For this assignment, we are supposed to create an infographic about ourselves. Although I could more into creating an identity and show my progress as a designer, but it is hard to interpret visually on the skills I have developed in an infographic style. I choose to create a very analytic-style based on my YouTube channel and on how I have grown my identity on there.
My YouTube Analytics from November 29, 2022.
As shown in the image attached on this blog, the infographic represents the numbers of views on different contexts on the channel. The peaks surprisingly happened multiple times after November 15th. I think it was when I started posting more on this blogs. I started being more consistent on here, which attracts more audience onto my blog. I have mentioned a couple of times about my YouTube channel on my podcast and have attached it on my social media section. One of the days that hits the highest views is around November 26th when I posted the gif. That is because I have used a part of my Montreal trip part 1 video to make the gif. In addition, the chosen section reflects my personality when I was with my best friend as an expressive individual. As it comes to the edits, that section plays a lot with emphasizing from zooming in the frame. With that, it was my first visual representation of who I am as an individual online.
This infographic helps me reflect on the importance of consistency. Of course it seems very simple, but it is hard when you’re busy and start to lose the passion on the things you love. I love talking to people, and getting to finally do so on a podcast style or video helps me to find my own passion and show it to others. That’s how people attracts to my blog and YouTube channels. Guess I am not that boring after all!
This post is for Process Post Prompt on November 22nd, 2022
As for now, my blog has no exposure outside of the classroom. I have never thought about publishing outside since it is not my best work nor do I have the time to perfect it. However, the current layout of the site has a stronger organizational system for the content. So, thinking about the exposure of my site might be a step I can consider soon.
I am thinking of bringing my blog up on YouTube and Instagram since those are the two top social media platforms I use currently to, not only have fun but also create a consistent online identity. On both platforms, I have the freedom to be expressive through my knowledge of graphic design, as well as showing my editing skills for images and videos. One thing that I love about both platforms is how visual they are in attracting the audience. Since I am hoping to make my site more visual-based, I think it would be a great idea to include that on YouTube and Instagram. In addition, both platforms are the ones I have the most conversations with. I would get messages, asking about courses and the program, on those platforms. I also get reactions and comments from the audience under my posts. These tell me that I can engage with my targeted audience. So, hopefully, with the addition of my blog to this existing online exposure, I will be able to incorporate more transmedia integration. On top of this discussion, it ties back to one of the process posts on analytics. With more exposure, the more audience I would get more for this site. The dialogue will be created between them and myself on the content I upload weekly, which is exciting to hear!
In this post, I choose the Rose Island website as the website that I will be analyzing the design elements of it. The reason I choose to write about this site is that several simple interactions on the site still make it interesting. It is one of my favourite websites because I am interested in interaction design, so hopefully, I could pursue that path!
The part that is doing well is the visual graphics on the homepage. There is a clear hierarchy of what content the user has to look at, starting from the title to the 3D model of the house to the subtitles. The colours and font choices are strongly driving the website. The site uses light grey, orange and black as the main colour palette, with monochromatic images. The geometric shapes of the font, match the structure of the house that the site is going to focus on. On top of that, the body copy font choice is circular, contrasting with the title and creating balance in the tone. The content’s placement is symmetric, with asymmetric organization within the content section.
The homepage of the Rose Island website
Another element that is working quite well is the transition between sections. It is my favourite part about this website! I found this very unique and make the site very special. This transition applies to other sections of the site, such as hovering on buttons. This transition shows the grid system used on the site and it is a cool way to put it into use. In the image I have attached below, the monochromic image and the black background are complementing each other, making the transition look even smoother.
The transition from the bleeding image section and the text section
The one comment I would have that is working but not to its full potential is the scrolling effects on the text. As in the image below, the user has the scroll all the way through to highlight all the text. Visually, yes it is very pleasing to see, but talking in terms of interactions, it is not working. This is very demanding for the user to complete, especially since the user interacts with the site mostly only through scrolling to find content.
