Tuesday, October 20, 2009

A Site That Works and A Site That NEEDS Work

http://www.spoonyexperiment.com/
This site works well. The navigation bar at the top allows for easy access to all the areas of the page. This site uses a blog style format in that each new entry has tags. The tags help to further link everything together. The bulk of this site is comprised of videos, all of which are hosted off site through services such as blip.tv.

http://captain-america.us/

I like this site and I think in many respects it works. However I do see areas of potenial improvement. All the links work, but the general lay-out could possibly benefit from an overhaul. There are a lot of ads on the page, which isn't in it's self a bad thing. The issue is that with the current lay-out the information can get lost in the ads. Tweaks to the aesthetic could make this site have more of an impact and by proxy make the information more accessible.

Palmquist Reading Response

This was a nice straight forward read. It covered a lot of familar terminology but provided some insight I had not previous known about the terms. One thing I really took away from it was an understanding of how the 3 organizational structures. More importantly a realization that sites rarely stick strictly to one one structure. More often then not elements from all 3 bleed together. But still it's important to understand the basics of all 3 before beginning to play around with mixing them.

Monday, October 19, 2009

The Offical Goddard Park page helped me a lot

When putting together the brandy new Wikitravel page for good old Goddard Park, I found a valuable tool in the official website. While the page is extremely basic and looks as thought it hasn't been updated in years it still provided to be a great place for stats. Information such as dedication year and phone numbera where things I could never have gleaned exclusively form my personal experience. Using the site was a good way to go, thought I realize I could have gone one step better. I could have taken it upon myself to visit the park again. Maybe even ask the rangers some questions. In that way the page would have been filled out more. But even without another visit, I am confident that the page came out strong. There is a ALOT of room for addition. But I take pride I knowing I got page started in the right direction.

The Challenge of Writing About Goddard Park

I found this Wikitravel assignment to overall enjoyable. I choose Goddard Park because I thought I would be able to fill the page very easily. The Park has been a big piece of my life. Yes as I assembled the page I found it difficult to filter myself. I had a lot of personal stories about the park, but not such much pratical information. I tested me creatively to take a matter of fact look at the park, as I had never before looked at it through that lens.

Monday, October 12, 2009

3 Potential Entries For My Place

With a state park there are many areas to look at. Here are some ideas I have:
  1. The Beach: It is such a big part of the park that it would be irresponsible of me to not to discuss it.
  2. The "Big Rock" In The Field: This landmark is often the first image I concur up when thinking about the park.
  3. Picnic Tables: I may want to discuss how park visitors go about renting them.

3 Great Tips From Manual Of Style

Here are three good points I took from the readings:
  1. The text formatting codes: They are simple and easy to memorize. Knowing them is a essential when revising or constructing a page.
  2. Restoring Previous Article: It is always comforting to know there is an undo. It allows writers take more creative with the articles.
  3. Something is Better Then Nothing: I think that message disperses fears new writers may have. Every article has to start somewhere, so there is no pressure to produce a complete article from the get go

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Wikitravel Edit Ideas

I live in a rather wacky area of Rhode Island. I am a resident of the city of Warwick yet I have an East Greenwich zip code. As a result I have a good deal of exposure to both Warwick and East Greenwich. The articles I'm considering expanding upon are as follows:
  1. Goddard Memorial State Park: A real gem of a park in my opinion, my whole life I have lived within walking distance of the park and I always find it a place of fun and comfort. Of the three I'm leaning towards this one the most. This park does not have it's own page so I might trying getting it one.
  2. East Greenwich (The town in general)
  3. Warwick (The city in general)

Monday, October 5, 2009

My Thoughts on Wikitravel

I really dig the concept of Wikitravel. While not a big traveler myself, I got some good exposure to the concept with a travel writing class I took last semester. For one assignment in that class I had to look at various travel guides and compare them against each other. One revelation I took from that exercise is that timely access to information is a life saver for travelers.

There are instances when travelers need info quick and can't be bothered to fish around brochures which may or may not have the answers. Wikitravel cuts out all the hassle and places valuable travel info in one concise, easy to navigate place. And with the constant updates travelers can be sure that info on the site is relevant, a claim which brochures can't always deliver on.