Case Study: Web Presence and Exegesis

Case Study: Web Presence and Exegesis
In Brief
This assignment is worth 50% of your mark for this unit. Web Presence Creation should have a Central Node that contains an About page amongst other content. The Central Node should be linked with Three Contributing Nodes. Exegesis should be 1200 words +/- 10% excluding the list of References.
Instructions
The aim of the Case Study – Web Presence Creation is for you to develop an initial online presence for yourself, or for a persona you make up for the purposes of the assignment. This web presence has a number of required elements. It must have a Central Node (the core site that forms the heart of your web presence, which might be a blog, a website, a wiki, or another form of site). This Central Node must include an “About” page, which briefly introduces you (or your persona) and a theme (see below). The Central Node must include links to at least Three Contributing Nodes, which are accounts/profiles created for you (or your persona) on different web 2.0 platforms. There should be clear links from your Central Node out to the three Contributing Nodes. Each Contributing Node should also link back to your Central Node. Taking care to link the nodes together in this way will give a cohesive feel to the overall web presence. You must also submit an Exegesis that explains and contextualises the choices made in designing your web presence.
Your web presence must combine your identity, or the identity of the persona made up for the assignment, and a purposeful theme, which means it can’t just be about “Jane Smith the Curtin Student” but must focus on an interest of some sort; for example, “Jane Smith the Future Public Relations Guru”, “Jane Smith Digital Journalist”, “Jane Smith the Fashion Designer” or even “Jane Smith Amazing Cupcake Designer”. You can choose almost any theme, but the theme must be consistent for your entire web presence creation. Note that business-related themes must also clearly represent your identity, or the identity of the chosen persona for the assignment, as a key part of the web presence. There will be opportunities to discuss the details of what you plan to create in face-to-face classes and/or online discussions. Please take these opportunities to make sure your are on track with the assignment.
You should ensure that: the web presence has a purposeful “look” across central and contributing nodes (ie the design and style of your presence); the content on all of the elements ties together to send a consistent “message” about you (or your persona) and the theme the presence is about; and all of the nodes are appropriate for the theme the web presence creation is illustrating.
Required Elements
[1] Central Node: the central node is essentially your main site, which can be of any sort you choose, such as a blog (there are many possible blogging platforms to use), a wiki, a build-your-own website using a free service like Wix or Weebly, or some other type of site that suits the web presence you are creating. Remember though that the Central Node does need to be able to include an “About” page. Ensure you choose something appropriate and consistent with the theme of your presence. In choosing a central node, each and every element of that website should be taken into account in creating your web presence from the layout, colours and fonts through to the number of columns (if any) and extra links (such as a blogroll, if any) and where you choose to put your About page.
Note: You are not expected to write the code for your central node, but rather make informed choices about the different changes you can make using the easy-to-use tools that come with most free blogs/websites. The central node must include an About page and links to at least three contributing nodes. It’s also worth pointing out that many “blogging platforms”, such as WordPress, are flexible enough to be used to create more traditional websites with linked static pages, as opposed to blog pages displaying posts in reverse chronological order.
(For information on how to set up a particular platform please remember that the platform site itself is likely to provide information pages or videos giving instructions to help you in setting up your node. In addition, YouTube is full of “How to” videos for many platforms that you might want to use to create your central node, including Blogger, Tumblr, Wix, WordPress and many more.)
[2] About page: The About page is where you explain to anyone who finds your central node who you are and what your web presence is all about (written for a general audience). The About page can be as long as you need it to be, but keep in mind you’re writing for an online audience who won’t be expecting to read page and pages of text, so keep things as concise as possible. If in doubt, feel free to look around the web at examples of About pages other people have written. If you find About pages that inspire you, don’t forget to note these as sources in your exegesis.
If you’re using photos and other media that are not your own creation as part of your web presence, you may wish to use the About page to give credit to these sources. Alternatively, you may decide to include a separate page for “Credits” or “Sources”, but do make sure this is clearly marked and accessible. You must keep in mind the fact that your Web Presence must respect copyright laws, so don’t use material you don’t have legal permission to reuse, and ensure you give appropriate credit for anything that’s not your own creation which you are legally able to reuse.
[3] Contributing Nodes: You must include at least three contributing nodes. These are profiles/presences you create on other web services or tools which are linked to from your central node and also link back to your central node. Each contributing node should also reflect and build upon the theme you are trying to convey with your overall web presence. You will be introduced to a number of web 2.0 tools during module two of the unit, many of which you might choose as a contributing node. You can also select other tools or services which are appropriate for the web presence and theme you’re designing. Researching and finding the appropriate web 2.0 tools is part of the design process for your web presence.
(As an example, if you use Twitter as one of your nodes, then your Twitter profile should include an active hyperlink back to your central node, and the Tweets you’ve posted or retweeted, people you follow etc should reflect the same theme that your web presence is trying to convey. If you’d chosen a “cupcake designer” theme, then your Twitter might include tweets about cakes, images of cakes, follows and retweets of chefs/cooks who tweet about cakes, tweets that link to recipe pages, and so on.)
It is important to note that, while we do not expect you to be creating enormous amounts of content for this assignment, you do need to create enough to carry the theme of the presence across your chosen nodes. We also acknowledge that many of the potential supporting nodes such as Pinterest, for example, are primarily about sharing other people’s posts and pins. Please try to balance this material against material you create yourself. It is OK to have some of your node links, pins or posts from/about other users, but if your node is entirely comprised of other people’s work then it is not within the parameters or the spirit of the assignment. As indicated in the above Twitter example, including your own tweets as well as retweets is a good idea in order to make the theme and persona come across clearly.
[4] Exegesis: The exegesis is an assessment tool that is often used to pair a creative work with theory about why that creative work is important and how it engages ideas. In its most basic form it is an explanation of the choices you have made in creating your web presence and has a 1200 word +/- 10% limit. However, please treat this as an academic essay. It should be clear and concise, outlining what choices you made in creating your web presence, and why you made those choices. A good exegesis will ensure that your choices are contextualised within the topics covered by the unit (ie the exegesis will refer to material you have read, viewed and discussed in the unit, as well as other research you have undertaken). So consider the later themes of the unit: Internet Footprints, Digital Shadows, Social (Me)dia Rivers, for example and how these themes are important in the construction of a web presence.
Some of the questions you may consider addressing in your exegesis include: How did you choose the layout of your central node? (For example, if you’re using WordPress, which presentation template are you using, and why did you choose this one?) How did you select which web 2.0 tools would be your contributing nodes? How do these contributing nodes reflect the theme or style of web presence you have created? How do your choices in terms of the central node, your about page and your contributing nodes demonstrate that you have engaged with the ideas discussed in this unit (eg justify your choices using at least some of the readings and discussion in the unit)? How does your web presence demonstrate the creation of an internet footprint? Is there potential for a digital shadow to arise from this web presence? How have you harnessed the potential of social (me)dia rivers in creating this web presence?
Please note: you do not need to include your exegesis in the web presence itself. Your exegesis should be submitted as a document via the assignment submission section on Blackboard along with your Assignment 3 cover page. Since the exegesis takes the form of a short essay, it should include a fully formed introduction and conclusion, should be written in paragraph form, should present a clear argument about the creation of your web presence, and should meaningfully engage with both readings/viewings provided in the unit and, where possible, include credible material from secondary sources. You must clearly indicate all references and sources for the material informing your exegesis using in-text citations, with full details for each reference and source you cite in a clearly marked list of References at the end of your assignment. Your in-text citations and full references should be given in APA version 6.0 style

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