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Here is a primitive powerpoint of my homepage.
I wanted to give an apology prior to my presentation tonight for my absent-mindedness. While spending the holiday in Birmingham, I left the hard copy version of my site in Alabama. I am prepared for all the jokes you wish to throw at me in class for not creating a digital copy of my outline in a New Media class, so let them fly! I will bring an old version of the photo page to class so that you can see the type of design I am looking at. Here are a couple other websites that deal with similar material as my site will.
I wish to increase the exposure of the graffiti displayed on the streets of Yogyakarta, Indonesia by creating a virtual gallery. My site will contain thousands of photos showing the “ups” that adorn the Yogyakarta. This archive will be unique for using a map format to organize the various pieces. In addition to traditional internet-accessed viewing, the map design allows the visitor to locate specific pieces he or she wishes to visit when traveling to Yogya. I will attempt to engage many audiences simultaneously with my proposed site. Initially my site should cater to both Indonesian & English speaking visitors. Once entering the opening portal, the user may choose either English or Indonesian for usuage. Both sites will contain the same substance, however since the majority of Indonesian users will access the site from a slow connection, the technology used in the Indonesian site will allow for faster connection rather than superior aesthetic qualities.
My focal audience will be art historians interested in Indonesian graffiti. Whenever possible I will provide metadata such as the artist and background information on any particular piece shown on the site. Including the ability for an interested party to contact the artist for further questioning. So as to not limit the site to a purely gallery status, historians may submit essays related to this topic. The essays will possess a historic theme, including introductory essays about the graffiti movement in Indonesia & influences on said movement. I do not wish to limit this section to solely historical topics. Since the graffiti movement is relatively new in Yogyakarta, sociological & economic essays relating to graffiti in the city will also be considered.
Two factors set this site apart from others currently on the web. The first difference is the dynamic map design. One can find many photos of Yogyakarta graffiti on various sites, but it is a purely digital activity. Even if an address accompanies a photo, he or she will have trouble finding that location on a map with out the customized zoom and icon functions. A user can also find many maps of Yogyakarta online. But none of these maps allow for the zoom & search abilities that the map on my site will provide. The more important factor for creating this site will be the long-term documentation and thus accesibility of replaced murals. Compared to other works of art graffiti has a relatively short shelf life. Whether the piece is painted over by a city official or rival artist, once that mural is replaced it is gone for good. My site will have a section dedicated to these retired pieces. Accompanied by the same metadata as active pieces (such as artist & location), a user will have the ability to find trends in both placement & design over time. Allowing the user to view patterns much quicker & more efficiently than before.
While considering how to set up my search function for the site, I realized that neither the google (page rank), nor jstor method will work for my site. I am forced to think of different variables for a map dominated site, compared to many other scholarly sites historians use. In fact I will actually need many search options, all consolidated onto one page (similar to an ‘advanced search’ option on google or yahoo!). Different visitors will have different objectives while using my site. And each visitor will use prior knowledge or metadata to search on my site. So my site has to be prepared from various angles.
- Location Search. Similar to Mapquest or Yahoo!Maps, a visitor will simply write in the address, landmark, intersection or entire street nearby the mural that they wish to see. This function would be the easiest way to organize my data.
- Casual Search. This method will cater more towards the casual local viewer. Someone who wishes to scroll through the pieces just to view the art, but then stumbles upon something they really like and wish to see in person. I will have a link on the front page that allows for this casual viewing in a similar format to flickr. I will probably still group the photos in a way related to their location for organizational purposes. Once a visitor clicks on a photo from the small multiple format, each individual photo page will have metadata such as location & artist (if available) assigned to it. From that point instead of the viewer needing to use that metadata to once again search by the address search, I will place a link on the individual page which links back to map containing an icon showing the location.
- Search by Artist or Name. This type of searching may not be used as often as the above options simply because many of the photos will not have a name or artist assigned to it. I will not assign names myself to a piece, so if I can’t locate the artist, or if he or she doesn’t wish to have one this piece can only be located through the location of casual search methods. I must be sure to inform the visitor of this situation.
