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• 1 2017-11-20T07:31:08-08:00 Project Instructions & Tips 29 plain 2018-05-01T17:21:13-07:00

  Some Ways that You Can Create Visual Appeal and Enhance Usability

  Similar to any basic blogging platform, this editor area in Scalar lets you do some basic stuff with text editing.  For example the headline above is in H4 (headline 4) which you can select from the menu above.  (You may wish to break your profile into sections with headings).  You can also change the color of text, italicize, bold, and highlight.  (Use these features sparingly).

  Another cool thing you can do is block quote things that either 1) are actual block quotes from one of your sources; or 2) something you want to have stand out like this.  To get a block quote, highlight the section you want blocked and select the quote marks button in the editor.

  I recommend using the block quote feature sparingly, also. 
  
  Sometimes things in the edit window might look a bit different in your browser once they're saved.  For this reason, I recommend experimenting: try something, and then hit "save and preview" below to check out what it looks like.
  
  One thing you'll be doing a lot in your profile is linking out to other sites.  For example, if you refer to an exhibition by your artist, you'll want to link directly to the site for the exhibition by clicking the gray (right-hand) link button above, pasting in the link and selecting "open in a new window."
  
  Remember that whenever possible, you should link out to your sources.  You'll want to link the bibliographic citations for all of your online sources at the end of your profile like this one (and by the way: the Purdue Owl is your best online source for vetted, reliable MLA citation info):
  
  The Purdue OWL Family of Sites. The Writing Lab and OWL at Purdue and Purdue U, 2008, owl.english.purdue.edu/owl. Accessed 14 Nov. 2017.
  
   (You can't indent with html, so don't worry about that).  For print sources, you can also consider linking your Works Cited entry to a copy online like this, or like this. 
  
  In addition to in-text citations at in your text, consider linking the in-text citation and/or the source you reference.  For example, let's say I'm quoting this essay on the "necropastoral" by Joyelle McSweeney.  I might want to quote McSweeney's definition of the "necropastoral," which she defines as: "a political-aesthetic zone in which the fact of mankind’s depredations cannot be separated from an experience of 'nature"' which is poisoned, mutated, aberrant, spectacular, full of ill effects and affects" (McSweeney).  Note that I've linked the quote to its source. If my works cited contains more than one work by McSweeney, my citation would look like this (McSweeney, "Necropastoral").

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  Some Notes on Media

  Of course, images and other media will be important for your profile, too. Below is information on importing and inserting media.  Here are some quick tips:
  • have your media links ready to go, all in one place.  Remember: you need to use the most legitimate available media--so for instance, a high-res image of a book cover on your artist's website is preferred to a random image of that same book cover elsewhere.
  • except in rare circumstances (see below) you will not be uploading actual files to Scalar: instead, you'll be importing links to images, videos, and/or audio into this book's "media library" and adding appropriate captioning information.  See the next section for more information on how to get stuff besides text into your profile.  You can import media as you go, though I recommend importing media you know for sure that you'll use ahead of time.

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  Importing Media: YouTube, Vimeo, and SoundCloud

  Many people will want to insert videos or audio into their profiles.  Good news: both YouTube and Vimeo are among sites from which Scalar will import stuff automatically with all available metadata attached.  You can also import audio from SoundCloud and image from the Metropolitan Museum of Art this way, too.
  
  To import a video, go to the import menu (that’s the little arrow pointing into the box on the top right).  Select “Other Archives” and choose the appropriate site.  From there, you’ll be directed to a window with a search box where you can find the media you want to import.  Once you find what you’re looking for, hit the blue Import Selected button.  From there, you’ll be taken to a window like this one where you can edit the caption and other information that will appear with your media.

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  Importing Media: Images from the Web

  First, click the import menu above (that’s the little arrow pointing down into the box). Then, select “Internet media files.”  You’ll pull up a window that looks like this: Under “Title” put the title of the work/s depicted or some other title (for example, if the image has a title with it at its original source, use that).  In “Description,” type whatever you’d like users to see as your caption.  I might suggest a shortened credit (such as “from NPS.gov”) and/or other useful explanatory information.
  
  If your photo is posted with other information, such as a credit line, consider clicking the blue “Add additional metadata” button and finding an appropriate metadata field (such as “Credit” for a photo credit).  The options listed here reflect international standards for labeling certain kinds of media—for instance, photos.Once click the blue “Save and view” button at the bottom, your media is in the library. You can then insert it through the editing tools on your individual page.

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  Importing Media: Images from Your Computer

  There are a couple of rare situations where you may need to import a media file from your computer:
  1) if you have some file that doesn’t exist online, such as an image you’ve scanned from a book, or
  2) if you wish to use a different page format than the “basic” layout in which images become part of the book’s structure.  Your panel “title pages,” for instance, use the Image Header format.  If this option interests you, you’ll need to save whatever image you want to have appear at the top and upload using this Insert Local Media Window:

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  Inserting Media

  One you've got media imported into the library, it's easy to insert it into your page.  Click the blue arrow with lines around it in the editor (next to the plan blue arrow).  This book's media library will pull up in a separate window; mouse over the thing you want to insert and click anywhere in the blue.  You'll be direct to a window that allows to adjust how large your image appears, whether it's placed left, right, or centered, etc.  Pay attention to these options; you will likely need to save your selection, view it, and adjust it until you achieve the most appealing layout

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  Some Final Notes

  Remember, it’s okay (and good!) to experiment with Scalar.  I want you to produce something you’re proud of—a profile that showcases your creativity and ability to communicate in a public, digital format.  Email me anytime for help, or come by office hours.
  
  Lisa