DJ JennaBeatz: The Website Final

 

Creating a website has always been a goal of mine in reference to my social media projects. I have several endeavors that I use to fill my spare time with but my most favorite is that of my dj persona. DJ JennaBeatz is my musical outlet that I have been passionate about for eight years and counting. Creating a website to showcase that outlet was the perfect way to tie in the skills I have acquired over the last few projects.

This website is the perfect platform to collect and present the different social media platforms that I have for JennaBeatz. Now, instead of supplying links to several different platforms, I can supply a website link that will allow users to navigate between those platforms with ease.

            Not only is this project a nice presentation but I think it also adds credibility and advertising for myself as this persona. The entire site is essentially a portfolio of not only my work but the direct links to established points of contact for my dj profile. Facebook, Blogger, Twitter and Soundcloud links were all added and helped to round out the necessary foundation for this project.

            Viewing tutorials on how to structure the site helped me to get the best flow for my work schedule. I was able to navigate between the tutorial videos and creating the site by each step without losing my place or having too much difficulty completing the next task. The breakdown of the videos also made them easier to view, in my opinion, because I could access one specific tutorial if needed without having to access a large file and sift through more video than necessary.

            The experience of coding was the biggest hurdle from within this project that I experienced. I found it painstaking in the beginning due to the meticulous effort needed to ensure that all code was correct. Once I started to copy, paste and examine the code closer and more consistently, I started to recognize patterns and found it easier to read error codes to show me where there were mistakes that needed to be corrected.

            Another hurdle that I faced in the final stages of completing the website was adding the audio. Although I had instructions on how to do this, the instructions could have been a more direct step by step explanation in order to get me to the desired result. I had a little bit of difficulty navigating some of the ‘obvious’ parts of the instruction and had to investigate online help centers to complete the task. Once I found what I needed, I was able to add the audio and complete the task.

            The final product is something that I am proud of, but I do wish to learn more and extend myself past my current capabilities. This current version of the website is a great starting point, but I believe that I can make it even better with more time and a bit of extra work. This was a great experience and I hope to continue learning in the world of coding and website building.

BSC: Quarantine & Me

    Creating video content can be a daunting task but compiling that video into an appealing piece is another task all in itself. There are many subject matters to consider but the project ‘BSC: Quarantine & Me’ is from the point of view of a college student while in quarantine. The content, storyline and production were all completed in a South Buffalo apartment. With limited space, this project was completed with a cellphone, a laptop and a desire to show a personal flair for conveying my daily life.  

     Perspective is all about an individual’s way of seeing things and this project tapped right into the heart of that concept. In order to offer that perspective, it is imperative to create structure to the story you are trying to tell. When creating this structure, you must analyze the components of your day that consume the most time. This will tell you what to start to focus on and portray to the audience. It can be daily habits, crafts or anything within your space that is important. For some, not all their personal content is preferred to be shared with the public, especially on a popular host like YouTube. For me, I was happy to share the content of my day-to-day life with others.

       Taking videos to later compile seems like an easy concept but you can run into obstacles once you get to that later stage. My main obstacle of this project was in reviewing the footage once I was ready to edit. The footage was shaky and often stalled in many of my original clips and this delayed the editing process. On one hand, it caused delay but, on the other hand, it was an opportunity to correct any images that were not satisfactory. I reshot scenes that weren’t quite fitting and this was a perfect opportunity to restructure the original idea.

     Editing the videos was not difficult because I have experience with music editing programs, and it was a very similar structure. It took me a few minutes to gage the platform and move around in some of the features but I caught on quickly to the main components that I would need to use for this project. For some, the task could be daunting because the software is not necessarily ‘easy’ to navigate. Even with instructional videos, working with this program could be cumbersome for individuals. Inserting the intro and exit credits was the most difficult part of the editing process for me. I had to figure out how to incorporate them without causing too much disruption to the film concept.

      I found no real issue with sharing the content of my space because my life is ‘kid-friendly’. I have a child that has many toys and activities, so it was a joy to display that for others to see. In addition to that, I shared my art projects, collectibles and antiques. These are all things that I am proud to have and even more proud to share with the public.

        I had no issues sharing the video, both full-length and teaser, to social media. Because of the audio, even though it was legally purchased, there had to be a disclaimer added to the file to avoid in any copyright claim issues. Each file uploaded without issue and the first video uploaded has received over 30 views.

          I thoroughly enjoyed this project as I have always wanted to learn video editing. My nature is to get discouraged if I cannot learn a program immediately and my ability to pick this up quickly made the task satisfying. I decided that my first edit was not quite the perfect representation of my quarantine life, so I recreated it and made adjustments based on what I wanted the end goal to be. This made the experience that much more satisfying because I realized how quickly you can start over if necessary.

         

 Sharing media with the public can be intimidating because of the many layers. You must have content that is interesting to others, but you must also layer it together in a way that is visually appealing. You can learn programs and technical styles from many different mentors or platforms but the most basic of the need for a successful media file is the style and way it is presented. That is most truly an art form that cannot be learned. Like with most things nowadays, you must tell a story in order for something on social media to be affective. Telling a story about yourself may not always be intriguing to another, but if you are able to complete a compelling storyline, you are sure to grab the attention of an audience.

 

Living in Today's Twitterverse

 

The world of Twitter is an ever evolving one. Twitter is a communication-based application that allows users to express themselves in a count of 280 characters or less. The limited amount of characters can be restricting when one is trying to make a specific point or explain themselves in a way that requires more character space. However, the benefit of this limitation is that information can be delivered at a fast pace that can allow for more information received in the end.

