conversation will not be approved (comments do not appear until approved by admin).

“Were you silenT or were you silencED”

Website Progress

As we near the end of the semester, I’m reflecting on how far my website has come, and what I still want to integrate into the site in the coming weeks, beyond the end of the course.

The learning curve for WordPress was steep and frustrating at times – I remember it took me almost 5 weeks to figure out how to implement a drop-down menu for my “PUB101 section”.

The backend programming end of the website has remained a struggle, but I committed myself to accomplish the tasks set before me – the design changes, the formatting changes, and so on and so forth.

In terms of content posted on the site, I’m mostly happy with what I’ve covered, being a range of educational material (how to respond to an overdose, and a bear spray attack), and recommendations for further reading (Never Enough by Judith Grisel, Realm of Hungry Ghosts by Gabor Mate). I’ve touched on issues like stigmatization in the health care system, recording homeless people for internet fame, and provided links for those experiencing homelessness. I’ve shared a fair few numbers of stories about the people I get to interact with.

Something I want to discuss further is the experiences of Indigenous homeless and street-involved persons, and how their experiences differ from their white counterparts. Part of the reason why I haven’t already explored this topic is it’s an enormous topic, informed by a long history of colonial trauma, displacement, and cultural genocide. Instead of attempting to contributing my perspective to the discourse on this issue, I will amplify the lived experiences and perspectives of Indigenous peoples.

Overall, the experience of building a website has been difficult, but rewarding. Moving past the scope of this course, I will likely keep posting, if nothing else as a means by which to process what I’m exposed to at work.

Art In The Downtown Eastside

Graffiti on the downtown eastside saves lives. For a community disconnected from other sources of news and media, graffiti is regularly used to communicate vital information about the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic…

… as well as the overdose epidemic. Often times graffiti alerts people to the quality of the drugs going around the neighborhood that week, often accompanied with messages to not use alone, and to carry Narcan.

Smokey D., (pictured next to his piece Fentanyl Kills) is the artist behind many of these murals.

The murals are also often used as a form of mourning for specific loved ones as well as the community broadly speaking. Publicizing the impacts of the overdose epidemic serves as an important reminder to the general public of the ongoing epidemic, and reminds people that the homeless and street-involved community are not to be ignored.

Lastly, the murals can be used to advocate for the rights of homeless folks, and drum up political and social motivation surrounding these issues.

After all – is there any more humane quality than creating art from pain?

Transmedia Integration

Breaking up a block of text with images or videos is integral to maintain a readers’ interest in your blog post. As discussed in Kevin, Britteny and Lauren’s blog post on transmedia storytelling, using different mechanisms and platforms to communicate your ideas make your thoughts accessible to a broader network of people. In the listed example, authors discuss the broad range of media used by the Pokemon franchise, spanning collectible and playable cards, movies, TV shows, videogames, apps, and collectible merchandise. This range of means by which to participate in the public surrounding the Pokemon universe is one of the reasons why the franchise is so successful.

This can be integrated on a smaller scale to improve accessibility and boost retention on my website. It would be interesting to incorporate Emily’s idea to mirror the “Humans of New York” concept, and include photos of the people whose stories I am telling. However, this isn’t possible in terms of my residents as it goes against the company policy. I could interview people who aren’t my residents and listen to their stories, but I have a much more trusting relationship with the people I work with and see on a regular basis.

Instead of including photos of people I could include photos of the environment (the streets of the downtown eastside), the art in the community, and the buildings. The art of the downtown eastside is humanizing in and of itself – what is more human than creating art out of suffering?

BO Y (2019) Review

Deaton Chris Anthony’s sophomore album, BO Y, is an eccentric, insanely creative masterpiece that caught my attention the very first time I heard it. He experiments with different genres from bedroom pop, “U Got Talent,” to trap, “Tony Hawk (ft. LA),” and even spoken word, “Deaton’s Meditation”. Some beats are simple, while others incorporate elaborate sonic freakouts that briefly interrupt and alter the song altogether, for example, “Coca Cola Cutie”. There are vapor-wave and dance-house influences, and it is clear that DCA is very forward-thinking in his production. Although there are so many different factors at play, DCA manages to achieve a seamless, cohesive project with flawless production.

Highlights include “RACECAR (ft. Clairo, Coco & Clair Clair)” which is DCA’s most-streamed song, as it went viral on TikTok about a year ago. Heavy bass kicks off the song with Clairo almost rapping, a side of her I have not yet seen much of. DCA lets the features really shine on this track, and all of their voices blend together beautifully. The production on this song is slick, and heavy synth-use adds a really fun texture. Another song popularized by TikTok is “1999 She”. This track is super catchy with an up-tempo beat, including lots of synths and keys. The beat switches around 1:00 and gets even faster. Another honorable mention goes to “Hello Honeybee, Goodbye Butterfly” which is undoubtedly the climax of the album. It is an eight-minute-long interlude that kind of shifts between genres. It is full of emotion and best conveys DCA’s talent.

