Closing thoughts on the Project.

As we wrap up this project, I want to take a chance to reflex on the experience as a whole...

I thought the project was as I first predicted, a fun and important way to get involved in a social and political issue. Although, the group aspect did not quite work the way I was hoping. I found it kind of hard to get together as a whole sometimes. Also, it was a little tricky to make sure you did not repeat what another group member said. Besides the group aspect falling short a little, I also thought the whole inter-linking technology failed too. Even after dealing with those set back I still enjoyed the project.

When we have to write the feed back for the company, there are defiantly a couple software problems they need to workout. Including being about to post under media instead of it just being a caption because then it reads funny on the page. Also, they need to add more headers and customization aspects to the website. Which will allow the authors to make their blogs more personalized and appalling to the readers.

Marijuana Smokers of Today

Marijuana is drug that is used be everyday american and famous americans alike. Many wealthy and well respected man have smoked and support marijuana such as: Al Gore, Bill Clinton, Lill Wayne, and Richard Branson. 

Although, the government wants to hid that fact from people, because they use stereotyping to make people believe the marijuana culture is dark. They want people to be afraid of “hardcore drug dealers, and the gangster, thuggish criminals” that use and support marijuana. But that is not truly the case, not only do average everyday people support and use marijuana, many famous well-known people have also smoked and supported the legalization cause. This includes past and present presidents and politicians, movie stars, musicians, authors,  and my other people of high stature. 

Even our current president has smoked marijuana before, and many people criticized him on that fact. Which goes to show how people judge marijuana users because they are partaking in a criminal act. But if marijuana was to be legalized then the government would not continue to put out their stereotypical ideologies about the marijuana industry. 

Marijuana INC.

CNBC, produced a documentary special on the legalization marijuana and how it affects the economy.  Marijuana Inc, which in my opinion is a great special on the marijuana industry in parts of the U.S and tries to support both sides of the controversy fairly. Although, it falls short on the non legalization defense, not offering strong reasons why it should not be legalized.

One major concrete concept that is carried throughout the entire course of the show; is the economic value it offers this country. In Mendocino County, California, the growing and distribution of marijuana is a huge economic market. Tying an entire county together into a profitable business. Without that business the town would not survive, there would be an economic collapse from the big time growers all the way down to the “Mom and Pop” shops. The biggest part that proves how marijuana supports economy is the government makes huge amounts of money of taxing the growth. Besides the huge economic value, the special also points out how average, everyday people have been affected in a positive way by growing marijuana legally.

As I said the documentary special tries to show both sides to the controversy, but I feel that not all of the “darkside” points are strong sound arguments. Law enforcement stated that, it creates violence not only with robberies and house invasions, but also with Mexican drug lord connections. They believe, that the Mexican influences happens not only with marijuana being secretly smuggled in from Mexico. But also that mexican's are grow marijuana illegally in our woods and national parks. I believe that both of those problems could be solved with one solution, that is legalization! By legalizing marijuana, we could keep the growth and distribution in country so we wouldn’t have to have to import Mexican grown marijuana. Which would eventually cut of the connection stopping so violence and also help the economy grow. This inability to provide solid arguments and reasoning behind keeping marijuana illegal proves just as the documentary states at the end. 

The DEA (drug enforcement Agency) is fighting a losing battle!

Influence of Bob Marely

Bob Marley as many know was an avid marijuana smoke, and supporter for its legalization!

His music takes a lot of influence from his Rastafarian background as well as the society around him. Singing songs not just about marijuana but songs about fighting for what you believe in. Songs including: Legalize it, Get up Stand Up, One Love, and many more. Bob Marley’s music not only took influence from the society around him but more importantly it had a big influence on that culture.

Bob Marley’s music was influencing the culture at a crazy time in American history, where people tried to live as free as they could, and drugs were a huge part to peoples’ lives. But if you look back that crazy culture also, had a huge movement for peace and equal justice. Just as Bob Marley sings about, in his music that is relax, laid back and enveloped in marijuana use.

 Influence that culture with his song, "Get Up Stand Up", which talks about fighting for your own rights and getting what you deserve. This fits our theme perfectly because we are trying to stand up for our right to support and smoke marijuana with out getting in trouble. Another influential song that again conveys a positive message is, "One Love". This song talks about people coming together to solve problems, which in a way is what we are doing in this group project. 

