Learning Style Test

My results for the learning style test were not that surprising. See below for categories and my results:

The learning styles are:
Visual (spatial). You prefer using pictures, images, and spatial understanding.
Aural (auditory-musical). You prefer using sound and music.
Verbal (linguistic). You prefer using words, both in speech and writing.
Physical (kinesthetic). You prefer using your body, hands and sense of touch.
Logical (mathematical). You prefer using logic, reasoning and systems.
Social (interpersonal). You prefer to learn in groups or with other people.
Solitary (intrapersonal). You prefer to work alone and use self-study.
My scores were: Visual=9, Aural=16, Verbal=16, Physical=12, Logical=11, Social=13, Solitary=13. I’m most verbal/aural and least visual according to this test. I am certainly a verbal type person; as an instructor, I have to be. I find myself dominating conversations and feeling like I always have to be speaking—even when I’m not at school. I don’t really like this about myself, but it’s habitual. As for my lowest score in the visual category, I’m not so sure that I agree. I remember interesting things that seem a bit strange to some people. For example, if I could walk into my old elementary school library (where I haven’t been for 16 years), I could show you where my favorite books were on the shelves. When I hear songs, I "see" the videos in my head. When I think of conversations I had in restaurants, I can remember where I sat. I remember conversations in my car and what was around me as I was saying certain things. So when I say to my boyfriend, "Do you remember..." and he says, "No, I don’t," then I say, "I remember we were passing the Ford dealership on 10th street, and I was saying to you..." (Does that make sense to you readers)? So, to me that makes me a bit more visual than the test suggests.

I really don’t think the test results will affect my content that much. I think inadvertently my styles can be seen, but I do not consciously format or organize to meet a certain style. I just try to think about audience and getting my message to my reader.

Module Week 7

Per our assignment, I analyzed MusicPlasma and found that it needed some serious improvements in the areas of architecture and navigation. Usability was hindered by navigational difficulties, and design was mediocre at best. Organization was acceptable; the site’s purpose was for the most part fulfilled. See list below for specifics.

Page 1-At first glance (before search)

• Homepage has too much white (or rather gray) space
  
• Some sporadic color on the page—mostly gray—not too appealing
  
• Could emphasize important words like "free" to direct readers’ attention
  
• Target audience was broad, which in this case is a positive. Part of the site’s purpose is to "broaden cultural horizons."
  
• Words should be linked such as maps or members zone for better and faster navigation
  
• Cursor remained active all over the page but didn’t take you anywhere upon clicking background or text. Only part of the page that was actually a true link was "register."

Page 2-In the site (after search)
Note: Searched for 80s band Motley Crue (who has new album and is currently on tour—figured this would be easy enough). Good results. Second item searched was lesser known 80s band, Danger Danger. Also good results. Third item searched was up and coming rock band, Z02. No pertinent results; gave wrong genre of music.

• Moving graphics necessary? Okay but a bit much.
  
• Left to right scrolling (one of my pet peeves). Why is this necessary?
  
• Results were organized and accurate for first two searches.
  
• Was having some real problems with loading if I hit back button. Would not take you back to MusicPlasma homepage. If you typed in the URL in the same window, you’d get a distorted view of the page; appeared to be a technical problem, but I’d have to try it on another PC to know for sure. Upon opening new window, problem was solved. ???
  
• Search box worked but buttons did not. It appeared that you could search by artist, movie, director, etc., but the buttons were not active. Search query was your only option; thus navigation was misleading.

I wouldn’t recommend MusicPlasma unless you were simply looking for discographies (list of albums produced). The site has potential, but in my opinion has more negatives than positives. I would personally rather use a site with a similar purpose like Yahoo!Launch.

CKU Style Guide

Work in progress.

When asked to consider and compose an appropriate style guide for CKU, I asked myself the following questions: Is there an authoritative source for style? How much of another source should I use? Is punctuation and format as important (in Writing for the Web) as the overall message? Since this is a work in progress, I decided just to start brainstorming and getting something on paper..correction...the screen.

