Mid-Year Update

And just like that, we have passed the halfway point of our program!  Term two was every bit intense as we had expected, but proud to say we all survived.

We were exposed to many new programs such as Flash, Illustrator, Dreamweaver and some Javascript.  Although time consuming, I must say I really enjoyed video editing with Final Cut Pro and audio editing with Pro Tools.

Two weeks into the third term, the classes that seem to intrigue me the most this term are After Effects and DVD Authoring.  I am also happy that we get to learn more about Flash and Dreamweaver and hope to put together some cool interactive websites this term.

So stay tuned…I will post some of my work very soon!

In the meantime, here’s the question of the day.  iStockphoto has recently announced that they will soon be selling logos in addition to stock photography, illustrations and video.  Good or bad for the design community?  Launch date has not been announced although the service should roll out in the next month or so.

In the meantime, if you have some logos you have designed that are just sitting on your hard drive, check out Brandstack.  They pay 85% of the selling price to the designer whereas iStockphoto plans to pay out 50%.

Term 1 Wrap Up

Wow, and just like that, we are into our final week of classes for Term One.  With three projects due and three finals and a presentation this week, my head feels as scrambled as my header image.

The weeks have just flown by and it’s only appropriate to take a moment and look back at what we’ve learned.

Courses Learned

This past term, we had a total of eight courses.  The first week was an overview of how to use our brand new 17″ Macbook Pro laptops (an absolute thing of beauty!)  The seven main courses were:

1. Graphics & Color for the Web:  We learned about color theory, typography, graphic layouts, etc.  Our practical experience consisted of three projects all for a fictional online art museum for children:  2 posters, a web banner and a CD cover.
2. Scanning & Color Correction:  Using photoshop, we learned how to color correct and remove unnecessary elements off images.
3. Photoshop:  We learned many, many, features of Photoshop.  I knew Photoshop had amazing powers, but I didn’t realize you can literally create ANYTHING on this program.  Our midterm and final project included designing some webpages and a poster.
4. Web Technologies:  Coding (XHTML and CSS).  Very technical stuff which required the utmost accuracy.  If you are missing one semicolon, your whole document won’t work!
5. Communications:  Learning how to write and communicate for the web.  Essentially, online readers are lazy so don’t bother writing too much because no one will read it!
6. Instructional & Information Design:  We learned the importance of organization, navigation, and labeling in successful website building.  For the term project, we had to write a design brief detailing the steps to create or recreate a company’s website.
7. Adobe Acrobat:  Using Acrobat to create interactive pdf files.

Being a Mature Student

The last time I was a student, I was doing the BCIT’s Business Administration Post-Diploma program back in 1997. Needless to say, it has been an extremely long time since I have had to do homework.

Surprisingly, I have fallen back into the student lifestyle extremely easily.  It’s amazing how much I am enjoying learning when I am actually interested!  Gosh, I never realized how big a geek I am and how anal I can get about assignments!

The good thing about coming into this program with so much work experience is that I can see how everything we have learned so far can be applied in the real business world.

What’s Up Next Term

We have been warned that Term Two will be an absolute killer with a total of ten courses!  So it won’t be a fun-filled summer filled with weekend road trips this year for me.

Our courses for next term are:

1. Portfolio
2. Dreamweaver
3. Flash
4. Javascript
5. Illustrator
6. Human Factors
7. Interface Design
8. Videoshooting & Editing
9. Audio
10. Design Esthetics

So Far So Good

As the term comes to an end, I have to say so far everything is going well aside from the fact that I have no life other than school!  I knew I was going to give this program 110% and I am happy to report that my hard work as not gone to waste as I have learned a lot and have gotten better marks than I thought I would.

We have learned an incredible amount in less than three months.  I am really looking forward to everything we will be learning next term!  Until then, I’m looking forward to our week off.

Good luck to everyone on their studying and finishing off your projects!

Playing Nice In Cyberspace

This week in Communications class, we explore the concept of Netiquette

As we all spend more time communicating online, it is important to address the topic of netiquette–simply defined, as network etiquette.

Virginia Shea is the author of the book Netiquette and summarizes the key concepts into ten core rules.  The first two rules are especially worthy of mention and form the foundation for the eight that follow.

