Describe the computer workstation/operating system or equipment you work with:
Is this different equipment than you’ve been trained on at school?
We are on a PC Format with CS3, so the interface is a bit different. We use MS Word and Excel often. We use Constant Contact to create our e-communications, and our website is Drupal-based.
How did you learn to operate it? Was it hard or easy to learn?
There’s not a lot of formal training. With Constant Contact I was trained by previous staff and frequently visit their online help forum. The e-mail templates were already created so for the most part all I just plug in content and upload images. Same goes for the website; other staff have provided some training and I mostly create content and add images. In both cases, I have some control over formatting but don’t delve deeply into style sheets or other coding.
What do you like best about the workstation/equipment you are using?
I like being able to easily add content and update information on the website. Constant Contact is quite user friendly in this way.
What skills have you developed from using this workstation/equipment?
I have learned the importance of file management and working systematically—which doesn’t always happen and can result in a bit of chaos, frustration, and a lot of unnecessary storage space!
What skills do you need to improve? How can you make those improvements?
I’d like to learn more about web design, specifically style sheets. And Flash as well to create more interesting web pages. There are a lot of online resources I could tap into, and a few courses I could look into. Mostly I need to carve out time to practice what we’ve learned in our coursework already. We’re creating a new website so I’m hoping there will be opportunities for input on design, navigability, and interactivity.
Hours worked and tasks completed:
Whew, what a week. We had some additional staffing changes which impacted the work week, so I ended up doing some work for the internship at home this week.
2 hours, 1-25
Web updates, create page for census information. Involved research and compilation of information.
1 hours, 1-26
Identify stock photo to accompany newsletter article and format with standard 3 pt. border and rounded corners. The image is placed in InDesign and exported to .jpeg. It seems weird to start with InDesign to create an image for the web, but the stroke effect in Photoshop results in a less crisp border.
1 hour, 1-29
Finalize program one-pager using InDesign.
6 hours, 1-30
Format staff photos for website. I’ll be loading them later this week, will link at that time. Draft 1-page style sheet and outline for the Graphic Standards & Style Guide. Both are based on a template that a co-worker had provided—one that was used by her former employer. Much of it is very applicable to our work. Initially we discussed developing one for our current logos, but at this point I’m afraid that may not be the best use of my time as we are going to be rolling out a new logo and identity within the next four-five months. I think this well serve as a nice template to plug this identity into; some pieces can be determined without having the graphic elements.
Here’s a snapshot of the newsletter:
