About My Site

The topic I chose for my site was a travel blog dedicated to the places I have been and the things I have learned along the way. My ‘Destinations’ header is not filled with every place I have been but I chose the four places that were my favorite. My ‘Travelers Journal’ is filled with the ways I travel and how I do it being a college student. I also have a ‘Travel Tips’ header where readers can enjoy me sharing my secrets to budget travelling. I chose travelling as the topic for my website because it is my favorite hobby. If I am not studying, I am probably thinking about the place I want to go too next.

The current theme in my blog is an original WordPress theme called “Lovecraft.” I specifically chose this theme because of the way the main header of the mountains stays on each page the reader goes to. I was aiming for aesthetic in my blog, and adding Lovecraft into it was the perfect simplicity I wanted for the location of my articles and widgets.

The reason I chose these specific colors and fonts into my website is because I did some research before doing so. I found that it is acceptable to use the aesthetic of two different fonts that work really well together into your blog. I specifically chose ‘Playfair Display’ for all my headers/titles and ‘Open Sans’ for all my base font. I chose the background color of white because it made my blog feel “cleaner” with the black font as the pair go well together.

Since working on WordPress since February, I have learned quite a lot on how to make my own website if I ever needed to one day. The basics version of WordPress is enough to make your website feel real. Once you make your website public, everyone you share the link with or comes across it, can see your whole website. Learning the basics of WordPress is a huge advantage working in the business field. If I ever want to become my own entrepreneur, I already know how to make a website instead of paying someone to make one for me. In my own opinion, I think the best part of WordPress when it comes to customizing your website is being able to add widgets into the sidebars. Because I am a travel blog, I chose to add Instagram as one of widgets to show my readers even more pictures of the places I have been- they say a picture can tell a thousand words.

Qlik Sense Site – NHL

  • NHL – National Hockey League
  • Sports
  • Audience for data includes, statistical crew, team players, and coaches to improve team stats.
Figure 1 – “NHL teams can use this rich data to analyze and even predict the best locations on the ice for goals and blocks.” Vizlib Scatter Chart – NHL Hockey Shots

The Qlik Sense site application that I chose as my favorite was a data set on NHL hockey shots. As a person who is not a big sports lover but a person who appreciates statistical data, it really intrigued me that sports data is a thing! The data takes over 1.8 million shots that were taken from 9 seasons of the NHL Hockey league to analyze the best locations for goals and blocks. As you can see in Figure 1 from above, the scatter chart is laid out on a hockey rink to make the data that much more accurate.

My favorite things about this application is the deep data that has went into creating accurate statistics. This hockey analyzer includes goals from past games, the location that shots were blocked, number of shots taken and from where, and even the amount of missed shots on the rink. The most intriguing part about these collections is that includes data from over 11,000 games that partook over the years. After discovering an application that exists for sports data I have concluded that Qlik Sense can work for any industry and any statistics that need to be gathered and analyzed. Having the access to this sorts of data can increase the advantage of the quality of team stats and play just as it would for any other company.

Notable Word Press Sites

Jay-Z’s website

Jay-Z’s website is curated by himself which covers the topics of: music, fashion, art, and culture. The reason I chose his website was because I have never seen an aesthetic like his. When you first enter the site, you are bombarded with small squares that are actually articles. I really enjoyed the originality and creativity that went into his site. My friends, who also enjoy art content would be pleased with Jay-Z’s site. Compared to other artists’ sites, his site is one of a kind and would recommend it to friends and family if they enjoyed it.

After going through and exploring lifeandtimes.com, I do have some recommendations for Jay-Z as a sincere user. For improvement and easier navigation, I think the header should be at the top of the page. Not all users are looking for all topics and would just like to read about a specific article. It is not until you get to the bottom of the main page that you can navigate freely through out the site. I recommend to Jay-Z to put his header at the top of the page and his site would be way easier to use!

Generations Against Bullying Association website

On WordPress showcase, I found this organization that has their own website against this generations bullying. I specifically chose this site because it stands for something good and making the world a better place. As a person who has been bullied as a kid, respect the community that works together to make this site what it is. The site is easily navigated and something that people could use especially if they have younger children in the online communities. It is family and child friendly and with the amount of information on their site, you are informed about a lot.

My recommendation goes to the sites creators to make the goal of their organization more easier-to-understand. Although, persons who enter the site know that it is for kids being bullied online, people are looking for their goals and what they are actually doing in the real world to make it a safer place. When you read their mission statement on their page, it is to inspire children and adults to create a safer environment. How about for the people who are going through the bullying right now? I would recommend this page to my friends as family as long as they take the stand to fight bullying that is happening now.

What It Means to Lead

Simon Sinek – What It Means To Lead

The embedded Youtube video above is Simon Sinek’s five lessons on what it means to be a good leader. I believe anyone can be a GOOD leader, and just like in the speech, your intelligence does not determine how good of a leader you are. Anyone can take the lessons and stories from Sinek’s speech and find opportunity within their own lives with it. From the points in the video, I found to be driven by three important qualities.

  1. Know when and how to seize opportunities
  2. Always tell the truth
  3. Ask for and except help

Every person has a reason or belief when they take the opportunity to seize something they want. In the video Sinek says there are two types of people: people who see what they want and people who see the thing that is preventing them from getting the thing they want. I personally believe there is no problem if you see the glass half-empty- but do not let that block in the road prevent you from getting what you want. “Stay fixated on the thing you want, go after the thing you want, use any means necessary, but do not every deny anybody else from getting the thing that they want” Simon Sinek says in the video. The lesson I took from this to be a good leader is, do not let anyone stop you from getting what you want, do it in your own way, without inconveniencing someone else.

It is not hard being honest, but it is hard to tell the truth. The most important quality any great leader should have is always telling the truth. How else would you expect people to follow you and your word? To be this person, you must not always have your best interest in mind, but the people that you want to trust you. Trust does not just emerge, it begins with full communication, taking full responsibility whether you are put in a good or bad light, and then trust can be established by these similar values.

You do not have to be the most intelligent person to be the greatest leader. The biggest mistake people make is thinking they have to know all the answers and pretending they do when they don’t, Sinek says. What I appreciate from this lesson is that even if you hold the highest credibility in the room, it is OK to ask for help from others, even if they do not hold the same credibility as you. When you act like you know everything, people will think that you don’t need the help- but that is not true because there always ways we can makes things better just by adding another persons ideas. I hold this lesson, never be afraid to except and ask for help, as the most important quality any great leader can hold.