Official Response 14
Mood:  quizzical
Topic: English W315
I feel that I have met many of the goals with my site.  I wanted both to fill the class requirements and create something that I can be proud of.  After looking at my groupmates websites I was stunned to notice that I had quite a bit of content, especially compared to others.  Actually I had to pick and choose what was necessary because I had way too much that I wished to include.  I am really happy that content wasn't an issue for me.  While design is very time consuming, content can become almost impossible if you do not have much to work with.  I think the most important goal of this site depends on which area you think about it from.  The most important goal of this site from the classroom point of view would be proving that we understood the material and know how to design a decent website based upon what we have learned in the class.  There is also another important goal, and I feel that is for the charities I am representing.  This goal would be to create a website that helps spread the word and is created in a way that shows respect for the causes it represents.  I feel I have accomplished both of these goals, but I don't have the red pen.  We will just have to see.  I can't wait to create a website just for fun now that I have some experience. 

Official Response 13
Mood:  accident prone
Topic: English W315
I have learned quite a bit this semester.  I have learned much more than I expected.  I love to write, but designing websites is much more of a challenge to me because I always feel that I cannot be certain that I am doing it right (Algebra you can check yourself).  I definately feel that this site is going to be much better than my last site.  The first site for this class I felt paniky the entire way through because I didn't think I knew what I was doing.  This time around I am doing something that I feel strongly about, and I think that really shows.  I did expect to be able to write more creatively, but as I was scanning my class options I didn't read the detail.  (The course offerings guide was not "Written For The Web") I really am impressed with myself and I am glad that I have taken classes that have pushed me harder than I am used to.  I feel it is paying off.  Thank you.

Official Response 12
Mood:  caffeinated
Topic: English W315

I try to be as helpful in the forums as possible.  Since it is a web course the other students seem to be very distant.  Sometimes I post pretty late in the week which is not very helpful to me because I can't get much feedback.  This time mine is the first post so hopefully when I go back to read everyone else's I might have some feedback.  I definately enjoy help from others.  I tried to take some of the advice I had gotten and use it with my site.  I really hope it turns out well.

Official Response 11
Topic: English W315

I am definitely behind.  Below is a schedule I have come up with to help me finish this project on time.

04/02/08 – Work on proposal, Begin outlining the site

04/03/08 – Same as above

04/04/08 – Begin building the site, and work on it every day until the due date.

This is pretty general, and as I get farther into the process it will become much more detailed.  My main focus is getting the proposal turned in along with the client contract so I can focus the remainder of my time and energy putting everything into this site.  Even though there is nothing physical to show as far as progress is concerned, the amount of thought I have put into it is quite large.  Even while I am at work I am thinking about different ways to do things.  While I am reading the text, I am applying this to my site.  Even while I am working on other assignments, I am thinking about it.  I know that now I am working ahead to the point where I will be able to devote more time to this.

Official Response 10
Mood:  d'oh
Topic: English W315

                I am getting very frustrated and stressed with my progress so far.  I suppose this is because I have not made much progress on this new site.  I am waiting to get the signed contract back.  This week I plan on hitting this project full-force to at least put a dent in the amount to which I have fallen behind.  As the semester is coming to a very fast end and the assignments keep pouring in, my time management has not been at its best.  Hopefully hard work will make up for this. 

Official Response 9
Topic: English W315

So far I do not have a contact for my organization.  I do have someone in mind, but since my site is going to be a combined sites of different charities that I find to be very important and not as well-known it makes this part of the project slightly more difficult.  I am going to use a friend as my contact to critique and provide feedback, which at first I thought would be easy.  Finding the appropriate person that would give me the most beneficial feedback is proving slightly difficult.  The fact that the places I contacted did not wish for me to change their sites was definitely working against me in the beginning, but creatively I came up with the idea to come up with an outside site which gives people who are looking to donate to charity without much knowledge of any, a good resource for brief descriptions.  The fact that I can use my personal creativity is in my favor.  Working against me is actually how picky I am about who to choose to be my organization’s contact.  To overcome this I need to pick a couple of my options and have a discussion about the importance of this project and make sure they will be available to put in the effort that I need from them.

Official Response 8
Topic: English W315
To create my personas I used all of my resources.  I called my mother, brother, and friend and asked them about charities and why they would contribute.  I also used my personal ideas to include others with different goals.  I tried to keep my primary persona as pretty average because I feel that designing a site for everyday people is very important because most of the time that is who will be looking.  The personas really help because sometimes people get lost in their own feelings and do not realize that their audiences actually think differently.  When it comes to anything that needs to draw attention to itself to help people decide upon what action to take, I am usually pretty open minded and able to think and see things from other perspectives.  This is very important. 

Official Response 7
Topic: English W315
Now I have reached the point where I am trying to find a Charity (one that will actually respond) with a website that needs work.  It is difficult for me to decide on anything I am going to do because I feel that it all depends upon the type of charity and their specific goals.  I have noticed alt-text before and I never realized how important it is or even what it was.  I feel that any site I would be a part of I would want to be accessible to everyone.  I feel this is very important and something I will definately keep in mind for this next project.

Official Response 6
Topic: English W315

I have learned very much in this class so far.  I never paid very much attention to how much work, thought, and time has to go into a successful website.  I have and am continuing to gain beneficial new skills that will help me in the future both career wise and personally.  I am gaining new interests that will lead me to exploring new ways to develop websites and how to gain users’ interests.  I know I still have much to learn, and with rapid growing technology there will always be new and more advanced concepts to adapt to. 

Official Response 5
Topic: English W315

I really wish that I would have gotten more peer reviews.  I feel that maybe my group is not too fond of me in some way, or my homepage scared them off.  Either way I did receive some constructive assistance from the one peer review I did receive.  I am still working on my site map.  I would have changed my graphics, but I am very picky on how I like things to look, and time just would not permit this.  Looking at some of the other sites definitely let me see ways in which I would like to have made my site better.  I definitely can tell that experience definitely makes a difference.