Could you use additional funding to finish a project? Apply for the Albert P. Weisman Award. This matching grant provides funding, up to $4000, to a limited number of undergraduate (60 credit hours or more) and graduate students in a variety of media.
The application deadline is Friday, December 18th. To help you prepare, we recommend you attend an upcoming information session. This is your opportunity to get questions answered about the application process and receive tips on how to submit a solid proposal for the Award.
Information Sessions:
Wednesday, Nov. 18 @ 10am
Thursday, Nov. 19 @ 4pm
All sessions will be held in the Portfolio Center, 623 S. Wabash, room 307. Applications and guidelines are available at www.colum.edu/weisman.
Sponsorship: The Albert P. Weisman Award is made possible by the generosity of Tony Weisman, the Weisman committee and the many friends of Albert P. Weisman who donate both time and resources to make this award possible.
Congrats, your work now has the exposure to make wonderful things happen. You are on the world wide web. The accessible-at-any-time World. Wide. Web. Yes, you can update your online portfolio, that's what we expect you to do. A “portfolio” is always in flux and is never truly finished. But, as you update your work, you want to ensure that your site is always in a presentable state. You want to keep it fresh. The following tips will get you there.
* Purchase a personalized Domain Name and set it up so it redirects your visitors
to your WebAgent account.
* Activating the masking feature provided by the vendor that the Domain Name
was purchased from.
* Setup a personalized email (example: joestudent@joestudent.com) this is a
service provided by GoDaddy and is usually included as part of the purchase of
your Domain Name. Visit GoDaddy.com for more information.
* Only create groupings that you have work for. Avoid creating groupings
prematurely.
* Upload and assign your content to the correct grouping.
* Provide captions regarding your work to spark conversation with your audience.
* Replace the “WebAgent icon" that is normally used as thumbnail with an image
that is directly related to the content you are showcasing. (Example: an audio
file that is uploaded will be assigned an icon that has an image of headphones.
You should replace that icon with an image that is related to the audio file.)
* Upload a PDF of your resume or print portfolio so it is available to be
downloaded.
* Provide a text version of your resume and or bio in the text field located on the
site options tab. This information will be displayed on the “about page” of your
WebAgent site.
* Make sure the dimensions of your images are sized correctly. The images should
not exceed 600 pixels in both height and width.
PORTFOLIO CENTER
New to the Portfolio Center and unsure how to get started? Stop by between Noon and 1PM any Monday through Thursday for a general “what’s up” at the PC. We’ll guide you through our services and events so you can choose what is right for you in your portfolio development.
PORTFOLIO OVERVIEWS BY MAJOR
Know a little about the Portfolio Center and its programs, but need more information specific to your major or industry? The Portfolio Center has two people on hand that can help you gather feedback on your work to create a more compelling portfolio. If you have questions or need a little guidance stop by and meet with the Creative Industry Liaison for your major on a day and time listed below.
Caroline Cook Juhlin: Walk-in hours Tuesdays 10AM-1PM and Wednesdays 3PM-5PM
For majors: Art and Design / AEMM: Fashion/Retail Management, Visual Arts Management / ASL / Dance / Early Childhood Education / English / IAM / Interdisciplinary Arts / Marketing Communication: Advertising / Photography / Theater
David T. Lewis: Walk-in hours Wednesdays 1PM-2:30PM and Thursdays 10AM-11:30AM
For majors: AEMM: Arts Entrepreneurship, E-Business and New Media Management, Media Management, Music Business, Performing Arts Management, Sports Management / Audio Arts and Acoustics / Cultural Studies / Fiction Writing / Film and Video / Journalism / Marketing Communication: Marketing, Public Relations, Sports Marketing / Music / Radio / Television
WEBAGENT
Visit the WebAgent page for details on how to get help using your site.
CAREER DEVELOPMENT
Assistance with quick job search questions is now available on a walk-in basis. Stop in for a 10-15 minute meeting with Career Development Specialist Christie Andersen to discuss topics like resume and cover letter revisions, interview tips, job search questions, or an overview of resources.