First thoughts on Project

I feel this project is going to be fun and interesting, and it being a group project only solidifies that farther. I believe having several difference voices talking about the same cause in one blog will make our point clear to multiple people. Also, this project reminds me of the first project we had, a blog about something we have a strong passion in. Which not only allows the blog to reach deeper into the subject. But also is seen as a relatable source, one which the readers can side with. Although, this project takes it to a different level because the issue we are righting about is a publicly debated controversy, and is not just within our class.

Also, this project is going to be more intertwined with media, discussions and online networking. That is going to make it the most technologically advanced project we have had to complete, and I am excited to see how it all comes together. A huge advantage for getting our cause across is that ability to post a video and explanation on the site. There are a lot of good documentaries and T.V series that show support for our cause. That brings me the best part of this project.

The ability to discuss several social issues and then form our groups based off which topic we chose. Allowing people to talk about what issues that have passion for and allowing other peoples to express their passion for that topic as well. My group’s topic is “Drug Reforms” more specifically the legalization of marijuana. We collectively support the legalization of marijuana nation wide, are hope to prove and explain why it should be legal. Providing information on the history of marijuana, medical use, state laws, and ultimately why is should be legal. 

"Digital Natives as Self-Actualizing Citizens"

The main concept that the author is trying to get across is that, todays school system lack the appropriate teaching methods to reach the youth. Todays youth are different then those of the past, because they are wrapped up in the world of technology. That they are greatly influenced by social networking, connecting with people, media, and other influence online. The author breaks down society into two different groups.

Dutiful Citizens (older century), these types of people are characterized by ridged views and roles in life. They feel obligated to be part of government-centered activities and take part in voting, and believe heavily in the information mass media supplies. Growing up these people were not as intertwined in technology as the other group the describes.

The new age group, Actualizing Citizens, which do not feel as obligated to take part in government-centered activities as well as vote. Also, they have less trust in the mass media due to the fact that they supply false media. But they do have an increasing favoritism towards networking and online relations, not online interacting through it but gaining information too.

Due to this the author suggest there be a hybrid teaching method. Using both standard teaching techniques combined with the use of various types of media, that would be relatable to them.

esthetic changes

As humans we judge with our eyes before anything else, we buy with our eyes, we even decide whether we like something or not. Due to that esthetics is a huge part of a website's design and can even make or break it, and in the case of our website it broke it. 

The original website had horrible, pointless pictures on the home page that add nothing to the site. Also, the color scheme was random and did not match any of the colors of the actual restaurant, which is miss leading. The worst use of pictures on the website is, the use of pictures for the menu, which is just hard to read and squished together. One last thing is the original site does not have good pictures of the physical restaurant, so readers do not get a good idea of what it looks like. 

Basically we had to revamp the whole esthetic look of the original website. First off, we got rid of the pointless pictures on the home page and the menu pictures. Once we had a blank canvass we re-did the color scheme to match the actual colors of the restaurant and added an updated picture of the outside of the restaurant. Then we wrote out the menu, making it easier to read and less cluttered together, all while continue the same color scheme throughout the whole site. The last visual change we made was to the font of the name of the restaurant, matching it to the actual font the restaurant uses and had the name on the top of every page, for consistency. Those change made the website feel more related to the restaurant and pleased the eyes. 

structural break-down and Re-build

The structure of the original website is not organized, but all piece are inter-linked together via the sidebar. We constructed the sit map for the original website it looks like:

they links are very jumbled and all over the place with no organized categories or set path. Our hopes are to simplify the menu categories and better organize the different assortment of food options.


What we chose to do was condense the sidebar option into large simpler categories as well as ad a couple more sidebar choices. We started by first reducing the menu into breakfast menu and lunch menu, so that they were organized and cover a larger topic. Also, we add a Location Us/Contact Us, Reviews, and an About Us. Those different sidebar option give a little more meat to the website, while still staying up at the same time. The re-designed sit-map look like:

Overall we felt we simplified the sit design well, adding a little more information to the sit but not over cluttering it. Also, reducing the random precise menu categories, we placed them in larger better organized ones. Now we are excited to start the esthetic aspect.

First Thoughts

This project sound kind of hard, but at the same time it sounds interesting to break-down a website. To strip it down to its basic sit map and then re-design the website both structurally and esthetically. The website we chose was "www.ourclassiccafe.com", which is the website for a local restaurant called Our Classic Cafe. 


