Professional Writing

Thursday Presentations

2006-11-15T15:08:00.000-08:00

For our presentations tomorrow, does anyone know where to find examples of portfolios that we would like to use as models. A few weeks ago we looked at another college's portfolios but I cannot find the site. Also, can we use any site as an example or must we use a portfolio? Thanks!

Keep it Captivating

2006-11-14T13:07:00.000-08:00

After reviewing the suggested blogs, I took some pieces of information and combined them to hopefully make my presentation better.

The blog by Kathy Sierra pointed out the importance of properly using slides in a presentation. She encouraged the use of numerous slides in a presentation that were changing to keep the audience engaged. It is important to use slides as an addition to your presentation and not just something to look at. These slides should not just be a bunch of words that you are reading from, but a combination of stimulating images and large, brief text. People learn in different ways, so providing visuals that agree with what you are talking about help those who are more receptive to that type of learning. It also provides clarity to subjects, both difficult and simple.

I liked the thought of being entertaining and upbeat. This is very important to keep the listeners engaged in your topic so they can provide you with feedback throughout the presentation. I watched the Sir Ken Robinson’s TED talk and saw a true example incorporating these ideas. I didn’t even know what he was going to talk about during the speech, but he caught my attention right away and kept it. I laughed by myself when watching his speech. I realize this is not something that everyone has the talent to do, but as Kathy mentioned, if you are not funny yourself, find something else that is. A funny slide or captivating comment can pull your audience back in before you loose them completely.

The last point Kathy made that I hope to use in my presentation is being passionate about the presentation while being caring to the audience. The difficult part of a presentation is to keep the audience in mind at all times. Sometimes we can get so caught up in what we know and showing all that we know, we loose track of our listeners. By being passionate about the topic we can show the audience that we care about it and how important it is, but you have to do it in a respectful way for the audience. Bombarding them with information will be devastating to a presentation, so incorportanting stories or other aspects into the speech to keep it moving will be much more acceptable to the audience. As Kathy said, changing the pace is important, so breaking the big pieces apart with stories or humor will keep their attention and help make the presentation run smoothly.

Presentation Tips

2006-11-14T12:57:00.000-08:00

Communication skills are of immeasurable importance in any sort of professional environment. There are a number of tips from the “Creating Passionate Users” blogposts and the Garrreynolds.com website that I thought were of particular importance.

As a student I have witnessed a number of presentations by other students, teachers, coworkers and the most important aspect of a good delivery in my opinion is incorporating humor and energy into the presentation. As Kathy Sierra puts it, “Be energetic. Be enthusiastic. Dare I say... be passionate.  You don't have to behave as someone you're not, but if you CARE about the topic and the audience (and if you don't, why are you there?), make sure that it shows. Energy and enthusiasm is infectious.” If a presenter is not enthusiastic about his/her topic then there is no way to generate interest or enthusiasm towards the topic in the audience and the presentation was not useful. If you, as a presenter, took the time to organize and prepare a presentation about a specific topic, you must have some sort of enthusiasm about it, so make sure that shows through. I think humor is also essential to a successful presentation because it keeps the audience engaged and also shows your audience your enthusiasm in an indirect way. For example, avid golfers appreciate golf jokes while scientists appreciate science jokes, because they are interested in the subject matter and can appreciate a joke regarding the subject. The same goes for a presentation. If the presenter can incorporate humor into the presentation it not only maintains audience attention but also indirectly shows the audience that the presenter really does care about the topic.

Garrreynolds.com gave some helpful hints regarding preparing for a presentation that I would like to use to prepare my own presentation. On this website the author suggests keeping it simple and asking yourself (the presenter) what three things you want your audience to remember after listening to your presentation? Be it three words or phrases you want the audience to retain after you finish speaking. This is an excellent planning strategy because it forces the presenter to boil the presentation down to only a few words and makes the purpose of the presentation extremely clear. The Garrreynolds.com website also gave some good presentation tips that I would like to keep in mind when making my presentation; one of them being: Have a visual theme but don’t use PowerPoint templates. Although it might be tempting to use a PowerPoint template in a presentation, most likely the audience has seen that template before. The author suggests being original and creating something that your audience will not recognize. In my opinion, this could help the members of the audience remember your presentation better.

How to WOW them.

2006-11-14T12:53:00.000-08:00

After reading the two articles I was taken back by all the good ideas I was given. Each article had personal stories of what dose and dose not work when you are given a presentation. I was able to find three main points that the articles brought up.

1. You must really work to entertain your audience. Most of the time the people you are talking to would rather be doing something else more important to them. Using color slides, humor, and your voice will really help keep them entertain in your presentation.

2. Be Prepared. It is important that you are well prepared for your presentation. Know exactly what is on each slide so you never have to look back and also know what you want to talk about next. Practice your presentation in front of others to get a feel for how long it will take and what you need to work on.

3. Find a way to connect with your audience. Before going into your presentation, learn about the type of people who are going to be in the audience. Prepare your presentation around these people. Some good questions to ask are…How old are they? What do they do?

Three Important Things for a Presentation

2006-11-14T12:09:00.000-08:00

Through both of these sites, I pulled out three of the most important steps I think are important while giving a presentation. I know with my major and career, it is likely that I will have to do a lot of presentations. And it is said that presentations are one of the greatest fears of people. So, if you know great steps it will prepare you more and you will not be as intimidated by the thought of presentations.
Steps:

1. The slides go with the words-dont just use them as a background. But, on the same track the slides are not the words (dont just read off the slides for the whole presentation-the audience can do tha on their own). Use the slides as visuals for the audience, I know that I grasp more information when I have some words in front of me; rather than only talk.

2. Be energetic while giving a presentation- I think this greatly helps a presentation succeed. The audience will not want to listen and will start to do other things while you are giving your presentation if it does not interest them. There is no reason to give the speech if no one is going to listen. You are wasting the audience's time as well as yours.

3. Make your story, make a connection with the audience (but dont make your presentation too pitchy). If you do the audience will tune you out as well. You can also show examples of what your presentation was about. This will help a lot when it comes to work presentations.

These are great tips that will help with my presentation skills.

3 things I learned about presentations

2006-11-14T12:07:00.000-08:00

I really liked the second website that was given to us because I felt as though it gave me some great insight on presentations. I read the blog about Tom Peter's tips for presentations and loved it. I felt like his outlook on giving presentations made the whole idea seem a lot less scary.

The first tip that I really liked was to only include one point per slide. He goes into detail by saying that overcrowding a slide is confusing for the audience and more technical issues can be prepared in handouts. Even though putting one point per slide can get tedious I believe that it is crucial to keep the attention of the audience. If an individual gets confused they are likely to lose focus.

The second tip that stood out to me was to appeal to the emotional aspect of the audience. He states that even though only half of the brain reasons with emotion (the other half is technical) it is important to appeal emotionally to the audience, because as humans, individuals naturally connect more with the presenter if there is emotion involved. Tom Peter's says that even if a presentation is clearly technical, adding just a little bit of emotion will catch the audience's attention.

The third tip that I really liked was passion. Tom says that in order to captivate the audience, we as the presenters must be passionate about our topic. If the presenter is passionate about the topic, more credibility will be given, and the audience will credit the presentaion as a whole more. He advises that to make a project passionate one must mimick the presentation as one big story, with suprise facts to catch the audience off guard.

In all I learned that even though many presentations can be very technical they can presented in an appealing and attention grabbing way. I get anxiety about giving presentaions and this blog made the idea seem less scary and more interesting.

