Reading Response 6

In  Richard Saul Wurman's "The Business of Understanding", he explains his LATCH principle.  According to Wurman, there are only five ways to organize any type of information: Location, Alphabet, Time, Category, and Hierarchy -- forming LATCH.  I decided to pick the WikiTravel article on Jamestown, Rhode Island to see if WikiTravel abides by Wurman's LATCH rule.

After reading and analyzing the Jamestown WikiTravel page, I can safely say the author loosely abided by some of Wurman's LATCH principles -- mainly Time, Hierarchy, and Category.  The page (which can be viewed here) is sorted into ten major sections: Understand, Get in, Get around, See, Do, Buy, Eat, Drink, Sleep, and Get out. Although they are separated into different Categories, the organization of topics mainly abides by Hierarchy and Time.  It displays Hierarchy in the sense that the major underlying premises are put first in the Understand section.   Perhaps this is not the most definitive example of using Hierarchy to organize, but it is one of the only times the author uses the LATCH principles.  The rest of the topics are, loosely, ordered by time: Get in is first, Get out is last.  Eat, where they discuss popular restaurants, is put before Drink, where they point out popular night locations, and then Sleep, where they list the hotels, is left for the end.  The topics are based on Time and what one would do in a day.

There are many opportunities for the authors to utilize the LATCH principles where they do not.  For example, none of the events, museums, eateries, or hotels are listed in alphabetical order.  Alphabetical order would be best for the museums, eateries, and hotels, but in my personal opinion, Time would be the best regulator for the order of events.  If the events were organized by their time during the year, the list would be a very useful resource for travellers viewing the page.  Because of the small size of the Island, Location is a relatively un-useful means to organize any of the information, because, in reality, all the events and places are located within five miles of eachother.  Major improvements could be made to the page's organization by using the Alphabet and Time principles more effectively.

Postwrite Project 2 [PW2.1]

After completing the WikiTravel project, I now have a greater understanding of the Wiki genre.  While creating a Wiki, it is important to be very selective of what information you choose to include.  In our WikiTravel itinerary on Foxwoods Resort Casino, we could have included dozens of mundane details concerning the contents of the casino, but instead of trying to incorporate these irrelevant details -- like the number of tables or the MGM's long list of performers -- we intentionally excluded them.  As the focused nature of our itinerary shows, we spent a great deal of time filtering out all the unnecessary details that come along with the biggest resort casino in the United States.

The most rewarding part of this assignment was posting the final product on WikiTravel for the world to see.  Much like the blog genre, the fascinating part of the Wiki genre is the fact that anybody can contribute to this massive source of information.  By uploading our itinerary, we are now a part of this growing database of usable information.  Seeing your work on the World Wide Web for anybody to use creates a special feeling of accomplishment.

Although I found this project rather enjoyable, we hit one major wall during our creation of this itinerary.  I feel the Itinerary genre was not well enough defined in class, thus making it difficult to create an Itinerary that successfully attacks the prompt.  Many of the itineraries on WikiTravel are step-by-step guides -- and ours is not.  It was never explicitly stated that our itinerary should mimic this style.  I feel our take on the Itinerary genre was far more effective, because it presents the reader with all his or her options, while still giving the user flexibility.  In the future, I would explicitly define what the instructor was looking for in an itinerary.

One piece of advice I would give to future students is: pick a topic you are genuinely interested in.  Although with a neutral genre like a WikiTravel article it is unadvised to develop Pathos in your writing, it will be much easier to research and write about a topic you are interested in.  If you are writing about something you do not care about, the reader will notice.  As a writer, I always try to pick a topic I am legitimately interested in.

Brainstorming 3.3 [Webmap]

Upon completing the initial Webmap outline, I have made some frightening realizations.  Due to the giant amount of links and content on the NKSD.net website, I feel it will be impossible to recreate all this information while successfully attacking the project's prompt.  Here is my Webmap (which is both the original and my take, because there are more than 9 links on almost every page):



As you can see, there are 9 links for almost every initial link.  The pages with the arrows going down to them have no new links and are on the same type of page as the rest of its group.  There is so much content here, I am going to suggest we change our website during our next group meeting.

