Creating a Website

The creating of this website was done strictly for promotional purposes for personal gain to showcase a particular set of skills. Those skills include writing for any sort of medium. Writing is obviously a trait that is very important in journalism and expert writers are the ones sought out for top-notch jobs. This website features articles (some of the best) to show exactly just how great that writing is compared to others. As a young journalist it may be hard to showcase your talents and be taken seriously in the field so having a website strictly for self-promotion helps to get your name out there. By having a bio as well as a portfolio a possible future employer can not only see what you have written in the past but read a little bit about who you are as a person and what your goals for the future may be. A self-promoting website may seem like an idea that could be self-centered but if you really want to make it in this field you need to have confidence and be able to boast about yourself. Being humble is a fine quality to have but if you want to be great you need to be able to promote yourself and put your humility aside to a certain degree. 

The social media products created in this class tie into this website in several ways. First off, there is a link to this very blogger account on the website so that possible employers can be directed here to see some of what was written pertaining to this class and other things that have been written not about this class to further showcase the writing ability to those who may be looking to hire someone of that caliber. A Twitter account was also created in this class and the link to that very account is listed on the website as well. While the account may never be used again it can still be searched and looked at due to the professional tweets that were made between classmates and not-for-profit organizations as well as celebrities. That project helped to teach the class how to post a well-nought tweet and properly use hashtags. 

The overall designing of this website was somewhat of an eye-opener. The software was something completely new and helped to further advance the online knowledge of whoever was creating the site. The easiest part and possibly the most enjoyable part of creating this site was collecting a portfolio to display. Picking out writing pieces takes one on a trip down memory lane and can make for a few fun reads. Developing the look of the site itself was not as easy as one would hope but with the help of a fantastic teacher, anything is possible. Everything needs to be designed right down to the very color of the texts. All in all, this was a great project and a real eye-opener. This class as a whole was so informative and is certainly something that will stick with students for the rest of their careers. 

The Wide World of Twitter

The world is forever a changed place because of social media, especially Twitter. A few years ago it was Facebook that was the ruler of the social media world but it seems as if Twitter has taken the throne and is the new king. Twitter is not only a great site to use as a diary of one's feelings but it is also the main source for trending news and is the outlet of which most stories nowadays are broken. A tweet is something that can take a matter of seconds and because of that Twitter has been utilized by all companies to keep themselves in the here and now as well as in the know. Twitter is how both companies and people keep up with the world and it has changed the way human beings interact with each other.

Twitter has been used for both socializing and marketing in ways that will forever change how both are done. Socializing is something that has changed drastically over the past few years due to the advancement of cell phones that featured something called text messaging. Twitter has taken this communication socialization to a whole new level with friends, family and even strangers able to communicate on the web by the click of a button. Twitter is a way for people to express their feelings "out loud" to the public and then talk about them to other people. Twitter allows people to talk about breaking news while its happening and can show all of its users what is trending in the world with the simple use of a hashtag.

Marketing strategies have changed since Twitter has come about. The easiest way to connect with people is through the world of Twitter and this has allowed companies to take to the site in order to better communicate with their main demographics. Advertising and marketing have become more and more prominent over time on Twitter and that is because of how easily accessible consumers have become on the web. Marketing strategies have changed to adapt with the growing site and nowadays there is rarely a company that does not have a Twitter handle in order to market and advertise its product. Twitter is still evolving and so all of these companies must adapt and now with it in order to keep up with the ever competitive market.

Twitter has become a tool for many people as well as companies. In purposes of journalism, Twitter has become the number one way to break a story and helps journalists keep in touch with the outside world. Journalists can also better connect with those who want to hear/read their stories and thus can become more well-known through the world of Twitter. Journalism is a field that involves heavy knowledge of what is going on in the outside world and Twitter allows one to keep up with all of that as well as communicate with others about the specific goings on. Politicians utilize Twitter as well. Not only do they tweet things about their belief systems and how they want to change America or "make America great again" but it helps these well-known political figures to interact with their followers. These politicians also can tweet about events they will be attending or rallies they will be holding and many other things. It is very vital that a politician be on Twitter because he or she is better connected with the people and thus better connected with America, the country they are trying to "help". Twitter is also an incredible organizational tool. It allows articles and topics to be organized so people (users) can find exactly what he or she is looking for related to a given topic.