Three Important Things for Presentations

2006-11-14T11:54:00.000-08:00

The first thing that I thought was important when it comes to presentations is “be entertaining.” I think that this is one of the most important aspects of giving a presentation. As we all know, there is nothing more boring than a presentation that lacks in humor or emotion, or interesting facts. Most of us have probably had a really bad teacher that was not entertaining at all. Another reason I think that being entertaining is important, is because if you are passionate about what you are talking about, then you will come off as more entertaining. In addition, the audience will take in more information of what you are saying if you can find a way for them to stay tuned in.

The second important thing I read about and thought was really interesting, is the blog post about “Creativity, presentations, and design thinking.” It states how the creativity in a presentation is extremely important and plays a vital role when giving a presentation. I think too many people do not use all of their abilities when doing different tasks, and find themselves working within a cookie cutter mold. If you think back to the presentations or lectures that you remember, I’m sure there was something about it that was creative.

The third important thing I read, was in the blog post about Bill Clinton, titled “Bill Clinton, and The Art of Speaking in a Human Voice.” What I got from this post, that I think would be helpful in all presentations, is that there should be some type of emotion in your voice when speaking to an audience. No one likes a person that reads their notes when speaking, or speaks in a monotone voice the entire time. What this blog points out, is that humans have the need to empathize with one another, and by using emotion to capture their attention, they can easily relate and be ready receive more information.

Three things about presentation

2006-11-14T11:49:00.000-08:00

I taken communication classes before and this information wasn't entirely new to me. But it did show lots of similarities to the classes stressing the importance of learing these ideas. The three things that were most important to me were:
1. Preperation, doing extensive research in getting ready to do a presentation. The morre you know and prepare the more confident you sound and the more people will listen to what you have to say.
2. Knowing your audience. It is very important to know who you are presenting to, especially if the audience is not as experienced in the topic you are presenting on. Its always good to make sure your audience can understand everything that you are saying.
3. Varing tone and pace. If these are used correctly they can be a very important tool in communicating very important parts of your presentation. It can also keep the audience from falling asleep or zoning out.

Presentation Tips

2006-11-14T11:24:00.000-08:00

What I found most interesting between these articles was the amount of time spent per hour of a presentation. I cannot imagine spending 100 hours per 1 hour of a presentation. At the same time, I do find it almost necessary to spend 40 hours or so, just from what little experience I've had. I completely agree with the need to care about your audience and add humor, as well. I think most of all, this first article implied energy. That's a given when you're trying to present.

I was especially interested in the second article and its topic of Word of Mouth Marketing. I think the concept of giving people something to talk about, and only sharing a story as opposed to pitching a sale is very interesting.

If I had to narrow down three things that I'd like to take away from these for my presentation, I'd have to say:

1.) "be interesting, or be invisible". It's so difficult to put yourself out there. I'm always trying to tell myself that if I mumble in front of a crowd, they're still going to hear me, so I might as well speak loud and confidently.

2.) vary the pacing. This is something that I think will come with more practice, experience, and exposure. More often than not, it's easier to speed through a presentation and talk at 1,000 words a minute. Adding a slow effect in emphasize key phrases and really just trying to play around and have fun with the speed of your presentation is something I'd like to try and do.

3.) use insider references. This mostly just comes from knowing your audience and including some humor, but I think the article makes a good point in saying that it's important to use humor that the audience can directly connect with. This creates more of a bond or appreciation between speaker and audience.

Three Things I Learned

2006-11-14T11:07:00.000-08:00

I thought both of the articles were fairly interesting. Here's three things that I'd like to incorperate into my presentations.

"The slides go with the words--they aren't just there as backdrops."

It seems all too often when I see presentations with PowerPoint, it's almost pointless to even USE the PowerPoint presentation to present, because the slides either have very little to do with the presentation or have a bunch of meaningless facts that no one cares about and no one is going to read through. AND if they do read through it, their brain is trying to compile that information instead of listening to YOU!

"Use humor. Somehow. [Note from me: I'm not funny, not at all. So I have to do this with slides. Damian is funny, and his slides are hilarious]"

It's good to hear this from someone else. I love using humor in presentations. I love sarcastic remarks here and there, random moments of well... randomness, and other things that will keep the viewers on the edge of their seats, or at least not comatose in a puddle of drool sleeping. Some people find it "unprofessional" and stick to boring slides with boring information over, and over, and over, and... zzzzzzzz...

"Care about the audience. Care about their time. Care about their attention. Care about what they probably paid in time and money to be there. Care because... that's the kind of person you are ; )"

Is there anything worse than sitting in a presentation with someone who thinks they know just a little too much? Instead of trying to teach YOU they act like they are simply there to show off, or that they just don't care and read in a monotonous tone. There is nothing I hate worse than this. NOTHING. There is also nothing that will lose an audience quicker than Joe Schmoe reading off a set of cards in a drab voice while not maintaining eye contact, etc. I suppose this one sums it all up nicely. Act like you care about your audience and make sure you do so when you present!!

3 Thing I Learned About Presentations

2006-11-14T11:00:00.000-08:00

It was very hard for me to pick just three things to talk about after reading the blog post and the hints on the website. I feel like I am terrible at doing presentations and never feel comfortable speaking in front of a large number of people. The blog gave me several little hints on how to make the powerpoint slides more useful and how to use them better in relation to the audience. My biggest problem is that I seem to go into a trance and begin reading straight from the slides, and now I know plently of ways to use the slide to aid my presentation while not reading straight from them. Here are the three things that helped me most about presentations:

1. I never how helpful it is to actually make your slides as simply as possible. In the Gary Reynolds website I found that his slide tips really allowed me to realize I was one of the people that created the type of "eye chart" slide rather that a visual aid. I feel like that will help me alot with creating my slides for this presentation.

2. I also didn't realize that using cheezy art slides rather than good 3d art was looked down upon. I would usually look through clip art for something to help me out with my slide, now I know I should probably look online for something that looks much more realistic and better.

3. I never knew how much time one could spend preparing for a presentation, it said in the blog a minimum of 20 hours per hour of presentation, to work on the slides and talk. If I consider this ratio relative to my presentation I should probably start practicing now!

Three things that I learned about presentations

2006-11-14T10:06:00.000-08:00

I learned some fairly interesting things about presenting speeches with the material we were given to read. The first thing that I learned was to make sure to prepare alot for your speech if you really want to become successful. I think that getting the proper amount of time to prepare a speech can really make a huge difference in how it really goes.
I also learned really try to portray the passion you have for whatever you are talking about. I think that slowing and speeding up your rate of speech, having some well placed humor, and several varations in your voice can really captivate the audience into enjoying your speech more than if you are just boring and monotone.
The third thing that I learned was to prepare yourself for people to disagree with some of the comments that you might make in your speech. Alot of times I think people are passionate about their own ideas and beliefs about certain matters, so by having your arguments backed up will allow you to be alot more calm if someone is looking for a verbal arguement.

3 things I learned about presentations

2006-11-14T09:46:00.000-08:00

I thought these websites were very helpful. I am a terrible speaker and always get so nervous when I have to give a presentation, as everyone will find out in a few weeks, but this site gives you some good information on how to give a good presentation.
1. Don't take yourself too seriously.
Even though I think this is sort of just a way of handicapping yourself so you don't have to admit to having a bad or boring presentation, my presentation will probably be awful so this is sort of a disclaimer that will hopefully allow me to relax and have a better presentation.
2. Make yourself an expert. By dedication and preparation you can prepare yourself and your presentation to be the best it can possibly be.
3. Speak in a human voice.
Humans are emotional beings and respond to emotions. Don't have a monotone voice when doing your presentation, but rather be excited about what you have to say. Hopefully, by doing this you will be able to make your audience excited about it as well.

3 important things about presentations

2006-11-13T18:48:00.000-08:00

After reading the blogs and chapter, I found many helpful things when preparing for a presentation.

