Tag Archives: Posiel

Essay Two – Blog Reflection

At the beginning of the semester when I was deciding on the topic for my blog, I was torn between travelling and hockey. I asked myself a fundamental question – why? Although I grew up like every other kid playing street hockey and buying and trading hockey cards with my friends, I always wanted a place to express my ideas and opinions and receive feedback and suggestions from like-minded people. Since I constantly found myself being approached by others for an opinion on what’s going on with different teams, players and hockey, in general, I decided to choose hockey over travelling. I did not want to limit myself to a specific team as I planned to discuss a variety of aspects within the sport. Also, I tried to avoid the potential for any issues similar to that of Matt Shea’s where some of his subscribers felt neglected when he was posting content that was “different.” However, I narrowed the primary focus of my blog to three aspects in particular. They are outlined below in my infographic.

I created this blog hoping that it would act as a non-political platform for hockey fans to connect. I planned to accomplish this by writing weekly posts about a variety of relevant topics in the hockey world to encourage readership. I anticipated that it would encourage hockey fans to discuss and debate opposing views openly. I intended to accomplish this by encouraging fans to share their thoughts and opinions at the end of each post and hoped to spark a conversation between them.

I imagined my public to be a sports-centric audience with a particular interest in hockey; this further branched into general sports/hockey fans, fans of specific teams, analysts, hockey players, fans of the NHL video game series and my friends and family. I have confirmed that my imagined audience is also my real audience by analyzing my followers on social media and by using Google Analytics. A primary example is Zach Boychuk who is a retired NHLer that follows me on Twitter.

My audience has strongly influenced my editorial decisions as I have tailored my content for them, while attempting to obtain additional exposure by writing about different aspects of the game. For instance, I have written about the video game NHL 19 and its Hockey Ultimate Team mode. I have also written about the San Jose Sharks, but recently I analyzed the local Vancouver Canucks from multiple angles including management and specific players. I believe that writing from these different angles will assist in developing new audiences while continuing to engage current readers. After receiving comments from Suzanne and my peers regarding my posts I have been adding to a long list of content to write about. These comments get me thinking and usually inspires me with some topics to write about in the future. I have spent the past six weeks rebuilding the Montreal Canadiens, as Suzanne requested, and recently led them to their first Stanley Cup since 1993 in the simulation.

Furthermore, I have catered my design decisions for my audience. I created a cool vibe to represent the atmosphere at a hockey game by using a shade of blue throughout my blog. I used light grey as the background colour to represent a sheet of ice. The header features clipart representing hockey so that readers know what to anticipate on my blog. To create familiarity for my audience, I used colours that are featured in the NHL’s logo in designing my website name. To ensure that my content was easily accessible, I made sure that my theme would enable me to add a featured image with the title and a brief excerpt with a read more and leave a comment button. This reels readers in and encourages them to engage with the content and comments from others. The sidebar adds to the accessibility as it conveniently links to my social media while showing viewers the most recent posts and comments, so they can quickly get caught up on what has been posted since their last visit.

The central value proposition of my blog is that I provide a unique perspective on different aspects of hockey for my public; this is similar to Don Cherry’s Coach’s Corner. I have received comments that are what John Suler (n.d.) describes as “solipsistic introjection.” Many hockey fans follow Don Cherry, and some have suggested that they assign a similar voice and image to my content. Moreover, in the future when my readership increases, I may consider creating value for hockey equipment companies by reviewing their products. While this is something to consider companies may be anticipating a positive review whereas my opinion may be the complete opposite. However, if I were to go this route, I would also feature affiliate marketing by providing readers with links to purchase the equipment.

Google Analytics showed that most of my audience is situated in the lower mainland, however, one reader is from Poland. I am hoping to expand readership globally by growing my brand on social media. Surprisingly, I also have more new visitors compared to returning visitors. I believe that this will be beneficial as I continue to grow my blog, but, of course, I hope that these new visitors will return in the future. Again, analytics will assist in this regard. The ability to track which pages are viewed the most is very helpful as it shows me what viewers are reading and which content I should be publishing more or less of. Also, due to the ability to track browsers, operating systems, devices, and their screen resolutions I will now be able to optimize my blog for these specific viewers. The user flow report provided me with an overview of how users navigate my blog – where they go first, what they do next and where they drop off. Understanding these elements will be beneficial to potentially re-organize my content. If viewers are flocking to a particular order when they view content, I believe that this could be a sign to re-order my blog to their convenience. In doing so, I will have to avoid “chasing a robotic approach to a human connection” as per Travis Gertz (2015).

Lastly, I will be continuing my blog past this semester and plan on elaborating my online presence by posting my written content on YouTube as a video. In doing so, I will link back to my blog so that viewers have multiple options to receive my content. I also plan on being more active on my social media channels during hockey games as I have found my audience to be active during these times. This will enable “new members to join as the old fade away” as mentioned by Erin Glass (2015).