The texts are highlighted after the user scrolls down the page
My recommendation for this site is, instead of fading word by word, they could work on the animation to create asymmetric balance on the white space more. For example, as the user scrolls, the whole content shows up all at once or comes out behind the image.
Overall, I still think it is a very strong website. I want to get inspired by their brand style to create my branding for my site. This includes the solid colour palette, image treatment and font choices on the site. I would also like to play more with the interactions on the site!
This post is for Process Post Prompt on November 8th, 2022. On the day we set Google Analytics on our site, I had a vaccination appointment for the flu and COVID booster, so I did not join the class. I set the analytics on November 14th, so I will be talking about the days after that.
Analytics shows the progress and interactions my blog has with my audience. It shows the clicks, interactions, views, where the audience finds my site etc. Knowing the behaviour of the audience can help me improve and see the content they are most interested in or interact with. From the creator’s side, I see quite a peak around November 20th-23rd. The contents I posted during those times were the peer review and my first video on this blog. The analysis shows that the number peaks due to the number of visits to the homepage. However, the second top number of visits is the peer review. Not going to lie, I am quite surprised that the top numbers are not related to my public posts. I thought that showing my content based on my existing identity online could help with the numbers. Instead, I learn that maybe my content is not showing that. Back then, I had a different theme for the site. The site, unfortunately, did not show any visuals nor feel that personalized since I was in the process of fixing it. Without identity, I failed to direct users to other pages and content on my blog. This can help me to think more about the thumbnail or first impression of the site. I can think of the visuals on the homepage and accessibility of the site to attract more users.
My current analytics on the blog
Currently, the site is consistent with only one or two viewers every week. I am not that surprised since everyone is wrapping up their semester right now. I have updated the theme and worked on the accessibility of the site. Of course, getting more numbers on the analytics is ideal, but I have no control over that. I am just going to keep working on the site as something I enjoy and see how that goes. Maybe, I could make this site more public on my social media. Using that to my advantage could help the exposure of the site.
This process post is for November 8th, 2022 on the feedback I have received from the peer review #2 made by Isha Hoonjan.
In the post, she said that she could clearly understand the content I am trying to portray from the design I chose. Before the current theme, I chose another theme as the image attached.
The homepage of my site
However, her comments were on the lack of imagery and accessibility of the site. Even if the colour choices and my logo help to bring the lively side out, the content layout conveyed something different. She mentioned that all the content seemed to be structured in the same way, making the whole site feel too professional. She put some links for inspiration as well, very sweet of her. Another suggestion she made is to add more categories in the menu to convey different types of posts I was making.
After receiving the feedback, I decided to change the theme of the site because they did not have the elements I would like to change. I saw the feedback quite interesting, on the contrast between the design and the layout of the content. At the time, I was focusing on the content and not the design as much. The fact that she, as the audience, could tell is kind of funny. Of course, it can be problematic as well. From this review, I needed to learn how to balance between content and design to keep my audience being engaged.
To improved my site, I would need to make site looks more interesting by the use of images as featured imaged for each post. Currently, the site is covered with texts (yikes) since I just changed my theme that is more clean and less “chaotic” than the last one. I am also planning to show summary for each post with maximum 10 words, so that the pages don’t look too intense with all the posts expand out.
The images and summary of the posts will help audience not feel overwhelm and check if the post is something they are interested in reading. Since I already have quite interesting titles for each post already, these are the missing elements for my site that would help everything more interesting. The problem is…would I figure it out before the peer review #2? I guess we will find out later…
This week’s topic we’ve discussed the topic of comments on the internet. Although what we’ve discussed and what was presented during the lectures, I find that comments are good and can be helpful depending on the context and community of what you are commenting on.
Personally, I do not engage in any comments or leave any comments on any sort of post. I do this because, as there can exist a possibility of causing some or of trouble I find it better to not engage in it from the start.
