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Accessibility Audit

After reading Eyman’s “Access and Usability for Digital Publishing,” I have noticed some of the accessibility issues with my project. The first issue I find is navigation. Some people have never heard of the site I’m using called “behance,” making this website new to them and maybe even difficult to find. When looking on my Behance page, I think that the section titled “mood board” can be confusing because some people may think it is my work, when it is just the aesthetic of my page. 

To fix this, Eyman suggests that I use “metadata.” I could use preservation or technical metadata. This way I could explain more about what each section is about and what is inside of it. 

Another issue could be layout, design, and interactivity. I could add a feedback section, and I also need to add text to my project. I will caption photos, add information about me, and make my project more textual. I need to describe my project more and add more information to make my project more accessible.

Some people who may have trouble with my project are people who don’t enjoy too many photos, maybe for people with vision issues. 

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[Golden dawning]

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Milkyway Road

© colezuver

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Arola et al and Wysocki Excerpts

This article first looks at the five main “design concepts: emphasis, contrast, organization, alignment and proximity” (p 31). The author then goes into detail on each one of these concepts. One important point that the author gives, that I agree with is the significance of emphasis. I think it’s important for images to “stand out” because it becomes noticeable and draws in attention. If an image is boring, and lacking in boldness and color, the viewer may miss it or be disinterested. Next, the author connects emphasis with contrast, saying that, “the most contrasted element often appears to be most emphasized” (p 33). Contrast is when there is a fast difference between the appearance of multiple visuals, making one catch the viewers eye. Third is organization, which I find is an essential concept. Organization is fundamental to any work, it is more appealing to the viewer, whether it’s visuals or writing, or any type of media. For the fourth concept, alignment, is for how the reader scans the writing. I find this concept not as critical as the others, although, the author points out that alignment is helpful by, “grouping things in a clear and interesting way can be useful” (p 35).  I agree with statement that arrangement and sequence of the writing can be helpful in understanding it and easier to read. The last concept is proximity, which how close something is in relation to another thing. With proximity, the author writes, “the words’ close proximity to one another suggests a close relationship, whereas the groups themselves are placed farther apart. This design choice helps to make the page more usable”(p 37). I agree that proximity helps to make the media accessible and convenient to the viewer. I find that the most significant of the five main concepts are emphasis, contrast and organization, but all are crucial when creating media. Wysocki also discusses the significance of contrast and shares author, Robin Wiliams’, four different “design principles” that are “contrast, repetition, alignment, and proximity” (p 150). I agree that contrast and repetition are important in all medias. Wysocki says that repetition gives the media “harmony,” making the viewing experience easier to interpret. I think that these concepts are all valuable when creating works of media. 

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Sketch

For my capstone project, I will be using Flickr to post my photography, and share it with others. So far, my project is coming along well. I have made my flickr and have been taking and editing photos on pixlr. The website, Flickr, allows people to share their photography with other people by posting it to a timeline. The photos also go to your own personal page, where you can archive all your photos. There is also a section labeled, “galleries,” which becomes sort of like a personal portfolio, that other photographers can look at. 

There’s a “showcase” section as well, which allows you to show off your photography skills.

I would say that I am on track with my project and it lines up with the timeline that I made. I’m still finding new tools to use on pixlr and finding my way around Flickr. Right now this is my flickr page:

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Tool Demo

For my tool demo, I chose to use the photo editing tool that I will be using for my project called pixlr. For the tool I chose to do was to layer my photo and edit it. I found it unique that I could layer my images on top of each other to make a moving effect. I would’ve never been able to do this before using using this tool and figuring out how to do it.

