Monday, July 18, 2011

Homework #10

CSS: What it is and how we use it everyday

The CSS is the basic system of making your website aesthetically pleasing to the eye and using design to make the website manageable. CSS is short for Cascading Style Sheets. This technology is the second most important and widely used information used on the Web. "CSS is a rule-based language that applies styling to your HTML elements-- you write rules in CSS that select various groups of elements, and modify properties of those elements such as text color, background color, width, border thickness, font size ect." In CSS you have different types of rule sets, which are often just called rules. They include such things as a selector, declaration block, property/ value pairs, and a declaration. There are different types of CSS that you have to decide would be best for the web you are using. There is Inline CSS which has and internal and external style sheet. With CSS, you choose exactly how you want your page to look by the small details you choose.

Benefits of CSS

Can create something of your own to share with the world.
Can make things more correct according to the principles of design
Is ever changing to give more options and to better the Web

GO TO LDS.ORG

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Homework #9

I was not in attendance for Brother Roberston's presentation.

The article I read in place of it can be found at :http://www.articlecity.com/articles/web_design_and_development/article_2732.shtml

This article explains the basics of web design. Design and development is almost the same as print design, but there is a lot of code used to make things aesthetically pleasing. Good design and good web design go hand in hand, in the sense that you must have good design to have a great website. "If anyone has the right understanding about the elements that appropriately suits with a good design, then one will undoubtedly have a Web page that works well. One applies those elements of good design if and when one is producing a web page, a business card, or a raiment logo, and once one makes out them and their necessities and differences, one will acquire the skills and expertise that requires for becoming a great web designer." When a website is live on the internet, there are all chances that visitors may come to the web pages of the website. On visiting the website, visitors may want to know what the purpose of the website is. And for this reason, they may go to one page to another. This is called navigation. There should be all browser compatible navigation interfaces, where from the visitors can move through one page to another and see the objectives of the website as a whole and at the same time see the image and graphic application. The purpose of a website design is well fulfilled only if the website is professionally designed and in this case professional web designing tops the list of priorities. Only a professionally designed website can bring in desired business and return on investment on a quicker pace.

Try it Excersise

HTML Elements

HTML documents are defined by HTML elements.

HTML Elements

An HTML element is everything from the start tag to the end tag:

Start tag *	Element content	End tag *
<p>	This is a paragraph	</p>
<a href="default.htm" >	This is a link	</a>
<br />

* The start tag is often called the opening tag. The end tag is often called the closing tag.

HTML Element Syntax

An HTML element starts with a start tag / opening tag
An HTML element ends with an end tag / closing tag
The element content is everything between the start and the end tag
Some HTML elements have empty content
Empty elements are closed in the start tag
Most HTML elements can have attributes

Tip: You will learn about attributes in the next chapter of this tutorial.

Nested HTML Elements

Most HTML elements can be nested (can contain other HTML elements).
HTML documents consist of nested HTML elements.

HTML Document Example

<html>

<body>
This is my first paragraph.
</body>

</html>

The example above contains 3 HTML elements.

HTML Example Explained

The element:

This is my first paragraph.

The element defines a paragraph in the HTML document.
The element has a start tag and an end tag .
The element content is: This is my first paragraph.
The <body> element:

<body>
This is my first paragraph.
</body>

The <body> element defines the body of the HTML document.
The element has a start tag <body> and an end tag </body>.
The element content is another HTML element (a p element).
The <html> element:

<html>

<body>
This is my first paragraph.
</body>

</html>

The <html> element defines the whole HTML document.
The element has a start tag <html> and an end tag </html>.
The element content is another HTML element (the body element).

Don't Forget the End Tag

Some HTML elements might display correctly even if you forget the end tag:

This is a paragraph
This is a paragraph

The example above works in most browsers, because the closing tag is considered optional.
Never rely on this. Many HTML elements will produce unexpected results and/or errors if you forget the end tag .

Empty HTML Elements

HTML elements with no content are called empty elements.
 is an empty element without a closing tag (the tag defines a line break).
Tip: In XHTML, all elements must be closed. Adding a slash inside the start tag, like , is the proper way of closing empty elements in XHTML (and XML).

Homework #8

1. An HTML tag is a way to make things bold, italic, or underlined for example. You can do this by putting as an example, in front of your text to create a bold effect, and then to end it putting . Tags can also be the structure of the website such as the head, body, and other aspects.

