Digital presentation - Overview of Presentation Possibilities in Engineering

Digital Presentation Overview of Presentation Possibilities in Engineering

Digital Presentation Overview of Presentation Possibilities in Engineering

Authors: Dr. Donát Rétfalvi Dr. Sarolta Rétfalvi-Gaál Professional revision: Dr. Gergely Sztranyák Copy editor: Marcus Juby

Manuscript closed: 25.08.2014

UNIVERSITY OF PÉCS Pollack Mihaly Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology Institute of Architecture Department of Architecture and Visual Studies

A kiadásért felel a: Felelős szerkesztő: Műszaki szerkesztő: Terjedelem:

PTE PMMIK • Pécs, 2014 © dr. Donát Rétfalvi, dr. Sarolta Rétfalvi-Gaál, 2014

Table of Contents List of Figures ....................................................................................................................................... 5 Introduction to the Course ................................................................................................................... 8 I. The Subject of Publishing ................................................................................................................. 9 A. Introduction to Presentations ....................................................................................................... 9 B. Presentation Principles .............................................................................................................. 11 Organize your Data..................................................................................................................... 11 Google Drive ........................................................................................................................... 12 OneDrive ................................................................................................................................. 15 Box .......................................................................................................................................... 16 Dropbox ................................................................................................................................... 17 Copy.com ................................................................................................................................ 19 JoliDrive................................................................................................................................... 21 Know your target audience ......................................................................................................... 23 Choose your platform ................................................................................................................. 23 Design it ...................................................................................................................................... 23 Keep it simple ............................................................................................................................. 24 II. Presentation techniques ................................................................................................................ 24 A. Visual Communication Methods ................................................................................................ 24 Collecting and organising information .................................................................................... 24 RSS Feed Readers ............................................................................................................. 24 Creating Digital Images........................................................................................................... 32 Raster Graphics Vs Vector Graphics Editors...................................................................... 33 Raster Graphics Editors ...................................................................................................... 34 Vector Graphics Editors ...................................................................................................... 39 Using Images for Communication .......................................................................................... 41 B. Presentation Software ............................................................................................................... 45 The Five Minute Slide Presentation .................................................................................... 55 III. Creating CVs and Portfolios ......................................................................................................... 57 A. The Engineer’s Curriculum Vitae ............................................................................................... 57 CV Maker ................................................................................................................................ 58 LinkedIn ................................................................................................................................... 62 Engineer’s Portfolio Overview ........................................................................................................ 63 Portfolios and the relationship between text and images .......................................................... 63 Issuu.com ................................................................................................................................ 64 Lucidpress.com - An online alternate to Adobe InDesign ...................................................... 66 B. Digitally creating ............................................................................................................................ 67 A blog.............................................................................................................................................. 67

Microblogging - Tumblr.com ................................................................................................... 68 Wordpress.com – the free, open source CMS ....................................................................... 72 HTML overview ....................................................................................................................... 82 Using Google Drive to make webpages ............................................................................. 84 Wix.com .......................................................................................................................................... 84 IV. How to make a Low Budget Office? ............................................................................................. 87 Reasons.......................................................................................................................................... 87 ”Think Different” or “Think Open”? ................................................................................................. 87 V. Final thoughts ................................................................................................................................ 88 Required Reading and Other Materials ............................................................................................. 89 Source of the used softwares and useful websites: ...................................................................... 90

List of Figures Figure 1. Mental CV Montage - Eszter Dinnyés – 2014 Source: Authors ........................................ 10 Figure 2. Mental CV Montage - Petra Sebestyén – 2014 Source: Authors ...................................... 10 Figure 3. Mental CV Montage - Renáta Borbás - 2014 Source: Authors ......................................... 10 Figure 4. Google Log In Page Source: Authors ................................................................................ 12 Figure 5. Google Drive interface Source: Authors ............................................................................ 13 Figure 6. Google Drive Create tool Source: Authors ........................................................................ 13 Figure 7. Google Drive file uploading Source: Authors ..................................................................... 14 Figure 8. Google Drive file options Source: Authors ......................................................................... 14 Figure 9. Microsoft OneDrive Sign Up Source: Authors ................................................................... 15 Figure 10. Mocrosoft OneDrive interface Source: Authors ............................................................... 16 Figure 11. Box.com Sign Up Source: Authors................................................................................... 16 Figure 12. Box.com interface Source: Authors ................................................................................. 17 Figure 13. Dropbox Sign Up Source: Authors ................................................................................... 18 Figure 14. Dropbox sharing files with link. Source: Authors ............................................................. 18 Figure 15. Dropbox interface Source: Authors .................................................................................. 19 Figure 16. Copy.com Sign Up Source: Authors ................................................................................ 20 Figure 17. Copy.com earn more free space Source: Authors .......................................................... 20 Figure 18. Copy.com file details Source: Authors ............................................................................. 20 Figure 19. JoliDrive Sign Up Source: Authors ................................................................................... 21 Figure 20. JoliDrive adding content services Source: Authors ......................................................... 22 Figure 21. JoliDrive adding storage services Source: Authors ......................................................... 23 Figure 22. Feedly Sign Up with Open IDs Source: Authors .............................................................. 25 Figure 23. Feedly the interface, read and organise simple Source: Authors ................................... 25 Figure 24. Feedreader services Source: Authors ............................................................................. 26 Figure 25. Feedreader Sign Up easy Source: Authors ..................................................................... 26 Figure 26. Feedreader adding feed, using categories Source: Authors ........................................... 27 Figure 27. Feedreader the reader interface Source: Authors ........................................................... 27 Figure 28. Pocket Log In Source: Authors ........................................................................................ 29 Figure 29. Pocket tags Source: Authors ............................................................................................ 29 Figure 30. Pocket main menu Source: Authors ................................................................................ 30 Figure 31. Google Keep add texts, images, links, voice notes or checklists Source: Authors ........ 30 Figure 32. Evernote Sign Up Source: Authors .................................................................................. 31 Figure 33. Evernote interface Source: Authors ................................................................................. 32 Figure 34. Graphic editor software Source: Authors ......................................................................... 33 Figure 35. Adobe Photoshop interface Source: Authors ................................................................... 34 Figure 36. Gimp interface Source: Authors ....................................................................................... 35 Figure 37. Gimp Toolbox Source: Authors ........................................................................................ 36 Figure 38. Gimp Layers, Brushes Source: Authors........................................................................... 36 Figure 39. Pixlr.com the online photo editing tool Source: Authors .................................................. 37 Figure 40. Pixlr.com creating, opening images Source: Authors ...................................................... 38 Figure 41. Pixlr.com interface Source: Authors ................................................................................. 38 Figure 42. Inkscape interface Source: Authors ................................................................................. 39 Figure 43. SVG-Edit online Source: Authors ..................................................................................... 41 Figure 44. XnView making slideshow Source: Authors .................................................................... 42 Figure 45. XnView making webpage with image gallery Source: Authors ....................................... 43 Figure 46. XnView the output-webpage photogallery Source: Authors ............................................ 44 Figure 47. Flowboard presentation online tool Source: Authors ....................................................... 45 Figure 48. Presentation softwares Source: Authors.......................................................................... 46 Figure 49. Google Presenter themes Source: Authors ..................................................................... 46 Figure 50. Google Presenter creating slides Source: Authors .......................................................... 47

Figure 51. Microsoft OneDrive PowerPoint Source: Authors ............................................................ 47 Figure 52. Microsoft OneDrive starting PowerPoint Source: Authors............................................... 48 Figure 53. Microsoft OneDrive PowerPoint making slides Source: Authors .................................... 48 Figure 54. LibreOffice Impress interface Source: Authors ................................................................ 49 Figure 55. Slide design example Source:www.duarte.com .............................................................. 50 Figure 56. Slide design example Source:www.duarte.com .............................................................. 50 Figure 57. Slide design example Source:www.duarte.com .............................................................. 51 Figure 58. Slide design example Source:www.duarte.com .............................................................. 51 Figure 59. Slide design example Source:www.duarte.com .............................................................. 52 Figure 60. Slide design example Source:www.duarte.com .............................................................. 52 Figure 61. Slide design example Source:www.duarte.com .............................................................. 53 Figure 62. Slide design example Source:www.duarte.com .............................................................. 53 Figure 63. Prezi.com Source: Authors............................................................................................... 54 Figure 64. Prezi.com interface Source: Authors ............................................................................... 55 Figure 65. Haiku Deck interface Source: Authors ............................................................................. 56 Figure 66. Slid.es interface Source: Authors ..................................................................................... 57 Figure 67. CVmaker online Source: Authors ..................................................................................... 58 Figure 68. Curriculum Vitae template 01 ........................................................................................... 59 Figure 69. Curriculum Vitae template 02 ........................................................................................... 60 Figure 70. Curriculum Vitae template 03 ........................................................................................... 61 Figure 71. LinkedIn interface Source: Authors .................................................................................. 62 Figure 72. Issuu.com Log in Source: Authors ................................................................................... 64 Figure 73. Issuu.com interface Source: Authors ............................................................................... 65 Figure 74. Issuu.com reading, sharing online contents Source: Authors ......................................... 65 Figure 75. Lucidpress Sign Up Source: Authors ............................................................................... 66 Figure 76. Lucidpress interface creating content Source: Authors .................................................. 67 Figure 77. Tumblr.com Sign Up Source: Authors ............................................................................. 68 Figure 78. Tumblr.com creating a new blog Source: Authors ........................................................... 69 Figure 79. Tumblr.com the dashboard Source: Authors ................................................................... 70 Figure 80. Tumblr.com creating post Source: Authors ..................................................................... 71 Figure 81. Tumblr.com creating the post Source: Authors ............................................................... 71 Figure 82. Tumblr.com editing the theme Source: Authors .............................................................. 72 Figure 83. Wordpress.com creatig a new website Source: Authors ................................................. 73 Figure 84. Wordpress.com Sign Up Source: Authors ....................................................................... 74 Figure 85. Wordpress.com step1. set up your blog, choose a title, describe it in a few words, choose a language for your interface Source: Authors ..................................................................... 75 Figure 86. Wordpress.com choose a theme Source: Authors .......................................................... 75 Figure 87. Wordpress.com customize your choosen theme Source: Authors ................................. 76 Figure 88. Wordpress.com use Social Networks for sharing Source: Authors ................................. 76 Figure 89. Wordpress.com let's create your first post on your blog Source: Authors ...................... 77 Figure 90. Wordpress.com My Sites overview and manage of your WordPress sites Source: Authors ............................................................................................................................................... 77 Figure 91. Wordpress.com the Dashboard is your interface Source: Authors ................................. 78 Figure 92. Wordpress.com appearance let you customize your site Source: Authors..................... 78 Figure 93. Wordpress.com Setting let you control the operation of the page Source: Authors ....... 79 Figure 94. Wordpress.com you can upload or insert media files from your computer or from the internet Source: Authors .................................................................................................................... 79 Figure 95. Wordpress.com fine tune your visual appearance Source: Authors ............................... 80 Figure 96. Wordpress.com you can create separated, static webpages Source: Authors .............. 80 Figure 97. Wordpress.com adding a post is easy Source: Authors .................................................. 81 Figure 98. Wordpress.com you can break your long texts with inserting Read More tag Source: Authors ............................................................................................................................................... 81

Figure 99. HTML basics with LibreOffice Writer, make table for your contents Source: Authors .... 82 Figure 100. HTML save your sites as a HTML document Source: Authors ..................................... 82 Figure 101. HTML use GoogleDrive to make web resources viewable as a website Source: Authors ............................................................................................................................................... 83 Figure 102. HTML A free HTML5 one-page-template from HTML5UP.net stored and served on GoogleDrive Source: Authors ........................................................................................................... 84 Figure 103. Wix.com an online HTML5 website building tool Source: Authors ................................ 85 Figure 104. Wix.com Sign Up is easy Source: Authors .................................................................... 85 Figure 105. Wix.com has an easy to use interface Source: Authors ................................................ 86 Figure 106. Wix.com create page structures, customize your design, add and edit contents simply Source: Authors ................................................................................................................................. 86 Figure 107. Commercial softwares and alternatives Source: Authors .............................................. 87

Introduction to the Course This course introduces students to traditional and contemporary presentation skills and how to best utilise a variety of IT1 tools and techniques. This will give students a toolkit of new approaches and technologies which can be applied in their professional field. The goal of the course is to enable students to self-manage their professional life, and creatively use different media platforms.

