Module 3 Tasks

HTML Tags

I really enjoyed creating my first webpage, I’m a much better ‘doer’ than I am at thinking about the concepts and writing intelligent comments on the discussion boards! Aside from the expected mistakes of forgetting to close the odd tag, all went well and I really enjoyed creating.

I really enjoyed the freedom of creating the HTML page, as I could really do anything I like, whereas a blog is somewhat more limiting. Paradoxically, that is also the advantage of the blog – very little effort is required to create a nicely presented page, as they come with their own ready made template. I enjoyed creating the HTML page most, I like having the creative control, and I enjoyed learning the new language that will hopefully soon be second nature to me!

5 most important rules for writing online

From my own web browsing experience, and reflecting the web links provided in the curriculum, I think the following could be a reasonable guide to writing for the web:

• Be concise – people scan through pages too quickly to take in lengthy sentences and paragraphs
  
• Use sensible keywords and paragraph headings – so that people will pause and read the information you really want them to see
  
• Avoid blinking, flashing things – they are really annoying and distracting!
  
• Layout your page sensibly – put the interesting information at the top of the page. As most readers scan very quickly and move to another page, the important information must be easy to find in the first few seconds of viewing
  
• Keep your stories tight. Don’t assume that, if a story goes over 3 pages, the reader will read pages 1, 2 and 3 consecutively. Hyperlinks enable people to jump around topics – we all know we do it!
  

Legal Issues

I put my webpage through the W3C validator and so many errors came back I couldn’t believe it! The most common one was:

I’m obviously forgetting to close tags – something to watch out for in future!!

I think that my webpage is ok in the copyright sense, the images and ideas are all mine, there is nothing borrowed. My interpretation on the question of whether including the Curtin logo on my web page would be breaking copyright, is that it would be ok if it linked to the Curtin website, or if the page content credited Curtin as a reputable and genuine body. However if I mis-represented myself as a representative of Curtin, this would be against copyright rules.

FTP

I have uploaded my webpage into the presentation area of WebCT, it was a bit of fun getting the images to work, but now it seems to be working fine.

The link is : http://webct.curtin.edu.au/305033_b/student_pres/Group24/index.html

Blogging

I was really quite disconcerted by the concept of blogging when I started this course. While I’m not likely to keep or maintain one, I can appreciate the benefits more. I particularly enjoyed being able to view and comment on the blogs of my classmates, it was great to see how everyone was progressing and the frustrations that so many of us shared!

If I had the time and inclination I think blogging could be a good way to stay in touch with my family in Australia, but I am scared that it would be something I’d start and not maintain.

Web 2.0

Unfortunately both of these sites repeatedly crashed my internet connection – I couldn’t complete this task.