Week 4 Reflection: Project Revision

https://hmcupcakeexpress.wordpress.com

While working on the revisions, there was not much I could change because it was a remade template. 

I changed the all white background to black to add a little bit of flavor to the webpages. 

I also put the fictitious statement off the bottom of the page and placed it in the widget box. 

I also took your advice of changing the name of "Schedules" to "Locations". 

There was so much more I wanted to change on the site, because I received so much feedback. Yet as I said earlier, there was only so much I could actually do. Thank you for a great month and class! Happy Holidays! 

Week 4 Reflection: RISE Self-Evaluation

Week 4 Lynda.com Certification: Writing Articles

I really enjoyed this Lynda class, for the simple fact that I am a journalist. I know as a student, I will always have to keep up with new things and how the industry is changing. Writing articles isn't just typing up "He say.... She say...", you have to make sure that you are grabbing the attention of the reader with your words. Your words are making the article visual for the reader. I was excited to learn how to adopt the technical tools, gathering reference materials, determining the right approach, how to professionally conduct the interview, and of course making revisions. This actually made me more confident in what I want to accomplish in the future as a journalist. 

MCBS Portfolio Project Extra Submission: Save 5 Pointz

MCBS Portfolio Project Extra Submission: Save 5 Pointz

Star Rating Sought: 

1 Star Approval Rating 

Project Description: 

When I was in the New Media Tools course, I learned how to become a "visual storyteller." It was not simple, because I was learning how to work with programs that I never touched before. During my last week in this class, I attended the GTT class and spoke to my instructor about everything I learned and what goals were I setting for my future. During the middle of the class, she gave me 40 minutes to make a video that included music, imagery, and a voice over. I told her that I wanted to make the video about something that I am passionate about.. which is Hip Hop and the 5 points of the culture.  So I chose to do a type of PSA about a forefront of hip hop that was painted over and became condos in Long Island City, NY. Please enjoy. 

Link to Deliverable:

Save 5 Pointz

Feedback Received: 

Within 40 minutes, I sent her the Youtube link to the video and she was very impressed. Even though it wasn't a graded assignment, she commended me on a great job and getting it done on time. Not to mention, I also received the November 2013 Course Director Award for this course.  I really enjoyed this class because it taught me some tricks that I am using now in life. 

Resources Utilized:

Personal photos, IMovie, Script written by myself, Walk With Me (Instrumental) By Raekwon Produced by Scram Jones, and Youtube. 

MCBS Portfolio Project 2 Resubmission: OVA's Dream Job

MCBS Portfolio Project 2 Resubmission: OVA's Dream Job

Star Rating Sought: 

1 Star Approval Rating 

Project Description: 

When I was in my OVA course, I learned many things about the entertainment industry and myself. In our last week, my instructor wanted all the students to make a slide show about what our dream job would be and what goals we would make to get to the dream job in the matter of 5 years. As you know, I love writing and doing radio, but I would love to be an EIC of a publication such as GQ Magazine or Esquire. My instructor loved my slide show and gave me 100% on this assignment. I felt the need to share this in my portfolio. Who knows, if I keep my mind on these goes... I might be where I want to be within the next 5 years. 

Link to Deliverable:

Lauren Benzo's Dream Job for OVA Course

Feedback Received: 

I received great feedback from my instructor on this assignment. He gave me 100% on this assignment and he spoke very highly about this and my previous work in this course. I feel he believed in not only me as a student, but as a person that is going for her goals in life. With this degree, I can basically get the best job out there as a Media Communications graduate. 

Resources Utilized:

Photos from the internet that are cited, Powerpoint, and  Slideshare.Net  

Week 4 Reflection: RISE Peer Feedback

Anthony Chamlin's Week 2 Project

 

 

Good Evening Anthony,

 I would like to start of saying that I really enjoyed your Week 2 project. I love the fact that your website was clean, simple, and straight to the point. It was also inspiring to me because of the content you displayed on the site. That is what makes me want to revisit my site, because it is simple, yet I want it to grab the eyes of the user. May I add, your contact page was jaw-dropping, you even put a little appointment booking box on the site. Genius!