The course examines various options for manual and digital presentations through publishing in engineering. We aim to summarize a selection of software, as well as presentation techniques and procedures, which can later be used in a variety of fields for creative expression.

Given that information technology is one of the most dynamic fields of science, education should focus on teaching non-static skills and give the students a dynamic understanding of the process.

The aim is not only to teach students how to use different software, but also to demonstrate other manual and digital techniques which can be combined for different solutions.

During the semester students prepare presentation materials using a range of techniques, which contributes to their individualism, creativity, technological proficiency and sense of aesthetics and enables them to visualise the developmental process of their plans. A series of progressive exercises will introduce the visual and dynamic qualities of successful manual and digital presentation design, and how to integrate the use of various computer-aided applications.

Skills are developed through personal communication between the teacher and students, with the practical component of the course carried out in small groups where students have the opportunity to showcase their work which is evaluated by the teacher and the students together. Continuous and personal communication is a key part of the course.

“I like to discover new software trends and try out new, exciting applications. I’m continuously searching for new connections between new software and my job.

Computers continue to play a more and more important role in our lives, and we constantly rely on them for communication, work and entertainment.”

“The main idea of the course was to take a new, simple approach to best harness the power of the computer. All of us use some software that is vital for our job, but there are some aspects which we cannot control effectively. We might want to edit music or videos, or to make an effective website, or just create some digital graphics, or we might simple want to save money, as we build up our first office. I can show you how simple it is to effectively present your ideas.”

The Authors

1 "Information technology - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." 2003. 7 Sep. 2014 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Information_technology>

I. The Subject of Publishing The primary meaning of publication is exposure, which means that after the publication, the specific information is freely accessible to the general public. Whether information displayed is in print form or another medium, an important element of the publication is that it is directly linked to the author of the material or an institution or group.

The general types of publication can be divided into written publications and online publications.

These include research reports, conference papers, magazine or newspaper articles, journal articles, books, encyclopaedia entries, blogs, e-books, personal websites, corporate and government websites, and tutorials or e-learning material. They can be scientific or fiction, professional or personal.

A. Introduction to Presentations Information is always generated in our work, whether it be our professional life or our studies, and we usually want to share this information with others. It is normal for lecturers to use presentations in their lectures, students must present their assignments, architects need to effectively present their designs to clients, and researchers must present their results to a wider range of professions at a conference. Usually recent graduates need to present a portfolio of their work for a job interview and once we get a job, we may need to increase the competitiveness of our company through promotion and marketing tools. So, the skill of effective information sharing is essential, no matter where our career takes us.

A good presentation can translate information into inspiration, it can motivate, inspire and persuade its audience. This course aims to elevate the quality of everyday communications and provide participants with the tools to incite a presentation revolution. If people can see what youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re thinking, theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll understand, it doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t matter which tools you use to reach this goal. Every time you are using visual thinking, or smart thinking and smart design, to explain your ideas, the information will be translated clearly and powerfully.

First task Build your first presentation about yourself using manual tools.

Tools needed: recycled printed materials (newspapers, magazines, promotional brochures, etc.), scissors, glue, grey cardboard (A/3 or A/2 size), your imagination Description of task: Search, select, and use the printed materials freely available to make a tabloid taped montage. The aim of the task is to use the available materials to creatively introduce yourself the others. Try to select those properties that you consider important to share with others. Show us where you come from, what your job is and what your interests are.

This will help develop your skills of association and creativity, and enable the other members of the group to interpret and learn through the final poster what information you want to share with them.

Conclusion: you can always find tools that are readily available and could be used to communicate certain information. We should carefully and concisely choose those devices that enable the most appropriate association or correct communication of information.

See some examples:

Figure 1. Mental CV Montage - Eszter Dinnyés – 2014 Source: Authors

Figure 2. Mental CV Montage - Petra Sebestyén – 2014 Source: Authors

Figure 3. Mental CV Montage - Renáta Borbás - 2014 Source: Authors

B. Presentation Principles In some cases, preparing presentations might be a regular occurrence, in others, it may not be so frequent, but nevertheless, the creation of presentations is an opportunity to shine and demonstrate your worth regardless of whether you want to prepare a CV, put together a simple website, portfolio, or presentation. The key to giving an exceptional presentation lies in disseminating your information in the simplest and most compelling way possible.

The following points will help you write an effective presentation:  Organize your data  Know Your Target Audience  Choose your platform  Design it  Keep it simple

Organize your Data The first step is always to organise the data that you intend to share, which may be documents, images, drawings, plans, videos, or combinations of these. Nowadays, most of this information will be in a digital format which was either generated on our computer or stored on it, but there are other alternatives for working with this data and storing it online, and it is up to us to choose the most appropriate options to help us in publishing.

With developments in wireless and cloud technology, data and work has become more mobile than ever. There is also the opportunity to carry data on a USB drive which can be accessed anytime and anywhere on a laptop, tablet or smartphone. Or we can exploit the power of the internet using webbased applications, which can provide many other options in addition to just storage, such as easier collaboration, sharing and editing. This means you aren’t tied down to your own computer and can access your data anywhere.

The applications can be divided into the following categories:  online  offline  cross-platform  platform-specific  open source  closed source software  commercial  shareware  freeware Commercial software is produced for sale. Open source software is software that can be freely used, changed, and shared (in a modified or unmodified form) by anyone. Open source software is made by many people, and distributed under licenses that comply with the Open Source Definition. 2 Platform-specific applications means that they run under only one operating system. Cross-platform software is programmed to run on different operating systems. Online software is web-based, and offline software can only be run on your PC. About file storage Every IT device has an operating system 3(OS). In every OS there is built-in software or applications for handling files, such as a file organizer, and some simple applications to edit them. If we want to work on our files from different places, or different devices, it can be a good idea to use some kind of cloud service. Working with the same files from multiple locations can be very simple. Nowadays there are a number of online file storage and syncing services that will make your data available on as many computers or devices as you like. The most popular include:

2 Open Source Initiative." 2003. 15 Jul. 2014 <http://opensource.org/> 3 "Operating system - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." 2003. 7 Sep. 2014 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operating_system>

Google Drive This web-based 4service is a synchronization service and file storage service provided by Google. If we have a Google account, we already have this service, you just need to enable the service on drive.google.com. Google Drive gives users 15GB of storage for free, which can be upgraded by paying a monthly subscription to get additional storage. The main benefit of Google Drive is its cloud storage, file sharing and collaborative editing options, but it also allows users to create or edit online documents, spreadsheets or presentations. You can store pictures, stories, designs, drawings, recordings, videos â&#x20AC;&#x201C; practically anything, all in one place. There is a cross-platform client application that must be running on all of our devices, which synchronizes the files on every linked device over the cloud. So if you make changes on your laptop, they will appear when you access the file from somewhere else, whether it be another computer, smartphone or tablet. Google Drive recognises around different 30 types of file types, including MS-office documents, jpg and pdf. Collaboration with others is also one of the best features, for example, if you upload a video to Drive and share it with someone else, you'll be able to discuss that video with the comment tool. There are also some third-party developers, who created apps that work with Google Drive. For example, the application Pixlr enables you edit uploaded pictures, etc.

You can only access Google Drive with a Google Account, so if you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have one, you will need to register first. The Google Account is considered Open ID, which means that users can log in to multiple unrelated websites without having to register with their information over and over again.5 With your Google Account you can access a variety of Google services, for example Gmail, Drive, YouTube, Google Maps, etc., as well as numerous third party web services.

Figure 4. Google Log In Page Source: Authors

Log in to Google Drive. On the landing page you will find a simple and clear interface, where you can manage, create or edit your files. At the top there is the Search Bar, Account Information, and link to other settings, as well as the button to access sharing options to Google+.

4 "Web application - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." 2004. 7 Sep. 2014 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_application>

5 "OpenID - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." 2005. 12 Jul. 2014 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenID>

Figure 5. Google Drive interface Source: Authors

The navigation panel, on the left-hand side, shows the hierarchy of your folders and files, and allows them to be easily organised.

Figure 6. Google Drive Create tool Source: Authors

In the middle of the screen is the File list, where you can access your files or perform a variety of tasks by using the right click button to access different tools. At the right-hand side of the screen, there is the Details and Activity panel, where you can find general information about the files or a history of editing that has occurred.

Figure 7. Google Drive file uploading Source: Authors

With the Create button you can create Drive Documents, Presentations, Spreadsheets, Forms and Drawings and using the Upload button lets you upload already existing files from your computer. If you install â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Google Drive Syncâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; on your computer or mobile device, all of your files are synced across all the devices automatically.

Figure 8. Google Drive file options Source: Authors

OneDrive The most common operating system, Microsoft Windows, has its own cloud service too. It is very similar to the Google Drive and also comes with 15GB free storage. It is automatically built into the latest versions of Windows, but you can use it on other platforms to, or online through a browser.

The greatest benefit of this service is that you can use the online version of Microsoft Office applications (Word, PowerPoint, Excel) that are most commonly used by people running Windows, which means there is less chance of unexpected compatibility issues. By saving your documents to OneDrive, you can access them on any device and it is also simple to create, edit, and share your documents.

