Group Final Project Video

YouTube Link

I couldn't embed the video because the Blogger website constantly gave me the same error so I provided the direct link to the video.

Dreamweaver Post

     We had to create a website through the Dreamweaver software. This website is primarily used to showcase the creator, and their talent. You can present whatever you want on this website design because people will be able to view your content, and more importantly learn about you.

     As a promotional tool, I want this website to show the best aspects of my life on a professional level. My major is media production, and I wanted to showcase some of the work that I completed in the past. I love to write so I posted some of the reviews I’ve composed over the last year. I wrote those reviews for a video game website because it would be a lifelong dream if I could work in the video game industry after I receive my college degree. I also posted some PDF files from projects that I composed in my graphic communication class. I took this class primarily for the credit, but I enjoyed that class a lot because I was able to complete projects that were important to me.

     Throughout the semester, we had various projects which implemented social media platforms as the basis for our projects. The first social media project was based on Facebook. This Facebook project was primarily used a mock up promotional tool to show our classmates we could promote various companies with proper video, photos, and event information. Facebook is one of the best platforms for advertising because it’s absolutely free to promote yourself or your company. The next social media project we had to complete used Twitter. Twitter is easily accessible, and anyone can make an account on there. All of the students had to follow and respond to one another so we could see how instantaneous Twitter really is. People constantly tweet so there’s hardly ever a dull moment on Twitter. These two social media projects tie into our personal website project perfectly because nothing is static on the internet. These sites constantly update, and that’s how we have to be if we want to stay relevant in this day and age. By using the proper promotional tools, more and more people will have access to you and your content. With that kind of accessibility, your audience will continue to grow and you never know where your path may take you.

     Dreamweaver is a type of editing software by Adobe. This software is primarily used to design website layouts, and you can even make your website public for a small fee. This wasn’t my first time using the software because I used it at Daemen College when I was a freshman. This software is confusing if you don’t know what you’re doing. Once you have some of the basics down, you can create a decent looking website. One thing that’s great about this website is that you can create a website as simple or as sophisticated as you want. One thing you have to make sure of is that your code is aligned properly. If there are any errors with your design, the website will not come out right at all. Initially we had to draw a layout for our website so we could know where we going to place our content. I didn’t follow my design fully. Once I found a layout I liked, I decided to use that one. I found it easier to post the content as you went through each individual page. As I mentioned earlier, you could add more sophisticated elements to your website, but it was too much of a hassle to do. I remember the night this project was due, I didn’t leave Buffalo State College until 10:40PM. I was exhausted by that point, and I know some of my fellow students were still working on their project once I left. I think the easiest part of designing the website was gathering the content you wish to publish. I knew what content I wanted to use beforehand. The only problem I had with posting the content was the amount of content I could post on my portfolio. This goes back to my previous point of making sure your code doesn’t have an errors associated with it. Whenever I tried to add more than four images, my formatting would go all over the place. My header wouldn’t keep its dimensions, and my images wouldn’t keep their dimensions either. It was really strange so I decided to only use four images so my page would keep a consistent view with the other pages. I also wanted to have a different background for each page so I was able to find the images through Google. It wasn’t too difficult to add them to my website.

    Overall my experience with Dreamweaver went better than expected. There are some annoyances with the software, but it’s nothing that you’ll pull your hair out over.

Interview Q&A: Jhue Kelly

     For this post, we had to interview a classmate of our choice. The only stipulation was that we had to choose someone who wasn't from our group project. I initially made contact with Jhue Kelly. I always see him around the Theater Building so it wasn't hard for us interview each other. 

How do you plan on self-promoting yourself?

I plan on self-promoting myself by showing aspects that showcase my talents and skills. For example if I wanted to get a job editing audio and video, I would send the company a package where it show them that I can do the job correctly and efficiently. Self-promoting will allow me to showcase my talents that will separate me from the rest of the competition.

Name three goals you have between now and graduation.
The main goal is graduating by the end of next year. I’ve been in school for long that I’m honestly getting tired of it. My second goal is to continue writing reviews in my spare time. I write Xbox reviews because gaming has always been a part of my life. The last goal that I have is continue being healthy. I started a new workout program so it’s going to be hard to stay away from greasy foods and sweets.

