Skip to main content
Time For CG to Get Noisy!
I've already sent a message out to all you lovely people I have on the Facebook, but in case I'm not cool enough to have you on there or I just had a memory fail then here's a post about it:
Thanks to some cunning string pulling from Phil, the Post With The Most was recently posted on the UCA Facebook page here. It was suggested on there that we should start providing lists of blogs that best represent our course. However, this is CG's first real opportunity to show off what we can do and it's about time we were given some recognition. We should use it to shamelessly promote ourselves and the work we're proud of! I don't know about you, but I think there is a lot of work to be proud of on this course.
Any other ideas are much appreciated! Andi's already suggested that we could have our own Facebook page too. Thoughts below! :D
It's a good idea BUT remember this sort of thing would need a constant and healthy feed of new information. Meaning that it would have to be maintained by Admins potentially after they graduate or in the middle of a busy deadline push etc. If it were left to languish then it could reflect badly on the course. For example if someone googles CG Arts and Animation finds a Facebook page which hasnt been updated for two years with people complaining about lack of resources or examples of unfinished work, then that information may not be relevant anymore. It's happened in the past I think. Food for thought anyway...
ReplyDeleteP.S This new blog layout is awful, I can barely read anything! (light grey text on white background - yuck) Maybe I'm wrong but I think the forced changes to the new layout only applies to the Dashboard and the not blogs themselves.
Yeah that makes a lot of sense Tom. Jon had mentioned a previous attempt at something similar that didn't work out, so maybe just using the already established UCA page to promote ourselves would be best.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I agree about the blog template. This text is so difficult to read that I was squinting to see Tom's comment. Fingers-crossed it won't have to stay this way!
It happened with the past Facebook page. There were complaints on there about certain aspects which are now mute points as they have been resolved; however potential students found those complaints and raised them at their interviews. Pol and I were asked to take that facebook page down, and did so.
ReplyDeleteTom, what Molly is suggesting is a little different. Constant administration isn't totally needed, she's just telling people to keep pushing their work into the publics eye on the UCA's main facebook page. It's littered with Fashion work currently. Any finished animations/works should get posted on there.
re. this blog template thing; I must admit to some uncertainty myself about the 'automatic update of blog templates' - a couple of blogs I'm already following announced the changes - and it was on 'blogger buzz' too. The default templates don't give the choice of changing the pop-up background from white, but there are some fixes I think in terms of changing the coding. Let me have a scout around.
ReplyDeleteRe. Facebook - yes, I think there is a need to ensure that CG Arts feels 'alive' in terms of updates etc - and certainly, I'd suggest everyone needs to take their professionalism into the public sphere - i.e. leave the inevitable, and sometimes justified moans and wrangles 'back-stage'. Still, it would be great to see lots of student driven content on the Facebook page and Rochester recognised for content other than fashion...
I did the upgrade and my blog has remained dynamic-view less. They haven't made it very clear as to whether blogs will be effected but I'm sure they won't as that would render YEARS of hard work designing custom templates completely redundant. Meaning a lot of pissed off people! I think it's safe to go back to the old design. If they do introduce mandatory dynamic views, it will get changed anyway but better that than realising you could of be been using the old template the entire time...
ReplyDeleteOk - I looked around. I'm 100% positive anything to do with the old template styles won't change. Change back please! :-D
ReplyDeleteThe dynamic views have been an option for a while now, but they aren't mandatory. You can change back to the old style.
ReplyDeleteAnother reason for going 'dynamic' is in response to various gripes about load-up times for the long PWTMs or video-heavy posts - personally, I like the slimmed-down aesthetic - with all the links etc. tucked away. It sort of puts me in mind of a 'good' powerpoint presentation - anyway, I'm going to stick with it for a while and see what way the wind blows, but I'm warming to it all the time...
ReplyDeleteIn terms of the blog template, it might just be me, but this new dynamic look isnt very smart phone friendly. I can only view to blog in sections as it will not allow me to zoom out, and the link to comment of view comments simply does not work.
ReplyDeleteHey Rich - okay, that's interesting - anyone else experiencing difficulty like this?
ReplyDeleteNot that my blog is prime example of brilliant customisation but I suppose my biggest gripe is that it now looks exactly like the other 500,000 blogs that use dynamic views. There isn't a personal design touch in sight. It's a bunch of unchangeable templates designed primarily for non-computer people with no design savvy. So while it looks kind of professional, it's really pretty amateurish (at least until it allows for greater customisation.)
ReplyDeleteAlso it's messed up the design for the banners on some of the templates. AA Miscellan? Major P? Maybe this is because it defaults to 'Magazine' style for me. But the 'Classic' style (similar to the old blog) takes just as long to load the same content as before if not longer because it's loading the individual elements as you scroll, I don't know what I'm looking at until it loads fully - it's totally cumbersome and looks really plain and generic...
I don't think this is a battle I'm going to win, and I'm coming off as an incredibly grumpy wind bag so I'll stop complaining. That's the British way.
No - Tom - there's no battle really - I think what it will come down too is me 'out-sourcing' the customisation to someone who knows what they're doing. I have to include the legit UCA logo on here somehow anyway - as Marketing - who are now 100% behind CG Arts etc. are really keen that some of the brand is carried over, and to be honest, that's fine. I suppose too that, when you've got a 'group blog' the issue of how 'personal' it is comes into question - and most people, ultimately, go for really plain background - some kind of banner, and most people get rid of their label clouds etc. So, I guess we're coming to this - if you were given admin rights for the group blog, what would it look like? Personally, I just think it should avoid anything too 'CGI', anything too one student specific, anything too 'class of 2011 - or whatever' - that in many respects it should be as neutral as 'facebook' in so much as it's the content that's important. That said, I do prefer having everything on a black background. So - the issue is this - what 'right kind' of neutral - in the way that there is a 'right kind' of Powerpoint. After all, the 'blog' itself is supposed to be transparent - a window into the work etc. For me, the 'dynamic views' are just another generic means of publishing our good content - but my feelings are, well, less than strong. So - fancy giving the rejig a rejig, Tom? This is a serious request - a creative one - let me know, and I'll magic you some admin authorisation from my underground HQ :)
ReplyDeleteI think Tom is right, but I also thought the old blog template was a bit of a pain at times when trying to scroll though a long PWTM. At the same time, this dynamic view is very generic too. So i'm not sure what the answer would be. It should be very sleek, basic and easy to use. I think the old customisable templates are the better option though.
ReplyDeleteI think there's a middle way, ladies and gents - watch this space; in the meantime, just grin and bear it, okay - and focus on the content etc. We'll get this right before too long :)
ReplyDelete