In the realm of amateur fan archiving, the digital preservation of its fanfiction is held paramount. However, fanfiction is the natural result of its hosting platform, and it is crucial to consider this in its preservation. Through exploring both the history of the tenuous digital space of fan communities and its fanfiction terminology, this series of blog posts reveals three potential solutions to the natural difficulties of preserving context and space: introductions, disclaimers, and emulation. This project can function as a complement to the work of fan archivists to ensure that their efforts are as complete as is feasible.

In today’s digital age, online platforms are a primary source of knowledge exchange and social interactions. However, the quality of interactions can vary widely and not all contributions are constructive and conducive to a productive discourse. Constructive feedback is crucial as it fosters learning, promotes understanding, and encourages a respectful exchange of ideas. Prior work has focused on classifying constructiveness of user comments on news websites, however is not transferable to social media websites since news websites are heavily moderated. In response, in this paper, we developed a model trained on reddit comments capable of effectively discerning the quality and constructiveness of a user's comments in an unfiltered environment. This model can be deployed on social media websites as a black box feature to filter out non-constructive comments that lack substance to encourage more insightful discussions and promote more meaningful exchanges. Our novel approach leverages Large Language Models to auto annotate constructiveness and then build a task-specific model that learns to detect constructiveness of comments based on a taxonomy of carefully engineered features. We were able to achieve X% accuracy with the X classifier. 

Social media effectively raises environmental awareness in youth, but it struggles to inspire consistent and sustainable actions. Our product, EcoFriends, introduces user-friendly sustainable habits for young adults, aiming to demystify sustainable living. Our website contains short videos that offer reliable information and relatable content, showcasing easy integration of sustainability into daily life. Our primary target is the 18-25 age group, being the largest social media demographic, they have the most significant stake on conservation efforts. Empowering them with actionable steps can harness their potential to make a lasting impact on wildlife conservation and environmental sustainability.

Fashion Footprint is a Chrome Extension that addresses the information gap in fashion sustainability influenced by YouTube content. Our project provides real-time sustainability scores for clothing items featured in fashion-related YouTube videos. By scraping and analyzing data from sustainability rating platforms and combining existing scores, we offer transparent insights into brand practices and material compositions. Our results show that brands frequently mentioned in YouTube videos often have poor sustainability ratings. By highlighting these issues, our project empowers consumers to reflect on their purchasing habits and make more informed, eco-friendly decisions and aims to reduce overconsumption driven by influencers on YouTube.

Last year, the High Point Public Library began hosting its House of Arts club to promote access to art within the community. To encourage the club’s scope, the Library needed to raise awareness via social media and enhance its offerings through community partnerships. Through this capstone, the Library developed a stable internet presence through their existing Facebook and a new but growing Instagram. Additionally, the club gained three art professionals who have led or will lead workshops for the community. These efforts have ensured that the High Point community has an accessible and high-quality option to explore their artistic interests.

Howler addresses the challenge of providing a supportive platform for University of Washington students grappling with self-expression. Our journaling application nurtures a positive, safe, and creative community, enabling students to articulate thoughts and concerns through daily prompts. Howler provides a platform for expressive exploration, empowering students to confront personal and professional obstacles while building connections with peers. By fostering reflection and a sense of solidarity, Howler cultivates a supportive environment, advocating for well-being and promoting a community culture on campus, ultimately enriching the lives of University of Washington students.

Our Project in the Ballard High School Makerspace focused on planning passive crafting programming and workshops in collaboration with student-led groups. Acknowledging the need for self-led, simple crafts, that students can use to destress during lunch, we shifted focus to smaller, more accessible activities. We facilitated 12 successful lunchtime passive programming craft activities, which engaged 272 students. Collaboration with student groups guided our facilitation of in-depth workshops. We hosted workshops with three student organizations. Challenges included scheduling conflicts, materials acquisition, and skills transfer. Despite obstacles, our project enhanced student engagement and offered meaningful creative opportunities that spoke to student passions.

PetLife provides pet owners comprehensive pet care knowledge to reduce veterinary visits and ensure the well-being of their beloved pets. The web platform is an online community tailored to the needs of pet owners and serves as a centralized hub where pet owners can access valuable resources, engage with other pet owners and breeders, and exchange insights and experiences related to pet care.

I worked with teacher librarian, TuesD Chambers, at Ballard High School to create a podcast for students and staff to share their experiences. The project would use Adobe Podcast Beta to record and edit. I created a survey that was shared on the library website to promote the opportunity and gain insight into participation level. However, there wasn’t any interaction with the survey, but in the classroom, over 90 students used the software and created their own podcasts.

Addressing the fashion industry’s sustainability challenges and lack of inclusive online communities, Styled seeks to revolutionize the digital fashion space by prioritizing education, diversity, and responsible consumption. Through community forums and guides, users can explore new styles, manage their wardrobe efficiently, and receive constructive fashion feedback in a safe environment. To empower users to make eco-conscious choices we provide sustainability statistics related to their closet and direct individuals to tools for learning about and contributing to the eco-friendly fashion space. Our emphasis on ethical and inclusive values inspires individuals to adopt sustainable practices and navigate the fashion landscape with confidence.