You may not class my interest in chemistry as a challenge- but I sure would!!!! Out of all the subjects I did this year, I found chemistry to be the one that I hated the most. Although I hated chemistry more than I’ve ever hated anything in my life, I stuck with it. I could have dropped it at midyear, but I was determined to beat it! I’m glad to say that I won. I believe my battle with chemistry made me a stronger person and I am better for it! That is why I believe I am entitled to class my interest in chemistry as a challenge!
Onto more exciting science technology related topics…….. INTERNET SITE BUILDING!!! For my main project, I chose to create a website for the Victorian Youth Executive Committee. This website along with its own Yahoo Group, was actually used as my Leader Skill Project for the Leading Edge Seminar I attended over Easter. The purpose of my project was to promote youth decision-making through such avenues as state representative committees and to encourage communication within the current youth exec committee.
One thing that amazed me about the youth executive was the little or no contact between members out of meeting times. It was only because of Odyssey, that I had come to know any of my fellows members at all! Knowing we all lead such busy lives, and phone calls aren’t always the easiest option, I decided to focus on the Internet as a communication solution.
It was then up to me to decide just how I endeavored to promote communication via the Internet. After Odyssey, I had become particularly close with some members of the committee and had been using programs such as MSN Messenger to ‘chat’ to them between meeting times. Therefore this was definitely one of my best options. Before Odyssey, a yahoo group had been set up for all girls attending. This allowed people to post to one single address and have their messages sent to all members. Messenger and Yahoo Groups became what I believed were the best tools I had at my disposal.
My next question was how to give others a chance to see what the Youth Executive Committee achieves. Again the Internet was my choice, but for an added reason. My sister is forever telling me that I am horrible at all things technology, and in particular that I could never ever make and maintain a website. Spurred on my this jeering, I set out to create Youth Executive’s very own home on the web!
I created many lists to help me with this project. The first contained the steps I felt I needed to take to complete this project:
· Establish Yahoo Group for Youth executive members
· Find out which members have a hotmail account and will be able to use MSN Messenger
· Explore site hosts on the Internet
· Determine which host is best for the Youth Executive site
· Plan site
· Create site
· Update site
They say great minds think alike! The same day I decided to set up a Yahoo Group, Toni Peters (our fantastic advisor!) beet me to it. I explained to her how I wished to use one for my leader skill project and she modified my member status to Moderator. This gave me the power to be an over seer of the Yahoo Group, with special member privileges and ability to modify accounts, start page etc. All members of youth executive were added to this group, and I have been encouraging ‘chat’ via the board ever since!
After looking at many hosts, I decided to use Yahoo Geocities. All this required was for me to set up a yahoo email address for the youth executive and follow the prompts. It all seemed too easy. I wanted to challenge myself; this left me only one option. Instead of using the easy option of typing a few words and ticking a few boxes, I would choose ‘use advanced HTML Editor’. Using this option meant a considerable amount more could be added to the site- but in order to create the site I would have to familiarize myself with HTML code. Using Yahoo Geocities, I wrote a list of all the codes I felt I would need to remember. These including ones for page breaks, change of font size and color, inserting pictures, hyper linking to parts of the page and linking back to the main page.
Next was to plan the page. I decided to start off small and let the site grow. My first plan for the site was:
· A Main Page
· Links to other relevant pages (such as the Yahoo Groups page)
· Members Information page
· Ex-Members Information page
· Guest Book
To get information for the members page, I posted on the Yahoo Group and explained what I was attempting to achieve by creating a website. Slowly some members emailed me information, which I was able to add to the site. New information is being added all the time.
I was having so much fun learning about website building, I decided I could afford to be a little more ambitious, and planned some more pages to add to the site. As the ideas came to me, I sat down and added new pages. This is the order the pages were added in:
· Exciting stuff
· Photos
· Rumor file
· Our Shindig Scavenger Hunt
· Internet Unit
· State Calendar
· Ode to Geer page
The Exciting Stuff page started off as announcements I would place below the heading to let visitors know of the achievements of Youth Executive members. It then evolved into its own page. I am hoping that members will send me information to add to this page. Hopefully by seeing other members send in information of their achievements it will make members know that the committee is always proud of them.
What website is complete without a Photos page?! I started by learning how to scan photos and saving them to my hard drive. I was not aware that I was the only person able to view them!!! Along with the background, the pictures were not visible to others because I had not uploaded them. It took me many days to work out just how to successfully upload them. This was a definite test of my Stress Management skills! After what seemed like an eternity, I had learnt how to modify scanned photos, save them as a file which could be uploaded, upload them and have them appear on the website.
The Rumor File is much like the Exciting Stuff page, but has more of a gossip style to it. In this section of the page are rumors, or information presented in almost a journalistic style. This is mainly for entertainment but also to advertise coming events or happenings in the world of Youth Executive.
The Internet Unit and Our Shindig Scavenger Hunt pages were both added to give, especially members, the chance to review what had been discussed at out meetings. The planning of the Internet Unit has been taking place for quite some time. The Shindig Scavenger Hunt was to take the place of the fancy dress event Youth Executive had planned but never taken place due to lack of numbers.
The State Calendar was added to the page as soon as it was published. This is to give everyone an idea of what is coming up in the fantastic world of Guiding in Victoria! Also so no one had an excuse to miss events and meetings!
One day while chatting to Greer across the Internet, I asked her to check out the website. She commented that there was no page dedicated to her. Thus the Ode To Greer page was born!!! As the page puts it:
“Who is Greer? you may be asking...... Greer Barrow is my idol!! *laughs*. She is an ex-member of the Youth Exec and an all round star!!
But why does she have her own page?? Well ‘cos she's Greer!!!!”
Just before the State Queen’s Guide Presentations, I added a message at the top of the site congratulating the amazing amount of members and ex members to have completed their awards in time to be presented this year. In addition to this, I created a new page with an Online Awards Board, so that all members could be clearly recognized of their fantastic achievements.
Through completing this focus, I have achieved a great deal of satisfaction. I also feel confident that the Youth Executive Committee is closer than ever before! This is reflected in our meetings and events we attend. The Victorian Youth Executive is a cohesive group, comfortable to share problems with each other and work together. Being in such a caring environment allows us all to achieve more and give more to the organization that we all love so much. Personally, I now see Youth Exec as some of the closest friends I have. All three of my best friends are current or ex youth executive members, and I would not be able to live without them!
SITE ADDRESS: http://au.oocities.com/youth_exec/index.
