Digital Detox

I spent 8 hours without my phone or the internet one night that I went out with some friends. It didn’t seem to affect me as much as I thought it would and I really had some great conversations. I think that this was a lot easier for me though because the people we were hanging around were my own age and they also were not on their phones all night. I did however notice that once there was a break in conversation, or when I was left by myself for a little while, that I tried to reach for my phone out of habit before realizing that I had left it in my van. This showed me how much I relay on technology to make me feel more comfortable.

I decided to extend my detox into the next day to see how often I was tempted to log on to Facebook and text people while I was at home doing homework and I had a completely different experience. It was a constant battle not to automatically jump to technology whenever I felt bored or overwhelmed by my homework. My children were able to access their accounts and had full use of their phones all day which made it even more difficult not to participate in the online world. I did notice that there was a lot less conversation between the people in my home than there was the night before because everyone’s attention was focused on screens instead of each other. My family also had a very hard time coming to talk with me if they had a question instead of just texting me from wherever they were at the time.

This assignment was very eye opening to me because although I knew that my family used technology very frequently, I hadn't stepped back to see how it had diminished how we communicate with each other. I was also able to recognize how dependent we all are on it to entertain us and make us feel comfortable in uncomfortable situations. Although I am not sure how to change this antisocial epidemic, I will put more of an effort in to counterbalance it with activities that do not involve technology to try and strengthen our relationships.

A College Student’s Idea of a ‘Well-Branded’ Digital Image.

Here are examples of a ‘well branded digital presence’ that I found within four different web pages and descriptions about why I think that they are good.

Lizard Vile- http://www.lizard-ville.com/

-          Lizard walks across the screen while page loads which is very fun and whimsical.   –This shows that she is still a child and gives a hint to her personality.

-          There is a clear description of who the author is/ what she does, and why she created the site written on her home page. –This is helpful to understand her brand and get a taste of her personality.

-          There are links to her appearance on Ellen, David Letterman as well as a show called Animal Attractions. –This was a very nice way to present her accomplishments but the descriptions under the videos were all the same. It would have been better if they were more diverse.

-          There is an “about me” tab and it goes into more detail about who she is and how she began hypnotizing lizards.- This also helps the viewer to understand more about the author and what her brand is.

-          There is also an “about the company” tab that describes the different charities they have donated to. –I liked this because it helps the viewer to get a since of how giving the author is making them seem more relatable.

Kim Mance- http://kimmance.com/

-          On the front page she has storyteller, writer, traveler written under her name. -Right away you get a since of who she is.

-          There is a description of her and her work on the opening page as well as a picture of her on CNN. -This demonstrates a little about her accomplishments.

-          There is also a link to her full bio that actually just takes you down to her description at the bottom of the first page. -I was hoping for another, more detailed, bio.

-          The page is set up in a really creative way showing a cork board where all her links look like things she has pinned up there. -This helps to get a little feel for her personality. I didn't get the idea that she had branded herself in a unique way though, just that she had put her work together nicely onto a web page.

Communicatrix- http://www.communicatrix.com/

-          Picture of herself- not professional but looking relaxed and happy. -It made it easy to relate to her.

-          Many ways to connect with her and she makes you feel comfortable to do it because she explains how much she likes to be contacted.- I found this to be a very approachable style.

-          A list of her other writings.- They were easy to see and find making it simple to see her accomplishments

-          Her social media links.- Also very easy to find and makes her seem approachable.

-          There is a link to FAQ’s. - Because she answers them very candidly and you can get a great since of her personality.

-          In her answers she also discusses her intentions on social media sites as well as what she will and won’t do. –This was very helpful to anyone visiting her site because it helps you to understand her intentions as well as her limits.

-          There is an “About tab” where she gives both a short and long bio that are written with flair and personality. It also describes what her intentions for the site/blog are.    -Once again demonstrating her personality and intentions in a relatable way. I was so impressed by her that I began following her on Facebook

Pure Soapbox- http://puresoapbox.com/

-          On the front page of her site there is a great picture of her laughing.- I feel that this helps people relate to her.

-          She begins by asking you a question about your personality and then giving you a brief description of how your answer describes you and then explains how she can motivate you to become a better person.- I thought this was a unique way to give her readers a taste of her writing and skills.

-          There is a link to ‘Kimberly’ (her ‘about me” section) that tells more about her and her book. (written in 3^rd person). - I found it harder to connect with her because of this. I think 1^st person would have been better.

-          At the bottom of this page she talks about her brand stating that, “Soapbox is a “trademarked brand that leverages famous quotes to promote living life to its fullest with perspective, optimism, and purpose!” - I found this very helpful to understand what made her brand unique.