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

My main employment goal is to get into a field of work that I actually love doing. I would love to work on the production crew for a video game website or I wouldn’t mind writing reviews for them as well. My second goal is to make a decent living. I know that I move up into Best Buy corporate, I would make more money. I wouldn’t mind working on the media team. My final goal after graduation is to not work all of the time. I need time to enjoy my family and friends. I don’t want to have a job where I’m available twenty four seven.

Name three best case scenario jobs you would like to have and why.

The first best case scenario job would be to make my own hours. I love to make my own hours because I need to see my friends and family to maintain my well-being. The next best case scenario would be to make a decent living. Growing up I watched as my parents struggle through the hard times, and that’s not something that I would want to go through again. The final best case scenario would have to be doing a job that I loved doing. I don’t want to work somewhere where it’s just work. I want to be excited to go to a job, and not worry about it being the same old routine day in and day out.

Do you prefer to work professionally with a group or on your own and why?

I honestly think I would like to work on my own because if someone doesn’t get done, then it’s completely my fault. In a group, you have to worry about everyone holding their own weight. If someone doesn’t do their part properly, it’ll affect the progress of the whole group.

What contributions can you make to a group dynamic?  Name three things.
If I to work in a group, I think I would do pretty well at scheduling appointments. I would make sure that everyone knew what they had to do, and they would know when it was due. I think I could even be the leader of the group because I always put 110% effort into everything that I do. I would never say a job is finished if I wasn’t pleased with it. The final aspect I could lend to a group is just doing my part. If they wanted me to do the busy work, I would do it. If I had the simple task of making phone, I would do it. I would do whatever I had to do to make sure I’m doing my job correctly.

What contributions can you make working independently?  Name three things.
By working independently, a lot of the responsibility would fall onto my shoulders. The first thing I would do is make sure that I’m on time for all of my appointments. You can’t do a job successfully if you’re late all of the time. The next thing I would do is ask questions if I didn’t understand something. I don’t want to do something wrong due to a lack of understanding.  The last thing I would do is make sure that everything is done properly and on time. I would make sure that all of my work is completed instead of trying to hand it in at the last minute, and not have everything completed.
What are your pet peeves in a work environment?
Some pet peeves in a work environment include people showing up late, and acting obnoxiously around others. It’s OK to joke around every once in a while, but you have to know where you draw the line. If you’re working in a public place, people are going to criticize and judge you by the things that you do. You should always think about that before you do anything in a work environment.

Name three things you feel passionate about professionally - this could be school related, current job related, group or organizationally related - and outline why you feel passionate towards them.
I feel passionate about customer service, videogame journalism, and media production. I feel passionate about customer service because people will always remember how you treat them. People will honestly come back to your business based on that customer service experience you provided for them. They will also tell their friends about their experience as well. I love videogame journalism so much. The idea of playing and critiquing games before they even come out amazes me. I receive download codes for soon to be released games, and it’s so hard not to tell my friends about the games due to a strict embargo. I want to go out there, and tell people how great a game is, but I have to wait until I post the review for it. Media production is my heart and soul. When I transferred to Buffalo State College, I didn’t know what I wanted to pursue as far a professional career. I then decided on media production because I love the newest technology, and I’m interested in learning how to make things work. Ask any of my friends, and they’ll tell you the number of cell phones I’ve had in the past. I love mixing and cutting audio clips along with making coherent video files.

How do you handle stress and pressure?
I handle pressure way better than I do stress. Whenever I’m under pressure for an assignment or project, I bust my hump so I can get the job done. I won’t stop working until that project is done. Stress on the other hand is a different story. Whenever something stresses me out, I have to walk away from it. I can’t continue to work on something if I’m stressed. I just have to get away from whatever I’m doing so my mind can refresh on the task at hand.
Name the last three jobs you had, and the best success and the worst failure you experienced at each of these jobs.
This might be my favorite question because I’ve had so many jobs in the past eight years. At one point and time, I was working three jobs around the clock. I currently work at Best Buy. Before Best Buy, I worked at Toys R’ Us. Before I worked at Toys R’ Us, I worked at Stein Mart. Best Buy definitely ranks up there as one of the best jobs I’ve ever worked at. The best success I’ve had working at Best Buy is being promoted to full-time. I never had a full time job before so working so many hours has opened new ventures for me. I wouldn’t be able to own a car, and I wouldn’t be able to buy things I want but don’t necessarily need. The worst failure I had working there was not being able to deal with rude customers early on. Whenever a customer would yell at my face and demand ridiculous solutions; I would just shut down. Now I’ll stand up for myself, and hold my ground. You can’t let people walk all over you. The best experience I’ve had working at Toys R’ Us is working great hours, and having a blast while doing it.  When I worked at Toys R’s Us, I worked the overnight shift so I didn’t have to deal with any customers. I would be able to listen to my music and chat with my friends while I worked. My only failure from this job was that I wasn’t able to see my friends and family as often as I wanted to. While everyone was living their life during the daytime, I would sleep in my bed. I would wake up with so many missed calls and texts. The best experience I had working at Stein Mart was buying discounted clothes. I’m cheap. I believe I used to get 25% off all of the clothing in the store. Once my employee discount was active, I would constantly buy clothes because I needed them. My only failure with this job came towards the end of my career. I was constantly having car troubles, and they didn’t understand at all. I never had to deal with a car that was constantly giving me problems, and they didn’t understand at all. I’m glad I left when I did.