Figure 9. Microsoft OneDrive Sign Up Source: Authors

Using OneDrive is very similar to Google Drive. After logging in, you are taken to the start page where there is a dropdown menu which lets you access other Microsoft services online, such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc. There is also the option to create, upload, edit, manage or share files and folders here. On the left sidebar there is the File Navigation Bar and in the middle of your screen are your folders and files. OneDrive has synchronisation software which can be installed on most OS platforms and devices.

Figure 10. Mocrosoft OneDrive interface Source: Authors

Box Another cloud based storage option is â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Boxâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; online storage (www.box.com) which provides 10-50GB of storage free. Like the other services you can easily organise all your files into folders and store any kind of file online, view them and access them from any device anywhere with internet access.

Sharing big files, online collaboration, comments, editing and real-time updates can play a major role in increasing your productivity and enabling you to access everything through a single online workspace.

Figure 11. Box.com Sign Up Source: Authors

The major features include: 50GB of personal storage Access from mobile devices Apps that extend connection to your Box content, including: Box Sync to auto-sync files between your computer and Box storage Box for Office to access content from Microsoft Office Restore previous file versions Link your Box content in your personal website or blog

Figure 12. Box.com interface Source: Authors

Dropbox One of the first popular online storage services, Dropbox also allows you to store, share and access your files anytime, anywhere. After registration you will get 2GB file storage for free which can be upgraded to 16GB by recommending the service to friends, etc.

Figure 13. Dropbox Sign Up Source: Authors

Figure 14. Dropbox sharing files with link. Source: Authors

Figure 15. Dropbox interface Source: Authors

Copy.com As shown by the slogan â&#x20AC;&#x153;Sync, Protect, and Share. Everywhereâ&#x20AC;?, Copy.com is a similar service to the previous ones with 15 GB of free cloud space. It keeps files in sync between your computers and available on your mobile devices so you always have what you want and with its cross-platform sync client, web-based online storage, your privacy and data are secure and protected.

You have the choice to choose from a multitude of cloud storage services and you can also use them together. Figure out, how to get the most out of each one to work effectively. When using multiple services it may be good practise to store your personal documents separate from your work data, which should also be separate from your public files. Also, if you sign up with several cloud providers, you can maximise the amount of free storage space available.

All of these applications allow you to access your files anywhere, minimising the need for a USB stick or portable hard drive. Upload and go, or share and collaborate with others. Stay mobile.

Figure 16. Copy.com Sign Up Source: Authors

Figure 17. Copy.com earn more free space Source: Authors

Figure 18. Copy.com file details Source: Authors

JoliDrive Another option to take control of your digital life is to use JoliDrive which can connect all your cloudbased services in one place, so once you log in to JoliDrive you will be able to access numerous other online storage services (e.g. Box, Dropbox, Google Drive) from one platform.

Figure 19. JoliDrive Sign Up Source: Authors

As seen in the previous pages there are a multitude of cloud storage services available and if you have a few accounts all over the web, then JoliDrive can integrate all those services into a simple interface.

“Perhaps you have files in Dropbox, but prefer Google Drive for documents. Maybe you take photos with Instagram, but keep the majority of your collection in Flickr. JoliDrive can access all of those accounts from a single location so you don't have to go all over the web looking for individual files.

While JoliDrive doesn't support every single cloud service at this moment, it does work with many popular ones. In addition to those previously mentioned, YouTube, Box, SkyDrive, Facebook, Instapaper, Tumblr, Google+ (kind of), Readability, Vimeo, Picasa, and more all work. While JoliDrive doesn't cost anything, you have to promote it on social media in order to unlock some of the aforementioned services. While that isn't a high price to pay, I'd personally rather pay actual money than be used as an advertising platform—even if I like the product (which I obviously do or this post wouldn't exist). Nevertheless, JoliDrive offers a fantastic interface and connects tons of services together with ease. If you can get past the social media sharing (or implement a workaround), it's a great way to keep all your cloud data in one central location.” 6

6 "Jolidrive Combines All Your Cloud Services Into One ..." 2013. 4 May. 2014 <http://www.lifehacker.com.au/2013/03/jolidrive-combines-all-your-cloud-services-into-one/>

Figure 20. JoliDrive adding content services Source: Authors

The JoliDrive website states the following about their services: Combine multiple storage sites and get extra space free - Connect all your existing storage together, discover new ones, and make more space for your stuff. Make your life easier with one login, one interface, for all your files.

Drive is your file browser in the cloud - Do everything you want with your files: search, copy, delete, rename and drag files where you need them to be. Always available in your browser.

Drive is your new workspace. - Drive gives you all the tools you need to work better. From documents, spreadsheets, presentations, PDFâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s or pictures, you can open and edit everything and save it anywhere you want.

Drive works with all your content. - Make your storage useful: bring all your content back to life. Play your music, view and edit your photos and stream video even when the original services donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t offer that feature.

View PDF, Watch videos, Listen to music, Read eBooks, Edit pictures.

Source: www.drive.jolicloud.com

Figure 21. JoliDrive adding storage services Source: Authors

Task two: Have a look at the various cloud storage options and try a few examples to see which is most appropriate for you.

Know your target audience When giving oral speeches and making presentation visuals, or creating a digital portfolio, it is important to set out what objectives you would like to achieve. To do this effectively, you need to research your target audience.  Be clear about your purpose - what do you want to achieve with your presentations, publications or portfolio?  Analyse your audience - who is your target audience? Are they professionals or the general public?  Be aware of the occasion – is it formal or informal? Are you there to inform the audience or entertain them?  Ensure you are knowledgeable and comfortable in your chosen topic. You should know more than your average audience member.

Choose your platform Think about what your goals are and how they can be achieved in the most efficient way possible.

What format do you want the finished result to be in - paper-based or digital format? Based on this you can correctly choose the right format and most appropriate applications for your preparation.

Design it Build up what you want to say and focus on what you want to show.

Arrange your content in a logical order and ensure that it is relevant and current. Plan which visual aids can help you best reach your goals.

Use simple, innovative, quickly understandable visuals that focus on the gist of what you want to say, for maximum impact. Discover the potential of your chosen application and use it appropriately. Look at different existing layouts and templates and adapt them to personalise your presentation.

Keep it simple With simplicity the audience can focus on what you want to say. Avoid jargon where possible unless you think everyone in the audience will understand and stick to keywords which are best suited to your audience. Design your content structure with a great opening, smooth transitions and a strong closing so the audience can easily comprehend the clearly structured information.

II. Presentation techniques A. Visual Communication Methods Collecting and organising information In creative work, as well as everyday life, collecting and organising data is unavoidable. In the past we used libraries, to borrow, scan or copy books which were then manually arranged into dossiers.

With the widespread use of the Internet, a variety of new opportunities have opened up, and a huge amount of information has become available to anyone with an internet connection. Content can be easily bookmarked or downloaded and saved to your computer, and organized into specific folders with an identification system.

The appearance of cloud applications has streamlined opportunities for collecting and organizing information. In contrast with a conventional branched directory structure, a multi-dimensional system has become possible, where searching for information is simpler and where it is much easier to use filters for searches. Specifying categories and tags for each file make it much easier to find it later.

Categories are similar to, but broader than tags, which are more specific and allow the tagging of data with one or more keywords.

For example, content might be tagged with "interior" and "public building" and each of those tags is usually a link leading to an index page listing all of the items associated with that tag.

What is an RSS feed7?

One inconvenience of the internet is that you have to visit your favourite websites every day to find out whether they have been updated or not. Another inconvenience for netizens is that there are a lot of interesting websites that they want to follow, and the more sites you like, the less likely it is that you will visit them daily. To get around this problem we can use the "RSS feed" or, for short, "feed" technology. By subscribing to a website’s RSS feed means that you can access posts on hundreds of websites from one location as soon as they are updated. You decide how often the feeds are updated and what information is contained in the feeds.

RSS Feed Readers There are a variety of different feed readers to choose from.

Feedly To organize, read and share the content of your favourite sites perhaps the most powerful tool is Feedly, which has numerous built-in features such as multiple layout options, auto-mark as read, tagging, advanced sharing and keyboard shortcuts. If you want to organize your favourite blogs, news sites, podcasts, YouTube channels and access them all in one place, Feedly can be a good choice. You can share the content via social networks and you can easily install it on smartphones, tablets and computers or access the platform through a browser.

You can sign up for Feedly using one of your Open ID’s. Once you have logged in you will find the dashboard for Feedly which has all your RSS subscriptions. If you don’t have any you can use the ‘Add Content’ button to subscribe to new websites. From the left-hand sidebar you can choose one or more of your feeds and read the content on the main screen. You can also organise your feeds into categories, as well as change the appearance of Feedly using a variety of templates.

7 "What Is RSS? RSS Explained - www.WhatIsRSS.com." 2004. 7 Sep. 2014 <http://www.whatisrss.com/>

Figure 22. Feedly Sign Up with Open IDs Source: Authors

Figure 23. Feedly the interface, read and organise simple Source: Authors

Feedreader Feedreader Online is another platform for reading and organizing news and updates from all your favourite websites. The application, which supports all mainstream feed formats, is very user friendly and simple to use, making it suitable for those with limited technical expertise. Users can select different view modes with a single click, and group headlines according to source, date, or tag.

Figure 24. Feedreader services Source: Authors

Figure 25. Feedreader Sign Up easy Source: Authors

Figure 26. Feedreader adding feed, using categories Source: Authors

Figure 27. Feedreader the reader interface Source: Authors

Flipboard With Flipboard you can collect your favourite contents into a Personal Magazine.

It's a single place to discover, collect and share the news you care about. Add your favourite social networks, publications and blogs to stay connected to the topics and people closest to you.8 This content curation tool encourages a new form of social bookmarking - one where the shared material appears in an aesthetically pleasing and easy to navigate magazine-like interface. Flipboard allows the simple sharing of different types of media, articles with texts and photos, as well as podcasts and videos. In its most recent update, it has made it possible for users to not only create their own magazines that they can share with people interested in those themes, but also to invite others to contribute.

You can download Flipboard to your smartphone or tablet for free. After you start Flipboard for the first time, you can select a variety of different topics to follow and connect them to your social networks to receive updates from there. After correctly setting up the front page, the ‘Table of Contents’ will appear with four features: Cover Stories, The Contents you follow, the Content Guide and Search Bar. Collect and follow what you are interested in and easily share what you come across on Flipboard.

Compile your own online magazine from your favourite web content, or use your own publications and articles from internet.

For example, you can put together your digital material from the web to create an amazing online magazine. As you flip through stories, images and videos on Flipboard, you’ll see a small + button on each item which is used to save any item into your magazine. Or flip articles, images, audio tracks, videos and products from the Web into your own magazines with the "Flip It" browser add-on.

Once you have selected some content, add a description and select a category for your magazine.

