Monthly Archives: March 2022

Peer Review #3: Album Thoughts

Album Thoughts is a weekly album review blog that appears to focus on popular music and hip-hop/r&b. Upon first landing on the page, it is very clear that the website is focused on music. It is a clean and simple layout, which makes everything really easy to read and the website isn’t too busy which I think is appealing to its audience. I’m assuming they are targeting a younger crowd of all genders, therefore its neutral and minimalist aesthetic and overall vibe makes it marketable to its audience. I think the overall concept of the website, reviewing r&b/hip-hop top albums, both old and new also is a great selling point as this is the music that teenagers and young adults are listening to, which is who I am assuming Album Thoughts is targeting as their demographic. I like how there is a sidebar of recent posts as well as archives by month, it definitely intrigues readers to navigate towards the articles. Consumers also are always wanting the fastest most convenient way to access the information or products they’re consuming, so easy navigation tools such as this are always a great tool for a site and I appreciate the site author is doing so. Overall as a first impression, I think it is a good site and the concept behind it would make great marketable value for a younger audience.

After reading a few posts, I’d like to shout out a review that I think deserves recognition! (Although, I could be biased because this is one of my favourite albums.) Again, however, the music that Album Thoughts is writing about, and how they are the albums Noah most likely knows his age group loves makes it a great selling point as readers are going to want to hear what others say about their favourite music.

Frank Ocean’s Blonde album review was such a great read. I genuinely enjoyed this post and I think what makes this post have great marketable potential is how it’s more of just a review. It’s a very emotional analysis and informative piece on the album. Noah gives some context to the artist, their history and lead-up to the album and you can tell how passionate of a writer he is, which comes off as very genuine and appealing to readers. I love the little analyses of certain songs and lyrics within the album, I think this is what audiences are looking for with reviews. In the bit about Pink + White, I did not even know the song was about Hurricane Katrina and the loss of a loved one, I always just listened to it as a classic heartbreak song, which was super interesting and a great fun fact selling point. At the bottom of the post, he also adds a ranking list of the album, which I think is a great addition and gets audiences thinking about their own ranking list too. This can be a call to action for readers to listen to the album again, therefore they’re gaining a little activity out of reading this post as well. Overall, this was such a fun read that I thoroughly enjoy it and am currently reading his other reviews (such as Kid Cudi’s first Man on the Moon album – another favourite!)

Some points of critique I’d add are very small – probably just more images throughout the website such as adding featured images to your blog posts just to add more visually pleasing elements to the site. I think also creating a drop-down menu for the posiel menu would be beneficial as well. However, I genuinely enjoy this website and really wish Noah continues it after classes end.

Peer Review 3: Above & Byonkers

A screenshot of the header of Above & Byonkers!

Above & Byonkers — a splendid name — is a stylish blog. As promised in her branding canvas, thus far, Bianca has promoted local resources in the Vancouver area that are book-related. Upon first impression, I was excited about the different reads that Bianca had posted about on her page. Bianca seems to make a concerted effort to feature diverse authors and bookstores, as in the case with her post about Moon of the Crusted Snow and the newly opened Vancouver Black Library in February. She states in her branding canvas that she is interested in her page’s capacity to educate and provide free resources, targeting “bookworms that are looking for resources.”

 In that sense, I think Bianca has done well by highlighting, for example, the free workshops that people can attend in the Vancouver Public Library. When she reviews books, she is emphatic and intriguing. Reading her Moon of the Crusted Snow post, for example, Bianca writes, “Rice forces the reader to confront the dark truths of starvation and lack of resources. Moon of the Crusted Snow is a dark but eloquent and necessary read.” Bianca uses evocative language that teases at the major themes of the books that she reads. Her reviews seem largely spoiler-free, which could be a plus for people just looking for books to check out. However, I would personally like to see her review some of the books’ powerful moments, or even some of their weaker moments. I think this would make her reviews more personable. I really liked when Bianca related reading Moon of the Crusted Snow to meeting the author, for example. It makes the review feel more unique to her experiences, and since this is from her perspective, that’s really good to see. One way to add some depth is adding particularly interesting quotes or chapters. It could be added as a pullquote, which would draw readers’ eyes in, and then Bianca would have the opportunity to discuss the quote’s significance if she wishes!

Designwise, Above & Byonkers is intended to attract a community. I think Bianca has done great in engaging with the writer/reader community. Her latest blog post, an interview with the owner of Iron Dog Books, is a great example of this. Hilary is a big name in Vancouver’s reading community in particular, and I loved hearing about her experiences. Bianca asked great questions for people like her audience, targeting people who are interested in entering the publishing industry. I also enjoyed that the bright white font is large and easy to read against the dark background.

I think the black and hot pink theme is really attractive and fun, but doesn’t necessarily communicate what the blog is. Although the latest posts are prominently displayed on the top, the reader only has the small icon in the browser to visually indicate what kind of blog they are on. I believe some warmer colours (like maybe if the pink were a burgundy, or if the pink were paired with a less contrasting shade of colour) or some icons of books on the homepage would help better convey that this is a reading/writing blog. I do like that this theme includes a reading length, though, it reminds me of the writing website Medium. 

A (little bit scuffed) screenshot of Bianca’s post next to the Medium writing post

Overall, I adore Bianca’s content so far. I think it’s really good to have a reading/writing website that uniquely focuses on resources people can find in Vancouver. I think that the website has potential to attract reading groups and communities, and as seen with Bianca’s interview with Hilary, opportunities to speak with authors and other writing professionals. Bianca could definitely receive sponsors one day to review books, or even book subscription packages. I am excited to see where her blog goes.

Thanks Bianca!

The post Peer Review 3: Above & Byonkers appeared first on Love, Kelly.

Peer Review #3!

Kelly’s website, KellyinSaturn, also known as Love, Kelly – is an amalgamation of honesty, creativity and honesty. The theme may seem dark- topics of self harm or abusive relationships, but Kelly does an excellent job of combining these topics with her own thoughtful drawings and provides resources for the reader. 

