February 12, 2009
Homework Post #3: Comparison
"Octuplet Mom" Speaks Out
Post #3
February 12, 2009
Comparison: News Story and Blog Post
A national and international Internet news website was the best site to use as a source for the content comparison of a news story and a blog post.
CNN‘s website remains a valuable online tool for news seekers; offering traditional news stories, video, blogs and other interactive mediums to engage the viewers.
A major story that has generated buzz as of late is the story about the woman who gave birth to octuplets recently.
This woman is certifiably crazy for bringing eight more children into this world and totalling her brood to 14 offspring.
CNN’s web coverage of a recent development in the ongoing story, discusses the website that this woman has set up to solicit donations for her children. The crazy woman’s site features photographs of the octuplets and lists their birth weights ranging from one pound to three pounds. She set up the site to accept any funds that people would like to donate, because she has “no plans on being welfare mom.” She even defends her ability to provide for the 14 children she is now stuck with. (Morally, this site is wrong, but that is not the purpose of this post!)
The Morning Express blog features a different aspect to the 33-year-old’s current situation — the financial burden she is to the American tax payers. The post states she will in fact be a “welfare mom” and received food stamps before the octuplets were born. The Los Angeles Times is reporting that she already owes $50,000 in student loans and anticipates using other student loans to raise her children once she completes her degree.
The blog post offers a side of the story that should elicit anger from the American taxpayers, while the online article advertises her website and unintentionally encourages those Americans to donate as well as pay for her with tax money. Possibly an ethical issue? There is an obvious difference in the reporting done in the two stories. The online story should have been posted on the blog, while the blog story should have been featured on the website.
February 8, 2009
Homework Post #2: Newspaper/Television Websites
Post #2
February 8, 2009
Newspaper/Television Websites —
Andrews County News:
The Andrews County News is the local newspaper for residents in Andrews, Texas. This small West Texas town of 10,ooo people took their paper to the internet several years ago and unfortunately for them the website looks like it has not been updated since.
First Offense: Scroll, baby, Scroll.
The viewer is struck with scrolling text on the home page. Scrolling text is one of the items listed in Jakob Nielsen’s Top Ten Mistakes in Web Design. This feature dates the newspaper’s website and ultimately reflects the small-town mind frame.
Second Offense: What is that?
Along the left side of the screen is what appears to be a scanned copy of the front page of the latest issue. The purpose of this picture is unknown, other than to remind visitors that the company still prints actual hard copies. You cannot open this image to view a larger version.
Third Offense: Boring.
This site is easy to use because there is not much to it. I imagine this was the goal of creators because West Texans tend to be set in their ways and unwilling to change. Non-tech-savvy residents could access the site without any problem, but why bother when it is so boring.
Fourth Offense: Uh-Oh’s.
The first story has an extremely noticeable spelling mistake of the word ‘local’, they chose to use the uncommon version ‘lo9cal’.
Quick Fixes: The Solution.
1.) The paper should utilize the format of the hard copy and incorporate it into the site, which does not resemble the paper in any form.
2.) The online edition should offer more than teases of their top stories so a visitor does not have to subscribe and log in to view the full versions of the stories.
3.) As a former reader of this paper, I rarely saw grammatical errors and believe that they should not exist on their online version because it is much easier to correct, no re-prints involved.
4.) Finally, they should trade-in the computer mouse graphic at the top of the page for a graphic with local meaning. Viewers are accessing the newspaper online and do not need a reminder that they are using some form of a computer to do so.
Midland Reporter Telegram:
Located in Midland, Texas, the Midland Reporter Telegram is part of Hearst Newspapers. The newspaper serves the West Texas region and their website reflects that because it does not focus on Midland. This site is a far cry from perfect, but centuries ahead of the Andrews County News website.
First Offense: Where am I?
The reader would have to search for the publication this site represents because the newspaper’s name is in small text and unnoticeable. Also, aesthetically the site looks like one of those squatter-pages that you are directed to if you misspell a web address.
Second Offense: Nice Graphics, not.
There must a have been a contest at a local elementary school to create the graphics that top the webpage. They feature an orange skyline of downtown Midland to left of a large orange ball that symbolizes the “dot” in .com. This is just ugly and further resembles those squatter-pages or rouge-search pages stumbled upon while browsing.
Third Offense: Ads or Stories?
The links to the stories resemble the links to the advertisements and this can be deceiving to viewers, and frustrating to others.
Fourth Offense: Ugly Editorials.
If you happen to have unattractive journalists working for your publication, do not feature them on the main page. It took me several minutes to realize the thumbnail photos of the opinion column writers were not an ad for one of those school reunion websites where they make fun of the way people looked in high school. Don’t censor your journalists’ words, just their photos.
The Good: Look at those Headlines.
The newspaper’s site actually resembles the hard copy because it offers headlines. Headlines are what intrigue the reader to read more.
The Good: Linked Up.
The site offer many links to other portions of their website, but also offers links to national stories and job postings. However, it is really walking the line of having too many links and not enough content on the front page.
CBS 7:
The CBS affiliate of West Texas is CBS 7, located in a shopping mall in Odessa, Texas. Their location in this mall is vital to reaching out to the community because the station has a large glass wall in the studio and newsroom that allows people to watch the production of news in person. This is the best station in the area and their website reflects that.