These are some of the ideas I have at the moment. I’m sure other types of functions will pop up later on…
In 2001 I was a Freshman in college just about to embark on my first research paper. During that first semester I was forced (as I saw it at the time) to take a “Library Strategies” course. At a time when I was still marveling at ingenuity of microfilm (the computer revolution was tardy at my high school), I was introduced to mu university’s Online Journal Database. Literally thousands of journals accessible through one website. What I soon discovered was that a 10 page research paper in college took 1/4 the amount of time to complete as a paper of the same length took in high school. Additionally, I utilized significantly more sources on my college papers.
Unfortunately by this point I admit I may rely on digital resources too much. As a genetically created procrastinator, I find the online database both a blessing and a curse. Since a paper now takes significantly less time to research and write, I start the process of writing much later than before. This time crunch also restricts the type of sources I use. If I need a paper done quickly, I will probably only use online sources. Ignoring many valuable sources in the process. I am aware that these criticisms of digital history are personal shortcomings, rather than criticisms of online researching in general. However, the constantly busy historian may be tempted to follow my example.
One difficulty with new media in history that I have personally found is explaining the benefits of digitization to the older generation of historians (and many in my generation as well). I am currently working on a small digitization project that includes about 200 word document pages full of simple text, and about an additional 50 photographs. The project coordinator & I have engaged in many debates on how the site should be created. The text is broken up into five sections (about 4o pgs each), with many annotations littered throughout. The main debate revolves around the issue of search-ability. He would like create 5 PDF files (one for each section) accompanied by an introductory essay for each section. These essays will essentially outline what the following 40 pages cover. I have been arguing in favor of transcribing all this text instead in order to be more search-friendly. Since the project is so small, the cost of double checking the transcription will be small. So similar to the search function in jstor, specific terms easily could be highlighted and easily found. Unfortunately, despite constant explanations of the simplicity of such a process (it’s basically automated), I cannot convince him to use OCR.
One problem I have had with new media & history has been a lack of loosening up the restrictions placed on scholarship in general. While it is easy for me to say as an unpublished historian that online journals should be freely accessible to all internet users, I feel the current system of publication is extremely hostile to the dissemination of knowledge. I do however understand the annoyance of working many hours on a project or paper with no monetary compensation (being a college student for instance). However, I would question why a historian is engaging in his or her research in the first place? Is money your prime motive? If so, I would suggest finding a different career, as single publications are both time consuming and relatively unrewarding monetarily as compared to other professions. What about fame? Well name recognition and exposure to your work will increase a hundred fold if you simply posted your work on arxiv.org or a similar free journal database. If your goals are more academically noble, such as a genuine interest in advancing human understanding on a particular topic, free archives are obviously more successful at disseminating knowledge. Currently only a privileged few can access the latest ideas or discoveries in the Social & Hard Sciences presented in academic journals. Instead most people rely on a reporter’s interpretation of some new idea or finding, which he or she may not be fully trained to do. Thus the message may become skewed.
Let’s face the facts, you’re not going to become rich by being a historian. But if you really do wish to be both a scholar and rich, your reputation will be the first thing to carry you there. For those historians just starting out, your first couple articles may not be accepted by journals with large readerships. Even if you have a revolutionary idea, you may need to publish in a smaller journal, creating the very real possibility that your idea will not gain momentum in academic circles. I believe the biggest challenge facing new historians today is finding your niche in an increasingly populated field. Free databases are the best option at the moment for doing this.
$0.00 Budget
I think I will begin this exercise from the bottom up. Mainly because I realized that the basic goal of my site is to display the graffiti. The interactive map is more of a design element, which isn’t necessary for the successful dissemination of the artwork. Thus if I really had no money at all, I could create a Flickr group to display my photos. I would still be able to have a message board, where artists could discuss ideas or events. I could also set up a newsletter sent to any user that subscribes to my group. This platform would continue to allow me to recruit new artists, by requesting new pieces on the front page of my group. The amount of metadata accompanying a photo doesn’t necessarily need to be limited either. However, I would probably need to use the “comments” section in flickr to display the data. This would limit the freedom of certain design elements I could use.
The overall design of my site is a major concern with no budget. Basically I must use the Flickr forum and design scheme. This could pose a major problem in recruiting visitors. To be denied the ability to even have my own website address makes my site less memorable to potential regular users. While Flickr is now an extremely popular site, my group would just be one of the millions of other groups. Also the fact that my content would be part of a group rather than a autonomous site will cause my site to lose credibility among artists and scholars. I hope to post scholarly essays along with the artwork, however those scholars would be less likely to allow me to post their work if their work was only a part of a group. They may view my sit as a mere hobby rather than a genuine academic venture.