References

Gertz, T. (2015, July 15). Design machines. Retrieved from https://louderthanten.com/coax/design-machines
Glass, E. (2015, December 11). Why we need Social Paper. Retrieved from https://commons.gc.cuny.edu/papers/45249/
Suler, J. (n.d.). The Online Disinhibition Effect. Retrieved from http://truecenterpublishing.com/psycyber/disinhibit.html

Self-Assessment (5%)

Throughout this course, I have learned an abundance of strategies that can be used to create a successful blog. Although I haven’t got as many views, I have to start somewhere. Using a social media platform is definitely more effective than a website as people are on their phones for hours in a day. If I were to continue my blog, I would attempt to grow my Instagram follower base to gain more engagements. If more people look at my Instagram page, they could possibly click the link to my blog. I would give myself a 4 for my self-assessment. At the beginning of the course, I had no problems with keeping up with the workload just because the course load for my other classes was also pretty light at the time. Near the middle, however, is where I began to fall off. I became swamped with projects and I became more inactive. Though I was consistently taking pictures of my outfits. I began to pick it up near the end, but page views went down significantly as I was not as active.

Aside from having a well-designed blog, consistently posting is just as important as ensuring your blog is appealing and having interesting content. By enrolling in this course, I had to push myself to blog about what I am passionate about. Style. If it wasn’t required in this course to start a blog, I would have never started it. My blog required me to become more comfortable in front of the camera and now I can say I am; not completely comfortable, but more than I was before. I want to take this experience and bring it to my Instagram. I want to upload more frequently and upload content that I like. I’m one of those people who cares about what my feed looks like, but with the experience, I got from being in front of the camera, I’m more open to more options now.

My Publishing Experience

I have loved writing ever since I was a child, and for most of my life, it has been a dream of mine to become some kind of writer, whether it be an author, screenwriter, or journalist. I have wanted to create a blog for several years now, as I thought it would be both fun and beneficial to create a space where my writing could live. I hoped to use it to express my thoughts, improve my writing, create an audience that could follow me on my future endeavours, and perhaps make some money doing what I love. I have not accomplished all of these goals yet, but my blog is still new, so I have plenty of time to work towards them.

I was both apprehensive and excited to create my own blog. I decided early on that I wanted it to be a personal blog, as that gives me more freedom to write about various subjects and allows me to write essays about my thoughts and experiences while showing off my writing skills. I aimed for an audience of people around my age, and while many of my blog posts are about the student experience, I want my blog to be accessible for those who are not in school as well, as I want to talk about the young adult experience. My idea of what I want my audience or public to be lines up with Michael Warner’s in “Publics and Counterpublics”, as he states, “A public is a relation among strangers”, and I want my blog to be a place where people can read about experiences similar to their own and feel a sense of connection with them. I also want my public to be a “social space” as described by Warner, as I want to foster a sense of community among my readers and give them a space where they can discuss their own experiences and struggles.

I changed the theme of my blog several times before deciding on my current theme, as I initially wanted something very simple so I could focus on my content, but I was unhappy with the first few themes I tried and wanted something more visually appealing. Travis Gertz discusses the importance of design in his article “Design Machines: How to Survive the Digital Apocalypse”, and his insights convinced me to place more emphasis on the design of my blog, as it is what attracts readers. Gertz believes that a website’s layout should “[connect] the content to the medium”, and that connection is what I want to achieve. I chose a simple, easy to navigate theme that emphasizes and works well with my content. I have a lot of white space on my blog, but my header picture, Instagram feed, and blog post images contrast it. The blog post images also draw attention to the posts themselves and connect to their topics. Gertz emphasizes the relationship between design and content, stating, “[D]esign augments the message of the content”, so I am trying to connect my content to my design to create a uniform feel to my blog. My header image is a picture of clouds, which connects nicely with my blog’s title. I want to make it clear as soon as people visit my homepage that I have put a lot of time and effort into the design of my blog, and that the design quality reflects the quality of the content.

I intend to continue blogging after this course, and I am planning to take information from lectures and readings into account as I maintain and develop my online presence. The course reading “Make Your Thing” by Jesse Thorn has many helpful insights for finding success in independent media, but the one that is most useful in my current situation is “Keep Your Legs Moving”, as with the course ending, I need to keep working hard to maintain my blog and its audience. I intend to continue posting on my blog at least once a week, perhaps even more during school breaks. I would also like to work on cultivating my social media presence and expanding the reach of my blog’s Instagram account. Most of my readers have come from my Instagram, so I plan to post on it more often to attract people to my blog. Ideally, I would like to post on it at least twice a week, although I realize that will be difficult while I am in school. Regardless, I want to post on my Instagram every time I post on my blog to alert viewers of new posts. I would also like to post pictures of myself, where I go, and what I do on my Instagram, so my audience can get a sense of who I am as a person and follow my adventures through multiple channels. Another goal of mine is to gain enough viewers to be able to make money from my blog, whether it be from Google ads, affiliate marketing, or sponsored posts on my blog or Instagram. I would love to be able to support myself doing something that I love, whether it be running my blog or becoming a journalist, author, or screenwriter because of my blog’s success. Regardless of what the future holds, I am excited to continue this journey and see what lies ahead.