However, I do enjoy reading comments. For example, the content I write for my website is about the game Genshin Impact. I leave the comments enabled as I am open to comments even if they can potentially be toxic. In the context of games, having comments and other people commenting on some facts that the author states about the game could be useful. Being able to see what the audience says and if they disagree or agree with what the author might have said can leave a different impression on the website. For game content especially, it can also lead to how credible the author might be when talking about the game. If most of the comments state that a lot of the information is incorrect, this can mean that the author does not know what he is talking about in the guides. Which can help the audience depict if they should follow some of the things the author has stated in the guide.
Furthermore, it is interesting to read other people’s opinions on certain things. This can be seen a lot on Reddit where one person can open a discussion on a certain topic and people will comment on their takes and ideas on that topic.
With all things in mind, comments can be useful. However, it is important to remember what the context is and how the community behaves before responding or writing any comments. As it may be fine if the community you are making a comment for is friendly this may not be the case for other communities. It is always important to consider the context of your comments as it can potentially cause a spiral of issues wishing that you had not made the comment in the first place.
This post is for Process Post Prompt on October 4th, 2022.
The main audience for my blog is mostly university students and would like to see the progress or changes I have made as a design student. My main platform to publish my online self is YouTube. Because of that, I have some kind of recognition online, but without a solid identity other than a design student. I am currently not writing consistently on the blog. On top of my lack of confidence in writing and lack of time to create my identity on this blog, I fail to connect with my audience. This is because, long story short, I do not make my blog feel like a valuable place for the audience to stop by.
Currently, I am looking for ways that I could make this blog feel more like me and attract an audience that does not include writing. Since it is not my strongest skill, I want to show something that will make me enjoy updating this blog. In other words, I want this place to feel fun and not as if it is an assignment. Even though it has been mentioned multiple times in class, it is hard to know where to start when your world is spinning around a hectic schedule and unstable mental health. I know I will figure it out. I have been thinking about starting a podcast before, so maybe that could be an option. It might work because although I love video editing, I just do not have time right now. I need to prioritize creating an identity first. Plus, it is going to be exciting that I can try something new. I imagine my audience would be informed about my week in the introduction of my podcast. I want the audience to feel like they are learning something from this “conversation”, so my chosen topic of the week will bridge my experience and the lesson from it. Not only that it can help me to express my thoughts about my mental health, but it will also show my valuable side. The side that makes me unique and different from other creators. It seems like I do have a plan, after all, Let’s see how it turns out!
This week in Posiel, we discussed the idea of comment sections, and the different motivations people may have for commenting. This can range from being an expert on a topic and wanting to share your knowledge, to someone who thinks they know what’s going on and wants to help, but really has no clue, all...
I think one thing I could do to incorporate more transmedia integration into my online publication is to create graphic design imagery, such as adding a short piece of text onto an image or colour block. An example of this is an Instagram post of a graphic I created for Earth Day 2020 as shown here. The type of messaging I would incorporate with these images would revolve around motivation, especially in terms of fitness, and mental and physical health.
Instagram would probably be the main channel I would focus on because posting images is still one of the main things people do on this platform, and I believe that it is a place that is popular among my intended audience.
Although there are many people/accounts, such as @wetheurban shown here, who use Instagram as a platform to post images that carry some type of motivational messages or affirmations, I think this space allows for people to reflect on their health or experiences and hopefully be in a better state after reading the message that came with each post. By contributing to this space, I can hopefully help someone become more motivated, and help them feel better about themselves mentally and physically.
As part of the class that I am taking which has resulted in the creation of the website you are viewing, I must complete some mini-assignments.
This post is one of those mini-assignments.
The instructions for this mini-assignment were “make a GIF.”
Recalling a GIF From Grade Nine
I am in my fourth year of university now, which means that grade nine was over six years ago, but I distinctly recall a GIF that I made in my grade nine information technology class.
