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English 309
309 Term Project
Term Work
Semester Wrap-up

English 405

 
 

 

English 309 Semester
Wrap-Up

 

Abstract
For my Fall 2002 semester in English 309 I decided to create a website that focused on website management, design, and maintenance, particularly fixing broken links. My website is basically a "how to" that explains good website design and management practices, and is targeted towards Newbies who may not know the very basics of what should and should not be included on a website. 

Links
 www.oocities.org/wonderfulkel/manindex

Accomplishments

I felt that I learned a lot this semester. I am by no means anywhere near being an expert in website design, but looking back on the first web pages I created I have come along way. I even see a big difference from the web pages I created at the beginning of the semester. During class time I learned how to better set up navigation and learned more about page layout and design. While doing research for my term paper and my semester project I also learned things about website design and usability that I had never thought about.      

Difficulties Encountered

  • FrontPage
    Frontpage also gave me a few problems because it adds a lot of junk to the HTML coding, leading to problems with the spacing and margins on the pages. Luckily, I have some background in HTML, so I was able to go in and edit the HTML, fixing the glitches. 

  • Page Design
    I was not sure whether I wanted to extend my pages to the full screen length, or cut them shorter in order to avoid the Geocities advertisements. I went back and forth from the two designs a couple of times, but finally settled on a shorter width that would avoid any ads.

  • Technological Problems
    My computer gave me a headache at times while doing this project. I had problems with losing work, and ended up having to redo some of my web pages.

  • Uploading
    I had a hard time uploading from the Geocities "easy upload" page. Sometimes the pages or graphics I was attempting to upload would not upload and I would have to repeatedly try again. Sometimes the problem was my fault (I forgot to name the page) and sometimes it was just a glitch in Geocities.  

  • User Testing
    I got a lot of positive comments back after user testing, but not very many critical comments that helped me to improve my website. The class's feedback was the most helpful response I got, and they definitely helped me to better my website.

Helpful Hints

  • Choose a project that  you will enjoy
    I decided to create a website because I like to do it. At the beginning of the semester I momentarily thought about trying to create an IF game, and I thank God that I did not do it. Doing a project that you are interested in will make you that much more motivated to work on it, and you will also enjoy working on it.

  • Start early
    The sooner a project is began, the better. Time runs out in the semester before you know it, so be sure to meet all deadlines.

  • Experiment
    I learned so much by simply experimenting with ideas. We did not do a lot with website design in class, so there were a lot of nights that I experimented with different ideas for page layout and design, and was surprised with how much I taught myself.

  • Use available resources
    Feedback from the class and Dr. Jerz helped me very much in doing my project. Other people thought of things that I did not, and their comments were very helpful. Also, books and online research resources helped me in deciding what to include in my project.

  • Make backup copies
    During the semester I had problems with my computer and lost work, and had to redo some of my web pages.  Make sure to keep backup copies in order to save time and trouble.

   

Kelly Marcks, 11 Dec 2002