Assignment Description

For part 1 of the professional analysis assignment, we each located 5 web sites created by people who are in our current field, came up with a list of features that tend to be used across web sites, and analyzed 3 of the sites in depth based on their usability, their aesthetic, and their effectiveness for helping creating a professional feel.

For this part, we are going to build on what we found before by looking specifically at an area of web design that is becoming almost as important as the design of the site itself: how the author of the site is leveraging social media to increase their web presence. By social media I mean: blogging, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and other sites.

To complete the analysis, locate 3 people in your field (avoid corporate sites; you can use one of the sites you analyzed in part 1) and analyze how they are using social media. This analysis should come in the form of looking at the relationship between their web site and the social media sites they use. For any of the sites they are using, go to the sites, look at what they are posting/sharing there, and consider if or how it is helping them draw readers/viewers to their site. Consider how many followers they have and you might even start to follow them. You could inquire as to why they are using such sites, what impact it has had, and so on.

The more engaged you are with their social media presence the more detailed and specific your analysis will be. Use screen shots to help make your points clear and make sure to link to specific pages of the site if possible. By the end, come to a specific conclusion about what it means effectively leverage social media.

Page length
Equivalent of 1.5 full pages single spaced, not including your list of features

Posting
Create a new blog post and compose a short summary of your analysis, what you found, and your conclusions about what it means to be profession in an online space. Also include your list of features. Then, upload and insert a PDF or Word version of your analysis that readers can download and read.

Due date
11/23 by class time.