 

Works Cited

Gertz, Travis. “Design Machines: How to Survive the Digital Apocalypse”. Louder Than Ten.

            10 Jul. 2015, https://louderthanten.com/coax/design-machines. Accessed 23 Nov. 2018.

Thorn, Jesse. “Make Your Thing”. Transom. 11 Apr. 2012, https://transom.org/2012/jesse-thorn-

            make-your-thing/. Accessed 23 Nov. 2018.

Warner, Michael. “Publics and Counterpublics”. Quarterly Journal of Speech, vol. 88, no. 4,

            Nov. 2002, pp. 413-425, http://knowledgepublic.pbworks.com/f/warnerPubCounterP.pdf.

            Accessed 23 Nov. 2018.

My Process of Creating a Space for Ethical Reading and Reflection

Before I created my site for PUB 101, I knew I wanted to write. I considered writing about podcasts, records and live music. I then thought about a common class assignment: reading responses – using another text as a mirror to inform self study and thus, my own writing. A concept that kept surfacing for me elsewhere in my life was the importance academically and personally to turn inward and examine my own thought patterns, proneness and ultimately, social position. This emphasis for me was largely motivated by Professor Tasha Hubbard’s discussion during “The Secret Path” panel; “The Secret Path” is a short film created by Gord Downie that tells the story of Chanie Wenjack, a child who died while trying to escape residential school. In the case of First Nations studies, she says that Indigenous people are so often the object of a gaze, and students have the responsibility to turn that gaze back onto themselves. In essence, my personal project within my overarching academic one of creating this site, was to engage with this idea of practicing ethical reading. That is, “read things that do not give [me] the immediate thrill of recognition” as well as reading material that makes me feel seen and heard (McGregor). As far as I can tell, my audience is full of readers, and my editorial, design and content reflect that. My writing reads much like the genre that I am engaging with – I incorporate scholarly findings as well as personal reflection and connection with the text. My posts are text-based and include only pictures of the book cover and the author. I was quite cognizant of the need to make the material palatable while still maintaining integrity with the information I wanted to convey. In that sense, my content is not for everyone; it is for those who like to read and for those who like to engage reflectively with material that can be tough to do so with.

I can honestly say that I spent a proportionate amount of time on design and content, respectively, which I wasn’t expecting at the beginning of this project. I was expecting to choose a simple – possibly boring – theme that was capable of facilitating my writing and not spend too much time fussing over customization. I was really mistaken about that. A course reading by Travis Gertz made it functionally impossible for me to ignore design; he makes a robust case for design and content being representative of one another. In short, a successful and engaging website has content that doesn’t outshine the design and vice versa. I spent a lot of time fooling around on my CSS hoping to make things work and – for the most part – I did!

Debbie Chachra’s article Why I Am Not a Maker calls attention to forms of valuable work that are often gendered and rarely recognized, which helps me to explain the value I am adding to the online community. While ‘making’ things is often masculinized work, other work that involves creativity – creation of spaces for learning, nurturing, critique – is often feminized and is therefore seen as markedly less valuable. This work – sometimes referred to as invisible – is what excites me. Chachra writes: “as an educator… all of the actual change, the actual effects, are at the interface between me as an educator, my students, and the learning experiences I design for them”. I see my academic and personal writing providing similar value to the online community: creating a space between texts in which reflection and reconsideration is encouraged and held up as necessary work. This work is necessary for students engaging in scholarly practices as well as anyone who is involved in a society that requires the dismantling of oppressive structures.

Looking forward, I do want to continue blogging. I have really enjoyed having a writing schedule and having friends and peers comment. I often suffer from imposter syndrome – feeling like I’m actually just not that good at writing and I should just leave it to the real writers. However, this project has really boosted my confidence with respect to sharing my work. I’ve had a few people comment and say that they were unaware that writing was something that I even did and that they’re glad that I’ve made some work public. I have a goal to post at least once a month and to elaborate my online presence by sharing some of my own personal essays. Jesse Thorn gives an inspiring outline of principles to be considered for those interested in creating successful publications. The principle I want focus on specifically is “Keep [my] legs moving”. The most valuable part of this project for me has been writing almost constantly and finding a voice through that process.

I am grateful for this experience and hope to continue to provide a space where readers increasingly feel free to share, challenge and critique.

