I will work on curating the type of posts I want to post on my site. I would love to change colors and find an aesthetic pleasing to me. I want to choose a theme that is easy for me to use but also fits the requirements my website needs.

Other than learning how to make gifs and creating my website, what I truly got out of CT 101 was my narration of storytelling. At the beginning of the class, I was merely answering the questions asked by the professor in the same format he asked them. For example, if the professor asked the questions “How do you feel about this assignment?” and “How are you going to apply what you learned from the last assignment to the next?”, I would answer his questions by saying “1. I felt that this assignment…” and “2. I am going to apply what I learned from the last assignment to the next by…”. Even though I would be answering the questions, there would be no storytelling going on- just me answering questions. Once the professor told me this and I realized the difference, the changes made my posts better by having an increase of engagement with others. 

I enjoyed the part in the semester where we got to choose what assignment from the DS106 Assignment Repository we wanted to do. There were so many options to choose from and many of them were interesting. Though I am not advanced for some of the choices such as using Photoshop, all of those assignments had unique purposes. Therefore, skills are required to bring these assignments to life. That is why I can see myself using the skills I have now because of this class, outside of this class by creating my projects to monetize from and promote my capabilities to gain attraction.

This is why I plan on maintaining my website. The website gave me a push to be a part of social media (even if there is no face attached to it) in a positive way. I want to keep uploading blogs and discover new topics to write about. And especially since I am graduating this semester, there is no need for me to waste time. I can implement what I know from CT 101 and gradually learn to keep my site engaging, interesting, and relevant.

Though my domain name was different from how I wanted my website to be, I am glad that I made my website the way it is. At first, my domain name was crochetedbymish.com to sell crochet pieces. After realizing how difficult that would be, I decided to do something else that I have been wanting to do. That would be having my blog site. Therefore, I used this opportunity to do so, even though I do not have the domain name to match. I know that the coupon we used to register gave us access for free to create the domain name, so maybe I will continue my website somewhere else so that I do not have to pay.

The website I ended up creating, starts with the welcome page giving a brief background about who I am and why the website was created. Then I have a list of topics that will be talked about on my site. I wrote two blogs about two of the topics, followed by my contact information and soon-to-be contact information. My site (https://crochetedbymish.com/) does not look like much but I spent so much time on it. The frustrations I had were that what I wrote was not being seen on the website, as if it were hidden. I spent so much time retrieving information and going back and forth to make sure information was present. Another frustration I had was that there was no edit button to remove the photos on certain parts of the site. I wanted to replace those photos but since there was no option with the theme I chose (2017), I found a way to remove them completely. Overall, building the website was not a bad experience. I would say patience is needed. 

I feel as if I deserve at least an A because even though as of recently I have been slacking off (such as in handing homework at a later date compared to when I would usually hand the assignments in), I always hand in homework and make sure they are of quality. 

My experience with registering for my domain name was surprisingly easy. The steps were straightforward and the process was quick.

With the original domain name I chose to register, the site would not let me (m&mpieces.com). Therefore, I went with my next best option which was crochetedbymish.com. I chose a name under crochet because if I were to take my site seriously and have it longer for a year (since that is how long the coupon will last), a crochet site is something I can start with to make pieces out of. 

Though it has been a while since I have crocheted, I know it is something I can easily pick back up and learn new skills. After registering my domain name, I realized I should have come up with a better name due to my domain being close to the same as others. The only difference is the person’s name. There is no going back, so this is what I have to stick with. Especially since once a domain name is created, there is no editing it. At least the good thing is that I did not have to pay, especially for a domain name that I am not satisfied with/not my first pick. 

Hairstyling:

mishstylz.com

Crocheting:

m&mpieces.com

crochetedbymish.com

Art: 

m&martz.com

artbymish.comz

These domain names are all simple and capture what each page will be about with my nickname (Mish)/combination of my initials (Mishla Mendel).

Considering that this will be my first website, this experience will be interesting. I need practice in each interest but if I want to take these practices seriously, my business will grow. I never imagined having my website because I never thought big so this will be one step into taking myself seriously.