This will help other readers discover your magazines when searching. If you aren’t sure that your content is ready for the general public, you can make your magazine private until you are ready to publish it, or share it and invite friends to contribute and co-curate magazines with you. The Flipboard Editor allows you to rearrange and delete items, update them, set covers and share your magazines with friends, all from a comfortable dashboard.

The previous examples were all for collecting and monitoring information from a variety of websites, the next section deals with those online tools for making and archiving notes, and collecting information whether it be articles or images, pdfs or pretty much anything online.

Pocket The cloud is not just for storing files and with a few cloud applications we can create and organize notes, or collect posts and articles. Why should we store them on the web? For one thing, we will probably not be able to remember later where we read a particular article, even when using Google it can be very time-consuming or impossible to relocate the same material later. In addition, we can create our own personal database of topics which we are interested in, which saves a lot of time later because we can search through our database using the tags and keywords.

To use Pocket, you must be a registered user or log in with your Google ID. You can install the Pocket application on your smartphone or tablet, or install the Pocket add-on on your browser, which will enable you to save any page with a single click.

8

"Flipboard." 2013. 15 Jul. 2014 <https://flipboard.com/>

Figure 28. Pocket Log In Source: Authors

Figure 29. Pocket tags Source: Authors

Figure 30. Pocket main menu Source: Authors

Figure 31. Google Keep add texts, images, links, voice notes or checklists Source: Authors

Google Keep Google Keep was introduced in March 2013 as basic tool for note-taking inside Google Drive. Over time, Google has made some very exciting updates to the product, which makes us wonder what they have in store for it in the future.

To get started, download it to your smartphone or tablet, or open your PC's web browser keep.google.com. You will find a very simple interface for taking different type of notes. At the top of the application's page there is a menu for navigating between notes, reminders, archived notes and deleted items. You can alternate between list view and grid view by pushing the button to the right of the menu. Under the Title strip is the Add Note box, which you can use to add texts, images, links, voice notes or checklists. You can organize and highlight these notes by adding different background colours, making this one of the best applications for making simple notes.

Evernote Canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t remember everything? Constantly need to jot things down in a notebook?

Evernote is one of the most useful and complete applications to ensure that you never lose anything.

In addition to taking notes, you can attach photos, scribble, write your shopping list or make voice recordings and reminders.

Figure 32. Evernote Sign Up Source: Authors

The greatest benefit of Evernote, which puts it ahead of the competition, is how well notes are categorised and searchable. In fact, Evernote even recognises words which are in photos, so if we search for a particular word it can even bring up the results of a slide which was photographed during a presentation.

Another great feature is how the notes are categorized, not only in different â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;notebooksâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; but also according to separate searchable labels. Last but not least, Evernote can be very useful when you need to work with others on a particular project, presentation or essay, because content can be shared and edited by other contributors.

Figure 33. Evernote interface Source: Authors

Creating Digital Images Spoken language only makes up a small part of interpersonal communication, and words and phrases are usually accompanied by a rich flow of non-verbal signals. This visual language - to put it simply â&#x20AC;&#x201C; is the language of seeing. The word "language" can be misleading because we may think it just means verbal language, but in fact visual language is an equally important nonverbal language.

The three points of communication are Message, Transmission and Reception which rely on vision, intention, responsibility, inclusion and competence.

Communication using visual aids is what we call visual communication. It is described as the transmission of ideas and information in forms that can be read or looked at. We can use visual communication to communicate an idea and it has a great power to inform, present or persuade the audience or a person. With images - that can include signs, typography, drawing, graphic design, illustrations, industrial design, advertising, animation, colour and electronic resources - we can describe our thoughts and the results of our research and creations. Information that you want to publish can be appropriately described using images from a digital camera, or using manual techniques such as hand-drawing, sketches, or painting that can also be digitalised. In addition we can choose from a variety of different graphics applications, some of which are listed below.

If we use a PC we can choose the most appropriate software based on our operating system. There are a variety of cross-platform, platform-specific, open source and commercial software for creating and editing images, but for our work there are two different types of image creation - vector graphics or raster graphics.

Raster Graphics Vs Vector Graphics Editors

Figure 34. Graphic editor software Source: Authors

Raster graphic images are edited at the pixel level where each pixel (pixel) is defined individually.

Raster (bitmap) graphics describe the contents of imaged using square grid colour pixels which we call bitmaps.

The key feature of bitmaps are their resolution and the quality of the image is determined by different resolutions. The opposite of the raster graphic is the vector graphic, which is based on vectors, and the use of points, lines, curves, shapes or polygons. The benefits of vector graphics over raster graphics include: much smaller memory requirements; the image can be enlarged infinitely without any distortion of the pixels; no increase in line thickness in proportion to the magnification; the dimensions (parameters) of an object can be stored and changed later. This also means that moving, zooming, rotating and filling objects does not happen at the expense of precision.

Our goal in this chapter is to provide an overview of different graphic design software which you can use to create and edit digital content such as images and illustrations. If you want to become more proficient in their use, there are vast amounts of excellent books, user guides and tutorials out there.

Raster Graphics Overview The common features of these applications include:  selection within images for editing  painting and drawing with a variety of brushes with different sizes, colours, and shapes  making gradients of different colours or textures  editing and converting between different colour models  the ability to make composite images and edits using layers  conversion to a variety of different image file formats

For professional work there are a few commercial products, such as Adobe Photoshop, Corel Painter, or freeware software such as Paint, XnView, or open source software such as Gimp. In addition to these there are also some web-based services in the cloud which are listed in the table below.

Vector Graphics Overview The common features of vector graphics editors include:  creation of a variety of graphic objects and elements  different methods of transformation including rotation, movement, mirroring, stretching  the ability to combine basic transformations into more complex objects.

Vector graphics are used to create simple or complex drawings that do not need to be photo realistic.

Raster Graphics Editors Adobe Photoshop Adobe Photoshop is one of the most popular and the best known pixel editor program. Before you splash out and buy it, I recommend trying out the basic editing features of a trial version, which you can download from Adobe.com. Go to the bottom of the page and click on ‘downloads’ – this will give you 30-day, fully-functioning trial to see if Photoshop is right for you.

Figure 35. Adobe Photoshop interface Source: Authors

Photoshop is a very complex graphics package and mastering it is beyond the scope of this book.

However, there are many user guides, text and video tutorial on the internet to help guide you in using Photoshop. Here are some examples: - www.photoshoptutorials.ws - www.planetphotoshop.com - www.design.tutsplus.com - www.photoshop123.com

Adobe Photoshop Express Editor Adobe has put together an online editor, Adobe Photoshop Express Editor, with basic pixel editing features which you can use to crop, rotate, resize, auto correct, change exposure and saturation, and apply some effects to images. For simple, quick photo editing when we are away from our own computer this can be a good option.

Gimp The name of Gimp comes from: GNU Image Manipulation Program. GIMP can provide an ideal solution for those who do not want to invest in Photoshop, but are still looking for a universal, professional quality, graphics and image editing program.

One of the great advantages of GIMP is that it can run on multiple platforms such as Windows, Linux or OS X, and can be augmented with various plug-ins and extensions to allow a user to do just about anything. The advanced scripting interface allows everything from the simplest task to the most complex image manipulation procedures to be easily scripted.

Figure 36. Gimp interface Source: Authors

The Gimp interface has three main windows â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the toolbox, image window and the layers/brushes window.

The main window of the GIMP is the toolbox window which allows you to select the tool you want to use. Every toolbar element has got own settings which can be adjusted using the tools options dialogue box. If this does not seem to work, click twice on the toolbar for the required tool icon.

The toolbox elements are: rectangle select, intelligent scissor, flip, pencil, convolve tool, elliptical select, move tool, text tool, paintbrush, ink pen, lasso, zoom, colour picker, eraser, dodge or burn, magic wand, crop tool, bucket fill, airbrush, smudge tool, Beizerpath tool, transform, gradient tool, measurement tool The main working area is the GIMP image window where you can see the images which are being worked on and also access the file menu.

Figure 37. Gimp Toolbox Source: Authors

Figure 38. Gimp Layers, Brushes Source: Authors

The layers palette is a feature that all graphic designers should take time to understand. It is a powerful and flexible tool for combining layers within an image to produce creative results.

Selecting different objects is one of the most important tasks for digital image editing. Using the selection tool, pixels can be divided into two groups according to whether we want to work with them or not. Selection can be time consuming so we need to be able to use these tools efficiently for a professional job. GIMP's core selection functions are: select rectangle, ellipse select, free-hand selection, magic wand, fuzzy select, Bezier Path and intelligent scissor.

Pixlr If you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have an image editing program on hand when you need it, Pixlr Editor might be a good choice. It is suitable for those who donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to install complex software on their computer and only occasionally need to edit photos. Fast, easy to use, and powerful, its appearance and the user interface look hauntingly similar to better known image editing software, enabling those who have used other photo editing software to use this flash-based web application easily. Pixlr provides a toolbar, a navigator, a layer management tool and history palette, and in addition to basic image editing features, there are nearly thirty different filters available.

Figure 39. Pixlr.com the online photo editing tool Source: Authors

Here are a selection of the features that make Pixlr the best online image editor: expandable brush set and brush creation, opening psd files (although it displays psd layers in the layer manager palette, it does not allow them to be edited), layer styles, masks and layer management. In addition to these features it can open photos directly from social networking sites (Facebook, Flickr, Picasa), and after editing, can save them back to those pages. Recent changes with Pixlr also made it compatible with Google Drive.

Figure 40. Pixlr.com creating, opening images Source: Authors

Figure 41. Pixlr.com interface Source: Authors

Vector Graphics Editors Inkscape Vector graphics programs are a great opportunity for those who are interested in drawing and painting and would like to take advantage of the opportunities offered by computers.

Inkscape is an open source vector drawing program which is completely free to use. Like other drawing programs, Inkscape allows the creation of basic shapes (such as ellipses, rectangles, stars, polygons, and spirals) as well as the ability to transform and manipulate these basic shapes by rotation, stretching, and skewing. We can even draw using "artistic lines", which is actually a randomly customizable brush.

Figure 42. Inkscape interface Source: Authors

There are also a number of tools for rotating, distorting, converting, changing layout and making numerous adjustments to objects. Rulers, grids and guides help you sort out your layout, and you can easily input text into the image. As with other software, we can set gradients of colours/shading, use layers and there is also a possibility to vectorise bitmap images.

The software has nine major areas: the Menu (at the top of the window) the Commands Bar the Snap Controls Bar the Rulers, Guides and Grids the Tool Controls Bar (also called just Controls Bar) the Toolbox the Canvas the Colour Palette the Status Bar Using Inkscape tools The vertical toolbar on the left side contains the Inkscape drawing and editing tools, it is Inkscape's main editing control. At the top of the window is the command bar which opens the general command buttons. The tool controls bar accesses tool-specific buttons and selecting a tool in the toolbox shows options associated with that tool. Depending on context, some of these options affect a selected object, or may take effect only when drawing a new object, while others can affect either existing or new objects. The status bar at the bottom of the window gives useful advice and information as you work. It includes a colour indicator for the object, a quick layer selector, help message area, mouse coordinate indicator and finally a zoom factor where you can state exactly how much you would like to zoom. The main workspace is the canvas which is bordered by rulers measuring pixels above and to the left.

