Examples of Good and Bad Websites

Examples of Good and Bad Websites

By Emerson Cooper

In this blog post,  I will be summarizing my Website Smackdown. I will compare two websites with similar purposes and discuss their strengths and weaknesses.
There are many pieces that make a website strong. First, the webpage must have an appealing appearance for the audience to view. There should be a good use of color, that matches a common scheme of 2 or 3 main colors. The text should match the color scheme and be simple for readers to view. Overall appearance should be simple and not be too much. There should not be too many graphics or photographs, or else it could take away from the main design. Next, the site must be fully functional. All parts of the webpage should work promptly and successfully, as well as a search engine bar. The website must be simple to use. Readers and viewers should find the site to be easy to navigate as well as simple to understand. The site should be quick and fit the resolution of the computer. And finally, the content must be adequate for the topic being discussed. This content should be adjusted often and should be very organized. Visitors should be addressed as “you” as often as possible.

I selected Petfinder.com and rehomeyourpets.com. These two sites are for buying and selling pets online. Petfinder.com is the great example of a successful website, while ReHomeYourPets is not so much of a great site. Petfinder is an excellent example of a successful website. This webpage follows one basic color scheme, and is easy to follow. While it is easy to follow, the website is well-organized trustworthy, and safe. The webpage offers the organization of many different animals to select from as well as bringing a radius for distance and locations. The website organizes by breed and type. Furthermore Petfinder.com offers viewers options for care for each individual pet type.

ReHomeYourPets.com is more of a poor example of an online pet shopping website. ReHomeYourPets shows pets for sale as well as allowing users to post unwanted or fostered pets. Although it offers many features, the website still lacks organization and options. Moreover, the site is not secured like Petfinder is. The webpage does not work by location, nor by breed. Unlike Petfinder, this webpage does not offer care options. View my online presentation from the link below, to learn more!

Thanks!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rc9LOmmpkpE&feature=youtu.be

Social Media Tools

In this blog post, I will be exploring two different social media tools that I have not mentioned before. The first one is the Google Plus App. I, personally, have never utilized this tool, but after some extensive research, will definitely begin using. Google plus is a social media network owned by Google. The application contains basic social network services, such as a profile picture, a list of interests, location, a biography section etc. This allows the site to compete with other social networking sites, such as Instagram, Twitter, and even Facebook. One feature that caught my eye was "Circles". By enabling this feature, an individual can share specific content to only a certain circle of people. In this way, content is not overshared, but instead shared to a smaller audience. Stream, being the main page, allows users to see people within their circles and communities to see updates and posts regarding their businesses and their lives. And lastly, this page can be used as the background to many other sites, such as Google Maps, Google Play, YouTube etc. all making it easier to navigate through social media. I can definitely create an account and use this in the future. Not only will I be more easily able to contact my friends and family, but I can use this professionally for school purposes. By using this for school reasons, my workload will be more organized and easier to access and share with peers. 

The next web tool that I am going to explore within this blog post is called, MavSocial. This is a content management tool that allows users to access all their social media within one site. Not only does this tool allow organization and management, but it also allows users to create and publish their work directly to the social media platform. One tool that caught my eye was the digital asset managing tool. This allows users to access their stock library and perform photo editing on their future content. This is inclusive of videos, images, and audio files. This next feature that was interesting was the campaign planning. This allows individuals to make a professional campaign for marketing. In this way, social media, for all the sites that a user has, is made to be professional and concise. I can definitely see myself using this tool. I could use this tool to improve my organization of social media. Although I do not use social media too often or too vastly, for the sites I do have, I would like to stay professional. By utilizing the different features of MavSocial, I will be able to stay on top of my social media account for business and professional purposes, while maintaining a proper reputation. 

Story Telling Tools

Here's my test products of three different story telling tools! Enjoy!

ToonDoo





Make Belief Comix



Pixton

Social Media Etiquette Project

Here is the Link to my Social Media Etiquette visual presentation! Enjoy!
https://youtu.be/lJcrGDm4h1Q

Smackdown Assgn 2: Note.ly

I have chosen to do my second Smackdown Assignment on the web tool called Note.ly. This online web tool allows users to create sticky notes on an online browser. All you need for this, is an account, which is entirely free. Using this web tool is simple. The webpage is found easily at the link: http://Note.ly. It brings you to a blank screen, with a cork-like wall. At the top of the screen, there is a row of icons. The most left icon, is a plus button. This button is the main feature for Notely. It is the tool for adding a sticky note. Next to that button is a pencil and paper icon. This is the to-do list feature, which will be explored later. And after that tool is the add image option, then the customization option. Each icon at the top, offers instructions of how to use each icon.

Note.ly can be used for a variety of reasons. First and foremost, it can be used to organize.
Many people, especially students and individuals with high stress careers, are forced to stay
on top of their work and stay organized. With note.ly, users can create sticky notes for their
vital information. This web tool can also be used for reminders. Individuals can utilize the sticky notes to mark important dates, events, or assignments. This reduces risk of forgetting or falling behind in school or your job. The next way this tool can be used is to create To Do Lists. There is a feature available on this page, allowing users to categorize and prioritize their lists. Whether it be a list of tasks that must be completed, or a simple list of items to be bought from the supermarket, this feature is time-saving, as well as very organizing for important data. The tool can also be used for studying notes. The user can implant the important information for a test, quiz, or really any data that must be learned. From here, the user can learn and study information on any browser or device. Note.ly can be used for Brainstorming Ideas. This is particularly helpful in collaboration teams, whether this be at school or at a job. The tool allows users to share their board with others, and so their brainstorming ideas can be shared with team members. And lastly, as mentioned, this can be used for Project Management and Sharing Information. This tool lays out information to be shared in an organized and neat manner. This makes sharing easier and more efficient. There are many benefits to Note.ly. This tool is incredibly simple to use. While there are many features and different options offered, the tool itself is straightforward and quick for one to learn. Note.ly is Green. This tool saves paper, as it reminds over a screen, and no actual paper is wasted. Signup is entirely Free. There are no charges that come with this tool. The tool is available On all Browsers, allowing users to be able to access this information, wherever there is internet connection. And finally, the tool is completely Customizable to its users. The wallpaper, notes, font, sizes, and images all can be changed. This allows for color coordination and prioritization of the information that you want to keep.