Brainstorming 3.3 [part 2, Rhetorical Principles]

When it comes to the Rhetorical portion of the the NKSD site design, there are only a few major problems. The four issues I will discuss are: Purpose, Audience, Genre, and Design.

The purpose of the NKSD is clear: to provide a source of information for parents, students, and community members. Content-wise, the website has everything one could be looking for; how it is presented is the problem. Calenders, news, and announcements are all displayed on the homepage, making the NKSD website a useful source of information.

The audience is well-defined, but better organization would allow the site to target its audience much better. There is a student section, parents section, and committee section. By separating these different aspects of the site, the creator would be able to target its audience much more effectively. Although these sections are defined on the drop-down menu, they are barely organized on the homepage.  The website could be much more student-friendly, because there is so much information that is quite irrelevant to students.

The genre of the NKSD website is a traditional HTML website.  The site effectively uses photos, links, tabs, and text to reach its audience.  While there are no videos on the site, I feel they are not necessary for a school department's website.  Despite the unorganized nature of content on the website, it effectively serves as a information hub.

Design is the final rhetorical aspect of the website I will analyze.  Like I said before, the captions and colors are the biggest flaw in site design.  The sloppy captions reflect poorly on the school department, and will send bad messages to perspective students.  The color issues are categorized under design flaws and must be fixed in order for this site to work effectively.  Photos of real students are a great part of the site and help to boost the credibility of the website.  Also, some pages do not link back tot he home page; this design flaw makes the site almost unusable.  Overall, the web design is not awful, but there are many aspects -- like the captions and color -- that could be improved.

Brainstorming 3.3 [part one, CARP]

Using the CARP princliples of design outlined by Tollet and Williams, I am able to identify the dozens of flaws on the nksd.org website.  CARP stands for: Contrast, Alignment, Repetition, and Proximity.  By applying these principles to the NKSD website, we can better understand what changes must be made.

Contrast applies to the visual presentation of the website; specifically, text, images, colors, videos, and texture.  Things like italics and underlining are ways designers use contrast to get there message across.  There are many contrast issues with the NKSD website.  Many pages consist of gold-text on a black background, this contrast issue makes many passages almost unreadable.  By changing either the color of the background or text, we can easily correct this major issue.  On the homepage's header there is gold text on a yellow background; this contrast issue makes some link practically invisible.  On the "District Policies" page there is black text on a black background, which is possibly the biggest contrast issue on the entire site.  Despite the dozens of contrast issues, the black and gold -- North Kingston's school colors -- work well together on some pages.  By correcting these color issues we will greatly improve the website's credibility.

Alignment refers to the positioning and layout of the web page.  Alignment helps to organize the page and make it more user-friendly.  There are two major alignment issues I have noticed.  First, a calender pop-up on the homepage blocks the school's mission statement.  This issue is a huge detriment to the site's readability.  Next, many of the captions extend past the picture they are associated with.  These captions make the the web design seem sloppy and unprofessional.  Alternatively, the site displays good alignment on a few pages.  Many pictures are successfully embedded into the text very effectively and look very professional. 

Repetition is exactly what it sounds like: the repeating of certain aspects in order to establish a point.  Many links on the NKSD website are unnecessarily repeated, which contributes to the clustered appearance of the site.  By eliminating some of these repetitive links, we could condense the website and make it much more usable.

Proximity refers to the page layout and how different things are placed on the page.  Out of all the principles, successful use of proximity is best illustrated by the web designer.  Most images are evenly spaced and there is not a lot of empty space on any page.  Surprisingly, this is one of the best parts of the NKSD website.

Brainstorming 3.2

What types of choices do web-designers make that demonstrate less effective web-design?

After viewing several poorly designed sites, I feel there are two primary concerns when it comes to ineffective web design: organization and visual design.  While some sites are aesthetically pleasing, they often lack organization, which will ruin there usability.  Others are simple and easy to navigate, but they lack proper design, making them extremely unappealing.