Kelly’s marketing of “A journey in self-care 23 years in the making” describes the overarching theme of the blog and entices the reader to keep exploring the page, which I imagine helps her amount of page view time for her analytics!

Prior to writing this, Kelly’s blog had a darker colour theme, and a lighter font colour, making it a tinier bit harder to read on the eyes, since then Kelly has lightened her colour scheme, which I think looks more cohesive now, and has darkened the font which makes it easier to read. I would say that Kelly should increase the font size- however her blog posts are quiet lengthy, which makes the smaller font more cohesive. Kelly also pointedly puts effort in making the images that she draws correlate with the blog post itself; the colours are from a similar pallet and I love how Kelly has created sequences in her drawings to show or mark progress and growth! 

My feedback for Kelly is partially based on my inability to view her branding canvas- I can’t see her goals for her blog but I imagine they are about helping people and reaching an audience of people going similar experiences. This website can be very helpful for those it can reach if Kelly is to broadcast it more widely. If Kelly linked some social media, a contact form or an email for people to reach her I think she can help a wider audience of people. This is also part of the issue with her “personal projects” page- Kelly’s site would flourish if she marketed her projects on her site as a form of reaching her audience through personal interest and relatability. 

In terms of monetization I think Kelly could run some Adsense eventually – but also get sponsorships from both self care companies and drawings/ art brands if she wanted to! This site has many cool opportunities that I think Kelly could pursue if she wished. 

I really enjoy the concept of Kelly’s site and I’m excited to see where it goes! Thank you for sharing and for your vulnerability, Kelly!

The post Peer Review #3! appeared first on Above&Byonkers.

Process Post #10

SEO

 This week’s theme: SEO is relevant to the big data I discussed last week. Before this week’s lecture, I did not have a deep understanding of SEO. Using the definition in the lecture, SEO is simply a way to make Google notice “you” (Lecture 10, 2022).

I further understood my audience through this week’s study and modified the website according to the obtained data.

Sam Hollingsworth said that SEO could help us understand macro market changes to understand consumer intentions in detail. I found that my user participation was meagre when I reviewed my analytics report. Before that, I tried to write a call to action sentence such as “post your views in the comment area below” or “do you have any ideas? Share them with me in the comment area” under each post. However, from the analysis results, it does not have much effect. However, after consulting my analytics report, another helpful information I got was the active time of my audience. This information includes a summary of nearly three months since I published my first blog. This makes me understand that the publishing time of the blog should be modified to the most active time of the target audience to promote participation. At the same time, I also noticed that many users use desktops as their browsing devices. This makes me pay more attention to the typesetting design in line with audiences’ web browsing habits.

Finally, I also learned from the 15 reasons why a business absolutely needs SEO that the article title is the most prominent and direct part of the optimization process. Therefore, the optimized keywords should appear in the title. I modified and adjusted some titles in my blog according to this situation. For example, try to limit the number of words in the title to 20 assignments, prioritize users’ search habits, and consider how to summarize the post’s content when writing the title.

Reference:

Featured Image by karolinnne_06 via Pinterest

Sam Hollingsworth. (2021, August 9). 15 reasons why your business absolutely needs seo. Search Engine Journal. Retrieved March 28, 2022, from https://www.searchenginejournal.com/why-seo-is-important-for-business/248101/#close

Suzanne Norman, 2022, Introducation to SEO. 

Process Post #10: Bingo Cards As Transmedia

“Transmedia storytelling is the ideal aesthetic form for an era of collective intelligence,” — Kevin Britteny Lauren

Some of the ways that I hope to incorporate more transmedia integration for my site is by creating interactive engagement activities, such as this movie night bingo card, and by posting inspirational quotes from movies and TV shows on Instagram stories at least once a week to foster engagement.

In his blog post, Kevin Britteny Lauren wrote about Pokemon as an example of transmedia storytelling back in 2013. In his post, he stated that “transmedia storytelling is a process. Elements of a fiction get dispersed across multiple media for the purpose of creating a coordinated entertainment experience,” (Lauren, 2013). By incorporating mini games, puzzles, and activities such as a “movie night” bingo card, I can attempt to facilitate engagement and (hopefully) encourage others to take part in a unique experience that can be enjoyed in their own way and on their own time. 

Other ways that I have thought about for incorporating more transmedia integration for my website is by utilizing the website’s social media channels more (currently, I am only posting on Instagram while I continue to grow my website’s readership). To do this, I could adjust the description format that I use for sharing/promoting my blog posts by taking it one step further. The general description format that I have been using for posts has been simply the “blog’s title” and “read more on www.thehouseholdboxoffice.com.” Going forward, I plan to start formatting my Instagram posts to include shortened and or summarizations of my blog posts’ content as sneak peaks or excerpts of the blog posts. By doing so, this may incentives my readers/followers to visit my site to read the full review or to learn/find more information or film reviews.

References

Lauren, B., K. (2013). Pokemon as transmedia storytelling. Retrieved from https://kevinbrittenylauren.wordpress.com/2013/11/21/pokemon-as-transmedia-storytelling/

The post Process Post #10: Bingo Cards As Transmedia first appeared on The Household Box Office.

Week 11. Peer Review 3

My peer I’m going to review today is Aliya Hussain, the publisher of “Archived By: Khrshd“. The blog topic is fashion and I was worried that it could be a rather difficult topic for me, who is not very interested in clothes other than my favorite outfit style which is just dress. Nevertheless, she organized it neatly through various photo examples, making it possible to see fashion illiterates like me at a glance.

Author’s point of view

She created a black and white blog like me and is supposed to be pursuing minimalism. The reason why I assumed is that her font and design are very simple, for example she used only one type of fonts and she used two colours on the blog. She used many images to fit the visual theme of fashion, which makes it easier for her to guide her fashion to readers. I uploaded all the pictures one by one with big size because there were a lot of informational articles. However, in her case, the big difference from me is that she posted nine photo forms, which are mood board-like Instagram styles with small size, so that people can see what kind of feeling she is pursuing briefly.