Walk-in meetings are in 623 South Wabash Avenue, Suite 307 twice a week:
Tuesday: 10AM – 12PM
Wednesday: 12PM – 2PM
Appointments are still available and encouraged for more in-depth questions. Contact Christie at ceandersen@colum.edu or 312.369.6985 for more information.
Meanwhile, there’s a ton of info about portfolios in all fields at www.colum.edu/portfolio. Click on “student” then find your major/media. Dig in.
When working with video files that you intend to make available for viewing on the internet specifically using the WebAgent. You will need to make sure your video files comply with the requirements set by WebAgent and Vimeo. Remember WebAgent requires your file must NOT exceed 30mb and Vimeo accepts a wide variety of file formats. For information on compressing your video for the use of Vimeo and WebAgent, please follow this link. http://vimeo.com/help/compression
Beat the heat and come sit in one of our cool labs as you learn how to get your best work online using Columbia's # 1 web publishing system WEBAGENT. For the remainder of the summer we're offering you a choice of three workshop days: Mondays from 3PM-5PM, Wednesdays from 12PM-2PM, and Thursdays from10AM-12PM.
These workshops are set up as two hour crash courses that include a one part introduction to using the system and one part hands on learning experience. We encourage you to bring in your work samples on a USB drive or disc. Oh, and WebAgent is free and available to all students. All you have to do is read the guidelines then register for a workshop.
Currently the WebAgent allows the account users to upload only one PDF file per account. If you feel that you have the need to offer multiple PDF files for download. Then you will want to follow these steps.
1. Upload the file that you wish to make available as a download on your WebAgent site to a free file hosting site.
(There are many websites that provide this service, so make sure you read their guidelines before you use their services. Some sites will only host your file for only 90days or for the first 10 downloads depending on which comes first. So you will obviously need to re-upload you file after it expires)
Here is a short list of some recommended sites.
http://rapidshare.com
http://www.mediafire.com/
http://www.megaupload.com/
2. After you have uploaded your file to the hosting site you will want to take the download link and use that as the URL of the hyperlink that you will create using the WYSIWYG in any of the text fields where the WYSIWYG is available.
3. Remember when creating a hyperlink in the WYSIWYG you will want that new link to open in a new window.
Royalty (copyright) Free images that can be used to override the Web Agent icons that are generated for the following Audio, Video, and Text content.
You may have uploaded a piece of work that the Web Agent system assigns a icon that will be used as the thumbnail. You will want to override that icon with an image that best represents your piece.
For example if you have a video that you uploaded. You will then want to upload a photo still from the video shoot or some other image that represents you video. Or if you uploaded an excerpt from a short story you will then want to upload an image of the published cover art to represent your short story. The same idea would be applied to audio.
Now let’s say a photo still or some form of image for your video, audio or text is not an option for whatever reason.
Well there are several options to explore:
A: Take your own photo that you feel expresses and represents the work you uploaded
B: Create a text based image using Photoshop or Gimp
C: Visit a royalty (copyright) free website to obtain an image.
There are several websites that provide Royalty (copyright) Free images that can be used on your site. Here is a short list of some site you might want to visit. It is still important that you make sure you read the providers guidelines in regards to usage.
http://www.copyrightfreephotos.com
1. Reserve a domain name and launch website
2. Show only best quality work
3. Keep your site fresh (add new work regularly)
4. Include your site name on any and all printed material
5. Tell everyone you know about your site and ask them to tell someone
6. Optimize your meta tags for specific terms
7. Exchange links with other websites
8. Participate in blogs, forums, social, and professional networks
Seniors, grad students, recent alumni and (starting this year) juniors can use Web Agent, Columbia’s free web publishing system, to get your best work online.
Attend a workshop, set-up your account, learn more about the system and see sample sites that use text, images, video and audio to showcase portfolio work. This workshop will be hands-on so feel free to bring work samples with you on CD or USB drive.