How do you handle criticism?

Initially I don’t handle criticism that well. I always feel like I’m being picked on or singled out for my faults. After I calm down and realize that I can do something better, I take that information to heart and just do it.

Outline three strengths you have in school.
The three strengths I have in school include persistence, being proactive, and constantly thinking about my next move. I’m persistent because next year will count as the sixth year that I’m in college. I’m starting to get annoyed with college, but hopefully by this time next year I’ll be graduating. Being proactive is a great strength because I’m always getting my work done ahead of time. I don’t want to wait until the last minute to finish something. My last strength is constantly thinking about my next move. If I need to save a file somewhere, I can upload that file to DropBox or I can save the file on my flash drive. If I need to get a file off of my phone, I can use my USB cable. If I don’t have a USB cable; I can connect my phone through an active Wi-Fi page. I can then download my files through that page.

Outline three strengths you have in your workplace.

Three strengths that I have at my workplace is being prompt, going above and beyond for the customer, and just being knowledgeable. Being prompt will put you in the right place in the right time because your company will consider you for a promotion over someone who doesn’t show up on time. Going above and beyond for the customer is one of the best strengths you can have. People love when they feel appreciated. It’s even better you get rewarded for your hard work. My final strength is being knowledgeable about various products. Customers will want to buy something, but they might not necessarily know how to use it. By having that foundation, you can offer them a solution and they’ll be happy about the service you offered.

How has creating a WikiPage strengthened your communication skills?    Name and elaborate on three things:

Creating a WikiPage was stressful. With that being said, that particular project strengthened my communication skills. I primarily wanted to create a page that was easy to understand, and even the most basic user could follow my instructions. The second thing I wanted to focus on was on the accessibility of the apps. Apps come in different forms, and they all serve their own purpose. I wanted to showcase a variety of apps so people could understand that there should be an app that suffices their needs. The last thing I wanted to show was the value of the apps. Each app had a different price so I wanted to show important features so the viewers could determine whether the app was worth the asking price or not.

How will Facebook be used to promote yourself?

Name and elaborate on three things:

I want Facebook to show my interests, my strengths, and what I could if you give me a chance. I want to show my interests in video games, media production, and journalism. Through those outlets, I want the world to know what I can do. Some of my strengths include being a hard worker, always being prompt, and finally never quitting until a job is done. The last thing I want to promote is a chance. All I would ever want is for a company to give me a chance so I can show them what I can do. If they saw what I can do, they would be hard pressed to choose anyone else.

How would you promote an organization on Facebook?

Name and elaborate on three things:

I believe there are three main components for promoting an organization on Facebook. The first thing you have to do is get your brand out there. If people don’t know what your brand is, how are they going to support it? The next thing you have to do is post events to your Facebook page as well. Through these events, you’ll be able to get our brand’s name out there. More people can also support you. The last thing you have to do is interact with your fan base. Most people love the idea of being a part of something. If you make them feel valued then there’s no reason why they wouldn’t support you.

Twitter: To Tweet Or Not To Tweet

Twitter allows you to post things that matter the most to you. Twitter is a social media platform that is full of useful and useless knowledge depending on the way you look at it. Twitter is used along with the other social media sites to get a person’s viewpoint to the world.

