1) Topic:
Select a subject about which you would like to provide information in Spanish to a wide public. The topic may be related to Hispanic culture, art, society or literature, but NOT necessarily so.

Some topics proposed include:
Ecology and Biodiversity in Ecuador, Monstrosity and Monsters around the World, Folkloric Dances of Mexico, Soccer and the Hispanic World, A Personal Art Portfolio, etc.

Tips:
1) This project is NOT your typical research paper. You are writing as an information provider for an international audience of Spanish speakers surfing the Internet. In this regard, your project should be closer to an article in "Time" or "Newsweek" than a term paper for your history or politics class.

2) Research:
The Internet is the most accessible source of data and images for your project. Other sources include the collections in Collins Library, personal photos or art, etc. Copyright issues need to be taken into account. If you download images and/or data from a site you should request permission from the site's administrator. In WebBoard you can find a template in Spanish that you can use to e.mail administrators of Spanish speaking sites.

Tips:
1) Acquaint yourself with the different Search Engines available to you. Not all search engines work exactly the same and not all find the same information. Try several. I tend to favor Infoseek, but Altavista, WebCrawler, Yahoo, Excite, and others are also useful.
2) If you have images (slides, photos, drawings, etc.) that you would like to use in your site, see me. We can have them scanned, digitized, and ready for download within a few days. Copyright issues are important here as well.

3) Organization:
My sites on the Internet are a fair model for you to follow.

Tips:
a) Build a home page: This page presents you to the Internet. Keep this page simple. A brief bio, a picture, a "mail to" link, and a few other one. The most important link in this page should be the one leading to your project.
b) Your project, like my site for Spanish 202, will consist of several pages. Organize and link them together in a logical fashion.
c) The main page for the project should introduce surfers to the entire contents of the site. Obviously, as you add materials to the site, the main page will have to be altered somewhat.
d) Keep a coherent style throughout your project site. Use the same background, the same font, etc.
e) Avoid including useless frills. You want to concentrate on CONTENT, that is text in Spanish composed, translated and or compiled by you. Avoid loading your pages with animated Gif files, large pictures, etc. You want a balance between what's fun and what's actually useful to readers out there.
f) Build a diagram of the site on paper, before building your pages. You want to make sure that your site follows a logical and easy to navigate scheme.
g) Ask for help. Steve is available to help you eight hours a week.
h) As soon as you build a page, e.mail me the page's address. That way I can access it, correct the language and give you feedback.
i) Do not forget the golden rule: CONTENT, CONTENT, CONTENT!

Página Principal de Español 202