Importance of Warning on packaging and manuals.

I recently read the following blog about a dog that died of toxemia because the pharmaceutical company did not give the proper safety instructions on a flea medication.

http://www.epinions.com/review/Pfizer_Revolution_Selamectin/content_90037063300

Useful Traveling Tips

While surfing the web on Stumbleupon.com I came across this webpage titled "Brazil Travel Tips." http://www.thebrazilshow.com/traveltips.html The information presented interested me because I am currently planning a trip to a foreign country and I need to know whether I have to get a visa and how much the U.S. dollar would be worth in that country.

The author of this web page listed the most important things to remember when traveling to Brazil. Someone who is looking for this kind of information would probably want it to be in a format that is quick and easy to read. There is no need for reading long paragraphs about travel tips. This web page is separated into categories with bold headings. This format helps direct the reader to the information that they are looking for without any trouble.

The categories chosen are clear and the information given in each of the sections is relevant. These heading things include Visas, Vaccines, Currency, Language,etc. In the visas section, the author informs the reader that a visa needs to be acquired by any U.S. citizen at most 90 days before traveling to Brazil. This is very useful information since many countries only require passports, most people would not think to obtain a visa.

Although the information presented is very useful, it is not presented in the most professional manner. Throughout the document there are some grammatical errors such as incomplete sentences and missing punctuation. A bulleted list might have been a better option. Aside from this, the colors and pictures are visually appealing.

Burger King Commercial - Stereotypes

The following video is of a Burger King commercial found on You tube. After watching this commercial, it is clear that its producers did not have their audience in mind.



The commercial starts off with a couple on a romantic date. The man starts singing about how he is too much of a man to eat that fancy food. More specifically, he called it "chick food." He says that men eat burgers like those from Burger King. He proceeds to leave her, walk out of the restaurant and join a huge group of men to get Whoppers from Burger King. Within the first fifteen seconds of this commercial, Burger King has probably already pissed off many of its female viewers.

The remainder of the commercial is based on one big stereotype. It labels men as "too macho" to eat anything but huge fatty meals. It also extends the stereotype by displaying the few woman that are in the commercial as cheerleaders or as a server to the construction workers. This is absolutely appalling for a nation that is progressing as much as it is.

When making any kind of publication, specifically one that will be spread nationwide, it is very important to make ethical decisions. Obviously this commercial may not bother all woman like it bothered me. Regardless, it is better to avoid stereotypes since they may be considered an insult by many.

Poor Layout and Design on university website

While searching for the most suitable university, many people visit the school's websites to look for information. Consequently, the layout and design should be readable and user friendly. The Florida International University website does not do this. (www.fiu.edu)

The website does not separate the information into a few categories. Instead, there is a very long list of categories on the left hand side in no particular sequence. For example, "Tuition and Fees" is at the end of the list, while "Arts and Culture" is in the beginning. Frequent viewers of this website might be more interested in looking at the Tuition link then the Arts link. This makes it very hard for the viewer to find what they are looking for in a timely manner. In order to make the site more user friendly, there could be links to the most frequently used pages such as Admissions, Registration, Tuition, and Webmail.

Aside from this, there are many links for recent news at the university. Instead of listing so many headlines, the most important and recent news should be listed alongside a link to view more news articles. This will also make the web page easier to read. Taking some of the words of the page will increase the amount of white space and increase the readability.

The only redeeming feature might have been the search box. This does not even work to its full potential because its search results are not always related. A more advanced search that uses more than keywords might give more specific results.

Woman fired for poor use of interoffice communication

My mom told me a story a few days ago about a woman in her office that was fired for sending a biased political email to all the employees in the office. The elections for circuit court judges are coming up soon and the candidates are working on their campaigns. This lady sent an email around with the intention of helping out the Hispanic candidate. As soon as she sent it out it was in the inbox of hundreds of people in her office and other offices in the district.

When her boss received this email, she was very upset that someone in her office would send an email like that to so many people without authorization. She had already once before passed out religious cards around the office. This was also seen as an inappropriate gesture. She was fired that same day.

ENC2210 Great instructions on how to tie a tie

I remember having to tie my tie every morning before going to middle school. (Yes, I had to wear a tie.) Sometimes the tie would come out too short or too long. Like me, there are probably many people out there that might not know how to properly tie a tie.

I found a video that gives instructions on how to tie a tie in the following website: http://www.videojug.com/film/how-to-tie-a-tie-using-a-full-windsor-knot. The video starts by stating its purpose which is to teach the viewer how to tie a tie. The viewer knows from the beginning of the video whether the video is what they are looking for or not. The narrator also lists the materials that are needed to tie a tie. Not that there are many but none the less a materials section is a part of an instruction manual.

The steps are very clear and concise starting from buttoning the top button on the shirt to tightening the knot and putting down the collar. As the narrator says each step the person in the video acts it out. The camera gets a very close shot of the tie so as to clearly show each step to making the knot. The narrator also uses the three step phrase, "Up, Under Over," to make what is the actual shape of the knot. This phrase is easy for the viewer to remember. The video also emphasizes certain motions by saying them in a different tone and displaying them across the screen.

In addition, the video shows how to avoid the common mistake of making the tie too long or too short. It points out a seam that is on every tie that should be used as a measurement for how long to make the thinner side of the tie. At the end of the video, the tie comes right above the belt line.

At the end of the video, the narrator gives a helpful warning about removing a tie. He states that the tie should always be completely loosened because keeping it tied up in a knot might ruin the fabric. All in all this was a very helpful video for learning how to tie a tie.

Poorly Written Instructions for Origami

http://monkey.org/~aidan/origami/crane/crane1.html

I was looking for instructions that were poorly written and it seemed to me that I could find a few examples if I looked up how to make origami. It is very difficult to explain to somebody how to make a paper structure using just a written set of instructions.

On this website, the author combined pictures with words. This combination should make it easier for the reader to understand if done properly. Instead the author of these instructions posted pictures of the finished product after each step. This makes it hard to visualize how each of the folds are done. This is key to making origami because one wrong fold could make a completely different figure.

Aside from the pictures that are on the website, the instructions were not written in full sentences. The author uses phrases like "...to get this" as a step to the process. The wording of the instructions don't always correlate well with the pictures. For example, Step 18 instructs the reader to fold the top flap while the picture looks like the bottom flap is being folded.

The instructions are easy to follow in the beginning because the folds are basic and simple. Once the folds become more complicated the steps are hard to follow and the pictures are unclear.

Instructions for origami folding does not really have any negative effects on a huge business or corporation. It might have an effect on a school teacher who uses these instructions on a project and learns that cranes can't be made only after the students have started making it. This is definitely a waste of time.

In order to improve these instructions, it would be a good idea to include detailed diagrams. These detailed diagrams should demonstrate each of the creases that need to be made along with written instructions on the side. These written instructions should be in full sentences and easy to follow.