The GIF was a cartoon character running and unfortunately, I no longer have access to it.
I mention this because it is the only other time I have been required to create a GIF as part of a class.
The GIF I Made Today
GIF is really not a term that comes to mind often. So when I saw the term the first item that came to my mind was Apple’s live photos.
I recognized that these two types of media were very similar and wondered if there was a way to turn a live photo into a GIF, so I googled it and learned that there indeed is! (Here is a link to the resource I used to turn one of my live photos into a GIF).
So, here is the GIF that I ended up making:
This GIF was made from a photo of my dad and me at the Seattle Mariner’s first playoff game in Seattle since 2001.
I really cherish this photo, as one of the ushers at the game saw us and asked us if we wanted him to take a photo for us. It was an excellent example of generosity and the photo itself ended up being really nice.
I will always remember this game and if you want to learn more about my experience at the game, here is a link to a video where I reflect on it.
An Additional Note
It should also be noted that turning your live photos into GIFs certainly does sacrifice quality. However, there is a certain aesthetic to the graininess that makes the GIF appealing to look at.
The idea of storytelling across multiple different platforms made me reflect on my website as well as the ones I view in my personal life.
From my standpoint, creating my website has been a journey. I think it was more difficult than I anticipated. Throughout posting on the blog, I have been unintentionally incorporating different media within the blog. The problematic area within that is I used my platforms rather than creating platforms directly for the blog itself.
For example, in the second mini assignment based on incorporating a video, I strategized making the video using Instagram. I utilized the Instagram platform for editing and creating the video. Still, instead of posting it on that platform and tagging the link to my webpage, I saved them and uploaded it to a private YouTube page for easier viewing.
Similarly, I followed that same pattern when I created a remix, I used a template I saw from TikTok, created it on Instagram and then uploaded it onto YouTube. From there, the same pattern continues. I made the gif assignment using a gif template app and then downloaded and redirected where I uploaded it.
To incorporate transmedia into my website, I should have been creating a different platform to not only upload the content but also allow other users to use it.
When I think about the reading of Pókemon as the transmedia storyline, I think about several other platforms that replicate similar processes for storytelling. For example, similar ideas like marvel comics, became movies, shows, action figures, and more. It demonstrates different variations and platforms of the same thing.
When I was thinking about transmedia on a social media scope, I thought about celebrities. Several celebrities have their websites/blogs, clothing lines or makeup lines, along with their social media platforms. These platforms help promote the celebrity and gain social media attention and awareness.
It’s interesting because prior to completing the reading on transmedia and attending the lecture, I never thought about the scope. Transmedia has a large impact on the delivery and dispersal of information in the media world. Therefore, I believe it is widely important to have multiple platforms to generate awareness.
In this post, I explore how to choose a medium for your message and the importance of using channels to distribute your message to your audience.
Choosing Your Medium
“Types of media”
Upon googling “types of media”, you will discover that definitions and descriptions of types of media that exist in the world vary significantly from source to source.
Just look at this section that was the second item to show up on my google search:
After reviewing the various types described in these search results, I realized that boxing and organizing types is unnecessary.
Media, after all, is just the plural form of the noun medium which Oxford Languages defines as “an agency or means of doing something.”
After all,
The medium is the message
Marshall McCluhan
In other words, you must craft your own form of media to communicate your message.
Crafting Your Own Form of Media
To craft your own form of media, I recommend you examine three elements, the message itself, yourself as the messenger, and your audience as the recipient.
To review these elements ask questions such as:
In what ways could I share this message?
How does this message want to be shared?
What is the broader purpose of this message I am sending?
How have others previously communicated a message like this? Could they have done it better?
Are there conventions for messages such as this? Are they ideal?
How can I make this message uniquely my own?
If I could do anything to share this message how would I share it?
What am I capable of doing to communicate this message?
