Module Four - Using the infosphere: taking & organising

Basic applications for reading different file formats:

1. PDF files
I have Adobe's Acrobat Reader v. 5. I had thought it was a later version but apparently not. I will update this soon. I have this set as the default to read any pdf's I download or receive by email. As I don't generally have a need to make any PDF's I haven't downloaded and used any opensource PDF applications.

2. Flash / Shockwave Players
I have the Flash player as standard as I have in the past made Flash movies. It is also quite simply a required 'plugin' for any browsing. My second computer particularly has Shockwave, as it is our games computer. I will check what versions etc and update if necessary.

3. Media Players
I have Windows Media Player, although I haven't updated it recently. As well as iriverPlus2 which is required for one of our MP3 players. iriver is our default for music on the main computer. And I also have Quicktime, of course. I don't bother with Real Player as in the past I have found I had continual problems with it and I don't have the time to spend on computer system maintainance. I will update WMP when I acquire a copy on disc.

4. Search Managers / Combiners
I have downloaded Copernic Meta for PC & Glooton 1.5.1 for Windows. Neither are installed as yet. I need to create a restore point in XP before installing either application. As I use Firefox I have also started using the search option.

I am trying to upload a jpeg to demonstrate the search option in Firefox but at the moment blogger isn't cooperating. oh well! Will upload it when it decides to work.

Here it is.

5. Bookmark Managers
As Bookmark Buddy for Windows is not a freeware application I have not downloaded it. At present I am investigating freeware options. One of the options is NetVisualize. While looking for Bookmark Managers is ended up at Feedbus. This has loads of links to managers like, A1-Webmarks, Blinklist, Bookmark Buddy, Complore, & de.lirio.us, an open source clone of del.icio.us. I noticed that many were beta and unfortunately I simply don't have the time to explore very many of them.

6. Offline Browsers / Copiers
Well I have once again choosen not to download another application. Webcopier for Windows, as it only has a 15 day trial. Pagesucker seems very old, however I have downloaded what appears to be the latest version, 3.2.


Well, I've managed to do this much, but its taken all day. I haven't been doing much for the last 2-3 weeks as I apparently have Sciatica, and I got bitten by a spider, a White tail, I think. I haven't been able to sit at my desk for more that about 15 minutes, which isn't great when you need to be able to spend time and concentrate on searching. Oh well! I'm starting to get back to study, which I've missed.

Module Three - FTP continued

Well I have had no success in using Ipswitch WS-FTP Home.


I checked out the details in OASIS.

I put in the details as below.

next screen

the result: failure

Module Three - Blogs

As in a previous post I've set up my blog. You're reading it.

Below is the screen shot of my blog (Learning Log)


It is suggested that if we wish to continue with our blog we should consider the sorts of ‘bloggiquette’ that are emerging.

"Rebecca Blood has written about the ethics of blogging in her The Weblog Handbook, which suggests a list of standards to which bloggers should adhere."

In your learning log, record your ‘top five tips for new bloggers’

Taken from Rebecca Blood's blog rebecca's pocket

1. Publish as fact only that which you believe to be true.
2. If material exists online, link to it when you reference it.
3. Publicly correct any misinformation.
4. Write each entry as if it could not be changed; add to, but do not rewrite or delete, any entry.
5. Disclose any conflict of interest. plus
6. Note questionable and biased sources.
   

The following are list of sources that I found on blogging & ethics

A Bloggers Code of Ethics. Cyberjournaslist.net
http://www.cyberjournalist.net/news/000215.php

Code of Blogging Ethics Debated at AEJMC Convention. Blogging Ethics
http://blogethics2004.blogspot.com/

Code of Blogging Ethics at Desirable Roasted Coffee. Allan Jenkins
http://www.desirableroastedcoffee.com/codeofbloggingethics.htm

The blogging ethics and disclosure debate, the dark undercurrent among the bloggerati. A view from the Isle.
http://blog.larixconsulting.com/blog/_archives/2006/12/15/2575770.html

Bloggin and ethic. Miles Burke
http://miles.burke.id.au/blog/2006/07/17/blogging-and-ethics/

Blogs and your business.Open all hours. SMH.
http://blogs.smh.com.au/openallhours/archives/2006/11/blog_readers_an.html

Module Three - FTP

Well I've completed modules 1 through 3, apart for the FTP part, and am reading module 4 as of today.