The loss of the map function is a difficult feature for me to give up. Especially since this feature is what makes my site unique. I have searched all the major free map sites (googlemaps, yahoo!maps), and have yet to find a detailed one of Yogyakarta. As one zooms in on the city (generally around the third from the closest view), the map simply reads that “No data exists at this view.” I’m sure there are some free map making programs out there I can use, but I do not know if I would have the capabilities to place icons on the map that link to the photos. I would not mind creating the individual pages for each photo myself using a free webpage creator (such as Mozilla’s NVU) since we currently only have about 500 photos in our archive. If I could create a template, I could simply switch the photos. Maybe I could even convince a friend to help me create a map to my liking. I believe if the map doesn’t look good, there is no point using it in the first place. Nothing would deter a first-time visitor more than a crappy-looking map.
$50,000 Budget
I must confess that I am not sure how much everything will cost. I assume that for a relatively small project such as the one I have, $50,000 would be more than enough money to make the site I have envisioned. In an emergency such as nearing the end of my funds, I could once again create the photo pages myself. Then hire a designer to add some HTML “touch-ups” to certain design elements I don’t like.
The majority of my money would go towards the creation of a nice-looking map. I would definitely hire someone else to do this. As I have mentioned in previous posts, my map will not look like your typical street map. I want the map to have similar design elements to graffiti. It should be a highly contrasting & colorful map. I also want the map to be three-dimensional and cartoonish in appearance. I don’t think this will be a long task for a designer but I may be wrong. But I would be willing to use 4/5 of my budget on this single element if it was needed.
The rest of the site I feel confidant in my own ability to create what is a basically simple archive. I will probably need to take a couple computer science courses for in order to increase my practical knowledge of web design ($500-$3000). The main issue I face at this level is the technique for creating icons on the map that will link to a specific pages. Also how can I add or subtract icons on my map once the site is up & running.
I have decided to create an additional section on my website that will function as a repository for old or retired pieces. Accompanied with metadata such as artist and especially location, I will have a basic archive of murals that have been either written over or erased. So this site will serve as an ongoing history of the art that decorates the city. But I need to know how to remove a specific link from the map and place it in this retired section. Which probably involves a simple cut and paste form one page to another.
$500,000 Budget
I think this amount of money would be almost too much for my project. I’m uncertain how I will spend it all. For the most part, the site as I want it can be created for $50,000. But with this increased budget, it will simply look much nicer. Unfortunately most of my audience will own technologically deficient computers and/or speed. The majority of Indonesians that will view my site have dial-speed modems. So if I spend a lot of money on software and large graphics, I will essentially eliminate a core audience. Many of my visitors will not have the patience or capacity to use my site.
One definite advantage of the larger budget is the ability to have my site in both English & Indonesian. This it not a necessity, but rather a luxury. Most Indonesians know at least a small amount of English. Even if they don’t my site is not text heavy. I believe most visitors, regardless of the language they speak, would be able to intuitively use my site. Another luxury would be to hire on professional photographers either in Indonesia or somewhere else to not only re-take my photos, but take new photos that have been approved for posting. The majority of my photos were taken by a basic $200 camera, and while most are good quality, the resolution is not very high. Besides improving the presentation quality of the photos, a higher resolution will also improve the preservation. On top of improved appearance, I can market my site in other forums. Possibly taking out a couple of electronic and physical billboard ads in Yogyakarta. With the higher resolution photos, I could possible post a couple photos on billboards without a major loss of quality.
My problem when performing this exercise is determining how much money I will need in the long run. I have no idea how popular my site will become. In the early stages, my archive will be extremely small, not requiring a lot of money to create. But say within the first year, my collection is expanded 10 fold. At that point I may need to rethink my overall structure. Would I want to create pages for 3000 photos? Probably not. I would rather hire a couple of designers to do it for me, so that the photos can be added quicker. Basically, the more money I have the less work I personally would need to do on the site. Instead I would become more of a manager or site coordinator.
