The Site is Up

I have just finished making my website at http://community.wvu.edu/~jei000/myWeb/

In it you will find example of my writing and editing knowledge gain over the course of my time at WVU. I have included my resume for anyone who wants to see it.

Near the End

I am coming close to the end of my time at Positive Spin and at WVU.

Right now, I am helping write one final grant, designing a tri-fold, and buliding a website before I finish up my time.

The grant is from a Alliance for biking and walking. They are giving $20,000 to the organization with programs they deem worthy.

The tri-fold is going well, but I always feel that it can be better. I don't really know a lot about artist design, but my natural showmanship should make up for any short comings. I have no idea what to expect, which means I will not be surprised. As long as I field questions with accuracy, I should be fine.

I can't wait to get this presentation over with so I can work on the website, study for a final, and put together a final portfolio for another class all before the week is up.

ABW Grant

The ABW grant is going well. I decided to use the form they sent us via e-mail. I made some minor edits by adding color and a letter head, but the questions are next to the answers. This way there is no confusion.

I have been working with Nick to finish the ABW grant and find him a better computer for the office. There is no office computer or phone just yet, but we are working on it.

As for the professional statement, I am braking it up all over the web site to better fit in each link. This way people will read what they want and will not get frustrated reading something they see as unnecessary. I plan on have various picture and other little things like a Charlie Brown comic something like that. I have not decided on anything yet.

Grant

I have just learn that one of the grants Positive Spin has submitted has made it to a qualifying round. They (Alliance for Biking & Walking) will now pick from a group of 100 or so to give $20,000 to. This is an exciting opportunity. I would love to put on a resume that a grant I was part of was awarded.

It was a simple request for the money to start Positive Spin getting more involved with infrastructure of Morgantown. Better road, sidewalks, etc.

The Alliance will be sending more information to us and the other 'contestants' in a few days or so.

Audience

I am working with Nick to get a new and updated version of the Positive Spin volunteer manual and the executive handbook. This is a chance to keep a similar format, but targeted for different audiences.

The volunteer manual is the easiest because I am in that audience. I should be simple, easy to read, have lots of pictures featuring volunteers, and set ground rules and guidelines. Nick had most of what was written, but it wasn't very visually appealing. The history section was two large paragraphs that I broke down into four. I did this so readers would have an easier time with it and eliminate white space. Short paragraphs also translate better as a form of reference. I also used more bullet points, check boxes for the checklist, and checked consistency.

The executive handbook is in a similar format as the volunteer manual, but needs different pictures. The audience is influential members of the community. This includes government, the university, and businesses. Nick has some specific names in mind.

The pictures for executives should show Positive Spin members helping the community and not just fixing bikes. Their is not much writing done yet because Nick wants to put in his 5 year business plan. The challenge is in not sounding desperate (which I will check for). What is the mutual gain?

I will update more as soon as I have Nicks rough draft to develop and edit.

Earn points through polls

Today, Nick and I updated the website (positivespin.org) to include a poll. This poll is about the thoughts for the new logo; designed by WVU students.

The logo information can be found by clicking here.

Please go to the positivespin.org, scroll down to find the polls on the right side, and vote. By commenting that you have voted on my blog post, you can help fulfill Dr. Wible's blog-comment requirement.

portfolio thoughts

This portfolio/professional statement/website needs to display my skills as a writer and editor. It also needs to talk about why I want to go into a PWE related career and my values.

I intend to use this site (and others) to inform and argue myself to future employers and the teacher. I know alot about what a website needs to be visually appealing, however I don't have the technical know-how. To counter-act this, I will have some kind of apology on this site.

It will have the school colors (blue background with white and yellow text). I will include a picture of myself, links to my blog, and a copy of my resume. I will again apology for using my generic resume that can apply to anything. A custom resume is always better when mailing. This site will also need to link to my English 303 and 304 projects. I will just make a simple hyperlink to each. I also will have links to other websites like worth1000.com, lessig.org, positivespin.org, and a number of pdf files from 491a readings.