It is relatively easy to use Inkscape and using the keyboard shortcuts speeds up a user’s work dramatically. The main format used is the popular SVG format, but it can handle Illustrator and WMF files too, and several bitmapped image formats as well. Once you have created a vector image it can be saved in PS, EPS, PDF or DXF format. Overall, Inkscape is a quick and useful graphics program that delivers a professional result for both beginners and experienced users.

SVG-Edit online This software is a good initiative, because although there are numerous online apps for editing photos and 3D imaging, this is pretty much the only option for editing vector and CAD images. SVGEdit online allows beginners to learn about vector graphics and make the most of the many built in features. SVG-edit is a fast, web-based, JavaScript-driven SVG drawing editor that works in any modern browser.

SVG-Edit windows consists of two zones: a large central painting area (canvas) and an external frame used as a support for palette of tools and/or colours.

The frame is divided into the icon toolbar (above), the tools palette (on the left side), the colour selection palette (under the canvas) and the layers selection box (hidden on the right side).

SVG-Edit’s organization of images is based on layers, which you can think of as multiple sheets of traditional transparent acetate sheets on which you can draw using felt-tip pens. You can allocate a layer for the background and one or many layers for the objects in the foreground.

Layers make it possible to create dynamic effects of movement by simply displacing one layer from another, without having to completely redraw your pictures. Using layers also has the advantage of making it simpler to select different objects in the picture. For example, in a complex vector image, it can be extremely difficult to select a specific object or objects when they are overlapping, and using layers simplifies this process.

Splitting complex graphics into many layers improves object separation and makes it easier to select the desired element because, while other objects and details may still be visible, only the objects belonging to the active layer can be selected.

On the left side of the canvas is the “Tools Palette” which consists of ten icons: select tool, pencil tool, line tool, rectangle, ellipse, path tool, text tool, image tool, zoom tool, eye dropper tool. We highly recommend that you try out this software.9

9 "A short introduction to SVG-edit - Ehm! Dunque." 2013. 16 Jul. 2014 <http://ehmdunque.altervista.org/i-informatica/manuali/SVG-edit/SVGEdit_2.6_preAlpha/Short_intro_SVG-edit.html>

Figure 43. SVG-Edit online Source: Authors

Using Images for Communication In our everyday work we use several different types of software. By creatively using different software, you can best exploit the opportunities offered and may come up with new novel uses which werenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t originally considered.

For example, the software XnViewMP is an efficient multimedia viewer, browser and converter. It is simple to use and is licenced as freeware for private or educational use. It is most commonly used to organise image files, and it supports more than 500 different image formats and 70 different file formats. In addition to more common functions, such as copying and moving files, creating directories, quick view, and batch editing/conversion, it also offers advanced features that allow you to create slideshows or image galleries for webpages.

Figure 44. XnView making slideshow Source: Authors

SlideShow Creating a slide show is very simple with XnView. The only complications arise in knowing what it is you want to do, and envisioning how the slideshow will look. Once you have decided on these, XnView presents numerous options and choices for you to create the slideshow you wish to see.

Here are a few things to consider: Images will be displayed in their actual sizes. You can control the "Display Area" size, but not the size of the image.

You may select the images from within the Slide Show dialog, but you can also select them before executing the Slide Show function; use Ctrl+<click> to select the images you wish to include, then go to Create > Slide Show. By default, images will be sequenced in the same order they were selected, although you can change that order in the Slide Show dialog.

If you are creating a slide show for a presentation to go, you would normally create an EXE which is an executable file that contains a viewer and requires no additional software. The Slide Show dialog consists of two panels, above the File List, the list of images to be included in the slideshow, and below the Options, which control the display options. Press the Add...button to add files to the list. In the Choose files dialog you can select one or more image files to be included in the slide show. Use the Ctrl key and Mouse button to select several files. Selected files are then added to the file list by pressing the Add button. Confirm your choice with the OK button. These image files are now shown in the file list. Repeat these steps until you have all the image files you want.

The default display order in XnView is to show images in the same order as the file list, from top to bottom. This can be changed as required by using the Move Up and Move Down buttons until you have the order you want.

Using the options in the Slide Show dialog allow you to fine-tune the slide show and for example set duration, full-screen mode, and display or hide the name of the image files.

Start the Slideshow by pressing the Go button to display it in the default Full Screen mode.

If you have set the transition to "Use Keyboard Press or Mouse click", you can navigate using the mouse buttons or the keyboard. The right mouse button displays the next picture and the left mouse button displays the previous image or you can use the arrows keys to navigate through the slide show.

You can quit the slideshow by pressing the Esc key which returns you back to the Slide Show edit

window. You can then add or remove images as required and run the slideshow as many times as you like or exit the Slide show dialogue box by pressing the Cancel key.

You can save the slideshow by pressing the Save button and load it again later using the Open button. The list of image files and the current slide show options are saved and by using the Create EXE/SCR button, you can create a portable slideshow that requires no additional software to run.

Web Page With XnView, you can easily create a web page of your image collections or for online presentation.

This web page will have one or more main pages with thumbnails of your images which the user can navigate, by clicking on specific images.

Figure 45. XnView making webpage with image gallery Source: Authors

Workflow to Create a Web page with Images: Open the XnView Browser. Go to the directory containing the image files. Select the images you want to create a Web page from.

Choose the Menu Option Create>Web Page or the applicable symbol from the toolbar.

In the Web page Create dialogue, enter the title of the web page in the Title field.

The thumbnails will be displayed in table form. In the panel "Table" you can define the number of columns or lines of thumbnails per page as well as the margin width of the table in pixels.

In the panel "Thumbnail size" you can change the size and format of the thumbnail. Original images are always copied 1:1, i.e. without any conversion, so if you need to change the size of the image you need to do this prior to creating the webpage.

In the panel Information, you define the file name, file size, etc. You can also set your images to be sorted by different criteria such as file name, extension type, etc. In the Output panel you define the output directory for the web page(s) and the thumbnails in the Directory field. You can decide whether to copy the original files 1:1 to the output directory by checking the ‘copy source images to output folder’ box. Once you have created your webpage it will be automatically displayed by selecting the ‘launch web browser when finished’ option.

Figure 46. XnView the output-webpage photogallery Source: Authors

B. Presentation Software The previous sections covered digital image creators, editors and how to use simple software creatively, and here we will look at options for making professional presentations with specialized software. This will enable us to create specially formatted sheets that can be used for publication and exported in a variety of file formats, for example, exported JPEG images that were described in the previous chapter, or exported PDF files for full screen viewing or uploading to a website. Another option for presenting material is to export it as an HTML webpage which is possible with most graphic design software available today.

When looking at different options for presentation software we need to start off with systemisation.

A presentation program is a software package used to display information in the form of a slide show. It has three major functions: an editor that allows text to be inserted and formatted, a method for inserting and manipulating graphic images, and a slide-show system to display the content.10

Figure 47. Flowboard presentation online tool Source: Authors

10 "Presentation program - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." 2003. 15 Jul. 2014 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presentation_program>

Figure 48. Presentation softwares Source: Authors

Google Presentation To start using Google Presenter, go to your Google Drive account and choose the Create>Presentation option. This opens a window where you get to choose if you would like to use a template or start off with a blank presentation.

Figure 49. Google Presenter themes Source: Authors

Add a title to your presentation and you are set to create more slides, add headings, insert images or videos, or add numerous shapes to personalise your slideshow. There are easy access ribbons above your content which let you easily change the design theme or what sort of transition you would like to use. When presenting your work you can opt for including speakerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s notes.

Also, because Google Presentation is a Google Drive product you can easily share or collaborate on your work with others.

Figure 50. Google Presenter creating slides Source: Authors

Microsoft PowerPoint Online-Offline The online version of Microsoft PowerPoint is similar to the commercial offline version but has a reduced interface. To open or create a PowerPoint presentation you need their software or need to go to Microsoftâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Onedrive.com.

Figure 51. Microsoft OneDrive PowerPoint Source: Authors

Figure 52. Microsoft OneDrive starting PowerPoint Source: Authors

Figure 53. Microsoft OneDrive PowerPoint making slides Source: Authors

LibreOffice Impress For a free open source alternative you can download the LibreOffice package which includes LibreOffice Impress. Using this tool is very similar to using MS-PowerPoint but with slight differences in the interface. You can do pretty much anything using this software that you can on the competitors, such as slides that contain text, bulleted and numbered lists, tables, charts, clipart and other objects.

Impress comes with numerous pre-set themes with different text styles and backgrounds. As well as being able to open and save to Microsoft PowerPoint formats, it can export to PDF, HTML, Adobe Flash and numerous graphic formats.

Figure 54. LibreOffice Impress interface Source: Authors

Figure 55. Slide design example Source:www.duarte.com

Figure 56. Slide design example Source:www.duarte.com

Figure 57. Slide design example Source:www.duarte.com

Figure 58. Slide design example Source:www.duarte.com

Figure 59. Slide design example Source:www.duarte.com

Figure 60. Slide design example Source:www.duarte.com

Figure 61. Slide design example Source:www.duarte.com

Figure 62. Slide design example Source:www.duarte.com

PREZI Using and talking about PREZI is always a pleasure for us as it was founded by a Hungarian, who also happens to be an architect. Prezi.com started a new age of presentation technology, and although it is usually used online, it is also possible to download PREZI editing software to your computer as well. PREZI presentations are considered so effective because they better mimic the way people think than alternative slide based solutions.

Figure 63. Prezi.com Source: Authors

The motto of PREZI is "Ideas Matter" and it is a way to focus on ideas and thoughts. PREZI is free to use and runs from any browser with flash installed. Once you get the hang of it, it is easy to quickly create presentations which can be shared or collaborated on, or even presented remotely online. It is non-linear presentation tool, which means that presentations donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to progress in a specific order and elements of the presentation can be organised anywhere on the virtual canvas.

The presentations are so effective because they allow the presenter to zoom in and out of different elements depending on what point they would like to emphasize, using the Zoomable User Interface11 (ZUI).

The simple interface and tools are easily learnt and using keyboard shortcuts makes creating presentations an easy process. If you get stuck, there are numerous tutorial videos and PREZIâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s to help you expand your PREZI skills.

