Reading Response

The reading really gave good examples of how to keep a web page simplified. Sometimes working in a group can generate a lot of ideas going in a lot of different directions. This was a helpful reminder that ultimately our blog should have focus and organization that makes it usable. Even though multiple people are creating content consistency must be kept to make navigation easier. In our last class we discussed a logo we could use to help brand our team. The reading mentioned that having a way to identify the site on each page is help for visitors and that graphic lets them know when they are on your own site when they are navigating through links. In addition to a graphic, it would be good for us to come up with a tagline to help explain our name and what our page is about at a glance.

I am responsible for writing content, but visual organization is just as important because it can emphasize or guide visitors in how to read what’s on the page. The ‘trunk test’ will be useful when we’re putting all of our work together on the blog because it will keep us focused on how a new audience will experience our site.  Our team spent a lot of time talking about what our home page would look like, which gives us a good start and direction for our project because the reading emphasized how important the home page is. I had always thought that the home page should be kept clean, but using as much space as is needed to get a visitor interested in our blog makes sense after reading the text. 

What kind of web presence exists for local restaurants?

There are a lot of online tools like UrbanSpoon and downloadable apps that allow users to search for and review local restaurants. Popular resource sites like Eat Local Grown seem to shun all processed foods and use pictures and articles to show why the fast food industry and non-organic foods are killing people.

Most of these sites provide a way to look for healthy alternatives, but it seems like the information is geared towards a specific audience who already have their own self-sustainable gardens and don't allow gluten in their households. Eat Local Grown also has a twitter presence, Find Local #Real Food, with almost 35,000 followers. Again, this account uses mainly scare tactics with posts like "15 Reasons Sugar is Killing You" and "Are GMOs Making You Sick?"

I think it's really interesting that there are tools to find local restaurants, but when it comes to providing information of why people should choose them is centered around how fast food is causing cancer. Often, websites suggested skipping eating out altogether and presenting the reader with two options: fast food or homemade meals. Very seldom did the writers include local restaurants as an alternative.

As for news articles and posts unafilliated with bloggers, a scene is always set with local restaurants struggling in the face of chain restaurants due to brand recognition and a feeling that big business inevitably wins over independent business owners. In this article by Restaurant Report, locals explain the typical reasons for chains taking away business. There is a general belief that chains have brand recognition, convenience, and the money it takes for effective marketing.

If I were to create a web presence for my topic, I would focus on the positives of eating at a local restaurant and include information on how it benefits the individual and the community as well as posts and reviews about local places my audience could try - not just equate fast food with cancer and diabetes. I might also consider adding information for local restaurant owners. With a consensus that chains have the upper hand it might be beneficial to provide business owners with a list of resources such as free web design sites, contact information for local advertisers, and tips on how to use social media in marketing.

Unit 2 - Video

Unit 2 Video Draft

Reading Response

     These links were useful in creating a checklist for our Unit 2 production. Having step by step instructions on how to create a script will definitely help keep me on track while I focus primarily on tailoring my content to a specific audience. The readings helped me see the benefits of using the script format. Writing a script takes an outline of a premise and turns it into an actual guide for production. I think the idea of using opposites from The Script Lab will work best for my video because I want my audience to compare fast food and local food for themselves and having two characters to represent each of those would be interesting. The site also suggested keeping dialogue brief and to show the story rather than tell it. My scenes are very dialogue heavy but with this I advice I plan to keep my character narrating while showing the action in a cutaway scene. The other readings brought up genre and how it is a good idea to make your story recognizable in some way. I plan to incorporate a familiar genre (Mac vs. PC commercial) in my script. Overall, these readings reminded me to keep my audience interested with a good story as well as keeping my message clear.

Playing Response for Plotagon

    Plotagon seemed to be the easiest tool for translating a script into a video. The first step is creating the script in the program with is formulaic and easy to learn. You choose to set the scene, characters, dialogue and action with drop down boxes and selections linked in the script you create. Writing your own script in the program also allows it to offer a closed captioning option for viewers of your video. There are even music selections and sound effects within the program that you can add into your script. Timing the music and actions together is simple because it is all done within the script.  I really liked that in Create Mode the screen is divided between the script you created and the actual video. While it is easy to create, the only settings and characters available are either school, hospital, or business related.  Most of the basics are free, but you have to purchase to use some characters and backgrounds. I think I could change my script to fit the restrictions of this program because I really like how easy it is to use, but I’m not sure if it has characters and visuals that would be most effective in telling my story. 

A Quick Preview

Here is a draft to my Unit 1 Video Production. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to upload this to YouTube in time and some of the transitions, sounds, and texts are lost in this particular format.

Plans For My Unit 1 Production

What's the point?