Read the Web Agent guidelines then call 312-369-7280 to reserve your seat.
Starting September 9:
Tuesdays - 12pm to 2pm & 2pm to 4pm (these times alternate weekly), 600 S Michigan, room 709
Wednesdays - 12pm to 2pm, 624 S Michigan, room 606 and 4pm to 6pm, 600 S Michigan, room 709
Thursdays - 12pm to 2pm, 623 S Wabash, room 423
Fridays - 12pm to 2pm, 600 S Michigan, room 709
In order for your work samples to look their best on the web via Web Agent, it is of the utmost importance that you follow these guidelines:
Image
Images must follow these parameters in order to work with the Web Agent system.
-Accepted file type: jpg
-Image resolution: 72 dpi
-Image dimensions: Landscape mode, image must be set to 600 pixels wide. Portrait mode, image must be set for 600 pixels high.
Video*
*Note, this Media spec will require the user to upload a thumbnail image that represents the work or a default icon will appear. See Image spec above to insure that your thumbnail meets the requirements.
-File size: Must NOT exceed 100mb in file size. (Files that exceed the 100mb limit will not upload to your website)
-Accepted File types: asf, asx, avi, divx, dv, dvx, m4v, mov, mp4, mpeg, mpg, qt, wmv, 3g2, 3gp, 3ivx and 3vx
Audio*
*Note, this Media spec will require the user to upload a thumbnail image that represents the work or a default icon will appear. See Image spec above to insure that your thumbnail meets the requirements.
-File size: Must NOT exceed 30mb in file size. (Files that exceed the 30mb limit will not play on the website)
-Accepted File type: mp3
-Audio quality: It is recommended that the mp3 audio file be at least 192 kb at 44100 Hz.
Text*
Copy and paste written work from any plain text application. Once text has been pasted into the designated text field you can then use the WYSIWYG (a word processing tool provided to format your text.)
*Note, this Media spec will require the user to upload a thumbnail image that represents the work or a default icon will appear. See Image spec above to insure that your thumbnail meets the requirements.
PDF
Currently the Portfolio Web system will only accept one PDF file to be displayed on the "About" page that is to be used as a resume or a download-able portfolio. To include PDFs in a separate category, the PDFs must be converted to image files, specifically, jpeg files. See the Image spec requirements above, for sizing.
Power Point
Power point files will need to be converted to a video format in order to be displayed on the the web. Mac users who have MS Office can use the Power Point application to export their file to a video file. PC users will need to either use a third party application to convert their Power Point file or open the file on a MAC to make the conversion. See Video spec above to insure that your video meets the requirements and in addition the Video spec the user will be required to upload a thumbnail image that represents the work or a default icon will appear. See Image Spec above to insure that your thumbnail meets the requirements.
Overview:
Having and maintaining a portfolio website is becoming a common expectation for creatives and professionals in the arts & media. Juniors,seniors, graduate students and alumni within six months of their date of graduation are eligible for a Web Agent account.
A portfolio website should include:
-Contact information
-A Resume, CV, Artist’s Statement and/or a Biography
-Portfolio samples
Essential elements of a successful online portfolio:
Consistent branding and page layout
Careful sample selection and sequencing
Eligibility:
Web publishing services and website hosting is available to Juniors, seniors, graduate students and alumni within six months of graduation. In order to begin web publishing you mustprovide an unofficial transcript to verify your student status.
You may apply for a web publishing account to build a portfolio that directly relates to your academic major and serves your professional ambitions. Requests to build personal web sites will not be entertained.
Design:
The Portfolio Center web publishing system was created to quickly and efficiently organize your portfolio samples so they can be viewed on the web. It is a simple publishing system that will emphasize your work, rather than web design elements. If you are looking for a personal page, or a great deal of customization, you may need to seek the services of a web designer.
