Creating Your Own Websites

It's no doubt that creating your own website opens numerous opportunities for you as an individual. Whether your website is based on your business or a personal creative outlet like a blog, it acts as being a main part of your digital footprint. It's essentially your world in the technological universe. Of course, the first step to creating your own website is to find an appropriate host. This article goes into further detail about the specific steps needed in order to develop a website. I really like how the article lays out the general aspects of a website such as establishing a proper domain name, the types of pages you want to have on your website, as well as even maintaining the information so that it stays current as much as possible. While establishing a website may seem intimidating, it really simplifies the process as much as possible, while still presenting the viewer with options (such as various host sites).

Going off of choosing between the various website hosts that are available for you to create your website on, this article  offers some helpful tips for you to decide which one might be the best for you and your personal needs. The article mentions several popular host sites such as Squarespace, Wix, and Weebly. These are very popular host sites that people use, and the website offers advantages for all 3 platforms. Refer to this article to help you narrow down which one is best for you and your website intentions!

Another article that is helpful when creating your own website is one by TGDaily. This article emphasizes the importance of website design. One of the main points that it points out is the importance of having a mobile-friendly layout. It goes without question that so many Internet accesses are via mobile devices (I can personally report that I rarely use my laptop to go on the Internet now). If your website has a mobile-friendly version, it will be more aesthetic and users will enjoy browsing through your site more so than if it had a stagnant desktop view.

In class, we recently had a mini seminar on Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality. To further introduce us to the concepts, guest speakers were invited and they brought a Hololens and a Microsoft Mixed Reality VR headset to demonstrate. The presentation was very informative, as one of the speakers relayed how each of their uses are currently being utilized in the real world today. One real world example is in healthcare and how the Hololens has the ability to allow physicians from across the globe to access certain information and "dissect" anatomical parts to further diagnose patients.

The last app that I chose to present for the App Smackdown is Figure 1. This app/website acts as the perfect platform for various physicians to share medical cases and gather conclusions from physicians across the globe. This helps in further diagnosing and establishing of treatment plans for the patient. The layout is very similar to a Facebook post in the sense that other users can view pictures of the medical case, comment, and follow the post to see any updated posts as other physicians continue to post comments. It is also worth mentioning that it is HIPAA regulated so physicians can share information without worrying about breaking the law.

Also in class, we discussed over the website hosts Weebly, Wix, and Google Sites. Each platform has their fair share of various features for users to customize their domain to their liking, especially both Weebly and Wix. In my opinion, Google Sites is the more simple option of the two. Its overall navigation is quick, easy, and convenient. It also allows you to share webpages.

In Chapter 10 of LOL...OMG! by Matt Ivester, the topic of digital citizenship is explored. In this chapter, Ivester reiterates the fact that you are in control of your own postings. He quotes, "People around the globe are contributing to its development - whether they are entrepreneurs creating new social media sites, moms writing blogs, or students using Facebook". It also delves into the fact that you are the judge of what you deem appropriate to post. He specifically goes over 9 tests and these tests will help you make the right decision. The tests are The Golden Rule, The Golden Rule 2.0, The Laws & Policies Test, The Everybody Test, The Offline Test, The Real Name Test, The Emotion Test, The Whole World Test, The "Get It" Test. In Chapter 11, Ivester goes over "The Future of Reputations". He portrays an example of "Sharing Economy" where "...a host of sites  and services that are reinventing the way that we own and share physical assets. By explaining a situation with AirBNB and how two people complained about their experiences, it really demonstrates how the Internet is a place where false identities thrive. This also applies to people and how they can portray themselves as someone they are not. This emphasizes the fact that the world of the Internet is greatly based on us as content creators. We, ourselves, choose to publish what we publish online.

In Chapter 5 of Light, Bright, & Polite by Josh Ochs, he goes over some social networks that will help benefit you as an individual and your personal profile. The sites that he goes over are LinkedIn, Google Plus, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter. He also emphasizes the importance of creating a professional email address (he suggests Gmail). These social networking platforms offer opportunities for individuals to come together and network in a creative yet professional matter. But it is also important to note that you can also portray yourself on a personal level that may be detrimental to your online profile. In regards to setting up your professional LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, etc. accounts, Ochs mentions that it's important for you to have a professional profile picture attached to your account (not selfies). He also makes suggestions for how your descriptions on your profiles should be characterized to ensure a proper and professional appearance. It will also help you, as an individual, stand out amongst the crowd. One of my favorite points that he makes is the importance of maintaining a professional "first search" page. This is the first page that people will come across on when they find you on the Internet. As they say, "First impressions last" and this is definitely applicable to your online profile. It is important to maintain such professionalism because literally ANYONE can find you online, especially your prospective employers. Overall, there is a lot to be taken away from this chapter of the book because it applies to your online profile on several popular and highly used social networking platforms. By following the suggestions that he writes, you are one step closer to appealing to a professional audience and overall maintaining a positive outlook on yourself.