Changing website theme

After having several problems with my website, I found that some of them may have been caused by the theme I had chosen. Therefore I have changed my theme to one I have found called Magnifique. I found this from a website, which I have signed up for and has also given me a customising plugin for my WordPress account that I can use. This had made customising my website so much easier.

After struggling trying to change the title of my website to a logo I had created, this plugin made it easier, and I have now managed to install my logo where I wanted it. It also let me change the colour of font that was used, so I am really happy with the new theme I am using.

I feel like I am really making progress with my website. Even though I am running into several problems, I am always managing to sort them out, which encourages me to work harder on the website.

Problems installing Jetpack

Whilst downloading the recommended plugins, I came across a problem whilst downloading one named Jetpack. Although I am not sure what went wrong, something happened which made me not be able to both login to my WordPress account or even view my website. Instead a warning code and a fatal error message appeared.

Understandably this has me worried, I am not experienced in this area so I thought I might not be able to fix it myself. So my next step was to search the internet for a solution to my problem. However, there were no answers.

I then decided to contact Jetpack themselves, and after this write on a WordPress forum to see if anybody could help me in this way. I had no response from Jetpack, but someone on the forum had answers, and told me to access my website from the control panel of my provider.

Thankfully this worked, and my website is now back up and running. This shows that once again I have managed to overcome what I thought was a serious problem. I am becoming more and more confident that I can achieve what I want with my website, so I am excited to make more progress.

Progress with The Hotlist

After now completing this every week I am starting to find it a lot easier. I know the sort of things to look for, films that are being released and debut albums etc. I also have a look through the Press Association website for ideas and images that I can use.

It still takes a while to complete, as it features eight different topics, but it definitely takes a lot less time than before. I now don’t mind completing the hotlist, and I am even starting to enjoy it, as I like finding different current subjects to speak about.

Personal progress so far

As I spend more time at the Hull Daily Mail, I am becoming more and more confident. When I get into the office I am able to answer any emails that I need to, and get on with the work I have to complete. I have a range of work to complete whilst here, and sometimes some added extras such as news stories and features.

Although I don’t like being on the phone, I don’t hesitate to ring someone if I need to, the same with meeting people for interviews. I have found that I am also becoming less nervous and just get on with what I need to do.

There are a few things I would like to do whilst there, such as perhaps setting up some fashion shoots like was mentioned in my interview, so I will need to mention this whilst in the office to see if it is a possibility. Whilst in the office I would like to gain as much skill in my chosen areas as possible so hopefully this will be something I can do.

Receiving PR post

After being in the office for a couple of months I’ve started receiving post from PR companies. This really makes me feel part of the office, as I’m not being passed on post from either Natalie or receiving post addressed to the previous intern. It also means that PR companies know who I am, which shows my networking is working well as I have introduced myself to them and starting up a rapport.

Week left before hand-in.

With next week being the hand in date, I feel that I’ve progressed well through this assignment, being on track to finish on time.

Although it will most probably need a few changes, my promotional video is nearly finished, which I am happy with as before I did not think it would be finished on time. This was due to problems with the computers I was using. But I spent a lot of time editing my video to make sure it looked how I wanted it do.

I have wrote about the different processes on my blog, and hopefully wrote enough reflections throughout the assignment.

If I have time I will interview the student from Wyke and possibly include him, but if not I think I have enough interviews throughout my video to get a balanced opinion of the course.

Progress meeting with John

After showing my promotional video to John, he had a few suggestions that would improve it.

The first was the make the capitals of Journalism and Digital Media bold, so they stand out. This would give the viewers an understanding that this is what JDM stands for.

As well as this, he suggested I add captions to the people I have interviewed, so they know who they are, giving the video context.

A final suggestion was to add the footage of Jackie, which I have now done. It gives a tutors perspective of the course, and makes sure that she has everything she wants in the promotional video.

Progress on editing

I have pretty much finished editing my promotional video. Although I still have a few shots/ interviews to add, I am currently happy with how it looks. I have started to add titles and captions, and have added some music which I need to edit the volume of.

I will need to find out how to make sure all of my shots are shown in the same size on my video, which I will ask about at university on Tuesday.

After working hard on editing my video, I am happy with my progress and how it has turned out. Video editing is not something I was previously comfortable with, as I struggled on how to do it. However, after spending several days editing my video, I feel like my skills have improved a lot, and I am especially happy that I have something I like the look of, instead of something I am just okay with.

Revised gantt chart

I have revised my gantt chart to reflect my progress with my self-initiated project. I have included when I have shot interviews, and my time frame for editing the footage.

This shows how my plans have changed throughout my assignment, including anything that I might have had to delay or bring forward, as well as any last minute ideas.

Filming for promotional video

Over the Easter holidays, whilst filming the fashion week for another assignment, I filmed some shots of Hull City Centre to use in my promotional video. This is because in my survey, the location of university came out as one of the most important factors when deciding on a university.

Although focusing mainly on another assignment over the holidays, I feel like I am progressing well with my self-initiated project. I need to edit my footage together, which I will when my hard drive has been delivered as I don’t have a memory stick big enough to hold all of the footage.