Quite recently there was a bombing in the Brussels Airport. Being in Florida at the time makes one anxious about flying home so staying up on the details of what was going on was vitally important. The details were on Twitter before they were on anything else. USA Today is one of the sites that was tweeting details of the goings on this was because there was not yet enough information to publish an article. Tweeting a 140 character description of something is much simpler that gathering enough quotes and information for an article. This was a success because these tweets helped to keep people in the know about what was going on and it took no time at all to become a trending topic.

While in Disney World in March, a man jumped from a ledge a Disney's Contemporary Resort and killed himself. Being in Disney World at the time makes one want to know the details of what happened. Twitter failed in this department. This, while it may seem like it would be big, breaking news, did not start trending on Twitter and in fact almost no one was tweeting about it at all. Disney did a very good job at making sure no details of the tragic incident were released to the public, including the sex of the individual. Twitter had little to nothing about the details of what happened, other than it did indeed happen and the Monorail system had been shut down for a few hours because it runs through that hotel.

As everyone knows, there was a terrorist attack on November 13 in Paris, France. This was headline news everywhere in the world and the best footage and quotes all managed to find their way to Twitter. Twitter had this subject trending in a matter of minutes and so the world was able to keep up with what was going on. Any sort of important information made its way to Twitter before it was able to find a news channel or the papers. Twitter controlled this story and absolutely succeeded in allowing its users to be kept as up to date as possible concerning these tragic events.

Following ESPN on Twitter is the best way to keep up with sports news because it is the number one provider of news in that department. The sporting world has changed since ESPN came into play and will forever be changed. If someone wants breaking sports news, that's what to follow.

Following Selena Gomez was an interesting decision. She seems to be all over the radio nowadays and has millions of followers on Twitter. Many people view her as a trendsetter and because of that she is a very interesting follow.

The Dublin SPCA is a follow that one cannot describe if they live in America. Why Dublin, you ask? One does not know but it is unique and for sure is not one of the more popular SPCA follows in this country so for that it is an interesting follow.

Using Twitter is very different from blogging. Twitter is how one is able to keep up with the here and now whereas blogging is for a different outlet entirely. Twitter has forever changed they way news is shared and spread and it is for the better. It is an innovative tool that helps so many people and allows the interaction of those users. Twitter has become the most powerful social media site because of the news that is shared there and it is continuing to grow with every passing day. And who knows, maybe  one day Twitter will buy out Facebook.

The Making of a Group Video

When making a group video, many struggles can present themselves along the way. To shoot a video, in this case a group video, the group needs to have an idea of what exactly to shoot. The first obstacle that needs to be overcome is having every single group member on the same page, which can be incredibly difficult when the group is not together when a bulk of the filming is completed. So encountered struggle number one when referring to shooting a group video: shooting the same general thing while at the same time not being too repetitive but still sticking to the same general topic. Editing the video was much simpler, yet in a way more complex. Shooting in general is a simple task to accomplish but when the group can all be together to edit as a whole, it makes the rhythm flow better. Editing is something that everyone has a hand in when speaking in terms of a group project and with everyone able to voice their own opinion and help one another, the video almost seems to edit itself. Editing is a daunting task and something that no one really wants a part of doing, but once iMovie is actually opened, and the easiness of how to use it is evident, editing becomes the fun part of making the film. Fewer struggles were encountered during the editing process of making this video because all brains were able to come together for a common goal. Posting the video was also no trouble at all. The uploading process really only took a matter of seconds and was incredibly basic so there were no struggles there.

