Final Paper Post

The website will be used to promote myself and my work through the content on the site. Since this is a professional website, I have put in samples of my work such as videos that I've created, creative and journalistic writing, and other work that I have done throughout my college career so far. I have also posted my resume on the site as well. Posting my resume on my website will show people what I have done throughout my high school and college career. This will give people a sample of what I'm capable of doing, what my strong points are, and how well I am experienced with different programs and mediums such as video and social media outlets. In order to make myself successful and gain an audience, I feel that a website with my credentials will promote and help me in future endeavors. Through the contact section of my page, I have the social media websites that I'm a part of for my social media links. I put the Facebook, Twitter, and BlogSpot that we used for the class projects into the section. I also put my personal Tumblr in as well. With these links, people can view what I have done on social media sites. For example, when we worked on the Facebook project. I created three group pages on Facebook for companies that didn't have a Facebook. This would show employers how I can create and manage groups and pages. Another example is the Twitter project. Through the Twitter project, it showed how I can tweet and keep up with instantaneous messaging as this is what Twitter is all about. The social media projects tie in with the website because it shows employers that you have an understanding of how social media works. Since I'm a journalism major, most journalism jobs require that you have experience with social media, especially Facebook and Twitter. These are the two social media sites that people are receiving their news since journalists use them to post articles and other links on the web. Knowledge about social media is key since many employers recommend that employees have experience with using these websites. Also, social media is a way for people to communicate and network with each other. With the social media links on my website, it will be easier for viewers to contact me through the sites if they have any questions. As far as designing the website, it was very rocky. Before we did anything on the computers, we first sketched out what we wanted our websites to look like. I chose to do something simple because I didn't want to overwhelm myself with fancy details and graphics. Drawing the pages out really helped me visualize what I wanted on my site. It became tedious to draw as it all started to look the same, but I'm glad that I had made a visual to look at. From there, I transferred my design onto Photoshop. Then, we inserted the images that we made in Photoshop and placed them in Dreamweaver. I thought that you would just be able to plug it in and go from there, but it was way more complicated than that. If anything, some of the steps were tedious and you had to do them for every page. For example, making the hotspots. The hotspots were probably the easiest thing to do when we were starting to build the site and make our links clickable out of all the steps that we had to go through. I had a hard time with it in the beginning because I was making small mistakes with them. At first, I messed up because I set everything up on the home page. I didn't go to each direct page and type in where the link was supposed to go. Each of the pages that I clicked on directed me to the homepage, which I did not want to happen. Or some of them didn't even go to the correct page; they weren't clickable. Then, I had to go and redo some of the pages because they were going to the homepage. Finally, I realized that for each of the pages where you set up the hotspots, you had to type in .html at the end of it. I had spent so much time trying to figure out what I was doing wrong; I even worked on this in the library. I also stayed after class to work on redoing the links for the website. I thought that I was doing the right thing, but I kept on making the same mistakes. Mistakes were easy to make while working on this project. One little thing could ruin your whole website, so you had to be very careful with what you were doing. I think a lot of people in the class missed that part, so we had a little trouble with one of the easiest things as far as setting up the links. It was hard to determine what I was doing right or wrong because I would ask my classmates, and they would tell me one thing and then another. Then, I had to remember what the professor said about what to do. It was confusing to say the least. We were going to do the div tabs, but Professor Pabico told us that we could just skip that step to make it easier on us. I also think that if we had more time to learn how to make our own website on Dreamweaver in class, it would have been more beneficial. I believe that we only had six class periods to complete our websites. For time sake though, I'm glad that we didn't have to go through the process of learning how to do the div tabs. It would have been frustrating to work on. Also in the beginning of working on the website, we did a coding exercise to get used to formatting in html format. I felt that since we skipped most of the steps that dealt with the coding, we didn't have a chance to really experience coding. I wish that we would have had more time to work on the website because it would have given us experience on how to work with coding and website design in the future. Overall, I think that the website was hard in terms of learning all the steps in making a website. At first, I thought that it was going to be easy, but it's harder than I thought. I would still want to learn more about web design in the future though.

Web Design Post

For my website, simplicity is what I'm striving for. Although I do wish that I had the skills to do some fancier styles, I'm just keeping it simple. As the article stresses as the main point, simple goes a long way. I believe that I have achieved that through my website design. The only colors that I'm using are red, black, and white. I also have a picture of a temple in Japan in black and white. The text is mainly white, except for when you hover over the link and are on the page, the text will be red. I feel that through my design, you can get a lot from me based on how I have everything arranged and the graphic that I chose. I love Japanese culture, so the picture gives it away but at the same time it doesn't. I also like the color combination of red, black, and white. Also, red and black are my top favorite colors. People wouldn't seem to get this right from viewing the page, but right there it shows them a lot about myself without really using any words to explain myself.

From reading the article and viewing the samples of the "bad designs", I can see why simplicity goes a long way. If you have a lot of graphics or colors, people are going to be all over the place on your website that they won't even think about your content seeing that they are distracted by everything else. It's better to just keep things simple so that people can follow and understand your website better.

The article mentions another point: navigation. My navigation is pretty simple as well. It's also easy to follow and navigate through when the links become active. The red text gives away the simple navigation. Red is such a bright color that people are attracted to and it's a strong enough color to show viewers where they are when navigating the site. When someone is on the contact page, the contact link will be red, while the other navigation links will be white.

The use of columns is another feature that the article mentioned. Although I don't have columns on my website design, using columns (the right way) can be a great organization tool if you have a lot of content to put on your website. I decided not to use columns because I personally do not like the way most columns look on websites. I'm not sure if it's just the columns that I've seen on sites, but sometimes columns can really clutter a website and it doesn't look aesthetically pleasing. There really is a right and wrong way to do columns on a website (as far as I'm concerned).

The last feature that I used on my blog was bigger text. I tried to make the text pop out and also make it easier to read. The text is also bolded. For my text on the top of the page, I used a 55pt font and the Bell Gothic text. I used the Bell Gothic text because it seemed like a text that would be very easy for viewers to read. Text is important on the site because you do have to have words on the screen, but it can also be a design tool. If you have a certain text, people are more drawn to it. People are not going to appreciate someone having 12pt font in a fancy, non-readable font. It's just best to keep it simple.

More Twitter!

1. The article under "How People Interact" intrigued me. It was interesting to find out that there are 19 different ways that people can interact with Twitter. I only thought that it was from your computer and cellphone. I've also never heard of the majority of the top 20 ways that people tweet from. I knew Twitter was popular, but not this popular!

2. The article, "How Companies Connect Using Twitter" was interesting as well. I've noticed that many companies not only have Facebook, but they have Twitter as well. I'd Sometimes, businesses get a bad rep, but it shows that these companies do care and want to take the initiative to connect through social media and microblogging.

