Week 3: Effectiveness in Websites and Brainstorming for my own.

Links of two University websites that I will reference in this blog.

http://www.chs.fsu.edu/nfes_doc_es

Link1, from Florida State University

http://www.unc.edu/depts/exercise/

Link2, from the University of North Carolina

Define what you believe to be the primary objectives necessary for creating an effective site.

An effective website in my opinion needs to be simple but attractive. When I log on to a website and see a billion sparkling wizzy dizzies and fonts and titles that are break dancing, I immediately allow myself to feel disgust, then I normally leave that site. Effective sites should be clear and familiar but with color that makes you linger and find the interesting things in it. It is like a nearly clear sky with that true blue color that comes out once in a while. Its not to busy, not too much to look at but authentic, making it hard to turn away.

University websites are typically trying to attract people to their college, their web site should announce professionalism. After all, that is the product of a successful college career; in other words, I want to be good at what I just paid for. That being said, I think that silly fonts and cartoons are unnecessary, it's a university not a daycare. Then there are the University websites that have a Junior College feel. Link 2 is a good example of this, on the front page they have pictures that have been stretched to fit so everyone looks distorted. No thanks, I'm not attending your school just to have my face stretched like elastic across your front page. Of course, I do feel I am being a little rash, but it is easy to be critical when you don't have to format these things yourself, but still, you'd think a college should be able to find someone to design a website.

Link 1 is the better of the two links as far as design is concerned. Florida State University offers an exceptional program in Exercise Science that prepares students to learn the professional, technical, and interpersonal aspects of a career in their proposed work field.

Link 2 is not as appealing it its appearance, but after prodding around a bit I got the impression that UNC actually involves their students in the course work first hand. They display pictures of students rock climbing and exercising, knowing the terrain in North Carolina, I could only be excited about the opportunities that might await there. My perception about this college is a perfect example of what one picture can do for the success of a website.

Because I have not decided yet what I am planning to do for my website I thought I would answer these questions accordingly as if I were very concerned about canine fitness.

I am creating a website to inform the population about the importance of exercise and a healthy lifestyle. Sure we have seen plenty of these, but plenty is not enough. I think that it is important for people to realize that a healthy lifestyle is not just an issue of appearance and feeling good, its about life or death. I talked to a girl not too long ago who told me about her 60 year old grandmother who's in a nursing home in a wheel chair. She is not handicapped; she has diabetes but she is not disabled. What is wrong with this picture. My dad is 60 and he is a black belt in karate and still manages his construction business. I just think that people don't realize that they can do something about it. This website is there to inform about common feeling about exercise and health, and the truth about it.

My readers are young adults and older who should have the ability to understand most of the physiological and psychological concepts pertaining to exercise. The reader is the person in the population who thinks they know something about being healthy, but really they don't. Apparently, if they have found my website they are showing some initiative to do something. Which means they are looking for some guidance. Hopefully, the communication involved will be conducted in such a way that the reader will find the information easy to understand and be able to easily apply it to their own lives. Any specialty discussed will most likely be unknown to the reader.

1. What events and circumstances influence the way you should write?
I need to engage the information that people are regularly exposed to such as media, magazines, and television and pick out the truth and expose the lies.

Usability Objectives (Reader’s Tasks)
1. What are the key questions your reader will ask while reading?
What am I looking for? Is this guy for real? What can I start doing to involve some of these thing in my everyday life?
2. How will your reader search for the answer?
Most likely look for a heading that is similar to their questions. An example of Selective reading, as when using a reference book
3. How will your reader use the information you provide? By attempting to determine how the information you provide will affect him or her, and some will use it to determine how the information you provide will affect his or her organization. Readers may also follow instructions step by step
Persuasive Objectives (Reader’s Attitudes)
1. What is your reader’s attitude toward your subject? Apprehensive Why? Because most people have tried before and failed What do you want it to be? Hopeful
2. What is your reader’s attitude toward you? Most people are skeptical at first. Why? When people look at websites like this, the first thing that comes to mind is 'scam' What do you want it to be? Skeptical is fine as long as they find the information they need.

1. Who, besides your readers, are stakeholders in your communication? Any of my references will have an indirect vested interest in my site 2. How will they be affected by it? Their credibility affects me, and my credibility affects them.
Constraints
1. What expectations, regulations, or other factors limit the way you can write? None hopefully. Only the standards of professionalism. I need to maintain that by not being childish and building my reputation in a credible way.