The reader’s point of view

If we look at her About column, you can guess that she will write a post about “silhouette and various color palettes.” However, there was no explanation for the blog name KHRSHD, so I felt it was lacking of information. (Maybe I was not able to find the information but there’s no mention about name on her About section which is it supposed to described it in.) For reader’s side, the blog is well organized in a neat image. However, if there is anything to be desired, some posts on her menus are not well linked. For example, if you look at peer reviews, nothing is posted on her post. But in fact, when I searched up the post with the key word “peer review”, she has already written two peer reviews. It means that she already uploaded the assignment but just forgot to connect with the correct menu. The blog is very user-intuitive and offers an easy-to-use design, but I dare advise her that she didn’t accidentally place some posts under the right menu and explain about the blog title’s meaning.

Anyone who are interested in fashion industry or influencer, I recommend you to take a look this blog! I had to find her shortcomings for the assignment, but in fact her blog is more than enough to inspire fashion.

Process Post #9

Data Trail

In recent years, the most popular word is “big data,” which has been widely used in various industries. If statistical analysis of data is based on the vertical classification of existing data, then big data is based on processing existing massive data to make predictions and recommendations for data that have not yet been generated. Therefore, big data is often used to predict or recommend things that have not happened yet. For example, a weather forecast is one of the oldest and most well-known predictions. According to the forecast, people can decide what to wear the next day and whether to bring an umbrella. 

Big data is also ubiquitous in the film and television industry. Based on the analysis of audience preferences, predict and design the plot that the audience likes, find the actors loved by the audience to play relevant roles, and even predict the box office. 

Big data can even intervene in politics, the most famous of which is the 2018 Cambridge analytics and Facebook event. Cambridge Analytica improperly obtained the personal data of more than 87 million Facebook users (Ma, 2019). Moreover, they used these data to participate in and influence Donald Trump’s election activities.

It has to be said that it is terrible to be in an era of big data utilization. 

However, can we escape big data, or are we really willing to escape big data?

In fact, all of us are like Amanda mentioned in a podcast called Digital breadcrumbs: the data trail we leave behind us. As long as we turn on our mobile phones, we have begun to leave traces of our digital bread crumbs. 

Dr. Elisa Oreglia said: 

A “digital trail” is a trace you leave behind you. It’s almost like Breadcrumbs. Sometimes intentionally, sometimes unintentionally when you use a mobile phone; but also when you use a computer, or when you use really any kind of technology that has a chip in it.

Therefore, all our online activities are being observed and recorded. 

However, we have to admit that big data has gradually become our intimate housekeeper or best “friend” when it comes to snooping and recording our privacy because Big data can judge our possible preferences and even needs based on our historical behaviour and recommend the best results to us.

In the end, I think everyone has their own answer.

 

Reference:

Digital Breadcrumbs: The data trail we leave behind us. Pod Academy. (2016). Retrieved March 21, 2022, from  http://podacademy.org/podcasts/digital-breadcrumbs-our-data-trail/

Featured Image by wattpad via Pinterest

Ma, A. (2019, August 23). Facebook understood how dangerous the trump-linked data firm Cambridge Analytica could be much earlier than it previously said. here’s everything that’s happened up until now. Business Insider. Retrieved March 21, 2022, from https://www.businessinsider.com/cambridge-analytica-a-guide-to-the-trump-linked-data-firm-that-harvested-50-million-facebook-profiles-2018-3#where-did-it-come-from-3 

Peer Review #3

Happy Monday, everyone! This week, I’m taking some time to review another class peer’s blog/website. Unlike my last reviews where we talked about movies and fashion, we will be talking about all things in the fast lane! That’s right, we’re talking cars. I will be reviewing and providing feedback for Christian at http://christianwilliams.ca. In this post, I will be writing directly to Christian.

Hi Christian, I hope you find some of these comments and feedback helpful.

Website Marketability 

The type of niche market/audience that you have established for your site is clearly indicated within the type of posts you generate. Your posts go into detailed encounters and experiences from various topics, such as buying a vehicle and getting it detailed. Although your website is about cars, your readers do not need to be car and or automative experts to follow along in your posts. This makes it very inviting for both automative and non-automative enthusiasts. The type of niche market/audience that your website is intended for works well for beginner and current automative enthusiasts, but also for casual viewers too who may be interested in learning more about cars and other automative topics.

Just have a few suggestions for you to make your website more marketable for your audience/readers. One of them is to have a few more photos, such as maybe a gallery of photos of your favourite vehicles either as a post or somewhere on the homepage as a click-through gallery. My final suggestion would be to display your social media handles on your homepage, or either at the top or bottom of your website’s page. I noticed that your social media handles are only visible on your “about” section page. By making them more visible on your website, this may help to increase reader-traffic to your website, offer other ways of engagement with your readers/audience, and help improve your website’s visibility.

Design

I really like your website’s main header/logo. It does very well to visually represent your website and without reading the site’s title, it automatically indicates to readers what your website is about. When I look at the image, it makes me want to go for a drive with friends or take a road trip up to Whistler with my family. The mountains, the lake, and the trees all work together to illustrate the “adventures” part of your title. In addition, the visualization of the car and the park sign help to place your images, as well as create a personal, geographical connection to yourself as the creator of the website. Also, the dawn setting of your photograph creates a relaxed and tranquil tone overall, for which further illustrates the laid back and friendly environment of your website for your readers. All together, they contribute nicely to your website’s title “Christian’s Automative Adventures.” 

The minimalistic approach you used for your website’s design creates a clear and concise layout, for which allows your readers/visitors easily access and navigate the site throughout. I like how you used two tones for your website layout, which are white and grey. The white background works to highlight your blog post content, while the grey background behind your posts allows for greater contrast, especially in terms of your posts readability. In addition, I like the incorporation of different sidebar headings, such as “archives,” “recent posts,” and “categories.” This neatly organizes all your work and content that makes for a very clean and professional appeal. Great job!