Twitter Post

Twitter is becoming the new and most popular social media and microblogging tool on the Internet. Twitter can be used in many different ways. The obvious one being that Twitter is used for socializing. Users type statuses called tweets on their profile to update followers on their daily lives. It's almost similar to Facebook, but much simpler. Users can also post pictures, whether on a personal or professional level. Another way that Twitter is used is for business purposes. Many businesses and companies are starting to jump on the Twitter bandwagon, as it paves another way for businesses to become more popular and generate more customers. In my opinion, Twitter seems like an easy way for businesses to start out and utilize the features without it becoming a complicated matter. Businesses use Twitter to update customers on upcoming events, receive feedback and gain interaction with customers, and post sales and coupons.

Twitter is also used to get people closer to celebrities. It may seem far fetched, but Twitter is a great way to reach out to celebrities and maybe even get a response back from them. Since Twitter is fairly simple with their messaging system, celebrities are more apt to receive tweets from their fans and respond to them. It's a nice way to kind of stay in touch with a celebrity, even though you're not that close to them.

Journalism has also started to incorporate Twitter into their news reporting. The spread of information from news is faster than ever with the help of Twitter. Reporters don't even have to type that much into the status box to make a big statement or grab their audience's attention on the site. Plus, it's a way to gather more viewers onto your page since it's linked to your Twitter. Although, the spread of information on Twitter can become detrimental for some people. For example, the Spike Lee incident regarding the Trayvon Martin case. Lee tweeted what seemed to be the address of George Zimmerman, but he actually tweeted the wrong address. It goes to show you how fast information spreads and how people disseminate and quickly believe the information handed to them. Incorporating links is another way that journalists use Twitter. Many news companies will post the headline or a couple lines from the full article because of the 140 character limit. If your status is catchy enough, you can receive a lot of hits really fast. Links saves the journalist time and space in the status box when posting on Twitter than anywhere else it seems.

For this project, the five organizations that I chose to follow are FUNimation, Sally Hansen, Sanrio, Influenster, and AllKPop.

I chose to follow FUNimation because it's one of my favorite places to watch anime. I watch anime on a semi-regular basis and it has most of my favorite series. FUNimation also sells DVD's and shares information and events about the world of anime. Following this Twitter informs me about all the different animes coming out and news going on in the anime business. Since following them on Twitter, they post on a constant basis and keep up with their tweeting.

The second organization that I follow is Sally Hansen. I am a nail polish and nail art addict and Sally Hansen is one of my favorite nail polish brands. I followed this Twitter because I wanted to know more about the Sally Hansen company and especially any new colors or collections that they are planning to put out in the future. While following this organization, they post pictures of their new colors which keeps me interested in seeing what they're planning on doing next with the company. I also get information about other beauty products and sales that they going on. It's a great way to find out about new products and receive exclusive offers.

The third organization that I chose to follow is Sanrio. I'm a big Hello Kitty fan and of some of the other characters under Sanrio. I'm not sure if I followed the right Sanrio page because the one that I'm following doesn't have a lot of information about products that they sell on the Sanrio website. Either way, the Twitter is a cute page to go to occasionally. During the project, the page mostly tweeted about the character's birthdays and some events that Sanrio has planned for the future.

The fourth organization that I follow is Influenster. Influenster is a fairly new site that sends out full sized products for free. The site also has badges, which when you fill them out, you have a better chance of getting picked to receive free items. In exchange of getting the free items, users have to review the product on the site and Influenster encourages users to review products on blogs and social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook. I'm following this Twitter because I wanted to receive hints of what the Vox box products are. They give out very good products in the boxes. Influenster also encourages followers to suggest products to them to put in the boxes. It's interesting to see how this organization is growing as a website and an organization.

The last organization that I'm following on Twitter is AllKPop. AllKPop is a site that caters to K-Pop fans. It's mainly a celebrity gossip site, but it's the closest and most reliable news sources that caters to K-Pop fans. I follow this Twitter because it's easier for me to go onto the Twitter and see all the articles, instead of sifting through the website. All the full articles are made into links, and it's way easier to get to them through Twitter.

Using Twitter is definitely different than blogging and social media. For one, Twitter is public and open to everyone. On other sites, you have the option to make your profile public or private. Another thing is that for me tweeting was kind of addicting, but at the same time it's very ineffective unless you're a popular figure on Twitter. It feels like you don't really have a say on the site, or for better words, it's pretty hard to get people to pay attention to your posts if you're not popular or you have nothing important to say on it. I feel that if this was my personal Twitter account, there would be more interaction between my friends and I. The last thing about the site is that it's a little confusing and kind of limited. Posting statuses can be fun in a way, but there's not a lot that you can really do with the site. I had to stop sometimes because I was getting kind of bored with posting statuses, especially 20 and being limited with these five organizations.  I feel on other blogging and social media sites, there's more features that you can utilize and use. For example, games. I'm not sure how games would work on Twitter, but Twitter needs something to make it more interesting. But, obviously they're doing a good job being what it is right now. I just think that Twitter needs to create more features that will keep everyone's attention.

Interview with Mike

1.      How do you plan on self- promoting yourself?

Tyeisha plans on promoting herself through the Internet, blogging, Tumbler, and Facebook. She also plans on promoting herself through word-of-mouth tactics. Her answer to this question was basically that she will use the Internet in general to promote herself.

2.      Name three goals you have between now and graduation.

Tyeisha’s goals include learning Japanese or Korean, travelling to these countries, and eventually getting an internship dealing with writing and a news station. She wants to work with different cultural and cultural backgrounds.

3.      Do you prefer work with a group or on your own and why?

Tyeisha says that it depends on the people she is working with that will determine whether she wants to work in a group or by herself. She likes to work with more dependable people for a group.

4.      What contributions can you make to a group dynamic? Name three things.

She can provide ideas. Tyeisha says that a major contribution she can make is generation effective ideas for the group. She can also provide overall organization and organization tactics for the group. She is also willing to be a leader if asked.

5.      What contributions can you make working independently? Name three things.

Independently, Tyeisha can provide the ability to stay on track with objectives for the task. She is also a more organized person by herself. She also has her own method of performing the task which helps her to stay more on task with her goals and objectives.

6.      What are your pet peeves in a work environment?

Tyeisha need quiet in order for her to work. She can’t have distraction like that. She also can stand members of the group who don’t get their work done and also, members who rely solely on other members to do the work in the group.

7.      Name three things you feel passionate about professionally, this could be school-related, current-job related, group or organizationally related, and why do you feel passionate towards them?

Tyeisha feels passionate about the fact that she is hard-working and always finishes work for both school and work. She is also passionate about being a good listener in school and work and also passionate about having the ability to take initiative to ask question when she is lost.

8.      How do you handle stress and pressure?

There are ways she tries to handle pressure. Tyeisha handles pressure by trying to not overload herself with work all at once. She tries to divide up her assignments so that she is not trying to work on multiple assignments at once. She has to do all these procedures because she gets stressed fairly easy.

9.      Name the last three jobs you had, and the best and the worst failure you had at each of these jobs.

Tyeisha has only had one job so far which has been as part of the work study program. She says that her best experiences with this job are the conversation she has with meeting music students while she works as a computer lab monitor. It is very rewarding for her to meet all these new people. Her worst experience has been when she has let non-music majors some into the computer lab. She says that in that aspect she is sort of a push-over.