2. One website that describes most of the html tags available is http://www.quackit.com/html/tags/

3. CSS is a way to style your page. It helps you position the elements on your page, to make it look aesthetically pleasing.

4. A great website for CSS properties and examples is http://www.blooberry.com/indexdot/css/propindex/all.htm

5. The following tag is used to add an image to your html website or document. You would put image and then the source, and then the file name. <img src=”jimmyr.png”/>

6. The title tag allows the developer to have the tag at the top of the website as the title. It would be on a tab, or near the tool bar. <title>

7. The tag <div> divides the page. It gives some structure to your page.

8. The <style> tag is an CSS tag and allows the designer to change things such as the background, what color, the font and so forth.

9. The tag <a href="http://www.byui.edu"> would allow a piece of text on your page to be linked to another page. So if we had text such as BYUI and on your html document, you have <a href="http://www.byui.edu:> BYUI </a>, then the BYUI text would be linked to the website that you have anchored it to.

I was not in attendance for Sister Esplin's presentation.

Homework #7

Chapter 8 & 9:

1. Content map: This is a way to organize your content outline. In general, it looks like a spider web and it connects links together to direct you from page to page. Whether your content outline is small or large, take the time to create a content map to help the project team visualize the structure of the site.

2. Page description diagrams: Also known as the PPD, this is used to clearly communicate the strategic content priorities for a page, without stepping into the visual designer's territory of effective layout. A page description diagram:

Lists all content chunks that belong on a specific page
Prioritizes each chunk of content
Removes visual design (Color, font, layout) from this stage of the conversation.

3. Wireframe: A wireframe is a bare-bones layout of a web page. It is a simple drawing of the chunks of information and functionality for key pages in the site. You will want to create a wireframe for the home page, each unique second level page, and any other significantly different pages on the site. Wire frames include the containers for all the major elements of the page. Elements include navigation, placeholders for images, content and functional elements (like search), and footer. Wireframes do not include any reference to color, typography, or visual imagery.

4. Storyboards for interactive design: A storyboard is a high-level illustation of a key user scenario. Creating a storyboard for key interactive elements in the site is useful in helping the project team understand what brought the user to the site, the situational context, and what they are trying to do. Questions to consider when constructing the storyboard include:

What are the thoughts that trigger the user to comet to your site?
How does the user get the site?
What is the user specifically wanting to accomplish?
What path does the user take to get what they need?
What is going on around the user while they are trying to accomplish their task? Are other people present? Is anyone helping them? Are they focused or distracted?
What happens when the user finishes the task? Are they satisfies? Did you give them a helpful confirmation? Is this a good time to tempt them with similar services or information?

Guest Speaker: Brother Hodges

Brother Hodges is working on the new school website that is in beta mode. He started soon after school, working on the website. He at one time was the lead developer and manager of the site. He explained the importance of learning how to design and develop a site early on in school so you can have as much experience as you can. The site has taken years to build and its taken a team of multiple people, who have come and gone. They have conducted surveys for the website to make it better and have had people test run the site to find the bugs that might be occurring with the site. Brother Hodges also explained that if you do not gain the necessary knowledge to build a website while in school, it will be much harder in the long run when you need to have problem solving skills. With his knowledge and the opportunity to know how to build and manage a website, he is more confident with going out to the work force and being able to critically think problems and solve them fully and easily.

Homework #6

Article:

RFPs: The Least Creative Way to Hire People

The article explained to me the fact that there is no great way to have bids on how to hire someone. This was explained to me by using the high school scene. You got invited to an exclusive party, but it was just a competition between people. For the creative industry and even government agencies make this the standard of hiring people and it is even required. This is the leave creative way to hire people by far. When doing an RFPs, (Request For Proposal) they can be a hassle and can do more harm than help. When writing a proposal, you take time, which costs money. In turn, you must charge the client more for the work you do for them. The author says this about RFPs: "Our team is made up of designers, developers, and strategists. We heavily rely on our proposals to perform “show and tell” for us when we can’t in person. We spend a lot of time honing our language, articulating our solutions, and actually making the proposals themselves beautiful. In fact, we spent several months overhauling all of our document styles to maximize readability, consistency, and adherence to our brand." In the end, this process can do great things for you, and help you make a ton of money, or it can hinder your business and use up a lot of time.