The Website has several flaws structurally, from the home page having a flashing hours and location box, instead of having in the sidebar. Then when you look at the sidebar the categories are unorganized lumping completely random and unnecessary menu items together. For example one page link is, salad/giant baked potato/hot dogs/soups/chili/beverages, that seem like a random assortment of items. Also, why even bother listing beverages? 


Besides having to fix the structural layout, there are numerous images that need to be removed. Those pictures include: outdated pictures of the restaurant, pointless and cheezy pictures on the home page, and the pictures of the menu which they use to show their selection of food. Most of those pictures will either have to go or be updated.  

Traveling to Boston, MA

Boston, Massachusetts is a bustling city with rich culture and much to see and do. The city has much to offer for all ages alike mixed with great restaurants, hotels and shopping districts. 

One of the best hotels in Boston is called the, Boston Harbor Hotel. It gets its name because it is situated right on the harbor waterfront in a great location to other travel destination in Boston. The hotel has a magnificent grand archway that looks straight through to the harbor, which you drive through to get to the main entrance of the hotel. Also, the hotel is a five star accommodation, with the delicious Rowe's Whaft Sea Grille located in the lobby. The restaurant is open to both hotel and guest so on a weekend night it can fill up quickly so a reservation might be smart. The hotel is situation within walking distance of several great destination to visit while in Boston such as, Faneuil Hall, the aquarium, and the North End. 

Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market, which is not only a historical land mark of Boston. But is a great family destination during a nice warm day in the Spring or Summer. Faneuil Hall is a great place for children because in the warmer months, a variety of street-performer flock to the cobble stone roads to entertain the crowd for loose pocket change and small tips. There are usually a variety of act to keep the attention of children of all ages as well as adults, with some performers being comedians and other doing high level acrobatic tricks. But Faneuil Hall has more to offer than just street-preformers, there is also numerous shops lining the streets, as well as a ton of little specialty carts inside Quincy Market. Also Quincy Market offers a variety of food inside, like a long, giant food court with much better food. If the food court does not tingle your taste buds, there is also several sit-down restaurants scatter around Faneuil Hall. One of the craziest is "Dick's Last Resort", which is a restaurant where the stuff is rude to the people eating there and you and the staff will go back and forth making fun of each other, all in good fun. I would not recommend bring children under like 13 years old though, just because it can hinder the experience and they my not understand its a joke. But over all its a funny time and Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market is a good day trip, within ten minute walking distance of the Boston Harbor Hotel. 

One more place to visit in Boston, which is also with in a ten or so minute walk from the hotel is the North End. This is a nice place for adults to go to on a romantic evening, with some water front views and upper scale restaurants. Also, there are little boutiques for shopping and great pastry shops for dessert. One of the best pastry shops is "Mike's Pastry", which has some of the best canaille and lobster tails, traditional Italian pastries that are to die for. Also, there is a huge Italian influence in the area, so there are good specialty italian food markets to get a taste of true Italian cheese, meats, bread and wine. There are many options to explore in the North End for adults giving them a chance to get away from their children for a little while and catch up on their personal feelings for each other. 

Three helpful Tips

I personally do not think that tip list had many help full tips on it overall. But is a good place to go for directional information and links to other parts of the website that could be of use. However, there were some tips that I did think could be helpful.

The first tip that I believe to be the most helpful is the one about tone. Tone is very important to your travel entry because its what will make the readers decide if they like and or trust the piece right off the bat. The tip explained how to go about expressing your opinion about the destination in a lively manner to intrigue the reader. Also, it said that because wikitravel is not a formal travel guide they like a nice mix between slang and perfect academic language, expression your point to the fullest, and not make it to general. That could be helpful because it gives you basic formate for your style of writing.

A second tip that I found interesting and imagine could be useful, was the one about editing your location and leaving a comment to explain why it changed. For example if I recommended an nice hotel as a place to stay and then it gets bought out by a different company. I could edit my wikitravel page and explain why I changed the page, so my readers would not just be left hanging. Allowing my readers to trust my guide and be able to use it to aid their travels at any point because it would be up to date and informative on changes to a destination.

The last tip that kind of coincides with the tone tip and could be aid me in my writing of the wikitravel is, designing your page to be not just used online before trips. But to design it so that the traveler could print out the page and bring it with them while they are traveling, and use it in an interactive way. That kind of falls into the tone of your writing as well as the structure of the page. The tip says to not make the page to long and wordy because then its not use during travel. But instead to be descriptive and to the point of the desired location, so that the travel can use it at any point during their travels. I liked that tip because it allows you visualize yourself traveling, asking whether your guide would be helpful at that random point in travel.