Twitter is used in more ways than just socializing. People and companies use Twitter to promote themselves or their business. Out of all the social media platforms available, Twitter is the most accessible one. Other sites require the user to jump through so many loopholes to get started, but Twitter makes it simple for everyone to use. People of all different ages use Twitter on the daily basis. Outside of promotional use, people use Twitter as their main source of information. There are a ton of news companies who post tweets that contain a photo; a quote, or even a shortened link that’ll take you directly to that article. For instance, if you like multiple opinions regarding one story, you can always scroll through your feed to see if someone else posted information regarding that story as well. Twitter can allow the user to check so many different things in a short amount of time. Twitter is also great for people who like to skim read. In case you don’t have time to read the full article right away, you can always favorite the tweet, and read it later on.

As mentioned earlier, Twitter is a great platform for more things than just socializing. Twitter is fairly simple to access so journalists can use that feature to their advantage. News is always constant and never static so a journalist has to stay on top of every aspect of every story that he or she is currently covering. Let’s say a news story is constantly updating because a lot is going on at the moment. The journalist can then post short tweets on what’s going on instead of writing a long winded article every time something new happens. These tweets can contain direct links to the story; photos from the live event, and even direct quotes from other people who are attending the event. Once the event is finished, then the journalist can publish his story. This point also ties into politics because campaigns are constantly going through changes. During election night, you couldn’t escape information regarding the presidential debate. That alone can show you how important social media is when it comes to politics. Many people call the last election the Facebook election because Obama’s media team raised so much awareness about him through social media. Without social media being as successful as it is, Obama would’ve had to find another venue to promote his policies and his vision for the future. As an organizational tool, Twitter can be quite effective as well. If you’re working with a team on a group project, you can see what the other people have contributed already. By seeing what they did, you won’t fall into the trap of doing the same thing. You can do your own work, and still contribute to your group as well. You won’t slow your group down by posting the same content.

For my secondary Twitter account, I decided to follow a few things that are important to me and they’re important to social media as well. I primarily wanted to follow people or groups that promoted politics because we should be informed on what’s going on around us. I also decided to follow some groups who have experience in the media production field. I wanted to see what they were doing, and how that might influence what I do in the future. I also decided to follow the NBA because I’m a huge basketball fan, and I wouldn’t mind working for the NBA in the near future. First, I decided by following Barack Obama. Obama won the presidential campaign by beating out Mitt Romney. It’s good to see what the President is doing through Twitter because I would rather read Twitter than watch any of the presidential debates. Politics bore me to death. I also paid close attention to what CNN posted on a daily basis because I respect their opinion on current events. They’re one of the broadcast stations that I actually respect. Out of all the groups I decided to follow, I feel that the NBA tweets the most. From a statistical standpoint, there are 82 games in a single season not including the playoffs. Each team has fifteen active players ready to play at any given time, and there’s always late breaking stories as well. On any given day, something amazing can happen so NBA has to tweet everything that happens.

I honestly would prefer to blog than use Twitter on any given day. I tweet maybe a few times a day, and during this project we had to tweet a lot. After a while, Twitter just became boring and less attractive. Twitter succeeds at what is does on a daily basis, but it shouldn’t be used for a project. There were times where I knew I had a lot to say for a certain topic, but I would have to break up that long tweet due to the tweet restriction of 140 characters. If someone caught the last tweet of a series of tweets, they might not know what’s going on. They would then have to try and find the rest of tweets to get an understanding of what’s going on. Blogging is an easier platform to deal with because there isn’t a word limit, and you can type away to your heart’s desire. The other thing that annoys me about Twitter and other social media sites is the amount of garbage that gets posted on your feed on any given day. That’s one of the main reasons why I hardly scroll through my feed anymore. I could choose to remove those people or groups who annoy me, but that would require too much effort and time that I don’t have. For some Twitter is the best platform out there, but I tend to think there are better platforms available to get your message across.

In conclusion, you can make Twitter work for you in any way you see fit. You can post senseless comments about yourself or you can post information that’s useful to anyone. At the end of the day, the choice is yours to make.

Group Commentary Post

Jessica's Posts:

90's Child

I wholeheartedly agree with all of your comments from your 90's Kid blog post. This next quote stood out from the rest. Jessica states, "Our cell phones have now become walking computers that inform us when someone is trying to get in contact with us through many social media sites like Facebook." People are always going on Facebook to see what's going on in the virtual world around them instead of actually taking a look at their surroundings. In the 90's we had to use a computer to connect to anybody or anything online. Nowadays we can connect to any website or person any time of day through our smartphone or tablet. I have no complaints with dial-up ever. Dial-up is the driving force that sparked my interest in the online world. Where would society be if dial-up never existed? Most people wouldn't know how to use a computer, and people would actually have to talk with each other through face-to-face interaction. AIM was by far one of the best ways to communicate when the internet was new to us. Social media sites have changed the people chat with each other. Now you can post information whenever you want to instead of waiting for that person to go online so you communicate with them.