10.  How do you handle criticism?

Tyeisha finds that she gets very mad with non-constructive criticism. But she does find herself being able to handle criticism overall, just more frequently when it is constructive feedback.

11.  Outline three strengths you have in the workplace.

Three strengths that that Tyeisha has in the work place are that she has good people skills, is able to work with a group/teamwork, and has good computer skills and a basic computer understanding.

12.  Outline three strengths you have in schools.

Tyeisha is a hardworking person, as well as a good listener with students, and teachers, and has significant writing skills.

13.  How has creating a Wiki Page strengthened your communication skills? Name and elaborate on three things.

Tyeisha made a Wiki How page which helps her form the ability to educate people on a matter. It was important for her being able to socialize with other users for feedback. The overall communication aspect of this assignment helped her develop communication skills.

14.  How will Facebook be used to promote yourself? Name and elaborate on three things.

Tyeisha will have updates and invitations to groups and events. She will also post pictures and videos to let people know what she is currently doing in her field.

15.  How would you promote an organization on Facebook? Name and elaborate on three things.

She would have constant updates. She would also keep up-to-date with her page. Tyeisha would also add events to keep people posted on the status of the organization.

16.  How will Twitter be used to promote yourself? Name and elaborate on three things.

Tyeisha will promote herself through constant tweets as well as constant updates about her professional life along with her objectives and goals.  She will also promote herself through the links to other articles pertaining the organization she is highlighting/.

17.  Graphically, what do you want to have on your website? Name and elaborate on three things.

She wants a nice layout for her website. She already has experience with customizing a website through another program. Tyeisha also wants to include pictures that relate to what she is professionally doing as well as music that reflects her both personally and in a business-related sense.     

Constructive criticism: 

1. Mike did repeat himself a couple times with some of his answers when I was interviewing him. 

2. Maybe more elaboration with his answers and more follow up questions when he was interviewing me.

3.At some moments, he had to think about his answer, but I did the same thing during my interview.

Interview Questions Elaborated

1. How do you plan on promoting yourself?
I plan on promoting myself mainly through the Internet. I have experience with social media outlets such as Facebook, and blogging sites such as Tumblr and Blogspot. I would also promote myself through word of mouth as well. In order to make myself successful, I feel that these are the best ways to interact with people and through that, gain promotion for what I'm doing.

2. Name three goals you have between now and graduation.
One of my goals is to learn Japanese and/or Korean. I want to travel to these countries and others and practice journalism. Cultures absolutely fascinate me, so I want to incorporate that aspect of myself into my work. My second goal is to write for the school newspaper or The Lens at Buffalo State. I'm going to be graduating next year, and I want to get the most experience that I can before going out into the real world.  My third goal is to obtain an internship to gain more experience. My motto is, "The more experience, the better".

3. Do you prefer work with a group or on your own and why? 
For me, I would rather work alone knowing that I can concentrate and get my work done efficiently. In the case of a group dynamic, it depends whether or not the members are dependable for me to work in a group. But, I am not opposed to working in a group.

4. What contributions can you make to a group dynamic? Name three things. 
I can provide ideas. Everyone in a group setting always has ideas and I feel that I can put forth effective ideas for the group. I can also provide organizational tactics for the group. I'm the type of person who prefers to stay on track of things and organize our materials and time in an effective manner. I am also willing to step up and be a leader if asked or needed.

5. What contributions can you make working independently? Name three things. 
Independently, I can stay on track with assignments and projects. Also, I am hard working and will get things done. Finally, I have my own methods of staying organized, such as creating a daily agenda and keeping a planner to map out what my next step should be.

6. What are your pet peeves in a work environment? 
I tend to get distracted easily, so I prefer to work in a quiet area with little to no distractions. In a group setting, I can't stand when members don't contribute or they rely on the other members to get the task done.

7. Name three things you feel passionate about professionally, this could be school-related, current-job related, group or organizationally related, and why do you feel passionate towards them? 
One of the things that I am passionate about is that I'm a hard worker. I give 100% to everything that I do and complete. I am also passionate about being a good listener and following directions well. Finally, in a school setting, I am passionate about being able to ask questions when I'm lost. A lot of people feel uncomfortable doing this, but I'd rather understand whatever is given to me than not understand it at all.

8. How do you handle stress and pressure? 
I try not to overload myself with a lot of work, because I get stressed out easily. I have to divide up my assignments, so that I'm not overloading myself.

9. Name the last three jobs you had, and the best and the worst failure you had at each of these jobs. 
I've only had one job so far. I worked as the computer lab monitor for Buffalo State's music department. It was also a work study job. My best experience with this job was meeting and conversing with the music majors. I liked meeting all the different people that came by. The worst experience was when I would let non-music into the computer lab. In those moments, I was being a push-over.

10. How do you handle criticism? 
I can't tolerate criticism that is meant to hurt someone's feelings. I would prefer constructive criticism, so that I know what I need to work on more. I take constructive criticism very well.

11. Outline three strengths you have in the workplace. 
Three strengths that I have in the workplace are that I have good people skills. I try to get along with everyone and get to know people as well. Second, I am able to work and contribute in a group. Third, I have a basic understanding of computer programs and good computer skills.

12. Outline three strengths you have in schools.
I am a hardworking person. I'm a good listener to students and teachers. Finally, my writing skills are another strength that I have in school.

13. How has creating a Wiki Page strengthened your communication skills? Name and elaborate on three things. 
Creating a Wikihow, it has helped me to communicate and educate users on a certain topic. It's important to cooperate and communicate with users for constructive feedback and finally it has strengthened my communication skills simply by the interaction of thoughts and ideas.

14. How will Facebook be used to promote yourself? Name and elaborate on three things.  
Facebook has many functions that will further help me promote myself. First, creating events will help promote myself. Second, keeping my followers up to date on events going on with myself and my organization. I will also utilize visual media such as photos and videos to my followers.

15. How would you promote an organization on Facebook? Name and elaborate on three things. 
I will have constant updates posted on the organization's page. I would keep up to date with the page if any problems persisted, or just to see how the page is doing in general. Finally, I would add events to keep people posted on what the organization is currently doing.

16. How will Twitter be used to promote yourself? Name and elaborate on three things.
I will promote myself through constant tweets, as well as showing information about my credentials and my objectives. I will also provide links to followers and link other articles pertaining to myself and my professional work.

17.Graphically, what do you want to have on your website? Name and elaborate on three things. 
I would like a nice layout for my website. I want something that pops out, but also looks professional. I have some experience with customizing a layout through another program and through the customization tools on certain sites. I would also like to include pictures that relate to what I am doing professionally. Music would also be included. I want the music to reflect my personality, but also in a business related sense.


18. Name three best case scenario jobs you would like to have and why.
1. I want to be a creator of a culture magazine, mainly focusing on Japanese and Korean culture but including other cultures. I want to include fashion, traditions, events, etc.
2. Working for a newspaper or magazine, mainly one that focuses on Japanese and Korean culture and others.
3. A blogger. It sounds far fetched, seeing that blogging can be hard. I would like to run a blog based on my studies and experiences in Japan/Korea if I make it that far into my career.