-          She has her different appearances and accomplishments on this page- They were weaved into the paragraphs though and it wasn't as easy to see them as it had been on some of the other pages I reviewed.

-          There were links at the bottom to her resume, her portfolio, and her entertainment profile. -This was very helpful so that you could link to whichever one you were trying to get information about.

 Here are some examples of a ‘well branded digital presence’ on two different Likedin accounts.

Mark Beckford- http://www.linkedin.com/in/mbeckford

-          He has a profile picture that seems to be classy but not a professional head shot  –Because this is a site to show your professional accomplishments I am not sure if this was the best choice but the picture itself seems clean and distraction free with a nice smile.

-          He has a background/summary that shows a quick synopsis of his accomplishments.

-          - This was nice because it gave you a quick overview to both impress any viewers as well as give a synopsis of the work history and educational background that follow.

-          He has a list of his experience which is like a resume with important successful events listed under the titles. - this helps the viewer to see not only the different positions that he has held and how long he held them for but the achievements that he made while he was in the positions as well.

-          He has many friends as well as lists of skills that he has. –Obviously he is a very accomplished man but it is because of all the acquaintances that he has on the site that he is able to have the many endorsements for his skills that he does.

Deb Dib-http://www.linkedin.com/in/debdib

-          Deb’s profile picture was a professional head shot. - This more professional style is actually a little better for this kind of site that one taken at home would be. It seems more intentional and professional.

-          Her summary had basic facts about her but also had fun facts as well. –I feel that this made her more approachable and brought her personality to life along with her successes.

-          She has videos of her discussions available discussing personal branding.       –These were very helpful to understand her style and to let viewers get a taste of her in action.

-          She made a section called ‘Ditch Dare Do’ which was an example of one of her publications with a video attached. – I felt like this was a very creative and professional way for her to show her work on this site that was different from the videos above.

Here is a list of 9 different criteria I feel would be useful for students who are trying to create a ‘well-branded digital presence’.

1.      Make your site as personal as you can by writing in 1^st person. –The sites that I found I connected with because they showed personality were written this way. As a college student, being professional and personable is a nice way to begin conforming into the professional world while still bringing your uniqueness into your work.

2.      Having two bio’s, (one short, one long) makes it easier for a viewer to get a brief idea about you so they can decide if they would like to spend more time looking further into your site. – As a student this will be a convenient way for potential employers to get an overview of you.

3.      Your pictures should be more professional for business sites and a little more laid back on your website or blog. –This is a great way to practice deciphering professional vs. personal pictures for students.

4.      Put pictures videos and links to your accomplishments on your page but make sure that you give a brief description of each that is different for each one. –Having links to all the things that you have done as a student gives a visual aspect of your work for potential employers to look at, and makes them seem real. Videos are also a great way for you to show your personality.

5.      Put samples of your written work on your page. –This gives your viewers a taste of what you can do.

6.      Describing what it is about you (your brand) that you want people to know will help them to understand you (it) better. –As a student, this is your chance to pull ahead in the race by describing what makes you different or what experiences would make you stand out in your desired field of work.

7.      Putting up links to your other social media sites with clear descriptions about how you want them to contact you there or how you typically respond. -This will make it easier for future employers to search for you and help them to understand what your intentions are for those sites.

8.      First impressions are very important so if you’re creative, show it. -Design your site in a style that fits your personality and organize it in a creative and intentional way.

9.      Make a FAQ section that asks and answers questions about you that you want people to know. Make some of them serious and some of them fun in order to set the tone of your page. –This will cut out the guessing game and help you to form an image of you in the viewer’s mind that you want.

I feel that the 9 criteria above can apply to anyone (not just students) so as I develop my WIX site I will try to:

·         Design my page in a way that shows my personality and organize it as creatively as I can.

·         Write everything that I can in 1^st person to help develop a connection with my viewers.

·         Use pictures of myself that look professional but also show my personality.

·         Create and ‘about me’ tab that will tell more about my background and future plans as well as what my experiences are that will make me a great employee to help create my ‘brand’.

·         Make a FAQ section to intentionally develop my image.

·         Combine my accomplishments with pictures and videos to help bring it to life for my viewers.

·         Have samples of my written work on my page.

·         Link this page to my Linked in account as well as my Facebook with explanations of how I use them.