Content

As someone who does not know much about cars/automatives, I like how none of your posts are car jargon heavy because it allows for non-car/automotive enthusiasts to comprehend and enjoy your posts. My favourite blog posts are your “purchasing a vehicle from another province” and “superhero guest appearance.”

Your content clearly reflects how you have been developing your website in terms of its’ cyber-frastructure, particularly in your first blog post where you discussed the importance of cars in your life. This helped demonstrate to your readers for why you choose this particular subject for your blog/website, and further elevates it in conjunction to your “about” section. However, I noticed the little disclaimer you have at the top of your “about” section that says, “not finalized yet.” I look forward to seeing the final edit for that page. One suggestion that I have for that page would be to link it to your first blog post where you talked about why cars are important to you and your life. By doing so, you can keep your “about” section brief by linking it to that blog post for people to find out more about your site, as well as help to more strongly prompt readers to your blog posts section. 

Overall, great work and I look forward to seeing the rest of it come together!

The post Peer Review #3 first appeared on The Household Box Office.

RENEWAL ANNOUNCEMENT CELEBRATION – Nancy Drew

[Image credits: The CW, IMDB]

NANCY DREW RENEWED FOR ANOTHER SEASON! The CW series recently announced that they will be coming back for season 4 this fall, and fans cannot wait (me included).

About the show:

To celebrate this great news, here are my top 5 Reasons for why this show is fantastic:

  1. The characters: a diverse range of characters whose personalities balance and complement each other.
  2. The friendships: the friendships between the characters, including between the cast and crew are 😍.
  3. The writing: excellent plot twists, pacing, and foreshadowing throughout.
  4. The cinematography: grotesquely brilliant makeup and costumes, mysterious and spooky atmosphere.
  5. The location: the show is filmed in BC that features its’ beautiful forest and coastal scenery.

If you haven’t seen the show yet, check out season 1 and 2 on Amazon Prime, or watch it on HBO Max, or buy and download seasons 1-3 online.

The post RENEWAL ANNOUNCEMENT CELEBRATION – Nancy Drew first appeared on The Household Box Office.

SF Review: Empire of Silence By Christopher Ruocchio

Empire of Silence is a fascinating and flawed work of epic science fiction.

What’s It About?

Empire of Silence by Christopher Ruocchio follows Hadrian Marlowe, heir to the Archon of Delos – the absolute ruler of an entire planet. Hadrian isn’t sure he wants to rule a planet though – he’d rather become a scholar and travel the galaxy, exploring strange new worlds and such. 

Sensing his uncertainty, Hadrian’s calculating father favours his second son to become heir. Before the situation can be resolved though, unforeseen events send Hadrian on a trek across the galaxy – but not in the way he’d been hoping for.

Also, he destroyed a sun – or rather, he will destroy a sun. Framed as the life story of an older Hadrian, Empire of Silence begins the Sun Eater series, which follows Hadrian throughout his millennia-long life to answer these simple questions: How did he destroy a sun, and why?

The UK cover is awesome!

What Did I Think?

Sold when Ruocchio was just 22, Empire of Silence is a major achievement – especially in worldbuilding. Its universe is BIG – one of the biggest I’ve read, and he does a fantastic job of conveying that sense of scale to readers. Aside from the plot, I am excited to read the sequels just to see more of what Ruocchio has created. From the variety of alien ‘xenobites’ to the many different intergalactic superpowers, it’s clear that this universe is far from empty.

Though Empire of Silence is basically Ruocchio’s version of Dune for the first chapter or two, change comes very quickly. It is no more derivative than anything else in an established genre and develops some awesome and unique worldbuilding. I also enjoyed the plot structure, with Hadrian’s story told in four or five distinct sections. It allowed for a deeper examination of the world, and from more perspectives, than most first-person point-of-view stories achieve. Conversely, using this structure had a few downsides, such as introducing too many characters and weird pacing. I still liked it though.

Characters

On a smaller-scale, Ruocchio has also developed a varied cast of characters – though aside from Hadrian, we don’t see any of them as often as I would have liked. As a protagonist, Hadrian is . . . alright. His inner struggles are layered and interesting, and despite his stereotypical origin story he remains a unique character. In terms of preference though, I just wasn’t that into him. 

He is a bit of a Gary Stu, and too pompous for me to really root for. In fairness, Ruocchio clearly recognizes how pretentious Hadrian is – he’s a far better character in this regard than Red Rising’s Darrow. Despite this, I really wish Ruocchio had toned him down – but a lot of it seems like he just couldn’t help himself. I also think Ruocchio bent the plot around Hadrian a little too much, and not always believably.

After Hadrian’s most pretentious and ponderous moments, Ruocchio regularly had him think something like “oh, my old teacher always told me I was too melodramatic.” I cannot express how annoying this small thing was to me. It’s like Ruocchio wrote the passage, recognized how self-aggrandizing it came off as, and then tacked on that extra thought as if to excuse it. That doesn’t make it better – especially the fourth or fifth time he did it.

Craft Complaints

Most of my other complaints deal with Ruocchio’s writing. Empire of Silence – from mixed metaphors to adjectives that make no sense – has purple prose (in my opinion). If you appreciate authors who are economical about their word choice, you’ll probably struggle here. This is a nitpick, but Ruocchio’s use of “decade” and “quarter” as quantities bugged me (ex. “a decade of legionaries”). In other cases, I appreciate his intentioned word choice, but when there is a simple and more common alternative, use it!

I also wish he’d included somewhat less literary and historical references. Like, yes, it’s impressive how well-read Ruocchio was at 22 – but I wish he could have restrained himself in showing it off. I get that, in context, Hadrian is well-read in English literature, but particularly in such referencing he felt very author-inserty. To be fair, this somewhat bothered me in Hyperion too, though not to the same extent. 