This issue of how will my site continue running once I can’t maintain it is a critical concern of mine. I am almost certain that in about two years, once I am finished with my graduate studies, I will not be able to keep up the site. Not because I don’t want to or will not have time, but because I will be living in an area where Internet access is unreliable at best (if it is even available). The best way to preserve this site is to make it as interesting as possible in a short period of time, hoping that an avid user would like to continue moderating it. I would have no qualms about handing over the photos I have acquired and stored for this site to someone who would earnestly keep the site running. At the same time, I wouldn’t even mind if my site did shut down, so long as other similar sites, similar in function to my idea, began popping up. Once again I would freely hand over all my materials to enhance their own site’s archive.
The dynamic nature of the material my site covers necessitates constant double-cheking and maintainence. Although not as common as here in America, Yogya graffiti is written over, erased and replaced at a rapid rate. I am lucky to have a friend in Yogyakarta at the moment who doesn’t mind taking weekly rides around town checking the status of the hundreds of murals around town. But she is also studying the emerging Graffiti Movement in Indonesia as part of her graduate studies. So she has more than a general interest in the topic. She actively wants the site to be successful, but she will not be able to perform these taxing weekly rides forever. I must also be extremely careful who I hand the site over to. Graffiti artists in general can be very competitive and territorial with one another. If I ever let an artist control the site, many murals would be left out in favor of that artist’s own. The site would basically become a political tool. So there is a very real possibility that my site could suffer a complete death. The site itself would be easy to monitor, but the quality check (weekly or monthly rides) would not be a duty that most people would want to sign on for. I guess I will just need to keep my ears open…
My overall concept is fairly simple. I would like display Yogya graffiti on a digital gallery. Normally graffiti isn’t shown in a gallery as part of an exhibit, rather displayed on the streets wherever space is available. I want to take out all of the legwork for the viewer. The ability to access these photos anywhere in the world that has an Internet connection instantly expands the exposure an artist receives for his or her work. Yet there are already numerous graffiti sites (ex. flickr groups) that display galleries of graffiti. So what am I doing differently? For starters, I will not allow avid graffiti fans to view the murals online, but aid them in finding the actual pieces in the city if they are ever in Yogyakarta. In a way this site is a tourist guide for one particular element of the city. But, the main goal is increasing the dissemination of the artwork to a more general audience.
I have yet to find a usable map technology (such as google maps or mapquest). These maps only show the two main highways, but none of the other streets. I would also like to show landmarks, such as monuments, temples and markets, because a portion of my site will cater to tourists. I could use the satellite photos from either of the two sites mentioned above, but that would be confusing to the viewer since the street map overlay function will not be helpful. Without the streets labeled on the satellite image even the lifelong Yogya resident would have difficulty navigating on the map. The immense improvement of Internet surfing speeds in the past decade has created impatient users. I need to make the site instantly readable in order to keep the visitor’s attention. What I do not know yet is whether or not I could use the google map satellite image as my main map, and somehow create my own street map on top of that program. I would imagine this would involve writing HTML code, a process I only could only claim to be a novice in.
Another possibility involves actually physically drawing up a map, scanning it, then putting it on my site. I really like this idea because it allows for a decorated & elaborate map. Especially since I have not used any map-making computer programs yet. I think I would probably institute more advanced design elements into a physical map over a computer created one. However I am speaking from a ignorance about what map programs are out there, and how easy they are to use. If I did proceed with the physical map idea, that image would need to be accompanied by some sort of toolbar so that a viewer can scroll and zoom. I don’t think this implementation will be a problem to perform. What concerns me however is the possible ability to place icons on the image itself. Can I write code on an actually JPEG or TIFF? I don’t know the answer, but I doubt it.
A third option, which I think is probably the preffered one, is to use a map-creation program to create the map myself. Probably this map will not be as elaborate as I would like to be. I envision a map that is very bright, contrasting, and cartoon-like. I would also like the map to be 3D, not a regular street map. While I care about functionality very much, the map must also display elements of the underground graffiti culture that I am presenting. Now I’m sure the technology exists to create such a map, but what I don’t know is the cost of creating such a map. While my colleague and I will apply for funding for this project, the fact remains that graffiti is not yet an accepted form of art to many Americans. I think it would be difficult securing funding from many institutions and cultural centers. But this does not mean there are many potential private donors willing to back such a venture. At the moment however, we should plan to make the site using a very small budget just in case. The map will really be the only financial difficulty in the start up process. At the same time the map is also the central and critical element of the entire site. It is what will make this site unique. At this point I feel that this third web-design option is the best for my site. Functionality is decidedly more important at the onset over it’s aesthetic qualities.
