Further Website Development

I abandoned Kompozer and set my webpage up using Google Sites. I found this to be very user-friendly, and easy to move between WYSIWYG and HTML, so I could adjust the code for things such as the text for links, which default to the URL. For now I have set it up with my links for facebook, myspace, and my blog. To compliment this i made a simple picture in photoshop to have as a common element on all of my pages. I will eventually replace this with a better image. One idea that I had was to create an image of myself using Illustrator, and using this to replace photos. This would be more appropriate, and give me a vague sense of anonymity (despite the huge amount of information about myself I have already posted).
I also provided my work and education histories, with links to all the relevant websites, and created a secondary page to put some sort of CV on. Using Google Sites means I can easily create further pages, which may be a good way to separate the personal and professional aspects of my site. I attempted to post a video using the 'add video' function, but I couldn't make it work. I also attempted adding it manually in the HTML section, but it was removed due to "dangerous tags". I would have made further attempts, but the video was really more of a space-filling idea. It is something that I will work on more when I have a specific video in mind.
I also attempted to use the "add gadgets" function, but couldn't get them to work properly either, as I wasn't able to move or resize or adjust them effectively. This again is something I will make more attempts at when I have a more specific purpose in my mind. At this point the site looks very basic and not at all interesting. I think my next step will be to attempt to add a background, or at very least some images, and continue to expand from there.
I have also begun adding to my Myspace. I started to list bands, films, etc, but decided it would be more interesting to set each one up as a link. I have done this with TV shows, but need to look at setting it up differently to ivercome the problem of navigating away from Myspace (I plan to look into whether I can add something in the code that will make it default to a new window). In music I will probably overcome this by linking to the band's Myspace pages. I also added my photoshop image, and linked to my other pages. I plan to work a lot more on the background and format of my Myspace to turn it into something much more unique (and easier to look at).
I still haven't done much work on the actual profile of my Facebook, as I have been putting my time into my profile HTML. I want to explore this further and look at what else I can do with my profile HTML to make my Facebook more interesting.
I've also customised the appearance of my Blog, attempting to follow a similar colour scheme to what I've used on my other pages, to hopefully keep tying everything in together. At this point I'm feeling like at least I have made a start, and have some ideas to continue developing.

kompozer

I started working with Kompozer this week, which I think forced me to put more thought into what I want my website to look like and what it should include. This is because while I have been working with HTML progress has been slow, and every little thing I get right feels like an acheivement, but with WYSIWYG I can put the basic elements in place very quickly, which means I need to start thinking more about the actual content.
I have decided that I will make my own website, but will continue expanding and refining my Myspace and Facebook pages, as my website will link to these. I still plan to make my Facebook a more professional type page, and my Myspace more personal. This will be much easier with Myspace, as I can post anything that I feel reflects my personality (or an online version of it), whereas with Facebook I will need to consider more carefully what should be included or excluded, and develop the right sort of persona.
My current thinking around my web page is that I want it to fall somewhere in between those two profiles, and reflect both a personal and a professional persona. I have had several ideas about what I could do to acheive this- personal by including images, videos, and links, professional by possibly including details of my qualifications, or possibly links to websites of previous and current employers. At the moment these ideas seem to be a bit random- more ideas for the sake of ideas, but they are at least a starting point from which I can start making real progress, and continue to edit as I refine my ideas and build my concept.
One idea that I have considered is to incorporate previous digital work from my fashion design course, which involved a lot of work in Photoshop and Illustrator. I was initially thinking that I might create some sort of display of my digital artworks, but started thinking more along the lines of applying those skills in creating new content for my pages. In doing this I could develop a visual theme that will be present on all of my pages, which would help to unify my ideas and personas

Myspace & Personal Webification

I have decided to use my Myspace to present a more personal side of myself than what is on my facebook page, as i feel this is something that Myspace promotes. By allowing users to post songs, videos, and personalise their page, Myspace facilitates the building of an identity than Facebook, which seems to promote more networking and interaction.
After a difficult start on Myspace (my profile also completely disappeared- strange) things improved and i was able to create my own background and contact table (although I will probably change the images that I used as they make the page difficult to read). I have also added a song and have some ideas about what I would like to do to expand the page further, by adding videos, images, and my own text in order to create an identity. I also plan to work more with my Facebook page to make it present a more professional persona.
In terms of actually using the sites, I found Facebook much easier to work with. I have had a Myspace in the past, but still found it slightly confusing to navigate- mostly because the advertising is so intrusive. I also like all the different features that Facebook offers, as they allow users to vary the ways in which they interact and make the experience more interesting- I think Myspace is lacking in this respect.
I'm still having trouble making up my mind about what I would like to do for my own web page and what sort of image I would like it to present. If I decided to use one of my social networking pages I think I will use my Myspace, as there seems to be more potential to create what I want.

HTML

I have been working on my HTML and adding tables and links to my Facebook profile. It is interesting because there is so much trial and error involved. While it can be frustrating when one little thing screws up the whole appearance of what you are trying to do, it can be quite rewarding when things go right. It certainly makes me feel smarter when i manage to figure out a problem and correct it. In terms of working on our group assignment I've been playing around with the code more so than actually creating my blog. I'm slightly nervous about it because I have never blogged before so I don't really know what to write. This has been kind of a good thing though, because it has led me to experiment with images, video, colours and more and helped mke to build my html skills.