Decisions, Decisions

Content and Color

2008-07-21T22:58:00.001-04:00

I've been researching some more and have found plenty of content. Paring down is definitely still going to be an issue. I keep jotting down details that I think are just too important to ignore but that list is getting longer and longer. I may eliminate the Eastern PA fishing locales page if I get too bogged down with the other pages. I'm leaning towards just learning how to fish in general rather than tying it down to any one location. I love the concise simplicity of many of the last class' websites. Creating an outline will be a must; and if I set the page limit to the minimum boundary in my mind, I may actually come closer to that number rather than the maximum number of pages which is usually always the norm for me.

I've actually made some progress with colors. I have a couple of favorite individual colors in mind as well as a couple of five color palettes that may work which I found on ColorBlender (thanks again, Michelle). One is a very rich looking bright brown color that is painted the walls of my hairdresser's salon. The other is the dark teal color previously mentioned. I'm shocked that I've overcome my fear of color so earlier in the game and have found it interesting.

Playing with Palettes

2008-07-18T21:11:00.002-04:00

One of the reasons the walls in my house remained white for so many years was because I hated trying to choose a color from those tiny paint chips that the home improvement stores supply. After hours of deliberation, my ultimate choice would either end up not looking like what I expected or look great until it morphed into some hideous shade when the lighting changed in the room.

At this point, I've decided to stay away from the obvious blues and greens that might ordinarily compliment a fishing website (although I might sneak my favorite dark teal in somewhere.) Looking through the previous students' websites, I've also decided that I like the darker color screen background with a lighter color web page. Other than that, I think it might be best to wait and see how the pictures look on the page for any final color choices.

Saving Noodling for Another Day

2008-07-15T15:03:00.003-04:00

Thanks for the interest in my topic. Sorry to disappoint everyone but I will not be including cleaning and gutting fish. Although we used to do this for many years, we are on a strictly "catch & release" basis now. The lake is privately owned and does not get stocked at all so in an effort to maintain the quality of our fishing fun & the natural habitat of the lake, we've been letting them go on their merry way. As far as Noodling goes, would you want to stick your hand into an underwater hole to see if you could catch a catfish bigger than you? I'll stick to live bait, lures and a bass or two - thank you very much.

I'm going through the page organization and research process now (don't even want to think color or layout yet). After introducing the topic, I know I'll be including a page about necessities (gear, fishing licenses, boat permits, local fishing regulations, safety and must bring items), a getting started and how-to page, and maybe a page about locations and lodging in Eastern PA with directions or maybe I'll go with a glossary page. I definitely have lots of info and will need to pare things down if one of our five pages is an "About Me" page.

Old time Pastime

2008-07-12T11:48:00.006-04:00

I think I've found my topic. Perusing years of family (albeit headless) photos at Lake Como, I noticed that everyone, regardless of generation, is in at least one picture that shows them with a fishing pole in the water. I guess that finally made me realize that - yes, I do have a hobby (even though it is dormant for most of the year.) Freshwater fishing is something that has always greatly interested my husband since he was a child and was introduced to me almost immediately after we met. The topic may seem uninteresting to the electronically inclined generation. However, I hope to capture the audience with combination of both the necessary and intricate details involved as well as the serenity and rewarding aspects of the sport. The photo I used here (my husband blending into a spectacularly lit, tranquil evening) is actually a scan of a copy. It looks grainy on the screen so I think I better stick to some of the original prints and later digital photos.

Hunting for Ideas

2008-07-10T23:16:00.003-04:00

I decided to look through some family photo albums for inspiration and as a reminder of what I used to do for fun before grad school. The first thing I discovered is that no one in the family can take a picture. No heads, blurred features - just what were we taking pictures of anyway? There does seem to be one consistent theme throughout the albums though and that's our annual family vacations at Lake Como, Pa. I think I might look a little closer and see what I might come up with on this topic.

First Entry of My First Personal Blog

2008-07-08T20:11:00.000-04:00

I am designing my first website for a course that I am taking at Drexel University's iSchool. The course is INFO652 which is one of two courses that I am taking this summer. The other course is INFO680 - Government Documents.

I am thinking about several topics for my website. I may want to design a site about Monarch butterflies and educational resources for both educators and students and parents. I might want to make a site about places I have visited like Gettysburg, Capri, or Pompeii. I also may want to make a basic site for a library.