Blog 4: Defining Your Website's Objectives

In order to help students decide on a major, many colleges and universities create pages on their websites with details about the different majors that they offer. Also, in order to increase enrollment in their specific departments, many department leaders create web pages through their universities and colleges with information about their department in an attempt to persuade students to join their departments. While many of these web pages are quite effective, many are not. An example of an effective web page compared to an ineffective web page is the biology web page for Carlton University compared to the biology web page for the University of Delaware.
The biology web page for Carlton University is a very effective web page. It is persuasive and interesting; includes informative, helpful, and interesting content; and is easy to use. This web page gives a lot of informative and interesting information about the biology program at Carlton University, including information about the program’s faculty members, students, facilities, class sizes, and opportunities for involvement on campus. The web page also gives information about the types of career opportunities that a person can pursue with a degree in biology. The content is written and presented in a way that is easy to read and understand. The content is divided up into sections of interest with subtitles for quick reading, browsing, or skimming. Also, the text for each of these sections is short and concise but informative. The text makes majoring in biology seem fun and interesting by discussing the flexibility and variety of topics that biology covers. It makes it clear that no matter what one’s scientific interest is there is a topic in the biology major that covers that topic. Furthermore, the web page has a bright and attractive header and pictures. In order to make the page even more effective,
I would suggest adding links for more information concerning career opportunities and opportunities for involvement on campus and getting rid of some of the empty gray space that surrounds the page.
On the contrary, the biology web page for the University of Delaware is not very effective. While the web page does a good job of presenting a lot of information and links regarding career opportunities available to those holding a biology degree, the web page does not give any information on the opportunities for involvement available on campus or any information about the biology program on campus. Also, while the design/layout of the content is easy to follow, there is nothing to attract or keep the readers’ attentions. The page has absolutely no color or pictures and there is an expansive amount of white space. While the text is well divided up into titled sections for easy and quick viewing, the text does not really say much of anything at all or give any real information. This web page could have more color and pictures, less white space, and more information about the actual biology program at the university.
When creating a web page for recruiting students to join a major, it is the web creator’s job to spark the interest of prospective students in biology by persuading them of the benefits of majoring in biology. People who visit such web pages are students entering college or already in college who are still undecided about a major. In order to effectively recruit students to major in biology, I would create a web page that is fun, informative, persuasive, easy to use, and interesting. When researching a major, students try to answer the following questions:
1. Is the field of study interesting?
2. What type of job can I get with a degree in this area?
3. What opportunities will this major present to me while still in college?
4. Is this a popular field of study?
5. What topics will I be studying under this major?
When looking for answers to these questions, most students will seek answers on the internet from university and college websites and from other students who are already in the major in which they are interested. When searching for these answers, most students will skim read web pages¾looking for key terms and subtitles related to their questions. With this in mind, I would use bold subtitles and write in concise statements with bullets when creating such a web page. Students want to be able to find the information for which they are looking quickly, and subtitles and information in the form of concise bullets makes finding specific information easier. For those readers that may be skeptical about the accuracy of the information on my page or that may want more information, I would include links for more information. It is the web page creator’s job to make sure the readers feel informed and not skeptical. Most of the readers that visit a web page for recruiting students to join a major will probably have little or no information about that major. Therefore, it is safe to say that these readers’ knowledge and understanding of terms related to these majors is limited. Thereby, information on the web page should be written in such a way that the common person can understand.
In order to spark the interest of readers as they are searching through thousands of related web pages, I would use a page layout and font that is easy to follow and read but also try to be creative and incorporate some color to the page. These techniques will increase the usability and persuasiveness of the page by making the information seem more accurate and professionally constructed. When creating my web page, I would include the following information: a general overview of what biology is and topics that it encompasses, job opportunities, opportunities for involvement in college (research, study abroad, etc.), and reasons that biology is a “cool” subject to study.
When creating a web page recruiting students to join a major, one’s writing can be limited by bias. A web creator recruiting for a particular major will write from his or her perspective, which is biased toward his or her individual interests. In other words, a person who creates a site promoting biology will probably write in such a way that makes biology seem interesting to others who may already be predisposed to like science. After examining the web pages discussed above, I learned to be concise but informative in my writing of the text to put on my web page. I also learned to be as creative as possible and avoid having excessive white space on my web page.

http://www.udel.edu/CSC/bio.html

http://www2.carleton.ca/biology/prospective-students/undergraduate/why-study-biology-at-carleton/