11

"Zooming user interface - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." 2005. 7 Sep. 2014 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zooming_user_interface>

Figure 64. Prezi.com interface Source: Authors

The Five Minute Slide Presentation There are a variety of circumstances where there is not enough time to make a long presentation, for example, you may need to convince a client, give an introductory speech, or speak at a busy conference with many speakers. From the audience’s perspective a five minute presentation is interesting, can keep their attention engaged and they can concentrate to every word. On the other hand, from the presenter’s perspective, a five minute presentation a very hard thing to accomplish successfully. The most important step is the creation process, where you focus on the essence of what you want to say with a clear message. In addition, the content needs to be relevant, with a simple message, complemented by effective images which evoke an emotional response in the audience.

The number of words needed for various length presentations are given below: 5 minutes talk time = 750 words, 10 minutes talk time = 1,500 words, 15 minutes talk time = 2,250 words A presentation full of facts, figures and statistics will quickly lose your audience’s attention, so if you want to create a memorable presentation, it can be an idea to tell a story. A great five minute presentation is long enough to get your job, convince a client, or educate an audience, and, if done well can be thought of as your five minutes of fame. Use keywords, short highlighted key sentences or impressive images on your slides and don’t forget using humour or surprise to connect with your audience. A short video or animation may be the most appropriate way to interest your audience.

Previously we wrote about commonly used presentation software and now we will cover a few alternative applications for preparing slides.

Haiku Deck Haiku Deck is an easy to use, free download that allows you to create great presentations in minutes.

Images can be easily accessed from your own photo albums, the supplied stock photos or through a quick internet search â&#x20AC;&#x201D; all from the same menu. This software does all the work so you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to stress. Haiku Deck takes a radically simple approach and has very few features - it lets you pick background images and then write a sentence of two of text over them. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s it. It is extremely basic, but this is its advantage. Most presentations are overly complex and this could be the root of the problem as many speakers start by making extremely complex slides, believing it is the slide that makes the talk, rather than their clarity of thinking.

Figure 65. Haiku Deck interface Source: Authors

Slides The product is pretty much described in the name, and this is also a great option for slide presentations. It is perfect for quick and easy, professional looking presentations that do not require animation or too many effects. Since there are not any templates to choose from, you really have to rely on great visuals. The good news is that Slid.es is HTML5 based, and integrates animated gifs to give the appearance of video. Slides is incredibly easy to use and is also packed with functionality that we think you'll love. The Slides editor is available right in your browser and all your work is stored securely and privately on servers, and is accessible wherever you are. Presentations can be viewed in any modern browser, including mobile phones and tablets.

Once you have created a presentation you can decide when you want to publish your work online, either through embedding it in a webpage or giving the presentation live to a selected audience, or alternatively, you can easily export your presentation for offline use.

Figure 66. Slid.es interface Source: Authors

III. Creating CVs and Portfolios Engineering is a specialized field in which technical knowledge, engineering ingenuity and creativity are dominant. Engineers design and construct numerous objects that we use in our daily lives, such as roads, buildings, and electrical, mechanical or structural constructions and are also involved in new innovation in these fields.

To create an effective CV you should focus on your special skills and ability, and highlight your strengths and knowledge in the most significant projects that you have been involved in. If you have worked before you should include your professional experience, and if you are student or a new graduate, give details of any research projects you have taken part in.

A. The Engineerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Curriculum Vitae Studies show that most busy employers only spend about 15â&#x20AC;&#x201C;20 seconds scanning a resume before deciding whether a candidate should be shortlisted or not, and this is where the difference between a well written CV and a sloppy one are most significant. First impressions are extremely important, and having a CV which is short and concise allows the most important information to be easily communicated in as short a time as possible. For this reason you should avoid including unnecessary information and organise your CV into clear sections and subsections.

Previously we mentioned getting acquainted with your target audience, and this is especially true with regards to joining a company. Use the internet to find out as much as you can about the company, what sort of person they are looking for, what the company culture is like and what can they offer you. Make sure that your CV is specifically written for the position offered and concentrate on their requirements and objectives and how your skills make you the best person for the job.

Think outside the box! Concentrate on what you have studied on your degree, master or PhD course, explain your motivation and focus on the job description. Be honest about your real-life experience and skills and if you are missing some skills, donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t worry too much as many companies provide further training to their staff. think differently. have fresh ideas. bring a unique perspective. your creativity will be challenged. solve problems in new ways. develop ideas based on an original, novel, or unconventional approach. Now, more than ever, you need to take responsibility for your own development CV Maker To write a CV, any word processing program can be used, but make sure that it is put together in the format required by the company. If it is not stipulated, you can choose from a number of templates or resume builders which are available for download on the web. To create formatted resumes with minimal effort, Cvmkr.com can be a good option and offers a simple and clean interface specifically for writing a CV, and is useful for those applying in any field, not just engineering. You can customise your CV using different themes which can be saved online or exported as HTML or PDF, and downloaded or shared.

Figure 67. CVmaker online Source: Authors

Figure 68. Curriculum Vitae template 01

Figure 69. Curriculum Vitae template 02

Figure 70. Curriculum Vitae template 03

LinkedIn Since the widespread use of social networks, employers have started use them to find out about prospective employees. For this reason, it is extremely important that you carefully manage your online profile and data, make sure you know which personal information is available publicly and which belongs to your private life.

Figure 71. LinkedIn interface Source: Authors

If you are searching for job or you want to present your skills or research, or you are searching for other professionals, connecting to the world's largest professional network, LinkedIn, is a good idea.

You can use it to build your professional identity online, discover professional opportunities, business deals and new ventures.

Like other networking sites, LinkedIn lets professionals upload their profile and share information about themselves, such as work experience or professional skills.

Unlike other networks, however, users can add a lot more information which is relevant to their career and professional interests, which are used to match prospective candidates and employers. For this reason, the better you fill out your profile data, the bigger chance you have that it will show up in a Google search in your field of expertise.

As a jobseeker, you can also use LinkedIn to follow a company, for example, find out about who their employees are, PR appearances, etc. Many companies advertise their job vacancies on LinkedIn and encourage possible candidates to send in their CVs. If you follow a company's profile in LinkedIn, updates will appear on the main site, in addition to updates from your friends.

Engineerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Portfolio Overview Portfolios and the relationship between text and images Developing a Portfolio Determine your target audience There are numerous reasons to put together a portfolio of your work. You might need one to get a job, introduce some of the projects you have done over time, or show research or some kind of work that needs to be documented.

In any case, you must define, who your audience is, what you want to say, and what your goal is with it?

Organize your content Decide what content you want to include and take photo of models, write any text and resize any images and drawings to a similar size and format. If you need to include your CV, make sure that you have an up to date version of it.

How big should a portfolio be?

Look at your collected works and decide what size would showcase it the best. Choose a nicely proportioned size that can be handled comfortably and allows the viewer to turn any pages if necessary.

About the cover When someone first looks at a portfolio, the first thing that will strike them will be the cover page and the information it communicates is vital to form a positive first impression. This might be an impressive image that characterized your work or it could be a low-key, solid, minimalistic design.

Theme/styling: Using the right theme will help harmonise your portfolio, and can help you to work out the layout and hierarchy of the content. Each sheet should have a clear hierarchy which is specific to each page, so make sure that you carefully define the fonts, spacing and harmony between text, images and empty spaces. Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t forget that each page should look like it came from the same portfolio.

Table of contents: Making a table of contents is not necessary but sometimes it can be useful to organise different work into time periods or into categories of projects completed.

Categories, Sections and Chapters: Be creative, and build up an interesting story that you want to tell through your portfolio.

How can you categorize your projects? Do you want you to show how you developed the design?

Do you want to present your skills and show your proficiency in your profession or simply show the process to solving a problem and how your design addresses specific questions.

Quotes: Quotes are a good tool to concisely summarize your viewpoint. You can use your own creations or you can cite famous people. Sometimes just a few words or one sentence express more than a longer description.

Content: Your portfolio should be readable and easy to understand. If an individual with no prior knowledge of architecture can follow your work, then you are heading in the right direction.

The content is the most important element of your portfolio, so you should make sure that it is as powerful as possible and your work is displayed clearly. If your visual works clearly define your decisions, text may not be necessary, but sometimes technical data is just as important. Be consistent - choose the content, themes, colours, texts, fonts, and images so that you have consistency in your portfolio.

Choose your software or platform: We have covered a number of different software in this book which we can use to produce our portfolio. When choosing the photo editors, blogging and online publishing platforms, choose an option which reinforces the goal you would like to achieve.

Finishing your work: As your portfolio progresses, take a step back to review your work. What are you missing? What needs to be modified? Make a checklist to make sure you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t miss anything as you finalize your work and donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be afraid to remove material if it is irrelevant. After you finish your portfolio, you can either bind it as a physical book, or if it is a digital one, you can publish it online.

Some online publication tools for your Portfolio Today you need to be always "online" and in addition to a paper-based portfolio you may need to present your work through the internet. Below you will find an overview of options available: Issuu.com Issuu is a document sharing site that allows us to create a spectacular online magazines. The application is very useful for a variety of online publications, such as company and product presentations, brochures, catalogues, and marketing materials.

Issuu is very easy to use, and after the free registration, you get a space where you can upload various types of documents (word, pdf, ppt) which are transformed into an online, magazine (e-book).

The completed magazine can then easily be shared publicly or embedded in our own websites.

Figure 72. Issuu.com Log in Source: Authors

Figure 73. Issuu.com interface Source: Authors

Figure 74. Issuu.com reading, sharing online contents Source: Authors

Lucidpress.com - An online alternate to Adobe InDesign We like to point out alternatives to commercially available software packages and Lucidpress provides a free online tool for creating brochures, flyers, posters, newsletters, invitations, certificates, and reports. Like a lot of software, you can sign up using your Google account, and the simple drag and drop interface and templates will help even new users create professional online material.

Another advantage of Lucidpress is its compatibility with popular social networking sites and cloud storage, which allow you to easily import text and images into your document. Unlike static paperbased publications, videos or animations can also be included in your publication which can be embedded in your webpage.

Figure 75. Lucidpress Sign Up Source: Authors

When working with Lucidpress, there are four different viewing modes depending on what you would like to do: Layout Mode, Interactive Mode, Comment Mode, and Preview Mode. Like most online tools, Lucidpress allows collaboration and sharing, so participants on a design can discuss and chat about their work. Any changes made by editors appear in real time and also changes are tracked so any changes can be reversed.

Although Lucidpress is used for creating impressive online documents, the finished version can also be downloaded as a PDF, JPG or PNG file.

Figure 76. Lucidpress interface creating content Source: Authors

B. Digitally creating A blog What is a blog, and how can we use it for our work?

The word ‘blog’ comes from the term ‘web log’ created by Jorn Barger in 1997. In 1999 Peter Merholz played around with this word and used a shortened form in his own blog sidebar - we blog. Since then, if someone edits, or creates a weblog or post, we use the verb - to blog for this action. And the created weblog has been renamed to blog.

In the beginning the blog was a website that consists of a series of periodically added new posts. If it was public, the readers could add comments, or other users could be given permission to create new posts.

