Seperation but equals

What if you were given three partners, a topic such as “separation,” and your job was to create a video representing this topic as well as yourself, could you do it? Doesn’t sound too bad right? Oh yeah, no verbal communication allowed. Now you’re probably wondering how you would go about this and how could all four group members be able to accomplish this goal. Everyone knows group projects are the absolute worst. Oddly enough, it really isn’t that hard. Of course the most difficult job would be to get everyone on the same page as far as topics go. When everyone clicks in a group it makes life so much easier. Exchanging contact information is also extremely important if you know you will not see these people every day so constant contact is a must! So now you are all on the same page, your topic is set and everyone has the direction they want to go in, so what is next? Lights, camera, action! It is time for your close up! Let’s begin shooting this masterpiece. Oh. My. Gosh. I don’t have a high resolution camera! - Is what you probably said not even realizing your smartphone in your pocket, you know the one you are always on Tweeting, creeping on Facebook and Instagram, taking “selfies,” yes that one, has a camera and it is exactly what you need.

Alright so you got your hair done, makeup is flawless, and you are wearing that crisp new outfit you’ve been waiting to show off. You are ready to film when you realize, you have no idea how to go about this. It seemed so easy in class when you talked with your group and everyone is bouncing ideas off one another. You’re sitting in your living room with your dog’s asking them to hold the camera for you and what a half ass job they did. So you are stuck wondering how you could film yourself or at least show your own perspective. That is where you need to get creative. It is difficult to film yourself especially if you are just using your smartphone. Some things to keep in mind when doing so is to always, always, always shoot in landscape or horizontally as opposed to vertical. This will prevent your video from having that empty black space on both sides and will make it easier for the world to see that beautiful face of yours. Also, shooting from different angles is always a cool idea. Lay your phone on the ground, propped up on something, or even tape it to the ceiling if you have to. Do something creative and different that is going to separate your video from the others. Another recommendation would be to shoot the same scene multiple times. Maybe you weren’t as perfect on that first shot as you thought and it took four to five tries to get it down. Practice makes perfect and what better way to practice than shooting the same seven seconds of your video over and over again!

            So now you have all these clips filling up the storage on your smartphone or camera and you need to put them somewhere else. A flash drive is the perfect solution to this problem. Always make sure to save your projects to a flash drive that way you will always have it in case of an emergency. When using a flash drive especially for a project like this one, a 16GB drive is the best choice because the videos take up a lot of space especially when the editing period takes place. Getting all the random videos from one device to another is tedious but worth it in the long haul. The last thing you would want is to be the one person from your group who doesn’t have their materials or videos because you don’t have or use a flash drive. Don’t be that guy/girl.

            Just when you thought the fun was over it comes time to edit your videos and sort them so that it makes sense. Editing using iMovie is not as scary as it looks. It actually can be quite enjoyable. It offers many different features that allow for a lot of creativity. Adding transitions from scene to scene or sound effects and audio are just a few. Perhaps the most useful tool is the one that allows you to cut your videos at specific spots and pull out certain points of the video to rearrange your clips in any order you do so choose. iMovie also automatically saves your work too which is always helpful. Deciding which clips to go where and with what features can be difficult to decide but once they are all where they need to be it always looks great.

            Once the mashup of the personal clips are assorted accordingly, the group needs to put their 60 second clips into one file and begin a process of cutting it down to 3:30 using clips from everyone. By far the hardest part of the project as using the works of four individuals and trying to make them flow with one another so that it tells a story is not the easiest task in the world. Make sure to be helpful and give constructive criticism. Everyone needs to participate and contribute. This part of the project is way easier when you have an amazing group.

            The final project is now complete and it feels very rewarding. All the effects are in place with each clip and from start to finish it appears to be a true work of art. Each group member congratulates one another and feels as if a fifty-pound weight has been lifted from their shoulder. The group work is almost done except for the final presentation to the class where they most likely will give a standing ovation for this masterpiece. Not only will people be able to view it in class but also on different sites such as YouTube. From the very beginning this project could have appeared to be scary and difficult but at the end it was an incredible result that was rather enjoyable.

Wiki Wiki What?!

            As we all know, the internet has transformed into something we rely heavily on for its vast capacity of information. Back in Web 1.0 sites were limited and never changed or updated. This process completely switched as it progressed through Web 2.0 and 3.0. Now we not only have verified sites that have concrete evidence of their information but we now have new sites that offer user friendly ways to add, edit, or do just about anything they would like to do to the information provided. Of course you can’t believe everything you read on the internet which is why sites such as Wikipedia have been not as trusted as others. As of lately, it has been emerging as a credible source of information as it now has plenty of cited information that writers have done research on. Social media has been one of the perks that the advancements in the internet has brought to the world. Platforms for these sites such as Facebook or Twitter give us all the interactions we could hope for. They allow us to personalize our pages, chat with friends, meet new people, and share ideas.

