Final blog post!

This will be my last post on this blog, so I'm going to take the opportunity to link to the website I built for the class: ginacole.net.

Speaking of that, here is a video someone made about the importance of putting your name on your portfolio website (instead of making up a title for it):

The programs
I already knew several of the programs we used -- InDesign, Photoshop, Audacity -- but had never used Dreamweaver or GoDaddy before. I'm so glad I know how to make and post a working website now! It will be awesome to have a website to direct potential freelance clients (and potential full-time employers) to.

Although I didn't feel like I learned many new tricks in InDesign (that program and I became best friends during my time editing The Western Front), I enjoyed improving on the others. I used Adobe Audition at KUGS-FM more than I used Audacity, so it was great to get more familiar with that program because I don't have Audition on my home computer. Also, I have only edited photos in Photoshop, so I'm glad I learned more about the various effects and layers and how to make things look a certain way.

Blogging
I have a blog of my own, but I'm not great about updating it on a regular basis. When I kept a blog of my time living in Italy, I wasn't all that faithful to it, either (too busy enjoying Italy!). One of the things I plan to do now that I'm graduating and have more time on my hands is to update my blog on a more regular basis. I always liked writing blogs for the Front; it will be fun to devote myself to my own brand instead.

In that vein, I started watching a YouTube series about building a successful blog. His focus is on making money, but I would be content to just get some readers. He says something interesting in the third part of the series: decide how many hours a week you want to spend blogging. Simple, right? But I always thought of blogging in terms of posts, not hours spent. Maybe if I think of it in terms of "OK, I'm going to spend this much time focusing on my blog," I will get more consistent results.
Ignore his hair visor (seriously, how much gel and hairspray did that take?) and watch:

This was a great class. The individual website and the podcast were my favorite assignments, but I enjoyed the group website and the class activities a ton as well. Thanks for everything, Jason!