Firstly, the three blogs I commented on were:
Andrew Pregler's - http://bit.ly/rtz5QK
Zach Meagher's - http://bit.ly/tcyJLG
Sean Zervoulias' - http://bit.ly/tk7VTG
My comments are under the name "Orange Slice Sports" because that's the name of my blog and the account I used to comment.
So, throughout this 8 week process, I've learned a few things about my project. The first thing is that social media is a lot more valuable than I thought. In today's world, people are constantly checking their Facebook and Twitter accounts. It's so easy to flip open your smart phone and check out your timeline. If I use social media to frequently infuse my content into timelines, then I'll get a lot more hits. I used both Facebook and Twitter but I think I under-utilized them.
Also, I really need to identify my target audience. I've sort of realized that my product is for student at Syracuse University. So why don't I advertise my site to those students? QR Codes have really got me thinking. I think I need to get on top of a poster design and include a QR Code for students to scan, bringing them directly to my site. It's another aspect of advertising that I have been completely under-utilizing.
What this project really did for me is reinvigorate me. Honestly, the flame for my site was kind of starting to die. But this project really re-lit the fire because it gave me all kinds of new ideas about ways I can improve and develop my product. Next time the flame starts to die out, I'll brainstorm some new ideas and implement them as soon as possible.
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Week 7: Networks
I'm not sure how much this relates to my topic, but the idea of networks is very cool. I really enjoyed lab, watching packages travel through different countries or states to reach a certain destination. Right now, through blogger, my site's IP addresses and all of that is managed by them, but someday I can see myself having to deal with all that stuff.
I currently have a domain for my site. www.orangeslicesports.com. And that IP address is being leased out to me for one year. I am paying $10 for that domain name. It was interesting to find out in class that the domain name was really just an alias for an IP address. I plan on renewing the IP address at the end of this year.
I currently have a domain for my site. www.orangeslicesports.com. And that IP address is being leased out to me for one year. I am paying $10 for that domain name. It was interesting to find out in class that the domain name was really just an alias for an IP address. I plan on renewing the IP address at the end of this year.
Monday, October 17, 2011
Week 6: Digital Color
Digital color is something i've already had to deal with multiple times while dabbling in the processes of web design. It's something i've dealt with, however i've never fully understood it. So this week's lecture was awesome to help me understand what I was dealing with.
When I first started designing aspects of my site, I used Photoshop. I'd spend a long time creating something and when I was done, I'd finally import it into the site. It would come out looking really weird, the colors weren't right at all. I was doing something wrong and I had no idea what. Finally, I discovered this little check box on the color wheel in Photoshop that said something like, Web-Safe Colors Only. Clicking that gave me a selection of RGB colors that would look good on my website.
Another problem I ran into was printing. I wanted to print certain designs I was using and bring them to some other people I was designing the site with. I'd print them out and they'd look absolutely nothing like they did online. Little did I know that RGB and CMYK colors were completely different and it didn't translate over to my printer.
When choosing colors in Photoshop, the six digit code we talked about in class was always there but I never knew what it meant. Now, when I design, I can change those numbers based on the colors I want to use and alter them slightly. I've never been able to find an Orange similar enough to one that I want. Maybe now I can find one.
When I first started designing aspects of my site, I used Photoshop. I'd spend a long time creating something and when I was done, I'd finally import it into the site. It would come out looking really weird, the colors weren't right at all. I was doing something wrong and I had no idea what. Finally, I discovered this little check box on the color wheel in Photoshop that said something like, Web-Safe Colors Only. Clicking that gave me a selection of RGB colors that would look good on my website.
Another problem I ran into was printing. I wanted to print certain designs I was using and bring them to some other people I was designing the site with. I'd print them out and they'd look absolutely nothing like they did online. Little did I know that RGB and CMYK colors were completely different and it didn't translate over to my printer.
When choosing colors in Photoshop, the six digit code we talked about in class was always there but I never knew what it meant. Now, when I design, I can change those numbers based on the colors I want to use and alter them slightly. I've never been able to find an Orange similar enough to one that I want. Maybe now I can find one.
