Get your own Website!

This is something you guys really need. A website is your extension of your portfolio, treat it as such. Make it easy for visitors to navigate and keep it simple, not Flash, no weird codecs, make sure that people can directly link to your individual animation clips or to your reel. If I need to follow instructions on where to go on your site in order to find something, then that's bad. Access needs to be quick and the layout needs to be clear. Not everybody has the latest drivers or movie players or whatever is the "in". The HR person might only some super old computer that can barely breath. I would say that a quicktime movie with a sorenson 3 codec is pretty old fashioned, but not a lot of people will have problems with it.

When you want to post your work in forums, it will deter people if they have to go through weird hosting sites or if they need to unzip a file. There needs to be direct link to your work. Same goes for when you send me your work. If you send me your clip as an attachment, make sure that the clip is a quicktime movie with a frame counter visible in your shot. Sending me packages or weird formats is not preferred, mainly because it diminishes the chances of me seeing it, which means that it's your time wasted. With those prices at the AAU, you don't want to waste anything! :-)

Get your own domain, they are not expensive and someone who will host your site isn't expensive either. I've tried different ones and they all had their problems (server blackout, bad tech support, etc.), but the latest one I'm using, 1and1, is great, super stable, lots of benefits, I can't recommend them more:

Either way, it's really important to have your own site, so you can have your work on it and your resume. Nothing fancy, keep it simple at first, you will always have time to spice it up.

I have gotten interviews at companies thanks to people who saw my animation online. More and more companies are willing to check out your site before you send in a hardcopy of your demoreel. Don't underestimate the importance of an online presence.

Like Edna would say: "Luck favores the prepared."