Although, by reading this report, you may sympathize with my frustration and aggravation I felt while making these files, you also can see by the mere fact that it exists, I have succeeded, so far . . .
One of the most frustrating aspects of reviewing these files was their lack of uniformity. I realize this is difficult when everyone likes a personalized homepage which I think is both good and bad. It is good in the terms of the individuality of each homepage. It seems the homepages reflect the attitudes and personalities of the writer. In turn, this makes them fun to look at. The problem lies when we are reviewing serveral homepages. It's hard to figure out where to look and what to look for.
Also, the previous generations didn't offer annotation for each file. Many are just labeled report1, report2, and so on. I guess this wouldn't be such a problem if we weren't look through so many. But, as Dr. James has said, the homepages are getting better and better. I believe this is due to the fact that, by reviewing the previous files, we can see the shortcomings and try to rectify the problems.
As far as the development of my Report One, the links to the other files took a while to handle. I got really frustrated when trying to make my first links and I began to think there was something wrong with the computer. It couldn't possibly be me. I have put in all the right commands and it still won't work. But, I wouldn't give up; I would keep working at it and eventually (what a surprise) I would find a missing letter or symbol.
The experience of working on this file, as well as the rest of my files, has taught me persistence pays off!
I would like to add a more personal touch to my homepage, but I want to be more confident in what I am doing. In time, I hope to accomplish more.
I have all of my files listed with a short description of what they contain. I also have links to all of them and to my email and, of course, Dr. James' homepage.
I am starting to realize that this course doesn't allow for much closure. Constant maintenance of the files is required.
Well, since I wrote the previous paragraphs pertaining to this file, I have gone back and worked more on my Topical Index. It was pretty fun. I did a lot of cutting and pasting. After finishing (as much as they get finished) my other files, I went back and worked on this file. I found it different than the others in the respect that there is really no writing involved, merely designing. The Topical Index is much like the homepage in this respect, but even less writing. I listed all of my files and then I went into each file and added anchors for relevant information.
Then, the fun part, I simply copied all of my links and put them under the appropriate file name of my index. I also made links to all of my anchors. It wasn't difficult since by this point I have the construction of the links down. Only a few problems came up and I handled them quickly!
I'm having a hard time trying to figure out how to entice people to leave contributions. Since most of the people in the class are not experts with the search engines, I'm finding I need to learn how to market my topic. I thought it would be a good idea to let contributors know that they were helping others who are just beginning on the Internet. I'm not sure if this is a good strategy or not, we'll have to see if it works.
The only search engine I have used extensively, so far, is LYCOS.
Setting the file up was fun. I think, when I have time, I am going to look for some graphics to put onto my file. I think this may be a way to entice people to look around on my homepage. I have been surprised, however, that I have gotten a few contributions already. Also, when I used Lycos to search for some recommended search sites, I came up with quite a few that I would like to put on my WIB file. I need to do this soon.
I will keep working on this file and my WIB file until I feel confident that it is in the best possible order and form. I like the fact that I will continue to add to this site. Hopefully, I will get a lot of contributions to add to my list.
Surprise, surprise, I got two contributions. This file will be fun to maintain! I like getting contributions from others and hearing their views on the Internet. This file wasn't difficult to make and it will probably be easy to manage. As stated above, I need to learn some marketing techniques on how to entice contributors.
I will probably ask my classmates to help me with some ideas. They have been most help in figuring things out so far.