In the video, I share how to layer a photo and make it look smooth.

https://kaltura.uconn.edu/media/Clip+of+Kaltura+Capture+recording+-+October+3rd+2019%2C+10A47A00+pm/1_mbfww90b?st=0&ed=0

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Blog Posts on readings

In the article by Robles- Anderson and Svensson, they discuss the importance of powerpoint. They share how so many people of different ages, and for different reasons use this software. The main idea of this reading is “the rise of presentation culture.” Something very interesting that they write about is how powerpoint is used in the military, but was not something that many enjoyed. The argument of the writing is mostly pointing out the negatives of powerpoint. Someone who really did not like powerpoint was Edward Tufte.  Tufte described powerpoint as “evil” and criticizes how NASA used powerpoint. After reading this, I see the negatives and positives of powerpoint, and I understand how popular and how used they are in today’s media. I think when looking at the negatives and positives, there are more positive sides to powerpoints than negatives. This article connects to David and Chouinard because in their writing, they discuss affordance, which is, “ its capacity to recognize technology as efficacious, without falling prey to technological determinism.” From what I gather, I believe that affordance helps to define how something is used. Requests and demand with technology tie into powerpoints as well.

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Project Pitch

For my concept sketch, I discussed how I wanted to incorporate photography into my project. Photography is broad and narrowing it down has been difficult. I’ve thought of a few ideas but what I think could be a fun idea is positivity photo sharing website. I would add my photos of candids of people, smiling, enjoying life, as well as quotes. Over the course of the next few weeks, I will be traveling often, and I feel like I could capture the best photos in other places. The tools I will be using are my camera, photo editing websites, such as pixlr from my tool review. I will also being using a website to share my photos, I am not quite sure which website yet but one like tumblr or instagram I think I may use. 

An example I keep thinking of when thinking of this project is:

https://www.instagram.com/humansofny/?hl=en

In this instagram account, it is people who are living their everyday lives in New York, but it is captured in pictures and there is something I found really beautiful and cool about it. 

Challenges I foresee are going deeper into the project, I think that this is still too broad, so I will continue to work on that. I also want to make sure that I can capture these happy candid moments. I think this project will be a lot of work but in a fun way. 

I am going to try to have all of my photos taken by November 11, after I take a trip to a music festival in Miami, but the bulk of my project should be done before that. 

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Concept Sketch

For my concept sketch I knew I definitely wanted to incorporate photography into my project. Photography has always been a fun hobby of mine, and it’s something I am very interested in. I could make a website that posts photography, or maybe create an instagram filled with photography. I am not sure what I am going to capture in my photos yet, but I think that I want to pick a theme and stick with that. Some examples would be like maybe photography of other people, or graffiti, or nature. This would target certain audiences that are interested in one of these themes. 

One example of this is an instagram that posts pictures of different floors. I know this may sound weird but if you look at it, it is quite unique and interesting. Their link is : https://www.instagram.com/ihavethisthingwithfloors/?hl=en

Some of my back up ideas could be like a music sharing website, where people share the music they like and talk about it, I feel like that could be a unique idea. A second back up idea could be like a movie review blog. I am a big movie girl so I think that could be a cool project as well.

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Tool Review

Two tools I thought would be cool to use is pixlr.com and fotor.com. They are both websites that you can edit your photos on.

When looking at pixlr and fotor, pixlr looks much easier to use, and easier to navigate than fotor.

I decided to focus on pixlr for my interface critique. First, you can upload the imagine you want to use by downloading it from your computer.

Once you upload your image, you can edit it using this toolbar:

The first button helps you to change the size of the image, whereas the second button helps you to crop it to your liking, rotate the image, or straighten it . The scissors represent that you can cut things out of your image, and cut your image into different shapes like stars and hearts. The sun represents the color, the light, the tone, and looks like this:

The circle with the dots inside is called the “filter” section. In this section you can add grain to the photo, sharpen it, add clarity or blur, as well as adding some “scenes” which means making the photo look 3D, adding haze, or pixelating the photo. Next, is the half empty circle, this is the “effect” section which is multiple filters you can pick from to edit your photo, such as “black and white” or “retro.” After this is the circle with the waves in it called, “liquify,” which is a section where you can alter the photo by “swirling”, “shrinking”, or “enlarging” certain parts of the image. Next, is the make up brush section, which is the “retouch” section for erasing certain parts of the image, and making small changes to get the picture exactly how you want it. After this, there’s a paint brush, where you can draw on your image. Towards the end there is a T button, where you can add text to your photo.