I like how you have the logo presented home page, yet I am confused on the backdrop that you used. Maybe you used this photo to make the user have the feeling of peace, while in pain, looking at the water. Or maybe that was the photo that came with the template that you used.  I didn’t work on the same company as you did, so I am not sure what photos were provided for you to use. I would use pictures of the business, people with happy faces, and photos of that nature.

 I enjoyed the “bandage” pictures that you displayed on the “About” page, but can I suggest something? From all the feedback that I have been receiving in the class, is that consistently is very important. So to say, the pictures are different people, but the back drop color is all the same.  You could also add more emphasis to the homepage by placing more content on it. Such as, putting the hours and address of the business on the homepage, even if it is on the contact page.  As many say… less is more, but maybe you could add some type of flair to the bottom of the homepage.  All in all, you did an awesome job. This has been a crazy month for all of us. I know when I see your work, I am proud to have you as a fellow classmate! Happy Holidays and to a great New Year!!!



Week 3 Project: Portfolio Skeleton

www.LaurenBenzo.com

I feel very confident in my understanding of the MCBS public-facting portfolio requirement! I love the fact that I can showcase my best work not only to my instructors but also to the public. I know that the 1-,2- and 3-star projects I are completing in my MCPP courses contribute to the requirement. 

I love the fact that everything that I have handed in goes exactly with what I want to accomplish as a journalist and radio personality. From the proposal I wrote, to my air-drop, even the interview that I done with Shady Records' SlaughterHouse, you can see my passion in my work. You can tell that I truly love what I do! 

I personally feel that all areas of my skeleton are strong, but I will say that it is a tie between my portfolio and my testimonials. The reason I say this is because my portfolio is showing my work to the public and the testimonials are from people that not only support my goals that believe in my and my goals. When it comes to needing work, I will say that I am going to leave that up to my instructor to point out, because I really do not see anything wrong with the site. I am very proud of what I created because I put my heart and soul into this site, and I know this will be a great outlet for potential clients to get to know and understand my brand. 

Week 3 Lynda.com Certification: Up and Running with HTML 5

I will say that this lesson was very informative. I learned how to understand embed, unstained video containers and codes. It even helped me with creating .MP4 videos, and how important using video tags will help my work be found on the web. It takes plenty of time and patience. Tom Green not only went into detail of how to understand working with HTLM, but also made me more aware of how I can challenge myself as a media communication specialist to jump out the box. With the lessons I have learned from this assignment, I know that I can do this as long as I keep my mind to it! 

MCBS Portfolio Project Resubmission: D.Y.M.E. Lyfe TV Pilot Snippet

MCBS Portfolio Project Resubmission: D.Y.M.E. Lyfe TV Pilot Snippet

Star Rating Sought: 

2 Star Approval Rating 

Project Description: 

I have been doing radio for many years now, and I had the idea revamp my radio show into a music video television. My sister Monica, my cousin Sophia, and myself grabbed a camera and shot footage in all the 5 boroughs of New York City. We were also able to contact hip hop artists in the area and interview them. After we finished taping, I grabbed some previous footage that I had from covering events and I started the post editing adding effects, voice over music, and actual hip hop music videos from the likes of SlaughterHouse, Lupe Fiasco, Notorious B.I.G. and more. I am not actually ready to release all of the pilot, but I wanted to submit a snippet to give you an idea of what I have been working on. I hope you enjoy. 

Link to Deliverable:

DYME Lyfe TV Snippet

Feedback Received: 

When I first sent in my submission, my instructor Emily Wray instructed me to do a voice over describing the show during the beginning of the snippet, instead of using the original intro because of the audio. I personally value her opinion and it made the snippet more professional.  I deeply thank her for that. Other than that,  I do recall showing some of the footage to my Digital Video and Editing Principles instructor, and he said he was impressed. I have received a lot of positive feedback from this pilot, from people that I have shown it to and sent out to potential sponsors. From the lighting, the angles, the music chosen, even the graphics. Since this is my first time really doing something like this, I will say that I was a little afraid of how it would be received, but I will say that I have really out done myself. When everything is finished and ready to be released to the public, I will let you know and I would love to hear all feedback on my work. Positive or not positive. All criticism is constructive.  

Resources Utilized: 

While working on this pilot, I used a cannon XA10 HD Professional Camcorder, Adobe Premiere, Itunes, and Adobe After Effects. I would also like to add that my co-hosts of this pilot were Monica Benzo and Sophia Twillie.  