Writing for the Web is a very different medium than writing for print documents and publications. The first thing to consider when writing anything is AUDIENCE. How do users read on the Web? The answer is...they don’t. People rarely read Web pages word by word; instead, they scan the page picking out individual words and sentences. As a result, Web pages have to employ scannable text, using:

• highlighted keywords (hypertext links serve as one form of highlighting; typeface variations and color are others)
  
• meaningful sub-headings
  
• bulleted and/or numbered lists
  
• one idea per paragraph (users will skip over any additional ideas if they are not caught by the first few words in the paragraph)
  
• less text than conventional writing
  

Credibility is important for Web users, since it is unclear who is behind information on the Web and whether a page can be trusted. Credibility can be increased by quality graphics, good writing, and use of outbound hypertext links. Links to other sites show that the authors have done their homework and are not afraid to let readers visit other sites.

A comprehensive and customized style guide should address the following:

• Who is your target audience?
  
• What content is important or of primary interest?
  
• What is the preferred channel or format of the reader?
  

Existing style guides like Purdue Writing Lab, Elements of Style, and Wired Style are a good starting point, but every online venue and publisher is unique; therefore, every organization needs a style guide that although based on a proven guide, specifically addresses its particular goals and needs.

The following is an A-Z list of details and descriptions. Note: Once completed, this will be transferred to its own page to reduce scrolling.

Abbreviations: Spell out in parenthesis immediately after first use.

Acronyms: Spell out in parenthesis immediately after first use.

Boldface Use as needed for emphasis.

Capitalizations Can be used in lieu of or to show emphasis when boldface is not appropriate.

Dot-com Refers to Internet company.

Email One word, not hypenated.

Hyphens Use emdashes for pauses.

Internet Capitalized.

Italics Use when quoting or referring to publications.

Jargon Avoid jargon or give brief explanation immediately after use if term is necessary.

Links Links must be accurate and checked regularly to ensure correction of broken links.

Lists Use for sequential tasks or to break up blocks of text when applicable.

Online One word, not hypenated.

Site Can be used in lieu of Website.

Website Capitalized and one word.

Additional terms pertinent to my topic of online advertising can be found at Online Glossary.

Headlines & Hotlinks Part 2

Personal note: I'm having a "remote linking" problem and some of my documents including the snapshots and the revision cannot be linked. For your convenience, I've listed the actual link. Hope this alleviates any confusion. Thanks for your patience!

A+ Website

STC.org is a site that exemplifies expert formatting and navigation. The homepage for the Society for Technical Communication facilitates scanning and uses headings, hyperlinks, lists, and typographical emphasis. Screenshot 1 (www.angelfire.com/alt/english4/stcscreen.doc) shows buttons, links, and a navigation bar. The headlines are appropriate, attracting the reader's attention and indexing content. Many of the hyperlinks are bulleted lists and are all active showing consistent maintenance. Page design is simplistic; minimal colors and strategic chunking help rather than hinder. Screenshot 2 (www.angelfire.com/alt/english4/stcscreen.doc) shows an eye catching central graphic is located at the middle/left of the page. (All of these positive characteristics are continuously used as you navigate the layers of the site). Copyright, disclaimer, and contact info are all easily found at the bottom. STC.org, in my opinion, is the epitome of a first class Web site.

Headlines & Hotlinks Part 1

Personal note: I'm having a "remote linking" problem and some of my documents including the snapshots and the revision cannot be linked. For your convenience, I've listed the actual link. Hope this alleviates any confusion. Thanks for your patience!

Poor Headlines

Find three examples online of poor headlines used as links and provide their solutions. I found all three headlines on my alma mater's online newspaper, The East Carolinian. The headlines are not what I consider horrible per se, but they do need some work.

Headline 1
Original: The ECU College of Education
This headline is vague and begins with the. The article is actually about the shortage of NC teachers and increased enrollment in the Ed program.