19. What employment goals do you have after graduation?  Name three of them.

1. To find a job that I love going to work for. Nothing's worse than working and you don't enjoy it at all.
2. To gain as much experience with a company, so that I can help the company/organization grow. I also want to share my skills with others as much as possible.
3. To find a job that will lead me in the right direction of my long and short terms goals.

Five Best and Worst Websites

Five Best Websites

KawaiiKakkoiiSugoi- I actually found out about this website the other day. In Japanese, kawaii means cute and this website definitely is cute. The colors are perfect and appropriate to the name of the site and the content that is posted. The navigation is also simple to use, which I really would like on my own website. Everything is separated in terms of content and it is organized perfectly.

http://www.kawaiikakkoiisugoi.com/

AllKPop- It took me a while to get used to the new layout of the website, but this layout seemed more organized than the other one. For starters, I like that it has the past seven days feature on the site. You can click on a date and go view the articles posted on that day. It saves the time of you trying to search for a certain article. Also, all the follow links are placed together on the right of the site. I like everything to have their own section, and AllKPop is a good example of that.
http://www.allkpop.com/

OtakuJournalist - I did a mini presentation on this site in my COM 302 class. The site has changed dramatically and it works. I like how simple the website looks. There isn't an influx of graphics and buttons on the site, which I would use on my website.
http://otakujournalist.com/

La Carmina - La Carmine basically has my dream job and her blog is very nice. I love the graphics and artwork that she has on the banner. It's aesthetically pleasing to the eye.
http://www.lacarmina.com/blog/

TokyoFashion - Some of the sections on this website are a little cluttered, but I like how they arrange their photos in the photo section. It's an organized way to show pictures, and can be used for other media.
http://tokyofashion.com/

Five Worst Sites(yuck!)

Craigslist - Even though Craigslist is a well known and used site, it's absolutely hideous. The only colors I see are blue, black and white. The colors make the website looks bland and it makes me take the site less seriously. Also, the personal section is only in black and the blue is really obnoxious;it's pretty bright and ugly in my opinion.  Another thing is that the words are all cramped together. The sections looks like they have no space whatsoever; it makes it less organized.
http://buffalo.craigslist.org/

The Big Ugly Website- This site lives up to its name. It's absolutely hideous, I don't even know where to start. First, there's a multitude of random colors and graphics. The background is an ugly bright yellow. The font is not consistent at all. It's just a big, ugly mess.
http://thebiguglywebsite.com/

Xanga - I used to blog on this site when I was younger, but I never liked the design for it. It's boring and bland and it's not exciting. Nothing makes me want to stay there for no more than five seconds. The bar on the bottom is annoying and pointless to me. I'm sure a lot of people just exit out of it and never use it. Also, the boxes on the bottom look weird. I feel that the advertisements should be on the sides instead of in ugly boxes on the bottom.
http://www.xanga.com/

AnimeCrazy - This is a good anime site, but the website design is quite ugly. There are sections that shouldn't be on the front page. They should be in their own sections on the top of the page. The organization is sub-par, but it could be improved on more.
http://www.animecrazy.net/

Misspheonixrightxxxx.piczo.com - Ew, just ew. Especially putting Phoenix Wright's name to shame and spelling it wrong. The background is neon green. All the content is aligned to the left and it's compacted together making it hard to read. Also, music plays on this site and it's loud and annoying. There's isn't even an option to turn it off.
http://mizzpheonixrightxxxx.piczo.com/?cr=3

Five Organizations on Twitter

AllKPop- AllKPop is interesting to me because I check the site daily for news on Korean pop culture. It's not the best site as far as being unbiased and providing factual information (in a nutshell, translators have screwed up a lot in the past and there are certain groups that they tend to favor), but out of all the other sites this is the best one. If I followed AllKPop on Twitter, I would definitely find the news faster than just from scrolling through the site. It seems like they post the articles on Twitter links as well.

Sally Hansen- Sally Hansen is an organization/business that sells beauty products. The most popular product would have to be nail polish, and I absolutely love collecting nail polish and doing nail art. I would follow the Sally Hansen page for special coupons and information about new nail polish colors and products.

FUNimation - I love anime (no, that does not make me a nerd), and FUNimation is one of the sites that I watch my anime from. They air a bunch of animes on their Youtube page and also sell many titles in stores. I would follow this organization to find out about new animes coming out and news about anime in general.

Sanrio - Sanrio, the home of Hello Kitty. Hello Kitty is my absolute favorite out of all the characters. Sanrio also sells a lot of Hello Kitty and merchandise of other characters such as Chococat, Cinnamoroll, and many others. I would follow this Twitter for sales and information about new products that they're coming out with.

Influenster - Influenster is a fairly new organization that I found out about from my aunt. The site sends you free, full sized items in a box called a VoxBox. You don't always get a box each month, they only select a bunch of people at random to receive the boxes. In return, the site wants you to give your honest opinions on the products. It's a win win situation right there.  I would follow this Twitter for hints on the items in the boxes. Also, to hear more news about the site since it is fairly new. It would be interesting to see what they are planning to do and how they are going to continue as a organization/business.

Here is my Twitter link:
https://twitter.com/#!/PriorCom336

Blogging vs. Microblogging

To me, microblogging has more freedom than blogging. I've done both and they are very different, but similar.
One microblogging site that I frequent everyday is Tumblr. Microblogging doesn't really require any thought at all. For example, you can simply post a picture or a quote or reblog a post without any thought. Tumblr is more of a collage of ideas and pictures for me, since that is what I post on a regular basis. You're going to have your Tumblrs that pertain to a specific topic, but basically you can do whatever you want and no one really cares, except your followers to an extent.
Blogging on the other hand, requires a little more thought. I think from my blogging experience, I put a lot of thought into my blog because I wanted people to read and like what I had to say, so I put more effort into it. I would edit a lot of my posts to either add more or change some of my words around. For my Tumblr, I really don't put that much effort other than my theme layout. Everything else that I post, I could really care less. For blogging, it seems like you have to care more and put thought into your words. Either way, you still want people to see your blog at the end of the day.

Microblogging is different from social networks because there is less socializing on microblogs to an extent. On microblogs, you have followers but it's not as personal as Facebook. Plus, I believe that Twitter posts can be seen by anyone unless you protect your tweets. Another difference is that on microblogs, information travels faster than Facebook ever could. It's a little hectic because sometimes when I'm on Tumblr, people will purposely post things just to either gain more views or just to troll the heck out of everyone. It's hard to decide what is facts and what is fiction when it comes to microblogs.

