This class was a last minute addition to my schedule this semester. I was dropped from a programming class and I needed to have something to fulfill my minimum required hours.

I wasn’t sure what this class was about, I just knew I needed something to fill my schedule. I have have to say, I’m surprised at what I have learned.

I’ve been using computers for a very long time, but the use has been for Internet, gaming and keeping in touch with friends ans family. I have also become really good at using Adobe Photoshop and Autodesk Maya to create 3D models. When it comes to the programming side of it, I had no idea what it was.

In the past there were times when I thought about designing web sites for a living, but I had no idea what went into creating one, until now. Before this class I had no idea what HTML, CSS and JAVA was, I had heard of these things but had no idea how they worked. I’m not saying I’m going to go out and start writing code and programming, but at least I have an idea how all this works. I have a new respect for web designers, I just about pulled my hair out when we were working with HTML.

I had always wondered how web sites came to be, there are a lot of really great web sites out there and I never knew how the look was achieved. Learning a little bit of CSS really gave me great insight at how these sites are designed.

I think the course was very well taught, it was very hands on and for me that is the easiest way to learn. I can read a book till the cows come home, but if I don’t actually do what is being taught to me I have a difficult time learning it.

Before taking this class if someone would have told me to build a web site, I would have laughed in their face. I’m not saying that I am a professional now, but at least I have an idea of where to begin. It took me a while to get my site running but I’m happy with the final product.

Overall, I enjoyed this class, even though at times I wanted to pull my hair out from being frustrated. I feel I have learned a lot and it will help me down the line.

I must say, I was a nervous wreck when I was up there in front of everyone, but what can you do not everyone is great at public speaking. Overall, I think everyone did a decent job with their final presentations but there were a couple that I really think were outstanding.

One of my favorites was Megan’s Thesingleplate.com. Megan’s presentation was really clean and simple, the fact that she really enjoys cooking  showed through. You can tell she really has a passion for what she does. I also think the theme of her web site is a great one, I’m not much of a cook and when I decide to make something I always make way too much. I end up eating leftovers for days! I love food but it’s really hard to come up with new ways to not make it boring, now I can go to Megan’s site and follow one of her many recipes.

Another presentation I really enjoyed was Neil’s and his exquisiteleisure.com. You can tell he put a lot of thought into his presentation and did not leave out a single detail. Even though I can’t afford one of his wonderful vacations, it was great to see his presentation. I guess when you cater to the top one percent of the population you have to be very driven and pay attention to the the smallest detail, you have to be ready to go at any time and also have a back up plan for anything that can and will come up. The way Neil pitched his web site really kept me interested.

Ken’sKenlandefeld.com has to be one of my favorite web sites because we are interested in some of the same things, his presentation was funny and you can tell he enjoys what he does. He has a lot of experience with Maya and photoshop and has done some great 3D models with it. His web site can be of great use to someone like me who is just starting in  3D modeling/animation.

I think I can call my web site complete. I am happy with the color scheme, it’s simple and easy on the eyes. My blog has one entry so far, I plan to add more entries as I complete more work. It took me a while to get the site going but I’m  happy with  what I came up with.

Last task to catch up on. For this task I created my home page, I think its simple and to the point. I don’t have any links added yet but that will change shortly.

Still trying to catch up on a few of my tasks. For my second task I needed to come up with an aboutpage. I added a short background about myself and why I wanted to greate this site.

I’m making up some of the tasks I didn’t get to do the first time around. For my first task I had to come up with a color scheme for my site. I decided to go with a black background with white text. Some might hink it might be a little bit boring, I think it looks professional and it’s really easy on the eyes. Since this is going to be my online portfolio, I want to limit distractions and let my work be the main focus.

Since the early 1990’s when Microsoft revolutionised the way we used computers, the amount of time we spend on them as a nation is phenomenal. Microsoft made it possible to use a computer at the click of a button, without having to program it first.

