Getting you up to date with my PRP Research Topic

I realised that although I have posted a couple of bits and bobs relating to my final year research project, I have not kept you up to date with where I am up to.

Just to clarify, my research document is titled "Portfolios Vs Online Presence" I have written a thesis

that outlines my research topic as mentioned in an earlier post. 

I am now working on the 6 artifacts need to prove or dis-prove ideas outlined in my research paper. 

 Artifact 1

My Questionnaire was composed to research the expectations that designers have, with regards to an online presence. I asked which kind of portfolio they would like to have, only 2 people opted for a paper portfolio, 28 opted for both and 11 (26.8%) opted to only want an online portfolio. This is a significant amount of people who choose to rely on the Internet to represent them. More specific to my research document, the questionnaire revealed 53.7% would choose to have a blog instead of a dedicated online portfolio website.

          Results lead me to think that perhaps the boundaries between social networking and work related networking are being blurred with the help of social websites. I also find it interesting that Personal Blogs are popular tools for work related networking. Perhaps this is because they are an informal means of sharing progress and opinion which make them a much better utility for networking than a portfolio website which is not so informal.

          A few of the comments at the end helped me to get a better understanding of what designers are expecting from having an online presence for work purposes. One person said “I find a blog useful as I can show my current work, so perspective clients can see my process and my current employers can see what I am up to/looking at.” It outlines one of the main differences between an online portfolio and a blog. The portfolio usually displays a person’s finished accomplishments, whereas a blog is a continuing commentary of a person’s progress. Another person adds “Most designers will have a website then utilise social networking tools to go alongside it.” So the expectations these days are that people will use both blog and portfolio together to create a successful online presence. 

Artifact 2

I wrote to several peers who I know have attained work through their online media. I asked them to share with me their experiences of using online presences and the methods they have used to promote themselves online. One successful method was found using Twitter “I currently have custom searches set up to notify me with certain tweets which include keywords such as hire, need, web and designer”  a few of the people I emailed told me that they have gained paid work by replying to feeds which have come to their attention using this method.
Blog posts have also led to these people acquiring work “tagging blog posts with keywords can help provoke interest in your work” A lot of companies will search themselves online to see what the public think of them and their products. This is how one person was asked to produce some web elements for them because they read a blog post about them which prompted them to find out more about this person and they eventually contacted him to do work for them.

Social networking sites such as facebook are used to tell people they already know about the services they provide “hence doing work for previous associates rather than new clients” 

All of the peers who replied said that they use their online portfolios, after somebody has already expressed interest in hiring them, as a showcase for their work, a tool to show what they can produce. This tells me that it is the other online presences such as Twitter and Blogging websites that are used to get the prospective clients and start these conversations. The online portfolios are used as an efficient way for people to view your technical skills and creativity.

Artifact 3

I emailed various different employers within the design industry to find out what their opinions were on my research topic. I have not yet evaluated this artifact as I am still in the process of gathering the information i have received back. A lot of the people who replied to my email seemed really interested in the topic and many were keen to give me their opinions on the matter.

(I will post more of my findings when I have evaluated the replies I received)

So as it stands I am due to begin Artifact 4 of my personal research project. I keep trying to think about my project as an ongoing investigation (which it is) and in doing this I realise my research document discussed what has been and I am now satisfied that I have gathered enough information for the state of things as they are now, what I want to begin to do is look at what might be with regards to people's online presence and how they can be used to promote successfully promote a person.