This is the logo of the blogging site I used to

create my portfolio. I used blogger because it was easy to use. Although before starting media AS I had never used or created a blog before, after a short demonstration I found it easy to use and thought that it has been very productive. With this I found it very easy just to type and post. It is very easy to arrange different things on my blog for example, images next to text and the colour scheme of my blog.

I used 'Flickr' to annotate some of my images including the front covers of existing magazines and a double page spread. Again I had never used this before but found it easy to use and got the hang of it after finding out what things did. With this I felt that the application was very easy to use, it enabled me to annotate my pictures and say what I wanted to but on the other hand I could only enter a certain amount of text and the boxes were only 90 degree rectangles. I feel that this needs to be improved so that any shape can be used to annotate the images as some of the image may be cut off and other images in correspondence to it may mean that when you drag your cursor over one part, another part may also be highlighted and therefore giving you the wrong information about the highlighted part.

For my target audience research, I decided to use 'Microsoft Excel' to present the results from the questionnaire as graphs. This is because I find it easy to use and although it took a little bit more time than what online graph makers do, an advantage is that you have the data for the graphs ready to use again whereas if using a graph creator then you have to input the data when you make the graph. This means that if a graph is made and it isn't right or one of the data points is wrong then you have to start over again from the start. A graph creator only allows you to create the graph and customise it to what you want. 'Excel' allows you to create the graph, customise it, add additional things such as data labels and other things that a online graph maker doesn't. I prefer 'Excel' to a graph creator because I was able to create my graphs when I wasn't at college on my laptop. Whereas if I had used an online graph creator and I did not have internet on my laptop, then I would be unable to create my graphs and this would put me behind.

One technique I have become better in using and more confident in using is layers. I now find layering very easy and the effects from using it can be quite significant. Whereas before, I used to use as fewer layers as possible. Here is a screenshot of Photoshop and how I have used layers in my double page spread. I also enjoy being able to create a better effect by using Photoshop's protential. I find that using a drop shadow makes any photo stand out from the background it is set on, as long as the colour is contasting to that of the background. I also like using the rotaion of images/text to give a more human touch which adds to the effect of it being created from scratch.

Above is an essay that I have written for English against the new post box for blogging. On the right we can see that for explanation and a lot of writing an essay is the right way to go. However with an essay it is very time consuming and will take a long time to proof read. Spell checker helps take some time off an essay. But on the other hand the blogging window doesn't have a spell checker, so if something is spelt wrong and you don't notice, it will stay wrong. Despite this, a blog can be used to present things in a number of different ways. For example, it can have images and a colour scheme whereas a essay doesn't and it isn't just word after word. An essay means you have to keep the readers interest by using a varied vocab. This would be an advantage when writing a blog but doesn't matter too much because it can be illustrated with images.