For my final reflections, I will be outlining what has been most beneficial to me in this project of observing the web. I think it is very interesting to take a different and more intentional look at some sites I’ve used for long periods of times without considering much how the site was working or what was so convenient about it. Throughout the course of this project, I’ve come to recognize certain features that I value in a site. I am very intrigued in the rhetoric of the site through the organization of its information. I think it is very important that creators of a site be aware of their audience so they are able to direct the most salient information to that group immediately. Web users are impatient. When designers are considering the layout of the sites, they must keep in mind that there is inevitably another site that is competing with them for content information. If this particular site is hesitant to give the user the necessary information, the user will not stick around for long. I also think it is very interesting that a web designer must try to anticipate what the site user will expect when clicking on certain links. Of course these expectations will sometimes be erroneous, but I think the ability of the web designer to do so is what the effectiveness of the site often hinges on. I have found myself to be a far more critical user of the internet after performing this exercise. I am more conscious of the ways in which the information is organized on the page, the color scheme, and the effect of the proximity of information. Even the design of the logo catches my attention, as I contemplate the ways in which this detail establishes a sense of what the site is about. I think this is an effective way of engaging in the web-creation community. It is appropriate to listen (or view in this case) before speaking (creating web space). I am more confident in my abilities to recognize and perpetuate effective practice of design.

One of York’s classier bars, Cobblestone’s hosts an attractive website as well. The design and navigation of the website are helpful in determining important features, what to order (food, beer, liquor), and even the history of the establishment. I think even the ordering of the tabs is intentional because it truly emphasizes the features of the place rather than its own history (which is almost the last tab). The tabs are: Home, Menu, Banquet Menu, Beer Selection, Mixed Drink Selection, About, and Contact.  The homepage displays a bulleted list of amenities the establishment includes. The banner across the top displaying the logo is attractive and subdued, hinting at more classy approach to a bar. However, there are also pool balls in place of the o’s to remind the user what is available. The most eye-catching element of the home page is the image of the bar. I don’t quite remember it looking like that, but my memory could most certainly be faulty. Towards the bottom of the page, there are three columns entitled: Specials, Events, and News. Information about locations and hours of operations is posted at the very bottom of the site, where one might expect it to be.

The colors of the site are classy and a little dark, which I think is appropriate for the establishment. The colors of the image match well with the rest of the colors on the page. The only colors I’m not convinced work very well are those at the top of the three columns. They are far brighter than the others on the page, which is a bit distracting and surprising. More specifically, the green seems out of place. In terms of alignment, there are tables employed to organize the information and standardize the overall look of the site. Repetition is employed through the background color, the logo and the font color and style.  Together, these elements of style combine to create a very functional and aesthetically pleasing site.

I discovered 4Shared while I was browsing the list of the top 100 websites. I thought it sounded intriguing and decided to check it out. To sign up, all I had to do was provide my email address and create a password. By creating this account, I have the privilege of storing up to 10 G of information on 4Shared for free. The loading time is not half bad, either. I uploaded my entire online portfolio in approximately 5 minutes. I did not have to upload the files separately, I could upload multiple at a time. I selected my whole folder, and it was finished in uploading quickly. The user can choose whether or not to allow the files to be shared. I selected not to share these files, since they include my personal information.

In terms of design, the homepage for 4Shared is quite attractive. The colors work together well, and it appears to be a high-energy and professional site. There are many images, but it does not appear to be too crowded. The text within the logo banner provides most of the important information for the site: its purpose, the fact that it’s free, how much space a user gets, etc. As a file sharing site, I thought it was fitting that there was a search bar on the main page, allowing users and non-users alike to browse what people are posting. There are also downloads available for the desktop, toolbars, and mobile phones. This site links to both Twitter and Facebook. The colors of the site are attractive: white, green, blue, and an occasional red. The gray container in the center of the page provides sufficient contrast for the text. The site is quite user-friendly and does not lead the person to unexpected links, which can be frustrating and take away the agency of the site user. The most prominent alignment feature is the rows in which the information is stored. Although the vertical lines are much more difficult to distinguish, both contribute to the professionalism and organization of the site. Overall, I think the site is quite useful, and I intend to use it for file-sharing.

