Week 10

Visual Consumer - Review of website

The website that I would like to review is one of my favourite magazine website.  

www.chiangmaicitylife.com

The overall layout is very attractive, inviting and stylish by using a contemporary layout to ensure the site is aesthetically appealing (Hashimoto & Clayton 2009). White background helps bring out the features and icons. Personally, it has the clearest site-building interface, the layout is very tidy. 

The main site navigation is at the top right of the web page, it is very well located and easy to find.

Even the web-site has a lot of photos, the load time is very fast. On the top left of the website is a search bar following with the magazine's logo down below. At the centre is the most recent article presenting with a large photo and small caption at the right bottom of the photo. Generally the usability on this site is well done by utilising design elements such as size, colour, balance and placement (CQUniversity Australia 2014).

References
CQUniversity Australia 2014, COMM11007 media writing: week 10 – impact of design, viewed 15 September 2014, http://moodle.cqu.edu.au/mod/resource/view.php?id=338228
Hashimoto, A & Clayton, M 2009, Visual design fundamentals: a digital approach, 3rd edn, Cengage Learning Australia, Rockland, MA, USA.
Rogers, Y, Sharp, H & Preece, J 2011, Interaction design: beyond human-computer interaction, 3rd edn, John Wiley & Sons Ltd, Chichester.

Quiz ReviewThis week topic is quite interesting, I achieved 60% in my first attempt, I know the score is very low however I re-read the chapter again and i finally got 100% at the second attempt. 

BLOG SUBMISSION CHECKLIST

• Weekly activities are clearly tagged or categorised so teaching staff can access posts easily. √
•  All references to ‘i’ as an individual word (and its relational words i’m, i’ld) have been capitalised.√
• If you have used ‘it’s’, it’s because you are referring to ‘it and is’ as a conjunction. This is the ONLY time an apostrophe is used in ‘it’s’.√
• All sentences have a full-stop at the end of a sentence.√
• If you have made reference to an external website or reading, you have referenced the original source or created a direct link to the original website.√
• All references are consistent, and correctly punctuated for the referencing style you are using. If you have used a figure, it is in keeping with the rule: spell out numbers under 10, use figures over 10 unless the number starts the sentence. 
•  All proper nouns are capitalised.√
• You have correctly used apostrophes as plural or possessive. Every time you have used an apostrophe, ask yourself whether it is possessive or plural, and depending on the answer, then ask yourself if it is being used correctly.√
• Check that you have used the correct words in your posts – common errors include quite/quiet, for example. You should pick these up if you read your work aloud.√
• If you have used the word ‘however’ in the middle of a sentence to indicate a shift in sentence direction, consider whether it needs a semi-colon before the word (eg. The dog was black; however, it was easy to spot at night because it was very shiny.)√
• Review subject/verb agreement. (eg. If the subject is singular, the verb should also be singular – ‘The dog is shiny’; not ‘The dog are shiny’.)√
• Revise the length of your sentences. If your sentence is more than a couple of lines in your blog, it needs to be shortened. Shorter sentences have greater impact and are more active generally.√
• Read your work aloud. Every sentence, every post. If the sentence sounds awkward, rephrase it.√

Week 6

Inquiry: Review a Cirque de Soleil Media Kit.

For this week's inquiry task, I have selected to review the Cirque du Soleil press kit for 'Totem". Cirque de Soleil has a large following all over the world, having clear and well-structured information is must. Press kit is a valuable resource consists story about the show (CQUniversity Australia 2015c). The show overview section is useful, given basic information and tell story. Overall, The Totem press kit is very informative, It is a very good example of the KISS principle (CQUniversity Australia 2015a).

The elements that are included in this press kit for the show are outlined below:

Show Overview

Basic summary of the show

Definition of the name to give context

The Acts

Names and summaries of each act with a photograph of each

Main Characters

Photographs, names and descriptions of each main character in the show

Costumes

Introduces the show’s costume designer

Expands upon her approach with interesting facts about several costumes

Set Design and Projections

Expands upon how each set is built and its symbolism

Interesting facts about the set

Creators Biographies

A photograph and detailed biography of each creator

Information about the role they play in the show and a quote

Fast Facts

Interesting facts about the show, cast and crew

Village on Wheels

Information about the set-up including the site layout, equipment and capacity

Cirque du Soleil at a Glance

Background information about the company including their history, mission and statistics

List of Shows

Other shows presented around the world in 2013

References: 

Cirque Du Soleil.2015 . Available at: https://static01.cirquedusoleil.com/en/~/media/press/PDF/totem/totem-press-kit.pdf; [Accessed: September 12, 2015].