1. Make sure your audience understands what you are going to present to them. The chapter discusses the structure in a very simplistic but help way and breaks the presentation into 3 parts. a) Intro: Tell them what you're going to tell them b) Tell Them c) Tell them what you just told them. Following this will ensure your point is made.

2. Keeping your composure is essential. Keep a consistent tempo throughout the presentation. Do not get moving too fast, otherwise the audience may get lost and not be able to follow along.

3. Be energetic and excited to be speaking to your audience. If you are not excited about your subject, why would the audience be? Be sure not to be over zealous and scare the audience though. Enthusiasm and control can work well together.

3 Things I Learned About Presentations

2006-11-13T17:22:00.000-08:00

I thought this blog was very helpful. It was helpful because it makes you feel like you are not alone when giving a presentation. A lot of times, I feel that people make giving presentations into a much bigger deal than it really is. If you know what you need to say then your presentation should not be overwhelming at all. A presentation, to me, should be just like a conversation. It should simply be you telling your audience what you need them to know. These are the three points I learned from this blog entry:

1. Don't use templates from Power Point. This really told me a lot because I always do this. It is kind of like taking the easy way out when using one of these. While they look professional, someone else may have used the exact same template.

2. Taking 10 hours to come up with a 1 hour presentation. This astonished me. I never knew you should take so much time in preparing for a presentation

3. Color schemes are essential. I always thought the color scheme simply reflected your personality or your presentation topic. This went into much more detail than I ever would have thought about.

3 Important Things about Presentation Blogs

2006-11-13T15:46:00.001-08:00

I think that all of these articles and blogs were very helpful and informative. It is very important to know about these things, and it is something that comes with practice. So if you know what to do to begin with, it makes things a lot easier. They made many important points. Here were my favorite ones:
1. Presentation Zen talks about how to make yourself and your product marketable. Not only do you need to give an interesting presentation to keep the attention of your readers, but you need to get to as many places as possible in your community. Spreading the word can only help. Coming prepared is also key. You cannot expect the audience to do the talking for you.
2. The next thing that I really liked was "keeping your cool under fire". I think this is very important because there are always going to be people that do not agree with you, your product, or what you have to say about it. As long as you take the right approach and have the right attitude, you will be confident and not defensive.
3. The third important aspect in Presentation How tos blog was "do not take yourself too seriously. I think this is very important because there is a difference in being serious and too serious. If you are too serious your presentation is going to be less effective and your audience is going to be in a way uncomfortable. You do not have to be too serious to be effective.

Overall I think that this was interesting and helpful at the same time. I hope to effectivly use these tips during my presentation.

3 Important Things about Presentation Blogs

2006-11-13T15:46:00.000-08:00

3 Important Aspects of Presentation Blogs

2006-11-13T12:00:00.000-08:00

I really enjoyed the Presentation How To’s blog. It’s hard to give presentation; successful and non-boring ones at that! Presentation Zen was helpful as well. I am going to try and use these three important bits of advice for my presentation

1. Presentation Zen gives a great quote about making a person marketable. Considering I am a marketing major, and will be graduating in May, I take this quote to heart. There is so much truth behind it.
"Giving people a reason to talk about your stuff *and* making it easier for that conversation to take place."
If you want to give a great presentation you need to make it memorable. Tapping in to a persons memory bank can bring them talking to others about your presentation. Even if they do not talk to others they sit and think about it themselves making their own conclusions.

2. Presentation How To’s blog gives me my next to important things to remember while giving a presentation which I will try to incorporate in my presentation.
Don’t take yourself too seriously.
Although it is important to be a bit serious, I think it is important to lighten up to make your audience comfortable. Your audience is the most important aspect of your presentation. You are trying to show them what you are made of by showing your creativity through computer presentation as well as spoken word. Making your audience feel comfortable by being yourself will win them over. Not to mention make you feel more comfortable and relaxing aiding in giving a better presentation.

3. The next important aspect I will use is:
* Be energetic. Be enthusiastic. Dare I say... be passionate. *
Who wants to sit through a boring, monotone presentation with someone who doesn’t care about what they are talking about? No one…at least no one I know. Be fun! Be energetic! I don’t think this needs any explaining. Don’t be boring and care about what you are presenting about.

3 Things Learned from Presentations Blogs

2006-11-12T14:48:00.000-08:00

After reading many blog posts from the 2 websites, I have learned the following three things about making a good presentation.
1. According to the Presentation Zen post, "Creativity, Presentations, and Design Thinking," I am reminded to be creative in your presentation. You can be creative in the way the information is presented or the visuals you create. It is common for business students to believe that they are not creative, which is not true.
2. According to the Creating Passionate Users post "Add graphics to your blog, book, or presentation" it is important to use graphics in a presentation to quickly inform your audience. Clear graphics allow the audience to visually understand the information you are presenting. Type of graphics can include: charts, diagrams, graphs, comparisons, metaphors, or photographs.
3. Lastly, the post "Two Words of Passion," talk about the importance of a professional vs. passionate design. The type of design depends on the type of image you are trying to convey. For example, a corporate presentation should be professional, dignified, and rather standard. On the other hand, a presentation for a revolutionary start-up company can be more daring and fun. For my presentation of my portfolio, I will use a professional style since is a class presentation.

Gliffy

2006-11-09T12:08:00.000-08:00

I liked using Gliffy. It was very easy to use and get into. It did not take long to get the program running which I feel is important. I also like how you dont have to download anything. With one of the last programs we had to download the software and that took a lot of time. I also like how you can save and use the same map again. I also like how the shapes and arrows were already done and all I had to do was drag them to the page. You could also adjust the size of the shapes. And the arrows were easy to move around. I do not have time to play around with the software to see all that it had to offer. But, just with my short usage I really enjoyed it.

Gliffytastic

2006-11-09T12:02:00.000-08:00

Gliffy was so easy to use and very professional. I liked how everything was so easy to find. All the shapes were right there in front of you and it was easy to find the tools to be able to connect your shapes. I was a little annoying that you couldn't see the whole page at the same time and thus, the boxes had to be a little smaller and your writing went outside the boxes somtimes, but other than that I though Gliffy was amazing.

Gliffy

2006-11-09T11:53:00.000-08:00

I thought the gliffy software had a lot of interesting things on it. It reminded my of an architectual drafting sofware I used in high school. There were lots of icons that I could use to put in my map. However, I thought that the software was a little confusing. I There really wasn't a help menu or instruction on how to use the different icons. I also thought it was kind of a generic software in that it can be used for lots of different things but doesn't really go into depth in one specific are. It would have been better if there was a sofware or template for making the map only. The other icons confused me a little bit.

Gliffy

2006-11-09T11:35:00.000-08:00

When first read the assignment and learned that I would receive extra credit if I used the Gliffy program to create my levels chart I was excited at the opportunity. However, when I tried to use the program I became very confused. Using computer programs are difficult for me in general, and I try to avoid them as much as possible if I can do something by hand in stead. I think for this particular assignment it is a lot easier to just write out the layout on paper. Besides, if you want to go back and change something real quick, all you need is an eraser and your done. All in all, I did not like using the Gliffy program. It was too difficult and I ended up just giving up on it, because it was taking to much time.

The fun of Gliffy

2006-11-09T10:23:00.000-08:00

Gliffy was kind of fun to use for this project. It had a lot of cool tools that I know I could of used on so many other projects I have done in the past. It did not take me long to learn how to use the Gliffy program and it made making the boxes very easy. I did not like how I had to drag each shape over to the document and could not just selected a shape and then place it where I wanted it. I think Gliffy is a good program because you do not have to download it on your computer. This made starting Gliffy very easy and fast to use. Also, it is nice that you have your own account, that way you can be working on any computer and save your work.

