Week 6 HW #8 - Martha's COIN 72
MidTerm Self-Check
INSTRUCTIONS Question 1 Question 2 Question 3 Question 4 Question 5
1. What is the biggest challenge you have faced so far in COIN 72, and how are you overcoming it? Please detail with specific examples (Web marketers are "take charge" people!)
I have to fight my impulse to click every link, to pursue all interesting leads, and to print every page. The best defense for me is to limit myself to going to the class Web site to only once a day (it doesn't work very often). Also, I try to read/take notes first thing in the morning, when I'm fresh. Often I get up at 5am, and am "done" by 8. Then I can tend to other obligations. The biggest danger is getting behind in the reading - which means my note-taking doesn't get done on time, and it makes the assignments much harder to do. Fortunately, I have actively marked up the textbook, so I can see what I found most important.
2. What works best for you with weekly reading, assignments, discussions? Are you current with all HW/discussion assignments? If not, why?
I bought the book early, and read ahead by several weeks. I underline as I read, and then I go back and re-read each chapter as we come to it. The second time through, I take notes. This quarter I have started a new practice - I've scanned my notes, and then posted them online. This has been very helpful, as it allows me to access my notes when I don't have my textbook handy. Unfortunately, I have finally caught up with what I read before the class began, so I have lost this advantage. On the othe rhand, I already read several chapters of the alternate text on Social Media Marketing, and this may prove helpful. I also have lots of experience blogging, so this chapter should be fairly easy. Another method I have, that takes a LOT of time, is to post all my work online, and to save relevant articles and information from each class I take. This gives me a record of what I have learned, and becomes a resource for future use. However, it is quite a challenge, sometimes, not to spend "too much" time on this - it's a toss-up: wanting the website to be functional "now", vs. losing precious time on design needs. But, it's also a "point of pride", and keeps me focused. The assignments have been very helpful - the fact that options are offered, and that guidance is provided (which chapter the question refers to) allows me to focus more clearly on specific parts of the topic. I also really like the fact that the tests are open book - that way I can focus on trying to understand things, rather than memorizing them. It turns our text into a resource, and our exams into an opportunity to put what we learn into practice.
3. What kind of outside reading/research/interviewing are you doing besides the textbook so as to gain perspective on the 'real world' of Web marketing and to find current info for your report topic? Whom have you talked with? What have you watched/listened to or attended?
Outside reading/research/interviewing is the aspect I have seemingly given up this quarter: I am so rushed for time; I have to force myself NOT to seek out other resources. It's too easy for me to lose my way! Nevertheless, I have talked with several people about their own experiences, including someone who sells on shop.com (http://www.shop.com/). However, I have followed all of the links others in the class have shared, if only to bookmark them for later. I have also asked others in my organization what changes they would like to see in our Web site. I have actually been thinking about this project for several years, so I have a pretty good sense of what is needed. Hopefully now I have the tools and opportunity to do it. I have also viewed several YouTube videos - I find that a wonderful way to learn new techniques.top
4. Project Report is due in 1 month and we are working on it individually each week. What is your title? What are you covering specifically (not in general)? - What kind of project? (e.g., 1-month marketing campaign that includes X,Y,Z, time frame, how results measured, etc. - OR - my marketing initiatives over a period of Mar thru Dec 2012 with something different each month)
I will study the Web site for our organization of federal retirees, NARFE Chapter 65 (narfe65.org), and will outline the changes I think need to be made for Search Engine Optimization (SEO), and for adding social media opportunities to our site. I will try to write a mock Business Plan, and see if that will help. I'll study the Google Analytics, and the other tools we've studied this quarter. I might decide to do a 12-month project (with months 1, 2, and 3 spent this quarter planning out what to do). top
- What costs are involved with your project (e.g., time, labor, outsourcing, hardware, statistics, analysis, etc.)
The biggest cost for me is TIME - it takes time to research, study, decide, and design changes for a Web site - and then there will be the time spent testing, implementing, evaluating, and updating that will inevitably result. I have put off this project for several years, and hope that I can emerge from this class with a navigatable plan that will chart my course down the rapids.
5. How far have you gotten on your PROJECT REPORT to date? What have you written to date? Target = 2,000 words (do you have a detailed outline and timeline?)
I have collected several pieces of evidence of what's wrong - using Web Developer Toolbar, SeoQuake, Google Webmaster Tools, and Google Analytics. I have also gotten a copy of our Membership Action Plan Outline for 2011, which incidentally includes "... Better utilization of website". I also added a blog posting to our blog. And I created a new Site Map using xml-sitemaps.com (sitemap.html), which I submitted to Google, and one using Xenu (20120126-sitemap-narfe.html). I have been looking at ways to display navigation menus, and to create a search facility. However, I have not "written" anything! I'm not sure I know where to begin. I have several pages of notes, but no coherent story...top
- What are you struggling with currently? How are you planning to resolve this? When?
My biggest challenge is my sense of being overwhelmed. I think one solution may be to focus on this class as providing the planning stage of our Web site remodel. If I can focus on studying what is wrong and right about our Web site, and lay out a strategy of remaking it, maybe it will feel more approachable. Right now it feels like a BIG project that needs to have been done yesterday. I need to break it down into small, manageable steps that can be done over time. After all, very few people actually use our Web site right now. ANY change I make is apt to be an improvement. So, this quarter I'll focus on figuring WHAT to do, rather than actually doing it (as I had hoped).Top
- What questions do you have about this project so far?
How does one implement changes to a Web site, while still maintaining the functionality of what is currently available? How does one decide what changes to make? How do non-profit organizations differ in their needs from commercial sites? What are the other students doing? What problems are they having? What successes? What should I do next? Where should I begin?