This is my blog site: https://zhangm6.sites.carleton.edu/about-me/
Building my own WordPress website is a direct experience of blending design and learning. The block editor gives me great freedom to design and edit the webpage exactly how I want. The themes in WordPress provide a solid foundation so I can customize my own website. I really enjoy the process of modifying the visual elements, including font selection, color choices, and arranging different blocks. When the standard settings are not enough, the option of adding Additional CSS helps me to really design the website under my own control. However, I also spent a little time figuring out where everything is located in the WordPress editing page, like finding the location of Additional CSS in the Site Editor.
Looking into the future, I think this platform will definitely become a very important tool in my academic life. As a student intending to major in Biology, I frequently browse research lab websites managed by principal investigators (PIs). These websites showcase each Lab’s missions, research topics, published papers, and group members. The experience of starting to build this website opens my perspective, which allows me to envision building my own lab website or portfolio and record my path.
One advantage of an independent website is ownership and agency. On social media, posts usually go through algorithmic feeds, rigid templates, and changing terms of service. As an independent website, the author or editor has total control over their content and expression. However, this autonomy also comes with drawbacks. Unlike social media platforms with built-in recommendation algorithms that push content to users, an independent website requires deliberate effort to build an audience. Despite the drawback, the freedom to shape my own digital footstep is also worth building my website a try.
Hi Mandy, I like how big the “Hey” is on your site – it’s very eye catching! Also your cat is super cute! I like your point about agency as I think it can be important for the authors to have complete control over their content and I also like your point about it being worth a try even though it may be difficult to reach a large audience.