Blog Week 4

Is it always a good thing that virtually anyone with a computer can create a website?

For the most part, I beleive it is an incredibly positive thing. The Wiki we use at work has enabled hundreds of average employees to create their own work related site. A site where they can store all their most commonly used information (phone lists, maps, procedures, workflows, job aides, helpful hints, links to internal as well as external sites.) Their site, once approved, is visible to all their co-workers within and outside their own departments. We are sharing information at the click of a mouse speed - it has been an incredible journey.

I also beleive the family and personal sites have allowed those who live far away to feel more in touch than ever before. So, to that end I find this element of website design to be positive.

The only drawback is that the same power is available to individuals with less than desirable and less than moral motives.

Advantages to creating your own website:

• Cost is substantually less
• Changes/updates are inexpensive and can be completed with less red tape
• There is a certain satisfaction knowing that you created the site on your own
• Anyone can do it with minimal technical skills
• There is a ton of information available to help you build your site
• Your site could get discovered and you can keep all the profits

Disadvantages to creating your own website:

• It takes lots of patience and time to build one that is complex

Difference between usability and accessibility, why are they important?

• Usability of a website refers to how easy it is to navigate a website to find what you need or desire. Usability is important because web surfers scan for information and if they do not find what they are looking for at first glance they will either become frustrated or move on.
• Accessibility refers to how accessible a site is through search engines, are the keywords associated with a site pushing it toward the top of the search results list? Accessiblitiy is important because if a site is not easily found it does no one any good.

Note on Frontpage - I found this software very easy to use (its "usability"rating is high). Unfortunately, it is not an application I am doubtfull anyone in our class will use due to its obsolete nature and due to all the Web 2.0 apps available now.

Note on Photoshop - I found photoshop vague and full of technical jargon only a certified professional photographer would understand. There could certainly be an entire elective class devoted to teaching photoshop - I'd be interested in it. I beleive once you understand the jargon it is a remarkable application.

I am learning a tremendous amount in this class that I will be able to put to good use. Just the right amount of HTML knowledge. I would challenge Albright to provide the applications being taught in future classes since nearly every DCP student is doing homework long past the time the satelite office is closed since most have fulltime jobs.