Week 3 Analysis: Portfolio Inspiration

I will say that this assignment was a little hard for me. I looked up every radio personality and journalist that I admire and NONE of them had a portfolio site. From Elliott Wilson, to Noah Callahan-Bever, to Radio Personality Rude Jude. The only things I could find were social networking sites or websites that they work for. Nothing that showcased their skills, life, or passion.

After doing some more digging I chose to examine Angie Martinez's www.thevoiceofny.com, Combat Jack's www.thecombatjackshow.com, and K Foxx's www.KFoxx.com. I hope you enjoy!

Week 3 Practice: Portfolio Inventory

Web Designs By Benzo | Potential Client Questionnaire

Please fill out the questionnaire below. Someone will contact you in a matter of two to three business days.

* Required

Name of Client *
Lauren Benzo                                   

Name of Company/ Brand *
Lauren Benzo (Self- Branded Journalist/ Radio Personality)

Primary Contact Number *
917-555-5555

Primary Contact Email Address *
LB@Gmai.com
Do you currently have an active website? *
No

If so, is the website in mid-development?

What would be a website domain you would like to use? *
www.laurenbenzo.com , www.msbenzo.com , or www.mslaurenbenzo.com   

Please describe in detail what you would like to share with the users/customers viewing your website *
With this website, I would like to share details about my professional brand, my relevant education, my work history, examples of my work, my skills, and my social networking  sites for potential clients and/or supports to stay in touch with me and my endeavors.

Is there a company tagline, hashtag, and, slogan that you would to showcase on the website? *
The Hip-Hop Carrie Bradshaw and #NOWTHATSHIPHOP

Please explain what your company does. *
I am a freelance journalist for many websites and publications. I am also a radio personality. I would like to mesh these two skills together and showcase them on the website for people that seeking journalists and/ personalities to add to their brand.  

Please describe what you would like in particular in the website design. *
I would like something simple yet with some type of flare. I would also like colors as black, white, grey, and purple.

What is your budget? *
I am willing for pay $1,500.00 USD.

What branding elements would you like to show the visitors, clients, and potential customers? *
I would like to showcase my previous booking/promotional/ public relations experience. Testimonials from some of my previous colleagues, collaborators, and instructors from Full Sail University. I would also love to showcase some YouTube interviews/drops, my radio air drop, and photos of my journey as a journalist/radio personality.  

Who do you feel would be your target audience for your website? *
My target audience would be people that love hip hop music and fashion. People that are seeking to network and build a professional relationship. Too add to that, I would say   people that are seeking to bring me on to their team as a journalist and radio personality. Also, people that just want to follow my journey in life.

Please provide two website addresses of your competitors and explain what makes you different from them. *
MediaTakeOut.com- This site is basically about gossip, which me as a journalist do not feed into. In this business you have to be unbiased.

JackThriller.com- This is suppose to be about music and news, but it is more so gossip. I want my users to view me as an profession woman in the industry, not a person seeking to put a story out about Kim K and her child going to their local Target to but diapers.

Please provide 2 website addresses of sites you like and which features stand out to you the most *
AnalogLady.com- I like this website because it’s clean and easy for the user to travel through pages. There is a search engine, you can see the logo at the upper left hand corner . That keeps my attention. I also like how all of her social networking links are on the front page.

RoadArtProductions.com- This has a little bit of the same layout. It’s clean, you see the logo on the left hand corner, all the social media links, and the navigation menu.

How you would like to use these features on your site. *
AnalogLady.com- I am seeking something like this look. Yet, I do want a navigation menu for *about, resume, portfolio, contact, services, skills, testimonials/endorsements, and a photo scrap book/ pop out collage.

RoadArtProductions.com- Same as analoglady.com but add the navigation menu .

Do you have a logo or would one need to be created/modified?  *
I do have a logo, yet if you are willing to modify it, please let me know and I can send it with the images.

Are you going to provide photos? *
Yes I am.

Are you interested in selling merchandise or accept payments via your new website? *
I do plan on selling merchandise with my #NOWTHATSHIPHOP brand on it but that will be at a later date. Yet I do collect payments through PayPal, so I would like to add a PayPal link to the website, if possible.