This button above, means “add element”, which gives you options to overlay, border, shape, or add stickers to your image.

Here is an example of some of the overlays:

The last button can be used to add an image, on top of your image, by using a url, a stock photo, or a photo from your images on your computer.

The pros of using this editing tool are that you can create some unique images on a website that is free. There are so many options that every photo you edit can be different. The website is also very easy to use and organized. Another pro about this website is that they give you example images to help get you started. Also the website has a feedback section, so if you have problems you can tell them and hopefully they will fix it.

A cons about this website is that the user could get overwhelmed and confused by the amount of options that you could edit your photos with. Another con is that it’s easy to accidentally delete the work you’ve done, since there’s a clear history button, and you can save work by hitting the “heart” button which can be an easy miss if you are forgetful like me.

Overall, I really enjoyed using pixlr and will probably use it for my capstone project.

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First Sketch- Genre Analysis

The genre I chose to focus on is instagram travel pages, travel blogs, and youtube travel videos. I find all three ways are unique and interesting. With Instagram, you can see picture from all over the world, some with stories to go along with it, but others are just pictures that can inspire you. Travel blogs share facts about locations, fun activities to do, and can help guide others. I also find that youtube videos on travel are entertaining and helpful to watch for those who are traveling. I think specifically travel instagrams attract many different audiences. For example when I go on instagram and look at travel ones, I find that so many different people, with different interests follow them to look at the pictures. The intended audience is people who want to travel, photographers, or people who just enjoy looking at fun photos. 

Some of my examples are:

https://www.instagram.com/readysetjetset/

This instagrammer posts interesting pictures of places she’s been with short captions that are either about the place, or an ad she is working on.

https://www.ytravelblog.com/blog/

In this travel blog, a family that travels the world helps to give tips, and shares where people should travel and what they should do in those places.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRFqZ3yhwDA

This youtuber shares her travels from certain places, along with tips and tricks while being there, and how to do it all on a budget. 

Some similarities between all the blogs are that they all use photography while displaying their travel posts. They also all make captions with each post. 

The social action I find is the action and reaction. I think that when these people post their photos and media, the audience enjoys to see these things, and lives vicariously through the creators. It’s for people who want to travel  but for some reason cannot and for people planning to travel and need inspiration. The more attention these creators get, the more content they put out there. To respond the audience can like the content, share it, and comment on it. I also think this is important for travel bloggers, as they can look at these mediums and get inspiration, tips, and information on travel. This type of genre can be found almost anywhere, in many different media forms. I also think that travel connects with photography, and these two genres can borrow media from each other.  

 One thing I think this analysis reveals that all of these forms of media must be organized and informative, but also have a sense of fun in them to make people intrigued, and travel is fun who the media forms should display that. I think that all travel media needs to have a fun element, with videos, pictures, and writing that isn’t too serious, a few jokes here and there. Organization is also very important as some people are following what these creators say so they can embark on the same journeys. 

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Triglav National Park - Slovenia (by Anna Jewels (earthpeek)) 

https://www.instagram.com/earthpeek/

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Genre - Travel

When picking my genre for my blog, travel stood out to me. This summer I went through a dramatic change and realized that I had lost myself. My values had shifted, I was focused on friends, socializing, clothes, and all the wrong things. When I started remembering who I was before all this happened, I remembered my love for travel and exploring new places. People share their experiences of travel through Instagram, Youtube, blogs and many other platforms, but I’m choosing to look at the three I mentioned, Instagram, Youtube, and blogs. There are so many people interested in the topic of travel and exploration. One form of media I will be looking at is: https://www.instagram.com/readysetjetset/ . This is an Instagram account of a woman traveling the world and sharing her pictures and stories. Another form of media I will be looking at is a blog called, “YTravel”, https://www.ytravelblog.com/blog/ .  In this blog a family traveling around the world, lists places to visit and fun activities to do while traveling. In Dean’s writing, he says, “culture influences genre and is, as a result, also influenced by the genres employed by participants in the culture” (17). Culture and travel help to impact people. 

