Jodieann’s ePortfolio

I love the simplicity of my ePortfolio site. The photo that is currently on my site is from year ago, its of my favorite flowers, peonies– a rare beauty. I made minimal changes to my ePortfolio because I like a minimalistic approach to themes and a did not really understand the nuances of WordPress on OpenLab. Surprisingly on my personal blog, I have not explored creating new tabs or other sections. I always feel the less is better. As my favorite color being black, I kept the background in black and then the peonies splashed across the screen in pinks and white. It looks beautiful.

I like writing about myself, strangely I think it gives you a chance to express who you are. It’s not often where you get to write about yourself and play around with creating your own website and a fun layout. I really enjoyed it. Also, I really enjoy stepping into the shoes of a designer, you get to see another aspect of creating a unique user experience. I believe there are OpenLab classes to learn how to maneuver around the site and create cool fun things and I’d like to do that. It’s important not only for class but also for job seekers if you want to showcase your academic portfolio– it can make a very big difference if you get the job or not.

My ePortfolio is not quite where I’d imagine it to be but in the coming weeks I will be sure to work on it, it will be a completely different site by the end of the term. Originally, I first used the ePortfolio site in ENG 2700 with Professor Patrick Corbett to create a blog where we wrote many reflection pieces on our transformation over the semester. For my portfolio site I also created a few new tabs Jodieann’s Fashion Tips and updated my career section. I will try to regularly contribute to the new tabs created.

The Drum: How Brands Can Participate in the Future of TV

Last Tuesday I had the honor of being invited by The Drum’s CEO, Gordon Young, to their seminar “How Brands Can Participate in the Future of TV” The UK based media house recently marked its territory in New York which proved it to be a force to be reckoned with. The Drum is a creative agency that provides first class news information on marketing across an array of communication fields including Public Relations, Social Media, Advertising just to name a few. The seminar was a thoughtful discussion about the advertising discourse community and how brands can participate within the ecosystem. The panel discussion brought together Jim Mollica, the Vice President of Digital Under Armour, Jessica Sheehan, VP and Head of Social Media for JPMorgan Chase, Chad Parizman, Director of Convergent Media at Scripps Networks Interactive and Marc DebEvoise, Executive Vice President and General Manager of CBS Digital Media. As a first time attendee, I found the discussion to be surprisingly insightful.

I was so grateful to have had the opportunity to join the conversation of how TV Networks, new technologies, social media are reshaping brands relevancy in the digital age. Many brands who lack creativity and who do not adapt to the new expectations will become dinosaurs, and we are all too aware of what happened to dinosaurs (they’re dead)–spoiler alert!  As a composer of content, I realize how imperative it is to be creative, resourceful, tech savvy, to be able to create a holistic experience for the readers/consumers of digital media. People are consuming content differently, whether its through different mediums or mediated outlets such as smartphones or tablets. The way we digest information is changing and will continue to change and it is up to the writers to be well versed or risk being inept. Writers and marketers have to tap into the mobile audience and provide insight, catchy content that will be unique to the readers. When new technologies are created there are new communities that are created and deliver a new approach for those communities. With the affordances of new communities, it creates a change in how we package our content, how the consumer receives it, and how they participate in that discourse community.

In essence, the role of the composer in these digital spaces is extremely difficult. For the composer to be a part of the community, shaping the community, creating new experiences within the community is extremely challenging. The magnitude of the impact composers will have on their readers/consumers is one we all know too well and they have to wear many hats. . . So as a composer, please excuse me as I learn what other hat I need o wear.

 

An Intro to Moi

Bonjour classmates! My name is Jodieann or Jodie for short and no I’m not French, please excuse my obsession with the French culture. Hmmm, a little about myself. . . For starters, I was born in Jamaica and moved to NY about 12 years ago. I am an only child and I’m pretty awesome. My interests are in writing, fashion, food and coffee. My desire at the moment is to begin freelancing and obtain an internship at Hearst magazine in the editorial or PR department. My current career interest is writing and I’d like the opportunity to work as Lead Copy eventually working my way up to become a Creative Director for a mag or fashion house. Another one of my career goals is to become a board member at ProjectArt, a art non-profit. I’d like to begin traveling next year or even a summer study abroad program. Over the summer I interned at HNW, a strategic marketing communications agency primarily to the wealth and asset management industries, which offered me an extension until December— cool beans!

Now to the good stuff. . .JS-BROOKE

My strengths as writer vary. I have been exposed to many genres of writing which has given me a unique exposure to writing as a whole. I am always willing to challenge myself. My weakness is with feedback, I struggle with applying “constructive” feedback to my work. I am a critical/ ethical thinker, lately my thinking has been more strategic which is quite different from how I used to think. I am very strong minded and I am comfortable sharing when something does not resonate with me. I tend to read slowly because I like to romanticize myself with words and I get too caught up in my mind. I dislike the generalization that there is this “one way” to do something mentality that is heavily enforced in this culture. Yes, I am familiar with OpenLab.

Science  fiction- When I think of science fiction, automatically Stephen King comes to mind. Not really a fan, it’s too much of a fad.

I was in the midst of transferring when this program came about. I decided to stay because I wanted to be a part of something “new”. I think City Tech has a unique community that is unlike any other that I’d like to stick around and help build it to something great. I don’t think I chose the degree, I think it chose me.

My expectation is for this class is very high. I expect to be challenged, both as a writer and as a critical thinker. I would like not only for my professor to challenge me but for my classmates as well to challenge me to see another angle on things. I hope what I am learning will be almost mirroring what occurs in the real world. I’d like to learn something substantial that can be applied on a daily basis that is not mundane. I hope to have constant understanding and support from my professor.

 

A Little Bit About Me.

Introducing myself has always been quite a challenge for me because I never know if I have said too much or too little. I ramble on about all the places that I have never visited and all the hopes I have for the future. I cannot make any promises that this time I will not do the same.

My name is Mariah Annastacia Rajah and my initials are the first three letters of first name (this is probably another one of the most interesting facts about myself). Besides this my life is rather simple. I grew up in a small village on the western coast of the South American country of Guyana. I am an only child and because of the loneliness that comes with it, I developed a deep interest in writing and books from a very young age. I enjoyed reading how one idea or image could be portrayed in various ways and how within the pages of books I could find solace. I always had a passion for working with writers from an early age. I always knew that reading others’ ideas and working within the writing field would not just be a job for me but a career that I could enjoy. However, I bounced around from major to major with the hopes that I would somehow convince my parents that writing was much more than a hobby but a field where I would flourish. When I saw that City Tech was offering the first ever, in the history of CUNY, a Professional and Technical Writing Bachelors Degree, I was on board before I could sign up the program. I was thrilled that I could merge my love for psychology and writing together and eventually use the degree in a Public Relations job.

With all of this said I must mention that my simple life has not been without struggle and these struggles have made me the hard worker I am. I work hard in everything I do in order to live a life that is filled with happiness, love, and success; eventually. Well this is I; I am a person of kindness and cheer. I am helpful and spontaneous. As a classmate I am understanding and sympathetic, and empathetic. I am worldly and outgoing, and even shy. I will always be there for anyone who needs help. I am who I am. I am a person who will never forget where I came from and will never lose sight of where I am going. There is a lot ahead of me and each day I work hard to make my big dreams come true. In closing, I must mention that I hope that in this class I will be able to further open my mind into understanding the world more through the minds of my classmates. I hope we all are able to contribute to one another and build something great this semester.

PS – It seems that this time I was actually able to keep my promise about not ramble about myself.