Originally posted here.
Last time I completed this task I found myself relying on the word count of my comments instead of critiquing my ability to provide constructive feedback for my BCM325 classmates. By analysing projects in their BETA stages I feel as if it is easier to provide personal insight and guidance to drive projects in a positive direction as there is a prototype of some kind to work with. So let’s begin!
Louise’s project follows the University of Wollongong’s Cosplay Society which I was unfamiliar with up until today. She is creating a series of documentaries and advertisements in association with the society to increase engagement and awareness. These videos will contain content of behind the scenes footage at photoshoots and what the social atmosphere is like. I made a variety of recommendations to increase engagement with the social media pages the group already has so this could hopefully increase the number of members within the society. Not all my recommendations have to be implemented for this project in particular but I think the most useful may be the cross-society collaboration if music in their videos is made by the Music Society, for example, this content will be displayed by them and reach an entirely new audience. Adding a watermark with a hyperlink could also be useful to guide their viewers to their most important socials or events being hosted etc.
Bec’s project follows the importance of women’s safety and has created an online community known as ‘Safe Space’ to encourage women to engage in conversations, invite each other out and provide general support overall. Initially, this reminded me of a Facebook group that is also Wollongong based called ‘Innovators In Heels’ which I linked for Bec to look at for some inspiration if necessary. What intrigues me about this topic the most is if the lacking anonymity may impact the contribution of women in these groups as they are directly associated with personal accounts. I highly recommend that Bec completes an anonymous survey to see if anonymity is a concern to members when discussing sensitive and/or personal issues. Another avenue that could be taken for those comfortable meeting physically could be an on-campus focus group to address safety concerns within the University itself and the greater Wollongong region. I think these recommendations could be easily implemented for this project and will encourage Bec to understand her audience further.
Connor’s podcast follows surfing culture which means he has a well-established audience in the Wollongong area as it is dominant across the region. I think Connor has a clear direction for his project and the content is easily accessible and easy to understand, which creates a positive experience for his audience. I highly recommend that Connor expands to the Instagram platform as surfing culture is perfectly captured and has a pleasing aesthetic for his audience to enjoy. This can be done alongside his co-host who is a videographer, the podcasts alongside pleasing visuals will enhance the content and expand his audience as it is not limited to Soundcloud. Also, the concept of virtual reality (VR) and surfing sounds really enticing and is not something I even considered to be possible and even though the exploration of this probably couldn’t be implemented in this project it could possibly be useful in a digital artefact for the future. In working with VR this also provides another opportunity to expand Connor’s audience, I’d be intrigued to see if this would interest him.
Overall, I think the feedback provided doesn’t necessarily have to be implemented for their digital artefacts right now as the submission date for the final product is closing in. However, if these digital artefacts continue throughout their studies they can be implemented for future growth. In saying this, I hope my advice is helpful and I’d love to discuss their ideas.
Cheers,
Caitlin
Future Cultures 