AR's Blog

Weekly Reflection - What is Metadata?

Reflection:
This week we covered the big picture narrative of metadata. In the purest form, metadata refers to “data about data” meaning it speaks about present information in the 3rd person. There are multiple different varieties of metadata including descriptive, structural and administrative. The following describe each in detail:

-Descriptive: covers topics related to identification such as title, author, file time, keywords, and date/time of delivery
-Structural: refers to the connectivity and overlay of information and their relationships between each other
-Administrative: describes technical information and the their owners

Combined, these metadata types form the framework of compartmentalizing data in a digital work. Efficient digital asset management simplifies organization leading to more purposeful authoring practices. In a broader sense, metadata makes life easier by giving the webpage a “seal” to deliver the actual content. It should be noted that metadata is not necessary for website design. Rather, it gives the page the look and feel of a carefully thoughtout and digestible content.

Another major functionality of metadata involves the application to Search Engine Optimizations (SEO). Each page bears a “Meta Tag” which holds specific information about the content, author, and publisher. This metadata can be detected by search engine result pages (SERP) to populate the most desirable link. SEO must be leveraged to optimize the probability of having a webpage appear near the top of search results. Numerous studies have shown that users only click on the first few options on any search result. Given this information, it is paramount that authors use metadata tags for SEO. When digital authors can master these techniques, digital marketing takes care of the rest.

Read More

Weekly Reflection - What is Markup?

Reflection:
This week we compared Markup and Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) and unveiled the logic behind each platform. Markdown boasts a simplified structure that allows users to have the same functionality as HTML only with a different language. Most technical documents share a set of elements to convey information, they include: lists, headings, images, and tables. Markdown communicates with Jekyll to perform a simple translation into digital authoring whereas HTML is a sematic language that refers to meaning and directs specific syntax in the form of elements, tags, and commentary. Tags are an important aspect of HTML and Markdown as they allow the user to designate markers for sentence display. In plain text writers, such as Microsoft Word and notepad, the option to bold, underline, or italicize is done through the typing process. However, in web based editors, such as Markdown and HTML, the computer has to be specifically instructed through the use of tags to alter text for emphasis. Furthermore, paragraph, line breaks, and lists need to be distinctly marked. This added layer of technicality may seem to overcomplicate the writing process, however it actually liberates the writer from the formula of textual editing. Take for example a template: the standard plain text editor does not allow the user to alter many aspects of the formatting or overall display. With editing capability, the template is not the final product - rather, it acts as a canvas that can be morphed and changed. This conversation ties back to my first reflection which argued that digital authoring is indeed a form of writing and literature. The nuances described give the digital writer the same and if not more flexibility than the traditional writer, which leads to a distinctly personal art.

Read More

Week 4 Activity

The following are images from my Summer Food Research project. I included them because they are a big part of what I did this summer.
Click here to view the page
I created a page and included 4 images from my summer projects to share. This post is intended to act as my Week 4 hands-on-activity. I’m running into some issues linking my page to my blog post. When I click on the link from github, it takes me to the directed page. However, when I try to publish and view, it has difficulty responding. I think I need to include an index.html.

Read More

Weekly Reflection - What is a File?

Reflection:
This week, we uncovered the multi-dimensional nature of files. A file is a convenient way to formalize and display data. In conventional computer storage, files cascade from one folder to the next. This data structure allows for information to be collected and organized based on attributions to other files. For example, a student may collect all the syllabi from the fall semester under a “Fall 2020 Syllabi” folder. By having everything at their disposal, a student will quickly be able to find and retrieve pertinent information. This “hierarchical system” can be described using a number of metaphors - namely the parent-child relationship where one leads to another. While intuitive, the simplicity of the parent-child relationship helps the digital author devise a structure to approach their own writing.

Web pages give readers the ability to easily transition from different data sources. The following hyperlink displays digital file division:

Example of Digital File Division

Texas A&M’s technology team has the incredible responsibility to house and display all the information pertaining to the University. A visitor to the site must be able to navigate the interface to find what they are looking with relative ease. To meet this need and enhance user experience, Texas A&M’s team, like many other digital authors, split information into separate “baskets.” On the top left-hand corner, a “menu” option can be initiated to produce multiple submenus. In digital authoring, these links are known as “posts” or “pages”. By clicking on them, the user has moved their interface from the parent page to the child page. This transaction can continue infinitely as there exists a never-ending parent-child movement of information on any given webpage. Here, files can be thought of as pages of a book. In order to follow a thought progression, the reader must consume each page sequentially. Similarly, the digital user must go from step-wise to reach their desired end point.

Weekly Takeaway:
Metaphors drove the week’s narrative. The way we studied data organization through the lens of file formation made me consider the possibility that we can look at other things in day-to-day life similarly. The parent-child relationship presented alluded to the iterative nature of processes. While files are designed to circulate around the notion of “closing the loop” (i.e. finding the needed information), the user has the option to refuse “closure”. In essence, the user can continue thinking through this process beyond the digital landscape.

The metaphors we spoke about in this week’s discussion give us prime examples to the well-rounded application of having one thing lead to another. From my perspective, I found myself looking at everything around me using the parent-child framework. When I was cooking, I understood that water and flour mix together to yield dough, then rise with heat and set with time. Doing the laundry involved first setting the wash, then adding the soap only to end with cycles of rinse and dry. These examples, while trivial, contextualized my understanding of files and their signifigance on digital authoring.

Read More

Weekly Reflection - What is Data?

Reflection
This week, we explored the exchanges that occur between technology and user. Alluding to written language, typed text also exhibits elements of writing. Both sequence communication through movements on the keyboard or stroke of the hand. The difference lies in comparison to oral language which can be understood in terms of time. Vocally, words are taken in context and imprinted permanently in memory whereas written text can be manipulated and exist independent of time.

Our definition of data centers around the communication of language through a digital medium. As described, computerized language offers flexibility. Of course, data can be synthesized in more ways than one. Jekyll Markdown drives the GitHub platform as an easy to comprehend software. Normal computer code consists of a series of 1s and 0s which translate to “True” and “False” respectfully. While a computer can understand the numeric number combinations as series of commands and texts, humans need more editing power. The use of database, protocols, and files allow us to maneuver more readily through a workspace. In the end, digital authoring must be simple to interface with so the author can focus their efforts on the writing itself.

Human facing data consists of lists and headings offering a visually aesthetic and digestible frame. The image below offers an example of human facing data:

Corona Data

Here, COVID-19 raw data is filtered and displayed on overlapping line graphs. The original data would have been displayed on rows and columns on a database software such as Microsoft Excel. With digitized conversions, this big data can be differentiated and colorized to create a consumable visualization. The user can even select different options such as “Total cases” or “New deaths per million people.” By altering the approach, the same data can tell two different stories. The beauty of digital authoring resides in the ability to draft evolving narratives. Such an option would not be possible in oral language which intends to produce one suspended interpretation.

Weekly Takeaway:
Previous experiences drove my initial understanding of data exchange. Much of the technical content from this week reminded me a lot of my engineering computer science courses. The similarities caught me by surprise as I had always interpreted the difference between computer and written language. When we brought up Walker Ong & his “Orality and Literacy”, I began to see the significance of data in relation to English prose. As a non-specialist, the ability to play with digital media positioned me to approach this unexplored writing medium. I would consider typing on the computer to be a writing form. In terms of pure expression, the pixels on my computer screen open a malleable canvas that expands conventional writing technique. Writing is still about making gestures in time. Just as a contemporary writers imprint a specialized “mark”, digital writers are able to creatively embody themselves in their online profile forging a bond between themselves and the reader.

Read More