¶ 1 Leave a comment on paragraph 1 0 What It Is and Why It Happened
¶ 2 Leave a comment on paragraph 2 0 An online platform that gathers, displays, and promotes events concerning Hispanic culture around the City of New York.
¶ 3 Leave a comment on paragraph 3 0 There currently does not exist a digital platform where to find cultural activities related to Spanish-speaking countries and territories from both sides of the Atlantic. Of course, users can easily find things to do in the city when it comes to Hispanic culture. However, most times it has to do with vague, touristy experiences that do not embrace the true values of their people—let alone mention any humanistic examples related to them on the same platform.
¶ 4 Leave a comment on paragraph 4 0 There are many more problems that come with the regular online sites at the moment: the lack of attractive events, the requirement of a much easier accessibility, and the impossibility to meet the needs of a wider public. This platform aims to offer—through an extensive array of categories—the opportunity to find not only cultural experiences, but also academic events that promote Hispanic languages and literatures. Considering that all major colleges and universities in New York City have a department dedicated to Hispanic and/or Latino studies, incorporating academic conferences held at different institutions and organizations year-round can be an element of interest to a particular sector of the public as well. Since there are many associations and institutions in NYC—including the Hispanic Society of America, the Cervantes Institute, the Queen Sofia Spanish Institute of New York, or the Institut Ramon Llull, among others—the creation of a common site seems nothing but appropriate.
¶ 5 Leave a comment on paragraph 5 0 As times change, it is important to bring together the Hispanic community and to reinforce the cultural heritage by encouraging its social engagement.
¶ 6 Leave a comment on paragraph 6 0 The platform will also facilitate user interaction and collaboration regarding a variety of issues such as the promotion of events, their attendance, and even the public advertising of additional activities.
¶ 7 Leave a comment on paragraph 7 0 Deliverables
¶ 8 Leave a comment on paragraph 8 0 Prototype – An online platform that contains all the information detailed above.
¶ 9 Leave a comment on paragraph 9 0 Maps and Data Visualization – For example, GIS software (CARTO, QGIS, NeatLine) that visually displays where the events happen every week/month in NYC will be very helpful when it comes to catching the viewer’s attention.
¶ 10 Leave a comment on paragraph 10 0 Data Management Plan – A DMP will help manage the data for this project and ensure it will not disappear in case of an unexpected emergency.
¶ 11 Leave a comment on paragraph 11 0 Categories – The different categories of events on the site will include (as a starting point): Academia, Literature, Music, Performing Arts, Urban Culture, and Visual Arts.
¶ 12 Leave a comment on paragraph 12 0 Timeline (from February 8th to May 24th).
¶ 13 Leave a comment on paragraph 13 0 Roles
¶ 14 Leave a comment on paragraph 14 0 Project Manager – The person who will be responsible for leading the project and being in charge of keeping everything on track. In order to supervise everyone else’s work, the Project Manager will have a general knowledge of digital computing, and will make sure the rest of the team respects the deliverables and the given timeline.
¶ 15 Leave a comment on paragraph 15 0 Lead Developer – On the one hand, the Lead Developer will be in charge of creating the back-end of the WordPress platform. On the other hand, they will ensure to provide the platform with alternative information such as maps of NYC (CARTO, QGIS, NeatLine) showing where the events take place, data visualization of past events, and promotional adds—including videos and images.
¶ 16 Leave a comment on paragraph 16 0 Lead Graphic Designer – Their role is closely connected to the Lead Developer. The Lead Graphic Designer will be responsible for setting up the front-end of the platform and making sure the visual component of the site matches the team’s purpose.
¶ 17 Leave a comment on paragraph 17 0 Social Media Outreach – Social media will play an essential role on reaching out to the public. Facebook and Twitter campaigns will encourage the promotion not only of the events, but also of the site.
¶ 18 Leave a comment on paragraph 18 0 User – User participation and interaction will help the social media outreach.
¶ 19 Leave a comment on paragraph 19 0 Complementary Information
¶ 20 Leave a comment on paragraph 20 0 After the very helpful feedback I received during last week’s class, I just thought it would be convenient to put together a few sites that can illustrate the type of platform I envisioned for this project.
¶ 21 Leave a comment on paragraph 21 0 On the one hand, web pages such as nyc.com or the TimeOut section for New York City not only are more than valid examples, but also display the information in a event-calendar guide mode. Moreover, DNAinfo appropriately source-covers different types of news from the different neighborhoods of the city, which is an excellent way to make the information more accessible to the user according to their own preferences.
¶ 22 Leave a comment on paragraph 22 0 On the other hand—and just for everyone else to get a sense of the institutional approach of the events—the majority of the scholarly conferences and lectures concerning Hispanic culture can be found in the platforms that follow: the Cervantes Institute New York, the Institut Ramon Llull, the HLBLL at the Graduate Center, the King Juan Carlos Center at New York University, and, for example, the Hispanic Institute at Columbia University.