My production for Unit 1 is meant to educate Morgantown residents, particularly college students that may not know much about the area, about the benefits of eating locally and to influence them to support local restaurants. Morgantown has a lot of local eateries and surrounding farms are often overlooked as valuable resources.

Why students?

College students of Morgantown tend to eat out often or rely on ordering food and their buying habits can heavily influence local businesses.


What will the video be like? 

There's really no better way to advocate for local food than using pictures like this:

  Pictured: Deliciousness from Tailpipes 

The video will be positive, uplifting, and upbeat with fast transitions, colorful pictures to contrast fast food with fresh, local food, and a modern and fun feel for a college-aged audience.

With my production I want viewers to experience the kind of impact they can have on their community as well as with themselves just by choosing to eat locally. At the end of the video, I want to leave viewers with feeling a sense of pride in eating locally and to think about their options the next time they decide to eat out.

Playing Response - Stupeflix

The first thing I noticed about this program was how easy it was to add new slides. The best part of its layout is that it was easy to visualize the slide order and transitions as a whole. It was also easy to set the mood of the video with the option to change the pace of transitions with one click under the “Theme” option. That would be a useful tool in deciding whether or not I wanted my video to have a sad or hopeful and upbeat tone. In addition to pace, it is easy to time slides with a soundtrack to help set a mood because of the layout.

Stupeflix also allows you to download your video with soundtrack as a single file and to share that file. One feature that I hadn’t thought of before was the map feature. It allows you to show a location on Google Maps as a slide. I considered using something similar in my video to show how many local businesses there are in Morgantown.

While Stupeflix was simple to use, it was almost too simple. Slides were made from entering text or uploading a picture. To create interesting or more personalized slides you would have to design them within another program and upload them as a picture. There weren't many transitions to choose from, either. I liked that they gave pre-made themes to help in making polished looking videos, but I would prefer to make my own slides and transitions in PowerPoint. 

    When I was in high school there was a little pizza place called Filibuster’s that every student either used as a hangout or place of employment. The owners worked hard to use local ingredients and hire students in the area. They even had a contract with the high school to provide pizzas during football games – for a while. The pizza chain that had previously worked with the school was upset, refused to do other fundraisers and donations that school functions relied on. I won’t say which chain because I do still like their pizza, but it certainly created a domino effect. Filibuster’s, being a local business, couldn't compete with a company that could get mass amounts of chemically preserved dough with pre-made toppings to toss out left and right, and was soon denied their contract because the school was bullied into complying with the pizza chain. The pizza chain was praised for “supporting the locals” while their trucks unloaded packages of frozen, pre-made pizzas from out of state. They proudly stamped “real cheese” onto their boxes that showed up at every school function. Since when did using “real” food become an incentive to buy food? At a school club meeting following the contract debate everyone was interested in the fate of Filibuster’s. Everyone spent time going back and forth on ideas of how to save a loved local business and a typical 15 minute after-school meeting lasted well past dinnertime, which was fine because plenty of pizza chain’s pizza was provided by the faculty sponsors.
    Filibuster’s was forced to shut down months later because of the increasing competition. Aside from a nostalgic pizzeria, our community lost out on a chance to improve itself. The students that they hired were out of flexible job opportunities, the farmer’s market down the street lost out on sales because they were no longer supplying vegetables and meats to growing restaurant, and the partnership between the schools and all local businesses was damaged. Although local businesses typically earn less than chains,  The National Trust for Historic Preservation’s (NTHP) studies across America have shown that local businesses circulate 20% more of their profits towards the local economy, including donations towards schools and charities, than chains.
    Taking advantage of local resources also meant that Filibuster’s carbon footprint was significantly less than fast food chains because didn’t need food in packaging or multiple trucks to transport supplies. Eating local is not only good for the community but for the individual as well. The ingredients used tend to be locally sourced and prepared fresh, making local foods a healthier option than processed foods in chain restaurants. If a community shifts just 10% of its purchases from fast food to local restaurants, the NTHP estimates that it can add millions of dollars to the local economy. I know that avoiding fast food altogether is impossible and there are still going to be days when dollar menu items are all I crave. Fixing all of the problems like food quality, wastefulness, and food market monopolies in the fast food industry is a really complicated issue, but doing simple things like considering all of the local options or giving something new a chance before choosing where you eat can make a huge difference. 

Introduction

I'm Cassandra, a senior on the way to degrees in English and Education. I hope to someday teach high school English and possibly work in an administrative position later on in my career. I'm originally from Keyser, WV and Morgantown is a pleasant change from a town made up of farms and a Wal-Mart. Right now, I either spend my time with my mice, Petri and Dmitri, and a good book or outdoors with friends. I don't have any specific hobbies or collect anything, but I do love trying or making beverages and can never pass up teas, coffees, and craft beers.