Creating the Backbone for the Dickens 2012 Bicentenary An

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Creating the Backbone for the Dickens 2012 Bicentenary An Creating the Backbone for the Dickens 2012 Bicentenary An Interactive Qualifying Project Report Submitted to: Professor Constance Clark______________________________ And Professor Malcolm Ray________________________________ London, Project Center By Zack Lagadinos___________________________________ Paul Lindenfelzer _________________________________ Ryan Rasmussen __________________________________ Eric Scheid_______________________________________ In Cooperation With Dr. Florian Schweizer, Project Coordinator of the Charles Dickens Museum 2 This project report is submitted in partial fulfillment of the degree requirements of Worcester Polytechnic Institute. The views and opinions expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the positions or opinions of the Charles Dickens Museum London or Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Abstract The bicentenary of Charles Dickens is in 2012, and the Dickens Museum in London is planning to implement a literature outreach program leading up to 2012 that will increase interest in Dickens. In particular a younger demographic of 6-14 year olds will be targeted by the campaign. To help the Dickens Museum achieve this, the project team designed a website for the celebration and for general networking purposes. 3 List of Tables ....................................................................................................................... 4 List of Figures..................................................................................................................... 5 Introduction......................................................................................................................... 6 Literature Review................................................................................................................ 8 Charles Dickens .............................................................................................................. 8 Event Planning for a Non-Profit Organization ............................................................. 13 Sponsorship Strategies.................................................................................................. 22 Social Impacts............................................................................................................... 25 Internet Media............................................................................................................... 27 Methodology..................................................................................................................... 29 Research and Study....................................................................................................... 30 Internet Media............................................................................................................... 32 Results............................................................................................................................... 36 Facebook....................................................................................................................... 36 Interviews...................................................................................................................... 36 Website Creation Process ............................................................................................. 38 Content Research .......................................................................................................... 50 Game Creation .............................................................................................................. 52 Board of Trustee’s Presentation.................................................................................... 56 Subpage Developments................................................................................................. 57 Final Design.................................................................................................................. 61 Privacy Policy Statement ................................................................................................... 66 Accessibility.................................................................................................................. 72 Final Testing ................................................................................................................. 74 Future Works ................................................................................................................ 76 Conclusion ........................................................................................................................ 77 References......................................................................................................................... 79 Appendix A....................................................................................................................... 84 4 Organizational Contact List ........................................................................................... 84 Appendix B ....................................................................................................................... 86 Appendix C ....................................................................................................................... 94 Appendix D....................................................................................................................... 95 Interview with Similar Venues ...................................................................................... 95 Appendix E ....................................................................................................................... 97 Interview with Stephanie Parish ................................................................................... 97 Appendix F...................................................................................................................... 101 Appendix G..................................................................................................................... 103 Appendix I ...................................................................................................................... 106 Appendix J ...................................................................................................................... 111 Appendix H..................................................................................................................... 112 Appendix K..................................................................................................................... 113 List of Tables Table 1-Events and their Corresponding Purposes and Audiences (modified from Webber 2003, 126) ......................................................................................................................... 14 Table 2-Six Tactical Dimensions (Adapted from Egri).................................................... 17 Table 3-Social Impact of Cultural Events (Courtesy of Snowball) .................................. 26 Table 4-Original Website Organization............................................................................ 39 Table 5-Correct Answer ActionScript 2.0 Code............................................................... 54 Table 6-ActionScript 2.0 Breakdown ............................................................................... 55 Table 7-Quotations and Images used in Main Animation ................................................ 62 Table 8-Known Issues with Website ................................................................................ 75 Table 9-Future Implementations to the site ...................................................................... 76 5 List of Figures Figure 1-Financial Impact Equation (Adapted from Felsenstein) .................................... 21 Figure 2- Preliminary Sketches of the Homepage Layout................................................ 43 Figure 3-Trial Flash Animation Screenshot...................................................................... 45 Figure 4-Pastel Colored 2-D Buttons................................................................................ 45 Figure 5-First Pastel Colored Logo................................................................................... 46 Figure 6-Pastel Colors vs. Vibrant Colors ........................................................................ 46 Figure 7-Windows Vista Aero-Courtesy of jw.fi ............................................................. 48 Figure 8-Quote Game Intro Page...................................................................................... 54 Figure 9- Homepage Mid-Development Screenshot ........................................................ 57 Figure 10- Kids and Family Page Mid-Development Page.............................................. 58 Figure 11-Games Page Mid-Development Screenshot..................................................... 59 Figure 12-Scholars and Enthusiasts Mid-Development Page........................................... 60 Figure 13-Students and Teachers Mid-Development Page .............................................. 61 Figure 14-GIF Animation showing Text and Picture Fading ........................................... 62 Figure 15-Forums showing modified colors and logos .................................................... 64 Figure 16-Site Map Screenshot......................................................................................... 65 Figure 17-Privacy Policy .................................................................................................
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