Using communication as a tool is key. Writing and/or showing photographs does not entirely portray the essence of time. Time is a tricky thing and in a well-edited, carefully put together video, time can be shown to the viewers. Time is something that cannot properly be communicated through written word or photograph. Video communication is something that helped to show not only the passing of time and what people do in their everyday lives that takes up time, but how people in this world may not necessarily have enough time in the day to accomplish everything and are always in a rush to get from one place to another. There is never enough time. Interestingly enough, while video communication helped to best portray time as opposed to written word or photograph, not one word was spoken throughout the entire video. Was spoken word needed? Absolutely not. The message and point was sent across to the viewer and it was still a film that succeeded in conveying a theme.

There was absolutely nothing that affected the subject matter of this video. Time at first seemed like a really simple topic to have to create a video about however after time passed, it was evident that it was not going to be simple to properly show the passing of time without showing separation, which was another one of the topics. Time is a tricky thing that no one can really quite understand and to have to show it in a three and a half minute video was somewhat of a rather daunting task. Having a group of people all separately filming about time was incredibly difficult to accomplish without showing separation, and in the end what worked out best was filming some footage in the classroom of actually working on the project. It was kind of an ingenious idea; filming the actual making of a project about time, because it, like everything else in life, took up lots of time.

The self-portrait experiences in this video of time were a little bit different than other videos. Most every shot was filmed from the actual point of view of a group member, only when the final film was being watched, the audience would have no idea as to who specifically filmed what, and that was intentional. This group decided to take self-portraits to a different level by showing each individual in his or her own everyday life and the things they do and the places they go, so as to not only give a self-portrait, but show the passing of time as well and what takes up each person's time. While it was done on purpose to not show each individual's face when showing what he or she had filmed, each person did at some point make an appearance in the video itself. This group took the term "self-portrait" and thought outside of the box and decided not to show faces but rather lives of the members of this team, which is really quite innovative.

There were zero issues to sharing this video to social media. It is actually a lot easier than one would think to share a video but at first it can be a difficult task. If the file already exists on a computer or a flash drive, then the uploading process is something that will really only take a matter of minutes or even seconds depending on how large it actually is. The only tricky part is if the video is on a phone or another device. This is when the file must be transferred to a computer and/or flash drive. The easiest way to go about doing this is taking the memory chip that the file is on and inserting that into the computer. Google Drive is also another popular way but this may take a little bit longer and there are many people who don't know how to use it.

Overall, this video was something that was a lot of fun to make. Not only did this video teach all of the people working on it a thing or two about iMovie and basic editing, but it taught people how to think outside of the box and force themselves to come up with something original enough yet simple enough of a concept of time for people to understand yet be blown away by at the same time, no pun intended. Time is a tricky thing, and if you don't stop and look around every once in a while, you could miss it.

Creating a Wiki

A Wiki page is a very complex yet beautiful organizational tool to create. It is something that not only requires specific attention to detail but incredible knowledge of the subject being published. One cannot simply write about anything; the subject matter must be something that the author has the utmost experience with which will in turn help to create the best possible how-to article. When writing said article, the author must always assume the reader has little to no knowledge of the subject matter.

There are many different kinds of learners in this world. Some people learn best with audio, some with being physically shown how to do something and others who need simply read. One of the most common types of learners is that of the visual so including pictures in a Wiki how-to article is necessary. Writing about how to win money in daily fantasy sports is something that is very tricky. Pictures really helped in this circumstance because when someone goes online and has no idea how to navigate a website, the most helpful thing can be specific pictures of that said website; screenshots worked best. The common and popular website called DraftKings is actually quite easy to navigate yet it can be overwhelming for someone who has little to no experience of dabbling in the arena of daily fantasy sports.

Pictures are not a required substance for a Wiki how-to page but they help so much that it would be just plain silly to not include them. Steps that include visuals give people a certain sense of security when they read about how to do something and help them to better understand what they are reading about. When talking about the different sports one can gamble on in daily fantasy, it was helpful to include a screenshot of the website where it displayed the bar with links to all of the different choices. As well as having the photo visual, included as well in the article was a bulleted list of the sporting options. Bullet points add organization to an article and in a way make it much easier to read because it isn't just one long and confusing sentence with a bunch of commas.