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Week 5: A Blog Like Mine
I'm using this week as an opportunity to write about another blog since we only had one lecture because of the test. I'm going to write about the blog that is probably the most popular among Syracuse University fans. That blog is Troy Nunes is an Absolute Magician. The blog is popular for many different reasons. Firstly, because it was really the first of its kind. Sean Keeley, the creator, started the blog before blogging was the thing to do. It was back at a time when blogging was just getting big. So being the first is definitely an advantage. Another reason it's so popular in my opinion is because of its name. It's provocative, and it makes people wonder, "what is this blog all about?"
Nunes Magician, as the site is often called, seems like it does everything better than any other site. It's funnier, looks better aesthetically and covers some great content. But it has also had the most time to develop these ideas. One thing I like the most about the site is it's Daily Links posts. It covers other local blogs and other content. I like that because Keeley doesn't really compete with other blogs, he tries to help them out. It's not about being the best for him, it's just about delivering good content to his viewers.
The thing I like most about his site is the voice he has developed. It's unique. He does have other writers but he told me that he only selects writers with a voice that he finds acceptable for his blog and I think this is what REALLY differentiates him from the other SU sports blogs. That is my biggest problem. I have yet to really develop a voice. I have a few people on my staff writing and they don't really have similar voices and that is something I really need to take a look at and think about.
Nunes Magician, as the site is often called, seems like it does everything better than any other site. It's funnier, looks better aesthetically and covers some great content. But it has also had the most time to develop these ideas. One thing I like the most about the site is it's Daily Links posts. It covers other local blogs and other content. I like that because Keeley doesn't really compete with other blogs, he tries to help them out. It's not about being the best for him, it's just about delivering good content to his viewers.
The thing I like most about his site is the voice he has developed. It's unique. He does have other writers but he told me that he only selects writers with a voice that he finds acceptable for his blog and I think this is what REALLY differentiates him from the other SU sports blogs. That is my biggest problem. I have yet to really develop a voice. I have a few people on my staff writing and they don't really have similar voices and that is something I really need to take a look at and think about.
Friday, September 30, 2011
Week 4: Input and Output
I love the idea of QR Codes. It's advertising genius. I'm sitting here right now typing this out and I'm looking over at my roommates desk seeing a Pepsi cup with a QR code on it. I went over and scanned it and it brought me to the Pepsi website. When I see a QR code, I feel like I have to scan it to see what it brings me to. It's an attraction to smart phone users and it's an attraction that I need to harness.
Did you scan it?! Well if you did then you were brought to the mobile version of Orange Slice Sports. I honestly think I could print these off and just put them around the Syracuse University campus and people would scan them and go to my site. It would be an interesting experiment. If that didn't work, then creating posters to advertise for my site would definitely be a cool. And including this QR code would be simple.
Since video is a sort of input, now would be a good time to mention that I want to start a serious of video blogs (or "vlogs") for my site. I was thinking about having a weekly show featuring myself and one of the athletes. It doesn't have to be fancy at first, I could just use my webcam. But I do have access to a DV video camera that I could certainly record the show on and eventually capture it onto my computer. I think it would bring in a cool audience.
Since video is a sort of input, now would be a good time to mention that I want to start a serious of video blogs (or "vlogs") for my site. I was thinking about having a weekly show featuring myself and one of the athletes. It doesn't have to be fancy at first, I could just use my webcam. But I do have access to a DV video camera that I could certainly record the show on and eventually capture it onto my computer. I think it would bring in a cool audience.
Friday, September 23, 2011
Week 3: Hardware
This week's lecture was all about computer hardware. It's tough to relate this directly to my blog but there is definitely a connection. In order to run a blog, one must know a computer. I've had all kinds of problems this year with my computer and those problems have, in some way or another, hurt my blog. The first example of this is the time my external hard drive (with all my photos and articles on it) busted. It was probably just a broken actuator arm, but at the time, I had no clue what an actuator arm was.
I try to stay away from the hardware aspects of things and just focus on the writing. But being the sites administrator, often times I deal with problems. Something that Professor Rubin brought up that is worth noting is about identity theft. Personally, I worry about identity theft but I should also worry about it from a business standpoint. Not only can a person steal another's identity, but they could steal a business' identity as well. Fake Twitter or Facebook accounts or a site with a similar title could ruin the reputation of my site. So, it's always worth Googling the site's name to make sure nothing like that is happening.