Critiquing videos

The first video that I watched was on Viemo http://vimeo.com/channels/94711/72559161. It showed footage of a bike race at the Alta Vita in Italy. They presented this footage very well by integrating music, and pictures in with the race coverage as well as showing interviews with the racers throughout the ten minute clip. The camera work was clear and the sound quality was great, they even faded music and the sound of the crowed in at certain spots to create a since of excitement. The producer showed a clear beginning, middle, and end in this video and the use of sound and pictures was intentional and fitting to the story. It was very professional.
I also decided to watch a video on Youtube about the Alta Vita race http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEBvKGM6-P8. Unfortunately, this video was not edited as well. In fact, the producer appeared to have taken different videos throughout the race and just pieced them together and used no music or pictures to help move the video along. The sound quality was bad and seemed to fade in and out and the video footage was very shaky.
I could definitely see the difference in quality between these two videos and can understand why it is so important to have clear footage and intentionally place pictures and sound throughout your video.

Podcast

What Makes for an Interesting Interview

The 3 podcasts as well as 2 of the vodcasts that I chose were from Storycorps and then the last one was from Youtube.

The first podcast  that I listened to was called The Legacy of Lillian Tinsley and it discussed  financial struggles in the 40's and one lady's life changing decision for one family.  http://storycorps.org/listen/
The qualities that I noticed in it were:
-interesting topic (description)
-picture with title
-short (only a couple minutes long)
-it had 1 person talking
-someone else laughing in the background
-it started out with an interesting line
-jumped right into a story

The second one was called It is not just a tattoo. It was two women who discussed how healing tattoo removal can be after abusive relationships. http://storycorps.org/listen/
Its qualities were:
-interesting topic (good title)
-picture with title
-it was short
-it was an interview
-it began with a story
-it evoked empathy because of the topic
-it was a very personal topic

The third podcast was called I wanted to own a restaurant ever sine I was a kid. This story discussed how a father and son felt when the son with Down Syndrome opened his own restaurant. http://storycorps.org/listen/
The qualities that it had were:
-interesting topic (good description)
-picture with title
-it was short
-it was an interview
-the topic was one that I had already read about so it was familiar to me.
-it was inspirational
-it was personal

The vodcast ( or animated short) that I picked from Storycorps was called John and Joe.
It was a father discussing his two son's decisions to become new York fireman and how their deaths on 9/11 affected him. http://storycorps.org/animation/
 It had/was:
-interesting topic (good description)
-picture with title
-a little longer than the podcasts but still short
-a written lead in
-simple and consistent animation
-slow paced
-a familiar topic
-Invoked compassion
-only one person talking
-slow paced
-a personal story

The last vodcast that I chose was one that I had seen in the past. It was a TED talks that got turned into an animated video. It was called To this day project, and the speaker, Shane Koyczen, reads a poem about what it was like to be bullied as a child.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltun92DfnPY
The qualities that I noticed were:
-no description but catchy title
-Screenshot with title
-written credits
-poetry
-funny
-invoked empathy
-relate-able topic
-the animation was constantly changing
-mixed pictures in with the animation
-used writen words
-only one person talking
-fast paced

After reviewing all of these different stories I have come to a decision that the following qualities were what I feel make a pod/vodcast are essential for creating a good pod/vodcast.
1.) I feel that the topic should be one that people can connect with on an intellectual or personal level. The more familiar people are with the topic the more likely they will be to listen to or watch it.
2.) I think that it should begin with a story or an engaging lead in to keep peoples attention.
3.) The title or description should include your topic and be catchy if it can to get people to listen to it.
4.) Animation kept my attention and put what the speaker was saying into context. I feel that it is important and helpful as long as it follows along with the speaker and isn't distracting from them.
5.) Has to have clear audio with no background noise. The speaker needs to be clear and use a moderate pace so that you can keep up.

I found that I preferred the vodcasts for the reasons that I stated above but I do feel that if you took away the visual aspect from them they wouldn't seem as real. Seeing something played out while you hear it connects two of your senses and will help people connect to it, without that the story is still good but it doesn't come to life in the same way.

Comparing the podcasts to the vodcasts I could see that they all engaging had topics that were (fairly) short in length. They had titles and pictures and most had good descriptions to get your attention. They all had one or two people talking and they spoke clearly and at a good pace to follow along with what they were saying. The only differences that I noticed were that the vodcasts were a little longer and had some type of a lead in or credits before they began.

I really liked all of the stories that I listened too/watched  and actually went on to find more.

Editing (probably destroying) Pictures

So this is a picture of my daughter after I ajusted the hue and contrast, and cropped and resized the pixels. I found that this wasn't as hard as I thought it would be but I think that is because we didnt have to add, change, or try to match the colors within individual pixels.
I did notice that the larger the pixel dimmensions were, the more distorted the image became. I also made the mistake of reducing the number of pixels (instead  inches) to 3x2 and the immage dissapeared from my screen all together.
Although I think that this immage looks worse than the origional, I'm positive that my daughter will LOVE it!

http://www.byparents-forparents.com/blog/
I have a teenage son and it is a lot more difficult to keep things together than I thought it would be. This blog looks helpfull.