Personal experience is the key to the most successful Wiki how-to article one can write. Winning money on daily fantasy sports obviously can help to write a better article but in order to win money, money must also be lost. The best formula does not just appear out of thin air; the best formula comes from having found and used many wrong ones first. In this particular circumstance, it really takes a long time to find out how to correctly find out how to win money, which actually cannot happen all at once. Sheer luck is the only way that can happen to someone but money is generally won in small increments over a long period of time. People who have never used daily fantasy sports or used in very little amounts would not know that this is the secret. The real secret can only be discovered through much experience; and with that experience there are always ups and downs.

The most helpful tool for creating a Wiki how-to page is the Wiki how-to page of how to create a Wiki how-to page. What a mouthful but it really is an extraordinary tool to help one who has never before dabbled in the Wiki arts. http://www.wikihow.com/Start-a-Wiki

The reason this page can be such a helpful tool for an inexperienced Wiki user is because it gives you a step-by-step instruction of how to correctly post this page. This also includes how to host and launch one's own Wiki.

Communicating one's thoughts from mind to Wiki article can be a difficult task to accomplish. Breaking down how to do something into a series of steps is of course the first process and is something that must be done in a draft. The draft section of creating a Wiki how-to article can be the most helpful to the author because this is where the ideas and thoughts are all laid out in an unorganized way to be organized for the learning of the uneducated. The draft helps not only to organize thoughts and ideas, but it also helps to decide what to and what not to include in the article itself.

Tips and warnings are helpful because they tend to sum up the importance of what was written. In the case of daily fantasy sports, tips and warnings are extremely necessary. The tips are helpful because they not only summarize what was said in the article but they highlight the importance of certain aspects of the piece that the reader may have missed. The tips help to summarize (for the reader) what they really need to take away from the article. For the purpose of how to win money in daily fantasy sports, the warnings are what need to be paid most attention. Gambling is obviously an addiction that many Americans (and people of other countries for that matter) suffer from so of course one of the warnings listed is to be careful of how often this site is used. When thought about, anything bought by a consumer comes with a warning label so why not take the time to include that when writing a Wiki how-to article?

Collaboration with other people is also something that is necessary in creating a Wiki how-to article. One's own thoughts and ideas can alone be brilliant enough to write a great article but collaboration with another who is just as informed with said topic can enhance the content of the piece. Writing about daily fantasy sports is just great but getting the advice of others who are familiar with it as well bring in an outside opinion that can be refreshing to the article. People win money every day and it is a great idea to get the advice of some of those other people.

If winning money in daily fantasy sports is of a particular interest, then this article will do wonders: http://www.wikihow.com/Win-Money-in-Daily-Fantasy-Sports

The Weaving of the Web

Understanding the Origin of the Web

The World Wide Web has come a long way in my lifetime, including the evolution of Web 1.0, Web 2.0 and Web 3.0. Before taking this class in which I learn so much about the Internet and about social media, I really had little to no knowledge regarding any of this. I had no idea what Web 1.0, Web 2.0 or Web 3.0 even was. To be quite honest, I am not sure that I fully understand it all yet but my understanding has grown over the past few weeks. 

So apparently web 2.0 refers to the science and evolution of the web itself. Everyone knows that right? Coding on the Internet is something that few understand and even fewer can execute. Web 2.0 goes along with Web 1.0 in the way that each one depends on the other. Without Web 1.0, there is no Web 2.0. See what I mean? Neither do I completely. According to Tim O'Reilly, Web 2.0 differs from Web 1.0 in that it is actually a technique(s) that helps the production of web page design and its execution. Web 1.0 generally refers to a page with a specific set of information featured on it that in never changed. The information on it is there to tell viewers about what it is and that information will never change. Thus we have Web 1.0. Web 2.0 then depends on this information of Web 1.0 and is simpatico with it. They are almost like money and labor. You cannot acquire money without doing labor; you can't have one without the other. 

