Donna Schlessinger's Blog

my first client

Yesterday
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http://www.lipoledancing.com

check this out: http://www.glumbert.com...

4 days ago
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check this out:

http://www.glumbert.com/media/onenight

hysterical - watch to the end...not what you think.

:)

Donna

My Post Mortem on FMD...

May 9, 2008
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Here's my link before I forget...

Click here for my website

Now for my Post Mortem on FMD:

I really loved this class and got a lot out of it. Just as intended, it has sparked an interest in a few different subjects that I would like to pursue further.

I did find certain areas a struggle and I know that that is part of the learning process but still – it would’ve been better for me if help was more readily and immediately available when I needed it.

I am not one of those people who think its necessary to suffer for my art! I want to put out as close to a perfect piece of work as I can and found the mechanical and technical hurdles were just slowing me down; albeit necessarily so.

I now feel that a workshop in the various software applications will be really beneficial now that I have a project that I would like to see through to fruition (my website) so that is something I may do over the summer once my kids go to camp J

I found the in-class instruction really interesting and loved watching everyone else’s projects and our in-class discussions and critiques. I found the comments to be really helpful and enjoyed the exchange of ideas and opinions. I think it’s great that sometimes we veered off the path that Virgil set out and that he allowed us the freedom to do so.

It was a great learning experience for me. I am taking a couple of classes in the fall and one of them is online. I will miss the classroom experience, personally. I think interacting with people face-to-face is an integral part of the learning process.

Thanks for a great semester…..

DONNA

Wrap Up

May 8, 2008
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Preferred medium before the course:

Before this class I was very comfortable working in the Windows environment, but had just received my MacBook in December as a gift. By January I was falling in love with all things Mac but this course has introduced more software applications to me that I probably wouldn’t have even tried on my own that I love – Photoshop and Dreamweaver included!

Preferred medium after the course:

See my answer above – a total Mac-head!

A topic/theme/question I would like to investigate in my next project is:

I would like to take on a topic of social significance as I’ve been working on very personal, light and fun things this semester. I do a lot of fundraising for local charities in my “spare” time (of which there really is none) and I try to instill certain values in my children but unfortunately do not see kids taking on responsibility for those less fortunate than they may be. I think giving of one’s time/money to whatever cause touches you is not something we as a society should “opt-in” to – I feel we should all contribute in some way. I would like to create something that spreads that message and really drives that point home.

Something I learned in this class that I can teach someone else:

My non-technical lesson is that it pays to get lost sometimes. I have found it to be the most effective way to really learn about any new environment – whether driving in your car or learning how to animate a drawing.

Something I learned in this class that I can teach someone else:

My technical lesson – there are many J I actually was able to help my son do his video project for school and taught him the value of a storyboard. Photoshop – I am getting more comfortable here and feel I’ve come a LONG way, Flash – yikes but I will have to conquer that eventually b/c I know how cool it can be but I DID MAKE SOMETHING MOVE (yay). And finally – creating a website. I can actually understand and apply what I’ve learned and make things work J

Something I will try to do next semester that I have never done before:

I will be taking my first online class!

Something I will try to do everyday that I did not do before this course:

Make improvements to my first website – I’d like it to become a prototype for a future business.

A creative project I could do with a restriction-free budget of $150 million:

Hmmmm….I’m already feeling conflicted about the question. If I had that kind of funding, I would be more inclined to donate it and really change a life. But if pressed, I suppose I would incorporate the two. I would love to orchestrate some kind of interactive creative workshop – maybe over a weekend - where people come together to conceive and implement some kind of community out-reach for a mutally-agreed upon cause.

How I could do the same project with a budget of $15:

Create a website and begin a grass-roots effort online

Page Deux

Apr 25, 2008
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About-Jake

Page Deux!!!!!!!!

HOMEPAGE

Apr 25, 2008
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Web Home Page

THIS IS THE HOMEPAGE!!!

OK - so here's the conflict...

Apr 23, 2008
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OK - so here's the conflict of the week:

Do I pay ultra-close attention to Virgil as he creates his masterpieces in class or do I take notes and risk missing something?

Well, this week I decided to pay close attention to DreamWeaver and I absorbed some but not all of what I need to know - ack!!!!

As a result I spend oodles of time consulting the various "help" menus (which are actually pretty helpful IF YOU KNOW WHAT YOU"RE LOOKING FOR. This week I cheated and called my friend Dave (a graphic and package designer) to ask him a key photoshop question which saved my life. I am now in love with a tool. OOOH that didn't sound good. Anyway, it's the magic wand and it's the BEST.

I am going to post what I have so far but I am still working on linking stuff and putting all of my photos and documents into the right files so they can be found when the time is right.

- more later

D

:)

Jake’s Underground SITEMAP...

Apr 17, 2008
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Jake’s Underground SITEMAP

Designed by Donna Schlessinger

Media Studies Program

New School University

Spring 2008

Objective of this Web Site: To have a space to share images, memories, ideas about Jake Schlessinger’s Bar Mitzvah

Target Audience: Friends, Family, People in the same boat

Similar Web Sites: thebarmitzvahblog.com, barmitzvahdisco.com, jonathan.justrites.com

Home Page with the following menus/links:

