Shannon's Blog Site

Building a DAM to Last: Archiving Digital Assets

2005-06-01T17:02:00.000-07:00

Another apropos reading. My graduate project was a video that, with audio and video + jpeg images, was 800Mb. Way too large to place on my student media site. Each time I've tried to shrink down the file size I've lost quality. At the same time, I have loads of clips that I know my public affairs department at work would like to have handy - in some kind of DAM system - so that they could use bits and pieces for other videos. The Port of Seattle uses Hummingbird for the document management software. I don't know much about it, other than you can store any kind of file in it and it's very easy to search for anything. The search function works very much like search in most applications - just type in one word from the title or document and everything with that word will come up.

A Rhetoric of Objects

2005-06-01T16:53:00.000-07:00

This article is apropos for me, having just turned in my graduate project: A video introducing the third runway project at Sea-Tac Airport, and discussing its impact on wetlands and bird habitat. I used Aristotle's definition of Rhetoric and though I see Jonathan's point about applying rhetoric to objects in a web atmosphere, I still think that for the purpose of MY piece, Aristotle's version was appropriate.

Jonathan raises good points, however, in discussing the many types of messages we create using rhetoric (not only to persuade) and the many ways in which we classify objects. And I can really relate to the author's description of the many personas we adopt while electronically communicating with different audiences. These are important points to consider when creating a website, or even when sending out or responding to an email.

Readability

2005-05-17T20:52:00.000-07:00

How have the referenced sites changed in three years?
Some of the referenced sites have more of an eCommerce feel to them. They look more ... clever.

How readable are they now?
Some appear to be low-tech at first glance, but they require some effort from the viewer which gets them engaged in the topic.

Others are too high-tech; they're confusing or painful to try and follow.

How does the design communicate meaning?
Well, if you consider Nokian Tyres site, you see a long-looking bike ride through the trees...and that's what they're selling: a long bike ride.

Three sites with a presentation that epitomizes good storytelling (effectively communicates compelling narratives) :
Well, I checked out Nokian Tyres to see what all the fuss was about:
http://www.nokiantyres.com/
It's pretty cool. As the article suggested, this site looks very artsy with only one animation, which is part of the picture.
Well, this one isn't really storytelling, but I like it:
http://java.sun.com/applets/archive/beta/Escher/index.html
However, it is relative to this home site, which I think is loud and cluttered:
http://www.esu9.org/~swegenas/midart/Coolart.htm
and I found this site when I was desparately trying to learn AVID from anyone:
https://secure.vtc.com/files/onlineu.php?action=signup&dealercode=33

I like Eminem's site, too:
http://www.eminem.com/

and this one:
http://www.rockhall.com/

and three that reflect a cluttered (or otherwise "noisy") presentation that detracts from the narrative:
I mentioned one above...
These guys made the mistake the author warned us about, making the entire screen a solid color:
http://www.bestapples.com/

Annoying, busy, and POP-UPs!!!:
http://www.rock.com/

Klare's "Useful Information" is Useful for Web Designers

2005-05-08T21:50:00.000-07:00

I found this article to make sense - and not just for the Web. I'm trying to put a digital video together and I'm reminded that readable web pages (or text on video):

Are not text-heavy and make effective use of white space,
Have no unnecessary animated graphics,
Use high contrast for graphics and text,
Include only necessary information

Furthermore, as we've discussed this quarter, it's very important to consider your audience, their knowledge level about the topic and what they expect from you. Simplicity is best. (That's very liberating!)

Fixed or Fluid? Document Stability and New Media

2005-05-01T14:12:00.000-07:00

David M. Levy begins his study by defining three persepectives to use when viewing documents: Artifacts, technology, and work. He then mentions that genre helps to 'integrate these three perspetives.' He says that the evolution of documents has allowed for two kinds of fixity: the ability for an artifact to remain constant over time (invariance) and the ability to create many artifacts - copies - that are all the same at any point in time (replicability).

Next, Levy describes the current rhetoric about fixity is becomming a thing of the past and that with hypertext, all documents are fluid. The remainder of the study argues this perspective - particularly the assertions by Bolter. Levy points out the tendancy to consider permanent as fixed, and gives examples of documents created long ago that have been changed many times since (US Constitution). He admits that fixity and fluidity is to some extent 'in the eyes of the beholder'.