Web 3.0 is an entirely different animal. This has showed us how far the world has come with using the Internet. Web 3.0 obviously has come out of Web 2.0 and helps to further connect people with people from merely sitting at their computers. Web 3.0 is much more complex than Web 2.0 and helps us to journey from database to database, thus making Web 3.0 an evolution of Web 2.0. This is all difficult to fully comprehend and down right near impossible to ever understand entirely. The "Semantic Web" as Tim O'Reilly says Web 3.0 is often referred to as is easier to use than Web 1.0 or Web 2.0 but at the same time is much more complex. As O'Reilly also says, person and machine are both capable of using these versions of the web, which really proves to be an example of how far the internet as a whole has come. 

The Evolution of the Web

According to http://www.practicalecommerce.com/articles/464-Basic-Definitions-Web-1-0-Web-2-0-Web-3-0, Web 1.0 is defined as "read only web" which is most likely the best way to describe this version of the Internet because it is not interactive in any way. This version of the web is on the Internet specifically to give information for people to read. This has also been described as a "search only" version of the Internet where people (or machines) can only search for information and not share or give information with other people. This is a very simple version of the Internet and has helped the evolution of Web 2.0 and Web 3.0. 

According to https://wittycookie.wordpress.com/2012/06/04/what-are-the-major-differences-among-web-1-0-2-0-and-3-0/, Web 2.0 is the writable form of the Internet where the web actually starts to become interactive. This is how Web 2.0 differs from Web 1.0. The evolution between the two is clear, and this shows how interaction on the Internet came to be. Any sort of Wiki environment is an example of Web 2.0 in which users or machines can interact with one another. 

Web 3.0 then allows "computers to interpret information like humans" with a prime example of this being a digital video recorder. Again, Web 3.0 came from the evolution of Web 1.0 and Web 2.0 

The evolution began when Web 2.0 was created which features a "user-friendly interface" as described by http://randymatusky.com/2015/04/03/web-2-0-vs-web-3-0-what-really-is-the-difference/. Another evolution is that Web 2.0 also "utilizes social networking tools to further increase the level of viewer participation. This is a prime example of how interactive the Internet became from Web 1.0 to Web 2.0. Web 3.0 then featured computers transferring information "on their own." Devices exchanging data between each other proves the evolution of Internet in Web 3.0 and only begs the question, "When will Web 4.0 come to be and what will it be like?"

wikiHow Draft

How to Win Money on Daily Fantasy Sports

Daily fantasy sports is one of the fastest growing markets in the United States and grasps the attention of sports-lovers everywhere as fanatics set lineups to try and win some extra cash. Most people come up short after the contests have finished with only the best lineups winning prizes. There are many tricks to setting the best lineup; you just need to know what they are.

1. Deposit money into your account. The lowest amount the sites will let you deposit is $25. This is not a bad starting point if you are new to to the world of daily fantasy sports but if you're really feeling bold, you can do more. 

2. Picking a sport. Depending on the time of year, there are many different options to pick from. It is probably best to stay away from creating multiple lineups in multiple sports in one night because this will take your attention away from detail. One lineup per night in only one sport will allow the most focus and produce the best result. The different sports options are:

• Baseball
• Basketball
• Football
• Hockey
• Golf
• Soccer
• College football and basketball
• Mixed martial arts
• Nascar

3. Picking the right contest to enter. There are thousands of contests for each sport. Each contest is different in its own way. For instance, each one there are different entry fees, different amounts of people allowed in and different payouts to different positions. The secret is in picking the perfect contest that can be a lock. If you're really interested in gaining small amounts of money over long periods of time, enter double-up contests. Normally the top half of people double the money they put in.

4. Don't spend too much money on one contest. The biggest downfall amongst daily fantasy sports players is entering the contests that have a million dollar payout to first place. The chance that would ever happen to you is slim to none so it's best to stay away from those. The best ones to enter are anywhere from $1 to $5. This way, if you don't end up winning any money with your lineup for that night, you are not too deep in the hole. 