Speaking of Hyperion, there are many references to it and other media in the book, and it’s fun to spot them. For example, I enjoyed the multiple Kingdom of Heaven references, though I wonder if Ruocchio knows he lifted a short scene pretty much directly from the film (he probably does).

Conclusion

Another issue relating to craft is that I’m not a fan of how Ruocchio handled the frame story of old Hadrian recounting his life. For my taste, his thoughts and observations intrude far too frequently on the events we’re reading about – disconnecting me from the immediacy and emotion of them. For example, old Hadrian spoils a character death before it happens. 

To end on a positive, I love how short the chapters are – these 250,000-word book has close to eighty of them. The ending is contrived, but I understand why Ruocchio did it and I’m excited to start book two! From what I’ve heard, Ruocchio improves significantly as a writer throughout the series, and there’s nothing I disliked in Empire of Silence that can’t be fixed. 

If you’re interested in more sci-fi recommendations, check out my review of Hyperion by Dan Simmons!


★ ★ ★

The post SF Review: Empire of Silence By Christopher Ruocchio first appeared on Reader's Repository.

Coca Mocha

Coca Mocha: Must-Have

Peer Review 3

For this last peer review of PUB201, I would like to discuss Gracie’s website, “Sincerely, Gracie“. First of all, from the web title, I assumed her blog would be where she shares her journals and stories, as it gives off a friendly and warm vibe. With her tagline as “My Photos & My Thoughts”, it proves that my guess was close. From what she wrote on the front page, it appears that she is a writer and photographer from Vancouver, BC.

Gracie’s home page. Source: http://sincerelygracie.com/

The Content

There are five main pages featured on her home page menu: Amusing, Photo Diary, Digital Portfolio, PUB 201, and Contact. I find the Musings page quite interesting. It is not a bad idea to have a separate page for the comment section since the audience may share their thoughts on more general inquiries than the fixed topics within her content. So far, all of her content is in the form of images, and they are all gathered in the Digital portfolio section.

The Design and Layout

The website’s theme is a bit plain with the two main colours of blue and mostly white. So far, this choice of design and layout has yet to convincingly represent her branding as a writer and photographer. The layout leaves too much white space on her pages. I really like that she made good use of her photographs. However, more description is needed to connect with the audience, and I would absolutely love to read more about her story.

Suggestions

As for Gracie’s home page, I think that she should write more about her brand’s story, how she found her passion for photography, and maybe talk a little about her plan to develop the website. Throughout the course, Gracie shared that her brand’s mission is “To convey inspiring stories, experiences, and messages through photographs”. However, with a lack of information on her brand’s backstory, this mission may not be fully conveyed to the audience. It would be better for her brand if she included the statement at the end of her about section. Also, instead of having a separate page for contact information, she could create a sidebar widget that includes links to her social media. This not only gives the audience a broader view of her social platforms but also acts as a filler for white spaces on her site.

A website with a unique layout and colour palette is very important to make your brand stand out and reach more viewers. What Gracie could do to improve her visual presentation is reflect on her brand to find a suitable yet outstanding theme and try out different colour combinations that catch people’s eyes. One more thing I would like to suggest to improve her portfolio is that she can sort her work into different sections. From what I see, her portfolio now looks like a photo dumpster with no specifications. I think maybe adding titles and descriptions to each group of images would be a good way to communicate with the audience.

Conclusion

Overall, I like the branding idea of “Sincerely, Gracie”. It would be perfect if Gracie spent more time exploring some of the plugins to upgrade the web design. That way, her brand would attract more viewers. I hope to see more written content on her website soon, as I am curious about her as a writer.

Good luck Gracie!

The post Peer Review 3 appeared first on Chii’s Sweet Home.

Peer Review #3: Chii’s Sweet Home

This week I will be reviewing my classmate Chii’s website, Chii’s Sweet Home. This website shares “Home-cooked recipes, inspired by Asian cuisine with a touch of Western-Style.” Check out her website if you want to learn some do-able and delicious at-home recipes!

Initial Thoughts

Hi, Chii! First off, I want to say that I like the concept and backstory of your blog! I think it’s awesome that since moving to Canada you’ve stepped out of your “cooking comfort zone” and have combined different cuisine styles with your cultural roots in Vietnam. It’s great that you’ve taken your passion for food and turned it into something that you can share with other food lovers. I see great potential for your website to expand into a business of its own and for you to capitalize on monetizing the content you create.

Homepage

At first glance at your website homepage, my eyes are immediately drawn to the large background photo of food. This gives readers an idea right off the bat, what your website is about. I also like the colour scheme you have chosen on your homepage and throughout your website; the bright orange adds a pop of colour to the clean and simple aesthetic. The title, tagline, and picture on your homepage present a compelling brand centred around cooking. One thing I would suggest is to consider adding a photo of yourself to either the home page or the About section. Since your website is called “Chii’s Sweet Home”, including some personal photos of yourself would help readers put a face to your name and strengthen your brand’s image. Adding a picture of yourself on the sidebar above the posts calendar or the About page are fitting places.

You might also want to think about creating an Instagram account for “Chii’s Sweet Home” to increase audience engagement. Given that the content of your site is so visual, Instagram would be a great platform to post images of the dishes you make! If you do so, link your Instagram account to the homepage of your website so readers can find it easily.

Blog

As for the content of your blog posts, you have done a wonderful job adding a personal touch and an intimate feel. The difference between your website/brand compared to other cooking sites is that it is about YOU and YOUR culture. Taking it a step further from simply posting a recipe, you have done a great job explaining the cultural significance of the dishes, plus adding your connection/ experience with these foods. I encourage you to continue with this business strategy because it is what sets you apart— lots of people can post recipes but no one will have “Chii’s” personal stories and perspective on the food.