Rule Number One:  Remember The Human

It can be so easy to sometimes forget that behind each virtual personality is a real human being with feelings.  No matter where you are in the world, no matter what culture, no matter what society–a civilization is built upon mutual respect. 

Before you put something in writing in cyberspace, always put yourselves in the recipient’s shoes.  Consider how they will feel when they read what you have to say.  Ask yourself, would you say this to someone in person? Always take the time to reread what you have written before submitting.

Rule Number Two:  Adhere to the Same Standards of Behavior Online That You Follow in Real Life

Not only should you be respectful of others, you should always be law-abiding.  Sounds like common sense, but you would be surprised at how many people don’t think twice about piracy issues.  Because there is a certain anonymity involved when going online, people feel like they can get away with certain actions without consequences.

Be honest and be ethical.  When it doubt, ask yourself would you do the same thing in real life?  Copying and pasting someone’s copyrighted image without permission is stealing.  You may not think it’s the same thing as walking away with someone’s wallet, but stealing is stealing.

Virtual Reality vs. Reality

For an introverted person like myself, my favorite way of communicating is behind my computer.  I become a completely different personality once I am online. I have no troubles typing down my thoughts in an online forum but will usually keep my thoughts to myself when in real life. However I do always take the time to reread what I have written before hitting the “send” or “submit” key to ensure I do not offend anyone.

Anonymity plays a large role in virtual personas, allowing you to be the person you want to be but are not in real life.  On the internet, you can dare yourself to become someone else.  No one knows your real history and no one can judge you.  You can become whoever you say you are.  But while you are sometimes wrapped up in an imaginary role, you have to remember you are still dealing with real live human beings like you and me.

Bottom Line

Standard common courtesy and respect applies even though you are not interacting with people face to face.

Perhaps I was brought up too much of a goody-goody, and perhaps you may think I am a bit naive thinking netiquette is necessary.  But I believe the internet is such a powerful tool and if everyone just learned to play a little bit nicer, it will become an even more powerful and pleasant playground to be in.

EA Sports Active: No More Excuses

Between classtime, homework, projects and studying, it’s been hard enough committing to social events let alone making time to get to the gym.   So what can you do to stay fit?

So I picked up the new EA Sports Active game for Wii and gave it a test run this weekend.  Endorsed by Oprah’s fitness guru Bob Greene, you know that this will be an instant hit. Only out for a few weeks, EA Sports Active has already become EA’s top selling game for the Wii.

My friend LJ joined me on my test run and was kind enough to let me take a few photos of her.

Nintendo Wii

First of all, for those who still don’t know what the Nintendo Wii is, it’s an interactive video game console.  What distinguishes the Wii to the typical video game consoles is its wireless controller.  The Wii remote, as it is called, detects movement in three dimensions and brought interactivity in video games to a whole new level.

Preset and Custom Workouts

You can choose from a list of Preset Workouts that are listed by how length (20 or 30 minutes), intensity level (easy or difficult) as well as the workout focus (Upper Body or Cardio, etc).   You can also use the My Custom Workouts screen to create your own workouts.

There are four kinds of exercises featured in EA Sports Active:

• Upper Body (bicep curls and shoulder presses)
• Lower Body (squats and lunges)
• Cardio (various running techniques)
• Sports (exercises themed after sports such as boxing and tennis)

Track Running (Cardio)

Squat Exercises (Lower Body)

Using the resistance band (Upper Body)

30 Day Challenge

The 30 Day Challenge feature is designed to motivate you with workouts and to keep track of your progress.  Each day has a different focus and the intensity of the workouts gradually increase.  There are three levels of intensity, allowing you to try it all over at a harder intensity level once you have finished your first 30 Day Challenge.

Workout Equipment

EA Sports Active uses a resistance band for most of the upper body exercises such as bicep curls.  For lower body exercises, the leg strap is used.  Both accessories are included.

For those who already own the Wii Fit game, the Wii Balance Board may be incorporated and used to enhance some of your workouts, adding mobility.