I try to stay away from the hardware aspects of things and just focus on the writing. But being the sites administrator, often times I deal with problems. Something that Professor Rubin brought up that is worth noting is about identity theft. Personally, I worry about identity theft but I should also worry about it from a business standpoint. Not only can a person steal another's identity, but they could steal a business' identity as well. Fake Twitter or Facebook accounts or a site with a similar title could ruin the reputation of my site. So, it's always worth Googling the site's name to make sure nothing like that is happening.
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Week 2: Excel
I never really considered Excel useful. I always just thought it was a program we were taught about in Middle School that we would never use again. That assumption had rung true until class on Wednesday. Little did I know, Excel could actually be quite useful if I figure out proper ways to use it. My site relies on statistics and having them organized in an Excel file would make life a million times easier.
The problem is that, the statistical information provided by Blogger isn't exportable, therefore I would have to copy down all the info by hand, which I feel is counterproductive. There are a few alternatives. I could use another analytical service that would allow me to export the data because something important about my site is figuring out what sorts of articles my audience wants to read. I would export the individual statistics for each article and I would do some conditional formatting so that the successful articles (over a certain amount of views) would be highlighted in green and the unsuccessful would be highlighted in red. It would provide me an efficient way to figure out what's popular.
I could also use Excel for my monetization service. The information about money-per-click and data like that ARE exportable so I could definitely put those into Excel. This would be more of an internal matter. I could put my monetization information into an pivot table and it would be an easier way to organize the numbers. I would print those numbers and distribute them to my staff, giving them an idea about how the site was doing. The advantage of the pivot table is that it would make the numbers simpler and easier to read, which is good because they aren't familiar with the logic and need the simplification.
The problem is that, the statistical information provided by Blogger isn't exportable, therefore I would have to copy down all the info by hand, which I feel is counterproductive. There are a few alternatives. I could use another analytical service that would allow me to export the data because something important about my site is figuring out what sorts of articles my audience wants to read. I would export the individual statistics for each article and I would do some conditional formatting so that the successful articles (over a certain amount of views) would be highlighted in green and the unsuccessful would be highlighted in red. It would provide me an efficient way to figure out what's popular.
I could also use Excel for my monetization service. The information about money-per-click and data like that ARE exportable so I could definitely put those into Excel. This would be more of an internal matter. I could put my monetization information into an pivot table and it would be an easier way to organize the numbers. I would print those numbers and distribute them to my staff, giving them an idea about how the site was doing. The advantage of the pivot table is that it would make the numbers simpler and easier to read, which is good because they aren't familiar with the logic and need the simplification.
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Introduction: Week 1
By Ben Glidden
For my IST 195 entrepreneurial project I've decided to ask myself the question, how can I add value to a product/service that currently exists? The service I'm going to try to improve with all the knowledge I gain from the class is actually a service I created myself called Orange Slice Sports. It's a Syracuse sports related website written by the students, for the students. I recently started this blog because I love Syracuse sports and it's taken off. Now, I want to try to monetize it. Making money by doing something I love would be great. So here it goes:
Social media was the topic of discussion in this week's lecture. For any sports related news/blog site like this, social media is crucial. I've learned that the best way to get views is by throwing out every post onto different venues of social media. However, until class this week I had never really considered using Google+ for my site. I'm not sure if it would be appropriate for a site like mine to have its own Google+ account. I have both Twitter and Facebook accounts for Orange Slice Sports and both get me quite a few hits per post, so should I get a Google+?
Social media was the topic of discussion in this week's lecture. For any sports related news/blog site like this, social media is crucial. I've learned that the best way to get views is by throwing out every post onto different venues of social media. However, until class this week I had never really considered using Google+ for my site. I'm not sure if it would be appropriate for a site like mine to have its own Google+ account. I have both Twitter and Facebook accounts for Orange Slice Sports and both get me quite a few hits per post, so should I get a Google+?
I don't think Google+ is ready for Orange Slice Sports yet. That might be an odd thing to say, but I think its true. I try to get these posts out to as many people as possible, but how many people am I really going to hit on Google+ that don't already subscribe to my tweets or Facebook posts? Right now, Google+ is for the advanced social media user. It's not really a social thing right now because it's still in its original stages. I could be wrong, so I tried posting one of my Orange Slice Sports stories to my own Google+ account and it saw very little traffic. So I'm happy with what I'm doing social media wise right now.
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