Chat Bout Dat
Revised Project Proposal
The creation of a new and enlightening patriotic blog that caters to Jamaicans is something that is
needed in an era when the Jamaican youth are becoming more Americanized and slowly
replacing their native culture for that which belongs to somebody else. I see this every day in the
way my college associates speak, dress, and behave. Young adults like myself, need to be
reminded of why we should be proud to be Jamaicans. We have a unique culture that amazes the
entire world, so it puzzles me and other young adults when we see other individuals of our
generation pretend to be American.
I aim to create a Jamaican culture and lifestyle blog that will serve to educate and inform
my generation of the wonderful reasons why being a Jamaican is ‘awesome’. It will have a
throwback feature that will educate users of Jamaica’s past by using text and visual aid. There is
also a ‘quote of the day’ section where I will publish a new Jamaican quotes daily. It will also be
quite entertaining and will deal with some serious issues that ‘wi can tek mek joke’. This blog
will also be beneficial to non-Jamaicans who have a genuine love for our culture and day to day
lifestyle, and citizens in the Jamaican diaspora. It will cover topics that include but are not
limited to: social commentary, food, relationships, and fashion. These topics will grab and keep
the attention of the target audience. The content of the blog will change daily and sometimes
weekly, and will act almost similarly to a news site. This is because any fresh information that is
worth taking about will be posted as soon as possible so the subscribers or users of the blog can
engage in riveting conversations or debates. This will be facilitated by the comments section on
the blog and also the affiliated Facebook page and YouTube account that will be created in the
near future.
The chosen title of the blog is ‘Chat Bout Dat’ which is in keeping with our native
Jamaican first language. The title implies anything that is current or of worth. This is because
when a Jamaican person says “chat bout dat” the phrase is usually directed to topics that are of
burning concern or excitement. The blog will also contain special entertainment features that
deal with our night life, the party scene, and our unique music industry.
Similar blogs and websites that are like this one are outdeh.com, lifestyleinjamaica.com,
sweetjamaica.co.uk, the islandjournal.wordpress.com and jamaicagirl2007.wordpress.com. These
blogs and websites are similar because their content is mostly focused on the Jamaican culture.
My blog will be different because some of the blogs and websites are only focused on one aspect
of our culture. Outdeh.com for example creates content that only focuses on the entertainment
side of our Jamaican lifestyle. This means that they only produce content about events such as
parties and social gatherings. I however, like the fact that it is also a photography site because it
is very visually appealing. I will have a slideshow on my blog that will feature images of
Jamaican public figures in the news, popular trends, sports, and anything Jamaican.
I am very passionate about this blog and I intend to continue it even after the course has
ended. I hope that the Facebook page and YouTube channel will be successful additions to the
blog, as some persons might prefer one platform over the other. I would also like the blog to have
an offline life by creating a magazine called ‘Chat Bout Dat’.
Chat Bout Dat
Prototype
Reflective essay: Refinement of the prototype
The prototype of the blog ‘Chat Bout Dat’ was refined and upgraded after the administrator
received constructive criticism from the lecturer, potential users of the blog and classmates. The
following changes were made: changes to the headline of an article, changes to the content of
some articles, and changes to the layout (presentation) of the blog.
Firstly, after reviewing the prototype, the lecturer commented that the headline of one of
the articles was not cohesive with the content. The article was featuring Shelly-Ann Fraser-
Pryce, a popular Jamaican female athlete that won a race in Poland. The headline was changed to
improve the article, as the administrator now realized that it is wrong to unintentionally mislead
the users of the blog. Additionally, the section called ‘This Day in Jamaica’s History’ will now
have a sub-heading to match the specific content that appears on that day for example if a huge
fire took place on this day in history then under that section the sub-heading would be ‘Huge Fire
in Kingston- 10 killed etc.
Secondly, changes to the content of some articles were made after being reviewed by the
lecturer. In this case hyperlinks were placed in the articles to provide more information to the
users. This is in keeping with the blog’s objective to provide information that can aid the users
understanding of their birth country- Jamaica. So for example, a hyperlink of a sports website
such as the IWAFF website or Shelly-Ann’s Wikipedia page would be placed in the article about
Shelly-Ann Fraser- Pryce. Audio and videos will also be added to provide more information
about the content of some articles. Websites like YouTube.com will be used to add videos; the
Facebook page of the blog will also be used to provide more information on anything that is
newsworthy and current. It is however in its early stage at this moment. Also, the Jamaican
‘Quote of the Day’ will be explained instead of just writing a quote that some users might not
understand. This will allow them to share their new found knowledge with others.