Better: College of Education Continues to Grow

Headline 2
Original: Former prime minister killed in explosion in central Beirut
The headline is a bit long for my taste, and his name is certainly more important than where he died.

Better: Former prime minister Hariri killed in explosion

Headline 3
Original: People, please shut up when you are in the theater watching a movie
Though this article is what we call a "pirate rant," the headline doesn't have to be a speech. I'd prefer something with a little less tone and a little more class.

Better: Movie Theatre Etiquette (or) Movie Manners

Paragraphs vs. Lists

Find one article on the Web that could be improved with the use of lists. Submit before and after version. Five Ways to Speed Up Your PC by Jim Edwards would benefit from a numbered list and separation of steps. Edwards had headings but instead of using numbers, he used tildes; for example: ~Buy More RAM~. I inserted numbers 1-5 and separated sequential steps with carats as shown in my revision (www.angelfire.com/alt/english4/Edwardsrev.doc).

Research Project Proposal

The Future of Internet Advertising: Boom or Bust?

Digital technology has transformed the way organizations and businesses advertise. Strategies including rich media and streaming audio and/or video are steadily replacing traditional advertising techniques. However, the audience of the Internet Age is different and more powerful than that of yesteryear. As technology increases and more people log on to the Web, advertisers will continue to bombard users with their banners, pop-ups, and Webmercials. To the dismay of the industry, Internet advertising has been growing faster than traditional media advertising, but it still takes last place ranking below TV, newspapers, magazines, and radio. Will streaming media and convergent media buying give online advertising the boost it needs, or will it go bust like so many of the already forgotten dot coms? How will this growth be accurately measured and reported?

As the adoption of high-speed Internet connections grows, so does the ability to deliver high-quality, interactive advertising without the restrictions of traditional methods. Net advertisers like Buick and Pepsi are spending more on marketing including filming and footage, much like what see on the tube between shows. Theoretically, this gives more freedom to both the company and the consumer. Unlike TV commercials, which are usually a 30-second spot, Webmercials last longer and are produced to create a "short-film-like experience." In this case, the Web location acts a programming channel, and the advertiser controls the content. Strategists suggest that advertising online is overall more effective because once consumers are on the Web, they can be targeted, recorded, and repeatedly exposed.

In addition to increased access and emerging technologies, newly established global media measurement guidelines are expected to hasten the growth of Internet advertising spending by simplifying the buying and selling process for advertisers, marketers and publishers. The guidelines offer a detailed definition for counting an ad impression, which is a critical component in establishing consistent and accurate online advertising measurements across publishers and ad serving technologies. Already underway in the United States, wide implementation of the guidelines is expected by the end of 2005.

After the worst economy in six decades, media agency execs concurred that online advertising would make a comeback in 2004. According to the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), they were right. Internet advertising totaled approximately $2.43 billion in the third quarter of 2004 - the eighth consecutive quarterly increase for the industry and the fourth record-setting quarter. “Revenue results for the first nine months of 2004 totaled slightly over $7.0 billion versus the $7.3 billion reported for all of 2003. Based on historical revenue results, 2004 is shaping up to be a record year, possibly exceeding by a large margin the previous revenue record reported in 2000 of $8.0 billion,” said Pete Petrusky, Director, Advisory Services, (PwC).

Do the numbers speak for themselves? Is Internet advertising a fully mature and stable industry? Are Internet users ready to trust this method of advertising? Many say no and still prefer the traditional method. Some are refusing to be targeted, mostly due to the annoyance of pop-ups and spam. Users are installing smarter filters and signing up for free or relatively inexpensive programs that block most types of ads. While companies like Yahoo! and Google continue with paid searches and consumers are bribed with free computers in exchange for viewing uploads of ads each month, the rest of us can sit back and see who comes out on top. Will Internet advertising have the strength and endurance to beat the tried and true traditionalists? Only time...and numbers will tell.