Journal 46: November 30

As the semester winds down, I've been thinking about just how much of a difference this Web Authoring class has made in my general everyday life. I don't look at the Internet in nearly the same way as I used to; I look for design practices and anomalies, unique structures, color schemes... and then I look at the content. I didn't know what any of that stuff was a semester ago. Of course, my whole day isn't spent online (though it's getting closer). But even when I'm away from my computer, I am noticing things that I could incorporate in design: colors, users to keep in mind and ideas for content. It's as if I've found a new aspect to the world I've never been exposed to.

Journal 45: November 9

It amazes me how much thought is out there on the Internet. Until I took this class, I took Web design for granted and only focused on content. Yes, I was amazed at the amount of content, and the quality of a lot of it. But I never noticed the huge world lurking beyond that little aspect of it. The form of presentation is just as important as the work it displays. In fact, the ideas out there for such presentation are just as good, if not better, than the featured content. I mean, sites like imeem, iTunes, Lala, eMusic, and Rhapsody feature so much music. But the ways they deliver that music are groundbreaking. They are so streamlined and user-friendly. To think of those kind of ideas takes so much intelligence and attention to detail, not to mention hard work. Sites like Facebook seem like everyday things now, and are largely taken for granted. But ideas like that are profound, and the ways the are implemented and presented are amazing. The Internet is truly a form of art that isn't nearly as appreciated as it should be.

Journal 44: November 9

Photoshop is one program that had a reputation I could never understand until now. It was used in my Journalism classes back when that was my major, so I have tried to use it before. But the thing is, because of the classes I was in, and the program's name, I only assumed it was for photos. And, yes, it worked well for retouching pictures, but I've used other programs for that, too. I guess I thought Photoshop was just an expensive way for obsessive photographers to tweak their work. But that all changed this week. I realized that it can also be used for designing. And lots of designing it can do. In fact, it seems like Photoshop is an essential program to have if I want to work with Web sites in the future. I can make my own logos and pictures. That means I don't have to rely on clip art. Yes, there is a lot of clip art out there, but it's not guaranteed to look good with my Web site. I can use Photoshop to insure that any of my images do work. Cool!

Journal 43: November 9

Okay, so MSU's Angel site could really use some redesigning. It's clunky, slow, and unreliable. I can never find where I need to go on it, and I swear some of my class pages change all the time. One of my professors has been trying to get grades updated this week, but Angel isn't posting the changes. It's a really frustrating system. Blackboard was used by my previous college. It is far superior to Angel. It's designed well, and I never noticed errors. Yes, MSU has provided a superior education, but I just wish its implemented technology would reflect that. Of course, redesigning Angel is too large a project for anyone in WRA 210, but the school should at least look into getting some more help in fixing the site.

Journal 42: November 9

Even though I never thought I would get to this point, I'm starting to be able to type in only code, without depending on Dreamweaver's views of what I'm designing. I remember in my earlier readings, people talked about using Notepad to design with HTML. I thought that was funny back then, but it makes sense now. I find it distracting to constantly watch how things look when I'm designing. I guess this is a good sign. Not only am I learning a lot, but I'm getting more confident, too.

Journal 41: November 9

I'm wondering how I can use my other blog to get me more attention. I wanted to use it to get more stuff for my portfolio, but I'd kind of like it to get attention, too. I've heard of several Web magazine authors wh0 got jobs that way, and I think I could do that, too. I use the blog address in my signature on a message board site I participate in, but other than that, I have no exposure. I have heard of people downloading programs that consistently access the site, allowing for maximum Googleability. Maybe I could do that. I suppose the best way to do this is to make good connections and hope they recommend me.

Journal 40: November 9

One thing I want to learn this year is how to write computer code. I've noticed that a lot of Web sites seem to go beyond HTML, CSS, and Javascript. I think that I could make really good sites with that kind of knowledge. Yeah, I know more knowledge is better, but I feel like HTML and CSS are almost common knowledge, the way they are talked about online. Granted, I'm not going into Web design, but I do want a leg-up on the competition for writing jobs when I graduate.