ESSAY 2: The Nordic Graphic Design — The Online Publisher

When I started the blog, I had an okay clear picture of how the blog would look and work. But standing here today, close to the end of this course, the evolution of the blog proves just how little I did know of having a blog and creating a platform. My experience as an online publisher have been a new experience for me. Even though I have been online for many years now, more than I thought when I started counting, the online persona as a publisher is new. Now I’m not only myself writing comments on a photo or article, but now I have a whole new responsibility as a creator making my posts not only readable but interesting. I figured that I wanted to use this new liability as a publisher to actually do something I would have appreciate as a reader. Right now I am in a position in my life whereas I’m a bit confused about what I really want to do. I have less then a year left on my studies and after that I have to grow up and be an adult. Growing up and be an adult is for me to have direct responsibility over others at maybe a workplace or even in your friendships, why I regard myself not being a 100% grown up right now is because the choices I make and do almost only affect myself. So I wanted to make this blog a sort of guide or maybe an inspiration for my future self, I wanted to go deep down and research the branch of graphical designers.

Reading the article Survival Strategies for Local Journalism by Vauhini Vara I got inspired. She talk about the fight the local journalism have with actually being profitable, and how advertisement sometimes isn’t enough to keep it running. Today you need a lot to keep a local newspaper running, and even in such a big city as San Fransisco couldn’t be enough. This made me think a lot about my actual plan for my blog. Do I want it to be a profitable one or do I only want to do it as a school project? When I decided to make the blog to an online gallery for female nordic graphic designers, the plan got a bit clearer: Make it a place worth your visit and not a moneymaker. I read a post called How To Start a Blog – Beginner’s Guide for 2018 by Jessica Knapp, mostly for fun to get inspiration but it actually got me thinking a lot on what the blog itself can and probably would be: a platform for your own business. I wanted to create something that could be of use for people in the same ”confused about the future” situation that I’m in — and looking back now, I truly hope that I did achieve just that.

As an online publisher, I have tried to be a responsible publisher of others speech. Since my posts have been interviews, the second goal (after the first one being inspiring myself and others) have been to give all these amazing designers a platform to be visible. In the article The man who studies the spread of ignorance by Georgina Kenyon the ignorance of today is being discussed. Kenyon mentions the internet as one of the things that is helping to propagate ignorance as it is a place where everyone have a chance to be their own expert, which make the prey for powerful interests wishing to deliberately spread ignorance pretty easy. When creating my blog and my online persona as a publisher, I realised I wanted to use the internet kind of in that way, but not exactly. I wanted to give the interviewed designer a spot where they could act as experts and spread their knowledge. As the one in charge of publishing the interviews, I as a person was in charge of spreading there expertise. Does this make me just as Kenyon describes? One speeding ignorance, or is it just the opposite? I would say the opposite. As the ones being interviewed actually do have expertise in what they are being questioned about, I would say my blog is fighting against the internet ignorance and instead tries to fill it with knowledge.

James Bridle discuss the phenomenon of the internet being accessible for everyone in his short essay Something is wrong on the internet. Bridle talk abut the internet being filled with material bad for one group in particular, kids, that have access to see everything. He links multiple examples of videos on Youtube which are made for kids that are highly inappropriate. Even though my blog doesn’t target kids as readers, the essay got me thinking about who really have been visiting my blog and if my content can be seen as appropriate. With Google Analytics I can check how many that have read and how long they actually stayed on my website. Using this data, I can check how appreciated my blog is with my readers. Even if the numbers aren’t extremely high, I can still make out that visitors coming to tNGD to read, actually do just that: read. For me that is the biggest achievement I could aver have asked for when creating the blog: actually having people visiting and appreciating my interviews.

I am pretty sure that I will not continue to post blogposts and continually interview designers, I believe the cause of my blog have been fulfilled. But I’m not finished with the platform as an opportunity to be seen and, of course, visible on the World Wide Web in a way I can by myself decide. My plan for the blog is to reinvent it as a future portfolio. I believe that the platform I have created will be the perfect place for me to build my own “sales pitch” and be seen as a designer. Just as all the amazing female designers I’ve interviewed here, hopefully I will take place right beside them for a more female featured design.

Transmedia Integration

I took advantage of Instagram to spread out my media. Because my blog/content focused on food related topics I realized it was very image based. So I thought to myself, what better platform than to use Instagram to help promote my blog!

Most of the reviews are based on my WordPress blog, but I do like to give sneak previews on Instagram. I make use of my posts and Instagram stories to hint my follows that a full review will be ‘coming soon’. This helped with engagement and I get to spread out my content through 3 different ways. 1. Instagram post 2. Instagram Story 3. WordPress blog

Flow i intended my audience to go from: Instagram post –> view story –> visit blog for full review

Week 11: Remarkables

Darren  Barefoot from Capulet Communications accompanied by Sarah came into our class and talked about remarkables. For those who are unaware like I was, Capulet explains it well: Remarkables are high impact digital marketing campaigns meant to attract attention. These are the campaigns you remember even if you are not the target audience. These are the campaigns that stand out because they can easily take a simple idea and turn its head to be memorable. What I appreciate most about this presentation was that it gave context to how impactful it can be. Despite it being rooted in capital and business, the messages and content can easily transcend that.