As I presumed, the Apple website reflects the tech savvy-ness that I anticipated. The design of the website is clean, attractive, and user-friendly. On the homepage, the featured product was the iPad. The graphic is large and detailed, emphasizing its thin build. This is the focal point of the homepage. At the top of the page, the tabs are arranged on a gray banner. Instead of the “home” page designation, the Apple graphic represents the index page. The focus of the site is clearly on the products themselves, as the tabs are labeled with the following: Store, Mac, iPod, iPhone, iPad, iTunes, and Support. A search bar is located to the right of the tabs. Towards the bottom of the page, there is a small table of news headlines for Apple. Other tabs about the logistics of the site are located at the very, very bottom of the page in a small, nondescript font. Design consistency is maintained throughout the site, fulfilling that requirement for good design. Although the design of the page was very simple and straightforward, the principle of alignment was also upheld. In terms of contrast, the colors of the site were plain, but they emphasized the product, as seemed to be the rhetorical purpose of the site. The image on the screen of the iPad matched well with the gray and blue accents. The proximity of content was not distracting or misleading in any way, so I believe the overall design of the site was excellent and intentional.

I was surprisingly charmed by the design of CNN.com. I thought, like the many other news sources I’ve analyzed, that CNN would be rather disordered and frustrating to search. However, I thought its design worked far better than the others I’ve seen. The color scheme is very nice. I like the bright red border across the top with the logo for CNN. The plain white background allows for sharp contrast of text and imbedded images. Everything appeared so neat and tidy on the site. There are feature images and video at the top of the screen. Surprisingly, there was also an advertisement for Netflix. I am not sure whether or not the advertisement rotated in, but it was rather unobtrusive because it blended into the color scheme and formatting of the site. There are many, many tabs across the top of the page to account for the many sections of the news source. There was also a tab for NewsPulse, which seemed more like citizen journalism or something of the sort because there were updates throughout the whole day, and the user is shown the popularity and comments of each post. There is a search bar at the top of the screen to give the user agency in navigating the site. There is a column of “friends’ activities,” which I found strange since I don’t have an account on CNN. However, one of my Facebook friends had a “recommendation.” There was a table of different videos on the same issue (oil spill), and also a column for latest news headlines. Beneath there is a row of “editor’s picks” of videos that users can view. The principle of alignment is especially important in the table of section titles: U.S., World, Business, Politics, Entertainment…. There was also a block for an online survey, and a listing of the top ten “hot topics.” At the bottom of the screen, a short weather description is given. Although there is a lot of information contained on this homepage, I think it is remarkable how the principles of design unite to organize the information effectively.

Photobucket allows members to store, edit, and share photos and videos online. Users can manipulate and overwrite photos with text, creating images similar to Facebook bumper stickers. The site advertises for photo contests in which members can compete and vote on submissions. Membership on Photobucket is free. Users are able to use search bars to look for types of images, or they can choose from different categories listed to narrow their search. The design of the site is rather simple and straightforward. The logo is located in the top left corner, and the search bar in the top right, as per standard. The most prominent image is located immediately beneath the logo and announces the purpose of the site: “Capture forever. Share today.” The slogan also emphasizes that the service is completely free. The icons for Facebook, Twitter, and email are located within this container, advertising the sharing capability. Immediately beneath the search bar is a box that allows a person to sign up for Photobucket.  The second most attention-drawing aspect of the site is the table of images (3×4). These images represent a category of images the user can search, or else the user can employ the search bar immediately above to find what he/she’s looking for. Other categories are listed beneath the table in different sized fonts, all together in a row, which is a design principle I found strange, but this is the second time I’ve seen this done to organize tags for pictures online. The bottom container of the site is helpful for navigation or information-gathering because it pulls everything together. I found the site quite easy to use and intuitive. Rhetorically, its purpose seemed to be convenience for the user because of the amount of search bars on the homepage (3). I thought this seemed the give the user agency, which is endearing for the user. The table in the center of the page helped with the alignment of the site. The other containers lined up with the cells of the table. Although the colors were vibrant and exciting, I found them to be energetic rather than offensive. Overall, I thought the site was well-designed, and it’s easy to see why it is so popular.