I have used Twitter before, but I don't use it that often. The first time that I made a Twitter account, it was in my COM 303 class. We had to make a Twitter account and then we had to find some newspapers that had Twitters and write a summary about the things that they posted on there. We also had certain beats, or topics, that we had to cover for the whole semester. My beat was the alumni association at Buffalo State. For another assignment, I had to follow at least five people who were associated with the alumni association, and find a couple of events that they were planning throughout the semester to help me with some story ideas. We only used Twitter for a couple weeks and then we never went back to it.
I sometimes use that Twitter account for international fan voting for Mnet Countdown (where all my beloved K-pop stars perform) and to follow celebrities that I like. I rarely go on it, but when I do I use it for those purposes.

Facebook Groups

After going through my original post and finding that three out of five did have Facebooks (they didn't have one when I checked the sites), I did The Western New York Linux Users Group, Speaking for Animals, Inc., and Georgie's Bakery and Cafe. Here are the group links:

Western New York Linux Users Group:
http://www.facebook.com/groups/391508810878611/

Speaking for Animals, Inc.:
http://www.facebook.com/groups/251852594908946/

Georgie's Bakery and Cafe:
http://www.facebook.com/groups/392519780758780/

Communication and Facebook

Communication is essential for a successful Facebook group and event page. Even though it literally takes no more than five minutes to get your page up and running, it really isn't a "good" Facebook page unless you start to generate some communication with users, such as feedback.
Facebook basically runs on the people and the communication that users have with each other. Without users or an audience for a group or page, a Facebook page is literally dead. Although you may spend a lot of time working on making your Facebook group/event the best that you can, the users really keep the page alive and running.

Also, pictures, music, etc. can help keep communication alive on a group page. I feel that adding pictures and other media to your group or event keep Facebook users interested. It also makes them stay longer in the group. No one wants to see a dead group on Facebook. If you don't have at least something with your group page to catch their eye or don't take the time to keep it up, users are more apt to become bored or uninterested with your page and never come back. For Facebook, it's not that hard to forget about a group or page. You just move to the next one. It also makes your page less legit and unprofessional if you're not consistent with keeping up with the group page. Sometimes, it shows people that you're not as serious to keep up with the page if there isn't anything on there.

Events also require communication between users. If you're trying to plan an event, you need to invite people to that event. Facebook is a great way to inform your friends or users of events, especially if you don't have the time to do it the old fashioned way. Nowadays, more people utilize Facebook to get events out to the public.

Facebook Post

This is my Facebook link:
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100003609649556&ref=tn_tnmn

1. I've been a long time user of Facebook, but when I first started out, I didn't really give it a chance. I thought that it was just another Myspace because it basically had all the same features on it at that time. I think once everyone else was getting on the bandwagon, I started using it more and more. Honestly thinking about it, it's still not the best thing out there. I feel that many people take Facebook way too seriously and it can cause some serious drama at times, even though it is a great communication tool.

2. For Facebook, I honestly use it to play games the majority of the time. I'm a little less obsessive about some games, but I still play them on a regular basis (level 146 on Sorority Life that'll tell you something!). The games can be a huge distraction unfortunately. I also post statuses and photos from time to time, but now it's become more on a monthly basis. I try not to post something stupid like, "I just went to the store and bought a carton of milk." A lot of people do that, and I just think it's annoying and stupid. Usually, I'll post something funny or something that everyone can relate to. Also, I use Facebook to see about events that are happening around campus or if my friends are having get togethers. I'd rather them just text or call me, but Facebook is a good way to communicate those type of things if you don't have time to do that.

3. Three other uses for Facebook are games, sales, and linking to other sites for accounts. As mentioned in the previous question, I do play a lot of games on Facebook, which I think is a good and bad feature. The good thing about it is that most of the Facebook games are pretty fun to play and they're free. The downside is that some of your "friends" don't play Facebook games, so it's hard to complete some challenges that the game gives you. Also, some features do cost a ridiculous amount of money. It's tempting at times, but I would never pay real money for any Facebook game.
The second use is sales. Facebook is actually a great way to get exclusive coupons from your favorite stores. I don't really have the time and money to shop all the time, but if you're looking for a good sale from a store, the store's Facebook is a great place to look. PR also comes into play for sales. Brands have an opportunity to become more popular through social media because consumers are more likely to be impressed by a company if they have a good liking on Facebook.

The third use is linking other accounts. Some sites have the option to link your Facebook account to a site or use your Facebook as an account. It saves me the trouble of making a new email and setting up a password when you have the account right there.

4. I think that the professor wanted use to create separate accounts because this account could be used for future purposes if we choose. All you would have to do is change the name (if you have to) and use it for your professional Facebook or whatever you have to use it for. Also, I think that the professor doesn't want to use our personal accounts to interfere with the school project. It would be a little confusing, especially if someone has a lot of "friends" on Facebook. It would be kind of hard to keep up with statuses and everything.

5. Facebook is not private to me. I try to make my information private as possible, but I feel that people can still see what you post, no matter what because some features aren't blocked as well as others. Plus, people can get around anything these days. Also, Facebook has the tendency to change their settings all the time so it's also uncertain to me what privacy and account settings are actually in affect, especially if you do change them and a message pops up stating that your profile isn't private is discouraging and annoying. Another factor is the advertisements. The advertisements do follow you around, and even after I've signed off of
Facebook, it still follows me around.  All in all, a Facebook is only private if you take the initiative to control what you post.

6. The five rules of etiquette that I believe are important are: 1. Do not post personal information such as phone numbers, addresses. You're just setting yourself up for someone to get all your information, and people use that to their advantage most of the time. 2. Don't use Facebook as a personal diary. Save it for your notebook diary at home. No one wants to see it on their wall all the time, plus it's just unprofessional. Future employers take it into consideration if they're trying to hire you. 3. Don't start drama on Facebook. It makes you look immature and stupid. Plus, if potential employers find that on your Facebook, no one will probably hire you or it will make you look bad in their eyes.  4. Don't post embarrassing photos of yourself. If you don't even want to see them in real life, then don't put them on your Facebook account. Plus, those pictures
might come and haunt you one day. According to the article, "Examining Students’ Intended Image on Facebook:“What Were They Thinking?!" discusses how users, especially younger users post pictures and
statuses, but don't take the time to actually think about what they're posting or who could potentially see your pictures and statuses. 5. Don't spam on Facebook. It's unprofessional, immature, and it clogs up your wall and everyone else's wall.

7. Personally, I have never had an awkward moment from something that I've posted, but I have had people try to add me on Facebook for "other reasons" or I simply don't know or remember the person and that does become awkward for me, especially since I don't know how they found me in the first place. The article "A World I Don't Inhibit: Disquiet and Identity in Second Life and Facebook" by Stuart Boon and Christine Sinclair says it best when it says, "Facebook seems to encourage us to create essentially false communities of superficial relationships". Many people feel that just because another one of your Facebook "friends" are friends with you, they think that it is okay to add you as well.

Organizations Without a Facebook

   1. Neighborhood Legal Service, Inc
The organization's goal is to help people with low incomes and disabilities. There are a variety of services that are provided throughout counties in New York State such as, Erie, Wyoming, Orleans, and many more.



