CAP506
As you may recall from the MRK224, the Effective Business Presentations course, the ePortfolio is an electronic, digitized version of "who you are". For the purposes of this course, the eportfolio needs to be quite professional, that is, a website that you will proudly use to represent you to potential employers. Thus, it needs to not only describe your strengths and skills, but it also displays your creative abilities when it comes to designing a site which illustrates your attributes and achievements. Keeping it simple can be a good plan rather than opting for a high maintenance site requiring special plug-ins and the latest browsers - this might work against you should your site visitor have difficulty accessing your pages.
Remember it is not only the quantity of material you include but the quality of that work. Poorly resolved or sized images detract. Spelling mistakes and typos are a sign of carelessness. Cute animated gifs are not appropriate in reaching your target market. It may help to research the types of businesses that you are attracted to. What images have they chosen for their print and online materials? Without copying their work, see if you can emulate the style that they use in reaching their market.
The following are optional ways in which to produce your eportfolio.
1. You'll probably need to revise the eportfolio you created for MRK224. Make sure it has good navigation overall, consistency and all of the points noted in the eportfolio criteria. You can use the FTP program to transfer revised versions of your pages to your account on the learn server. Keep in mind that this account will close after graduation. If you choose this option your business card with your eportfolio web address will need to be changed and you will need to move your files to another server in the near future.
2. Use Freewebs for creating and hosting your eportfolio. You will need to register for an account. It is fairly easy to use. Resist using the animated mouse trails and other frills - keep it looking professional. The advantage is that you can keep this account after you graduate for as long as the company exists. There is an example that has been created according to the criteria ( marking guidelines) for you to use as a reference. It is important to keep your eportfolio simple. Three primary pages: Main page, Career page and Interests page. You will also want to have a Contacts page and if you are going for "Extra's a Photo Gallery is one choice - just be sure the photos are interesting, appropriate and well captioned. Your target audience for this eportfolio is a potential employer.
Examples of Previous Marketing Students' ePortfolios (some links will be inactive if students no longer have accounts). Not all of these are the best examples - you will find some that are excellent models and some that show you things to avoid. You'll have to decide for yourself what looks professional and would work well for you.