Evaluation of the course...

As the course has now come to an end, i can only reflect on how i have contributed to this course and project as well as how i have changed, if at all.

I have found many of the lessons useful such as, learning about picture copyrights, how company's such as Tesco use online websites efficiently with the aid of good layouts, use of relevant pictures and are easy to navigate. However, my most favourite moment of the course was doing my group wiki. At first i was very hesitant as i have not had much luck with previous group work and our first initial idea had been knocked. However, from our first meeting, i could tell that we would work well together.

I think our wiki, is very clear and easy to navigate. Though it is very plain (due to the white background), i think it looks very professional with out using too many colours which can be too busy and distracting! I like the butterflies, though it is very girly for our only boy member Jason =D and does not relate to the course, but it is nice to have an on-going theme. As the main tool bar stays at the top throughout the pages, the user can easily move from page to page without the need for scrolling down. We used lessons, to do the introduction and conclusion as well as getting feedback from other members of the group for our individual pages and to Nigels' HORROR, we actually did some work on paper!!!

I believe my blog, is very colourful, using images that go with the colour scheme. I have managed to do weekly blogs on how i got on in lesson and any other related ideas on Online community. I think the video i found on youtube.com is a good example to showcase that online community means different things to everybody.

I felt that i had tried my best efforts to be accepted in the Hollyoaks forum. Though i believe that a community cannot exist without interaction, which i found very problematic. Although i attempted to join a new forum (channel 4), which i was left disappointed about, i think i would have gained a better sense of a community and involvement.

Although this course has not changed my views on online community, it will definately make me think a lot more when i am on certain sites and forums. I have realised that although we believe to be in an online community, we do not have to face many consequences that we face in the real world. We can easily distance ourselves (and pull away), ignore messages, delete a profile and join another. For instance, the quick change of social spaces from Myspace to Facebook and now Twitter, means users are able to change their 'society'. If i had a chance to re-do the course, the only thing i would change is to have joined a better forum. However, due to there being a vast range of soap forums available, at first glance it is impossible to tell which site has a better sense of community. In conclusion i would definately say that i will NO LONGER continue to be a user of soapforum.com.

Dedicated fans....

I couldn't help but notice the dedication of some fans. Its bizarre, but they have taken time out to make little clippings that will go at the end of each of their posts. I found this one which i thought was sweet...though a lot of them are didication to Eastenders mother and daughter dilemma between 'Ronnie Mithchell' and 'Danielle'.

Coming to an END...

Gosh, i cant believe how quick the weeks have gone...deadlines are looming and as u can imagine everyone is stressed!!!! Im really happy with the progress the group has made, our wiki is lookin FAB i must say...just needs to be put together really, and tomorrow start to make the conclusion of our work...

I am halfway through writing my wiki page, its going slow but its coming along nicely. N the layout of my wiki is taking shape. I love my title as it goes with the theme of the groups page!!!! =D

Group work continued...

During this weeks lesson we each showed the group our forums...how we have progressed, our contribution and feedback. We discussed the positives and negatives of each forum, and discussed what we each could right on our wiki page....

I explained that my forum www.soapforum.co.uk was very boring in the sense of presentation (very plain no imagery) and that it feels as if you didn gain very much. I decided to join Channel 4's official Hollyoaks Forum (http://community.channel4.com/groupee/forums/a/cfrm/f/8420074863) as it was very colourful and you get incentinves such as getting to choose an avatar, and you can gain stars the more you post...which made you feel more accepted into the forum the more you participated (working your way up the heirachy of popularity, acceptance and knowledge)....but it did have opening hours between 8.00am- midnight, therefore being highly monitored, and gives the insight that many of its users are young, who go to school or college etc.

However, when trying to apply i had to wait for an email which would enable me to activate my account, but i did not recive it no matter how many times i requested it. I then tried again to apply using a different email. This time i received the email to avtivate my account and confirm my request, andi thought GREATTTT!!! it worked...but when clicking the link it merely stated Thank you for activating your account, and that they would get back to me to confirm my account and accept me, and that i can look around the forums as a guest, but this restricgted me from posting.

This shows just how secure Channel 4 are with there sites, and how strict they are on not just letting anyone join there site. Though it does make a big inconvenience for the user. So instead i will stay with soapforum.com

...I have started to enjoy soapforum.com more the more i post, eagerly awaiting replies and views, and in a weird way start to feel as if these people i am communicating with are my 'friends' as we have the same things in common such as favourite characters, views on storylines etc, and share ideas and gossip on up coming story plots.

Group Meeting...

Today we had a group meeting about our wiki project. We discussed about how our individual forums are going, and any group worries and questions..it went well!!! We have all agreed to continue with our forums and to start writing down how we are all experiencing them etc. We will also start to read up on key texts which we will use on our indiviual pages, ready for next Monday, and also using screenshots to back up our theories....Looks liek tommorrow will be very productive =)

Hollyoaks Forum update....

GREAT NEWS!!! I have just checked my blog on the forum and have already had 2 replies and 27 views, which i am really chuffed about...i think that is great for a begginner =D...i guess my theory of a strappy topic really does work...

Trying to define ONLINE COMMUNITY....

Trying to define online community can be very difficult...people experience different things online, such as comfort, familiarity, 'loyality', relationahips etc, but because of our own experiences, we will all define this differently. I found this video on youtube that would explain my argument more...

Blade 376, thought of a great idea of finding this out...wish i thought of it first!!! He wanted to get feedback about how the online community defines 'online community', simply by using a single word, phrase, sentence..

By gathereing all the feedback from videos and messages, he put together a great footage. People describe the online community from stupid, to togetherness and giving a freedom of speech. It represents people from all over the world. We do not know exactly why a person would describe the online copmmunity for being stupid or slowww, or my most favourite Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!!!! unless we have actually experiended the things they have...

Are there any words that you would add to describe Online Community....Have a look... =D