            Although this application is primarily used for user to user communication, it has evolved over the years to become a marketing tool as well as and educational one. Everyone from actors to politicians to scholars express themselves with tweets. Users have their right to free speech, but this can also allow for misinformation to be published. As proven by the article “Political Advertising” even the POTUS can share information that is questionable, at best. This can often cause for misleading and confusing stances on any given subject matter.

            The Presidential election was used by Twitter recently to express political preference and campaigning. In this instance, it was used in both a positive and negative way. Supporters of the current president often used this application to encourage others to vote for him and were able to express negative narration when they so choose. This consistent, albeit overloaded, amount of information helped to shape the election and its outcome.

            Another instance of Twitter and its recent narration of an event would be the Covid-19 crisis. Users from around the world have accessed this platform to talk about what is going on in their part of the world and also reaching out to others to collect information. This also can allow for misinformation because tweets can sometimes be opinion biased. However, in this instance, most information is truthful because the population wants the situation to be improved.

            WHO (World Health Organization) and the Buffalo Bills Public Relations Department were two pages that offered a varied perspective of subject matter to follow on Twitter. There seemed to be more regular interaction from other users for the Buffalo Bills page and the WHO offered insight into third-world problems that are relevant in the culture of today. As a contrast, Joe Biden’s Twitter page offered a political view on content and what is regularly consumed by that arena of followers. Consistent and relatable content were displayed by the three pages, even in a world of Twitter posts that are not always such.

            Twitter has always been a different ‘type’ of social media that focuses mainly on sharing short bursts of information. This concept can sometimes be difficult to adjust to because this may not be a common writing style for many. In order to be efficient in this world of micro-blogging, one would have to adjust their writing accordingly. The Twitter world is not always correct, but it is always constant. Overcompensating for a limitation in writing style is often a driving force for Twitter users and continues the loop of never-ending need for information.

How to Organize Your Holiday Decorations

Keeping a family’s worth of holiday and seasonal decorations organized and stored can become stressful if not done efficiently. This article will show how to do so in a convenient way.

Step One – Gather supplies and list how many totes you have available. Clean the inside of the totes before next step.

Step Two – Your family religion (or lack thereof), hobbies and other interests will determine how your chart should be made. This step is listing out each of those holidays or special times of year that are important to highlight by decorating.

Step Three - Separate those previously determined interests in to four categories most closely associated with the current season. (Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter). Determine how many totes you will need per season or holiday.  

Step Four - Separate the physical items into the four categories and organize totes according to what category is next. This can also be a good time to clean out any unnecessary items to ensure less clutter in the system.

Step Five – Finalize your inventory. This will include pictures of your completed system as well as list that has been handwritten to keep track of the items.

List of Items: Paper, Marker, Totes, Decorations, Cleaning Wipes

wikiHow - Decorate Your Holiday

 How to organize holiday decorations – Keeping a family’s worth of holiday and seasonal decorations organized and stored can become stressful if not done efficiently. This article will show how to do so in a convenient way.

 Step One will list all the items needed to create the organization system. This will include writing utensils in order to plan the year’s schedule as well as a picture of all the storage items needed.

Step Two is going to explain that based on the reader’s family religion (or lack thereof), hobbies and other interests that will determine how their schedule should be made. This step is listing out each of those holidays or special times of year that are important to highlight by decorating.

 Step Three is separating those previously determined highlights in to four categories most closely associated with the current season. (Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter). This step will also have the reader decide on whether to use a full tote (or other boxing system) or a half one to share with another highlight.

 Step Four will advise the reader on how to separate the items into the four categories and organize totes according to what category is next. This can also be a good time to have the reader clean out any unnecessary items to ensure less clutter in the system.

Step Five will be a finalization of inventory. This will include pictures of a completed system as well as list that has been handwritten to keep track of the items.

Drive Responsibly

    Gone are the days where we coded our favorite songs into our Myspace account or spent hours coming up with the most creative AOL  screen name. Ten or more years ago, when I entered into the internet and social media scene, it was merely the beginning. Access to several accounts and massive amounts of information were not the norm at the time because they simply did not exist yet. 

    Facebook was established in 2004 and that opened the 'flood gates' for new and exciting applications that could offer us variety as well as more connection or less. Social media can be intrusive to individual lives as the general population not only has access to view your world but also comment on it. This can cause people to feel violated and uneasy about the amount of information that is available on the internet through social media platforms. 

    Social media has instilled a power within each individual to assess and dissect others without real concern or much personal accountability. It is quite easy for an individual to take their opinion to one of many hundreds, if not thousands, of social media apps and proclaim their personal views as right or truth for the world to see. It is easy for the world to forget the responsibility that they have to protect the human decency within us as well as the good nature that we must always prioritize towards others. 

    In recent news, Chadwick Boseman, an American actor, passed away after battling colon cancer for four years. He kept his condition private and continued with his profession creating a major motion picture, Black Panther. While doing so, he suffered weight loss due to treatment and other health complications. The internet and social media users took this opportunity to belittle the actor and put their opinions of his weight loss on the front of his image. This most surely did emotionally damage as many comments and posts were offensive and without any consideration for the possibility of what the real story was. 

    This is our failing as the drivers behind the wheel of the information super highway. Most don't often check themselves for human decency or for the ability to see beyond their discomfort or hate. It is within this downfall that social media has become intrusive in a way that is not held accountable. Words are said, memes are created, laughter is echoed through each permanent stain on the keyboard of the world wide web but yet we struggle to guide ourselves in a loving and comforting nature when humanity needs it most. 

    With all of these unacceptable guides for being on social media, there is a silver lining. Tolerance for hate, bigotry and shaming is starting to dip. There are internet heroes who defend others in order to keep humanity alive and there are some that seek justice in the "real world" for crimes committed in the internet universe. The community of social media is becoming stronger and it will do better.