Wii Fit

EA Sports Active is not the first fitness game for the Wii.  Wii Fit came into the market about a year ago.  The game featured a balance board that allowed people to snowboard, skateboard, and do yoga.  The downside was the price point as it entered the market at $100 and many people complained while it was fun, you really didn’t get a real workout.

The Final Verdict

There was sweat and we did get a good workout.  I liked the Workout With A Friend feature that made the whole experience more fun. There was good variety of exercises and I thought the resistance training was a great complement to my routine treadmill running.

My only issue is that there weren’t any exercises that strengthen the abs.  But fear not!  The Expansion Pack due during the holidays which will have an emphasis on core exercises and ab strengthening.

For $65, I think the game is worth the investment and I’m looking forward to my next workout!

Free DSLR Seminar at Langara College

Langara College hosts a free seminar on July 11th for first time Digital SLR camera users

If you recently acquired a digital SLR and haven’t quite mastered what to do with all your images afterward, you may be interested in attending this seminar.  This workshop is open to everyone.

Before I started the New Media program at BCIT, I took some evening photography courses at Langara College as part of their Continuing Studies Photography Certificate Program.  Langara has an excellent photography program and I have really enjoyed the courses and the instructors.

Me during my Practical Lighting class at Langara last summer

I received an email from Langara informing me of their next scheduled DSLR Workshop taught by Christopher Morris.  Photojournalist by day and instructor by night, Chris hosts this full-day seminar a few times each year.  I attended one almost two years ago when I got my Canon Rebel XTi.  I remember the information presented being a bit overwhelming then.  If I only knew 20% of what I have learned in the past seven weeks, I am sure everything would have made much more sense!

Seminar Topics

It is important to know this is not a workshop on how to take better photos.  The seminar focuses on the digital workflow AFTER the photos are taken.

Topics include:

• image format types (RAW, TIFF, JPEG, etc)
• using a Digital Asset Management system such as Adobe Lightroom and Aperture to batch rename, add metadata and keywords
• Photoshop features to touch up photos and color correcting
• color profiles suitable for print and web output
• archiving your images

The next workshop is on Saturday, July 11th from 9am-5pm at Langara College. To register, please call 604-323-5322 and quote course number 6077.

For further information, you can contact:

Marie Chatterton
Creative & Applied Arts Project Coordinator Langara College
Continuing Studies
phone:  604.876.1088
email:  mchatterton@langara.bc.ca

Langara Photography Program

Once I complete this New Media program, I hope to go back and finish the part-time Photography Certificate Program at Langara.  There is great incentive to do so.  Students who achieve certification in this program are able to take any course in the program for free for the rest of their life.   Graduate students can come back to upgrade their skills when technology advances or take the elective course they chose not to take for certification at no cost.  With technology improving at lightning speeds, I think that will be absolutely priceless.

Meet Letitia Englund

For our Communications class, I had the pleasure of interviewing my classmate Letitia, who shares her passions for sushi, tea, and The X-Files.

You would probably never guess Letitia Englund is an Emmy nominee.

With a background in video production, Letitia had the “unforgettable” opportunity to spend two weeks in Nairobi, Africa creating a documentary called Lessons From The Heart in 2003.   Letitia was actively involved with the writing, interviewing, filming and editing of this film that was honored with an Emmy nomination.  She even attended the regional award ceremonies!

A New Home

Originally from Minnesota, Letitia and her husband Shane first visited Vancouver in 2001 because she was a huge fan of The X-Files.  It was love at first sight and became residents this past year.

The mild weather has allowed Letitia to pursue her passion for outdoor running.  She completed her first half marathon just a few weeks ago in the Vancouver Marathon.

Letitia’s indulgences include sushi at Shima and a nice cup of tea.   A tea connoisseur, she favors green and oolong teas and demands “they must be loose leaf!”  With her love for sushi and tea, she hopes to visit Japan in the near future.

Shy Gal

A self-proclaimed introvert, Letitia has realized she is much more comfortable behind the scenes.  Her dream is to work behind a computer solely with the Adobe Creative Suite.  She hopes the BCIT New Media program will help her transition to a new career.

Behind that shy façade, Letitia is a warm soul with a beautiful smile.  Full of positivity, her largest pet peeve is  “Smelly people on transit!”