I am doing great in CT 101. I have learned to create things I engaged in before knowing how to create them. Examples are meme-making, gif-making, and using other platforms to create that will be useful in the future.

I never questioned how people made memes because I was not interested in making my own. You do not have to have connections to know special programs, now that I know there are free websites open for anyone to use.

I am maintaining an A+. I deserve this grade because other than attending class in person every time, I hand in quality work. Also, I take into account what the prof. says such as suggestions to improve my posts and I implement the advice to my posts. I always comment on my peers’ posts with engaging commentary or questions and I do not have missing assignments.

I see my blogging expanding when it comes to creativity because I use better gifs geared toward what I say. I am not sure how I would improve since there is always room for improvement, so I am open to suggestions.

I regularly comment on my classmates’ posts and I have responded to my prof.’s comments on my posts. However, I have not responded to my classmates after they responded to my post. However, I will go back and implement these comments so this is something I can improve on. I do not participate during class time as much, but I do here and there. I do not participate regularly because I put my attention to completing blog posts. However, I engage more during lab time since I stay for the duration of class time to continue working.

         

 

Depending on the type of projects I do, should determine how many projects I do this semester. I say this because some projects can be a mixture of the assignment bank, requiring more skills and time. Also, the tools I should be using can require complicated steps. However, if the assignments are not a mixture of skills, then I would say I should do a couple of projects in the semester.

These skills are important because I can create projects of my own. As a result, I can create content that will benefit me by having viewers engage with my content. I can gain followers, likes, and business proposals because of the skills implemented in my work.

To be honest, I am not sure what I am passionate about. I can see my potential passions being such as dance and drawing or painting, but since I have not taken them seriously over the past years, I would not classify them as being passions for me. If dance were to be serious (as in me going to dance classes or being on an official dance team), then I could see dance being a passion. I am open to learning different genres.

The types I like as of right now are Hip-hop and Afro-beats. The same thing applies to art. I stopped drawing a few years ago, so if I were to be consistent, it is possible that drawing could also be a passion. I have been dancing and drawing since I was younger (since elementary). I do not remember when I started dancing, but I would be a part of shows from my afterschool to perform at different places. Other than hip-hop and Afro beats, I have learned a little from different genres such as ballet, modern dance, tap dancing, and more.

For drawing, I do not know when I drew for myself but I was decent at it since I would have assignments and projects for school. Also, when I drew for myself, I would draw from what I saw on the internet and draw as precisely from what I saw. I did not draw realistically as in drawing people (unless they were cartoons or anime characters) or drawing at the moment what I saw in real life.

After reading What is a Passion? it confirmed that art and dance are not passions for me as of right now. I say this because passion “refers to a strong feeling of enthusiasm or excitement either from something or about doing something”. With the 10 steps of how to find your passion, I am open to looking into it to help me.

What I liked about the reading was that not only does it give tips for finding your passion and what to do after you find your passion, but it also differentiates the difference between passions and hobbies. People tend to associate their hobbies with their passions (there is nothing wrong with that) but not realizing that your hobbies do not have to be your passion. Overall, this reading can help me dig deeper into exploring other passions and/or taking my potential passions seriously.

I found that memes are a kind of art form. As https://yodoozy.com/memes-are-a-form-of-art/ stated, the meaning of art varies for everyone. Art is how people communicate their concepts and feelings. Therefore, memes allow people to express themselves effectively. To support this, in https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9Zyswk07vg, the narrator stated that art is people creating images and sharing them with strangers. The purpose of this creation is to communicate personal experiences. This is where memes follow that criteria.  On the other hand, https://spokenvision.com/can-memes-be-considered-art/ discusses why memes can be considered art and why they can not. Memes can be considered art because memes fall into the definition of art. The counter-argument is that memes have no artistic value. In addition, memes are silly because they are for “cheap laughs”.  