Gliffy

2006-11-09T06:22:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to say that I tried to use gliffy, and overall it was way too confusing and I ended up just doing it by hand. I do understand why a program like that would not have a "how to" section or a manual or something. All it gives you are the different layouts and shapes and it does not even explain how to use those either. I feel like it would have been a waste of time for me to sit there for a couple hours and try to figure out what I was doing, when I could really make my map look nice by hand.

Web Map using Gliffy

2006-11-08T23:18:00.000-08:00

Overall, Gliffy is a user friendly tool for creating a wide range of diagrams. In my opinion Gliffy is easier to use compared to the Visio program I downloaded at the beginning of the semester to create my special project map. Creating an account was really simple but I had some trouble finding a way to connect the different pieces of my map. What I really needed was a copy and paste sort of thing so that I didn't have to keep redrawing every line. In all reality there is probably a command in Gliffy that will allow users to do this, I just couldn't figure it out. As I was trying to figure out how to use the program I was surprised to find the option of creating floor plans. Gliffy has all the special symbols and characters needed to create a technical floor plan. I had never used a program with those options in it until now.

The Gliffy

2006-11-08T21:23:00.000-08:00

I was really pretty confused about our assignment in general...but eventually I figured out what I was supposed to be doing. I have to admit, the Gliffy tool seems pretty cool at first, until you try to actually work it. Maybe it is just the fact that I have never worked with anything like this before, but I couldn't find instructions or a help box anywhere. I felt like it was left up to me to interpret all of the weird symbols. I guess it is a good thing to gain experience with tools like the Gliffy even if it means a little frustration. I do believe that simply drawing a chart or map on a piece of paper would be much simpler, although it would be much less professional. The gliffy provides a professional, clean approach to organizing thoughts.

Using Gliffy.com to create my levels chart

2006-11-08T19:43:00.000-08:00

I liked using the Gliffy program to create my levels chart. Although there weren’t any directions it seemed to navigate like the program I used on an earlier assignment. I used simple and concise lines and boxes which I feel make my level chart look good. One thing I found difficult was on how to publish the chart online. There was a blogger option, but it didn’t let me tell it what blog to post it on. The directions weren’t very clear. I played around with it trying different things, but nothing worked. I really liked the other features that it offered such as user interface and floorplans. I thought the floorplans was awesome. I played around with it because it was so neat. I’ll be telling some of my family that is in to design and construction about this neat and fun program!

Using Gliffy

2006-11-08T15:34:00.000-08:00

So when I first tried to use Gliffy I found that you had to have a computer that has Flashplayer for it to be required. I know that this proved a problem until I found one in the computer lab that was set up so I could use it. Next I found that the registration process for Gliffy was relatively painless, I hate it when I have to check my e-mail for what it seems like 12 times just so I can log into my account. I then proceeded to go to a new blank document and jumped right into it. I soon discovered that every icon located on the side of the screen could be pulled onto the blank screen and adjusted to whatever size you needed, I found this extremely easy. Next when creating the arrows it was just the same as the shapes that my main points went into, if I was trying to limit space I could shrink them down or even slant them to go to a part of the document I wasn't utilizing. Overall Gliffy was a very handy tool and I know that in the future I am definitely going to recommend it to others.

Using Gliffy.com

2006-11-08T14:53:00.000-08:00

I did not like using Gliffy to make my Levels Chart. I found this program very confusing. I thought it was weird how it did not give any instructions. You could not really tell which button did what. I was really confused the entire time I was using the program. My final outcome was sloppier than if I would have done the project by hand. I thought the lines were hard to draw, and I could not figure out how to make the squares different from each other. I did not find any button that controlled the size of anything. I just felt like the program only did certain things, and it was not very customizable.

Supplemental Website Banner Instructions

2006-11-07T11:37:00.000-08:00

Here are the supplemental instructions that you all worked on and I pulled together into one document. Please leave any feedback or suggestions for improvements in the comments.

Instructions and Design: So Do You Get it?

2006-10-31T11:35:00.000-08:00

I think that this is a very different project, and so the text really helps to explain what to do because it is not something you would know how to do on your own. It goes through the basic steps and gives guidelines. I also liked how it talked about the difference between descriptive and non descriptive.

In chapter 11 I really liked how they gave a list of websites for magazines and how to design cool things. I also thought it was neat how they put a page for you to personally redesign the example they gave you.

A Review and Help With Instructions

2006-10-31T11:33:00.000-08:00

Chapter 11 in the Non-Designers handbook was very helpful for me because it brought everything up until this point into one chapter. I know it was just a review of things we should already know, but there were alot of minor points that I may have forgotten and the chapter brought them back up. Focusing on the main points we have covered so far helped me to bring everything together and gave me a place to look if I need to remember anything

Chapter 19 was essential for our upcoming assignment. To tell you the truth before I read this chapter I really had no idea what a set of instructions could be. This chapter not only defined that for me, but also gave me an outline of what mine should look like. The chapter gave me a list of tools I should use when trying to design my set of instructions and gave very broken down summaries of each section of the instruction.

Chapter 11: So Do You Get It? Chapter 19: Instructions

2006-10-31T11:31:00.000-08:00

After reading the title for Chapter 11 asking so do you get it, I realized that this chapter was probably going to review everything we have learned so far. I thought that it was very helpful, because it allowed me to remember some of the things we learned a long time ago. Altogether, I thought it was good to have kind of a summary chapter in the book, to make sure you come away from it confident in knowing design principles.

Chapter 19, about instructions, stressed how important it is for detail. The more precise you are with describing your steps, the easier it is on the reader. I thought it was interesting how design can play into giving instructions. For example, it is not just the words on the page that help assist the reader, rather the whole package.

Chapter 19 and Chapter 11

2006-10-31T10:38:00.000-08:00

Chapter 11 in the Non-Designers Handbook was very short. It summed up all previous chapters. Boring and not interesting.

Chapter 19 was very informative on how to write a proper set of instructions which is our upcoming assignment. Not much excitement in this chapter.

Chpt.11 and Chpt. 19

2006-10-31T09:19:00.000-08:00

Chpt.11- So when I first looked at the title of this chapter "So do you get it" I knew that it was going to be an overview on what we have learned throughout the book so far. I liked how this chapter really touched on all the main points that have been covered in the book so far such as how it tells us to start by picking a focal point to begin a document. Also I like how the chapter gave us activities that we can try on our own to do to see exactly what we have learned so far from reading this book.

Chpt.19- I think that this chapter really informed us on what we are expected of in our upcoming instructions assignment. I really enjoyed how the book broke down how to give instructions into a step by step methods starting with introduction to what is going to be taught, the list of tools that are required, the steps on how to use the tools, graphics on what it looks like, and then the conclusion. Seeing these broken down into very descriptive summaries really allowed me to understand what is wanted from us. When reading further on I was intrigued by the book telling us that instructions should only be given in the most basic forms of language so that people whom aren't well aren't that well diversified with it can still follow it easily enough.

Chapter 19

2006-10-29T16:35:00.000-08:00

Chapter 19 describes how to write a set of instructions and provides an example of a book called "Worst-Case Scenarios". I have this book and thought of it right away when I started reading the chapter and was not surprised it was mentioned in the chapter. It describes how to dive off clifs, perform an emergency tracheotomy. Basically it is the instruction guide for just about anything you could possibly imagine and is sort of entertaining too. If you need help with writing instructions I would suggest this book.

Color Palette Generator

2006-10-26T12:49:00.000-07:00

Just in case anyone is interested, I found this on the web that might be easier to use. If you have a picture, just load it into the Browse box and it will pick out the colors that best compliment and contrast your picture. It'll give you all the information you need and a sample in order to use for your site.