At the bottom of each of your blog posts, you have a comment section where readers can leave a reply by giving their name and email. I think this is a great idea to create reader engagement, however, I would suggest adding a public comment section instead. This way, readers aren’t required to give out their email if they don’t want to, and it allows for readers of your website to interact with one another. This allows your readers to connect with each other, strengthening the community of “Chii’s Sweet Home”.

Chii’s Bakery

This page of your website does not have any content yet, but the page description suggests that you’re expanding your website to include baking recipes as well. You explain, “Once I am confident with my baking skills, I plan to sell my product on order. The target customers are my friends and anyone who lives in Vancouver, BC.” I think this is a good idea, but I would suggest to first establish yourself and your site with “cooking” before trying to add baking. Once you are ready to expand, I think selling your homemade baked goods would be a great way to increase revenue!

Monetization

In terms of how you could monetize your content, I have a few ideas in mind! First, you could consider displaying Google AdSense throughout your site. With Google AdSense, you can’t individually choose the ads you want to display; however, you can control the categories and types of ads shown on your site. I recommend curating your add categories relevant to your website content. For example, an appropriate advertisement on your site would be an ad for a Vietnamese restaurant (after readers eat there, they will want to use your recipe and learn to make it at home!), or an ad for an ingredient used in one of your recipes. Another option for monetization is affiliate advertising where a company pays you directly to advertise their product. For example, you could partner with a company that sells a specific ingredient needed to make one of your recipes. Additionally, you might want to monetize your content by following a subscription model. You could offer a monthly subscription to your readers for a price, that would give them access to exclusive content. And finally, you could consider monetizing your content by posting videos to a YouTube channel. On your About page, I read that you started this website as a stepping stone to starting a YouTube channel. I think that is a great next step to expanding your brand and revenue of income.

Final thoughts

Overall, I love the concept, content, and design of your website, Chii! As someone who’s looking to try new recipes, I’ll certainly be keeping up with your posts! I think you have a strong business plan for your brand and I’m excited to see where you can take “Chii’s Sweet Home”.

Best of luck, Chii!

The post Peer Review #3: Chii’s Sweet Home appeared first on Sincerely, Gracie.

Interview With the Owner of Iron Dog Books!

This week I virtually interviewed Hilary Atleo, one of the owners of Iron Dog Books – located on 2671 E Hastings Street in Vancouver, BC! Iron Dog Books began as Vancouver’s “first modern-day mobile bookstore” in 2016, and opened up a store space in late 2019, right before COVID-19 sent British Columbia into lockdown. Iron Dog Books stands out as an Indigenous-owned independent bookstore, and as explained on their website Hilary and Cliff Atleo felt that “More often than not we struggled to source books we needed, or to convince the folks around us that Indigenous stories were important to the literary canon. Our experiences taught us that if we wanted our dream bookstore to exist, we would have to build it ourselves.” And so they did – with Iron Dog Books! Here is my virtual interview with Hilary.

Iron Dog Books Mobile Store

Q: On the Iron Dog Books site, you mention opening your store on December 6th 2019, just a mere three months prior to the pandemic hitting Vancouver! How do you feel this impacted your opening of Iron Dog and the way you managed to persist as an independent store?
A: “The pandemic has simultaneously been a deeply challenging time for small business and a platform on which our fledgling store found significant customer loyalty and success. In many ways the pandemic reinforced our founding principles of great customer service, empathy for our patrons and being a place for locals to find the things they need. Our business has always been focused on our community first and that principle meant that when folks needed books and entertainment during the worst of the restrictions we were there to help them. I sometimes think that we were always going to get where we are, but the pandemic hurried us there faster.”

Interior of The IDB Mobile Store

Q:You went about the opening of Iron Dog in a very unique way, starting with the mobile truck in 2017- I know you touch on this in your ‘Our Story’ section, but do you mind discussing how this set you up for the opening of the Iron Dog Books store and what it taught you about book selling?
A: Operating the truck is the most challenging business I have ever been a part of. There is a lot of mythology about the freedom and ease with which one can operate a mobile business but the reality is much harder. There is no part of operating a business that is easier in a truck, and I have the utmost respect for my colleagues who manage to run food operations out of these incredibly tiny and cramped quarters. The days are long, the fees are high and you are at the mercy of the weather every single time you book a date. Operating the truck taught me how to be realistic about opportunities, how to negotiate, how to walk away from a bad deal, how to appreciate every single customer, and how to be as efficient as possible – with space, with money, with time, with essentially everything. All of these things are make or break skills in any business and they are all key aspects of our success in a conventional brick and mortar store

Q: How did you come up with the name “Iron Dog Books”? 
A: We named it after our dog, Buckley, who I always called “The Cast Iron Dog”. He was sturdy and moved with me 10 times in ten years, interprovincially and internationally. There was nothing else called Iron Dog anywhere, and I thought it invoked a quiet sense of strength and endurance

Q: What are you currently reading/ recently read that you enjoyed? 
A: I’ve been having trouble settling into reading for the last two years, basically since we took on the lease for the new shop, but since February I’ve been reading two or three books a week. I think it’s because I decided to read for fun only. For a long time I did most of my reading for work, which can be a slog when I am just trying new titles to see if they will fit in my store. Fun reading for me means genre reading, mystery, sci fi, some romance. I’ve found four new mystery authors I love – Jane Pek, S A Cosby, Nekesa Afia, Eva Jurczyk. For science fiction I am mostly reading things from the last few years that I missed, I just finished Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir and I’ve been picking up Becky Chambers books. I read Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus on the recommendation of another bookseller friend. It was great and I know exactly the person to recommend it to.  

Q: What advice would you give those who want to go into book-selling or the publishing/book industry? 
A: Loving books is not enough. This job is a job in all ways – it has good parts and bad parts and it mostly relies on the skills you would use at any job; reliability, accountability, problem-solving. If you can do all that and you also love books then this is the best job in the world.