After reading through all of the parts, I am intrigued and excited to start the assignment. Having the ability to post a true traveler insight on a destinations, and not have it slandered by a company just trying to sell you on a trip.

That is what I really like about wikitravel, having the ability to post true feelings towards a place without fear of them being censored. The whole premise of the site allowing people to post real life experiences about a destination they have visited, and truly give you honest first hand feed back. A unique way of going about making a travel guide, without even realizing. Giving you first hand accounts on restaurants, hotels, places to see and much more.

One article that I found interesting was, the one about there policies. They are a lot more basic than I expected, although it makes sense in regards to what the website is designed and intended for. Just asking people to be original and on point with their stories and travel tips. Since there is no central governing body to decide what is good and bad, that is really all the company can do to make sure the articles on the site are, not off topic or incorrect.

Overall, I think the whole concept of both wikipedia and wikitravels is great. Allowing people to control what they post themselves, giving them complete control and there is no censorship involved. This why we can take a little power away from a central governing body and spread it out to real life people.

A Place of Influence

Why should anyone listen to a young adults blog, when there is many older and more experienced blogger out there? Why should my blog be a place were readers can believe and trust what I say about snowboarding?

While I hold no hirer standing or powerful position in my community, one thing I do have is a burning passion for snowboarding and all thing concurring that. It is that very love that I believe can make up for my lack of experience in blogging therefor allowing me to be someone people can listen to. That desire to not let down my love, but to try and rise that passion to a whole new level for myself and my readers a like.

All that passion start around five years ago and I have been while versed in snowboarding over those years. Not only learning to ride but also learning how boards are designed and built. Also, about different riders, different sponsors, and different compositions. I believe all that added knowledge should give readers a sense of safety and desire to read my blog. To figure out if they love snowboarding or are obsessed. Either way is fine.

Irfanview-pic

Technorati Ideas

1. Title- Creative with picture attached to it

2. Pictures and Video throughout the blog

3. keeping my paragraphs simple and on the shorter side

4. Background-eye catching

5. Categories within my topic

Rebecca Blood Response

I believed that blogs and weblogs were new and had only started to develop in the last five or so years. It was surprising to know that, while 1998 is extremely old that is a lot earlier than I thought. Once I learned that I felt a little disappointed, because to me it sounds like blogging has not really developed more technologically over the years. Where as we have seen huge growth in technology as a whole, minus blogs and weblogs. I personally feel that being able to post blogs with links now is not a huge step, now know how long they have been around for.

I was also a little confused between the difference of blogs and weblogs. To me it really does not sound like much. They are both online blogs, reflection spot, meeting places, a ways to bring people together. Which I believed was exactly what a blogs was and that there was not different sub-catagories of blogs.

One part of the article that was similar to the other article is trying to use blogs for the love it, as a space for uncorrupted and unfiltered relaxation. As a place to escape the day to day hustle and on slaughter of advertisements and ways to make money. But the slight variation to the way this article presents that message is they do not talk about making money off blogs and advertisement on those blogs. It instead mentions the advertisements as being everywhere else in your life so blogging should be one place they are not. But the other article's message, which is similar at the core, is to not blog with advertisements to make money but in turn because you love it as that escape. The same message at the core.

Blogs as clubhouses response

Overall I enjoyed the reading, I found it interesting. It had never crossed my mind to use blogging in those ways. To sell items and make money with such ideas as: advertisements, possible job opportunities, and as a place to sell items. Although they recommend doing more because of the love aspect.

It also continued on with other recommendation and tips that could be helpful to first time bloggers like myself or even the most frequent blogger. Besides the tip about doing it for the love of blogging and not money, it also explained how you should approach blogging and speak to your audience. How to not talk down to them and to make sure your message and passion are still expressed. As well as focusing on your blog and staying committed in order to have a successful blog. While I my not be a lifetime blogger, so some of the tips did not apply as much. The one about talking to your audience in the right tone and manner was helpful and I could see how careful you have to be with the writing, tone, and language you chose.

Although one part of the article that just seemed repetitive to me was the different blogs and their explanations. I though they were slightly dragged out and simply repeated over again in just a different way. But on the switch side they were just proof you can blog about what ever you want and you will find a audience. That its a good way to take one hobby and make a second one out of it, blogging and bring other people together to enjoy it as well. Which in the end is the overall point of clubhouse blogs.