The meme above is referencing Vampire Diaries. A powerful vampire named Klaus liked to have everything his way. When his family members would not go along with his plan, he would kill them (temporarily). This meme could be considered as a cheap laugh but this meme has value to me because I understood the reference and it is funny.

Since memes are here to stay, this can be both good and bad for art. A pro of memes staying is that they can enhance what art is and add to it. More ideas and expressions can expand, develop, and inspire others. This pro is good for communication because everyone can add their input or share the input of others. The con of memes is that people can eventually be interested in only seeing memes and not other types of art because they are easy to access. Therefore, typical art could lose its value. Memes can be bad for communication because not everyone will understand or relate to what memes are saying. As a result, misinterpretations will rise. To me, not only are memes forms of self-expression but also great reaction responses, conversation starters, easing tension in conversations, and creating jokes and laughs. For example: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTLdbbssh/ 

I do not see memes used as much for storytelling because they are for straightforward jokes but memes can be used for storytelling. They can be used for storytelling by summarizing the key points or plot in movies, books, and shows. They are used in my experience here on the Web through summarized phrases or in a sentence. Also, memes summarize the personalities of characters either through pictures or videos.

This meme is from One Piece and summarizes the captain (Luffy) because not only is he friendly, but he likes to befriend people that look like you should avoid. 

1. On the first day of CT101, I thought the Prof. was chill and he had a sense of humor. The class was going to be easy and chill. After all, this class is not like other classes where there are deadlines and the homework would be different because the class is based on media and its tools.

2. I liked hearing about the course because I felt that it could be useful when I want to build an online identity, whether for business or content reasons. It made me feel confused because I was unsure of what the class entailed and how I imagined what the classwork/homework was somewhat different. For example, when reading the course description and mentioning “build an online identity” and “narrate”, I thought of voiceovers through pictures and videos to tell stories. I see I was wrong because instead of voiceovers or showing our faces, we use pictures and videos to express something.

3. Compared to my other classes, CT101 is not heavily lectured or requires a lot of reading. However, since this class is easygoing, it will be easy for me to fall behind. If I give myself deadlines for this class and stick to them, I will be fine. I want to be sure I am caught up with what is happening in class and know how to do my assignments.

4. The creative potentials of this class are learning how to make my edits and incorporate edits and designs to expand on a topic. Overall, I will be capable of creating endless ideas for materials based on social media purposes.

          Giphy (left)                  Imgur (right)

5. Learning new skills that use Internet tools is interesting and would take me some time to navigate. With Imgur, I thought it was straightforward. I felt that way because I was creating a meme instead of a gif. When I realized this, I was lost because I did not know where and how to turn my picture into a gif. With Giphy, it was easier because the site told me that the picture was still a picture and showed me the options to turn it into a gif. From there, I was able to make the gif. I do not know if it is because I did not know how to navigate Imgur, but it seems as if Giphy gives more options to be creative (I have the option to add stickers, effects, and more). Overall, creating my gifs for the first time was surprisingly easy. I went on Google to look for a certain emotion, uploaded the pictures to Giphy, and then turned them into gifs.

6. When I read the article “A Brief History of the GIF, From Early Internet Innovation to Ubiquitous Relic”, the first thing that shocked me was that gifs were created 30 years ago. I thought they were more recent (less than 10 years ago). Jason Eppink stated, “Before, Gifs were dressing up the content” but now “the Gif itself has become the destination”. This quote made me wonder how long gifs will have relevance. It is obvious that gifs are not going anywhere any time soon, but how long until there is an end to them?

I have always seen activities in the city on TikTok. But this week, my friend and I have done some of these activities. For example, we went to SkyScape. We chose the museum/interactive games option. We were able to engage in games that spies would need the skills for such as detecting lies (choosing who lied and who told the truth by learning about body language for when people lie), paying attention to detail (we looked at many security cameras to find specific people/things), agility (pressing as many buttons as we could without setting off lasers), etc. I was happy because I was not in the house as usual. Also, I was able to enjoy myself with someone I cared about. Overall, TikTok has helped me be outside and have fun. In addition, exploring new things that I did not know existed or were available in the city.