            Not only do these sites provide an online environment where millions of people can interact, they also have many other benefits as well. As stated before, information is always being added, edited, or updated. Also, anyone can use the internet and all its glory it holds! We all use the internet for different purposes too. For fun, research, or business purposes as it is the perfect place to have free advertising……FREE!

What is worse than having an idea pop into your head, you getting an even better idea to do something, then realizing you have no idea how to go about this? Nothing, that’s what. Now I know what you are probably thinking, “Oh just Google it,” and that method may be good for a lot of people but there is just something lacking and I just cannot put my finger on it. Oh wait, it is the personalization of a WikiHow page! These pages are fantastic! They have step by step tutorials on how to complete a given task and have a page on almost anything you could think of. From walking a dog to making your favorite dinner. If you haven’t used WikiHow, what are you waiting for?

            How might one go about creating a WikiHow page you ask? Well it is most certainly easier than you would expect. Have a passion for something or believe yourself to be an expert or extremely knowledgeable in a particular area that most are not? Take a minute to check if its available on the website. When choosing a topic be sure to find something you are truly passionate about and are able to convey the message in a clear and concise manner. Also, being able to take your own photographs is always encouraged as is provided a better way for your audience to see the steps as opposed to cartoon drawings as the alternatives. And be sure to follow the guidelines that WikiHow has laid out for new users and posts so that it can be published and viewed by the world as quickly as possible!

            Why would you want to make a WikiHow page though? That’s usually the thought behind it. But wouldn’t you want to be credited for helping people around the world do something as good as yourself? That is the beautiful thing about Wikis! And that is the beautiful thing about the internet. With the creation of Web 2.0 and furthering into Web 3.0 the internet has transformed into a world that is so interactive and full of new information that’s available to anyone. Everyone is good at something whether it be making a zucchini lasagna in a crockpot or a tutorial on how to properly walk a dog, there is always something to teach and learn.

            Wiki offers many perks to its users as it as a how to page for almost anything you can think of. You could literally search for hours and learn hundreds of new things in a well written report broken down into steps. When creating a page of your own, the site offers a wonderful guideline that breaks down just about everything you would need to include in your page from the title, introduction and steps all the way through warnings and tips. Unfortunately, some coding is necessary and can sometimes be a bit confusing. But, luckily for you, help is always there as they have admins on 24/7 analyzing information and making sure everything meets the criteria necessary to become part of the wiki world. That’s also what is so helpful about when you publish an article, you almost instantaneously receive feedback as the admins are so efficient in what they do, nothing slips by them. That just means you will be congratulated for your article and receive constructive criticism on anything that needs improvement as well as links to guidelines that will make it even easier to fix your mistakes!

            Another thing that is great about WikiHow is how easy it is to find something on there suitable to you. You can start clicking and searching away and get lost very easily in the millions of interesting articles or you could search by categories if you are not looking for anything specific. This is what makes it personable to you. You do not have to just scroll through meaningless information. Also, this makes it great if you just want to search a broad topic, you can find yourself learning so much about it and creative ways to improve certain aspects of it.

         

  

Overall the internet is a crazy place. Anyone can participate in it and contribute whatever information they feel necessary. So why not you? Not just by updating your status or liking a picture, but by putting something out there that is, quite frankly, worth reading! It is time to log out of your accounts, that text message can wait, and take a step back, now think about how great it would be to have your intelligent ideas heard by millions? And that is how you wiki!

Mac to the Future; A Trip through the World Wide Web

Advancing since day 1...

            It has become bigger and faster than perhaps anyone could have imagined. It is constantly updating and providing us with more information than ever before. I am talking about the internet. Since man created computers and the World Wide Web, it has taken off and grabbed the attention of everyone in the world. We have been so intrigued at how advanced we have become and the things we have been able to accomplish or discover just at the click of a button or quick search. The internet is simply amazing. From the beginning of the internet and the creation of Web 1.0, things on the web have come a long way. Web 1.0 was extremely dry and simple and did not provide nearly as much information as Web 2.0. Web 2.0 has developed into a much more interactive and user friendly internet. It has given us a platform that was unbelievable from the start and made it much better.

