Reflections

The journey, although brief (it was only within a span of a week, if you noticed), has been a meaningful and inspirational journey. I must admit, choosing a platform to conduct this assignment was a tough one as I was contemplating on either WordPress or Blogger. But seeing as I already have an account in Blogger, I might as well use it. And yes, I am much more familiar with Blogger. The next ordeal was choosing the name. I had a few in mind, but none seemed to fit. Thus, that is where I discovered the Neophyte’s Raison D’être.

As the author of this blog, I knew that I had a purpose and that is to discover the media and the phenomenon behind blogging (aside from doing this for my assignment). I kept in mind to note the sensitive culture we have in Malaysia when it comes to explicit contents and with that, ethics come into the picture as well. Last but not least, the design of the blog. I purposely chose this very simple layout to avoid any problems about blog visibility and the complaints of a black layout.

And with that, my journey as the neophyte for the subject ‘Issues in Publication and Design’ begins.

I have learned many things along the way. Blogging was more than just expressing yourself through words on the Web. Web designs were more than just a picture, content, and a layout. YouTube, despite its success and phenomenon, still have its supposed setbacks may kick in somewhere in the near future.

Wikipedia, although its contents are highly dubious, can still be trusted if researching with caution. Advertising online has its advantages and is promised to have a bright future. Micro-blogging revealed to me that blogging has taken a step further to allow users to blog wherever and whenever they can.

Last but not least, the wonders of ‘alternate reality games’, a genre that was never known to me until today. And Breathe, an ARG that combines both Internet and real life.

All these forms of media have told me the one thing that they all have in common; they cater for the audience. All the theories and guidelines concerning the aspects of design conform to the fact that the audience is still, in the end, the one who will be using the documents. So long as the audience finds the document interesting and user-friendly to their liking, it will be considered as a successfully designed document.

Like all good things, there is always an ending. And for that, I bid you my fondest farewell and my deepest gratitude for walking with me through this journey. I hope that you too have learned something today.

Thank you, and farewell.