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Blog Post #3- Dean

In Dean's writing about genre​, he shares how defining genre is difficult and that many people struggle with finding the right words to describe it. Dean shares that, "genres can both arrange what exists and produce something else, something that may not have existed before"(8). There are many different genres, and new ones can be made all the time. To me, a genre categorizes something, like a novel, or a movie into a group based on what that 'media type' is about. Dean writes about how genres are not just based off literature, which I agree with, I think that any form of media can be categorized into a genre for the most part. He uses an example from Bazerman that says, "genres are forms of life," by this I think Bazerman means that genres are scenarios from our lives, and situations that people go through. I also found the fact that Dean writes about how genres are social, and in some ways I agree. He talks about how genres help to explain and understand social skills, and social situations. Genres also come out of social situations. From reading this article, I find that genres are deeper than media, genre is involved in our daily lives. Lastly, I found Dean's point about how genres are also social with each other. This means that genres can produce out of other genres, and can create "genre chains"(12). In "genre chains," for every genre there is am action and a response. 

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Blog Post #2- Eyman

In Eyman's excerpt, "The Canons of Classical Rhetoric" discussed the major components of classical rhetoric. These components are style, arrangement, delivery, memory, and invention. Classical rhetoric is defined as "the art of effective communication, whether written or spoken--was the cornerstone of classical education. In the civilization of ancient Greece and Rome, it was the academic discipline that guided the skillful production and critical evaluation of discourse in all its usual settings," (https://condor.depaul.edu/dsimpson/pers/rhetoric.html). Eyman shares that Aristole's classical rhetoric is not made for new technology, but some of the components are connected. He mentions another author who believes that the canons of rhetoric can be "worked to reimagine or reframe the canons for use within a digital rhetoric"(Eyman, 64). Eyman thens goes on to describe each component of classical rhetoric and how they can be changed to fit in the new digital age. Invention shifts away from "persuasive" information and leans more towards finding information using media. Arrangement had changed from a system of management to creating new work from old media and writings. Style in media was now more complex, with different elements that go into digital writing. Delivery is not just verbal now, it is "understanding and using systems of distribution."(65). Lastly, memory is not just what you can information you can present but understanding it and how to post that information. In my opinion, classical rhetoric has changed quite a bit, and does not overlap much into digital rhetoric. 

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Blog Post #1- McLuhan

When reading McLuhan's writing, one sentence stood out to me, saying that, "the characteristic of all media, means that the "content"  of any medium is always another medium"(1).  I think that McLuhan was saying that media is always repeating itself, and using other forms of media as its back bone. For example, when writers report back on a sports game, or when people make movie reviews.  He also discusses how media is all around us and we cannot escape it.  McLuhan discussed how movies started a new way of interpreting of media called "cubism." He describes this as being able to look at every angle of a media instead of one perspective. McLuhan also discusses how we, as the consumers, are "numb" and "technological idiots." When saying these statements, McLuhan goes on to say that when we look at form of media, like movies or writing, we think of them as movies or writing. When really these forms of media were first other forms of media. He says that writing was once speech and movies were once novels, but the consumers do not look at them this way. In 1950, Pope Pius XII shares that he believes that modern technology will get stronger depending on how we react to it. In regards to this, McLuhan says, "subliminal and docile acceptance of media impact has made them prisons without walls for their human users"(8). Media has control of people and the more control it has, the greater impact it has and the more it grows.