Here's the site

Banner/Theme for your Porfolio

2006-10-24T21:25:00.000-07:00

You might try surfing the web to get some creative inspiration for your project. Try:

Font Shop
Click refresh on their home page several times to see the different fonts that are used with the different people. What font are you?

You also might check out some of their recent newsletters and blog posts on fonts that are used on packaging and in brand names. Look at the logos and consider what sort of banner and theme you want to use for your porfolio.

Tasty Type
Design Outside the Box
Pillowy Soft Scripts
The Logos of Web 2.0

web design from scratch
You also might check out the article, current web style for some ideas on how you might think about your own project.

design meltdown
See their left navigation and check out their series on color.

Reminder

2006-10-24T18:15:00.000-07:00

Just a repeat from what I said in class: I'll take revisions on your resumes and cover letters until November 9th.

CH. 18 and 10 in Design

2006-10-19T11:56:00.000-07:00

I thought chapter 18 was helpful, but it was also just a review of how to set up any sort of assignment. It talked a lot about beginning, middle, and end. I think it will definitely help when we start our projects. Chapter 10 in the design book I really liked because it really shows how much of a difference appearance makes. I really have enjoyed this design book. I think it has a lot of great information and the examples are helpful to look at when I am trying to do projects.

Chapter 10 (Designing with Type)

2006-10-19T10:56:00.000-07:00

I liked this chapter and all the examples. How much of a difference font colors, sizes, styles and directions can make a difference. I liked the examples on size the best. They're fun and interesting. I've now got a lot of examples I can use, or try to use, for my project and projects the future.

Chapter 18 (Technical Description)

2006-10-19T10:53:00.000-07:00

I liked this chapter considering how our next assignment is a technical description. I liked the examples. They helped organize and layout the way I want my project to be. The context was pretty much the same to me with the other chapters. Figuring out the intro, middle, and conclusion is pretty much the same with any assignment. Good chapter.

Chapter's 10 (Type Contrast) and Chapter 18 (Technical Descriptions)

2006-10-19T10:19:00.000-07:00

Chapter 18- I really found that this chapter was very effective in it use of examples on how to explain technical descripitions. I really enjoyed the Segway example shown on pages 518-521, it really showed how you should break down the technical description. Also the way in which they broke down how to get the "ball rolling" with descriptions was also great, they gave us a lot of good ideas as far as planning, researching, organizing, and drafting go.

Chapter 10- This chapter was interesting, I really like they encourage you to make drastic changes with the type, rather than just suttle one. For example I like how they said dont just change a 12 point font to a 14 point font, if you are going to do it then do it. I also never realized that having different forms can really change the way that a word is portrayed. Throughout this whole book they give nothing but great illustrations and examples to help show what they mean by the written text and this chapter was a great example of that.

Chapter 18 and Chapter 10

2006-10-19T09:05:00.000-07:00

CHapter 18-

This was an informative chapter, since we will have to be doing a technical description. It showed good examples as well.

Chapter 10-I really enjoyed this chapter. I liked all the examples again. ALl the contrasts: size, weight, structure, form, direction, and color. All are things I could use when making documents.

Ch. 18

2006-10-19T07:44:00.000-07:00

I like how the chapter broke down the technical description into each individual part. It went into a lot of detail for each specific section. I thought it was very helpful, and I especially thought the section about the graphics was interesting. I never thought about adding in all those details to make the document more self explanatory.

Chpt 17 and Chpt 9

2006-10-10T14:22:00.000-07:00

Chapter 17 really is one that will come in handy with this upcoming assignment. I thought that the chapter did a great job in talking about how important developing definitions is, it really will help me for referencing in my technical definition assignment.

In Chpt. 9 in the Non Designers book I found it to be very interesting when they were talking about the origins of the written texts themselves. I am kind of a history nerd so this made the read for me to alot more enjoyable. Also I didnt realize how you need to really contemplate what type you should use for different documents until reading this chapter.

Chapter 17

2006-10-10T12:08:00.000-07:00

Good chapter. Very detailed. I never knew there was so much to definitions. This will be really helpful for the assignment coming up.

Chapter 9-non-designer's design book

2006-10-10T12:04:00.000-07:00

I'm really big on fonts. I love different types and styles. I really like decorative and script fonts the best. These are for fun documents which give it something extra; a little pizzazz. Fonts, to me, make a document. Fun chapter!

Chapter 17

2006-10-10T11:24:00.000-07:00

Being a huge English nerd, I found Chapter 17 to be really interesting. I know in my own writing I tend to overuse parenthetical definitions (definitions found in parentheses) and under utilize sentence definitions. Sentence definitions are definitions which are whole sentences which define something by stating its category and listing distinguishing features. Later in the chapter it gets into how to properly define things in technical documents so that non-experts can grasp them. This is a really important skill to have in general but specifically it seems really important for textbook writers, lawyers and any highly technical fields. And there really is a market for people who can be that go between among the scientists etc. and the common reader.

Technical Definitions & Categories of Type

2006-10-10T10:19:00.000-07:00

Chapter 17 talks a lot about the different types of technical definitions. The parenthetical definitions are mainly used to clarify the meaning of a term and you can use them to provide an additional defining word or phrase. Sentence definitions are whole sentences in which a term is defined by naming its category and the distinguishing features that differentiate it from its category. It then goes on to talk about planning and drafting of definitions.

The one part of the chapter that I had never heard about before was negation. Negation refers to defining a word by showing what it is not.

Chapter 9 in the Design book is all about different types and fonts. There are obviously those types that are formal and professional looking like the oldstyle or sans serif. I personally like the decorative fonts because I think it gives documents more character. Script gives a fancy touch and I like that also.

Chapter 9

2006-10-10T06:32:00.000-07:00

This chapter was very interesting to me. I loved all the different types of font. My favorite font would be script, and Modern. I agree that it is very important to look at your font as an important aspect when you are doing work. I feel that each font proves something different. Using different fonts will give your work life, and interesting features.

Chapter 17

2006-10-09T11:25:00.000-07:00

It never crossed my mind how often definitions need to be developed. Every time new technology or procedures are developed, there must be someone who can accurately outline/define the new procedure or technology. An example that immediately comes to my mind is the avian flu. Until just a few years ago, no one really had any idea about the 'bird flu'. Once it became a major concern for our nation, the avian flu had to be defined in order to communicate effectively to the masses just what exactly avian flu really is. There had to be some scientist that could define the bird flu clearly, while providing comparisons/contrasts to other diseases. Technical definitions are an important part of change, growth, and development in any field, including technology.

Extra tips and tricks and designing with type

2006-10-05T15:18:00.000-07:00

Chapter 6 was obviously just a review of what the previous chapters talked about and how you should not be afraid to experience with things. Chapter 7 I really enjoyed. I loved the example of creating a package and how everything worked around the mouse face, but every piece was so much different and unique. It is crazy how much difference knowing how to design something makes. All of the documents in this book are so attractive and they make you want to read them.

The other thing that I really learned from everything in this book is that you want all of the pieces to look like they belong together. For example, the letterhead and business card should look very similar. Flyers and newsletters are also something interesting that you would not think of doing so much work to, but really you want as many people to read them as possible.

Lastly, using different fonts can change the look of things also. If you just use Times Roman it looks very outdated. I really enjoy looking through and reading this book

Expert Blogging -- Temporary Revision to Requirements

2006-10-05T11:29:00.000-07:00

For the weeks beginning October 16, October 23, and October 30:
Only 1 blog post for each of these weeks is required (for a total of 3 for the 3 weeks).

Each of your posts must contain at least one link and two paragraphs. In the first paragraph, summarize the article you have linked. In the second paragraph, analyze the article.

Each of these three posts should be 400-500 words each.

