The opportunity to be a part of Strategic Presentation gave me the opportunity to develop my creative skills, whether it was in creating a header, blogging, podcasting, or editing. The course allowed me to step out of my comfort zone and put forth my skills and interest by posting blogs and youtube videos about my desired topic. I believe that the skills I have gained will benefit me in the future when it comes to video and audio editing. My most memorable experience from this course would be using Audacity and picking a song for my intro and outro. I have never used or heard of Audacity so this was quite the learning experience. It took multiple tries for my audio to sound perfect. I was able to play with the audio effects like auto duck, compressor, fading, and noise reduction. Another memorable experience would be creating a blog. Never in my life would I have thought I would become a blog owner only because I don’t have much of an interest in writing but this course has allowed me to broaden my horizons. Stepping out of my comfort zone overall can also help me to grow as a person. It required me to face our fears and insecurities. By facing challenges and overcoming them, I learned to trust myself and my abilities more. It made blogging easier when I was able to talk about my love for traveling and being able to share past experiences. I loved the idea of being able to build and connect with an audience with the same interest and hopefully through my blog posts, podcasts, and youtube videos, I was able to teach you guys something new or offer a bit of entertainment. Also to offer a bit of advice, for personal growth and development, stepping out of your comfort zone is essential. Take the risk.
MEMES
- How does each meme relate to your topic and target audience?
- The three memes that I have chosen all relate to travel. Since my blog is about travel, I thought it would be appropriate to add images that people can relate to when it comes to traveling or being on vacation.
- In Davison’s framework, what are the ‘ideals’ of your chosen memes? (Cite Davison)
- In the “Language of Internet Memes” by Patrick Davidson, he describes ideals as the intent behind a person’s thinking; what is their pov, and the emotion they feel when looking at the image.“The ideal of a meme is the concept or idea conveyed. The ideal dictates the behavior, which in turn creates the manifestation” (Davidson 124). In the first meme, a man is posing with the Eiffel tower and trying to touch the point but is completely missing the building which is funny. In the second meme, the girl is having fun on the ride and the man next to her looks scared and worried. The text added to the picture gives meaning and a sense of connection. The third meme is a starter pack containing 4 different images relating to the text.
- What are the “behaviors” of your identified memes? Where do they originate, and how do they spread? (Cite the Know Your Meme database)
- The behaviors of my identified memes are the original pictures before being manipulated. These pictures could be taken from the user’s social media which can be altered and resurfaced again however, I found these memes on knowyourmeme.com
- What are the “manifestations” of your chosen memes, and how are they different from other possible manifestations?
- The manifestations of my chosen memes represent what it’s like to be on vacation. “The manifestation of a meme is its observable, external phenomena” (Davidson 123). The manifestation of these memes represents the pixels that create the image. When creating a meme, the artist can add anything to the image whether that be text, a video, audio, or another picture.
- Conclude by considering how the specific manifestations you have chosen can appeal to your target audience.
- These specific manifestations can appeal to my audience because each image represents traveling in its own way. In the first meme, a man is taking a touristy picture but it didn’t come out as planned. The second meme discusses the stress of payments and spending from vacation. Lastly, the third meme expresses what most travelers go through. Getting to the airport early, going on vacation during a specific season, bragging on social media, and then returning home and going back to your regular life.
Davison, P. (2012). The language of internet memes.The social media reader, 120-134
Spool, A. (2022, June 28). Can someone photoshop the Eiffel Tower under my finger? Know Your Meme. https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/can-someone-photoshop-the-eiffel-tower-under-my-finger
Know Your Meme. (2021, June 25). Disney vacation: /r/memes. Know Your Meme. https://knowyourmeme.com/photos/2133251
Know Your Meme. (2021, January 11). Vacation starter pack: /R/starterpacks: Starter Packs. Know Your Meme. https://knowyourmeme.com/photos/1988154-starter-packs
Podcast
Hey everyone! Check out my podcast where I discuss the process of obtaining my passport, flying out of the country, the plane ride, and the countries I visited. I also discuss an organization called, Tourism Cares, which focuses on the long-term survival of the travel + tourism industry. I hope this podcast brings you a ton of information and ideas on where to travel next!