My personal favorites include “Mr. Call You Back (ft. Triathalon)” which is characterized by its bouncy synth chords, funny adlibs, and a catchy bridge/chorus. Also, “Tony Hawk (ft. LA)” is more of a bass-heavy trap beat. Finally, “Late Night Lovin’” (ft. Jean Dawson, Korbin in Orbit & Omar Apollo)” which has an upbeat bedroom pop vibe. DCA often uses his voice as a vocal bridge between songs, resulting in an album that flows well, where each song develops ideas previously presented. This is impressive due to the sheer versatility in sound throughout his entire project.

Though generally unorthodox, BO Y’s bright, colorful production, goofy yet catchy lyrics, and silly songwriting are what make this album so special. Through these cryptic lyrics, DCA emphasizes themes like heartbreak, loss, and superficial happiness. He is vulnerable and expresses his optimism, obvious through his catchphrase “Have a great day.” Humor is also center on this album, DCA’s persona is funny and charming, it really comes through on tracks like “Deaton’s Meditation”. The synth use is reminiscent of 90s dance-house and though it pulls inspiration from a lot of older music, though BO Y is extremely modern sounding. It feels original, well-thought-out, and works through many genres successfully. In my opinion, BO Y is one of the most slept on albums I have encountered, it is full of charisma and creativity and leaves me inspired every time I listen.

 

Favorite tracks: “Late Night Lovin'”

Least favorite track: “(Bonus) Sid The Kid”

Overall rating: 5/5

 

 

 

 

 

Open in Spotify

2021 Releases I Can’t Wait to Read

2021 is looking like it’s going to be a great year for books. Here are five titles I can’t wait to read this year:

One of the Good Ones – Maika Moulite and Maritza Moulite

When Kezi Smith dies after attending a social justice rally, her sister Happi is left in the aftermath. But when Kezi is immortalized as one of the “good ones”, Happi wonders why this is, as if only some people are worthy of being missed. Happi and her other sister, Genny, decide to honour Kezi in their own way.

This book was released in January, but I have not had a chance to read it yet. It looks very interesting and a great read for thinking about the after math of police brutality.

Happily Ever Afters – Elise Bryant

Tessa is a writer, and is accepted into a prestigious writing program. But when she needs to find herself, her friend suggests that she finds inspiration by following a list of romance novel inspired steps to find Prince Charming.

Another January release that I can’t wait to get my hands on, this looks like a fun rom-com book to enjoy.

You Have a Match – Emma Lord

Abby signs up for a DNA service thinking she won’t find anything new, until she discovers she has an older sister. To find out more about why her parents gave Savannah up for adoption, they meet up at a summer camp.

This is Emma Lord’s second book, and I loved her first book, Tweet Cute. This book is already a Reese’s YA Book Club selection, so I’m excited to read it. I’ve been on a waitlist to get it from the library for weeks now.

As Good as Dead – Holly Jackson

The third book in the series of A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, Pip is preparing to leave for university. But she has been receiving messages and death threats, and a stalker knows where she lives. She has to follow an investigation about herself to find out who is doing this to her.

I loved A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, so I can’t wait to continue reading the series in book 3. This book isn’t released until August, which will give me plenty of time to read book 2 as well.

You’ll Be the Death of Me – Karen M. McManus

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off with murder. When Ivy, Mateo, and Cal skip school, they think they’re in for a fun day. But then they come across another student skipping where they follow them to their murder. All three of them are now connected to this murder, and they are all hiding secrets.

I love every book Karen M. McNamus has released so far. Unfortunately I’ll have to wait to November to read this one.

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Process Post #11

Prompt: Make a plan for incorporating more transmedia integration into your online publication. What channels will you focus on? Why?

Transmedia storytelling is dispersing content “across multiple media for the purpose of creating a coordinated entertainment experience” (para. 5). For a blog, this would mean creating content across multiple different platforms. In addition to blogs, many people utilize YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, and other platforms as well.

As this website is a book blog, there are many different ways I could use transmedia integration. One is Instagram. This would be quite similar to the blog content I have, except the main focus would be the photo. Then there would be a shorter write up about the book I am featuring in the caption. It is more photo focused, rather than word focused like this blog.

The second one is YouTube. Many book bloggers use YouTube to do longer (10-15 minute) sit down videos, talking in depth about one book or even multiple books. These could be collections such as recently read books, books in a certain genre, or books by an author. The creator will focus mostly on their spoken words, maybe with a couple pictures or showing off the cover of a book. These could be compared to blog posts as being a spoken and visual version.

The third platform is Tik Tok. These videos are much shorter, in the 15 second to 1 minute range. These may have the creator speaking during it, or may just have a few written words on the screen about each book, such as a simple yes or no for whether they would recommend it or what their rating of the book would be.