Regular blogging requirements continue the week beginning November 7.

If you have questions, please let me know ASAP.

Chapters 6,7,8

2006-10-05T10:58:00.000-07:00

I really enjoyed seeing the examples that were present in these chapters, I thought having examples of things that you shouldn't do and should do were really insightful. I really wouldn't have thought of many of the tips and tricks that were shown in chapter 7 such as putting boxes around everything because it will seperate information that should be put closer together. Also seeing the difference that different type, really showed how just doing that alone would change the contrast of a letter drastically, this really was eye opening.

Dreamweaver Resources

2006-10-05T10:11:00.000-07:00

Last time we just jumped in and started creating pages in Dreamweaver. If you'd like to learn more, please see the following resources.

Getting Started with Dreamweaver (scroll down and click on View PDF)

IAT Services also offers free software training classes.

6.7.8

2006-10-05T09:42:00.000-07:00

I liked all the examples in these chapters. I particularly liked the part about the business cards, and letterhead. How to only use one main color and a splash of another. And then about the business cards on PDF. And how important the quality of paper, the design, color, typeface, and envelope are for a cover letter.

Chapters 6,7,8 Design Book

2006-10-05T08:01:00.000-07:00

I found the tips and tricks chapter especially useful (chapter 7). Firstly, I rarely see business cards in a vertical layout, but the book mentioned trying a vertical layout when designing business cards. In my opinion, a vertical business card, would really stand out from all those horizontal ones. Also, on the topic of business cards, I thought the author had a good suggestion about displaying phone numbers. The author suggests using periods or small spaces instead of parenthesis when displaying a phone number on a business card in order to make it less crowded. This is such a tiny modification () vs. . but it can really give a business card a more professional and clean look. Along the same lines of keeping things simple, I thought the author made a good point in the newspaper ads section of chapter 7. She points out that ads don't have to be flashy to be effective. For example, I can remember a few years ago these "truth" ads were really popular on television and magazines that were geared towards teens and were meant to discourage smoking in young people and to discredit tobacco companies. The major logo behind the "truth" ads was merely the word truth in white dotted lettering against an orange background. These ads were extremely simple but I still remember them.

Design Book-Chapters 6-8

2006-10-04T19:34:00.000-07:00

Chapter 6 was a review so there wasn't much to it. Examples were good with tests at the end to see if you could tell what was different between two documents. Nice recap.

Chapter 7 was great. It talked about tips and tricks when creating documents. There was so much information on what not to do and what to do when working with documents such as letterheads and business cards. The example of Url's Internet Cafe was great. There was consistancy between all of the documents created. It is important to be bold and grab the attention of the reader. That's the whole point. Using fonts that are not boring and old make a huge difference. The sizes of fonts used make a difference as well. This was an overall great chapter with great examples. There are many ideas throughout the book which we are reminded of after reading this chapter.

Chapter 8 was a fun read. I really like fonts and making fonts on documents different. I don't like documents that are concordant. I like contrast and difference when I make documents. This was a fun chapter that contained information I already knew.

Chapter 14

2006-10-03T12:37:00.000-07:00

I agree with a lot that was said before my post but I don't agree with the chapter saying your homepage can't have a lot of information on it. A lot of very successful websites these days use the homepage as the main point and just branch off from there. Ebaumsworld, College Humor, Tucker Max, all use a very busy front page. Not sure if they are just the exceptions to the rule but either way it makes you think maybe business doesn't always mean clutter. It just puts a lot of pressure on the designers to fit it all in attractively and efficiently.

Chapter 14

2006-10-03T12:28:00.000-07:00

Chapter 14 seemed like a review to me. It seemed like a lot of the information was covered in the other chapters. However, I thought that it was interesting how it stated that as a web designer it is important to try our site out on various browsers so that you know whether it is compatable or not. I have seen errors in some websites out there, and I think it would be wise if they took this advice.

Chapter 14

2006-10-03T12:20:00.000-07:00

I found this chapter pretty interesting because I've had a few chances to attempt to design websites previously and this chapter gave me alot of insight. Putting together a "good" website can be alot of work and requires alot of thought about how the design will effect the viewers opinion on the site immediately. I thought the section on organizing you homepage to be most effective was very helpful, when I had a chance to make my own website I always felt like I had organizational issues and this chapter really helped me out. I feel like the design techniques discussed in this chapter will be really helpful for future websites I try to design and hopefully will solve my problems with organization.

Chapter 14

2006-10-03T11:54:00.000-07:00

This chapter was very simple. There wasn't much to it that people probably already know. One thing I found interesting was that homepages need to be well thought out easy to navigate. There shouldn't be too much information on homepages. Linking to other important factors like history or questions is important. Having too much on the homepage draws attention away.

Chapter 14--Designing Websites

2006-10-03T11:06:00.000-07:00

I think that this chapter starts out doing a great job of explaining all the different ins and outs of a website. Most people are probably all familiar with this stuff by now, but there are always people that are still confused. I personally think that designing a website is really complicated and takes a lot of work, so this chapter really helped walk me through this process. There are a lot of things that you probably would not think of that this chapter informs you of. The homepage is probably the most important page because that is what keeps people looking at your site or just moving along to the next one. All of the navigational pages are what you would want to work on next. It talks about different styles and images. I think this chapter was full of a great information.

Chpt.14

2006-10-03T10:50:00.000-07:00

I thought that this chapter was interesting because it explained what some of the labels of different webpages involve. I really didnt know what the difference between a homepage and a splash page was before reading this chapter, so it was nice to finally learn some of the differences. I also liked how they told us what questions to ask on page 385, 386 for people that create webpages.

#14

2006-10-03T09:33:00.000-07:00

This chapter was really helpful in giving definitions to many of the online terms. Every time I talk to tech people I can never understand what they are talking about or what they mean. This chapter helped me learn the different parts of the internet and of a website. I have no idea what a node page was or that a webpage had different names. The five principles of design were also very helpful tips to remember to use when we start building our own webpage.

Chapter 14

2006-10-02T22:05:00.000-07:00

I think this is a current topic that is of interest to today's society. With so much more being done on the internet today I found this chapter helpful and informative. I liked the parts where it talked about setting up a web page. I have always wanted to start my own webpage and the only thing close to it is blogging! Very good information!

Chapter 14

2006-10-02T20:47:00.000-07:00

The section of this chapter that describes orgainzing and drafting a website I found particularily intersting. It talks about how orgainzing the website can be done using sticky notes. I use sticky notes all the time and I thought this was a great idea. Using only a blank wall and a whole bunch of post-its would be a really convenient and flexible way to organize a website. I could see how this method could be used to organize a whole bunch of things besides websites. I also noticed in this chapter how the guidelines for designing an interface were similiar to those mentioned in "The Non-Designer's Design Book" for creating paper documents.

Chapter 4&5

2006-10-02T10:21:00.000-07:00

I liked the emphasis on the bold font as opposed to non bolded text in letterheads and business cards. I also liked how the chapter talked about repition and how to use repetition to make your document more effective. I had also never heard of using contrast in document, and how you must use a large difference in order for the contrast to make your document better.

Chapter 4 and 5

2006-09-28T12:30:00.000-07:00

I found in particulary interesting how big of a difference changing one line or one word into bold type can make. It really does change the way you read a document. I also liked the idea of keeping your business cards and letter heads the same. I never heard of this before, but it seems as though it would be very effective. I thought it was very smart to incorporate well known symbols in other ads but to use only a partial image. It's amazing to me in chapter five how much difference adding contrast can make. I especially liked the changes made to the resume on pages 66 and 67. It added so much definition to each of the sections. I also believe in the less is more theory, and I think this chapter really emphasized this. Instead of using lots of pictures or words, you should use bold type or lines to add effect.

