Week 8-Blog Summary

Since the commencement of this blog I have learned about how technology can help my business. The idea of a fashion blog is completely based on new technology. Yet, that technology is so broad. I learned that even a fashion blog could use excel. Also the technology is transforming and being invented daily. For example, I used to only think that the social media was only for me to connect with personal friends not promote my business ideas.

My idea has evolved much more than since I first began. Specifically, I never really thought of how I could make money from this idea. I've now learned that I can charge money for adds on my site. Also, I could be paid to endorse vintage clothing stores online. Or, once my base grows I could network with accomplished fashion designers and we could work together to make a product that reflects both of our tastes. Cupcakesandcashmere writer worked with Coach to create a one of a kind bag.

It's hard to believe that this will be my last blog post, for a grade at least. This overall experienced has helped me understand a whole new word of blogging, which I never really knew before. The best part about blogging though is interacting with others. I really enjoyed getting comments about my ideas and commenting on other peoples blogs. Sometimes blogging can sort of feel like you are just talking to yourself online. It's always encouraging to get feedback.

I commented on ....

http://beautyisonlyhairdeep.blogspot.com/2011/09/entrepreneurial-idea.html?showComment=1319588526862#c5279057582310528586

http://metro-mental.blogspot.com/2011/10/week-5-inputoutput.html?showComment=1319588545751#c3363784303896264024

http://atasteofsweetsonthego.blogspot.com/2011/09/week-2-excel.html?showComment=1319588554272#c4228294606983469127

Week 7- Networking

Last weeks lecture was on networking, a topic which fashion thrives on. I thought it was great to understand in detail about something that happened 50 years ago: the internet. The birth of the commercial internet has completely changed the fashion world.

As Anna Wintor, the editor and chief of American Vogue, paragraphed, digital networking has widened the reach of fashion. Someone is Kansas, 40 years ago couldn't really know anything about fashion, except what they read in the major fashion magazines in their area. But now, that person could know a Manolo Blanhik from a Jimmy Choo. Thanks to the internet there are so many more opportunities for people ,much further than Kansas, to digitally be in the heart of New York City or Milan or Paris.

Specifically, as a small fashion/history blogger understanding how the internet works will be crucial in costumer service. If/When my site becomes international understanding IP addresses will help me provide better service to customers globally. Also, I think the idea of a new domain name would be very beneficial to segregated the category of online fashion bloggers. A personal domain name, I think, would give us some authority or recognition among the infinite website out there.

Week 6 Hexadecimal Color

I can't think of anything more relevant to my fashion blog than colors. Fashion is nothing without visual aid. This weeks lecture began on the difference from RGB colors and CMYK colors. This had been a huge problem of fashion bloggers. Fashion until the birth of the internet was all CMYK because picture were printed in on physical paper, in magazines and newspapers. With the birth of online fashion blogs RGB color is becoming more and more prevalent in making people's viewing experience the best it can be.

As a fashion blogger, the Hue, Saturation and Brightness of my pictures will be the first thing people notice on my blog. Understanding the code and actual letters and number of the colors that make up my background will help be diver the best possible product to my viewers. Also, I think it's important to understand how to change the look of pictures to make everything look as great as possible.As I learned in the photoshop lab last week, the slightest changes to a picture can have a great affect on how they are viewed my the public.

In conclusion, the more I can understand how colors in the digital world work, the better my website can be. Also, in my blog I'd like learn even more about how colors work. I want push the current boundaries of color on a website to show people a picture they're never seen before. This will give my blog a creative edge against the competition.

Week 5- Bits and Bytes

I can see this lecture as a continuation of last weeks, Input and Output. I think that this would be very important to my blog because as fashion evolves the fashion community will use more mediums to connect with its viewers. For example the MP3 versus the WAV files could affect how people hear potential auido blogs that would do covering the socio-cultural history of a fashion trend.

Also, I was very intersected in the binary code. It's something that I have never truly learned before. It's like a cool new language. I think that it's important for me, as a potential fashion blogger to be able to understand in some of the smallest degrees how a computer works. And what binary codes are used when I press each key. This will help me to create a service that is the best it can possibly be.

In conclusion, I wouldn't feel right ending this post without at least mentioning Steve Jobs. I believe that this touring tech giant did so much to make technology something that everyone used, not just the stereotypical computer nerd. His impact was felt around the world and has been one of the greatest forces to push society into this digital revolution. He will be missed.

Week 4- Input and Output

This weeks lecture was on input and output. Expanding more each day, it is my firm belief that the fashion industry will begin to focus more and more on the relationship between both input and output. Before in the fashion industry there was no input. The fans of a certain look, say Anni Sui Spring 2012's 1940's inspired look, could never tell the fashion magazine they subscribe to that they like or don't like the look.

Running with this example, now with more input choices readers have, they can send vogue pictures they took on their take of the runway looks. Also, they can make a response video or 'funkbeat' infused audio response (as was our lab assignment this week). Likewise fashion magazines can and have become better with their output. Vogue.com now lets viewers see 3-5 second videos of each outfit as it was worn by each model, with a 'move-it' feature. Also, Marc Jacobs, live streams his runway shows live on his website.

Concluding, I was very intersected in how retail is adopting a new form of output, QR codes. Come to think of it, I am beginning to see these maze-like pictures in more and more stores. The fashion industry is famous for it's visual ads. QR Codes will change how we though of ads.Before they were unavoidable and with this new technology for the first time the fashion industry would have people actively seeking to be advertised too.

Week 3- Hardware

This weeks lecture was on computer hardware. I don't really think of fashion and hardware in the same sentence ever. Oscar de la Renta's ill fated computer chip dress is the closest fashion and technology has merged. Needless to say, the two are an awkward pair. But this weeks lecture made me think of fashion and technology in a new light.

Computer hardware may not look good on a dress but it helps a dress look good. Technology is better at serving fashion than being it's equal. As fashion expands in the blogosphere, using the right kind of computer hardware becomes more and more important. For example an interactive multimedia blog will need a computer with lots ram and cache to have lots of programs going at once. Also, bloggers with lots of pictures, video and audio records of outfits and the history on trends could transport data faster with a USB hub that would let readers get info even faster.

Also, computer hardware is incredibly important to the growing online retail market. The computers involved with accounting for online purchases would need lots of internal and external memory storage. The memory would help to keep accurate records of all finical transactions. Overall my fashion blog idea could use the different types of hardware to better serve the audience.

Week 2- Blog Review

cupcakesandcashmere.com is a award winning fashion blog. The blog follows a LA girl through her various outfits and food adventures. I was drawn to this blog first off by the name. Cupcakes and Cashmere two things that I love and both are know for their rich texture. The idea of mixing fabric and style with food was ingenious! A recent post called 'Foot Candy' mixes high end shoes with cheap candy. Also, Emily mixes low and high cost items.

The blog has a few regular features to set a pace for avid readers. Every week Emily includes 5 things that she likes. These are pictures of either clothes or accessories or food. Last week it was a bedazzled sweater and a dessert looking breakfast.The constant mix of desserts and clothes, makes me almost want to eat tweed and wear waffles!

Cupcakes and Cashmere has gotten lots of press from a wide scope of audiences. The blog has a page of all the sites or magazines it has been listed on. I was surprised to see young sites like Teen Vogue and older ones like Forbes "20 best blogs for professional women" mentioned on the same page. I think Emily has been so successful blogging because she mixes both childish things (cupcakes) with adult things (cashmere).