How can I compromise between my own ability and my ideal for sending this message?
How does the audience want to receive this message?
What do I want the audience to do upon receiving this message?
How is the audience capable of receiving this message?
After asking questions like these (note that you are most certainly not limited to these or required to answer all of these), choose your medium. Then take action to craft it.
Selecting Channels
What a Channel Is
When I hear the term “channels”, I immediately think of television channels. Although those are most certainly types of channels, the type of channels we are looking at here is broader.
Here, we are going to define channels as paths that we can use to enable our content to reach our audience.
Channels themselves are too media, however, they are different than the form of media described above in that we are going to be using them to direct our audience to our message, whereas previously we were using our medium to direct our message to our audience.
The purpose of channels is reaching our audience so they can connect with our message.
Choosing Channels
To choose channels, we need to answer the question “what is the best way to get our audience to reach our content?”
Sometimes, the best channel is by talking directly to people and asking them to interact with our content. Other times it is best to simply let the content exist and be found by others.
Channels again come down to the sender, the receiver, and the message. Examining these three elements will allow you to choose the best channel for your content.
Media and Channels
To choose your form of media and your form of channel, you need to examine the sender, the audience, and the message.
In examining these items, you will discover a distinct medium you need to create to embody your message and channels you can use to spread your message to your audience.
Communication is an art form. Practicing and iterating on messaging is the best way to improve.
The concept of a comment section on the Internet is generally a scary and overwhelming place and for good reason. The more that we have been allowed free rein of anonymity on the Internet, the more and more people start to feel free to express some of the more controversial and hateful opinions that they harbour with little empathy for others, as is seen particularly with articles and content created by women. Aubrey Hirsch in particular writes about her experiences in receiving online vitriol for content that she has created, and the ferocity that was in some of those comments was quite honestly horrifying. I knew in my brain that those types of things were being said on the internet, but to see the real screenshots of what people have to say when they are given the appropriate environment was jarring at best.
When I was designing Considering Cardamom, the template I picked out for my site had comments automatically built into the post formats. Initially, that was something of a turn-off for me. The last thing that I wanted was to have to potentially deal with disrespectful comments or people criticizing my content. Furthermore, reading more and more about the backlash that women experience when writing articles was overwhelming even just to think about. I’m not a professional journalist, I am not writing this blog intending to reach the masses and educate them about my opinion. The posts I write are for personal reasons, whether those are for internal reflection or just to have a record of some of the recipes that I’ve learned from my family.
Ultimately, I did decide to leave the comment sections open. Logically, it makes little sense that there would be a large amount of political debate or harassment within my comment sections given the content of my blog. I highly doubt that people are going to be sending me death threats or sexual harassment over my chai recipe. The context of a site is so important to consider, and it put my worries at ease to realize I wasn’t going to be linking my real full name to any highly controversial content. Additionally, while checking out other recipe blogs that I have used in the past, one thing I noted was that most of them had open comment sections. Most of them that had significant activity allowed users who made the recipes to offer suggestions and personal anecdotes that could facilitate new users’ experiences while cooking. I wanted to provide that possibility for a community and figured that I would handle any unrelated comments as they arose.
Right now, What the Cat Said is primarily a written blog. That is, I write things and I post them.
It was between this an Owen Wilson going, “Weow.”
However, with POSIEL’s process prompt this week there is a great opportunity to shake things up a bit and figure out ways to incorporate transmedia.
I am sick right now so bare with me and my scattered, feverish thoughts.
As sick as Charlie’s grandparents. (Anyone else think it’s weird that Charlie’s grandparents all share one bed? Anyone? Hello?)
Ok, back on topic, to say that I ONLY have written things on my blog is a bit of a lie. A lie because, I have been encouraged through Posiel to post media that is not text, aka my video post, Instances, Objects, and Classes! Oh My! As well as my very polished audio snippet post, Talking about Linked Lists.