Will you be adding your own content to the website? *
Yes I am.

Do you have a requested deadline for the launch of the website? *
Yes I do.  The deadline is December 13, 2014


[SUBMIT]

Thank you for your time, someone will contact you in the matter of two to three business days.
  

Week 3 Exploration: Digging Deeper

For this Exploration assignment, I choose 3 articles from the MCBS WDC Diigo Resources to review and address. These articles were “11 Inspiring Minimalistic Web Designs”, “Creating A Successful Online Portfolio”, and “Ernest Hemingway’s Top 5 Tips for Writing Well”. I choose to review these 3 articles for many different reasons.

I wanted to review the “11 Minimalistic Web Designs”, because I am becoming more interested in building and working on websites. I would even say my own so I can save money. From reading this article, I learned that all the designers listed put together different layouts and ideas, but they were inspiring and inviting to my eyes. This is something that I want to bring to the table, showing that less can sometimes be more. I know that I am going to apply what I have seen from this article for my best benefit. I know with me working on a site, I want the visitor coming to my site to feel welcomed and not overwhelmed with some much content that may not be useful for me to use.

http://webdesignledger.com/inspiration/11-inspiring-minimalistic-web-designs?utm_content=buffer06d98&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer

Next I wanted to read up on the article called “Ernest Hemingway’s Top 5 Tips for Writing Well”. This was a very inspiring article due to the fact that I am a journalist, and I am always open to learning and perfecting my craft. One thing I know I am guilty of is writing long sentences. This is the first thing NOT to do. Getting straight to the point gets your point across to the user. Another tip that I enjoyed was “Be Positive, not negative.” Can you see how simple and to the point that sentence was. Just like the last article, I am going to apply to the site I am building and also to my writing in my career as a journalist. I want to keep everyone’s attention, yet not bombard his or her brain.

http://www.copyblogger.com/ernest-hemingway-top-5-tips-for-writing-well/ 

Last but not least, I read “Creating A Successful Online Portfolio”. This is where I really got into, because I plan on using this online portfolio personal use. This article gave me plenty of insight on how to make it easy to use, stays on my objectives, and how to professionally manage this site. I have already made a “Facebook Like” page with over 900 likes in one day. Which I am very proud about to add to my Twitter, Instagram, Google +, and LinkedIn accounts. I also learned from this article like the other 2 articles that less is more. I have realized that I should only have the most important and informal for the visitors that may want to network or want my services. Yes, you already know that I am going to use the information that I learned from this article for my website. I have to make sure I don’t over cram information, have a navigation in order, stay away from visual clutter. I know that it is going to take time to make the greatest website/online portfolio. Yet, this is the reason why we have these classes. Closed minds cannot elevate and I am ready for the next level!

http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2008/03/04/creating-a-successful-online-portfolio/

 

MCBS Portfolio Project Submission 2

MCBS Portfolio Project Submission: Slaughterhouse Interview For ThatsHipHop.com

Star Rating Sought: 

2 Star Approval Rating 

Project Description: 

I have been writing for many publications and websites for years now. I wanted to submit an interview that I held with Shady/Aftermath's Super Hip Hop Group "Slaughterhouse" I hope you all enjoy. 

Link to Deliverable:

Slaughterhouse Interview for ThatsHipHop.com

Feedback Received: 

I always received great feedback for my work. I am hoping that instructor enjoys this interview and leans something about 4 men that I truly respect in the music industry. 

Resources Utilized: 

A tape recorder, Microsoft Word, and Word Press. 

Week 2 Project: Soft Launch

Welcome To Holy Magdalena Cupcake Express!

Self Assessment: 

I am actually proud of the website that I have created for this company. I will also say that I met all of the provisions that I outlined in my proposal. I even took time out to start social networking accounts for Mr. Archer. There are more things I would like to add to the site to make it a little more snazzier, yet I know that Mr. Archer wanted the website to be simple for any user to access. Everything that I offered in the proposal was delivered on time to the client. I will say that the most challenging part of this process was actually trying to design the site. I know the more I learn, the more I will be about to conquer this process in the future. I would like to go deeper by adding some more colors to the website. I hope I will be able to do it because this was made off a free account on WordPress.com. I know just having it plain white may be a little boring. I would also like to add a Google map app to the website.