Hosting:
The Portfolio Center will provide you access to upload your work into your customized website and host the site for at least two years. By taking advantage of this service, you agree to include your website in our online database of portfolios.
The web publishing process:
Web publishing generally takes between 2 and 4 weeks to complete, depending on how quickly you prepare you samples. Once your site is complete, it will be added to the Portfolio Center search page and will be publicly accessible via the Internet.
Appointments with industry experts:
Although it is not required, the Portfolio Center strongly recommends students seek portfolio
feedback, through the Portfolio Center, or one of your faculty members, prior to beginning the web publishing process.
Call us at 312.369.7280 with questions about web publishing or appointments with industry experts.
Overview:
Having and maintaining a portfolio website is becoming a common expectation for creatives and professionals in the arts & media. Juniors, seniors, graduate students and alumni within six months of their date of graduation are eligible for a Web Agent account.
A portfolio website should include:
-Contact information
-A Resume, CV, Artist’s Statement and/or a Biography
-Your best work samples
Essential elements of a successful online portfolio:
-Simple, intuitive navigation
-Consistent branding and page layout
-Careful sample selection and sequencing
Web (Portfolio) Publishing for Text-Based Portfolios:
When you have the following materials, you are ready to begin the web publishing process:
1. Writing Samples:
- Proofread
-Saved as plain text file (.txt)
-If applicable, categorize your work and prepare a text file with the necessary details
2. Published Work: Any published articles you would like to accompany your written work may be included in your web portfolio.
-Saved to file type: jpg
-Image resolution: 72 dpi
-Image dimensions: Landscape mode, image must be set to 600 pixels wide. Portrait mode, image must be set for 600 pixels high.
3. Sample Description: Your samples should all be titled with a 1-2 sentence description of the content. You may also categorize your work if desired.
-Proofread
-Saved as plain text file (.txt)
-Categories: Sometimes it is helpful to separate your work into categories (i.e. film scores, live sound, etc).
4. Artist Statement/Intent: Your artist statement should summarize your immediate goals, as well as the context of your work, in a page or less.
-Proofread (by someone other than you)
-Saved as plain text file (.txt)
5. Resume: Your resume should be a one to two page summary of your current accomplishments and qualifications.
-Proofread
Saved in PDF format
6. Bio: Please include a 1-2 paragraph biography.
-Proofread
-Saved as plain text file (.txt)
Question and concerns should be directed to the Web Publishing Manager by calling 312-369-7280.
Overview:
Having and maintaining a portfolio website is becoming a common expectation for creatives and professionals in the arts & media. Juniors, seniors, graduate students and alumni within six months of their date of graduation are eligible for a Web Agent account.
A portfolio website should include:
-Contact information
-A Resume, CV, Artist’s Statement and/or a Biography
-Your best work samples
-Essential elements of a successful online portfolio:
-Simple, intuitive navigation
-Consistent branding and page layout
-Careful sample selection and sequencing
Web (Portfolio) Publishing for Image-Based Portfolios:
When you have the following materials, you are ready to begin the web publishing process:
1. Image Samples:
-Accepted file type: jpg
-Image resolution: 72 dpi
-Image dimensions: Landscape mode, image must be set to 600 pixels wide. Portrait mode, image must be set for 600 pixels high.
2. Sample Description: Your samples should all be titled with a 1-2 sentence description of the content. You may also categorize your work if desired.
-Proofread
-Saved as plain text file (.txt) or Microsoft Word document (.doc),/p>
-Categories: Sometimes it is helpful to separate your work into categories (i.e. film scores, live sound, etc).
3. Artist Statement/Intent: Your artist statement should summarize your immediate goals, as well as the context of your work, in a page or less.
-Proofread (by someone other than you)
-Saved as plain text file (.txt) or Microsoft Word document (.doc)
4. Resume: Your resume should be a one to two page summary of your current accomplishments and qualifications.
-Proofread
-Saved in PDF format
5. Bio: Please include a 1-2 paragraph biography.
-Proofread
-Saved as plain text file (.txt) or Microsoft Word document (.doc)
Questions and concerns should be directed to the Web Publishing Manager by calling 312-369-7280.