4 & 5

2006-09-28T11:36:00.000-07:00

Chapter 4 had three main points I think. Allignment, repetition and consistency. Making something, either a picture or caption repetitive, allows the reader to think back on where they saw it before.

Chapter 5 was my favorite in the book so far. The example on page 75 was great. Documents that have contrast are so much better to look at and read. My attention was drawn right to the 'woof' and the bold headings. Great Chapter! Very helpful.

Chpt 4 and 5

2006-09-28T11:15:00.000-07:00

I am really enjoying reading this book, I think the way in which it addressed the subtle changes that can be made to a document can really make a huge difference. For instance I really like the example that was on page 54 about how when making a business packet each piece should have the exact same repetition between them. This is something I never really thought about but it makes sense that if you show someone multiple items with the same format they will be more likely to remember you.
I also thought that the examples on pages 74 and 75 really demonstrated how contrast can make a huge difference on how people read your article/webpage/letter. If you just look at one and look at the other they almost look like two completly different documents with totally different information.

Ch.4 Repetition and Ch.5 Contrast

2006-09-28T10:07:00.000-07:00

Ch. 4 Repetition:
This chapter really interested me because the examples really proved that repetition works! My favorite example was the business card with the bolded typeface. In one business card the only thing bolded was the name, and in the second business card the name and phone number were bolded. When these two typefaces were bolded my eyes really did jump back and forth between those two elements and they really stood out to me after that. It also did a great job of tying the two element together! I also found it interesting that you don't have to think to hard about repetition, you can just work with what you have. Taking an element that is already in your document and giving it a repetitive twist can be as simple as bolding headlines, or adding more bullets. I agree that repeitition truly ties pieces of a document together and that it is important for communicating the professionalism and authority of the document.

Ch.5 Contrast
I did not know until I read Ch.5 that contrast and conflict were two different things. Contrast has to be extremely different while similar elements may still be observable with conflict. The idea that two ideas had to be completely different for their to be contrast was greatly emphasized in this chapter. Contrast must also be very strong for it to be effective in the document. I have always been afraid to use contrast in writings or documents and this chapter emphasized the importance of contrast in organizing a document. After seeing the books examples I was confident that contrast in documents really does work. Not only does it make the document more interesting but it aids in organizing the work, something a lot of my writings tend to lack.

Chapter 5-Contrast

2006-09-28T09:35:00.000-07:00

I thought this chapter was interesting and brought out some good facts. The first example with the newsletter is great. Just by looking I see the one on the right (with more contrast looks better). And then again with the resume as well. But, I have also heard not to put all those lines on a resume. With the cowboy article the one with contrast I fell is a lot better as well. I also think just having bigger and important words bolded makes the document better as well.

Chapter 4 and 5

2006-09-28T08:46:00.000-07:00

Chapter 4 had three main points I think. Allignment, repetition and consistency. Making something, either a picture or caption repetitive allows the reader to think back on where they saw it before. It gives your document more readability.

Chapter 5 was my favorite so far. The example on page 75 was great! Documents that have contrast are so much better to look at and read. My attention was drawn right to the 'woof' and the bold headings. Great Chapter! Very helpful.

Chapter 4&5 (Design Book)

2006-09-27T12:31:00.000-07:00

I am starting to enjoy this design book more and more. I really like to look at all the examples and how creative they get.

The chapter about repetition was interesting because you do not realize how much of a difference small things like this can change a document and its visual. Repetition makes the document more fun to look at and also ties in all the parts that are sort of floating around.

Chapter 5 was probably my favorite. I had no idea how great a document could look by just bolding some things and adding black to part of a background. This book is full of useful information and I acutally enjoy reading it.

Chpt 15

2006-09-27T09:38:00.000-07:00

I think this Chapter has been the most informative chapter we have read in the book yet. I really enjoyed the in depth look at how to write letters, resumes, and preparing for interviews. I really felt like this was a chapter I can really use in the upcoming months while I try to search for a job. I especially liked the fact that they gave frequently asked questions in the interview section, this could really prove to be handy.

Chapter 4 & 5 (Design Book)

2006-09-26T16:42:00.000-07:00

I really like the author’s writing style in the design book. She uses minimal text and lots of figures and images to get her point across. In chapter 4, on repetition, I found it interesting how mere fractions of familiar images are just as functional as the whole image. For instance, on page 60, the author uses the Chile Fiesta example to illustrate how just a portion of a chile pepper image can immediately remind the reader of Chile Fiesta. In chapter 5, on contrast, I noticed how the author repeatedly encourages readers to "not be a wimp" when developing a document. With this in mind, I found the example of the telephone book advertisement to be inconsistent at first. On page 70, the author displays two telephone book advertisements for a construction network. One is flamboyant and flashy while the other is more conservative. The author suggests going with the more conservative one in this case. This example made me realize the importance of recognizing the purpose for the advertisement and its audience. Because this phone book ad is trying to recruit customers, a flashy and loud advertisement may not be the best choice in this case. The conservative advertisement sends a more professional message to readers, and will help the consumer feel more comfortable buying services from a professional.

Chapter 15

2006-09-26T12:23:00.000-07:00

I thought this was the first really useful chapter that we have read so far. I thought I knew how to write a good resume, but after I read this chapter I realized how little I knew. It gave very good ideas and I liked how it showed the two different types of resumes. I think this will really help when it comes time to get a job.

Chapter 15

2006-09-26T12:15:00.000-07:00

This chapter was very helpful to me for several reasons. I've always known what a resume is, but I never have actually written one for myself. The chapter went into great detail to show all the elements that should be included in a resume, and several differerent ways to design and organize the resume to make it better. I feel like I didn't really know anything about writing a resume, but after reading this chapter I could write a very effective, with a good design, and well organized resume for my first job.

Chapter 15

2006-09-26T12:11:00.000-07:00

I found the most important part of the chapter was in the beginning. The section that displayed a list of goals in looking to start a career were very helpful. The "Five-W and How" questions, although they might seem obvious, are critical in picking a career. For example, although I have always considered salary an important factor in deciding where I wanted to work, I never really thought of vacation and benefits. These questions also make you really think about what you want to get out of your professional life. This is important because the quality of your professional life directly affects the quality of your life overall.

Chapter # 15

2006-09-26T09:00:00.000-07:00

I liked this chapter, especially since it goes with my blogging. First, I had no idea that there was a functional and a archival resume. But, with the information regarding the archival resume, this is pretty much everything I have added as well to my blog. I also think it is always a good idea to state your goals before you do any job searching. I also like the part about the professional portfolio. I will write about this as well while I am blogging.

CH 15 and 2&3 of Design Book

2006-09-25T14:00:00.000-07:00

I think chapter 15 was a big help because personally I have never been taught on how to write a resume. Obviously I know what it is, but having a guide to help you make fewer mistakes and tell you exactly how to go about writing it is a big help. Also, having sample resumes to look at was very helpful as well.

Designing your portfolio and preparing for the interview had some good tips. It talks about greeting people with confidence and gives some sample questions that might be asked and how to reply to those questions.

In the Non-Designer's Design Book, Chapter 2 talks about grouping related items together because it implies a relationship. It shows two example business cards. One has one bold phrase and the other has two bold phrases. The one with two is more confusing because you are not sure which bold phrase you should read first. Also, the setup is not as efficent as it could be because bits of information are scattered all over the card. When you put them closer together, it makes it easier to follow. Chapter three talks about alignment, which I never knew made so much difference. The way things are aligned on the page can make all the difference in the apperance of the document.

Chapter 2 and 3

2006-09-25T09:40:00.000-07:00

I liked these chapters because of all the picture examples. Everything looks so much better once aligned right and had the right amount of proximity. These are very important aspects to remember when making a flyer or business card because grabbing the readers attention is key. I have seen brochures that look horrible and think to myself that those people need some help!