For example, the Canuck Place Children’s Hospice provides pediatric palliative care to families across British Columbia. This can be a stressful and depressing place for everyone because it’s taking care of very sick children and making their end a bit easier. Capulet did a fantastic remarkable where they created a blanket fort with a complete library and toys for the kids to play just for the afternoon. This gave such a positive environment for everyone involved. For a grim place, they turned it to a place where they can be happy in.

It’s a great example in how it reaches multiple channels and then getting their messages across through these. The local news channels started covering it. They were posting in social media. It is posted on different blogs. Different people and networks are talking about and that’s powerful. They don’t have to be vested in the hospice or the people who are involved, but a remarkable can transcend the oversaturation of media content felt by many online users. There’s enough “feel good” on the internet but there’s also too many depressing topics and articles. Remarkables can leave an impact and be spoken above these.

SITE COMMUNITY GUIDELINES – Process Post #12

My penultimate Process Post will be what I formulated for my site’s community guidelines. Ryan Holmes calls attention to the pervasiveness of isolation in the technological age and the ways online community discourses and thus, people, are affected by this in this article. We are isolated enough to not have to see the ways we can harm other Internet users and connected enough to be able to enact harm like rapid fire. Interestingly, Maria Konnikova identifies anonymity as having attributes that seem at odds; though Internet users are more likely to speak violently without thinking of the consequences of their behaviour, anonymity is also acknowledged as a helpful tool with respect to “participation”, “creative thinking” and “risk taking”. Mark Shrayber points to the real distinction that we must make in these times: the difference between ‘trolling’ and a hate crime.

Online interactions are a new form of discourse and because human beings are the ones behind them, they must be moderated. Here are the community guidelines for Memoir is a Mirror.

I moderate all comments and will consult the following guidelines when doing so.

While I welcome critique and challenge of my writing, I will not tolerate hateful, threatening or violent language towards me or any other users.

I will not tolerate racism, sexism, homophobia or other forms of hate-speech, or contributions that could be interpreted as such.*

I will remove any posts that contain spam-like content.

In short, be pleasant and caring to the fellow readers of this site.

*I appropriated this guideline from The Guardian.

I’ve added this list to my “Hello” page under the Instagram feed so that users can read the guidelines when they are familiarizing themselves with my site.

PROCESS POST: Week Twelve — Community Guidelines

The Nordic Graphic Design is a blog that strives to work as a gallery for female creativity. All readers are also a part of of shaping this website into what it is supposed to be. Therefor, tNGD ask readers to act intelligent, insightful and strive, when commenting: to have an entertaining conversation. Argument can always end up being more fire than calm, which of course is okay, but always treat everyone with respect and act with grace. Treat others as you expect to be treated.

Commenting is open for everyone, but the comments will be read through by the one that published the post being commented. This is not to make comments controlled or limited, but to create a safe platform for the designer to be seen at. All comments posted on interviews will be first reviewed by a moderator to ensure they meet community standards. This process should only take a few moments. Your comment will appear on the site after it has been approved.
To keep the these guidelines in check, every trespass will be notified and not posted.

MORE CHANGES AND CALL OUT CULTURE – Process Post #11

A big focus for me this week was to bring together a few missing pieces of my site in time for the end of the term. I needed to: finally decide on fonts for my site title and tagline; make email subscription possible; respond to feedback from my last peer review by making a few changes; and review course readings and incorporate them into my process posts retroactively. I am also trying to read more extensively what makes a book review or reading response successful and incorporate that into my material.

I did some research on Youtube to make email subscription possible and I found this video helpful for that. Now, I have an option to subscribe in my bio at the bottom there:

I received feedback from a classmate that because of the nature of the material on my site, it isn’t necessarily easy to digest for an online passerby, and recommended to have some sort of visual aid for readers. To break up the large chunks of text, I decided to add a featured image to each post with a photo of the author of the work I was reviewing. Previously, I was dissatisfied with the way the “Recent Posts” presented on my page with grey squares in the place of pictures, so I thought this would be a good way to remedy the effect of think chunks of text as well as the emptiness on the sidebar. Now, I hope that my site will be visually easier to digest.

 

I also created genres of work in my “Reflective Review” menu, responding to another classmate’s feedback that my menu will likely become too long and overwhelming. Readers can search according to genre rather than be presented with a long list of authors whose genre isn’t immediately decipherable based on the name of the book.

I’m hoping this is the last time I change the appearance of my site title and tagline, but who I am kidding, maybe I will find my way back onto Google Fonts this week. I had a friend who is a coder help me, and now I know how to change it myself, which I’m very happy about. Here is what I have at this point, changed from the site default font:

If you were to tell me that I would be happy with my site at the beginning of the course, I don’t know if I would have believed you! I’m really enjoying having a writing schedule and reading so many good books.