5. Pick a contest with a lesser amount of people. The smaller contests normally are the safest bet. Anywhere from 15 to 500 people is a good amount. The larger contests feature so many people that even if your lineup is solid, there is a very good chance you'll be lost in the chaos of all the other lineups as there is a far greater chance of many more people coming up with a better combination that you did. 

6. Don't spend too much money in one night. A classic mistake of many people is spending too much money in the same night, whether it's entering the same lineup in as many contests as possible or creating multiple lineups and inserting them into many different contests. This is a one-way ticket to losing all of your money and giving yourself a gambling addiction. 

7. Stick to one lineup per night. Another mistake of people is creating multiple lineups. This will only cause you harm. People who make multiple lineups lose focus and are unable to come up with a winning lineup in their mind so they make as many as possible in hopes that at least one will pay-out. The chances of winning are actually much greater if you focus on the lone lineup you created because you will have devoted all of your time into it. 

8. Don't make a lineup every single night. Making a lineup every night will not only get you addicted, but it will decrease your chances of winning money. Many nights will only feature two or three games in some sports, in which case you should stay away. With less possible combinations of players for a lineup, you will be forced to pick players you may have never heard of and most of the time it will not end well. 

9. Creating your lineup. The fun part has arrived. Each player is given a price value and depending on the sport, you will have a certain number at each position to pick. You start off with (fake obviously) $50,000 and must create a lineup using that money. The best players are worth the most so you can't just stack the deck. However, it's always a good idea to spend big in a few positions, especially for a player who is a lock to get you a lot of points. 

10. Do your homework. Always do as much research as possible before creating your lineup. Home teams are generally a safe bet as well as players on particularly good teams. Always look to see the team they are facing off against as well. When a really good team is playing a really bad team, it may not be a bad idea to pick a couple players from the good team, especially if some of them are cheap. The cheap players are the most important because they are what allow you to spend big in other positions. Always pick cheap players from good teams. There are many other things that can help out your lineup, the question is are you willing to do the work? 

wikiHow Ideas

People in this world devote their lives simply to teaching others and they make a career out of doing just that. Very often however, the best teachers in life are the do-ers, those right in front of us in everyday life who know from experience. This is why and how wikiHow was created; to teach people how to accomplish tasks from knowing specifically how to do certain things from having already done them. There are many good ideas already on the site but here are three more that could be added to teach those who do not know the art of these things already.

The Buffalo Sabres hockey team is known every year for having generally low ticket prices compared to many other teams in the National Hockey League. According to the NHL Fan Cost Index, the Sabres are ranked 22nd in average ticket prices meaning there are only eight cities that have generally cheaper tickets for their games. The average ticket price for a Sabres game according to this site is $47.94. Interested in going to a game for significantly less money than that? A wikiHow page can explain a step-by-step process that will explain just how to do that.

Rising in popularity over the past year or so has been the use of daily fantasy sports through sites such as DraftKings and FanDuel. The sites require a minimum deposit of $25 when an account is created all of which stays with you and can be used to enter contests to create lineups. What happens to most folks is the constant loss of money with lineups that never work out. Most people struggle with acquiring money on these sites, which is where the wikiHow page comes in. The winning formula is very simple and can help those who constantly lose to watch the money in their account grow.

Gas prices are continuously fluctuating in Western New York driving people crazy (no pun intended). There are deals out there, people just need to know where, how and by what means to look. There is a very simple way to save money on gas not just once, but over time through this very simple process. Gas takes a lot of money out of the wallets of those who are constantly in and out of their cars. Gradually saving small amounts of money could make the biggest difference.

All of these things are easier than they appear. The people of the world truly are the best teachers and there is so much to be learned. It is impossible for someone to know how to do everything which is why wikiHow was created. The site continuously adds steps for how to accomplish basic things that could change someone's day, or even change someone's life.