I have gone through a tutorial to implement a style switcher. This tutorial can be found at CenterKey. This should be acceptable for the Javascript section of the html tutorial.

I've implemented several css style sheets and have updated my page for Student Presentations.

Next I will upload via FTP so that Module 3 is totally complete. I hope I don't have the same or similiar problems that some students have had regarding FTP and OASIS.

Module Three - Legal Issues & Copyright

First, visit the Copyright Website, which provides a good overview of copyright issues related to the net, with information on ‘fair use’ and ‘public domains’.

Next, go to the Curtin home page and find the policy documents that relate to copyright and IP in IT use.

http://www.copyright.curtin.edu.au/

Drawing on these sources, consider these questions:

* have you used images or words on your web page or website that contravene copyright laws?

No. I create all my own images, usually.

In a previous post on Newsgroups & Chat I found information supporting my stance regarding issues of security about MSN. I have sourced and linked where I found that quote text.

* Would you be in breach of copyright if you put the Curtin logo at the top of your web page for an assignment?

The Curtin logo is the Intellectual Property of Curtin University. I am unsure if I would legally be able to use the logo on a site (for assignment) within the Curtin Intranet. I most assuredly would not be able to use it outside of the Curtin space, without written authorisation from Curtin Corporate Services.

Module Three - Rules for writing online

Think about any differences between the articles: for example, is the advice in Nielsen’s paper -- written in 1997 – still current?

In Nielsen's paper one of the first things he mentions is scanning. In all my Interface design for sites I alway keep this in mind.

While Nielson's ideas are relevant, they are insufficient if you wish to design an easily readable page. For him text is king and without any design I feel he throws out the baby with the bath water. The computer screen is not a paper page with text on it and you cannot design a page as if it is.

Nielson has some strange ideas, and I feel he refuses to budge, the result being I don't use his site as his pages are too hard to read. I find his pages to be one of the worst offends of visual presentation, making it harder to read. Reading a 17" screen which is approximately 30 to 33 cm wide is tiring. see below

If you have alot of text it is important to have a decent left & right margin. No more than 20 cm wide.



Optional Task 1

Make a summary of what you believe are the 5 most important ‘rules’ for writing online.

The list below comes from: Dennis G Jerz of Seton Hill University

1. Have your most important material first
2. Have clear, relevant and meaningful links
3. Consistent navigation
4. Consistent interface design
5. Scannable text

This list below is from MaxDesign and is what I tend to follow:

Basic Usability

1. Is there a clear visual hierarchy?
2. Are heading levels easy to distinguish?
3. Does the site have easy to understand navigation?
4. Does the site use consistent navigation?
5. Are links underlined?
6. Does the site use consistent and appropriate language?
7. Do you have a sitemap page and contact page? Are they easy to find?
8. For large sites, is there a search tool?
9. Is there a link to the home page on every page in the site?
10. Are visited links clearly defined with a unique colour?

Optional Task 2

Test your web page according to the W3C standards by going to their ‘validator’ page. If your page does not conform (it probably won’t!) record in your learning log why you think this is: try and identify the particular tags or code that are causing trouble. Are the problems related mostly to display, usability, or accessibility?

My webpage in the Student Presentation area passed XHTML 1.0 Strict validation. Yeh me! see below


Since we are valid xhtml we are proudly displaying the fact.

Module Three - Tasks Web Page & Blog

This module requires two forms of ‘e-writing’: a basic web page and at least a ‘test’ blog.

My web page is already up on the presentations area, and I am using this blog as my learning log.

For the web page component I have not done the html tutorial as that would be a regressive step for me. My page is written in xhtml with presentation controlled by css, all in notepad.

For the javascript I will perhaps look at a way of implementing user switching css style sheets.

When I have completed / updated the page to how I want it to appear, I will ftp it to the OASIS area required. I certainly don't exprect any problems in this module.