As a junior nursing student at Stockton University, I find this tool extremely helpful. This
tool is not limited to any particular major, as it can be used by just about anyone who is
in search of some help organizing. Remembering, let alone prioritizing all my assignments,
exams, and essays is very difficult and stressful. With this tool, my organization has been
notably improved. With this tool, students are easily able to stay on top of their work,
as well as get ahead and work most efficiently. As a future nurse, this tool will again come in handy. Not only will I be able to use this tool within my job field, but I also will be able to utilize it outside of my career. This tool can be used in the nursing field, as nurses can use the pad to organize and triage their tasks and data to the best of their ability. By using an online tool to assign their information, the nurses are less likely to make mistakes due to handwriting error. Furthermore, this tool can be used for outside of work to plan schedules and remind about significant events. Overall this tool is not limited to nurses, or even students for that matter. Any person who yearns for an organization tool, I highly recommend this one, as it is easy to use, but also very helpful.

Here is the Link to my video Smackdown Assignment:
https://youtu.be/TTV_jUyD8jA

Blog #4, Chp 4 The Connected Educator

The fourth chapter of the Connected Educator is called “Building a Collaborative Culture”. The author emphasizes how important it is for one to develop relationships in their professional career. In past chapters, the author frequently offers technological and educational tools to further and enhance one’s professional reputation and career. In this chapter, the author urges readers to create relationships and connections with individuals in the same field. Creating these solid connections with coworkers, or even individuals with the same common goal, develops a sense of trust and helps that common goal get achieved more efficiently and rapidly. There are two types of relationships that appear to be needed: congenial and collegial. Congenial relationships are cooperative, happy, and pleasantly working in the same environment. Collegial relationships are those in which there is shared responsibility among colleagues. Perhaps more important is collegial relations, because these are take more seriously and are more goal-oriented.

Within the chapter, the author mentions the four stages of collaboration within a group of colleagues. The initial stage, known as forming, is similar to an orientation. It is when the members initially grow comfortable among each other and get to know one another. Storming, the next step, involves conflict, confrontation, and basically much disagreement. There is not peace made in this stage, but there must be disagreement to build an efficient team. The next phase is known as norming. In this stage, there becomes common ground amongst members, and they calculate what is the best way to meet their end goals. And the final step, known as performing, is when the goal is accomplished and the relationship is fully developed.

While I understand that developing relations is vital to all fields and all careers, I truly comprehend how this relates to my future career as a nurse. In the medical field, specifically in the hospital, there are many different jobs, stages, and levels. There are nurses, physicians, technicians, surgeons etc. I think that developing these collegial relationships among other jobs within the medical field is vital. It is so important to establish trust between employees. With trust among members, the common goal, which is help and save patients, is much easier to reach. Moreover, it is essential for myself to form these collegial connections among other nurses. Nursing is a busy and high stress job. Developing these relationships will not only help the goal get reached more efficiently, but it will make the stressful job, not as difficult.

Blog #3: Chapter 5 The Connected Educator

Chapter 5 of the Connected Educator is titled “Using Tools to Support Connected Learning”. The authors of this novel introduce different ways in which we, as connected learners, can utilize tools to support our professional careers. As we know, tools cannot be used to their fullest potential, unless we truly understand how to use them. The authors remind learners of connected education to create a consistent and professional username throughout different websites. There were three basic tools outlined within this chapter, including bookmarking tools, connecting and collaboration tools, and continued education in the classroom.

One of the initial tools introduced was tagging, otherwise known as social bookmarking. This concept is a simple way for individuals to organize the information that is gathered online. In this way, it makes it more simple to be shared with other users. There were two websites offered from the novel, called Delicious and Diigo. These tools allow users to bookmark the information and knowledge they deem valuable from the internet. These sites assist individuals in saving and tagging their online resources, and moreover organize so that users can gain easy access to this information. The second piece offered by the authors was the connection and collaboration tools. Some examples of these tools were blogs, podcasts, google reader, google docs, wikis, and twitter. These websites, or tools, offer users the ability to outlet information or read about information of specific topics. Blogs allow users to read about those topics or even write about topics that interest them Podcasts are digital audio files on the internet that can be downloaded by listeners. Podcasts are designed for audio purposes and allow listeners to gain knowledge this way. The final tool offered in this chapter are those for teachers, for continued and extended learning.

All of these tools can be useful in my future career as a nurse. As mentioned in previous blog posts, education as a nurse does not end when we graduate. There is always further knowledge to be gained in the medical field. As time goes on, science is always expanding and humans are learning more. This strongly correlates to nursing, because as more information is discovered, there is more information that we must apply to the medical field, meaning that nurses can always continue their education. Delicious and Diigo can be used in the nursing world as I can organize the information that I deem important to my field of study. Moreover, using blogs and podcasts allows for my to not only connect with others with the same professional goals as myself, but to gain more knowledge by researching the information I am hoping for. I think for my professional career Wikis are the most useful as the information is easy to access and understand. The website is simple to navigate and it is full of vast information. After reading this chapter, it brings up the question, do all careers require continued education like the medical field?