Blog 2 Due 8/30

For the most part yes I do agree with this list. There was only one thing on the list that I kind of disagreed upon. The list states that people would want to know the phone number for campus police. I’m not sure why you would need that number unless of course you are in serious trouble in which I would suggest just call 911. Other than this one instance, the rest of the list seems pretty accurate. There have been times when I have wanted the academic calendar or parking information and cannot find it on the WSU web site. It is extremely frustrating. The information they normally put on the web site such as promotions and press releases are all aimed at new students considering applying yet they seem to forget their current students trying to function on campus. Sometimes I feel like there should be two different sites, one for current students and one for prospective students. Most of the information on the “things people go to the site looking for” list is more for current students. It seems as though universities are more concerned with prospective students than the current ones. This of course makes sense as a university is a kind of business. They need to attract new students every year/semester in order to make a profit. While may not find what they are looking for on the main page, this page can help wrangle in new students who will pay money to attend.

I researched UCLA’s web page and found it to be much better than WSU’s. UCLA’s web page does not completely line up with the comic. In fact some of the things listed in “things people go to the site looking for” are right on the home page in plain sight. These things included the academic calendar, directory, map of campus and full name of school. They are still missing a few things such as parking information and the campus address. To me it feels like the audience for this web site is divided. It has information for prospective students as well as current students. It looks like the authors tried to find some equal ground between the different audiences. The site still contains the elements on the “things on the front page of a university website” but tries to incorporate the other side of the Venn diagram. The site uses multimodal aspects in order to appear more appealing to their audiences. In the visual mode category the color blue is the first thing I noticed. It’s a medium blue so as not to be too bright and distracting. This color was probably shown for a number of reasons a few being as blue is one of the school’s colors and blue is considered to be professional. The layout of the site has the picture slide show in the middle of the screen so your attention is automatically directed there. The letters “UCLA” are the largest on the entire site, making it clear what site you have stumbled upon. For aural mode, there is no sound. The silence works well for the site because a person travels to the web site looking for written information. If there was music and sound effects, the site would have an entirely different meaning. With sound it could distract the visitors from what they are looking for and perhaps paint an unprofessional vibe. The organization and spacing between objects is done in a way where it makes the site look full of information, yet keeping it from looking cluttered. Spatial mode can also create an air of professionalism as well. I did not find any gestural mode for the site itself. The pictures that are displayed do show gestural mode showing the interaction between students making it seem like a serious place of study. The site also uses linguistic mode by using careful work choice. Their whole goal seems to make things clear and concise, labeling links with one word or short phrases.

Blog 1 Due 8/25

I do believe there is a slight difference between multimodal and multimedia. While both are very similar, dealing with various forms of communications, multimedia is focused on technology. Multimedia refers to video and sound while multimodal can be anything. It can be a picture, a piece of writing, map, video, audio and anything else we can create. Multimedia is much more limited compared to multimodal.

Response 1

In this passage the White House uses word choice and delivery. The word choice is very supportive and friendly. Phrasings such as “America will stand with Japan” and “our thoughts and prayers remain with the people of Japan” are extremely powerful. It conveys a sense of caring and concern for the Japanese public. Also using the word “friends” is particularly effective. The word has a positive connotation and is not demeaning in any way. The White House also used delivery very skillfully as it seems to be a very well thought out statement as it tries to stay politically correct. They make sure not to use words or phrases that could be misunderstood or confused like the situation with Svanberg calling citizens “small people”.

Response 2

The main differences that caught my eye were the color and the pictures. One profile is green while the other is blue with a tree on the left side. The profile pictures do not just differ because they have different faces, but instead are completely different forms. One woman chose to not show her face and as an alternative placed a cartoon panda as her icon. This may suggest that she is more of a private and perhaps cautious individual either online or/and in her personal life. It suggests that Cheryl may use her Twitter to keep in touch with people she physically knows thus displaying her face, while Kristin may follow other people she does not have intimate contact with. I do have a Twitter profile. I just got it today on account of this class. Since this is the first time I have ever used Twitter, I am still trying to figure it out. At the moment, I just have the default template because I am still learning the site.

Response 3

In the video, there is a clicking sound that reminds me of a snare drum. There are also horns, bells and an upbeat drum. All of these components work together to help the video with transitions and keep focus on the topic. If the music and sounds changed to a bluegrass or country piece, the tone would be completely transformed. The current music and sound effects make the video and the topic seem more futuristic and current. If the music was changed, the video might not be taken seriously. The audience may not understand or be distracted from the information being displayed in the video. It could do more harm than good.

Response 4

The first thing that draws my attention to the WSU web site is the pictures in the middle of the screen. They are big, bright and always changing. The second thing I notice is the Washington State University logo in the top left corner. This text is larger than any of the other texts onscreen, therefore drawing my attention. The way the site is laid out makes the site seem to be more of an advertisement t to prospective students. The pictures that draw the most attention are explaining all the good work that is going on at the university. If the pictures were swapped with the text beneath, the effect would be much different. Your eyes would suddenly be looking at just text. There is no real interest factor. With the pictures, it entices people’s interest, watching as the photos change and discuss different topics. This layout is not particularly user friendly to those who have a specific task in mind, but works well for catching people’s interest who are browsing.

Response 5

The vide I watched was the President addressing the situation in Libya. He keeps his hands on the podium, only moving them to flip a page in his speech. He is very somber as the speech is an important matter. He displays no happy expressions; this includes smiling or relaxed posture. He remains calm and serious, showing no signs of weakness or nervousness. I found his use of the gestural mode effective. If he had laughed and smiled, the seriousness of the situation would have vanished. He would have looked unprofessional. Keeping his movements to a minimum helps the audience to not become distracted and shows that he is in control of his emotions. If the President had used more of the gestural mode, it would have changed the tone of the speech. Too much use of the gestural mode can color a speech in a negative way, showing a little too much emotion about a subject when one is supposed to be calm and rational. The President maintained his composure throughout the speech choosing to use little of the gestural mode.