To Blog or Not To Blog

Over the course of the last three months I have learned a great deal about web2.0 and the online world. Of course I knew about blogs, but I never really thought of having one myself. I always thought of bloggers as people sitting at their computers and whining about their days online. The whole thing seemed pointless and annoying. However, after learning about metrics and the importance of having a web presence my point of view has changed drastically.

It’s time for CMCS (Content Management and Customization Systems)

I would never say to anyone that I am a designer, but over the past seven months I have learned a lot about design. My whole life designing things has kind of been a hobby for me. Whether it came in the form of photography, scrapbooks or just silly little gifts for friends (like writing song parodies and putting them on a poster as a joke), I have always enjoyed playing with aesthetics. Because of this little hobby of mine I tend to get somewhat annoyed when I can’t have things looking the way I want them to look.

Twitter vs. RSS

On February 26, 2009, Kat Tancock blogged for Masthead online about how online magazines should use Twitter (http://www.mastheadonline.com/blogs/?blogId=228#comments_section). Her article talks about how some magazines are using Twitter as an RSS feed, only posting links to their site instead of engaging with the community. She debates a point made by Melanie McBride (the very instructor for this course).

Safety 101: How you can keep yourself and your family safe

No matter where in the world you live there is one factor that unites us all: safety. From an early age we are taught the basics of safety at home and in school. However, even with this basic safety information, approximately 9,000 Canadians die each year from accidental death. We need to take a step back to the basics. By following these simple rules you can help keep you and your loved ones safe.

Web2.0 Online Magazine Analysis

Canadian Living
http://www.canadianliving.com/

The Canadian Living website has a great array of web2.0 features. On this website you can find many RSS feeds for things such as their feature articles or a recipe of the day. All of their articles have the “Share This” feature that lets you bookmark the page using Delicious or so you can link the page to Facebook. This website also features many blogs such as “The Foodie File” and the “Mom Blog.” They also have a video section where you can watch short clips in categories such as entertaining, baking and health and wellness. On top of all this  they also have free e-newsletters and internet freebies such as downloadable coupons and desktop backgrounds. All of these features are beneficial to the reader as it offers them so much more than they can ask for from the print edition. The instructional videos and the downloadable features are something that is just not available in a print version. Being able to follow the RSS feeds is a bonus as well because the website content is being updated fairly regularly while the print edition is monthly. Since the magazine can control their content easier they can bring their readers to their page on a daily basis instead of making them wait every thirty days.