On the homepage for Wikipedia, there is a white background and a blue globe in the center of the screen. The different languages in which Wikipedia has articles published surround the globe. They title the search bar in the various languages, and one can choose the language in which the articles are written. It’s called a free encyclopedia, which suggests something about the rhetoric of the site. The main page for the English Wikipedia features a daily article, a news article, snippets from the newest articles, articles covering the events of the current date, featured pictures, and links to its sister projects.  There are images built into each of the column entries. Wikipedia also allows the user to search by discipline. Its interface allows for a very interactive experience overall. The other tabs of the pages allow for contributors to alter the information, and give instructions on how to make necessary edits. In terms of design, the principles of alignment are upheld, and they organize the information in a meaningful and digestible way. I didn’t find any problematic design features on Wikipedia. Its design is an appropriate medium for its purposes. The individual article entries include a brief overview and a table of contents that links to other sections of the articles. This is a very useful way of navigating through the many aspects of the articles. There is a box on the right hand side that gives basic information about the article’s subject. References and external links allow for users to research the subjects more in depth.

My sister, who is a photographer, has recently set up an account on Photoswarm to display her work (and to show off her cute babies!). When I was looking at her pictures, I got a little curious about the company itself and wondered what type of deal she was getting from it. I liked the appearance of the images, and how the site seems pretty professional. I know she was really happy about being able to have her studio name prominent in the url.

In terms of the design of the site, it is very sleek. The textured gray background and the black strip across the center of the screen provide a clean and professional background for the slider image. The sliding image even gives the viewer some agency because one can click one way or the other to look at something longer, if need be. The white rectangular boxes at the top of the screen provide large tags that are clearly marked and easy to use. The colors work together well to provide stark contrast and emphasize what is important. The quality of the images look really sharp against the colors—the screen almost looks like it’s in high-definition or something. The signup looks easy and everything is spelled out very clearly in the columns under pricing. I also thought it was neat that they feature specific photoswarm sites. This provides a sense of importance to the site owners, even if they are amateur photographers. The following quote seems to capture their intended purpose: “I’ve been looking for a clean & simple website to store photos for my friends & family. You’ve nailed this.” The site seems to be a good options for a variety of people (as it allows for various free and payment options with distinguished features).

I had always seen the merchandise for The Greene Turtle, but I never really knew what it was. It’s a sports bar/grill. Most of its locations are in Maryland and Virginia, although there are a few in Delaware. I was also intrigued if there was any kind of explanation about the name, but there was not. However, the menu items looked like it might be worth checking out. The design of the site is rather simple, although there are some animations on the homepage, which I found to get annoying fast, after I was on the site for a few minutes. The animations for the value menu deal was quite enough, but there was also a rollover animation on the fundraising icon in the bottom right. The logo is located in the top left corner, and the background of the site is plain green, although there seems to be an illumination behind the body of the site. On each corner of the box, there is a different sport represented by the balls. There is a primary menu in the top right corner: The Menu, About the Turtle, Locations, Gift Shop, Franchise. However, there is also another menu that is much less presumptuous, immediately underneath the first menu. The items are so close together, that it is difficult to tell if the items take the user to the same place or whether there are different locations represented. The links were pretty specific to the tiny little tag, though. I think this is a negative aspect in terms of proximity. However, I found the other principles of good design to be present on this site. The colors worked together, although there wasn’t too much variety. I thought the rough wood look behind the value menu image added to a natural and unrefined aura of the site. It seems like a fun place and the rhetoric of the site is appropriate for the projected audience.

Penguin Group USA publishes both classic and contemporary works. I thought it was interesting that when I initially went to www.penguin.com, it was a plain white screen with a little penguin graphic in the center. The penguin is encased in an orange and black oval. Beneath the small, unostentatious label “Penguin Group” are the tab options for which national group (USA, Canada, UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, India, South Africa, and China). I think the simplicity speaks to the purpose of the site: to allow the user to choose which branch. However, I found it interesting that when I clicked on USA, a little box popped up and asked me whether I wanted that to be my default when visiting the site. I courteously closed the box and tried clicking on the USA again, assuming it would realize I just wanted to get to the site. But it didn’t. The box was rather persistent until I chose “yes” or “no.” Once on the site itself, I found that the site was busy with thumbnail images and descriptions of the works they were currently promoting. However, I found the principles of design to be generally upheld. The alignment of the content into columns and the use of the site map at the bottom of the page allows for easy navigation and processing of information. The background color is a light blue with a swatch of pinkish-gray over the body of the page. There is a rotating image in the top banner, which is the general focal point of the page. The tabs are appropriately named to ensure rapid navigation. I love going through the list of the top ten books everyone should read. It’s a neat resource for a booklist as well. Overall, I found the site helpful and easy to manage.