Website Evaluation

Website Address:

http://harrogatetimes.web.officelive.com/default.aspx

Second Page Address:

http://harrogatetimes.web.officelive.com/Article.aspx

This is my Home page for the newspaper website. In order to create cohesion and a symbiotic relationship between newspaper and website, I used the house style and brand identity. I also applied all generic conventions that I researched to create a genuine looking product. This helps the audience to identify what product they are using. In Microsoft Office Live I used the layout which had the most columns so that I could use these to my advantage and include more information. I used HTML codes to create scrolling text which shows the interactivity of the website and a genuine feel. Integrating the interactivity concept into my website falls in line with the Uses and Gratifications theory, which suggests that the audience can take and use only the information they choose.

I decided to fill the lower half of the page with advertisements and "links" to other articles as I found this was more generic than simply just using articles with images. The four main articles in my newspaper were the main stories to be shown on the website. I found through my research that only the main or more important articles are shown on the homepage. Adverts such as "Dating" and offers for the readers appear frequently, I created these using Microsoft Word and Paint, as they only needed to be simple images and not interactive links. At the very bottom of the webpage, I decided to include a "Press Complaints Commission", as this also appears on all newspaper websites. This is to give readers the option to complain about an article or claim

made in the newspaper or website.

This is my second hyperlinked page, linked from the homepage. It is the main article that appears on both the hard copy of the newspaper, this also creates cohesion. Second page conventions generally varied, so I used a variety of different conventions. For example, some websites use adverts within their second page. Due to the lack of space and the length of the article, I felt it was not necessary to include any advertisements. I used a sidebar to create links to 'other pages' of the site. In the article, I used cross lines to separate paragraphs, which I also used on the hard copy of the newspaper.

I used a 'slideshow' tool on Microsoft Office Live to give a variety of three pictures. I also added a comment box option using HTML, which is a generic convention of a second page. I am very pleased with the final turn out of the whole website.

Tiffany Jackson - I think this website is really well thought out. It has a simple and easy navigation, as well as having a professional look.