Hilary in Front of Iron Dog Books

Q: What is your favourite Iron Dog Books memory?
A: Bringing my daughter to work with me when we first opened the brick and mortar store. We started the business in 2017, just before she turned 3. She used to go to all my meetings with me when we first started, because we have never had access to daycare. My son was in kindergarten when we started the truck and a lot of times it was just my 3 year old and I managing inventory, meeting with contractors, booking events. She was 5 and in kindergarten when we started the storefront but she would still sometimes ask to go to work with me.

Thank you so much Hilary! Check out the Iron Dog Books’ Website and Instagram!

Knowing When to Leave

Dear reader,

The content below discusses implied self-harm.

One of the most challenging things I’ve done is recognizing when a relationship isn’t working and knowing when to leave. I want to talk about some of the experiences I’ve had when I know that a relationship is bad for me, and how I came to that conclusion.

Growing up, I didn’t have a lot of conversations about bad friendships or relationships and what they would look like. The idea I had of any toxic relationships was very black and white: the other person would appear to be an obvious villain, and I would just know when to leave. In reality, my relationships have been much more nuanced. The longer I’ve known someone, the more I can justify their presence in my life. Of course, when a person has hurt me or hurt my boundaries, the justification applied nonetheless.

This was the case with a friend in high school. I remember back then, I had very little sense of how to set my emotional boundaries. I would let them unabashedly tell me their feelings and their traumas at any time. I thought this was a good thing, but increasingly, these feelings held a lot of weight. I was proud that they trusted me so much to let me see them as their most vulnerable self. But I also felt solely responsible for their well-being. I would place their mental health before mine. I would lose sleep over wondering if they would hurt themselves.

Gradually, I began to feel like I needed space and would tell them this. I would say I was taking a break from social media while checking my messages to see if they hadn’t dropped massive texts venting to me. Although they would give me space, they would make me feel guilty about needing it. And more importantly, they didn’t listen to me. When I would try to tell them about my feelings and how one-sided our relationship was, they would make me feel like they understood by writing me grand letters of appreciation. I stayed because I knew their feelings were genuine.

I wish I could tell myself then that you could care about someone and still hurt them.

I saw these posts about gaslighting on Tumblr and I began to scroll through them. I remember thinking that I didn’t want to relate to them because my relationship was surely not that bad. But this person had consistently undermined my feelings and made me feel as though I had misremembered an interaction, which are key signs of gaslighting. Their apologies were empty. Emotionally, I felt like I had a lot of highs and lows with them. I realized that I was dreading every interaction with this person.

I knew it was time to end it.

For me, this meant cutting all contact and writing a long letter to them explaining fully why they had hurt me and why I was leaving. I felt like I had to justify my feelings to them because of how close we had been. I didn’t give them any way to respond. Afterward, I spoke with some friends about what happened. I felt so immensely guilty about doing this that I physically felt sick. My friends supported me, and listened to me. Their support comparably cemented my thoughts that I hadn’t been listened to.

What I’ve learned from this experience and similar experiences is this: all involved parties in a relationship should feel, relatively, like they are sharing the same emotional weight with each other, and that they can rely on each other. One person shouldn’t be relying on another person to put out their fires exclusively, though there may be times when they’ll need more support. In my relationships, my factors for when to leave have been these two things: are they willing to recognize when they’ve hurt me? Are they trying to change? I’ve asked myself if I’ve just stayed in a relationship because it was easier to not rock my social circle with ending the relationship than to leave. If your justification is more about other people than your ability to enjoy your relationship, leaving may be long overdue.

Your factors for leaving a relationship may look different. Learning your boundaries and when you need a break from emotionally tough moments is about intuition. I had, and still have, so much difficulty articulating when I need space because I feel so guilty when I do. What’s important is that you and the other person are both respectful of these moments. If a person consistently disrespects these moments and boundaries, and you feel like leaving, leave.

If you’re doubting yourself, I would strongly consider talking to another person you trust. Sometimes having a conversation about your doubts with another person can make you realize how harmful your situation really is. I find that I downplay a lot of my experiences, so having another perspective is helpful.

If that’s not possible, I would suggest either writing down your feelings or recording yourself as though you were speaking to the person that has hurt you. This has always helped me put my thoughts in order, and to get through the haze of guilt I feel about leaving a relationship.

There are no 1:1 experiences when it comes to knowing when a relationship isn’t serving you. It may take years to realize that you’ve been hurt. Just know that your feelings are never wrong. You should always be able to communicate your doubts and work through them.

Love,

Kelly

Media Analysis 02

This zine was made in 2014, however the context in which it was created remains the same. The media is highly controlled by large corporations with deep pockets, and white men continue to write the narrative. This zine was created by The Opportunity Agenda, which is “a social justice communication lab” with an impressive website and good backing. They work to counter well funded agencies by fighting for policies that support and amplify the rights and voices of all. I think that their goals precisely align with what this zine is trying to do. 

This zine it particular is very specific in that it is fighting the dominant narrative. The social justice movement is pushing back against the notion that we are supposed to be dormant and simply accept the “close-mindedness, fear, and an unwillingness to question deeply held stereotypes and assumptions” that we see in society. This zine is a direct statement for sure, there is nothing implicit about their desire to fight the dominant narrative. 

This medium is an interesting one in my opinion, as zines are less highly consumed than podcasts or YouTube videos. I think that as zines are independent from commercial considerations, they can only serve a quite small audience, and the people who are consuming it likely share similar opinions and views of the world. This concept of resisting the dominant narrative is a topic that I think is very important for more than just the specific zine community to hear about. I don’t think that this publishing medium was very beneficial to the social change goals of its creator. I think that it was very well made, but doesn’t serve the purpose it was intended. This message is something that affects everyone, and I think that a less niche medium could have been used to spread this message even more. 

Photo by cottonbro from Pexels

VALID

Read Time:1 Minute, 7 Second

Today, I was sitting in class thinking about how everyone I interact with is feeling behind, overwhelmed, or out of place. We collectively go through hidden struggles, yet our stories are not being shared. Our stories are being suppressed as students because we are all working to have a paper with our name on it. This waiting game of seeing if we are ‘educated enough’ to talk about our area of expertise translates to feelings of unworthiness. Another reason our true stories are hidden is because we are so busy calculating the next best thing that we forget to live in the moment and be human.