I was so struck by Jon Ronson’s Ted Talk, in which he outlines compassionately the utter senselessness involved in the world of online public shaming. He clearly identifies something that we all know, but are unwilling to acknowledge when we are angry or participating in mob-mentality like behaviour: we cannot know what is going on inside of a person – the degree of remorse or repentance someone is feeling, or their intentions in the first place. He discusses the ways in which those who participate in public shaming – or, when callout culture goes too far – seek to dehumanize those who they are shaming. He says “it’s because we want to destroy people but not feel bad about it” (Ronson). While I tend to use the internet to weep while watching heartfelt videos of kids with colourblindness see the world in full colour for the first time, I couldn’t help but feel called out, if you will, by Ronson. It made me reflect on the ways I dehumanize people in my own head in order to treat them poorly or disregard them. The problem with what online anonymity affords us as a public is becoming a concept that increasingly worries me. This will be in the forefront of my thought process as I create my community guidelines and how I implement them.

 

 

Process Post Week #12 – Community Guidelines

In my process post for week two, I outlined three specific goals for my blog. Essentially, I wanted to create a platform encouraging hockey fans to express their views and openly discuss and debate opposing opinions on relevant subjects. As I strive to achieve these goals, I intend to establish community guidelines to set boundaries that will ensure a positive environment on my blog. I, The Hockey Singh will moderate all comments before they are published onto my blog using the criteria outlined below.

1) Discussing and debating opinions is encouraged, however, it must occur in a civil manner where views are criticized and not users. Any form of discrimination or hate speech will not be tolerated. So, treat others how you would like to be treated.

2) Post relevant comments. Conversations can veer-off into many directions, however, comments that are deemed to be off-topic are not allowed. Additionally, comments that are advertising in nature or spam-like are not allowed.

3) If abusive or irrelevant comments are posted in error, they will be taken down as soon as they come to light. Lastly, the opinions expressed in the comments are not necessarily those of the blogger.

The guidelines mentioned above will promote a positive environment, and they will assist in attaining the goals outlined in my week two process post. I plan to implement my community guidelines as part of my about section so that they are readily accessible to readers.

Some of my community guidelines were inspired by CapFriendly.

Process Post Week 11

Last week in my process post, I talked about how viewership on my website was almost at zero and that I need to find new ways to get word out my website exists. One way I was thinking to gain viewership would be through social media, specifically, Instagram. Instagram would be a great place to post smaller updates and individual highlights and I would have my website linked so if someone wants to read a more bigger article then can do so on my website. All of my blog posts online are way to long for Instagram, but Instagram does have its own set of advantages where my website does not. For example most things that happen in college football such as a highlight, update or score are not meaty enough to make in to a full article but can be put in to a couple of sentences which is great for Instagram. For example, if there is a great catch in a game and everyone should know about it, it’s a lot easier to get it out there through Instagram rather than my website. Linking back to my website on every post will be key as reminding viewers to go to my website is a main reason of having an Instagram account. Another great part of Instagram which I can take advantage of is Instagram Stories. I can do polls and viewers can ask questions about college football which I will answer. This will hopefully be big in growing my account which will translate over to my website. Finally, Instagram would also help make my website in to almost a community as there can be lots of interaction between writer and reader. Overall, the first step I will take in marketing my website and trying to gain viewers will be through Instagram.

The post Process Post Week 11 appeared first on The World of College Football.

Week 11: The Merciless Internet and Human Empathy

The readings this week reaffirmed that I made the right decision in deleting Twitter. I have deleted Twitter twice already. The first time I deleted my account was in grade ten, but I made a new account in grade twelve when my basketball coach entered the Twitterverse (everyone wanted to follow him because he had hilarious posts). About a year ago, I deleted my account again and no one seemed to notice. It was peaceful. I just disappeared. I deleted Twitter because I hated the negativity that flooded my newsfeed. Negative posts came from celebrities, family, friends, everyone. One of my last tweets addressed pessimism on the internet: “If you’re looking for optimism, go offline. Negativity is everywhere.” This was posted with an emoji of a waxing moon.

I was never shamed on Twitter, I never directly experienced the type of abuse Justine Sacco faced, but I hated the constant personal attacks going viral and starting aggressive reply chains. The first time I made a Twitter account I wanted to see the thoughts and ramblings of celebrities and authors that interested me. The second time I made an account was to follow people I found funny, such as my basketball coach. But as I followed other people I knew out of the social obligation to maintain friendships, I discovered I didn’t like the thoughts of many of my own friends. Their outlook on the world and mankind was so nihilistic. I felt like my newsfeed was begging me, day after day, to hate mankind and accept life is meaningless. Twitter became a bitter poison for my mental health.

Jon Ronson’s TedTalk connected deeply with me when he began discussing empathy. Ronson looked deeper into Justine Sacco tweet and the problem with the extent of the harassment that followed: “She was got because she was perceived to have misused her privilege. And of course, that’s a much better thing to get people for than the things we used to get people for, like having children out of wedlock. But the phrase ‘misuse of privilege’ is becoming a free pass to tear apart just about anybody we choose to. It’s becoming a devalued term, and it’s making us lose our capacity for empathy and for distinguishing between serious and unserious transgressions” (Ronson). After Sacco tweeted a joke that landed poorly, the internet begged her employers to fire her, the internet begged for her to get raped and get AIDS (Ronson). Nobody punished the people who called for such serious threats. Nobody gave Justine the opportunity to explain herself. One of the biggest problems with the internet is that I think it is destroying our ability to accept that people make mistakes and can be sorry. I think the internet is destroying our ability to believe that people can change. We see their words in black and white text on a screen, devoid of human emotion, and immediately assume this one horrible thought (or poor joke) defines them.