As we see through the nksd.org website -- which we have chosen for our Website Redesign project -- a website can have a lot of content but still be ineffective.  The creator of the website has decided to cram dozens of links onto the homepage, causing it to seem more like a Hub rather than a homepage.  The clustered format of a site like this compromises its usability.  Instead of trying to cram as much information as possible onto a single page, the creator must properly organize and present his or her data in a effective way.  By decreasing the amount of links and information on a single page, the web-designer can make his site much easier to navigate.

Visual design -- as in the aesthetics of a website -- is perhaps the most noticeable portion of web design.  If a website is visually unappealing, it will never be effective.  For example, the nksd.org website has many pages comprised of nothing but blocks of text.  Not only is the text dense, but the color choice of the creator makes them almost impossible to read.  The awkward-gold font on a black background made my eyes sore after about a paragraph of reading.  These pages are frequent and are a major detriment to the site's effectiveness.

Brainstorming 3.1

Here are some examples of poorly designed websites, each presents different aspects that hinder a website's effectiveness:
http://www.nksd.net/
Here, the North Kingston School Department has a ton of information, but presents it in a very unappealing way.  In addition to the technical errors - like the calender that blocks many links and the unreadable captions for the pictures - this website is quite overwhelming.  There large amount of links makes it difficult to navigate, thus creating an enjoyable experience for the user.  The website is suppose to represent the school, so having such an weak website reflects poorly on the entire North Kingston School Department.  I feel like if this site was properly condensed and organized, it would be a very useful source of information.
http://www.kingstonpizza.com/
Kingston Pizza, a local business, has many location around Southern Rhode Island, so I think their website could be a little more visually appealing.  Unlike the NKSD website, Kingston Pizza presents their information well, but it is simply boring.  The white background and gray borders are extremely unappealing, and personally, I find the Superman Pizza deliveryman flying onto every page rather annoying.  The is very usable and has a full online menu, but its boring displays presents the business as undesirable.
http://bakersrx.com/
This site, a local pharmacy, has the same problem as the Kingston Pizza site, except to a much larger degree.  There are so few links and pages; the website appears unprofessional.  The tabs are simple blue hyperlinks and the background is completely white and empty.  A single picture on each page just adds to the other negative visual appeal.  Because of the simple nature of the website, it could even be condensed to a single page.

Postwrite: Project 1 [PW1.1]

I have evolved tremendously as a writer since my blogging debut back in January.  As I continue to learn more about this genre from our classes and my own independent research, I have learned many invaluable lessons.  Along with my new found mastery of the hyperlink button, I now possess many new writing techniques that transcend the blogging genre.  I feel the most important realization I have made is my greater appreciation for the Ethos aspect of the Rhetorical Triangle.  Because literally anybody can start their own blog, it is essential to establish your credibility as a writer whilst blogging, otherwise no one will be interested in what you have to say.  When discussing a controversial subject -- as I do in my Activist Blog -- it is impudent to declare yourself as a credible source of information.  But because I lack formal education in my field, I am required to establish Ethos by stating my sources.  Through the use of videos and hyperlinks, I successfully cite my sources and establish my Ethos as a writer. 

I feel my Activist Blog is strong on many different levels, but if I had to pick a single strength, it would be its subject.  As I frequently state throughout my blog, health is the number one concern in so many people's lives.  And with the topics like Medical Marijuana dominating the headlines, my blog is able to combine a popular topic with current events.  Many practices that have been around for centuries, like Yoga, are only now getting the attention they deserve.  With dozens of new studies being conducted on everything between Acupuncture and Magic Mushrooms, information about alternative medical treatments is available like never before.  Through my blog, I am able to deliver important information about a growing topic, therefore creating a site that is both relevant and insightful.

Because of the universal appeal of my blog, I feel its greatest limitation is with the audience.  In class I have been instructed to clearly define my audience, but because health is a part of literally everybody's life, it is difficult to isolate an audience.  My greatest limitation is my lack of limitation -- if that makes any sense.  By not explicitly declaring a target audience, I risk losing points on the grading rubric.  I attempted to state that this is a blog intended for those who are open to new ideas and alternative treatments, but that does not seem to be as defined as my professor would like it to be.