It is not surprising that Letitia went to see the recent X-Files movie sequel.  She says it was “awful,” and “clearly made for the money.”  But still, she thinks it was cool that she actually watched it in Vancouver.  “It’s like coming full circle.”

Letitia and her husband Shane after completing the Vancouver Half Marathon in May

Julie and Julia

A glimpse at the new movie and blogging

There are a plethora of blogs about movies, so it only makes sense to have a movie about a blog.

Keeping up with technology and the hippest forms of social media can sometimes be a daunting task.  Email address?  Check.  Blackberry?  Check.  Facebook page?  Check.  Twitter account?  Check.

So what’s left?  Hmmm….how about a personal blog?

A Short History on Blogs

The word “blog” stems from the term “web log.”

According to Wikipedia, the term “weblog” was coined by Jorn Barger on 17 December 1997.  The short form, “blog,” was coined by Peter Merholz, who jokingly broke the word weblog into the phrase we blog in the sidebar of his blog Peterme.com in the Spring of 1999.

In August 1999, Pyra Labs, today owned by Google, launches the free Blogger blogging service.   Blogger was the first to provide an easy set of tools for anyone to set up a blog.  Pyra Labs used “blog” as both a noun and verb, and devised the term “blogger” leading to the popularization of the terms.  Within a year, blogs grow exponentially, and new companies and tools join the market.

Today, with numerous free and user-friendly sites such as Blogger, WordPress, and Livejournal, anyone can easily start up their own blog in minutes.  Blogs have allowed virtually anyone to have their own personal soapbox where they can express opinions on any topic they want.

Julie and Julia

Norah Ephron, writer-director of movies such as When Harry Met Sally…, Sleepless in Seattle and You’ve Got Mail has taken two books and has intertwined two stories into one screenplay.  The first storyline is based on famed chef Julia Child’s memoir My Life in France. The second storyline is based on the book Julie and Julia.  Julie Powell was an unknown secretary in New York.   She became a minor online celebrity when she committed herself to cooking up all 524 recipes of Julia Child’s cookbook Mastering the Art of French Cooking in 365 days and documented it all online in a blog titled The Julie/Julia Project.  Powell’s blog developed a cult following and ended up getting published into a book.

Meryl Streep and Amy Adams who worked together in Doubt team up once again.  Streep takes on the role of Julia Child and Adams plays Julie Powell.

I can’t help but wonder how how we will perceive blogging ten years from now.  You’ve Got Mail is often broadcasted on TBS and I already find AOL’s trademark greeting “You’ve got mail” hilariously nostalgic.

Julie and Julia is out on Friday, August 7th.  For a sneak peak, here is a trailer for the movie.

As a foodie and a Norah Ephron fan, I can’t wait to see this movie.  Looks delicious!

Earn Money with Stock Photography

Ever wonder what to do with all the images sitting on the hard drive on your computer?  Why not make some money off them?!

Think you are great photographer?  If so, listen up.

Amateur photography has skyrocketed due to digital SLR cameras now available at such affordable prices.  Suddenly, it seems as if everyone is a photographer.  But have you ever wondered what to do with all those images afterward?  While your photos are cluttering up your hard drive, a graphic designer may be searching for a photo of a snowboarder for an ad layout. All those great action shots you took from your Whistler trip last week may have been what he or she is looking for.  You could have been the one to provide that perfect photo and be paid for it.

iStockphoto’s home page

Stock Photography – An Introduction

Stock photography is a collection of photos that can be licensed for specific uses.  Graphic designers, publishers, news companies, advertisement agencies are able to go to various stock photography websites to find images for their work. Using stock photography instead of hiring a photographer to create a specific photo shoot saves money and time.  Most images are now licensed as “royalty-free,” allowing users to use the image as many times as they want, in various projects and in various applications.

Some stock photography companies include:

• Corbis
• Getty Images
• Istockphoto
• Dreamstime
• Absolute Stock Photo

Be a Stock Photography Contributor

Photo-sharing sites such as Flickr and Photobucket have become a popular way to display your work online.  But why not take it to the next level?

Thanks to digital photography, stock photography companies have largely moved online.  Using the internet as their sole distribution method, many smaller stock photography companies are able to offer stock libraries of good quality images for very low prices by recruiting mainly amateur and hobbyist photographers from around the globe.

