Annie’s Blog

Well,

I missed the last class, so I didn’t know we were going to be embedding video today.

Im in the worst mood, just about ready to smash the computer into the wall actually.

I can’t find ANYTHING to use for this experiment. And I can’t keep up with the class because I’ve got nothing to work with, so now I’m screwed basically.

I have managed to find a site that lets you download videos to use in your blogs, by channel 4 in the UK, but it appears it doesn’t really want to let me download them.

I HATE COMPUTERS!

Right, so I’m going to calm down a bit and try and look at this logically.

WHY isn’t this working?

• Possible problem with the computer I’m using
• Personal incompitence (most likely!)
• Am going about searching in the wrong way

HOW can I fix the problem?

• Change computer
• Spend some time in the labs experimenting and working with video, both downloading and embedding to catcch up on what I missed out on in class.
• Ask for some help

When I attempt to search using Creative Commons, the BlipTV link won’t connect and a message appears saying there is a problem with the server. This means that my downloading options are limited. I also found a site called Pick ‘N’ Mix, however that seems determined to not let me download anything. It’s obvious that until I get a clip I won’t be able to do anything, so my current mission is to find a clip, that won’t compromise me legally, and download it so that I can start experimenting.

If all else fails, I may have to make a clip, or perhaps I could use one of the ones I made in Editing Media Texts last semester.

Some of the problems with the blogs, socially and technically are:

• Regular entries
• Relevant entries
• Maintaining interest in the subjects and expanding research, thinking and knowledge and applying it to the blog.
• Writing for an audience – if there is one
• Lack of spell check
• When at home the format bar (font, alignment, bullets etc) doesn’t appear
• Only being able to blog at school (slow dial up)
• Images and videos into the blog. Not just how to do it, but finding things relevant to the course or ideas explored and not just random stuff.
• Usefulness of a public blog? Who’s reading it? How is it effecting them and their learning?
• Posting comments and tracking back…

In regards to Top Ten Mistakes in Web Design is quite interesting, and the points raised are quite logical. Making a web page is about capturing your audiences attention whilst making sure that the site is easy to navigate and use. Sometimes it’s fun to find a website with varying options and various pop ups etc, but it’s always nice to have an easily navigated site infront of you as well.

Turns out that all I needed to do to log into Fugu was change my password for the entire network. Which is weird because it wasn’t telling me to do it anywhere else. Anyways, potential crisis averted.

Yesterday I sat down and slogged it out in regards to the hypertext essay and managed to get the bulk of it done.

Initially I had a bit of trouble, the first hour was spent getting into the swing of things, but from there on in it was fairly gliche free. Unfortunately due to the nature of my essay, or rather it’s subject, which is the album cover of Marilyn Manson’s Mechanical Animals I can’t actually use an example of the text I’m discussing because it would breach copyright laws. I decided to put a link in to his site so that should a reader wish to see the album cover they would be able to do so through his site, thus covering me from any legal issues.

Also I’m not entirely sure that using mass amounts of images would lend itself to the style of my webpage. I’ve tried to keep it as simple and straight foward as possible. I’m happy with it, although it does need a few adjustment, especially in the proof reading area, but looking around the classroom at other people’s sites I can’t help but wish mine was a bit ‘cooler’ or prettier.

I did create a title in photoshop though, save it into my public_html file and then use it as an image in the essay, so I feel better knowing that not only am I able to create html webpages with images, but I have proof of it!

Also I’ve noticed that I don’t appear to be on the 2006 Blog Roll/List… Did we have to sign up somewhere, because I must have missed that. That, or I don’t exsist…

In regards to my blog I have to admit I’m feeling much more comfortable with it.

In the begginning I had a lot of trouble knowing what to write, also I have this strange feeling that I’m writing to everyone and no-one at the same time, and that’s a little disconcerting. I’ve managed to up the number of entries every week, but I could probably still do some more. Unfortunately doing them from home is a problem, and when I’m at Uni I don’t seem to know what to write, which is why most of them are notes on class work or lectures

I’ve also worked out how to get things to link properly, which is a bonus, but in regards to friends and linking to their blogs I can’t say it really interests me all that much. I know that is the point to blogging, to be a part of an online networked community who share ideas and comment on each others opinions, and I’m more than happy to use other people’s blogs as a way of gaining insight into a topic or gain another perspective, but I don’t think posting comments is really my style. I feel somewhat rude in a way, but I guess that’s something you have to overcome to gain the full advantages of blogging.

So yesterday I got to fool around using HTML and trying to make some semblence of a web page. I’m quite happy with my basic knowledge, having managed to work out how to create a list of links as well as various other ways of setting up the basics of a page, and I did it all by myself. Well, almost, there was a little help from w3schools!

I’m not entirely sure on how I want to lay out my pages, how I want them to link and what color themes I want, but that is something I plan to work on before next week. I’m heading home tomorrow for the weekend and there’s a long train ride ahead of me, so instead of sleeping I might get out the pen and get some planning done.

I feel much more confident in my abilities to create a webpage now, and I’m even thinking that I might actually be able to do it, as apposed to last week when I was freaking out!

Also, had a chat with a classmate and came to the conclusion that the essay I’ve been planning to use is crap, and that the annotated bibliography we completed for Reading Media Texts last year might be better as it’s already broken up into sections and many of my sources were from the internet, so handy and relevant links are no problem!