For me, I get most of my book recommendations now from Tik Tok. “BookTok”, the name of the genre of videos on the platform has been a great source for book suggestions. The algorithm on Tik Tok also makes it much easier for videos to be seen than on other platforms. If I were to be expanding into transmedia content in addition to this blog, I would focus on making short-form videos on Tik Tok as well.

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3 Reasons Why You Should Go Watch A Sunset

Blog post #11

I absolutely love watching sunsets it’s one of my all-time favorite things to do. I try to go to the beach at least once a week to reconnect with nature and feel rejuvenated. Sometimes it gets hard especially during an intense week of school but then I just have to decide what is more important. Is it studying or watching a breathtaking sunset view and it gets pretty easy to decide from there onwards. Just kidding.

Today I will be sharing three reasons why you should go watch a sunset:

(1) You get to go outside!

Going outside has amazing mental and physical health benefits some including lower blood pressure, stress reduction, decreased cancer risk, boost in mental health, etc (Loria, 2018). So, this is a win-win situation, you get to watch the sun go down and there are remarkable health benfits that come along with doing so.

(2) You will feel more energized

There is something about that time of day that just feels so magical. I truly believe that it is one of the most beautiful parts of a day. All the different colors in the sky, the clouds, birds in the air, the golden hour lighting give me so much positive energy to take home.

(3) Helps you build an appreciation for mother nature

Nature is an incredible natural phenomenon. Seeing the beauty of nature first-hand makes you want to protect it from getting destroyed by big corporations. As the global temperature rise, there is a major threat to the environment. So, the more we appreciate mother nature the stronger will the urge to protect it become.

References

Loria, K. (2018, April 22). Being outside can improve memory, fight depression, and lower blood pressure — here are 12 science-backed reasons to spend more time outdoors. Business Insider Nederland. https://www.businessinsider.com/why-spending-more-time-outside-is-healthy-2017-7#:~:text=Spending%20time%20in%20forests%2C%20hiking,bathing%22%20to%20 improve%20your%20health.

Are you content?

Blog post #10

I took this photo in early 2020 before the lockdown in Canada on my trip to India. My favorite part about traveling is definitely meeting new people. Although most of the time the interactions I have with people are very short but the impact is always long-lasting.

My family and I were visiting historical Gurdwaras in Punjab which is a state in India. As we were walking to the Gurdwara I saw this crippled man who had the biggest smile on his face. I saw a few teacups around him which meant he was being fed and others were helping him out. We gave him some money and in return, he folded his hands to show his gratitude. This photo captures the beautiful smile on his face expressing his appreciation.

Sometimes we have everything we need but still can’t find a moment of peace and appreciation. We always want the next best thing, better than the last thing and the cycle never ends. By doing this we forget to live in the present moment and lack gratitude. When I said that the moments I share with strangers are short but the impact lasts for a tremendous amount of time I meant that I always find something to reflect on in my own life which contributes to positive change. Contentment is about peaceful satisfaction, it is when you are grateful for what you have and where you are in life, rather than wishing things were different (Beard, 2019).

I am grateful for all the interactions I have with amazing people when I travel to places. What are you grateful for?

References

Beard, C. (2019, December 27). 7 Ways To Feel Content With Your Life Right Now. The Blissful Mind. https://theblissfulmind.com/feel-content-right-now/

Incorporating More Transmedia Integration

Process Post #11

This week I will be talking about my plan to incorporate more transmedia in my blog site. This will include producing content for various outlets for my blog. Many content creators use platforms such as TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Twitter to reach more audiences. It is of utmost importance to note that, in order to generate the maximum amount of engagement, a story must reach consumers across all the devices and platforms they use (Heyes, 2019).

In today’s day and age, transmedia integration is crucial as it “forces people to tell stories with as much gusto as they can muster, using images, videos, animated GIFs, cinemagraphs, sounds, maps, and words” (Heyes, 2019, para.9). For a while now, I have been planning on turning my photography Instagram account into a platform for Jaapsfilm. This will work as both platforms are photography related and the content I post on 5jab_ is very much relevant to Jaapsfilm. I want to start off by posting more content on my 5jab_ accounts Instagram page and then I will slowly expand my audience base by hopping on Tik Tok, Twitter, and Pinterest. Gaining more audience is not an overnight job, it takes time and patience. I need to be consistent with producing content for my Instagram account and blog site!

For an audience that expects to be entertained at all times, online engagement is becoming increasingly difficult (Heyes, 2019). The best strategy for achieving that engagement might be to tell good stories that are genuine, factual, and elicit emotion (Heyes, 2019).

References

Heyes, S. (2019, November 13). Transmedia Storytelling & Digital Marketing – 8MS Blog. 8 Million Stories (8MS). https://8ms.com/blog/transmedia-storytelling-importance-digital-marketing/