An overarching theme has become apparent in what I’ve learned thus far through my internship: interconnectedness. Perhaps the word “internet” should have made this particular lesson a no-brainer, but I had not realized how much of a good web presence depended on linking to other websites. I am becoming more and more aware of the true network that underlies all that is posted on the internet. 

In the article I posted most recently, I included links imbedded into words for the first time. This was a suggestion from my faculty supervisor, who explained that it was a way I could avoid congesting the article with too many URLs while still providing helpful links. More links means more connections. 

A second learning opportunity came up when a pingback arrived in my e-mail. Because the Creative Arts Department regulates the website’s comment section, comments must be approved before they can show up on the site. This precaution helps to prevent someone with ill-intent from gaining greater access to the website. While we want to prevent bad comments from showing up on the site, it’s important to also increase the connectedness of the site. This is why pingbacks and retweets are significant. They create more avenues of access.  

I have a feeling my awareness of these connections will only continue to grow the more time I spend in this internship.