“Many blogs provide commentary on a particular subject; others function more as personal online diaries; others as online advertising of a particular individual or company. A typical blog combines text, images, and links to other blogs, webpages, and other media related to its topic. The ability of readers to leave comments in an interactive format is an important contribution to the popularity of many blogs. Most blogs are primarily textual, although some focus on art (art blogs), photographs (photoblogs), videos (video blogs or "vlogs"), music (MP3 blogs), and audio (podcasts).

Microblogging is another type of blogging, featuring very short posts. In education, blogs can be used as instructional resources. These blogs are referred to as edublogs.” 12 Nowadays, the possibilities of blogs are almost endless, in fact, many high end websites are based on the WordPress platform with various add-ons. In the world of design, they can be used for documenting workflows or projects phases, or giving a live online presentation. Categorising and tagging your posts makes it easier for readers to find material which is relevant to them. You can 12 "Blog - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." 2003. 4 May. 2014 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blog>

also use your blog as a continuously expanding professional webpage where people can follow the progression of your professional life, your research and publications. Some of the numerous ways a blog can be used include: displaying a gallery of images advertising your services publicising your knowledge and research running a technical support page promoting your online magazine or portfolio.

And the power of blogs is in their simplicity - you can start your own professional blog without any prior programming knowledge by utilising Content Management System (CMS) software. This software, which isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t just specifically for blogs, organises your files and data online. If you choose to purchase your own website and storage, you will need a suitable CMS. The most popular open source CMS are Drupal, Wordpress or Joomla.

If you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to sign up with a web hosting service, there are a variety of online services for blogging, or making websites, either for free or commercially. This chapter will cover some examples of how they work, especially focusing on presenting and publishing. Although the freely downloadable CMS can be used without a restriction of functions, websites that provide a free CMS online service, are limited in the amount of space or features available. There are a variety of plans available that you can choose from to best suit your needs.

Microblogging - Tumblr.com Why microblogging? Microblogging is an invaluable tool for real-time communication and information sharing. As the name suggests, the basic difference from traditional blogging is its length.

Figure 77. Tumblr.com Sign Up Source: Authors

It can be used:  as an online notepad for collecting your ideas  as a social interaction platform to collaborate with others  for collecting information from the web  for bookmarking important contents and websites  for sharing content quickly  to get attention  for strategic sharing  for quick status updates

Figure 78. Tumblr.com creating a new blog Source: Authors

One of the best microblogging platforms and social networking sites is Tumblr. Tumblr lets you effortlessly share anything: post text, photos, quotes, links, music, and videos from your browser, phone, desktop, email or wherever you happen to be. You can customize pretty much anything, from the colours to your theme's HTML. If Facebook is the social network for online identification and authentication, and Twitter is for communication, Tumblr fulfils a different role: self-expression. Users can upload seven types of media -- text, photos, quotes, links, dialogue, audio, video -- from one button on their dashboard and push it to their public-facing tumblelog. These blogs can be designed however a user wants, or dressed in a "theme" (the most popular theme, Redux, has three million users). Tumblr is extremely easy to use as a free-form blogging platform, but has also developed into its own social network. Users follow other tumblelogs, whose content appears in their dashboards, not unlike Facebook's newsfeed; hitting the "reblog" button publishes that post to their own blogs, a feature Tumblr put out two years before Twitter introduced its own retweet button. 13

13 "Tumbling on success - Wired.co.uk." 2012. 4 May. 2014 <http://www.wired.co.uk/magazine/archive/2012/03/features/tumbling-on-success>

Figure 79. Tumblr.com the dashboard Source: Authors

For new learners to blogging, starting with Tumblr is a good choice. It has a simple, user friendly interface, which is available as soon as you sign up. After logging in, you are taken to the dashboard where you can easily navigate the various settings, search, check your inbox or log out. The right hand sidebar shows your posts and which blogs you are following, and also blogs which Tumblr recommends for you based on your previous choices. You can also see how many posts you have, people following your blog and what their activities are, and change the appearance of your blog with the customisation button.

The main centre screen shows your latest posts and the posts of blogs you are following.

Next to your profile picture or avatar, there are the different options for adding a post, which can include texts, photos, quotes, links, audio, video or chat. All you need to do is select which sort of post you would like to make, write a title and some text, format it, upload images, videos, audio or whatever you want, and post it. It is that simple.

Customization: You can customize your blog in three ways: - Choose your blog from the menu on the top right of the Dashboard, then click “Customize.”

- Click the Edit Theme button on the top right corner of the web view of your blog (yourblog.tumblr.com).

- Click the gear icon at the top of the Dashboard to visit Settings. Choose your blog from the menu on the right, then click “Edit Theme.”

Along with customizing your blog’s appearance, description, and title, you can choose a new theme from this page by clicking “Browse Themes” or by visiting ww.tumblr.com/themes.

Figure 80. Tumblr.com creating post Source: Authors

Figure 81. Tumblr.com creating the post Source: Authors

On the Customize page, you can access the theme settings for your blog. It is split into the following sections: - Info - Choose the title of your blog, alter the sidebar description, select an avatar image, and change your username/URL. - Theme - Select from a range of pre-made themes for your blog. Alternatively, create your own HTML code, to completely personalize your blog.

- Appearance - Change your background/header image, tagline, etc. Some themes allow room for advanced features like a list of your favourite posts or who you're following.

- Pages - Add/delete/edit web pages on your blog. Creating an About page or an FAQ page is common practice among Tumblr users.

- Services - Use this pane to connect your blog to other websites like Facebook and Twitter.

Community - Change privacy settings for your Ask box and set up a user submissions page.

Advanced. This is where you'll find any other options, including time zone selection, custom CSS, and how many posts you wish to display per page on your blog.

Figure 82. Tumblr.com editing the theme Source: Authors

Wordpress.com – the free, open source CMS After trying the basics of blogging, we can move on to a more professional system, the Wordpress content manager system. The developers of the WordPress CMS provide an online blog service with web storage powered by the WordPress software. All the basic features of the site are free-to-use, however, some features (including CSS editor, domain mapping, domain registration, ad removal, website redirection, video uploads and storage upgrades) are only available as paid upgrades.

According to WordPress, the following features are offered:  Take Control - Start a simple blog or build a fully-fledged website. The only limit is your imagination.  Doesn’t Cost a Dime - Build a great site and spend nothing, zilch, nada. And if you want to make a great site even better, we offer a great selection of premium upgrades.  Get Social - Share your work with the world. Publicize lets you connect your WordPress site to the most popular social networks - Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, LinkedIn, and more.  Track Your Popularity - Learn more about your readers, where they’re from, and how they

found you, with maps and graphs that beautifully present your stats.  Express Yourself in Style - Choose from any of the 260+ gorgeous themes in our Themes Showcase, and make them your own with Custom Design.  Go Mobile - Don’t be confined to your desk. Publish near and far with mobile apps for iPhone, iPad, Android, and BlackBerry.  Your Content is Your Own - Wherever the future may take you, your content can follow you along for the ride. Moving in? Our import tool works with all major blogging platforms.  Safe and Secure - Your site is hosted on our servers spread across multiple data centers.

That way, it’s super fast and always available.  Multilingual - Our dashboard is available in over 50 languages and counting.  Choose Your Audience - Keep your blog private or share your thoughts with the world.  Awesome Support - Whether you’re searching the forums, reading our support pages, or chatting with a Happiness Engineer, you can always find a helping hand.  Say Goodbye to Spam - Akismet takes away the hassle of unwanted comments on your blog by automatically zapping spammers.  Blog with Your Friends and Coworkers - You can invite as many contributors as you’d like for a multi-author site.  Add Images, Audio, and Video - Drag and drop multiple images into a page. Display them one by one, in a gallery, or in a slideshow.  Follow Your Favorites - Keep track of all your favorite blogs and discover new ones with the Reader.

Figure 83. Wordpress.com creatig a new website Source: Authors

Starting steps to make your blog: - Determine the contents, the topic focus, and the target audience.

- Get ideas. Get inspired. See what others are doing in your topic. Be creative.

- Select a free online blog service e.g. Wordpress.com, Blogger.com or Tumblr.com.

- Choose from one of the built-in themes and set up your blog appearance.

- Design your content and how you want it to work.

- Start posting and organise your content to different posts, add photos or videos.

- Make sure that you add tags and categories to each post to make it searchable.

- Be interactive, respond to comments, and share your posts with others through social network platforms.

- Link to other blogs or to the content source. Use crosslinking to help readers learn more about the

topic and to find more followers. Link to what other people say or do.

- Combine your blog with other online tools and use visuals to hold your audience’s attention.

- Update your content regularly.

- Give your blog a personal voice and avoid being too formal.

- Use your blog’s URL as a signature when commenting on other blogs or in your email.

Figure 84. Wordpress.com Sign Up Source: Authors

You can also use your blog for a visual bookmarking system, to collect everything that is necessary or helpful for your work, projects or research. Another alternative is to use it as an online portfolio, using it to describe your creative processes, or use it to make online presentations with multimedia.

It all depends on how creative you are to find new uses of this powerful online tool.

Take advantage of blogs to publicise your own work and when you create a new post make sure that it is shared to social networks, such as Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn, so people following you on one platform will be informed when you create a new post.

Nowadays, people are used to quickly browsing information on the net so if your message isn’t immediately clear, your readers will move on to something else. Make sure that you use short messages to promote your content and carefully select keywords so that it is easily searchable. Also, by following and interacting with other blogs, you will get more views and followers on your own blog.

Figure 85. Wordpress.com step1. set up your blog, choose a title, describe it in a few words, choose a language for your interface Source: Authors

Figure 86. Wordpress.com choose a theme Source: Authors

Figure 87. Wordpress.com customize your choosen theme Source: Authors

Figure 88. Wordpress.com use Social Networks for sharing Source: Authors

Figure 89. Wordpress.com let's create your first post on your blog Source: Authors

Figure 90. Wordpress.com My Sites overview and manage of your WordPress sites Source: Authors

Figure 91. Wordpress.com the Dashboard is your interface Source: Authors

Figure 92. Wordpress.com appearance let you customize your site Source: Authors

Figure 93. Wordpress.com Setting let you control the operation of the page Source: Authors

Figure 94. Wordpress.com you can upload or insert media files from your computer or from the internet Source: Authors

Figure 95. Wordpress.com fine tune your visual appearance Source: Authors

Figure 96. Wordpress.com you can create separated, static webpages Source: Authors

Figure 97. Wordpress.com adding a post is easy Source: Authors

Figure 98. Wordpress.com you can break your long texts with inserting Read More tag Source: Authors

HTML overview If you would like to make HTML web pages, there are numerous options that donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t involve prior programming knowledge, in fact, a lot of commonly used software has the option to export your work in this format.

One example, Libre Office Writer, lets you write text, create tables, insert images and add hyperlinks, and save it as an HTML document.