Levy says that the development of hypertext technologies and genres has created the possibility of renegotiating fixity. He says that versioning is a tangible example with which to argue the claim that fixity has disappeard from hypertext. He describes Bolter's argument for the passing of fixity as an affect from the fluidity nature of computer-mediated technologies, and identifies four points in Bolter's argument:

Technological determinism - genres, practices, and institutions of writing are derived from the technologies that enable them
Media transition - we are moving from one technology base to another
Fixed to fluid documents - paper-based technologies and their associated documents are fixed, while digital technologies and documents are fluid. Combined with the previouspoint, this argues that we are moving from a world of fixed documents to aowlrd of fluid documents
Fixed to fluid institutions - the fixity of paper produced a fixed canon and a sharp distinction between author and reader; the fluidity of digital technoogies and documents will dissolve the fixed canon and the distrinction between author and reader

Levy argues these points by suggesting that there is fixity in digital technologies and that Bolter is essentially too narrow-focused to see it. He concludes by stating that he isn't concerned about whether Bolter's conclusions are right (sure could have fooled me), but that he is concerned about certain culturally-influenced assumptions on how documents work or the role that technology plays in determining social practice. He says that hypertext is participating in the renogotiation of fixity rather than its elimination, and that 'fixed or fluid' is a response to the increased rate of change of certain genres - which shouldn't be thought of as a loss of fixity. Basically, we need to open our minds to the idea of fixity when considering digital technologies.

(If I were Bolter, I would probably be offended by this article.)

Attractive Things Work Better

2005-04-26T08:07:00.000-07:00

Twelve pages, including citations, lead us to the conclusion we've all long suspected: Good looks will get you (or in this case, your design) further. Or, perhaps I was just very happy as I read the article and therefore it seemed to make sense to me.

I immediately thought of Ashley Well's MSNBC design. The interactive feature as well as the game-like design make his site appealing and the almost immediate gratification a user receives from choosing a scenario encourages more interactivity. This, in turn, makes his site successful, as he admits he counts clicks.

This article is useful in validating your belief that the more time you spend making your site attractive and easily navigatable (is that a word?) the more successful your site will be.

2005-04-12T22:58:00.000-07:00

Traditional narrative elements of storytelling relate to other writing genres in that they employ the five elements: setting, character, plot, backstory, and detail. They must grab the reader's attention in the first few sentences, using the inverted pyramid. They eventually expose more details to make the reader crave more.

My top three tips for the visual design of a "web story" are:

1) Know your audience
2) Use color and style wisely, to appeal to audience and tell your story best
3) Use flash and other creative technology sparingly

Three Types of Stories (Content) that Interest Me as a Content Creator

2005-04-04T21:42:00.000-07:00

Following are three story/content names, URLs, abstracts, and a statement of what sparked my interest:

1) Reports/Business genre: The Fly Quiet Committee Report, http://www.portseattle.org/community/environment/noiseabatement.shtml; I write this incredibly boring, technical report biannually. The only thing that sparks my interest about it is my paycheck. The report highlights airline compliance with Sea-Tac Airport's procedures and regulations (yawn) and reports the results to citizens.

2) Non-fiction/news genre: CNN news - US and International news. http://www.cnn.com/US/ I check the news several times a day, often as an escape from content article #1. I like to keep informed about the day's events. From there, I often go to the Seattle PI site for local news: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/

3) Non-fiction/how-to: HGTV site: http://www.hgtv.com/ This site offers 'how-to' help on remodeling, gardening, decorating, and all sorts of things new home-owners might be interested in. My husband and I bought a big, brown, ugly-on-the-outside house about a year ago and we fantacize about remodeling.

Ah-ha from readings

2005-04-04T21:01:00.000-07:00

My "ah-ha" moment came while reading "The Elements of Good Storytelling"
by Kimberly Appelcline. I enjoy telling stories (verbally) but I didn't realize that to develop an interesting character, there should be contradictions in the character's personality. If the contradictions are well-developed, then the reader must try and guess which way the character will go in each situation he/she comes across. Really, for all the 'tools of the storyteller's trade' there is a three-dimentional build-out that I was never really aware of. Makes me want to write a story some day.

Oops, another "ah-ha" moment: I read the wrong article to have an "ah-ha" moment about. I was supposed to read about the inverted pyramid, or Roy Peter Clark's "How to Write a Story in 800 Words or Less". I enjoyed the latter. He makes writing sound easy.

What are my top three tips for the visual design of a "web story"?
1) Make sure to have all the elements: setting, character, plot, backstory and detail
2) Make sure you have the proper structure, "At the beginning, jump right into the action. At the end, wind up the story quickly" (Aaron Shephard)
3) With both of the above, make sure they're good and solid

Test

2005-03-29T21:54:00.000-08:00

Okay - here's my first text in my first blog site...let's see how it works!