    2.   Choco Logo Confectionary Design
Founded in 2005 and located in Buffalo, NY, Choco Logo is a business that creates logos on chocolate. According to the website, Choco Logo provides "private labeled chocolates and popcorn, custom made candies for charities, and logo gifts for corporations". The company also creates their own chocolates as well.



   3.  Western New York Linux Users Group
Founded in 2008, the goal of this group is to show people in Western New York the in's and outs of the computer program Linux. The organization welcomes beginners to advanced users to this group. The meetings are also free to attend and open to the public.



4.     The Door
The Door is an organization in New York City that provides young people ages 12-21 with an opportunity to reach their goals by conducting young services for them. The services include health care, GED, tutoring and homework help, computer classes, English Language classes, etc.



5.   Speaking Out for Animal, Inc.
Speaking Out for Animals, Inc is a non-profit organization animal rescue and rights group in Clarence, NY. The organization rescues abused and strayed animals, especially kittens and cats. Speaking Out for Animals, Inc also provides care for the animals by giving vaccinations and other vet care to ensure the health of the animals. The goal of this organization is to stop animal suffering once and for all.

My Video Experience

At first, I was a little taken aback by the two words "group project". I think everyone can say that they've had their fair shares of bad experiences with group projects; I know I have. I think that this was one of the best group projects that I've been in. Each one of us had some good ideas, and we worked together very well. There were no problems at all really. We even hung out after some of the shooting and ate lunch together. It was really fun getting to know these two, and if possible I would work with Katherine and Anthony again.

It was my first time ever using I-Movie, and I was a little intimidated before starting to use it. Before this class, I've never used a video making program. I found that one I got the hang out it, and read through the tutorials provided on the blog, it was really easy and simple to use. Everything was pretty self explanatory, so I didn't have many problems. I did have a tendency to look at my group member's videos and compare them to mine, but I think I did an okay job for my first time using the program.
The hard part was probably editing because there were shots that I wanted to keep, but had to take out because they either didn't fit or didn't make any sense. Also, the importing the bigger files were a pain because we were working through multiple USB's. We had to wait a little while before the files were transferred. I felt bad for Professor Pabico because we had to wait for the files to transfer on the USB's and we were keeping her behind. On the other hand, it was scary knowing that something could possibly happen to our footage if we didn't take the time to wait for the imports to finish loading. After this experience, I'm pretty comfortable with using I-Movie now.

As far as the shooting went, I think that the group shooting went very well. We didn't really have any problems getting any of the shots, and we got enough footage to use for the group and for our self portraits if we needed it.
For the self portrait shooting, it was hard shooting myself because I would have to sometimes hold the camera with one hand, and describe what I was holding in the other. Other times, I used my window sill. Another problem was the lighting. I think in some shots it was just really dark, but that's because of the lighting in the dorm rooms. It's not very good, so I had to sometimes use my desk lamp for some extra light in my shots. For the reading shots of the book and the manga, I had to get other books and stack them so it would capture my face. Also, it was kind of hard to come up with ideas and how I was going to execute them. It looked good in my head, but on screen some of them didn't look very pleasing. I kept the idea of the index cards because I thought it was a good idea and it was something unique. I did edit out a lot of the cards though, due to some of the changes to our idea. I was trying to figure out ways that people will understand my self portrait, but at the same time staying true to myself and showing what I like to do to escape from reality (the main theme of our project).

I believe that video can be a good communication tool because it's more visual in a sense. Viewers can get a sense of what you're trying to convey in video compared to writing or photography. Sometimes, it takes a while to get the big picture in writing and photography.

From Katherine's post, I saw that she uploaded the video on Vimeo. I'm not sure if she uploaded it on Youtube yet. As said in my Youtube vs. Vimeo blog post, I think Vimeo outweighs Youtube by a lot. Although Youtube is great for getting a lot of views, I like the smaller community and the video quality of Vimeo. Hopefully, our video doesn't get taken down because of the music, but I think that it looks really good.

Youtube vs. Vimeo

I'll be honest, I usually spend my time watching videos on Youtube. It's really the only video site that I use on a daily basis. On the other hand, I've never really heard of Vimeo before, maybe because it's not as popular as Youtube. After reading the four articles, I would definitely say that Vimeo is better than Youtube, but both video streaming sites do have their pros and cons.

Youtube is known for being the largest and most popular video hosting site out there. Hundreds of thousands of people log on and watch videos on Youtube daily. This leads to my first pro: popularity.
Youtube is a great way to basically market yourself or your business. More people are likely to view your videos since the company is owned by Google. According to the article, "YouTube Vs. Vimeo: Which Video Site Is Best for Business?" by Don Powers, Youtube videos are indexed in the Google search engine which increases your chances of your video being seen.
Another pro is that for Youtube, getting an account is very simple and free. Everyone likes free things, right? The things that I like about the Youtube account layout is that each section is categorized and shows all your videos that you've uploaded and/or watched. It's a good feature when you don't want to go through the search bar and try to find all the videos that you uploaded or viewed within a certain time frame.

Now for the cons. As said in most of the articles, the Youtube player can get very ugly at times. It's really annoying when the little boxes come up on the video where people want you to click on other links. Another con is the advertisements. I understand that the site has to make money someway, but the ads can be annoying. It doesn't happen all the time with videos, but for some of the ads you can't skip them which is a negative. Now I'm noticing that the ads are a little bit longer that usual, especially watching longer videos or episodes of a show. It reminds me of the commercials on television.

Moving on to Vimeo. I think that Vimeo is better than Youtube. For one, the video quality is excellent. It doesn't look grainy, like how some Youtube videos look on the screen. The other feature that I like is that the bottom bar disappears after a couple of seconds. It's less distracting than Youtube, where there are a bunch of little buttons that you want to click on.. The last pro is that more viewers are likely to watch your videos because it's a smaller community. It's better to have viewers who actually stay and watch your videos, than watching a video by a user and forgetting them all together.

For the cons of Vimeo, I would say the small community. It would be harder to make your videos get more exposure, making it especially harder for businesses to get exposure to their company. Another con is the upgrade price. If you want to upgrade your account, it's $59.95 a year. To me, that seems way too expensive , even though the quality of the videos are really good.

All in all, I think that Vimeo is better in terms of quality and a smaller community. But, if you want your videos to get more exposure, I would choose Youtube. As I said earlier, both video sites have their pros and cons.

Group Video Ideas

1.  For the first idea for the group project, I thought about freshman year of college and how many students are living on campus or moving out of their parent's house to venture out on their own. When you go to college, you're basically doing things on your own, separating yourself from coming out of high school to being in college on your own.  I was thinking that each person could tell a little bit about their college experience and what it was like for them when they first came to college. 
2. Going from my third idea for my self portrait, I think it would be cool to show how our generation is so attached to the Internet and cellphones. It's becoming a huge problem, especially with social interaction starting to dwindle down. We've kind of been separated from reality, as the Internet and cellphones have become the focus for many of us. For the video, I would show how people use their phones and get some images of them using the Internet (Facebook, Twitter, etc) or texting as another example. 
3. Also coming from one of my self portrait ideas, a lot of people have a certain hobby or something unusual that they do that many people think is weird. For example, many people think that my liking of Japanese and Korean culture is weird, and it separates me from people a lot of the time, because they don't know what I'm talking about. I think that everyone has this "secret love" for something that many would think is unusual, which separates them from certain people. For this idea, I was thinking of doing interviews of people who are willing to share and also from our perspectives of something that we like, but people don't really approve or think highly of.

