At first instance the idea of creating an online presence was quite daunting as I'd be placing myself in the spotlight of creating something that others will look upon. This meant I had to put my best foot forward looking directly at my passions and interests. This meant if I wasn't excited, passionate or looking forward to curating the content I had chosen then it wasn't the right choice.
I believe that no matter the project it needs to start with pen to paper. I brainstormed first my interests and then the platforms I'd potentially use and any key ideas related to the topic/idea.
I wanted something I knew I could continue using and easily be able to curate content without too much hassle, whilst also creating interesting content for consumers. Keeping it simple, I followed the simplicity cycle looking to create 'goodness' rather than 'complexities' within the DA, thus I went with photography.
As part of the Photography DA I will create:
A website/portfolio via Wix, this allows access to sell digital prints of the photos without the complexity of outsourcing another company to print the photographs
An account previously used on Steller will be added to and maintained as it proved a success interaction with users when I used it before
A Pinterest account will also be used as a platform. It is regularly used by myself and my friends with that hopefully gaining a big showcase for the mass of Pinterest consumers. This means hopefully I can create a continuous cycle of consumer interaction as the Pinterest photograph will be directly linked to the website then consumers from there can access the Steller stories.
I went through 'Hubspots' blog post and gathered ideas of how photographers set out their online portfolios, so when creating mine through Wix I can draw off the templates they have used that I believe looks aesthetic. Because I had already created a bank of photos from previous adventures I am able to set up the presence without hesitation.
I then chose a template on Wix, and have since been updating the site with new photo albums and adding additional photos to the digital print store (the progress is down below). I will slowly add more albums as I gather what consumers like, thus creating an experience for the consumers rather than a 'product'. After reading Tim Brown & Jocelyn Wyatt's 'Design for Social Thinking' I believe this idea of an experience is what I should set out to create my digital artefact around.
My progress with Steller has been minimal as I plan to observe the other users first. I've previously used the application but I believe my attempt was a fluke with such a successful response as I had no prior research into what it meant to post on the application. After watching Teodor Mitew's mini lecture on observing I thought I'd start of the feedback loop with observing other users then prototype potential posts and testing how successful they are in regards to interactions with consumers.
Pinterest has been similar in the sense of minimal progress as the application of posting was at first quite confusing, though after persistence I made some progress in uploading the first few photos under the business profile. The use of Pinterest is yet to prove helpful, though I'm still hopeful that the major use of Pinterest by photographers and generally a lot of people, would help in circulating the reach of the website and Steller profiles.
This is my progress with my digital artefact so far. If you have any questions, suggestions or helpful tips don't hesitate to leave a comment or reach myself directly through the contact me page!!
Until Next Time, Live and Laugh,
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