Tuesday, October 6, 2015

Navigating My Way Through WikiHow World.


Developing my wiki page from the beginning steps of creating the information that I would include in the end result of my complete and coded page was a stressful process. Going into the project I did not prepare myself for the level of complexity that was involved. I felt this way because looking at other wiki pages, the layouts and material looked simplistic in their nature and reassured me that I could execute one with ease. I was not prepared for how complicated coding a page would be but I feel that despite having no prior knowledge on how to code a wiki page I was able to make something interesting and inviting for people to read.

Starting at the beginning of my wiki journey, it was hard to find a topic someone hadn’t already made a page on. This part of the project required some soul searching into my talents and abilities, but I was satisfied with my choice to do my project on how to make pastelillos because I was well versed on the subject and had years of experience making them. As I began to map out how I wanted my page to look in the eyes of the viewer, I started with the easiest portion of the project and that was formulating my list of ingredients and writing out the steps of each part of the recipe. This part was also a little challenging because when you are cooking something you don’t realize all the small steps you do that are a part of a bigger step. When I was writing the recipe for my wiki page I used my personal experience with what tastes the best as well as how I was taught by my grandmother and incorporated a few ingredients from each version.

 
Once I had finished with the ingredients section and formulating the steps to complete the recipe, I began to think how I wanted to introduce the viewers to the topic of pastelillos and why the article was even a relevant one for them to be reading. I sought inspiration through blogs and food websites that had similar dishes and were inspired by a Hispanic flare. Starting the introduction I wanted to introduce the readers with a definition to what exactly pastelillos are because I am sure many people coming across my wiki page won’t even know what they are. I also wanted to include a background on the recipe, where it came from and variations found in other countries. To entice the reader to put in the effort to make pastelillos I thought including the benefits of making them, being they are fast and very easy while also being tasty. Lastly, I was aware there are varying versions of ingredients as well as twists on the traditional recipe so I wanted to let the reader explore making whichever version suited them. I did not struggle too much with the writing portion and I feel I gave the reader many aspects to find interesting on a topic they may not have any prior knowledge about.

The next step I took to improve my outline was to make the recipe myself to obtain the 5 original pictures we needed. This was beneficial to me because I was able to follow the exact instructions I had written and could fix or add to a step that I felt needed to be elaborated or explained better.

 

Lastly, I started with the frustrating and tedious process of coding my wiki page. I’m going to be honest when I say that despite reading all of the supplementary material and watching videos on coding wikis, I was still beyond confused on how to code. I also feel that wikiHow in general is not the easiest website to navigate when you have never had to use it. I started my coding journey by uploading my typed outline into the advanced editor on wikiHow and started to make my necessary changes so that it would look how I wanted it to once it was published. The biggest struggle for me was grasping the use of the # to create step numbers. Frustration was an understatement and I’m almost positive I gained a renewed appreciation for computer programmers because I felt like I was never going to grasp a simple coding of a wiki page. This website was a great resource during the struggle of coding my page. I saved every draft and previewed around probably 30 versions of my draft because I wanted to see what needed to be fixed. This was without a doubt the section of the project that I struggled with the most and still didn’t feel completely satisfied with the final outcome of it when I was submitting it.

Overall, the wiki assignment was helpful in teaching how implementing and designing a web page should not be underestimated or deemed easy because it is anything but. I had fun creating something of my own that I can find on the internet, something I am the creator of. I could have used more guidance with coding but for not knowing anything about coding and having to teach myself I feel I executed the project as well as I could have hoped for.
 

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