Self Portrait Video Ideas

I really don't like taking videos of myself, but I'm excited for this project and to learn how to use IMovie. I think it will be a cool learning experience. So here are my ideas:

1. Talking about myself: Going with the theme of separation, I think that each person has their own separate story to tell. Not everyone has gone through the same things that others have gone through and not everyone is the same. Everyone is different in their own way. For this idea, I would basically talk about myself. For example, hobbies, where I'm from, just the basics of who I am as an individual person. Also, I decided to do this by describing things that are on my desk and showing my desk, so people can get a sense of who I am.

   
   
     

   2. My interest in Japanese/Korean culture: Going with the theme of separation, I really like Japanese and Korean culture. I love everything from the customs, the television shows (when I have time to watch them), music, etc. Unfortunately, I don't have any people around me that share that liking of Japanese and Korean culture like I do. Also from this, I’m kind of separated from everyone else because I’m separated from American culture in a way. For this idea, I would talk about how I got into the music and how it can be hard to not have anyone to share it with, since many people think that it's weird that I'm interested in it.

   
   
   
   

    3.   My third idea is to talk about the Internet and cell phones and how people are kind of separated from real social interaction nowadays. I think it's becoming a huge problem in our society, and it's kind of a universal topic to talk about because many people use the Internet and use their phones on a daily basis. For the visuals, I was thinking about maybe talking about how I use my phone, showing my phone, etc. This could also be a good idea for the group project as well.

   Sorry about the format for the numbers. For some reason, it's messing up so I'll edit the numbers a little later.
   

Wiki Project Comments

Katherine Guenther's Blog Url: http://cyberrebel9.blogspot.com 
I thought you did a great job on your Buffalo Wiki page. I liked how it was really informative, and you seemed to have covered every aspect of the park. The pictures that you included gave me a good visual of the park. It makes me want to go there, even though I have never hiked a day in my life! I also enjoyed reading and learning about the back history, such as the massacre and the paranormal activity. Although, I would have liked to see more information on that though. Maybe if you added in another ghost story or something to that affect. All in all, I think you did a great job with your wiki page. I enjoyed it!
Wiki Link: http://buffalo.wikispot.org/Devil%27s_Hole_State_Park

Shane Canning's Blog Url: http://shanecanning17974.blogspot.com
I thought that your article was very informative and I enjoyed reading it. I thought that the steps that you mentioned were very useful and informative. You also added a bit of humor in the first step, which was nice as well. The steps were also simple to follow. To some people, planning a trip is just too much for them, but I think that you made it seem less of a challenge and achievable for people who do want to travel. All in all, you did a good job with your WikiHow. I liked the article and it's a great article for people who want to travel, or are thinking of travelling.
Wiki Link:http://www.wikihow.com/Do-a-United-States-Road-Trip-on-a-Budget

MaryLou Badawy's Blog Url: http://maryloub925.blogspot.com
I enjoyed your article a lot, it made me hungry! I'm always up to trying new foods and this recipe looks good and simple to make. I really liked the pictures that you included in your article. It gave a great visual for me on how it should look and be prepared. I also thought that your instructions were well written and easy to follow. I wasn't confused at all when reading the steps, so that was a plus for me.
My only concern about the article was when you talked about the ingredients in the optional section (pomegranate molasses, powdered sumac, and pita bread). I would have liked a section as to where you can find these products in stores. Personally, I've never heard of the molasses and sumac so I just didn't know if they were sold at a certain store or in a regular grocery store.
Other than that, I really enjoyed your article!
Wiki Link: http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Traditional-Lebanese-Fattoush

Elenni Davis Knight's Blog Url: http://edk12.blogspot.com
I thought that this was an interesting topic to cover. Misogyny in hip hop is a big topic, and I think it's awesome that you shared the information because it's becoming a huge problem in the hip hop scene. It's nice to know that there are organizations who are trying to raise awareness about the problems. I didn't know about this group until I read your article, so I learned something new today. I think the article was very informative and well done. You shared a lot of information about this group. The one suggestion that I have is that it would have been nice to mention some other groups out there similar to the Black Girls Rock group. Other than that, I think you did a great job on your Wiki page!
Wiki Link: Beating The Beats: The Black Girls Rock! Foundation

China Stephen's Blog Url: http://chairenea.blogspot.com
I thought that your article was well written, and it had some good tips and advice about how to convince your significant other to participate in Valentines Day. I liked the introduction a lot with the description of the boyfriend playing Call of Duty. I thought that made a lot of people in relationships relate to that type of situation. The humor caught my attention to the rest of the article. My only problem with the article was with the first step, but that's just my personal opinion. I wouldn't dote on my significant other just to celebrate V-day. He can get his own food (haha!). I also liked your closing remark. It summed up the article, and talked about not getting wrapped up in the day. The link from the APA was also very interesting. I liked how that was added in as well. Overall, I liked your article and good job!
Wiki Link: http://www.wikihow.com/User:Stephecr01

My Wikihow Page

Here's my Wikihow page. It was a good learning experience. Tell me what you think!

http://www.wikihow.com/Make-an-Anti-Valentines-Day-Nail-Design

Web 2.0

My Opinion on Web 2.0

Honestly before starting the class, I had never heard of Web 2.0 in my entire life. Looking back on it now, I realized that I've been using it for quite some time now. For me, Web 2.0 is an upgrade from the old Internet. It's more interactive in a sense, and the way that information is given to us now is different and easier. Also with blogging and social media, it's easier to customize, produce, and publish your content without even knowing that much.

I think that Web 2.0 is definitely making a difference on the Internet. Now, information is at the tips of our fingers and we can easily access and do things not like on the old Internet.

On the other hand, Web 2.0 does have a downside: nothing is really private anymore, especially with social media. It’s kind of scary to think that anyone can access our information.  People on Twitter and Facebook share all these pictures and statuses for the whole world to see basically. Those pictures stay there forever, there’s no deleting them.  

The thing that gets me the most is the advertisers. It bothers me that after going on a site, I see advertisements on a different page for the same site. Does it really need to go this far for you to get me to pay attention to the ad and click on it? It’s annoying and it’s an invasion of privacy.

It can only go up from here with Web 2.0, but I question how far we're actually going to take it. I mean, it's pretty advanced as we speak. Who knows what they could do next with it? For all we know, it could take us over completely (oh wait, it kind of has already).

Even though we use Web 2.0 on a regular basis, I don't think that it should be getting all the hype.  It’s basically the same Internet, just a little more advanced. Don't get me wrong, I use it frequently, but in a few years, there's probably going to be a Web 2.5 or 3.0 out there. They always do something like that.

 I think that it's good in a way, but it's just going to be the same thing over and over again just with some minor tweaks.