Overview:
Having and maintaining a portfolio website is becoming a common expectation for creatives and professionals in the arts & media. Juniors, seniors, graduate students and alumni within six months of their date of graduation are eligible for a Web Agent account.
A portfolio website should include:
-Contact information
-A Resume, CV, Artist’s Statement and/or a Biography
-Your best work samples
Essential elements of a successful online portfolio:
-Simple, intuitive navigation
-Consistent branding and page layout
-Careful sample selection and sequencing
Web (Portfolio) Publishing for Video-Based Portfolios:
When you have the following materials, you are ready to begin the web publishing process:
1. Video Samples:
-Saved to one of the following file types: asf, asx, avi, divx, dv, dvx, m4v, mov, mp4, mpeg, mpg, qt, wmv, 3g2, 3gp, 3ivx and 3vx.
-Files no larger than 100MB
2. Sample Description: Your samples should all be titled with a 1-2 sentence description of the content. You may also categorize your work if desired.
-Proofread
-Saved as plain text file (.txt) or Microsoft Word document (.doc)
Categories: Sometimes it is helpful to separate your work into categories (i.e. film scores, live sound, etc).
3. Artist Statement/Intent: Your artist statement should summarize your immediate goals, as well as the context of your work, in a page or less.
-Proofread (by someone other than you)
-Saved as plain text file (.txt) or Microsoft Word document (.doc)
4. Resume: Your resume should be a one to two page summary of your current accomplishments and qualifications.
-Proofread
-Saved in PDF format
5. Bio: Please include a 1-2 paragraph biography.
-Proofread
-Saved as plain text file (.txt) or Microsoft Word document (.doc)
Questions and concerns should be directed to the Web Publishing Manager by calling 312-369-7280.
Overview:
Having and maintaining a portfolio website is becoming a common expectation for creatives and professionals in the arts & media. Juniors, seniors, graduate students and alumni within six months of their date of graduation are eligible for a Web Agent account.
A portfolio website should include:
-Contact information
-A Resume, CV, Artist’s Statement and/or a Biography
-Your best work samples
Essential elements of a successful online portfolio:
-Simple, intuitive navigation
-Consistent branding and page layout
-Careful sample selection and sequencing
Web (Portfolio) Publishing for Audio-Based Portfolios:
When you have the following materials, you are ready to begin the web publishing process:
1. Audio Samples:
-Saved to MP3 Format (recommended audio quality: 192kb at 44100 Hz)
-Files no larger than 30MB
2. Sample Description: Your samples should all be titled with a 1-2 sentence description of the content. You may also categorize your work if desired.
-Proofread
-Saved as plain text file (.txt) or Microsoft Word document (.doc)
-Categories: Sometimes it is helpful to separate your work into categories (i.e. film scores, live sound, etc).
3. Artist Statement/Intent: Your artist statement should summarize your immediate goals, as well as the context of your work, in a page or less.
-Proofread (by someone other than you)
Saved as plain text file (.txt) or Microsoft Word document (.doc)
4. Resume: Your resume should be a one to two page summary of your current accomplishments and qualifications.
-Proofread
-Saved in PDF format
5. Bio: Please include a 1-2 paragraph biography.
-Proofread
-Saved as plain text file (.txt) or Microsoft Word document (.doc)
Question and concerns should be directed to the Web Publishing Manager by calling 312-369-7280.
Software can be expensive. When you don’t have the funds to purchase the software needed to manipulate your work, be it audio, video, and or image based, what do you do? The answer is not to obtain an illegal copy of that software needed, but to look for a free legit alternative. A great place to find these options is by using the internet. You will want to do a search for “open source software” or you check these two links to see what they have to offer. The use of open source software is a great alternative plus it can save you money and have the same results as almost any commercial software.
