In class this week I shared some tips for using Twitter, but if Twitter hasn’t “clicked” for you yet, I recommend reviewing the following sites:
- A Beginner’s Guide to Twitter
- 10 Tips on Using Twitter Wisely
- Twitter Basics (the company’s official support page)
We’ll check in on our Twitter adventures on Monday, so here’s a mini assignment to complete this weekend: follow at least five new people who regularly tweet on a particular topic. For instance, if you want to know what’s going on in the world of web design, you should follow a few of the accounts listed on this page compiled by Tim Lockridge. If you want to use Twitter to keep up with campus news and events, follow a few of the accounts on the university’s list. Or use a hashtag search to find out who is regularly tweeting about your favorite sport, television show, band, etc. And remember, when you tweet about something related to our class, be sure to use the class hashtag: #engl4814
Our main focus during Week 3 will be finishing up the Landing Page and Online Résumé assignment, which is due on Monday, September 24. Here’s how we’ll get there:
- Before you come to class on Monday, please read pages 176–198 and 300–336 in the HTML & CSS book. In class, we will discuss the “box model” and address any questions or problems you encountered as you read. As you complete your reading assignment, please apply the concepts from the book to your Unit #1 project files. By the time you come to class on Monday, you should have two completed HTML files and a CSS file that is starting to take shape.
- On Wednesday, we will practice using CSS to position elements on a page and conduct a “debugging” workshop to help you prepare your Unit #1 files for submission. This means you need to come to class with finished versions of your project files. [Update: Your Unit #1 files should be live on your Filebox website before you come to class. For instance, here is my sample site.] In addition, please read pages 358–86 in the HTML & CSS book before you come to class. [Update: Here are the sample files for Wednesday's workshop.]
If you’re wondering how to focus your energies during the coming week, here are a few tips to ensure your success on Unit #1:
- Two of the most basic aspects of style sheets are color and typography, so I’ll be looking for evidence that you know how to go beyond the default colors and fonts imposed by your browser.
- We haven’t spent much time on CSS positioning (we’ll get there soon!), so I don’t expect to see incredibly complex page layouts. Your résumé doesn’t need to be complicated to be effective.
- Along the same lines, remember that you’re creating a professional résumé designed to be seen by potential employers. Yes, you should inject some of your personality into the design, but a résumé is not the best place to take big risks with an outlandish design.
- This first assignment is intended, in part, to see how well you’ve been paying attention to the readings in our textbook. Your code should be clean and well organized, and your HTML and CSS should validate.
- The assignment sheet is very specific about what you should name your files and where they should be located. Please follow these directions to the letter.
Last but not least, I hope that all of you are practicing, not just reading, the material in our textbook. If you have fallen behind, please take some time this weekend to catch up. If you’ve tried applying the concepts in the book to your Unit #1 project and you’re still feeling lost, please come see me during office hours (Monday 8–11 or Tuesday 1-4).