Guest Speaker: Brother Memmott

Brother Memmott is a Graphic Design teacher here on campus, but he not only deals with graphic design in print, he works with web, motion, and even 3D graphic design. When he was explaining the importance of not only knowing your specialty, but knowing a bit about everyone's duties on the team. If you are a designer, you should know somewhat about the developing aspect. If you are a developer, you should know a bit about designing. As a team, you don't just focus on your occupation. You help each other out and give suggestions to make your project a success. He explained to us how graphic design is so important for the design part of the web design and develop process because you have to know what is aesthetically pleasing and what is not as catchy.

Homework #5

Web design not only takes codes, and design elements, but it takes business aspects to make a website fully developed. There are eleven steps that should be taken in order to start your own web business.

Step 1: Developing an Idea for Your Business.
When deciding what you want to do for your business, you should research some ideas before you make your final decision.

Step 2: Develop Your Business Plan
A business plan is a step-by-step plan for short term and long term process in building your web business. It will help for creating success and fine tuning your business. When you have a plan, you will be more focused and can have an easier path for success.

Step 3: Choose a Business Structure
"The next step in the process of starting your own business is to choose a business structure, also known as a legal structure, for your new company. Of all the choices you make when starting a business, one of the most critical is the type of legal structure you select for your company, which will directly affect how much you’ll have to pay in taxes, and the amount of personal liability you’ll be faced with. The type of business structure that you select will also affect your ability to raise capital, establish business credit and borrow money." Along with the legal structure if there is a partnership, you must decide how it will work.

Step 4: Opening a Business Checking Account
Within this step, there are six steps to create a checking account.
#1 Gather Your Paperwork

Articles of Incorporation (applicable for C-corporations or S-corporations only) OR your Articles of Organization (applicable for Limited Liability Companies only)
Cash, check or money order for opening account balance deposit
Business License (if local authorities require one for your category of business)
Employer Identification Number (EIN) or Social Security Number
Photo identification such as a driver’s license or state-issued ID card
Second identification card with name and signature of account holder

#2: Visit Your Local Bank.
#3: Complete Your Application.
#4:Make your Initial Deposit
#5: Ordering Your Checks
#6: Using your account

Step 5:Choosing your Domain Name
Choosing your domain name is one of the single most important decisions that you’ll ever make in your business, believe it or not. Given the importance of selecting a domain name, it’s essential that you have a plan when picking a domain name.

Step 6:Selecting a Web Host
This is so important because if you choose the wrong host, such as based on price, you can end up paying more thanks to hassles.

Step 7: Building your Website
There are 2 different routes that you can take when building a website:

Build from Scratch
Use Website Building Software

Some people are comfortable building their own from scratch, but if not qualified, a website software is the best option.

Step 8: How to accept Credit Cards without a Merchant Account
There are two ways to accept credit cards on your website:

Setting Up Your Own Merchant Account
Using a “Free” Merchant Account or Payment Gateway

Step 9: Optimize your website for Search Engines
Your ability to rank in the search engines will depend upon your ability to optimize your website but will also largely depend on how competitive the industry or market segment is that you’re competing in. A highly competitive market will require the same SEO principles but may also require a much longer time line to see results from your efforts. So, if you’re competing in a competitive market, try to keep your short-term ranking expectations in-check. Ranking in a competitive market takes time, and in some cases, a very long time (years.)

Step 10: Advertising and Marketing your Business

Is your website fully built out?
Is it attractive and user-friendly?
Have you done your keyword research and employed those keywords on your pages?
Is the content or information on your site good quality and appropriate for your target audience?
Have you employed the SEO basics that we previously discussed for optimizing your web site?

After all of this, you must do more such as be a part of your community, blog on your site and keep it updated so people can connect with you through your blog.

Step 11: Accounting and Financial Management for New Business Owners

Income Statement (or Profit & Loss)
Balance Sheet
Cash Flow Statement
Statement of Retained Earnings

I was not present for Brother Lundin's presentation.

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Homework #4

A
As I was reading this talk by Elder Ballard, I continued to think that I have made a lot of excuses for not sharing the gospel. When I think about sharing the gospel, I think, "I'm at BYU-Idaho. Everyone here is probably Mormon. I don't need to share my beliefs because we should believe in the same thing." But this talk gave me new insight because I was more able to realize I can make a difference and tell people what I think and know to be true, just by posting a simple facebook status or making a blog. If we have the means to share the Gospel of Christ, I think that we should more than be willing to serve our Heavenly Father in a positive and uplifting manner.

B

https://mormonorg.lds.org/profile/preview/eng/