The use of icons on screen made life easier for the computer user and computers soon took over the use of electric type writers in offices. Back in the mid 1990’s computers were a new appliance in most work forces and although many companies had had computers in their offices, they were not used to their full potential.

The internet was a new gadget and little was known about how useful it was and the impact it would have onlife 15 years later.

So back to today, can you imagine waking up and not having the Internet available at your finger tips? I think the world would come to a screeching halt!. We are all dependent on the Internet and how it makes our daily lives a little bit easier. A major part of the Internet is to stay connected with friends and family and with people with same interested. Online communities have sprung up all over the Internet, topics ranging from sex to books and everything in between. The online community is all about communicating with like minded individuals and bonding over a common interest.

But what makes an online community successful? I have always thought of Facebook and twitter as online communities but it turns out they are just tools to building one. It makes total sense, anyone can join facebook and not have similar interest. I think having a successful online community is knowing who you are reaching out to and how you attract members. The content and the members also make a big impact on whether of not you community will be a successful one. 

According to Paul Boag, you have to be able to engage your visitors, give them a reason to keep coming back. Repeat users are very important, they are the ones who develop brand loyalty and will spread the word to friends and family, a great way to get more members for your community.  Paul also suggests using blogs, pod-casting and email newsletters as broadcasting tools, these tools are something readily available at any time and a very low cost. I think that feed back is one of the most powerful tool you can use to make sure anything you do is a hit. Take into account what people are looking for and pay attention to what they have to say, after all without users you will not get very far.

“If you buil it they will come”, I don’t think that will get you very far. Now days with so much competition you have to make sure you give people a reason to come back.

Videsmarco.com is finally up an running, it is a work in progress and I don’t know when it will be finished. I get to a point where I think I can called it done but then I realize this is something that will have to be worked on constantly.

I had no idea I was going to end up creating my own web site and using it as a portfolio, as an ATEC student I had no idea how I was going to get my work and name out ther after graduation. Like I said, my site will be an online portfolio but also a place where people interested in digital art can come and check out some work.

This has been a long process and something that really is going to help me in the future. If someone had told me I needed to have a web site in order to get my name known, I think I would have paid someone to build it for me. I never thought I would have done it myself.

My experience with computers comes from what I have learned from school in the last couple of years. I’m confident with using MAYA, photoshop and other creative computer software, but when it comes to programming; I’m back in the stone age.

Before taking this class no I had idea what HTML, CSS or JAVA was. I had heard of it but had no clue how to use it. Even now, my knowledge of these programs is limited but at least I have an idea of how all these programs tie together to build a web site.

One of the most important aspects of my site will be the blog. The blog will keep the readers updated on what I am currently working on and the creative process. I want people to know what goes into creating a 3D model, where the idea comes from, how long it takes to build it and how you know when the model is complete. I haven’t had any jobs in the 3D modeling/animation industry yet so my current blog post is about the final project I’m working on for my lighting and texturing class.

My web site is very basic right now, it has a few images of work I’ve done as school projects, my resume and some information about me. Do I think this will be enough to get me a job once I graduate? absolutely not, if I’ve learned anything this semester is that jobs will not land on my lap simply because I some work on a web site. It’s all about personal branding, it will be hard work trying to get my name known in the industry, especially one that is very limited and competitive. I have to be ready to do some work for free, get my hands on any kind of work and be ready to make as many contacts as I can. Getting my name known is also something that will not happen over night so patience will be something I need to have if I want to be successful.

For now, my site is very basic but hopefully it will get a lot better with time. This is something I will have to work on on a regular basis and it is something that will help me along in my career.

For this task, I added the blog post to my site.

I want to have a blog to keep people informed on what projects I am currently working on. Since I haven’t worked on any 3D animation or modeling related jobs, I will post about my current school projects.

I added a resume page to my site. It’s a PDF file, I’m not sure if I’m going to leave it the way it is or make major changes to it. I’m afraid it might be a little bit too simple.