The first stanza in my poem VALID portrays the reminder that “your story is valid without a degree, or credentials, or empirical evidence.”

We often forget that we are more than our labels.

School is only one example of how we may not feel like our experiences are valid. However, there are many more ways people may not feel worthy of their life stories. However I believe that people should not be shut out of conversations because they dont have the type of education Western society expects them to. Going to school or not, going to work or not, living at home or not, your experiences are yours, and no one can take that away from you.

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The post VALID first appeared on NimrasCanvas.

The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021)

Image from IMDb

I have always been curious about how a classic play is on screen nowadays. I know there are some plays already on screen like Hamlet or Romeo and Juliet, but “The Tragedy of Macbeth” is using the black and white film technique with a ratio of 4×3 of the old television movies. I really like the way A24 tries to bring the old movie technique back since other directors try to bring new techniques but it did not go well.
Macbeth is also one of Shakespeare’s famous plays, I cannot say anything about transition and cinemaphotography in this movie because all of them are good and give good metaphor images about along with the character dialogue.

Brandon Sanderson and Crowdfunding

Context

On February 28th, 2022, a downcast Brandon Sanderson released a short video informing fans that he was launching an important video the next day – and he wanted us to watch it. Speculation was rampant. Sanderson is one of the world’s most popular fantasy authors, with mega-bestseller series such as Mistborn and The Stormlight Archive. Would this announcement jeopardize the completion of those series? Was Sanderson facing health issues?

The next day, he uploaded a video titled “It’s Time to Come Clean.” Clicking on the video, I was terrified. Five minutes later, I was as happy as I could have been.

It turns out that, in secret, Sanderson wrote FOUR secret novels over the last two years – in addition to the novels he owed to his publishers. And he was selling them all through his company, Dragonsteel Entertainment, via a Kickstarter campaign. Sorry publishers.

Supporters were given the choice between eBook, audiobook, and premium hardcover editions – and even some exclusive ‘swag boxes’ for fans with $500 USD or more.

Naturally, the fans went insane. And after the campaign raised $15.4 million USD in the first 24 hours, so did the publishing world at large. At $31 million USD raised to date – the biggest Kickstarter EVER – Sanderson’s stunt has generated a lot of discussion, even appearing on major news sites. Let’s talk about it – specifically about crowdfunding.

Crowdfunding in SFF Publishing

Within fantasy publishing, platforms such as Kickstarter and Patreon have become increasingly successful for authors – and Sanderson’s Kickstarter has centered them in discussion even more so than before.

But how big of a deal is it really? As sci-fi author John Scalzi notes, no one else in the genre is capable of replicating Sanderson’s level of success in crowdfunding. Sanderson has spent decades building a fanbase, a YouTube channel with 350,000 subscribers, and possibly “the largest support team of any novelist in the world.” Authors like Neil Gaiman and George R.R. Martin have the popularity to do this, but not the infrastructure.

All considered, it’s unlikely that any other author will make $31 million anytime soon. But there has been an undeniable trend towards crowdfunding in fantasy and science fiction publishing lately – one that Sanderson’s Kickstarter will only further accentuate. 

Crowdfunding Rewards Engagement

Bestseller and Hugo winner N.K Jemisin, for example, makes $5,000 on Patreon each month. Self-published authors such as Michael J. Sullivan have made Kickstarter central to their careers. Even successful traditionally published authors – such as Fonda Lee and Brian McClellan – have dipped into Patreon for side projects ranging from short story collections to podcasts. 

In short, everyone’s getting into crowdfunding – traditionally and self-published. Well, not everyone. As much as I love Sanderson’s work, I can’t help but see his Kickstarter success as the biggest example of a growing – and worrying – trend where genre authors are forced to become entertainers and marketers in order to succeed.

Crowdfunding success heavily depends on an author’s internet presence, and their charisma. What about authors who don’t want to be businesspeople? What about authors who don’t have on-screen charisma? Today’s internet culture rewards authors who can play at being influencers, and punishes those who just want to write. Would I like Sanderson’s books as much if I hadn’t watched hundreds of hours of YouTube videos on his channel? Definitely not.

Brian McClellan and his author guests discuss this constantly on his podcast. A recent episode with Evan Winter focuses heavily on “the side of work being a creative professional that distracts us from actually creating” and “how [Winter’s] background in marketing helped him launch his first book.” McClellan himself has also adopted the “hybrid model” that Sanderson advocates, and supports his podcast via Patreon. Even traditionally publishing, authors need to become their own marketers these days.

Christopher Ruocchio, for example, is a traditional published sci-fi author with decent sales, who also runs a YouTube channel, has a Patreon, regularly communicates with fans on Discord, and independently publishes novel-adjacent short stories. 

There’s lots to like here, make no mistake. Crowdfunding makes short fiction viable again, and it allows writers to leverage their fanbases to help them quit their day jobs and focus on writing earlier than traditional publishing would allow on its own – N. K Jemisin did exactly this.

But as much as I like seeing authors succeed without traditional publishing, I worry about these new forms of gatekeeping that independent publishing introduces. Some of my favourite authors, like Susana Clarke, would never be able to break into this social-media-centred market today.

The post Brandon Sanderson and Crowdfunding first appeared on Reader's Repository.

Week 10. Google Analytics and Adsense

When I started my blog, the two things I expected the most were practicing Google Analytics and applying AdSense through my own blog. But my blog is already being rejected for a third time for Google AdSense, either because it went through trial and error from the beginning or because I was doing something wrong. Maybe it’s because the number of people who see my blog is still small, and the blog posting is small?

If I go to the next tutorial, I want to ask other friends. As a person who dreams of becoming a marketer, I think it is very interesting to see advertisements go into the space I created.