I am not an overly optimistic person, but I believe that people can better themselves. I understand that younger people sometimes have ignorant thoughts because they are still learning. People continue to grow and change over the course of their entire life. By all means, point out bigotry, privilege, racism, sexism, and more. Point out the inconsiderate and inappropriate things people say and beg for better behaviour. But after you identify ignorant or harmful behaviour, ask yourself why you are doing this. Are you identifying this behaviour because you want to see a change or improvement? If so, you also need to believe that people can change. We need to the internet to become more democratic but, above anything else, we need the internet to become more human.

 

Work Cited

 

Montreal Canadiens Rebuild Part 5

All images are from NHL 19.

Welcome to part five of the Montreal Canadiens rebuild in NHL 19’s Franchise Mode. Click here to catch up on part one, part two, part three and part four. As mentioned last week, this week’s post will entail a captaincy announcement, season simulation and much more.

 

Captaincy Announcement

The Montreal Canadiens are proud to announce that E. Pettersson is now the captain of their franchise. Additionally, F. Forsberg and E. Karlsson will serve as assistants.

 

Signings and Trades

With extraordinary depth and many players who could be lost on waivers since they have one-way contracts, there was a flurry of trades. N. Scherbak was traded to San Jose for R. Merkley and two late draft picks. B. Elliott was signed to a one-year deal to backup S. Bobrovsky. A. Lehkonen and J. Korpisalo were traded for draft picks. We received an immense upgrade on the blueline by acquiring B. Skjei from the Rangers in exchange for two first-round draft picks and T. Lindholm.

 

Lineup Analysis

Forwards: The team has four strong lines and minimal weaknesses up front.

Defence: There is a need for a top-four defender to fill the void on the second pairing as J. Ryan will not suffice.

Goalies: The team has two goalies who are very capable in their respective roles.

 

Season Simulation

I simulated until the end of November, just prior to December 1st, 2019. Surprisingly, A. Copp was still an unsigned RFA who would be an upgrade as a fourth line center for our team.  The Jets did not match the offer and due to the minimal salary involved no draft pick compensation was required. Upon inking A. Copp, I made a trade to fill the need for a top-four defender. J. Ryan and four draft picks including a first rounder were traded to Edmonton for D. Nurse.

 

Upon simulating into mid-February, it was apparent there were some players who were not interested in signing contract extensions with the team. These players included S. Bobrovsky, R. Murray, D. Brassard, J. Skinner and M. Domi. While a majority of these players had just been brought in, the lack of interest in signing an extension with a contending team worried me. I decided to explore trading these players and it resulted in a frenzy of trades.

 

New Lineup Analysis

Forwards: Stronger than ever.

Defence: No more weaknesses.

Goalies: A little bit weaker but still capable.

 

This team is in a win now mode. Tune in next week for the remainder of the season simulation and hopefully a long playoff run. Also, if you have any comments and/or suggestions please share them below in the comments.

Billie’s Bellyache

I have been listening to Billie Eilish a lot recently and my favourite out of all her songs has to be bellyache. Her voice sounds so mesmerizing throughout the entire song and that’s why I enjoy it so much. I also really enjoyed the music video. The colours used are so bright unlike the lyrics of the song. I just had to gif a section of the video.

Mini Assignment 6: Make a Gif

There’s been a lot going on with my family lately, so we decided to take a little mini vacation over the long weekend. I’ve never gone on vacation in the middle of a semester, but I managed to do so without missing classes or falling behind!

Yes… that’s my mom eating a salad on Big Thunder Mountain. I love my crazy family.

Process Post 11 (Transmedia Integration)

With plenty of media outlets in the world today, there is without a doubt plenty of ways to implement transmedia integration to your site. As described by Henry Jenkins, transmedia storytelling, “represents a process where integral elements of a fiction get dispersed systematically across multiple delivery channels for the purpose of creating a unified and coordinated entertainment experience.” (Jenkins 2007). This can be highly beneficial in enhancing the experience for users on the site and the possible objectives and message that you envision.

Luckily for my site, I already have one form of transmedia integration added, which is through the use of Soundcloud playlists on my “Let’s Listen” posts. This form of transmedia integration helps enhance the entertainment experience whilst aligning with my message for Here, There in terms of representing diversity within the arts and entertainment industry. This media integration also connects with my target audience of artistic individuals who have an appreciation for music and who are interested in discovering diverse artists. An additional benefit of including Soundcloud playlists would be the option to implement audience recommendations, both to increase engagement, but to also make full use of this type of transmedia integration.