First Offense: An Ad Too Many.
Despite advertisements being vital to a station’s revenue, sometimes there are just too many — and this is the case for CBS 7′s site. To make up for this offense, the ads are placed along the sides of the website bordering the actual information in the center of the page.
Second Offense: Whether there’s Weather?
It is a well-known fact that the main reason veiwers tune into television news is for weather. The television station’s site should reflect that trend as well. Although it is featured in the first part of the front page, it is included as a sidenote.
The Good: The Big Time.
For a West Texas based site, CBS 7′s web version could compete with larger stations in bigger markets like Dallas.
The Good: Mulitmedia.
Video is incorporated into the front page of the site and viewers can log on to see previous stories and packages that aired on the newscasts. Also offered are teasers for upcoming stories. This is a good function for viewers that are interested in certain stories and do not have the time to watch an entire newscast.
Big 2 News:
Big 2 was the first station established in West Texas, sadly it is the worst of the three news stations located there. The station is affiliated with ABC and has experience many hardships. They now operate with one anchor and two daily newscasts (5pm and 10pm). However, their website does not reflect their lack of funds or production quality.
First Offense: Bad URL.
Their website URL is permianbasin360.com, which is a terrible URL for a television station named Big 2 News. It is an obvious attempt to incorporate the community by using the ‘Permian Basin’ name that most residents are familiar with, since the area is referred to as the ‘Permian Basin’ during prehistoric times. However, the site name is gimmicky and tacky.
Second Offense: Dated News.
Some of the news featured on the site should be removed because it is dated. Websites have archives for a reason, the front page is for current news only.
The Good: Good Site, Bad TV.
The website is informative despite the quality of the television newscasts that are featured on the site. A visitor can view video of previous newscasts that feature the one anchor in front of a screen reading from a teleprompter. The text-versions of the stories are easier to digest.
The Good: Where are the Ads?
Fortunately for visitors, the advertisments on this site are not intrusive and are sparse. Although, this might have something to do with their lack of funds and production technology – they probably actually need more advertisers.
Conclusion:
All of the sites visited were easy to navigate and did not offer dead links. With a few nips and tucks, these sites could be overhauled and be extremely effective in serving their purpose. The writing used on the sites could stand to be formatted a little more for the web, but gets the job done as is.
February 5, 2009
In-Class Blog Assignment
Tuesday, February 5, 2009
Jobless Numbers Soar
American unemployment claims surprisingly soared to a 26-year high last week according to the Labor Department.
First-time jobless claims increased by nearly 600,000 the last week of January, making it the highest since 1982.
Labor costs increased by 1.8 percent says the Labor Department.
This devastating news comes while President Barack Obama pushes his economic stimulus legislation.
The legislation ranges from the $819 billion passed in the House of Representatives to the nearly $900 billion package being discussed in the Senate.
Companies continue to cut jobs daily, with more than 500,000 jobs cut in January according to ADP Employer Services.
Thousands of Palestinians Without Homes
Israel’s three week attack on the Gaza Strip forced at least 16,000 people to take shelter in tents according to aid workers.
Ten camps serve as temporary accommodations for those that lost their homes
February 3, 2009
Observation Assignment
Post #1
February 3, 2009
Observation (P.52)
The Campus Chat located at the University of North Texas always has a distinct smell of fried food. That unpleasant smell permeates throughout the Union building but somehow skips the bookstore. The name ‘Campus Chat’ reflects what the students are doing in this space – chatting. They are not chatting in an online format, but in face-to-face situations often while grabbing a bite to eat. Students from all walks of life gather in this place to chow down on chicken sandwiches from Chik-Fil-A, tacos from Taco Bell, or even freshly prepared sushi. The first two food options are the culprits for the Chat’s strong fried odor. Noon tends to be high traffic time for this area and finding a table with available chairs can be difficult. The best seat in the area is located right in front of the large fireplace, which is always lit during the winter months. For a second, one could mistake their surroundings for a ski lodge or some place much more pleasant than an academic setting. It is obvious that students come here to take a break from their classes and nourish their bodies, even if it is with processed meats and French fries. There is a conversation at every table in the Chat, sometimes there is more than one conversation when students push tables and chairs together to accommodate groups larger than four. Voices are the main noise that can be heard as Mondays seem to serve as a day for the students to catch up on what they might have missed over the weekend. Nearby tables host discussions regarding the upcoming deadline for graduation applications, while others are hosting reunions for former classmates. Most of chairs in the room have jackets or sweaters draped across them because the cool outside temperatures forced the students to bundle up with layers before heading to campus. As the clock ticks away, students stand up and put their jackets back and clear their table of any remnants of their fried lunches before heading off to class or work. Their tables remain empty only for a short time before another batch of people take their place armed with fried food and something to chat about.
In order to make this story more interactive, I would include a slide show of the areas in the Union that I described. Photographs would include shots of students walking into the Union, students around the table, and students in line to purchase food. A cool feature to add to this story would be a list of the main entrées that you can purchase, or even just a list of the different restaurants in the Union. And most importantly, the hours of operation would be displayed on this site. Also located near the Campus Chat is the One O’Clock Lounge where events take place weekly, so I would include a link to a schedule of upcoming events. I would also include a link to the Union’s website, so readers could find information about the services offered there.
Students in the Union Building at UNT