Chapter 15

2006-09-24T18:48:00.000-07:00

Finding a 'real' job is right around the corner for me. There are a lot of websites that help with looking, like hotjobs and monster. These are really helpful and I have taken advantage of them. I also think, as the book states, that personal networking is so important. It's really about who you know not what you know.

I liked the career objective part of the resume section of the book. I find that a difficult task and always like examples. The book was good on letting readers know the rights and wrongs. Verbs are very important when writing a resume. It's always good to have a great verb that will draw the readers attention.

An interesting part of the chapter was reading about application letters. Aren't they the same as cover letters? It seems as if they are, but maybe the difference is that they are more lengthy and describe your interests and capabilities that would aid you with the job.

Interviews in general scare me a little bit. Although I have to say that I've spent a lot of time reading online about questions that could be brought up. I don't know if there's a question I haven't had or one I don't have an answer to.

I really liked this chapter. Good read!

Chapter 3 (Design Book)

2006-09-23T20:44:00.000-07:00

I thought chapter 3 had some very useful information about creating professional documents. I never realized it before reading this chapter, but center alignment is really not such a good idea on any document. I have to admit that I am definitely guilty of using center alignment too often. The example with business card really put things in perspective for me, things just look better when aligned left or right. I liked how the author uses tons of examples to illustrate her points. It is amaxing how adding a few spaces, changing the alignment, or darkening a font can make such a juge difference in the visual appeal of the document. The subtle hints from chapter 3 will come in very handy.

Chapter 16

2006-09-21T12:22:00.000-07:00

I feel like this chapter was somewhat of a review, although alot of the sections were very helpful for me. I don't feel very confident about my knowledge in writing formal letters or memos. This chapter really opened my eyes to several different style and design ideas I could use in my own letters. I also liked all the examples and the fact that they expressed exactly how each letter or memo should be written. The examples of each letter were very helpful because alot of the time I really need to see something to understand what the text is telling me.

chapter 16

2006-09-21T10:54:00.000-07:00

I liked the examples given of letters and memos. I'm a visual person and examples are great for me. I now know the main difference between letters and memos. There wasn't much to this chapter besides that.

Chapter 16

2006-09-20T20:28:00.000-07:00

I think this chapter was a little too much overlap and review. But, I do feel that the memo part was of interest to me. And I like that part about the types of letters and memos: inquiry, response, transmittal, claim, adjustment, and refusal. And then the basic things that are put in each letter. This is helpful.

10 & 12

2006-09-19T12:45:00.000-07:00

Once again I thought the chapters were a little boring execpt 12 was actually a little funny, but also sad because it wasn't trying to be. Everybody that has ever had an English class or ever written any kind of paper knows about the levels of editing and know that its important to revise and have other people edit etc. Also, I'm pretty sure if you don't know what e-mail is there's no way you are going to be accepted into a university. I think this book might have been written in 1977.

10 & 12

2006-09-19T10:54:00.000-07:00

I liked Chapter 10 because their levels of editing. Knowing the different levels and realizing which ones to do when faced with time constraints is very important. This chapter also reinforces the notion that other people need to review your document because you are bias and suggestions are needed. That is very helpful when writing a document. I liked the charts on grammar and punctuation as well.

Chapter 12 was good too. I think it's important to realize the problems with e-mail; the good is something to realize too. Just because you delete an email doesn't mean that it's deleted for good. Watching what you write is very important. Make sure writing is formal because it looks and reads better.

Who Does Not Know How To Use E-mail?

2006-09-19T00:49:00.000-07:00

The only thing I really liked from Chapter 10 was the part about document cycling. I obviously know what this is, but I never knew that is was called "document cycling". I think that is a really great way to get a lot of different insight about your paper, and like the book said, e-mail is so convienent. Which brings us to the next chapter; e-mail.

I think this chapter was sort of humorous because the first title on the first page of the chapter is "What is E-mail"? I think that is funny because it is pretty much a given that everyone knows what that is by now. When I started to read the chapter, I thought it was very pointless because it pretty much tells you how to write an email, and I think that is self explanatory. But, when you keep reading, it gives more useful information, even some stuff that I am not too good at yet. It tells you how to sort and archive and also how to purge. I had never heard this term before until reading this chapter. All it really means is to clean out your inbox often.

Overall, I think these two chapters were useful, but at the same time boring because in our society today, most people are very comfortable and familiar with computers and how to operate them.

September 19th

2006-09-18T20:45:00.000-07:00

Chapter 10 I thought was great how it discussed the levels of edit (revision, substantive editing, copyediting, and proofreading). I feel as if I was one of those who just barely looked over and missed important errors. I like how the chapter went into detail on how to edit a paper. I also like the chart on page 277 discussing the common usage problems in technical documents. These are common mistakes and this is a good overview and quick reference.

From Chapter 12 I liked how it really relates to use today. Email and instant messaging I feel are a very important in today's society and see it as a general way people communicate today. And the part about managing is very important-I need to do this!

Great information in both chapters!

The Email World

2006-09-18T18:25:00.000-07:00

When I saw the first headline, “What is E-Mail?”, I started to get a little worried about how out of date this chapter could be. I think most of know how to use email and it was a fight for me to get through these first few pages. Surprisingly, it had a lot of great information about writing emails. I think we often use E-Mails for business and formal things but then forget that we need to write in a formal manner. One of the best parts of this chapter for me was how to manage your email. For some reason this year I have been getting slammed with emails and they really do start to pile up. Sorting and archiving my email is something that I almost never do and I think Step 3 will be really useful and making sure I can go back and find a email when I need it later on. Another good part of this chapter was the E-Mail Netiquette. With emails being so easy to forward, you really have to be careful about what you write. The Guidelines in E-mail Netiquette are some really good point that I am going to try and remember when I send out emails for now on.

2006-09-17T12:47:00.000-07:00

Chapter 8

2006-09-14T12:02:00.000-07:00

I though Chapter 8 was a little boring, but at the same time it mad me realize just how important these five princples are. There is really a lot more that goes into the design of these documents and web pages than we realize especially when you go to a very elaborate website like yahoo or espn. It makes you realize how much work has gone into the design to make them outstanding webpages. This chapter, while boring, gives a lot of good information about how to better design these documents and interfaces.

How do you keep readers interested?

2006-09-14T11:56:00.000-07:00

I think that chapter 8 was a very worthwhile chapter to read. It gave all kinds of information and intructions on how to do things that probably not everyone is familiar with. Designing documents has become a whole new way to look at reading. I think it is a great way to grab the attention of a reader and then once they are hooked, keep them interested. I think visuals help a lot of people absorb more information than if they were just reading something plain. This chapter gives you all different grid formats, alignment solutions, and even highlighting and font size information. All of these can make a document easier to read, understand the content more clearly, and just enjoy and appreciate the document. Chapter 9 expands on the previous information to give directions on how to use these tools and make everything look perfect. I think these two chapters had a lot of great information.

Chapter 8 & 9

2006-09-14T11:50:00.001-07:00

I liked Chapter 8 more than i did 9 although 9 was very informative about charts and graphs. Chapter 8 made good points about how documents are supposed to look. Having a document that is easy to read, navigate and has graphics is very nice. I think that organizing your document is very important and isn't something that you might think about when reading a document. If you were tested on which document out of two that looked the best, you would probably choose the one with better alignment, bolder fonts, etc. I really liked this chapter!

I know information on charts and graphs and which to use when trying to get information across, but it was a nice little review I suppose. Very wordy and helpful for those who might not know which graph to use with what information.

Chapter 8 & 9

2006-09-14T11:50:00.000-07:00