Web 2.0

Web 2.0 is definitely headed in the right direction. As Jessica mentioned, Web 2.0 definitely made the world wide web more personal. Web 2.0 served as the gateway for allowing more people to interact with other people online instantly. Sites and programs are constantly adding features where you can make your experience totally unique. It's hard to think where Web 2.0 is heading at this point and time. Without Web 2.0, sites such as social media sites and blogs wouldn't have taken off the way they have in the past era. Who would want to use Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Tumblr if you couldn't post your own content on there? It would be a dry and dull experience for everyone. My first experience with Web 2.0 was with the introduction of Myspace. With Myspace, you could make a custom layout where it would stand out from everybody else's profiles. The only thing that was annoying about Myspace was using the dial-up connection to use the website. If someone had user generated content on their page, it would take forever to load their profile. Without Web 2.0, Myspace wouldn't have been as popular as it was. With that being said, it'll be interesting to see what Web 2.0 will be in the future.

Danger, Will Robinson!

Privacy will always be a major concern regardless of what you're doing.  With social media sites, people can access your information whenever they want. Sure there's privacy settings in place, but what happens if someone hacks into your account? By having direct access to your account, someone can essentially do whatever they want to your account. Social media isn't always like that. If that were the case, less and less people would stop using the services all together. Social media has some positive effects as well. A ton of companies rely on Facebook and Twitter for free advertising. This is a great tool for any company who wants to get their name out there. Jessica mentioned, "... younger generations...are always online or have easy access to the Internet which makes advertising through these sites key." If you know where and how to market your product, there's no way that people won't at least hear about it. Anyone can use social media to benefit them in the future. It's hard to draw the line whether social media has more negative effects than it does positive effects. It ultimately comes down to who you talk to. For the most part, people will say that you can't have one without the other. One thing is for certain though, all aspects of social media is here to stay.

Inspire Me!

This is the only blog post that I felt indifferent about. Jessica mentioned how the videos inspired her. I'm glad that the videos inspired you to make a better video. Some of the videos were good, but none of them inspired me that much. I honestly felt that most of the students had better experience shooting a video than I do. I have zero experience making a short movie. Maybe that's the reason why I feel intimidated when I watch some of the videos with better production values. I do agree with your statement regarding the last self-portrait video. That video was done really well. That video is much clearer than any of the other videos because the creator uses objects to describe himself. Whenever you use objects in a video, it's easier for people to relate with your main point because those objects are familiar. That's a better idea to aim for instead of making an obscure video where you confuse the viewer. All of the videos were different so that made them easier to watch. If all the videos were trying to portray the same thing, it would've been a chore to watch. The videos you chose had very little text because too much text can hinder the experience of any video.

Lauren's Posts:

What We  Have Learned to Know And Love

Lauren's title says it all. The internet is something that has become a part of our daily lives for better or for worse. All of us grew up in the 90's, and we know how slow dial-up was. It's amazing to see how far we have come in terms of how the internet affected us. Instead of having internet access in one remote location, you can get online virtually anywhere. This post reminds me of the first time that I had to beg my dad to put internet service on my cellphone. I didn't really need it at the time, but it blew my mind that I was able to connect to the internet wherever I had service. I couldn't imagine my life without internet. I constantly talk to people at work, and it boggles my mind that they don't have internet in their homes. The way we used to do things have drastically changed because of the evolution of the internet. Here are a few things I want to mention; sending and receiving mail, shopping, communicating with others, and compiling research, applying for college and jobs, and even taking classes. Technology has changed all of those previous items and made them more efficient. Instead of waiting for, "You've got mail," you can check multiple email accounts in that same amount of time.

Web 2.what?

Lauren mentioned how Web 2.0 allows you to conference anywhere in the world at any given time. As soon as I read that statement, I instantly thought of this video that I watched a few years ago for one of my classes. I forget the name of the video, but there was a company who would host work meetings through a game called Second Life. Second Life is a game where you can create a three dimensional representation of yourself and interact with others. This company mentioned how convenient it was to have these meetings online because they didn't have to physically leave the house, and they could all attend this meeting at the same time. Without Web 2.0, none of that would be possible at all. Web 2.0 allows people to interact with internet websites and web based applications like never before. If Web 2.0 didn't come into existence, a lot of people wouldn't even know how to use the computer at all.  Long gone are the days where you could a view a static website, and it would never change. Whenever you view a site nowadays, there's some way to interact with it whether it's sharing the site through Facebook or Twitter. Web 2.0 has yet to reach it's full potential.

