If you are in my Writing for Digital Media class, you now have a professional domain name, working email for the domain, and a functional content management system installed on the domain. Having achieved all of this, you still ostensibly do not have much to show for it. You now must add content.
There are several types of content that one would expect to see in an online, professional portfolio; for example:
- An “About” page
- A “Contact” page
- A “Portfolio” page
Each of these should be a “Page,” and not a “Post” — in WordPress parlance. When you create a page, it adds the page’s name to the main menu of the site, making access easy and clear. Pages are the main parts of your portfolio; therefore they should contain the most important information about you.
The first page you should create is an “About” page. “About” will contain a brief professional biography. This biography should include a current, professional picture, it should be written in the third-person, and it should include a summary of your interests and accomplishments with a look toward your professional future. Write as much as you can, but be prepared to edit it down to the essentials. Aim for not more than 500 words, and keep usability in mind. A Google search will provide many guides that will help you with this task.
An important part of your “About” page should be a résumé or curriculum vitae (cv). Instead of copying your entire résumé into the site, a much more elegant way would be to use a service like Emurse or VisualCV and provide a link off of your “About” page. Both of these services are free and are easy to use and to maintain. Prominently link your résumé off of your “About” page. Again, Google has many resources to consult for résumé writing; some are better than others, so be discriminating.
Next, have a “Contact” page. Essentially, this is your professional contact information. Give users various ways to contact you, like email address(es), AIM, or a Grand Central phone number. There are even several WordPress plugins that allow you to use a contact form on this page. Be careful about the information you include here: do not post any personal information, like home phone numbers or addresses. Only professional contact information should appear on this page.
Part of your contact information could be links to your profiles on appropriate web communities, like LinkedIn. In fact, as part of this assignment, you should all get a free LinkedIn account. Once you do, link it from your “Contact” page — you can make me a contact, too. You might also include a link to your Flickr profile, if photography is appropriate for your intended profession, or any profile that fits the intended audience of your portfolio. Again, do not link to personal communities, like MySpace, on your professional portfolio.
Another important part of your “Contact” page will be your professional calendar. As part of Google Apps, you also have a calendar. Set up a professional calendar for yourself and embed it on your “Contact” page. Begin populating this calendar with important dates and events. Make it look like you’re busy, but don’t put anything personal on it.
Finally, you will begin your “Portfolio” page. This page will essentially highlight what you will be posting on your web site, depending on your audience and your profession. For example, you should have a main index page simply called “Portfolio” where you link to subpages. One subpage might be “Photography” and another could be “Digital Stories.” You might have a look at my portfolio for an example. There are many ways to set this up, but be logical in what you include. There may not be any content on these pages for now, but there will be by the end of the semester.
As always, discussion about this assignment can be left below.