Would I incorporate these types of media again? Yeah, I think so.
It makes inherent sense to incorporate videos for computing science concepts because many people learn well visually and by following along with a video coding tutorial you can pause and repeat as needed. I have found that if I don’t understand something from documentation, finding a relevant YouTube video can do wonders in solidifying concepts that I’m iffy with. So, for the future of this blog, I can definitely see myself adding more video tutorials .
As far as audio only media… I think that CS concepts can be lost when handling abstract concepts in an audio only manner. There are so many concepts that just NEED a visual, which is why I added images of linked lists on my linked list audio post. I think if I were to venture into more audio only content it would be in the form of a podcast discussing tech news and easily imaginable computer science concepts.
Otherwise?
It’s hard to think of media that I could or would want to venture into that would fit the overall vision for this blog. Integration with social media seems… weird for a CS blog? I don’t know. I started a twitter account for this blog but have not and frankly will not use it (Elon nonsense aside). Here is my reasoning:
A) I have a sneaky suspicion people who give a hoot about CS are not really on social media, and B) when I am looking up something related to programming or CS I absolutely do not and will not click any link remotely associated to social media.
I need the facts, give me those lines, give me that expertise only a 50-year-old grunt who is the single most integral cog in a legacy system that has no documentation holding everything in his noggin would know. I need that. And best believe, that good sh t is NOT on TikTok or the like. So, what else?
One could contest that CS content persists on reddit’s subreddit r/programmerhumor, but that’s the only kind of vision I see working with social media and CS, humour.
I don’t know… Perhaps I am being short sighted. I think I will revisit this topic at some point to gain a better understanding of what is possible. For now though, I need to drink all the Neocitran I have and pass out.
For this mini assignment, I struggled trying to figure out what to create a gif about. I debated whether or not to make one about a video game, but thought it would be super generic. I could do one about a superhero, but those exist everywhere online. I scoured my iPhone’s camera roll looking for a batch of photos I could make a gif out of, which led me to what you see below.
Thanks to the TikTok algorithm, I have recently developed an obsession with orange cats. Prior to my brainwashing I was a firm cat hater. Me and my girlfriend would playfully fight over whether dogs or cats were better. Around the peak of our bickering over this topic, we encountered this beautiful orange cat on a walk. I held the preconceived notion that cats were apprehensive or unfriendly towards strangers. But this cat was one of the most affectionate creatures I have ever met! They instantly approached me and my girlfriend and started letting us pet them.
Of course me and my girlfriend had to snap some pictures with our new friend. The gif you see below is from my little photo shoot with the adorable cat we named Rochester.
I believe it is important to incorporate and integrate transmedia into whatever you are posting and where ever you are posting stuff. This can be done over any different combinations of media whether that be video games, blog posts, movies, TV shows, radio, or advertisements.
The best way for a website owner like myself to incorporate transmedia would be to use different social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. I plan to use social media platforms like the ones I just listed because I already know how to use them, I am familiar with working the platforms, and it would be fairly easy for me to establish an online presence as Midnight Stories and as AKC.
The most logical approach according to me for me would be to post mini segments of my posts to my social media platforms and link my website because that would give my audience a general feel of my content and if they are interested, then they could visit my website through the link in my profile. Another thing that I could do is ask my audience on those social media platforms what type of content they prefer me to post about as well as what they would like to see more on my website and maybe have some polls about what I should write about for my next post.
I would mainly focus on Instagram because more people use Instagram rather than FaceBook to get their information and inspiration as well as find accounts that contain stuff that they find interesting and endearing. The reason that Twitter would not be my main social media platform is because currently, it seems like Twitter is going through a rough patch and the focus is mostly on that rather than other things like stuff that is happening in the world.
In the end, I think Instagram would be my best bet to grow my audience as well as get my website and online persona out into the world, but the more the merrier, so I would also be posting on FaceBook and Twitter to get more traffic to my website.
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