Category Archives: technology

WriteTechie Theme Change

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It never occurred to me that the color scheme for this blog on a computer browser was horrendous, until now. If you are one of the ones who has regularly visited this website since May 2011, I greatly appreciate your patronage!

As any proactive technical communicator does, they continuously improve and build upon their masterpieces. This is one of those times in which I hope that the new color scheme will be easier and far more comfortable to read. Originally, I chose the color scheme because it was a ready-made theme by WordPress. In fact, the theme that I use is the Pilcrow Theme, which is very similar to Twenty Ten and Twenty Eleven.

While I enjoy the elegant design and great photo, I want to update the header picture to reflect the field of technical communication. That will be a project on its own for the future to “continuously improve” my blog.

Below is a before and after comparison of WriteTechie for those who never witnessed the old theme colors.

WriteTechie - Brown Theme Color

WriteTechie - May to September 2011 - Theme Colors

WriteTechie - Light Theme Color

WriteTechie - September 2011 - Theme Colors

 

The color change comes with a slight contrast enhancement. For example, the brown-colored theme had the same background color for the text and body. That can be a little frustrating when reading a long column of text because the text was swimming in a vast space of a solid color. It looked great at first back in May 2011, however, I believe the modified color scheme greatly improves readability. I chose a pale light color to contrast against the text background because I wanted something subtle and clean. Another improvement which the screen captures does not display is a return to blue-colored links instead of orange-colored links.

There are few more improvements I want to implement in the future and it’s a great exercise for me to share with you my thoughts on document design revisions, especially when it comes to changes on this blog.

What are your opinions? Think you might visit more often due to the theme improvements? Have a suggestion to make my site even better?

Bipolar Social Networking?

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Are you one of those types of people who posts something positive about your life on one social network site, then thirty minutes later rant about something else on another site? Do you post something irrational on one site and something professional on another? You may have bipolar social networking skills.

Not to worry, many users do it because people use different social network sites for different purposes. Such as Twitter is great to use for blasting out rants with 140 characters or less. It may be known to users that nearly anyone can read publicly made posts and anyone has the ability to subscribe to  posts via text message unless the user changes his or her privacy settings. Facebook on the other hand is great to share pictures with, connect with friends and family, and invite people to attend events. Then there is LinkedIn, which is the professional network that showcases accomplishments, current employment status, and other professional activities.

I’m guilty of having split personalities on various networks. Is it a good thing to keep certain aspects of everyday life on different sites? I believe doing so shows how dynamic my social network is because I’m not broadcasting the same exact message five times over five different social sites. It can get boring and redundant to see the same story posted on Facebook that was originally on Google+ or Twitter. But it depends on what my social networking goals are and how large my social connections are on each site. I may use one site for more photos, one for advice, and another for my silly and sarcastic posts. It really depends on what my purpose is for posting on one site over another.

You can find, then add me on these social networking sites and compare how I use them! Please be aware that each network has its share of different online personalities.

Google + – http://profiles.google.com/roger.renteria
Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/roger.renteria
LinkedIn – http://www.linkedin.com/in/rrenteria
Twitter – http://www.twitter.com/torridence

Friending Co-workers on Facebook

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Recently I befriended one of our student-employees at work on Facebook. Does adding a co-worker on Facebook the unraveling of professionalism in the workplace? It doesn’t have to be if you stick to keeping it professional both in the real and virtual worlds.

I debated adding this co-worker on Facebook mostly because she knows people who know me from my Alma Mater, New Mexico Tech. I wonder if it could affect my rapport with others if my co-worker knows more about me as a friend rather than a colleague. Fortunately I have been vigilant of my posts since I have past professors, professional contacts, and former bosses friended on Facebook that it isn’t the case. It still posed a new avenue in which could attract potential trouble.

As long as I am careful with what I post and selectively choose who I share information with on Facebook, it shouldn’t be a great problem to maintain a professional relationship while learning more about my co-workers. Still, it is a good idea to keep it safe with what you post on Facebook if you have co-workers on there too.

The five rules I have about Facebook is:

  1. Post what you feel comfortable posting to everyone else.
  2. Ensure your profile feels professional yet personable
  3. Avoid posting questionable materials
  4. Keep your profile true and honest (nobody likes a wolf in sheep’s clothing)
  5. Again; mom, dad, and grandma ARE on Facebook!

 

If you are interested to see what my favorite movies, TV shows, or daily life is about–feel free to add me, otherwise find me on LinkedIn. Be aware that Facebook is where you can find out the most about me if I were to meet you in public and  if we talked over with multiple cups of coffee and cheese danishes.

Roger Renteria | Create Your Badge