FTK... For The Kids

Probably the most well-known philanthropy at the University of Florida is our annual Dance Marathon. Sororities, Fraternities, student organizations, and individual students take part in this 26.2 hour long event. Proceeds from the event and all things DM, go towards the Children's Miracle Network at Shands Hospital at UF. Dancers have to stay on their feet the whole time which becomes quite a challenge around hour thirteen, but at least they have countless activities to keep them entertained along the way.  And the most popular of these activities is the Line Dance. Above is the 2011 DM Line Dance. Although I have never participated as a dancer, I have been a staff member at the event every year. Aside from being a UF tradition, Dance Marathon is an experience like no other. Seeing the crowds of students in their colorful attire all 26 hours, and hearing the stories of families that have been affected by the Children's Miracle Network is unbelievably touching. Once you've been a part of Dance Marathon, it's hard to stop. And if you're unable to physically participate in Dance Marathon, you can participate by learning about the event and donate to the cause. And remember... it's For The Kids.

Stuff Gator Fans Say...

So the latest youtube craze seems to be videos about "Stuff (Insert Stereotyped Click) Say." When I stumbled upon this one on Gator fans, I couldn't stop laughing. It's amazing to see how accurate of a portrayal this video is. What I love about it, and why I'm posting it to my blog, is that the main character mentions several Gator traditions or inside jokes that only a Florida Gator would understand... Go Gators!

Don't Make Me Think... Book Review

As part of a class assignment, I was told to read Don’t Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability by Steve Krug. Honestly, at first I thought to myself “I don’t have time for this.” But once I was able to get a hold of the book at the library and began reading through it, I realized how useful this book really is. I feel that it’s an accurate and pretty up-to-date guide of Internet usage.

Countless times I found myself thinking about how I use the Internet and how Steve Krug was pinpointing specific habits of mine. It was a little weird to think that pretty much everyone works the same way. I also found the book to be very helpful not just for my online class blog.

As an intern for a radio station, I work mostly on online content. I’m a sports writer but we’re also trying to add more than just articles to our website. The website itself is a work in progress so this book definitely helped. It gives great, easy tips to make any website better, easier and more appealing to the public.

What the book points out is very true; people don’t really like having to use their brains. When we go online, we expect to find exactly what we want and have it clearly outlined for us. We expect to type in a word, phrase, or subject and BOOM, have all the information we want and nothing extra that we don’t need. Therefore, websites these days have to be as user-friendly as possible and everything needs to be laid out in an easy-to-find format.

One tip that I thought was extremely useful is the idea of always incorporating a search bar in a website. Chances are people are not just browsing around to see what they can find within a website; they know exactly what they want and they want to be able to find it quickly. This is especially true for a website with a lot of content.

I know for our station’s website, there was not a search bar in the site and it made it really difficult when I was trying to look up one of my past articles. I would have to go page by page back in time and scroll through each article because I couldn’t simply search my name within the site.

Probably the most important part of Don’t Make Me Think, was it’s section on how to design your website for easy reading. I can attest to the statement that most people scan instead of read when they’re on a website. If people see too many words cluttered together, they’re automatically going to skip that page or leave the website entirely. Having things laid out in a clear, short, definite way will increase audience activity for a website.

Overall, I thought Don’t Make Me Think was a great read and definitely something that anyone interested in creating a website, blog, or working at all with online media should read. The tips were very helpful and easy to apply to real life scenarios.

... I Work Out

One thing I've noticed throughout my time at UF is how dedicated people are to working out. Personally, Inever really went to a gym before college because I was a dancer in high school and we have our own workout routines aside from daily practice. But even I have fallen victim to workout mania in college (I would much prefer that then the notorius "Freshman Fifteen"). With multiple gyms and a huge campus to run around, it's hard not to stay in shape. But I think one of the coolest ways to stay fit is running stadiums in "The Swamp." Although it's definitely one of the more exhausting workouts, I strongly suggest everyone do it before they graduate. I made it a point to have it on my college bucket list and I felt so accomplished when I finally ran up and down those countless bleachers. At any time on any given day, you'll probably find people running stadiums. It's also neat just to think that a place that's filled with 90,000 screaming Gator fans on Saturdays can be your own personal gym during the week. Added bonus... you'll probably spot an athlete or two while working on your fitness.

Would You Like Fries With That?

So if you’ve walked around campus, I’m sure you’ve noticed that there are a few things that may catch your attention or look out of place. Perhaps some of the most noticeable items are the giant French Fries outside of the Marston Science Library. I’m not sure if there’s an actual name for the huge artwork but ask anyone to point you towards the French Fries and they’ll know exactly what you’re talking about. I remember my first time coming across the over-sized yellow beams I was definitely caught off guard. But now, they seem to blend in with the setting. I’m pretty sure I’ve almost bumped into them a few times while trying to walk and text at the same time (something I don’t recommend doing on campus, especially with all the buses and bikers). But before I become completely immune to the giant fries, I asked my roommate to take a picture of me with the beloved landmark. Primarily to add it to my list of UF traditions, but it also served as a distraction from all the studying I was about to do in the library.

Florida Basketball... Fantastic!

Football isn’t the only big sport at UF, attending a spring sport is another Florida tradition. I attended this weekend’s men’s basketball game against Mississippi State, and what a game! The bulldogs came in ranked No. 18 and were sure to put up a fight against the Gators. But our boys played hard all afternoon and came out with a 69-57 victory in the O’Dome. I was surprised to see that there was such a huge turnout considering the game was at 1:30 in the afternoon, but it just goes to show you that you can’t mess with the Gator Nation.

FLORIDA/Georgia Weekend!!

When football season comes around, there’s no denying the excitement in and around “The Swamp” is unlike any other place in the Southeast. But the craziness of Gator football isn’t strictly confined to Gainesville. Perhaps one of the greatest Florida games takes place in Jacksonville during Florida/Georgia weekend- aka “The World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party.” This was my second year in a row going to Jacksonville and the experience gets better every time. It’s a non-stop party throughout the city all weekend long. Although we lost the game, it was still an unbelievable feeling to be in the stadium with thousands of screaming fans and seeing the crowd split down the middle – half blue/orange, half red/black. I strongly believe that EVERYONE needs to experience Florida/Georgia weekend before they graduate from UF. It certainly lives up to its reputation as “The World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party.”

(I took this picture at the 2011 game and although it looks like a beautiful and sunny day, it was absolutely freezing by the end of the game.)