Q: What kind of software will I find?
A: DVD ripping, video conversion, audio conversion, graphic/photo editor, and much more.
Here are two great resources:
The Portfolio Center and Columbia College Chicago as a whole does not provide technical support to open source programs that are available. The Portfolio Center is simple providing information on free legit software. If you choose to download and use any of the open source software you are responsible for reading and adhering to the user agreements provided by the creator of the software.
We're opening up our doors and giving current Portfolio Web account users several chances to come in, ask questions and continue the plight to online portfolio greatness. If you need individual attention, can't quite get your formatting right, or maybe you can't decide on which design works best with your content then this is the time to resolve those issues.
Schedule:
Monday, May 12 / 12-2PM & 4-6PM
Tuesday, May 13 / 11AM-1PM & 4-6PM [4-6PM session will be held in room 419 of 623 S. Wabash]
Wednesday, May14 / 12-2PM & 3-5PM
Thursday, May 15 / 10AM-12PM & 3-5PM (last chance before Industry Night)
Friday, May 16 / No walk-in hours...you should be at Manifest anyway
Location: 623 S. Wabash room 307 unless otherwise noted above.
Open only to senior and grad students who currently have an account. If you'd like a free web account and you are a senior or grad student please give us a ring at 312-344-7280 for more information.
We're opening up our doors and giving current Portfolio Web account users several chances to come in, ask questions and continue the plight to online portfolio greatness. If you need individual attention, can't quite get your formatting right, or maybe you can't decide on which design works best with your content then this is the time to resolve those issues.
Schedule:
Monday, May 5 / 1-3PM
Tuesday, May 6 / Sorry...no walk-in hours
Wednesday, May 7 / 3-5PM
Thursday, May 8 / 3-5PM
Friday, May 9 / 10AM-12PM
Location: 623 S. Wabash room 307
Open only to senior and grad students who currently have an account. If you'd like a free web account and you are a senior or grad student please give us a ring at 312-344-7280 for more information.
Here is a quick tutorial on how to resize your images for the Portfolio Web system using Photoshop.
Go to File > Open… and select the image to be resized.
Go to Image > Image Size… a pop-up window will display your image size and resolution information.
Make sure that the Pixel Dimension fields are chained together in order to keep your image proportion correct. (If the Pixel Dimension fields are NOT chained together, then place a check mark in the box next to Constrain Proportions)
Then In the Image Size window you will NEED to lower the resolution to 72.
In the drop down box located at the bottom of the Image Size window you will want to choose”bicubic sharper (best for reduction)”
In the Pixel Dimension field lower the width to 600 pixels* (make sure you have selected pixels NOT Percent in the drop down box that is to the right of the width field) then press OK. *Remember NOT to exceed 600 pixels wide nor 800 pixels high.
Go to File > Save As… and select JPEG as your file type and choose a destination for your file. Remember to give your file a different name, so you avoid writing over and losing your original file.
Choose JPEG from the drop down box. **IMPORTANT** Rename your file so you do not loose the original file.
When thinking about posting video clips online it's important to know which formats are best suited for the system where your website is being hosted. Below is a list of the accepted video file formats that can be used with the Web Agent. Note: Video files must NOT exceed 30mb in file size. (Files that exceed the 30mb limit will not upload to your website)
Accepted File types: asf, asx, avi, divx, dv, dvx, m4v, mov, mp4, mpeg, mpg, qt, wmv, 3g2, 3gp, 3ivx and 3vx
One of the most misconceptions regarding purchasing and registering a domain name is that a majority of people think that they need to have a website first before they can even purchase and register a domain name.
The reality is NO and it is highly recommended that you purchase and register your domain name first. The reason that this is recommended is that by the time a website is done being designed and launched onto the Internet Super Highway there is a very good chance that someone else already purchased and registered the domain name you wanted regardless on how unique the domain name might be.
For tips on choosing a good domain name read an article written by Christopher Heng of sitewizard.com