CQUniversity Australia 2014a, COMM11007 media writing: week 1 – introduction to media writing, viewed 20 July 2014, http://moodle.cqu.edu.au/mod/resource/view.php?id=313202

CQUniversity Australia 2014c, COMM11007 media writing: week 6 – supporting the story: packaging and supplementing your writing, viewed 15 August 2014,

Quiz Review

This week quiz contains two parts A and B. Part A wasn't too bad for me, i found that part A is easier than part B. I got 90% on the first attempt for part A. Part B was a bit difficult for me however i tried my best to get highest score but it turned out i got just only 60%. I got 100% on my 3rd attempt.

Week 9

Practical: Peer Storify Review

In Week nine we were asked to review a peers Storify submission and evaluate it based on a few key questions. I have chosen to review Ryan Michael's Storify article: Sarina Show Success. the link to the original storify is: https://storify.com/RyanZamparu/sarina-show-success-55ffc63ff7bdaacb4bbd9fcb

I really enjoy reading Ryan's article about Sarina Show. 

Who do you think is the audience?As the show is a local event, I determined that the target audience would be people from Mackay Region Queensland and people with an interest in classic cars, arts and birds.  

What did you learn about the event?The event seems to be for local people who lives in the area but after I read the article I felt that I wanted to visit Sarina one day. It must be good to see art showcases.

What else (if anything) could be included that would make the story more interesting or have more impact?The story was very well written and great images. However the writer could put more information to the story. For instance, the writer said "Like a step back to yesteryear, Regional Shows such as the Sarina Show display often-forgotten skills to the next generation..."

The are old art of blacksmithing still being practiced today #sarinashow2015 pic.twitter.com/TdcxINPT0J

— Ryan Zamparutti (@RyanZamparu) August 1, 2015

I really want to know more about this tweet, maybe he could interview him? 

What do you like about the story?

Overall, this is a well-done example of an informative soft news piece and I thoroughly enjoyed reviewing Ryan’s work.

Inquiry

For this week’s inquiry task we were required to review two different examples of curation – TripAdvisor and Conde Nast.

The 25 Best Hotels in the World by TripAdvisor Australia

Gold Standard Hotels 2015 by Condé Nast Traveller

Comparison of curations

In Comparing the two different websites, I found that they both have different layout and style of writing. TripAdvisor's curation is more an ideal for the people who are looking for holiday destinations, it is more personal and relies on reviews from real travellers. viewers can easily access both positive and negative reviews. On the other hand, the article by Conde Nast Traveller on The Gold Standard Hotels 2015 curation provides basic information about each venue. It is more like luxurious option. It only provides review of a specific editor not from real-travellers like TripAdvisor.  

For target audience. TripAdvisor is more for young people or family who love travelling. Conde Nast seems to target upper-class travellers or honeymoon couples. 

Reference:

Conde Nast Traveller 2015, Gold Standard Hotels 2015, 16 January, Available at: http://www.cntraveller.com/awards/the-gold-list/gold-standard-hotels-2015 [Accessed 18 September 2015]

Trip Advisor Australia 2015, Best Hotels of 2015, Available at: http://www.tripadvisor.com.au/TravelersChoice-Hotels-g1 [Accessed 18 September 2015]

Week 3

Practical

In Week three, We were asked to make a Storify account, my account name is ChoiceMelissa. Here is the link to my Storify account: https://storify.com/ChoiceMelissa

Storify is another very interesting digital storytelling site, The first time that I used Storify was very confusing but after a while once I got used to it everything seems pretty easy. It allows you to discover stories on social media or you could write a story on your own and share to your social media or your blog.

Inquiry

Reviewing a News Story of Interest...The news story I have selected is regarding refugee crisis; the shocking image of downed Syrian boy.

1. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34133210
2. http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/sep/02/shocking-image-of-drowned-syrian-boy-shows-tragic-plight-of-refugees

Consider the lead paragraph in each story. Are they different? If so, how?While reviewing the different news and comparing them, we clearly see how much different they were from each other. Firstly the heading of the news, the first one was written"Migrant crisis: Photo of drowned boy sparks outcry" which the second news was written "Shocking images of drowned Syrian boy show tragic plight of refugees". Both headings are very similar, Both have pointed out to the Images of drowned Syrian boy. However the lead paragraphs in each news story are different. The news story from BBC wrote: At least 12 Syrians trying to reach Greece have drowned off Turkey after the boats they were travelling in sank. The second news wrote: Young boy found lying face-down on a beach near Turkish resort of Bodrum was one of at least 12 Syrians who drowned attempting to reach Greece. The first one was very short but still missing some informations, the second one has a very clear lead paragraph which tell the reading of the five W's (who, what, where, when and why)
Why does the story interest you?I first saw the images of drown Syrian boy on Facebook, Most of my friends on Facebook shared this news on their Facebook page. It was a heart breaking news, when I first saw those images i saw so sad, this shouldn't happened on the earth. Everybody deserves good lives, great place and safe to live.   Is there a difference in news values? If so, which news values are prevalent in which story?

Reference:

BBC News, 2015. Migrant crisis: Photo of drowned boy sparks outcry. BBC News. Available at:http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34133210; [accessed: September 8,2015]

Helena Smith, 2015. Shocking images of drowned Syrian boy show tragic plight of refugees. The Guardian News. Available at:http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/sep/02/shocking-image-of-drowned-syrian-boy-shows-tragic-plight-of-refugees; [accessed: September 9,2015]

Week 3 Quiz

This weeks quiz is focusing on correct writing of sentences, it took me two attempts to get 10 out of 12. The most difficult question was:

Select one:
a. After nearly burning down the house by leaving an empty pot on the stove, the sisters arranged for a neighbour to bring Ruth her dinner every evening.
b. Ruth’s friends, two sisters, arranged for a neighbour to bring Ruth her dinner every evening after she nearly burned down the house by leaving an empty pot on the stove.
c. After Ruth nearly burned down the house by leaving an empty pot on the stove, the sisters arranged for a neighbour to bring dinner every evening. Incorrect
d. Two sisters arranged for a neighbour to bring Ruth dinner every evening, after she left an empty pot on the stove and nearly burned her house down.
Answer: A

Week 8 - Instagram

Find a social media networking site that is most suitable and aligned with your interests:

Instagram

I have been using Instagram for almost a year now and I really enjoy it. Basically, Instagram is like photo album or picture diary that you are sharing with your friends or your followers. we can take a picture within the app or select photo from photo album in our mobile phone and share, we can also share our photo to Facebook, twitter and etc…

Personally
Instagram can be used to update your lifestyle or your interests. Instagram can be set to private or you can set to public where everyone can see your photos without having to ask of permission. It is more like a place that you can share your photos to other people rather than just only on Facebook. I personally set mine as a public account and use Instagram for posting photos for example like travel photo and foods!

Professionally
Some small-businesses are using Instagram to promote their businesses. They can share a photo of new products and services. For example, Japanese restaurant posts photo of new dishes or recent promotion. Instagram is a great place for marketing as people love browsing around and stay updated.

Week 8 quiz
It took me three attempts to get 10 out of 10 this week. I found that some of the questions in this quiz are somehow confusing, however after the second tried I reread the chapters and finally got full marked.
The Most difficult question for me was question 7

Which sentence is correct if the golfer’s performance was dominating?

a. The golfer’s performance was masterful.

b. The golfer’s performance was masterly.

Masterful and masterly are very similar for me, I was not quite sure which one was the right answer. After reading the book I was still confused so I asked my step-father to explain the meaning of these two words for me. :)

Week 7

Practical: This week practical activity is to review assessment one. 

Review your items for Assessment 1 which is due at the end of this week and correct any spelling, style, and punctuation errors.
Yes, I double checked and corrected spelling and punctuation errors.
Do you think you corrected them all?
80% Yes, I double checked and corrected all the errors however I hope to see the outcome so I can improve.
Was it helpful having a checklist?
Yes, Checklist was very helpful.
Do you think it will make a difference to your overall result?
Certainly.

Inquiry: Review a newsletter and brochure

This week we required to review one of the Crocodile Specialist Group’s Newsletters which found on their website at http://www.iucncsg.org/

The newsletters are free to download but printed hard copy is for those people who subscription who are CSO members or interested organisations. I chose to review the CSO April 2014-June 2014, Volume 33, No.2. In the first content of the newsletters is the ‘Editorial’ section which basically included current events. The newsletters seem to be targeted those people who are interested in crocodile.

The newsletter contains a number of sections which have been expanded upon below.