What in the World is Web 2.0? 

What in the world is Web 2.0? What's so special about it?

We've heard this being talked about and questioned, but people still don't know what it means.

Ever heard of YouTube, Facebook, and Wikipedia? Those are examples of Web 2.0.

See, you’ve been using it this whole time.

According to the website www.webopedia.com, "Web 2.0 is the term given to describe a second generation of the World Wide Web that is focused on the ability for people to collaborate and share information online”.

Web 2.0 is basically the users. We publish the content and we share it. It’s become the new way to share information with everyone.

One of the many features that we use in Web 2.0 is social media. Social media outlets such as Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace have changed the way that users interact with each other, whether it is pictures, updated statuses, or even the games feature especially on Facebook and MySpace.

Another unique feature that social media has is a new and innovated way of sharing information with each other. Now with the click of our mouse, we can read news articles on our Facebook and receive the news quicker than ever.

But, it’s not all fun and games when it comes to Web 2.0.  One of the major problems with Web 2.0 is privacy. Users have to be aware of what they post on Web 2.0 outlets.

 Nothing is private anymore. Everyone and anyone can see and possibly edit your content. Pictures are forever on the Web for everyone to see, you name it.

Despite the negatives, Web 2.0 is here to stay and it’s probably not going away anytime soon.

http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/W/Web_2_point_0.html

http://www.kcnn.org/resources/journalism_20_chapter2

http://oreilly.com/web2/archive/what-is-web-20.html

How to Make An Anti-Valentines Day Nail Art Design

Valentine's Day, the celebration of love, is just around the corner. Many celebrate it with their significant other, but for some, it can be a lonely day or you just don't care for the holiday at all. So for all the singles out there, I've prepared a simple, fun, and comical way to do anti Valentine's Day nail art. This design can be used for any time of the year as well and is great for short and long nails.

First, take out all your supplies. This will give you easy access to everything, so that you can avoid messing up your nails in the process of taking something out.
Make sure your nails are clean and file them to the desired shape that you want.

Apply a base coat to all your nails. The base coat helps to prevent staining and peeling on your nails. You’ll also have a more polished look if you use a base coat.

Wait until the base coat is completely dry before you start with your nail polish.

Apply 1-2 coats of white nail polish to your nails, or until the color is opaque. You could also start out using the red, black, or pink nail polish, and make the heart one of those colors if you wanted to.

Wait until the nail polish is completely dry.

Get a piece of paper or paper towel and put a couple drops of red (can also be black or pink) on it.

To make the heart: Make a dot and make a line down with the dotting tool. Do the same to the other side.

Fill in the spaces that you feel need to be filled to make the heart look fuller.

Wait until the heart is completely dry.

Next, grab the black (red or pink)  polish and place a couple dots of polish on a sheet of paper or paper towel. Or if you have those colors in stripers, that will also work.

To be continued...

Group Discussion

Reminiscing about how the Internet used to be striked up a very interesting conversation about different encounters and experiences about our first time using the Internet.


http://biancabrunettecom336.blogspot.com: Bianca's experience was kind of funny, but very serious. She talked about when she was younger, she was an avid AOL Messenger user (as was the whole group), and she was talking to someone in the chat rooms. The person asked Bianca a rather disturbing question, but at the time she really didn't understand what it meant. She asked her mom about what it meant, and Bianca was banned from using AOL. She also talked about A/S/L, which means age, sex, and location. I found that we all had the AOL Messenger aspect in common and we had some bad experiences from them. During the group conversation, it was ironic how we used the messenger when we were younger, and now we don't really use it anymore.  Bianca also talked about the AOL discs that you would get in the mail every time AOL needed to be updated. 

http://cyberrebel9.blogspot.com: Katherine talked about how she played a lot of games online, especially the ones on Cartoon Network. There was a Batman game that she really enjoyed, but she just couldn't beat it. In the end, she asked her dad to help her beat it because she became so frustrated with not being able to win the game. Games were a hot topic in the group as well. We talked about Oregon Trail, which I'm sure everyone has played at least once when they were a kid. Also, Mavis Beacon was a popular game. It was a typing game to help you better your typing skills. 

Some other things that we talked about was that dial up was very slow, and that everything is faster now. Also, the use of chat speak. The most used by everyone was probably "lol". It was interesting to find out that we don't really use it anymore, and that people older than us (parents, etc) now use it more that we do. 

Comments of the Social Media Articles

Positive

• I definitely agree that social media can be a great way keep up or find people that you know, or can be a good way to meet new people.
• I thought it was interesting how social media can reduce stereotyping as many people feel safe to share their stories with the public.
• The way that new channels provide news through social media sites, providing another way for news to reach audiences. It feels like more people are looking to social media to find out their news.

Negative

• Spelling and grammar is a negative effect that I strongly agree with. It seems like people just create their own ways to spell words. Just because it's the Internet, doesn't mean that you can't spell properly. 
• Social media can be a huge distraction, especially when you're trying to get your work done.
• Privacy is becoming a big problem with social media sites. It's hard when policies always change for no reason, and also when the advertisements follow you after you get off the social media sites. 

Oh, Internet How You've Changed!

It was such a long time ago since I first used the Internet. Now I feel old…very old.

 I remember when we finally got the Internet at my house.  

We were the family that was pretty late in getting a computer; it was horrible to say the least. It felt like I was the only one who didn’t have a computer or the Internet at home. I bugged my parents constantly about getting a computer, until they caved in and finally bought one.

We had the computer down in the family room and at the time, we didn’t have a computer desk then, so the computer was on the floor. Oh, and I should mention that our first computer was a Gateway computer (you don’t really see or hear those mentioned nowadays).

Anyways, our Internet provider was AOL at the time. I remember that we had to use the discs and install it into the disc drive to start up the process. It was pretty self explanatory, you just followed the directions and voila there was the Internet on our computer! It was kind of weird because I really didn’t know what to do first! I would type in a whole bunch of stuff just to see if the Internet could even find it. It was kind of like I was challenging it to a game or something. But, I couldn’t beat it as many times as I tried. It was just absolutely amazing that all this information could be obtained with just going into a search engine and typing in whatever you wanted, even though the Internet was a small place back then.

Thinking back on it now, it was really annoying to use the Internet at my house. It wasn’t that fast like it is now. We started out using dial up (ugh!). It was the most annoying thing ever. When someone called our house, if I was on the computer I always had to unplug the cord and then wait until they were off the phone, which would sometimes take hours for them. Another thing was the speed, which I couldn’t stand at all. It was super slow and took forever just to get to one site. I would wait for at least 30 minutes until the site fully loaded. I don’t know how I got through the dial up stage without beating my computer into a pile a scrap.

As far as using the Internet, all I did was play a bunch of games, AIM messenger, and email. Those were the most popular things to do then.

Games were a big part of my Internet experience. I would play them for hours on end. My parents literally had to pry me away from the computer because of the games and I would spend the day playing them.

There wasn’t really much that you could do with the Internet back then. It’s kind of cool to look back on the Internet then and compare it to now.