Figure 1: Paris, France (own photo)
Packing
How many times were you left with leaving behind clothing because it wouldn’t fit in your luggage? You don’t have to worry anymore. The purpose of this post is to teach you how to properly pack and roll clothing so it will fit in any bag or suitcase. This is a technique I like to call the roll method. This rolling method really optimizes the space in your bag. It is easier to see your clothes all at once if you roll your clothes up and store them in your suitcase while folding your clothes can result in a piled-up mess.
HOW TO ROLL YOUR SHIRTS
You’ll need to lay your t-shirt out flat and on a smooth surface in order to roll it. If it is a long sleeve, bring both sleeves to the center of the shirt and fold it vertically, so the two sleeves match. Then roll it up and place it in your suitcase.
HOW TO ROLL YOUR PANTS
The most efficient way to roll pants is to lay them flat on a surface. Place one leg over the other and fold the pants neatly in half. Start rolling at the waist and continue until the cuffs are reached.
Travelers should also pack lightly to avoid the hassle when transporting. Your outfits should be able to fit in a carry-on bag so your bag won’t be misplaced by the baggage handlers at the airport.
Watch this video below to learn how to do the rolling method and pack in a carry-on bag!
With this video, People will be able to retrieve information better digitally and have a better understanding. In Christine Wolfe’s article, DIY Videos on YouTube, he explains the benefits and experiences that come with watching DIY youtube videos. “It’s easier to see what they look like, so I could later locate those things in a store. And I want also to kind of see the process, how you actually do this.” (Wolfe, 2016 p.6)
Header
- The header image on my website represents traveling and destinations. One of the images that I’ve included in the header is a picture of nature and the other picture is of Paris which I visited 3 years ago. Both of these pictures will give viewers an idea of what my site is focused on.
- The images I used for the header came from flickr.com. The image on the right is “Paris” from Lisa Kura on flickr and the image on the left is “Sunrise over Zahmer Kaiser mountain range seen from Nußlberg near Kiefersfelden in Bavaria, Germany” by Uwe Schwarzbach. I am able to use both of the images because according to creative commons, the material can be copied and redistributed in any format as long as they are credited and if the images are licensed.
- During the production process when creating my header I was able to use shapes as the backdrop of my images using the transparency tool and some designs. I was also able to use the sizing tool to perfectly size the images how I wanted. According to Manovich’s article, “Inside Photoshop”, he goes into a deeper analysis of editing in Photoshop and how layering is a new way of editing in the digital world. (Manovich, 2011) As a result of layering, I have been able to manipulate my images and change the way they appear.
- My production process is similar to Davison’s because I was able to combine two images into my header making it a multi-layer image and like Davison describes a bitmap is that it is “a two-dimensional presentation of the bits in a computer’s memory.” (Davison, 2015) Differences between my images and a bitmap would be the resolution of the images as well as the quality.
Davison, P. (2014). Because of the pixels: On the history, form, and influence of Ms Paint. Journal of Visual Culture, 13(3), 275–297. https://doi.org/10.1177/1470412914544539
Manovich, L. (2019, September 27). Inside photoshop: Computational culture. Computational Culture | a journal of software studies. Retrieved October 9, 2022, from http://computationalculture.net/inside-photoshop/
Welcome!
Hello! My name is Olivia Johnson and I am currently a senior at Rutgers University! Since I was a child, I have traveled with my mom to many states and moved around quite a bit. At 18, I got my passport and took my first trip out of the country to Europe for my birthday. I am fortunate to have had the opportunity to visit many states and countries. Who I am today is a result of the experiences I had on those trips. The objectives of my website would be to offer travel-related information like journaling, packing advice, safety when it comes to traveling, affordable places, and other travel-related inquiries. I would also share my past enjoyable travel experiences and the activities I did there. I know that traveling for some is a getaway; to relax and wind down and escape from the stress at some all-inclusive resort but I encourage people to immerse themselves in other cultures, attend museums or festivals, and try local food. By allowing yourself to have a different perspective on the world, your understanding of it will broaden. You will also become aware of cultural differences in priorities and have the opportunity to learn the local language. Regardless of where you’re traveling to, every place has something to offer and teach you. Being able to document my trips is one of the best benefits of keeping a travel blog. Similar to keeping a travel diary, it enables you to document the highlights of your trip while also providing the ease of typing it up, including images, and posting it online. I wish to serve as an example for others who want to start traveling. It doesn’t have to be a big journey like one abroad. It might be somewhere else like a state over!
TravelwithLiv 