Another way of adding transmedia integration for the future development of my blog could be through YouTube videos. As a blog that focuses on the arts, but also societal issues of race, gender, and sexuality, there are many opportunities to have visual and auditory media implemented. Possibly, having my own Buzzfeed or Cut style videos could help enhance the entertainment experience, in addition to videos posted that are partnered with, or directly connected to my site. This can help build relationships with other artists and individuals, help develop the blog and its audience, and enhance my message and objective.

Inspired by sites like Them. who provide subscription emails for important posts and issues, my blog could also implement this form of transmedia integration. As Henry Jenkins notes, the use of dispersing elements systematically across multiple channels can be beneficial in spreading a message. Having an option to subscribe through an email may not only offer a means of engagement and audience retention, but also spread awareness of my website and of important topics and issues.

Lastly, an additional transmedia integration for my site would be including multiple social media accounts. Nowadays, it is a given that most businesses, organizations, sites, and individuals use multiple social media accounts. The use of social media for my site would be a core element as it would not only link my Instagram (in order to establish a personality behind my blog), but also link a specific Instagram for Here, There. Photos would fit a certain aesthetic that relates to my blog, but also highlight diverse people, events, artists, shows, and current events. Additional social media integration would include a Facebook page and Twitter account, in which there would be specific posts on events and key topics discussed. These accounts would also create an additional place for engagement between the audience and my blog and hopefully maintain a welcoming and communicative space.

Process Post 10 (Monetization of the Site)

Many websites have options implemented to help the publisher or developer obtain some form of income from it – whether it is through advertisements or the actual selling of a product. For this week’s process post, we were to think of whether or not we would monetize our site and if so, how we would go about this. As my blog focuses on societal issues, similar to that of a nonprofit organization, it is a little challenging to think of monetization so as not to diverge from the message and objective of Here, There. It would be key to not become driven by monetary means and risk diverging from the core meaning and value of what my blog entails. However, there could be a few ways in which monetization can be implemented for the site and how it could be altered so that it would be beneficial.

The first way that Here, There could be monetized is if there are advertisements implemented. These would not just be random advertisements, but carefully reviewed advertisements that align with the focus for the blog. It would be key to have advertisements that would relate to issues regarding race, gender, and sexuality so that it not only fits my site aesthetically but also provides further ways to explore the ways to challenge the norms within society.

Another option for monetizing my site would be adding affiliate links to other sites. This could also work in terms of partnering with other groups, organizations, or sites that have a similar objective. Affiliate links that could be posted on a “Let’s Listen” playlist could direct my users to albums, artist’s sites, concerts and live shows, in addition to possible organizations that the artists themselves have started or are a part of. Affiliate links within a “Let’s Talk” post could direct users to something I am either discussing, such as a book or talk, or to an organization that may have partnered with my site in order to help a cause. Lastly, there could also be a donation option on my site where the proceeds would go towards a new organization every month.

Logo for Here, There to be put on merchandise

Apart from the online ways of monetizing my site, I could also implement more physical means such as going to events and being a representative for, Here, There, and possibly making connections and getting partnerships. Another way I could help monetize my site is creating merchandise, such as tote bags, T-shirts, posters, or phone cases. I would go about this by having my header image on every merchandise in order to have Here, There recognizable and to help bring new visitors to the site (and hopefully purchase merchandise as well). This would also connect with my target audience of artistic individuals and hopefully would help engage new and old users.

All in all, it is key to note that much of the monetization for my site would go towards specific causes. The majority of money that is gained from the site would go towards specific organizations (a new one every month as mentioned earlier) in hopes that this would increase audience engagement with the knowledge that their actions would have a positive impact.

PROCESS POST: Week Eleven — Transmedia

The Nordic Graphic Design have now been active around ten weeks, and in those weeks the blog have evolved to a kind of network. My intentions with the blog when creating it was to spread the word about the amazing female graphic designers in Sweden, and for my own sake, to learn more about the branch itself. According to this, I have tried to accomplish a some what platform for the designers to be recognised, a chance for them to been seen and heard by others. regarding that intention, my transmedia will follow this intention: to give people a chance to be seen.

I like the forum where people have a shot to be heard, therefor Twitter makes sense to use. But the problem with Twitter is the lack of focus on images and, of course, the limitation of how many words you can use. The designers need pictures to show their work, portfolio, and words to describe their choices: Twitter will not work for my cause. My focus will be on Instagram just as many of my fellow interviewed designers have chosen to use.

Something else that would be a great thong for my blog would be the use of an email subscribe list. To get people to sign up for the subscription, I will use give aways as an attraction. I will also spread the word on linkedIn, where future employers for the partaking designers can sign up for a weekly suggestion for a new designer to hire.

PLAN: INSTAGRAM

1. Use the platform as a gallery instead of post-to-post updates.

2. Let one designer use the account once every week to spread their design.

3. Three posts per day, all connected.

4. The images for each day/designer will be color coloured.