Finally, after receiving criticism from the lecturer, potential users and friends the
administrator has also decided to make changes to the layout of the blog. The slideshow was said
to lack a title for the pictures but this proved difficult to do, with more attempts the administrator
will seek to do this or if this cannot be done a decision might be made to remove the slideshow
from the blog. Some friends have said that the slideshow’s removal will not detract from the
overall presentation of the blog. Additionally, the ‘follow’ button that was at the bottom of the
blog has been moved closer to the top. This change was made because potential users said the
Item was hard to locate.
The administrator is deeply appreciative of the comments and critiques that were given
by the lecturer, potential users and friends. They have improved the blog and have made it more
interesting and easier to navigate through the content on the blog. Most people did however say
that the blog was wonderful and that it could potentially become very popular because it features
things they are interested in. Some also said humorously that they could not believe I was the one
how created the blog.
Revised prototype
Documentation of the project’s development process
The blog ‘Chat Bout Dat’ started from an idea. A simple idea to create a Jamaican culture and
lifestyle blog that would educate, entertain, and inform college students about their native
Jamaican culture. The development or production process began with a proposal. This contained
my plans and initial ideas for the creation of the blog. At this stage I created: the name, several
features on the blog, the target audience, and the idea to create two affiliated pages (a YouTube
account and Facebook page) and a hard copy magazine.
Secondly, the developmental process continued with the creation of the prototype. This
was the first draft of the blog. At this stage the blog was created from the wordpress.com domain
website. The Sunspot theme was chosen to display the blog because of its appealing colors and
background. Several features were also placed on the blog, these included a ‘Quote of the Day’
feature, ‘This Day in Jamaica’s History’ and a slide show with trendy Jamaican public figures.
Additionally the process continued with a reflection of the prototype. At this stage several
changes were made to the blog after feedback was given from users, associates and the lecturer.
The quote of the day feature was revised after a critique by the lecturer. An explanation of the
quote was provided so that users could understand adequately. The explanation is in keeping with
my initial aim to educate my users. Changes were also made to the ‘This Day in Jamaica’s
History’ feature. A subheading was added to aid comprehension of the content. The slideshow
was then removed after it was deemed unnecessary. Changes to some articles were made as
hyperlinks were added. The layout of the blog was also changed after some widgets like the
‘follow button’ were moved around to allow the blog to be more visually appealing. The
Facebook page and YouTube account were then created to be affiliates of the blog. They both
retained the ‘Chat Bout Dat’ title to maintain a unified characteristic on the different electronic
publishing platforms. A link that connects the Facebook page to the blog was also added so users
could like and support the page while switching platforms easily.
The final stage in the development process was the creation of the final project. This
contains video, audio and text files that were uploaded or linked to all three platforms. The
separate video and audio file were combined into one file and was made into the introductory
video that explains to potential users what the blog is about. It is entitled ‘Video Discussing the
Official Launch of The blog & FB Page’ and it was uploaded to the blog’s YouTube account to
make this combined file downloadable. The text version of the final project was done in the form
of a new, original article that is entitled ‘5 Ways to Keep a Jamaican Man’. This text was
uploaded to the blog and then shared to the Facebook account. This file is downloadable by a
copy and paste format.
The decision to abandon the offline magazine was made because of the expense of that
venture. Several other challenges were faced during the development process because I
possessed no prior knowledge of creating blogs before this project, and the Word press domain
was sometimes difficult to comprehend. It also took me awhile to create a name for the blog. I
however overcame all those challenges with hard work and dedication. I will continue this
project after the course has ended, because I believe people are interested in the blog’s objective
which is to educate, entertain, and inform them about the Jamaican culture. I will recruit a team
who will assist me in administrating the YouTube and Facebook accounts.
Links and Final Prototype
Wordpress.com- http://chatboutdat.wordpress.com/
Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/chatboutdat
Youtube- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmlsqZr-i781pX-
S9mXMlig
Other Platforms
Youtube