Social Media? I Don't Even Know Her

Lauren stated, "...social media and social networking we are isolating ourselves from the real world and living real lives outside of the internet." I slowly feel myself heading in this direction because I'm always connected to internet applications whenever I leave the house. I can't leave the house without my cellphone because I feel that it's detrimental to my well-being. I try to think back to the days before technology took over my life, but nothing much has really changed since then. Growing up my mom didn't want me going outside too often so she would pacify me by buying me videogames and action figures. By constantly having those items available, I didn't see the need to go outside. I wonder how my life would've turned out if I went outside....Most of my friends go out quite often, but most of the time I'd rather just spend the day with my girlfriend or be lazy around the house. I can still interact with them through a text message or Facebook. Social media has enabled us to be a part of someone's life without actually physically being there. This can disconnect us from our friends. Social media allows us to be connected 24/7 but are we really connected? Social media is by far one of the most popular concepts to date, and it's not going anywhere anytime soon.

The Self Portrait Effect: "You will regret that cell-phone self-portrait in the bathroom mirror one day.

I agree with your statement regarding "Life is a Ride." That's my favorite video as well. I watched that video first, and I didn't think that the other videos compared to what the author was trying to display. It reminds me of a reflection video because he shows you many aspects of his life before and after the incident. The author didn't let the event ruin his life, but he persevered through the situation. That takes a lot of determination because most people would've thrown in the towel, and gave up on life completely. I don't know why this next comment stood out to me the most. Lauren stated, "I am ready to get started on our own self-portraits and trying to produce something that can be almost (keyword being almost) as good as those videos that we have watched." This statement brings the point home that most of us are thinking. Most of the class is inexperienced when it comes to shooting and producing videos on this type of scale. I only enjoyed two of the videos that we had to watch, and wish they inspired me to make a better end product. The videos you mentioned sold their idea well, and that's all the audience can ask for.

The Battle of Social Media

            YouTube VS Vimeo, who will win this bout? People will always have their preference of which video streaming website they prefer to use. YouTube is more popular, but Vimeo supposedly has the better video player. Both websites allow you have a free account, but there are some notable differences between the two.

            YouTube has the bigger audience because it was one of the first sites of its kind, and people instantly think of YouTube whenever they think of hosting any videos online. A few years ago, YouTube was bought out by Google so now your videos have a greater chance of popping up in the in Google search engine. Through YouTube you can upload an unlimited amount of videos as well.

            Some people will agree that YouTube is the better social media platform, but there are some cons along with YouTube as well. One of the first things you’ll notice is the inclusion of ads on every video. It’s annoying when you have to watch a forced 15 second ad, and then it takes forever to load your requested video. Some people will argue that the YouTube overlay will take away the professional message from your video, but I have to disagree. As far as I know there’s no way to pay for a premium account so you can disable those ads. Keep in mind that you can only post videos that cap at the ten minute mark. The only other con worth mentioning is that you have sift through a ton of garbage content to get to what you want to view. This can sometimes make video searching a chore.

            Vimeo’s success is definitely driven directly by their user base. Vimeo allows the user to put their own logos on their videos so you can have a more professional look to them. The Vimeo interface tries to keep you on the current user page by allowing you to select more videos by that user instead of having related videos that’ll take you away from the current page on your own.

            Just like YouTube, Vimeo has its cons as well. Vimeo has a much smaller community than YouTube so there’s a chance that a number of people won’t ever see your video. Vimeo also caps your video at 250,000 views where YouTube will constantly allow people to view your video. In order to remove all of the Vimeo links from your page, you have to pay $59.95 a year. Even with the Plus account, you still have limits on how much you can upload.

            How do the two sites affect social media? The two video hosting sites allow users to create their own content, and this also allows users to comment and interact with the videos as well. This thought ties into the main aspect of Web 2.0 where people can share and interact with their favorite internet websites. Without the advent of Web 2.0, these two particular sites wouldn’t be as popular as they are now. The sites will continue to push the concept of Web 2.0 into the future because these websites will continue improve their user interface. By constantly improving on the platform that the sites were built, more and more people will be drawn to the site.