            Web 2.0 has provided us with much more than 1.0 could ever dream of. Now we can jump from site to site, clicking links, and gather vast information on anything we choose. This is a major positive because now there is so much out there to explore it provides us with an easy to access device to locate it all. Whether it is on a desktop computer, a laptop, or even a smartphone, the internet is always readily available. How could it not be a good thing? How many times have you been stumped on the name of a song, a recipe, or how to say something in a different language, pulled out your phone and did a quick search and found the information in seconds? That’s the beauty of it. I believe that was the purpose of Web 2.0 was to allow users to access any information they choose whenever they want. Web 1.0 was stepping stone to 2.0 as it provided a main website that lacked a ton of information and did not really give the user a reason to go back. With the advancements of 2.0 and into 3.0, its’ users the ability to be more involved online and the information is constantly updating and can be personalized just for you. There are now different tools available to keep track of your favorite websites so you can get to them faster than ever.

            With how quickly the internet has evolved and become so important in our everyday lives, there is no telling what might become of it in the future. Based on the direction we are headed; I believe that we as a society will become so dependent on the internet that it will completely take over our lives. Books, magazines, and newspapers have already become obsolete in the world we live in. Getting the news or reading a book is all done electronically now. In the future I can see the world developing into a place where we are constantly online, maybe wearing headsets, living in a virtual world developed and created specifically for the individual user.

So what exactly is Web 2.0?

Today, if you go to almost any website you find a page that has multiple tabs and pages you can click to and a search box to find exactly what you are looking for. Or maybe, you’ve gone to a site one day and the information was not the same from the last time you visited. That is an example of how Web 2.0 has given its users the ability to be more involved with the web. Is this how you would define it? According to Daniel Nations, Web 2.0 is a term that’s been used often and all over the place since the early to mid-2000s and that there is not one clear definition of Web 2.0 and like many concepts, it has taken a life of its own. Just like we as a human society are evolving each day, so is the web. With the advancements into Web 2.0, it has essentially put us in the driver seat. It is now a place where anyone can share whatever it is they have to say. Users can use the internet to benefit themselves in many ways. Businesses can now use it for free advertising through websites and social media websites such as Facebook and Twitter. This is a major advantage because obviously it is free, but also because it allows them to reach a wide range of audience, giving them a better chance of spreading word of their business or product.

            One of the most significant differences between Web 2.0 and 1.0 is greater collaboration among users, content providers and enterprises. Anyone can have a website or social media page giving them the opportunity to share their thoughts and ideas with the world. Today, there are many different pages that provide articles and videos, such as wikiHow, that lets users post instructions on how to do various tasks. This is a great example of how the Web lets us collaborate and personalize ideas with millions of people.

            There are many advancements in the Web that have all impacted every day society. How we choose to use these advancements is what makes the internet so great. For personal gain or simply for the joy of helping others, the World Wide Web has given us the opportunity to do so virtually and freely.

           

The Addiction is Real!

Imagine a world that doesn’t revolve around smartphones or social media. Back when you had to pick up a landline and call your best friend’s house to see if they could come out to play. There were no worries about what was trending, selfies, or who had the hottest new song on their profile. Life was simpler and perhaps easier then. Then came the dawn of social media and changed the world forever. People glued to their latest model of the iPhone or MacBook constantly updating statuses and keeping up with their favorite celebrities lives. As a whole, our society has transformed into a place where it is acceptable to upload dozens of selfies a week and worst of all, we not only accept but welcome the “duck face.”

As with almost every new craze there comes both positive and negative feedback and outcomes. In my opinion, this has caused more bad than good. Growing up in this generation where it seems as if no one carries real life conversations anymore has become the cultural norm. Why waste your breath when you can just chat via Facebook or Twitter? Not to mention the dangers social media has incorporated into our lives. As if texting and driving wasn’t bad enough, now the fear that the car in the lane next to you is tweeting away behind the wheel is a major cause for concern. If you are not responsible enough to use social media is a major way than maybe you should not have it at all. Aside from the physical harm it can cause, one must also be aware they will be held responsible for the verbal abuse they can cause to others by means of cyberbullying. We live in a day and age where there are so many people out there who get a kick out of picking on others over the internet and it is time we put an end to it. Social media was made to keep in touch, share common interest, and meet new people, not harm others.

Just recently during the presidential election, reports of fake articles were popping up on Facebook. Concerned voters were getting false information simply from reading the title causing it to sway their opinions on different candidates and policies. This was bad for everyone who came in contact with these articles especially those who were believing everything they read. This is a perfect example of abusing the perks of social media.

We have come from an age where cell phones were obsolete to a time where you are looked down upon if you do not have the latest iPhone. We are judged by how many followers/friends/retweets we have and not by the actual content we post. At the rate we are going I believe in the future social media will completely, if it has not already, take over everyone’s lives. Everything will be done online and there will no longer be a need to be interacting in person ever again.

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