Figure 99. HTML basics with LibreOffice Writer, make table for your contents Source: Authors

Figure 100. HTML save your sites as a HTML document Source: Authors

Workflow: Plan your site - how many pages do you want? What content will be posted, etc? Create a new folder on your computer for your files, and start to create the documents. The home page of your site will always have the name ‘index.html’. Based on your initial plans, create a navigation menu for navigating different pages. In our example, we made a table for the page's elements and created a navigation menu with text which is linked by hyperlinks. E.g. Main Page->hyperlink to index.html, Page 1->hyperlink to page1.html, etc.

Figure 101. HTML use GoogleDrive to make web resources viewable as a website Source: Authors

Once you have made sure that all of your hyperlinks are correct, save it first as index.html, then as page1.html, etc. This way you can edit each page separately, adding and changing content, without losing your hyperlink structure.

You can use your files on your computer for a presentation, where every page can be a slide, but you can also use it for a basic online webpage. If you have a file host and domain, upload it there, or alternatively look for free hosting alternatives. One option is using your Google Drive to make web resources — such as HTML, CSS, and Javascript files — viewable as a website.

Figure 102. HTML A free HTML5 one-page-template from HTML5UP.net stored and served on GoogleDrive Source: Authors

Using Google Drive to make webpages Create a new folder in Drive and share it as "Public on the web." Upload your HTML, Javascript, and CSS files to this folder. Open the folder in Drive, and you will see at the top URL bar, the folders URL. The last characters after the slash identify your folder. Copy and paste this at the end of this URL after the slash. E.g. www.googledrive.com/host/PASTE IT HERE. This will make it visible to anyone at this URL. If you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t find HTML too daunting, it is worth spending more time studying HTML and you can find lots of tutorials on the internet to help you. Once you've mastered the basics, you might try to download a free site template, one of which is available from html5up.net. There are a variety of fully responsive, HTML5 and CSS3 based templates available that are free under the Creative Commons licence. After downloading one of them, you can edit and customize it in notepad, or a simple web page editor, or even online at freeonlinehtmleditor.com.

Wix.com When we talk about creating modern web content without programming knowledge, Wix.com should be mentioned. Wix is an online HTML5 website building tool that allows anyone to easily build and maintain a website. The older Flash technology has been replaced by HTML5 and numerous templates are also available. The Editor is impressive, being both fast and relatively easy to work with, and results in eye-catching, professional designs. In addition, the developers of the software paid special attention to SEO (Search Engine Optimisation), allowing users to improve their ranking in search engines.

There are many introductory videos to get you started on how to best use the numerous functions.

Once you have created a website, it can be either hosted on WIX or moved to your own host.

Figure 103. Wix.com an online HTML5 website building tool Source: Authors

Figure 104. Wix.com Sign Up is easy Source: Authors

Figure 105. Wix.com has an easy to use interface Source: Authors

Figure 106. Wix.com create page structures, customize your design, add and edit contents simply Source: Authors

IV. How to make a Low Budget Office?

There comes a time in most engineer’s lives when they want to start their own office. At that initial phase, it is very important that the limited starting capital is invested wisely. Starting up a company can be expensive and even after it is successful, there may be a limited budget to spend on computer hardware, software, plotters or scanners.

There are other reasons why companies should look at alternative ways to economise.

Reasons Nowadays, there is a tendency for successful software to monopolise on their market segment.

Examples of this are: Autodesk monopolising the engineering and 3D design market; Adobe in design; and of course Microsoft in the office software sector. These monopolies enable these companies to charge a premium price for their software, which can easily be beyond the budget of a small firm.

What are your options if you don’t want to go back to the humble pencil and drawing board, nor do you want to download illegal software? These issues provided the motivation for considering alternatives and how to make a low budget office. It isn’t so much as “Think Different”, but rather “Think Open”, because open source software could be one of the solutions. In addition cloud computing and using online services and applications could be another solution.

There are alternatives for most of the software developed by large multinational companies but some specific software packages can be only substituted with several more specific software. There is no clear or productive workflow available at the moment, due to the lack of good alternative software packages. But if you are willing to move away from the "all-in-one" solutions that big vendors offer, you can already carry out most tasks with open source software.

”Think Different” or “Think Open”?

The following table compares the costs of commercial software that would usually be found in an architecture studio, with open source or free alternatives.

Figure 107. Commercial softwares and alternatives Source: Authors

The above example demonstrates what possibilities are available, but every choice for the most appropriate software is based on the experience and needs of the end user. Often it might mean that software costs can be reduced significantly through using open source software, leaving sufficient funds to buy those commercial software packages that we canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t do without. The world where we can work anywhere which has an internet connection, whether it be from out laptop or tablet, where all our worked is saved in the cloud might seem like the future, but we are living this future right now.

V. Final thoughts Thank you for reading through this material and we hope that it gives a view of options for presentation and publication. However, a word of warningâ&#x20AC;Ś trends are changing rapidly, software companies and technology start-ups come and go, and information which is relevant this year, may be inaccurate within a short period. The information contained within this publication should be used as a starting point to figure out what software is available and how you will use it. We know it is only a summary but we hope it was helpful. We hope that everyone can find something new, something useful in this book that will improve their work. And we hope that, with a sound basic knowledge, everyone can start their own amazing digital presentations and publications.

Required Reading and Other Materials DANIEL, James (2009). Crafting Digital Media: Audacity, Blender, Drupal, GIMP, Scribus, and other Open Source Tools (Expert's Voice in Open Source), New York, USA, Springer-Verlag AG, ISBN-10: 1430218878, ISBN-13: 978-1430218876 ALICE, Chen - GAMG, Chen (2010). Using Free Scribus Software to Create Professional Presentations: Book Covers, Magazine Covers, Graphic Designs, Posters, Newsletters, Renderings and More, ArchiteG, Inc, USA, ISBN-10: 0984374159, ISBN-13: 978-0984374151 KEVIN, Budelmann - YANG, Kim - CURT, Wozniak (2010). Brand Identity Essentials: 100 Principles for Designing Logos and Building Brands. Rockport Publishers, USA, ISBN-13: 978-159253-578-1 CYNTHIA, L. Baron (2009). Designing a Digital Portfolio . New Riders, USA, ISBN-10: 0321637518, ISBN-13: 978-0321637512 MAURA, Keller (2010). Design Matters: Portfolios 01: An Essential Primer for Today's Competitive Market, Volume 1. USA, Rockport. ISBN-10: 1592536026, ISBN-13: 978-1592536023 JAMES, Caplin (2008). I Hate Presentations: Transform the way you present with a fresh and powerful approach. USA, Capstone. ISBN-10: 1841128090, ISBN-13: 978-1841128092 Debbie Rose Myers, The Graphic Designer's Guide to Portfolio Design, John Wiley & Sons, 2011 ISBN 1118174305, 9781118174302 Anne T. McKenna, Digital Portfolio: 26 Design Portfolios Unzipped, Rockport, 2000 ISBN 1564964671, 9781564964670 Dianne Bender, Design Portfolios: Moving from Traditional to Digital, Bloomsbury Academic, 2012, ISBN 1609012410, 9781609012410 Maureen Mitton, Portfolios for Interior Designers, Wiley Desktop Editions, John Wiley & Sons, 2010, ISBN 047091341X, 9780470913413 Harold Linton, Portfolio Design, W W Norton & Company Incorporated, 2012 ISBN 0393732533, 9780393732535 Maureen Mitton, Interior Design Visual Presentation: A Guide to Graphics, Models and Presentation Techniques, John Wiley & Sons, 2012, ISBN 1118173252, 9781118173251 Steven Heller, David Womack, Becoming a Digital Designer: A Guide to Careers in Web, Video, Broadcast, Game and Animation Design, John Wiley & Sons, 2011, ISBN 111803421X, 9781118034217 Clare R. Kilbane, Natalie B. Milman, The digital teaching portfolio handbook: a how-to guide for educators, Allyn and Bacon, 2003, ISBN 0205343457, 9780205343454 Wolfgang Hรถhl, Interactive Environments with Open-Source Software: 3D Walkthroughs and Augmented Reality for Architects with Blender 2.43, DART 3.0 and ARToolKit 2.72 Springer, 2010, ISBN 3211999337, 9783211999332 Bethany Hiitola, Inkscape Beginner's Guide, Packt Publishing Ltd, 2012, ISBN 1849517207, 9781849517201

Source of the used softwares and useful websites Google Drive – www.drive.google.com OneDrive – www.onedrive.live.com Box – www.box.com Dropbox – www.drobbox.com Copy – www.copy.com JoliDrive – www drive.jolicloud.com Feedly – www.feedly.com Feedreader – www.feedreader.com Flipboard – www.flipboard.com Pocket – www.getpocket.com Google Keep – www.keep.google.com Evernote – www.evernote.com Adobe – www.adobe.com Gimp – www.gimp.org Pixlr – www.pixlr.com Inkscape – www.inkscape.org SVG-Edit – www.svg-edit.googlecode.com/svn/branches/2.6/editor/svg-editor.html XnView Software, Free graphic and photo viewer, converter, organizer - www.xnview.com Flowboard – www.flowboard.com Google Presenter – www.drive.google.com Microsoft PowerPoint Online-Offline - www.onedrive.live.com LibreOffice Impress – www.libreoffice.org Duarte – www.duarte.com Prezi - www.prezi.com Haiku Deck – www.haikudeck.com Slides – www.slides.com My CVs - CV Maker www.cvmkr.com Europass - www.europass.hu LinkedIn – www.linkedin.com Issuu - You Publish www.issuu.com Lucidpress – www.lucidpress.com Tumblr Microblogging – www.tumblr.com Wordpress.com the free, open source CMS – www.wordpress.com HTML5 UP – www.html5up.net Create a free website, it is free and easy - www.wix.com 5 of the Best Free HTML5 Presentation Systems – SitePoint www.sitepoint.com/5-free-html5-presentation-systems/#fbid=xwsvzYBiFp2 SlideMyPics ,Free HTML5 Slideshows –www.slidemypics.com How Can I Make My PowerPoint Presentations Amazing? www.lifehacker.com/how-can-i-make-my-powerpoint-presentations-amazing-507552122 Create A Portfolio, Host My Portfolio - www.hostmyportfolio.com Free Desktop Publishing Software – PagePlus Starter Edition from Serif www.serif.com/desktop-publishing-software Joomag – MAGAZINES www.joomag.com/en/magazines?q=architecture The Open Source Initiative - www.opensource.org Open source is changing the world: join the movement www.opensource.com „DIGITAL PRESENTATION” A TAMOP-4.1.1.C-12/1/KONV-2012-0012 AZONOSÍTÓ SZÁMÚ, ZÖLD ENERGIA FELSŐOKTATÁSI EGYÜTTMŰKÖDÉS (ZENFE) CÍMŰ PROJEKT KERETÉBEN VALÓSULT MEG.