Reflections on Curating Wix

The approach I am taking towards my Wix.com portfolio is to highlight my professional experience and overall skill set. I hope to showcase a modern look and feel that immediately communicates professionalism and a sleek style. One of the goals of my site is to be easily navigated for my professor and any potential employers to quickly and effortlessly get any information they need. Hopefully this is communicated through my design aesthetic and use of descriptive elements. In the professional space I want to be seen as an expert in my field and someone who will be an asset to any organization.

I had taken several classes at ODU now that required a Wix.com student portfolio website. I have to admit, it harder and harder to write these initial posts and edit the site when most classes have an almost identical outline for the site. For this class I have taken the approach of curating my current site to reflect the requests set forth in the instructions. Specifically, I have added a welcome message to readers on my homepage and indicated where in my site various content sections are located. In addition, I was able to expand the “About Me” section to cover more of my professional and collegiate experiences. In doing so I aim to hone in on current and former coursework to demonstrate the range of proficiencies in the area of communication.

My current understanding of persuasion is that it is a powerful type of communications tool that, if used correctly, can obtain a desired outcome. By targeting a specific person or group, persuasion is able to engage thought, action or even change through compelling data or emotional appeal. If one can master the art and science of persuasion, then there may be no road blocks too difficult to overcome in getting a sought after result. For me, the most appealing types of persuasion are peer-to-peer dialogs within the professional setting. A great example of this is budget planning at work. Every year our advertising agencies pitch us on expanded budgets for a variety of reasons. Whether it is for additional hours that are needed to keep up with routine tasks or brand new projects being added to maintain standards, my colleagues at the agencies are very good at supplying justification for the extra funds. Usually, after reviewing data and supporting points from them the monies will come through. Therefore, they are quite good at persuading my company to continue to invest in them year after year.