            In conclusion, it primarily comes down to preference. I’ve been using YouTube for the past four or five years, and I don’t see myself switching any time soon. I have my account set up along with my favorites, and personal videos. It would take too much time to transfer everything over. For those reasons alone, I’ll continue to use YouTube.

iMovie Woes

           Before this project, I never used the iMovie program. I’m primarily a Windows user so any program on a Mac is foreign to me. I wasn’t comfortable with the program until I finished my project. There were a ton of issues that hindered my experience with the program.

 I have to say that this program is annoying to use. The first thing that upset me is that you can’t just simply drag and drop your videos into the program; you have to manually import them through one of the menu buttons. The functionality of the program isn’t user friendly at all. Another annoyance with the program was that it was that there wasn’t a native way to edit your audio. I had to use another program to cut my song clips so they would fit into my project properly. Again it’s not a major problem, but it was another annoyance that hampered my experience with the program. I don’t know how many groups encountered this following issue. There was a known issue with the software where iMovie wouldn’t save your projects properly. Once you encountered this error, you had to start your project over. I ran into that particular issue, but I didn’t mind it all. I was figuring things out so I wasn’t taking my rough cut too seriously. My group definitely experienced the weirdest issue out of all of the groups. For some odd reason, Lauren’s project randomly disappeared after she made some edits to her video. Lauren worked with our professor, but they weren’t able to find her initial project.

Aside from having issues with the program, I also had a hard time shooting video for this particular project. I know how to use a camera and a camcorder, but I didn’t know what I wanted to focus on. There were so many aspects of my life that I could’ve focused. It was hard to condense my overall message into a one minute and twenty second video. It was also tough for my group to meet outside of class because our schedules are different, and we’re pretty busy outside of class as well. I work a full-time job so my schedule between personal and school life is pretty strict. I have to set a schedule for everything I want to do. If I didn’t do that I would lose my mind in all of the madness.

My favorite part of this project was working with a great team. I worked with Jessica and Lauren. I didn’t know them previously, but I’m glad I ended up working with them. From the beginning of the project, my group wanted to make sure we had everything lined up properly. We exchanged phone numbers, and we constantly contacted each other constantly about our project. My group was always open to new ideas, and they were always there to keep me on the right path. There were times where I wanted to give up on the project, but they were there every step of the way to help me push through this project. I know my overall experience would’ve been different if I didn’t work with those two individuals. During this class so far, we primarily do blog posts and exercises that allow us to work individually. I love that the topic for my group was separation, and we pulled together to make a great end product. This project not only put us into a group where we had to collectively share ideas and work together, but we had to rely on each other to do their own part of the project. If one person slacked off during the project, everyone else would be affected.

This project was the hardest to complete because there were so many instructions that we had to follow. We had to produce a final project that met all of the required criteria. I never worked on a project so much that I couldn’t wait until it was over. I always enjoy a challenge, but this project pushed me to the limit. When I couldn’t get the program to do what I needed to do, I wanted to pull my hair out. The only thing that I’m going to take away from this project is that I never want to use iMovie ever again. There are so many other programs that make the video editing process so much easier.

For the final part of the assignment we have to upload our assignment to YouTube and Vimeo. The two sites are different from one another. Vimeo is more lenient in the sense that you can upload your own personal video with music, and they won’t pull down your video for copyright infringement. YouTube on the other hand is less lenient when it comes to sharing your videos. If you use any songs that you didn’t pay the rights for, YouTube will pull down your video instantly. YouTube is more popular than Vimeo so more people will most likely see your video on YouTube.

By using video as your means of communication, you are able to stress a point better than you would with still photos or with text. Most people nowadays are visual learners so shooting videos just makes more sense. With shooting a video, you can also add music into the mix to instill a certain emotion. With video, you can incorporate text as well. Some people use text to guide their viewers through the video and other people use text to highlight important parts of the video. Communication as a whole is dynamic because it’s always changing. The way we shoot, edit, and publish video is always changing whereas print and photo formats will stay the same for the most part. You can incorporate those two formats into your video, but videos will always be the strongest format because more people can relate to video more than they can with text. With the evolution of social media and web 2.0, we need to see things to believe anything nowadays. Communication will constantly change whether you’re ready or not.

In conclusion, the iMovie project was definitely a learning curve for all participating groups. From this experience we can only go forward from what we have learned. We can also share our experiences with others who haven’t experienced the program for themselves.