1 About Jake

1.1 Photos

1.2 Interests/hobbies

1.3 His ideas for his Bar Mitzvah

2 Bar Mitvah History

2.1 Definition of

2.2 Schlessinger/Goldberg Historical Photos (cross linked with photo section)

2.2.1 Pictures of David’s Bar Mitzvah 1975

2.2.2 Pictures of Uncle Adam’s Bar Mitzvah 1981

2.2.3 Pictures of Uncle Jeff’s Bar Mitzvah 1972

2.2.4 Pictures of Uncle Andrew’s Bar Mitzvah 1975

2.2.5 Pictures of Aunt Lori’s Bat Mitzvah 1978

3 The Low-down on Our Event

3.1 Location of Temple/Service

3.1.1 Name, Address, Driving Directions

3.2 Location of Party

3.2.1 Name, Address, Driving Directions

3.3 DJ & Entertainment – link to site

3.4 Favors

3.4.1 Sweatshirt link & photo

3.4.2 Bag link & photo

3.5 Hospitality Baskets for our Guests

3.5.1 Contents

3.5.2 Where to buy each item – links to sites?

3.6 Photographer

3.7 Videographer – Service

3.8 Party Planner

3.9 Extras

4 Photo/Video Gallery

4.1 Service/Brunch

4.2 The Underground Lounge Inside Pix

4.3 The After Party

4.4 Sunday Brunch

4.5 The Montage!

4.6 Video Clips

4.7 Schlessinger/Goldberg Photos of Mitzvah’s Past

5. Contact Us

Donna Schlessinger - April 17, 2008 5:01:58 PM EDT

Apr 17, 2008
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Ok - so I wish I was a feeling a little more obligated to do a piece on something totally relevant and significant on a global level, but being the truly practical person that I am, I have elected to have this latest project work for ME. This is something that I wanted to and planned on doing anyway but now I will actually have the tools to do it myself instead of paying a third party to make it happen for me...BONUS.

So, as you may or may not know from my ramblings in class, my son, Jake is being Bar Mitzvah'd on May 3rd. Instead of making the assumption that you already know what this is, I will tell you. The literal translation means "Son of a Commandment". Loosely speaking, in the Jewish faith, it is the time in a boy's life when he becomes a man and this happens (with a great deal of formal training) when they turn 13. Girls can and do go through the same thing - but they become a BAT Mitzvah.

OK...so since my son has been working for several years learning the hebrew language, jewish customs and many prayers that he will have to recite in front of the entire congregation, we, like many others before us, have decided to make him a party to celebrate this great accomplishment.

We have tons of family and friends who are coming from all across the country for the weekend and I thought it would be a great idea to create a website to post pictures to share with everyone when it's all done.

In doing my research to ascertain how this will all flesh out, I came across some interesting sites:

http://thebarmitzvahblog.com

barmitzvahdisco.com

jonathan.justrites.com

I uses the term "interesting" loosely.

The jonathan site is the one that most closely reflects what I want to create but it's not how I want mine to look. There's no real life to it but here's my reverse sitemap:

Jonathan.justrites.com Sitemap

Hosted by Justrites.com

Created by Bonnie & Eric (parents)

Objective of this website:

To share memories of Jonathan’s Bar Mitzvah celebration with his family and friends including photos and feedback from visitors to the site and thoughts of his parents.

Target Audience:

Friends & Family of the Bar Mitzvah Boy (and people who just happen to stumble in….like me)

Similar Web Sites:

I haven’t actually found any similar to this one through Google or Yahoo searches. Many hits for sites selling Bar Mitzvah entertainment, invitations, rabbinical services etc.

Menu (runs down left hand side of page) Options:

1. Home Explanation of site, note from parents, Bonnie & Eric

2. The Service Explanation of the Bar Mitzvah Ritual, no clickable links

3. Bar Mitzvah Blog

3.1 Clickable link to Dad’s email address for end-users to email feedback

4. The Party

4.1 Clickable link to “the Service” (sends end-user back to #2)

4.2 Photo Gallery clickable links

5. Photo Gallery

____________________________________________________________________________________________

I found this website to be pretty rudimentary and basic, which is fine but I have a different vision for mine. I have no idea how my vision will be hampered by my limited skills so, my site may just end up being not much more interesting.

With regard to the navigation, it seemed pretty straightforward. The clickable links got you were they were supposed to, but there wasn't much meat there. But choices were clear and they executed with no problem.

The Information Architecture was again, rudimentary. There is so much that goes into the planning of these events and so many more links that I can think of to add. What the problem amounted to for me was not enough choices and the same 5 paths all basically leading to the same road in the end. Other choices they could have made include adding a link to the photographer's website, a link for some video footage, a link to see photos from the party (which are not up as yet) and links to the various vendors that they used.

it seems as though NO INFORMATION is really given to the user other than a BRIEF explanation of the site and the promise of things to come. Not even a mention of where they live or where the party was held or the days, weeks and months of preparation that led up to the Big Day.

Design Quality was not interesting to me. Bleak color and the overall look seemed quite dated and stagnant.

No substantive content to speak of as I described above.

Oh, this was so interesting...

Apr 17, 2008

Aesop3

2 comments

It's awful but here it is.....on to the next! Technical issues not resolved despite Virgil's words of wisdom:

My girl with her eyes open - her face is transparent - I tried increasing her alpha count to 100% but to no avail. Oh well - I guess it adds to her appeal.

My music cuts off at THE MOST inopportune time. I will go back and just delete and re-insert it if time allows after I get this next project done. I think I know what the problem is here but couldn't fix it.

Next - the audio when saved as a quicktime file was compromised. Not the music but my voice over track. Its sounds like I'm wearing a retainer or have some kind of speech impediment. Oh well. THIS ONE IS NOT GOIN' ON YOUTUBE.

And here's an interesting little Apple glitch. I downloaded Elton John's version of Lucy In the sky and when I did, IMOVIE wouldn't let me export to quicktime without any video attached. I think I faked out the program by adding a photo "off the grid" so it let me do the export in the end.

This was cool - I just wish I was happier with the end result. :)