Each company has a different policy when it comes to accepting contributor’s work and how they are paid. Usually you earn a percentage of the fee charged to the buyer. If you become an exclusive contributor to one stock photography company, you usually earn a higher percentage.

Dreamstime allows approved photographers to either donate photos or sell them.  Donating free photos allow photographers to showcase your work and improve exposure.   Sometimes, an individual looking for an image may not necessarily choose yours if yours cost money and a similar looking image taken by another photographer has chosen to post theirs for free.  iStockphoto requires photographers who want to submit their images to first go through their training manual.

As the world of multimedia expands, you are not limited to only contributing photos at iStockphoto, but you can also submit videos, vector illustrations, and audio files as well.  The iStockphoto website is also a great resource site for inspiration and provides great tutorials and articles as well.

Take Photos You Would Be Willing To Pay Money For

Of course, try to make your images interesting and unique.  Your photos must be compelling enough for someone to want to pay money for them.

Most often, each stock photo company will have a list of guidelines and some will list what types of images they are in most demand for.  Some things to keep in mind:

• find interesting subjects:  most stock photography companies do not need any more images of tulips or daisies in their collection
• if you do take photos involving people, you will need your subject to sign a model release before the photo can be submitted
• use proper key words so your image is easily searchable

So click away, have fun and make some money while you’re at it!

Writing For The Web

Writing and formatting tips to effectively captivate your web audience

Ever click on a headline that captures your attention only to see it open up to a full page of solid text?  You are instantly overwhelmed.  Suddenly, you are no longer interested in reading it.

Welcome to the world of web readers.  Impatient with short attention spans, web readers are a completely different breed than print readers.  In fact, using the word “reader” is probably inaccurate.   The majority of the people on the internet scan pages as opposed to read them.  Our Communications For New Media class covered the art of writing for the web this week.

To be an effective web writer, your article should be concise, scannable, and objective.  Write about half as much text as you would for a printed document.    You will be amazed at how many useless words you can easily cut out of your first draft.

Use the inverted-pyramid style of writing.  Put your key message and most important information at the beginning of your document.  Assume your audience will not read the second half of your article.

Use Headings

Headings and subheadings inserted properly within an article instantly makes your document more scannable.  Headings break up the big block of text, making the article less daunting and easily readable.  They also help guide the reader along, giving them an idea what to expect.

Periods Are Your Friend!

Be concise and to the point.  No rambling needed.  Dare yourself to use a period more often.  Why take 20 words when you only need five?

I have to admit that I am often guilty of being overly wordy in my writing.  Perhaps it had to do with trying to fulfil my word count back in my younger days in school.  Or perhaps I thought it made my writing sound more “intelligent.”  But honestly, how does it really help your sentence and the message you are trying to convey?  Starting a sentence with “Being as…” or “Having that…”  Well, now that I think about it, it does sound a little ridiculous.

Still here with me?

If you managed to make it to the end of this entry, then maybe you actually have an interest in this topic!  Or maybe I was actually successful in making this web friendly!

If the former, you may want to check out Jakob Nielsen’s study  How Users Read on the Web as well as Poynter Institute’s Eyetracking Study.  You’ll find some eye-opening info on this topic.

So how many of you made it to the end of this article?

Inspiring Commercials

I happened to see one of my favorite commercials on TV yesterday featuring the House Hippo. Surprising really as I don’t have much time for TV anymore, and most of the time, it’s pre-recorded on my PVR so I skip through the commercials.

The House Hippo ad is actually a public service announcement from Concerned Childrens Advertisers warning that not everything you see on TV is real. The commercial never fails to grab my attention each time I see it on. It has such an imaginative and creative storyline that I find completely captivating. It inspires me to be more imaginative while I brainstorm ideas for my various class projects.

Another favorite commercial of mine happens to be an ad for the Discovery Channel. Highlighting people’s passions and interests, I find the whole commercial so uplifting and inspiring. It makes me happy to be alive and encourages me to pursue my passions. And that catchy tune really sticks to your head! What would my line be? “I love new media….”

What are your favorite commercials and how do they inspire you?