For my final submission of Activist Blog, I plan to make a few adjustments that will greatly improve my blog's appeal.  First, I plan to correct my About Me Statement -- which lacks any real merit.  I will use this section to establish Ethos amongst my readers by explaining how I got the idea for Dr. Phil's Pharmaceuticals.  A well-developed About Me Statement will give the new readers a look into the mind of the blogger.  Second, I plan on citing my sources better.  I do not cite the source of many photographs or videos, and by adding citations I will establish my Ethos even further.  Citations are an important part of any piece of writing, and blogs are no exception.  I feel my lack of citations was a huge detriment to my Ethos as a blogger.  Finally, I plan to make major changes to the visual layout of the blog.  As it stands, the blog description is partially unreadable.  The picture I use in my background interferes with the white font of the description; the white words are lost in an equally white cloud.  Minor adjustments to the blog's image will greatly improve both it's usability and readability.  These three minor adjustments will make a giant impact on my final submission.

Reading Response 5

According to Lessing, three legal principles govern the way the Internet has been run over the past two decades.  Now, as he explains in his lectures "The Withering of the Net" and "How Creativity is Being Strangled", these core principles are at the center of the debate surrounding the Internet and how it should be regulated and used.  All three of these principles were created to ensure the Internet is an open, accessible environment.  Lessing is not necessarily denouncing regulation of the Internet, rather speaking against regulation that would make the Internet exclusive and/or take away from the read/write nature of the Internet writing medium.  Things like copyright enforcement are the major contributors to this growing problem.

In "The Withering of the Net", Lessing states “The right to innovate is held as common in this architecture... (where) less control over the right to innovate over this platform actually creates more innovation.”  Here he asserts the importance of freedom within the Internet.  If every source was regulated and every image was protected, the read/write nature of the Internet would be totally destroyed.  The fact that anyone can create on the Internet is what makes it the unique writing environment it is.  The lack of control over the right to innovate is why the Internet is truly remarkable, and Lessing explains this perfectly.

Creative Commons is one tool being used to assure the Internet remains a open mecca of knowledge.  Creative Commons collectively supports the open industry within the Internet by supplying images available to the public domain.  As the push for copyright enforcement grows -- with bills like SOPA -- Creative Commons has become even more important to the condition of the Internet.  If a bill like SOPA were to pass, we common Internet-users would rely on Creative Commons to avoid being prosecuted for copyright infringement.

Stallman shares many of the same views as Lessing.  He too agrees that the read/write relationship is what defines the Internet as a genre.  In Stallman's writings, he asserts more artists must make contributions to the public domain in order to create a more effective working environment on the Internet.  Much like Stallman and Lessing, I believe the government will not recognize the negative effects of copyright enforcement until it is too late.  Their money-first mind does not recognize the importance of innovation and creativity. 

Readying Response 4

No website personifies all the aspects of an information ecology like Wikipedia.  A Wiki is a electronic writing environment where users can add, remove, and edit content on their own.  Wikis are created by the user for the user.  Wikipedia, a non-profit online encyclopedia, is perhaps the most popular of the Wiki genre, but it is by no means the only one: There are literally thousands of Wikis on the World Wide Web.  In particular, the locality concept of information ecologies is shown best through Wikipedia.

"The notion of "a local habitation and a name" captures for us the essence of an information ecology. The name of a technology identifies what it means to the people who use it. In a sense, it positions the technology more directly under the control of its users "  - O'day and Nardi on locality in information ecologies

As Nardi and O'day explain in their article "Information Ecologies: Using Technology with Heart", the information ecology medium is completely controlled by its users.  Even the positions within the system are determined by its users.  For example, the main editors on Wikipedia are never assigned to their positions; they gain noteriety by their positive actions within the ecology -- such as editing, uploading, and helping.  Information ecologies are a unique environment where the user has control over his own role in the system.  These are important to the structure and evolution of the internet, because the ability to create freely is what is making the Internet what it is today -- whether it be on a blog, twitter, or Wikipedia.