Week 3

Twitter

For this week's topic, we had to join new social media account and conduct research on how to use it.  I decided to choose Twitter because, it's a huge new social media site that has become much more popular.

So what exactly is Twitter? "Twitter, and 'tweeting', is about broadcasting daily short burst messages to the world, with the hope that your messages are useful and interesting to someone. Conversely, Twitter is about discovering interesting people online, and following their burst messages for as long as they are interesting."

From my observations, twitter is basically a bulletin board of the latest news to subjects you care about. I started following my friends, news channels, sports teams and celebrities.  It's a fun and fast way to share your thoughts in a short 140 characters or less. Your timeline is a collection of tweets in chronological order. You have your own timeline which shows tweets you created or retweeted by others and also your timeline feed of all the people you are following.  Retweets are when you like someone else's tweet and you "retweet" it to your wall.  Twitter also has hashtags, which is when you #hashtagsomething in your tweet and if it's trending you can see what other's have to say about that topic.  So right now currently, hashtags that are trending are: #prayformexico #paranormalactivity #patricia. While on twitter if you click on one of those hashtags it will show others who have posted that hashtag and what they had to say.  Twitter also as a bulletin board of the "hottest" new stories of what are being talked about today.  Overall I think twitter is a great news source to get the latest updates on any topic you care about. Click here if you would like to join!





InDesign

This week in class we got to play around with the computer editing software, InDesign. InDesign is similar to Photoshop, but it is more of an editing program focused on making a magazine cover, newspapers, brochures, posters, flyers, books, etc.

How to use InDeisgn:

Adobe provides useful links and tools on how to get started with InDesign: https://helpx.adobe.com/indesign/tutorials.html



 If you are wanting more help or visual aid here are some great videos to check out:

During class this week, we got to replicate a magazine cover. I was surprised at how easy

 it was.  To learn how to in just 15 minutes, here's a great tutorial video to check out:



Week 2

Websites and Podcasts 


Website builders

This week in class we learned how to create a website using easy-to-use online website builders. The cool thing about the internet is that is has numberless resources to help you create one!  In class we had the time to create a website using Wix.com and Weebly.com. The great thing about these website builders is that they are very informational, straightforward and free! During class we had an hour to use both websites and create a fan page of an artist. In just an hour, I was able to navigate both websites, showing just how simple they really are.



Wix

First I explored Wix which I personally liked better. There are over 510 different professional templates to use. You can browse each template and it displays how each website would look, which makes it easy for you to choose what is most fitting for your site.  Just this week Website Builder Expert posted a Wix review with what others thought. One review states:

"We found that they offer you a lot of different functions and design flexibility, which could take some time to learn.  But it’s not bad at all as you don’t have to know how to code at all, and it only took me about 20 minutes to get comfortable with Wix, as their “Help” function works really well.  Wix can effectively help any non-coders create professional websites." 

As stated above, Wix provides a "Help" function, which is very handy if you're needing any assistance.  They also provide a "How to Begin" list if you have no idea where to start.

Here's a Youtube video that can help get you started!

 

Weebly

Just like Wix, Weebly is very much user friendly and straightforward. A big difference with this site though, is when wanting to add different elements to your page (title, pictures, text, etc) you just drag and drop where you want it. This aspect makes it very easy and user friendly!  During my time using weebly in class, the site was down which made it difficult for me to create my page so I didn't get to explore it as much as I would have liked. On Website Builder Expert they also have a review on what others have said about the site. One review states:

"By far, Weebly is the easiest website builder to use.  It’s very user-friendly and intuitive to use – you don’t have to know any codes at all and you can still build a good website."

If wanting to start your own website using Weebly, here's a great Youtube tutorial to help get you started!

 

Website Builder Expert also provides 8 different aspects of Wix and Weebly that you could look at to compare:

Click here to open

Podcasts
This week in class we also learned how to create a podcast by using the program Audacity.  A podcast is a,  "Form of a digital media that consists of an episodic series of audio or digital radio.." -Wikipedia Audacity is a digital audio editor. You can use it to record vocals, instruments and other sounds, then mix them.

When first using audacity, it may look a bit overwhelming at first. There isn't much navigation help, but with an introduction of how to use the buttons, you'll be on your way to becoming a pro!
Here's a great video explaining how to use some of it's basic features:

When making a podcast, you'll want to use cool sound effects to make your podcast interesting.  Here's a great site that has free sound effects that you're able to use. Sound effects are great to use for simulating reality, creating illusion and to set a mood for the listeners. In class during this exercise we learned how to fade in and fade out sounds which is useful for the intro and outro of a podcast.

To learn how to make cool sound effects, here's a great YouTube tutorial:

Overall, I think audacity is a great and simple program to edit audio and it's free!

Week 1

Blogging 

Blogging is a great outlet to inform and share your thoughts to the internet on a variety of topics. Blogs are almost in a way online journals/diaries. Most blogs specify specific interest, such as traveling, fashion, cooking, or for instance emerging communication technologies, such as this blog.  It's a wonderful tool to stay connected and informed. 

To know more information on what a blog is and what they can be used for, Thomas Freers does a great job explaining so here: http://ezinearticles.com/?Explain-Blogging---What-Is-Blogging?&id=5594905

Other great blog sites besides blogger are:
Weebly.com 
Blog.com 
WordPress.com
Tumblr.com




Learning Photoshop

Back in high school I knew the ins and outs of Photoshop. Skip forward 6 years later... and it's amazing how much one can forget! Our first day of class, we spent learning how to use Photoshop.

So what exactly is Photoshop?
Photoshop is a computer program, where one can edit photos professionally. You can create, style, adjust, combine, retouch, etc. What's amazing about this program is you can almost teach yourself it by just Googling it!

The Adobe website even provides help: https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop.html

YouTube also provides many great videos!
Here's a great tutorial on how to use Photoshop:

 

Personal Branding 

In my communication class, we focus a lot on our personal branding. Some work we have done in Photoshop is we've created logos and business cards.  But personal branding is more than just that. It's all about what makes you different from others. How do you stand out?  What traits do you have that others may not?

What is personal branding?

"Personal branding links your passions, key personal attributes, and strengths with your value proposition, in a crystal clear message that differentiates your unique promise of value and resonates with your target audience."

Here are a few things you can do to manage your personal brand:

1. Be clear about the image you intend to project. If your have more than one message you run the risk of confusing people about what you are all about.
2. Make certain your brand message is consistent across all platforms. For instance, your resume and LinkedIn profile must be in sync.
3. Back up any broad statements with objective proof. Show numbers, dates, etc. of what you have done the backs up your claim.
4. Keep it brief. Can you state your value proposition in 10 words or less? If not, you run the risk of being forgettable — the death knell of any brand.

Want to create your own personal brand?
Here are 5 easy steps by Amanda Rose:

Greetings! 

My name is Aluna and I am currently a senior at Western Washington University. My focus in school is Communication Studies and Spanish.  Outside of school, I work at Preservation Kitchen as a server. In my free time I love to travel, explore the outdoors, read and cook.

This is a blog I created for my Emerging Communication Technologies class. This blog will be updated weekly with different topics regarding communication technologies.