Homework #8

1. (20 points) View the following YouTube video to understand the basics of HTML and CSS. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GwQMnpUsj8I

answer the following questions

1 – What is an HTML tag? It tells the html text what to do such as <b> (would make the text bold) it also tells the content where to go. It is the structure for the web page.

2 –List one web site that describes all the HTML tags available (or at least most of them).

Says to check google but also w3schools.com has a great list.

3 - What is CSS? Cascading Style Sheet... Which lets you add the style for the website.

4 – List one web site that describes all the CSS tags and attributes available (or at least most of them).

w3schools.com

5 – What does the following tag do?

<img src=”jimmyr.png”/>

It finds the source of that image and displays it on the page.

6 – What does the following tag do?

<title>

It ads a title to the browser.

7 – What does the following tag do?

 <div>

It divides the information so that you can tell it where to go with css later.

8 – Where does the following tag go on an HTML page?

<style>  

It goes in the head also the style can be found in the div tag like this

<div style= “something”>

9 – What does the following tag do?

 <a href=”http://www.byui.edu”>

It makes a hyperlink to the byui website. So that you can click it on your web page.

You can change many of the options with A:link such as the color and the text decoration such as the text being underlined.

B.      (10 points) Write a short essay on your blog about what you learned from our guest speaker, Sis Esplin about communicating ideas using the web. The essay should be at least 200 words in length.

Word count (213)

From sister Esplin I learned about all of the different classes that need to be taken for the communication major it was interesting interesting for me to learn that there was a web site that you can go to and it will tell you what type of font is being used on that image. It is important for us to really understand and learn these skills that we are trying to because they will help us later to get a job. I can see how making a online portfolio could also really help and it gives whoever is interested in hiring you something to look at. It was fun to hear about her story and that she did not realize ether all at once what she wanted to be doing but she found something that she liked and kept doing it. That is what we need to do as well we should find something that we enjoy and not give up doing it. It was nice to find out as well that we are able to go onto the byui website and see some of the classes and how they are based. This will better prepare us when we do take those classes then we will know better what to expect.

Homework #7

A. (10 points) Read Chapters 8 and 9 of the text and discuss the 5 most important concepts about information architecture detailed in these chapters. The essay should be at least 200 words in length.

My word count (216)

First then we need to have a gap analysis and creation plan- this includes the content that the client will want on the site. “There is no way to have good content without good planing.”Next we need to make good blueprints this is the part where the site starts to be created we need to have a first a content map which includes an outline for the graphics that will be used. Second we need to include a page description diagram which in a sense is like a quick version of the content that will be used and the priority that it will go in. Third is the step for wireframe which show’s how it will function on the web page. This shows what really goes into it. And lastly a storyboard which is a diagram that helps the user see what is going to happen so that they can better understand the processes as well. Those are all the main point that I got from it but also when doing these things then it is important to focus on the user and make sure it is what the client wants as well. We should not just do things because we like them but more importantly it needs to be what others like as well.

B. (10 points) Write a short essay on your blog about what you learned from our guest speaker, Bro Hodges about the importance of gaining as much experience while in school. The essay should be at least 200 words in length.

My word count (225)

I learned how important it is too be working towards a career and not just going to school. It is a blessing to us that we need to have an internship to graduate because in the long run then that can be one of the main things that helps us to get a job. We need to make a list about people that we know who might be able to help us get a job later in our lives. It is nice to know that as we do our internship then we should expect to make around $12 to $17 an hour. When we help out another company then it works both ways we are helping them and we get the experience and they get cheaper labor and no commitment to keep you or not. But as we do our work and our studies here at school then we need to do the best job that we can. Because later then others can tell if they like the things that we have done and the places that we have work. It will make others want to hire us. We need to remember that in the long run our goal is to get a job so that we can be doing something that we enjoy for the rest of our lives and not be struggling financially.

Homework #6

Part A. Words (229)

I read the Visual Decision Making article at http://www.alistapart.com/articles/visual-decision-making/ and I learned how important good graphics are when making a site. It is not a waist of time to put good graphics onto your site. It can help you to control where you want the reader or user to move there eyes to next. You can use this technique to get the user to look at the information that you want them too first. It is very important to have your main display looking very good. There was a test done that showed that most people make their visual decision about a web page in 50 milliseconds or less. Another study was done explaining why attractive things work better. According to the psychology study then our brain simply likes it better. There are different levels that our mind process a site. Such as when we first look at it all the way until we interact with it we are constantly thinking about something. The data that we have on a site helps the user to realize if they will want to come back at a later time or not. By getting user feedback then we can better understand what it is that people like and don’t like it. It is always best to base a sight off of the needs of the users then our own needs and wants.

Part B. Words (223)

From the guest speaker Brother Memmott. I learned how important it is to have good art and photographs on your site. It can be really attracting to the audience. This is probably the most important job that one person would have when making a website because they have to make it work with the text from the writers, the developers, ect. It has to be able to tie in with everyone elses job and help it out. It is really important to have a good team when making a site and doing these things. For it to look professional. I now understand more about what the role of the designer really is. It is huge but it must be a lot of fun as well. They are in charge of design and branding, user interface, Technology and everything else that goes along in those categories. There are always sites that need help in those areas. But the main part in designing a sight for a company is that you have a team when you are doing it. And to get a nice completed site requires a lot of team effort. And a good team manager. But the time goes by a lot faster as well when you are having fun doing your work. In the end we should just enjoy what we do.

Homework #5

Starting a web based business article. (Words 190)

In these articles I was able to learn more about making my own web business. I can see that it takes many steps. One of the most important things is the idea for a good business you want something that others want as well. And what is enjoyable to you. You then need that site to have the capability to accept credit cards ect. After that then you need to get someone to host your site. That would then give you a domain name. (.com is most widely used.) You want to have a site that is easy to remember as well. Then anyone is able to see and use the site that you made. You can put it on search engine sites such as google to start getting traffic to that site. One of the ways to get more traffic is to simply update your sites content frequently. With good quality content. And people will be more interested in coming back at a later time. By having a interesting site with something that the visitors want then they will be much more likely to come back at a later time.

Guest speaker, Brother Kent Lundin (Words 367)

I really enjoyed the guest speaker coming and helping us to understand more about web businesses. I learned some more of the basic steps that it takes to make a great website. We need to decide on a good web business make a site and this next step is one that I have not thought much about before but it is one that can tare your site down if you are not careful. That is looking into the legal issues about it. Whatever we do we want to always make sure that we are doing things the legal way. And the rest of the time can be spent on promoting that website. One of the more interesting facts that he stated while teaching us is he explained how google makes most of their money. They make 90% of their income by advertisements that are usually found in the top right corner when you do a search in google. I also learned how we are able to pay them and get our own advertisements there. It is not always cheap to do that but when someone buys something from your site then it all of a sudden becomes more then worth it and in the long run it can start to pay for itself. We need to pay special attention to the what we use as our key words to get people to that site. You are then able to later see which of those words had the most positive effect. Many people think that all they need for a good website is a lot of traffic to that website but there is a big difference between just random people coming to your site and people who actually have an interest on what you are offering. Using the right keywords can really make a big difference for your site. But you always need to pay close attention to what is giving you back the most positive results. It is best to start this a little at a time. If you are expecting everything in one day then you might get discouraged and not do as good later on. It was a great talk!!!