Introductory page      

Details about the group

Subscription information

Patron donations

Editorial

Summary of information from Professor Grahame Webb, CSG Chairman

Meeting minutes     

Overviews of recent meetings

Research updates

Updates on educational and research projects undertaken with a variety of information and images

Regional reports      

Updates from several regions including research, sightings and localised information

Science

Recent publications

Committee members      

Names and contact details

In my opinion, I think the written content is what makes newsletter effective following with images and layout. However the SCG newsletters has good written contents but images and layout are pretty poor, the design lacks in its use of white space and images, there is no colour scheme as it need to be interesting and easy to read. The length of the newsletter i selected was a bit long, if it is in good layout it would be much better for readers and grabs attentions from people.

Reference:

Crocodile Specialist Group 2014, Newsletter: Volume 33 No. 2, April 2014 – June 2014, Available at: http://www.iucncsg.org [Accessed 10 September 2015]

Week 7: Quiz Review

I have to attempt quiz twice to get 100% the quiz is very helpful in refining my knowledge. I made a few errors on the first attempt then i read the week 7 moodle again and got 100%.

Week 5

Practical: Interview two people and write their speech as a news report under the topic 

“The things that are most important to me”

A couple days ago, I had a chance to meet two of my best friends, we were in the same class in high school and we had sleepovers almost every weekend. They are so amazing and I am so proud to have them in my life, we talk with each other very often and support each other. So I decided to interview them about what are the most important things to them. Both of my close friends mentioned their families are their first priority. There were two questions that I want to ask them; The first question was “What are the most important things to you?”

"Of course my family comes first" pic.twitter.com/TtrXFQLbpq

— Melissa J Choice (@ChoiceMelissa) September 17, 2015

My 25 years old best friend; Ginko, She is recently moving out of her parent's house and currently stay with her boyfriend in his apartment. They are going to get engage in the next two months after everything settle down. She told me that moving out of her parents' house is a very big decision for her. She worries about her parents and younger sister but she is now old enough to go out and stand on her feet. "I'll be 26 in the next two months and it is time that i have to be real independent" she said. When i asked her what is the most important things to her, she answered within a minute that her family is the most important to her; "Of Course my family comes first!" "The first reason why I move out of my parents' house was that i want to show my parents and my little sister that I can take care of myself, i want to make them proud of me" she said.
She further commented that her biggest dream is to be a good daughter and a good sister. "I always wanted to be a good role-model for my little sister, and also to be a good daughter. my parents is very conservative so i would like to show them that i can take care of my own, i can buy a car by myself and have a job"

"I grew up with my mother and my grandmother, they are the best persons on earth and I couldn't ask for more" pic.twitter.com/WzjXL9wDZz

— Melissa J Choice (@ChoiceMelissa) September 17, 2015

Whan (26), Another best friend of mine who works as an information developer. She graduated from Chiang Mai University with a bachelor's degree in Information system and currently working at Thai Police Department. When I asked her what is the most important things to her, she smiled and told me that her family is the most important things to her "I grew up with my mother and my grandmother, They are the best persons on earth, I couldn't ask for more" she replied.

 -  Inquiry  -

Find an article that has impact on you because of the sources, speech and reporting, and discuss why it is an example of good journalism or media writing.

This is not an article but it is a video of Steve Jobs given speech at the Stanford University in 2005. I really to share this as it is a very inspiring speech. Steve Jobs is the most iconic men of the 21st century; he was co-founder & CEO of Apple, Inc. and Pixar Animation Studios (motivationalspeaker, 2012). He was enthusiastic and passionate about what he did. This is one of my favourite speech he gave at the Stanford University in 2005.

This is one of the best speeches of him I have seen; it is very inspiring, motivating and encouraging. He was a remarkable storytelling and had a great charisma, which I suppose he was born with. He entertained while educating at the same time. Steve Jobs had a unique style of giving speeches; he always kept his speeches informal and added some humour to the speeches.

References

Carmine Gallo 2008, Deliver a Presentation like Steve Jobs, http://www.businessweek.com/stories/2008-01-25/deliver-a-presentation-like-steve-jobsbusinessweek-business-news-stock-market-and-financial-advice (accessed 10 Sept 2015)

Motivationalspeaker 2012, What Made Steve Jobs a Great Motivational Speaker? http://motivationalspeaker.edublogs.org/2012/08/01/what-made-steve-jobs-a-great-motivational-speaker/ (accessed 10 Sept 2015)

Week 5 Quiz

In week 5, there were two online quiz: Part A and Part B. I attempted quiz twice to get this week’s quiz 100% correct. I think that this week’s quiz is the most difficult one so far for me. I wasn’t happy with my first result at all, However I will try harder next week in order to get a better result.