Blog 3: Website Evaluation

While the Chris Brown fan site “Chris-Brown.us” provides very up-to-date and very informative information about Chris Brown, the international music sensation and award-winning R&B singer, the site could definitely use some improvements. The site is very well decorated and has highly accurate information. However, I think that several of the site’s design features take away from the site’s effectiveness and persuasiveness. Also, I feel that the site could be easier to utilize by making simple and small changes to the navigation tools. In order to improve the site’s usability, effectiveness, and persuasiveness, I suggest making either or both the font of the site’s text and background darker, making the text larger in font, and making the navigation tools more obvious and distinguishable from the site’s other text.
The purpose of the fan site is to provide to fans accurate information and updates about Chris Brown. While the site accomplishes this purpose by providing such information, the effectiveness of the site is diminished by slight flaws in the site’s design that make it somewhat difficult to use and navigate. The font is too small and too light in color. The small, light-colored font is difficult to see, especially placed on such a light-colored background. I think that if the font were larger and darker and/or if the background were darker, the site would be much more effective in its purpose of providing information about Chris Brown. By increasing the size of the text on the site or making the text or background darker, the text would be easier to see and read. Also, I think that by making the font larger and the background darker viewers of the site would take the site more seriously. By giving the site a more serious look, the site would thereby seem more persuasive as the information on the site would then seem more accurate or factual. Using bolder colors usually connotates professionalism whereas using lighter colors connotates amateurish.
The navigation tools could be a little more obvious. Instead of being placed in the middle of the page where they blend in with the rest of the information on the site, the text of the navigation tools could be larger in font size and placed more towards the top or side of the site where they would be easier to see and distinguish from the rest of the text on the site. By placing the navigation tools in the center of the site, they are easily lost amongst the rest of the text on the site. I think that by placing the navigation tools in a place where they will standout from the other text on the site the usability of the site would be improved. The most effective websites place their navigation tools on the top of their sites or along one of the sides of the site towards the top to the site. From these areas, the navigation tools can be easily distinguished from the rest of the text on the site. Thereby, by improving the usability of the site, the effectiveness of the site would be improved as it would be easier for viewers of the site to find the information for which they are searching.
The Chris Brown fan site “Chris-Brown.us” is already a beautifully decorated site with informative and accurate information. However, a few minor changes could easily make the site better¾more effective, persuasive, and usable. By increasing the font size of the text on the site, making either or both the font and background darker, and making the navigation tools more obvious, the site could easily hold its own with any multinational site run by dozens of employees.
http://chris-brown.us/

Blog Assignment 2: Analyzing a Rhetorical Situation

When I took botany last fall, I was asked to read and provide a summary for an article that had been published in a scientific journal. The article was about a family that was being forced to sell the mushroom farm that had been in their family for four generations because the family’s neighbors complained so much about the manure odor permeating from the farm that the county declared the farm a nuisance and condemned it as a potential health violation. Since the article was published by a scientific journal, it can be surmised that the article was targeted to an intellectual audience of readers interested in the various fields of science and science-related issues. The particular journal in which the article was published covered an array of scientific topics including scientific dilemmas and discoveries.
Based on the author’s word choice, it can be seen that he assumes that the readers will be of at least minor intellect and be interested in current dilemmas plaguing today’s scientific community. However, it is apparent from his style of writing that the writer does not assume that readers have a strong background in or knowledge of science concepts. The author uses a sincere, serious yet not cold or mundane tone. When using words referencing fundamental scientific concepts like photosynthesis, cellular respiration, and the water cycle, the writer provides a basic definition of these concepts. This is because readers who do not have any sort of background in or basic foundation for general science concepts may not understand what the author means.
The author’s purpose in writing the article was to promote awareness about the recent animosity shown to many farmers nationwide and disregard for their services and to generally educate readers about mushroom farming. It is clear from the writer’s choice of words like atrocity, injustice, and misfortune that he uses when discussing the dilemma that the family faces that the author is highly troubled and upset by the issue. The article was written at a time when farmers in the U.S. were facing many problems including drought, increased costs of production, and agriculture-related health concerns involving salmonella. It is plausible that the writer felt compelled to write the article in response to the farming crisis in order to offer insight into farming from a scientific perspective and thereby encourage support of farmers. He uses statistics to reference other similar cases across the country in which farmers have been driven off their land for one reason or another. By discussing the benefits that such farming as mushroom farming has on the environment and soil, the writer seemingly aims to show why farming is important by educating readers.
I believe that the author did a pretty good job of accomplishing his purpose. After being assigned to read the article, I certainly gained a greater respect and appreciation for farmers in general and I know that many of my classmates did as well. The article showed how beneficial the work of farmers is not only for the purpose of food production but for environmental benefits as well. I think that the writer could have made the article even more effective had he given the reader more intellectual credit and not explained basic fundamental concepts of science like photosynthesis. Many readers might have seen this as patronizing. Anyone who reads an article in a scientific journal will presumably have some background in and knowledge of simple science concepts. However, it can be argued that the writer’s assumption that not all readers would have a foundation in science makes the article more comprehensively accessible and interesting to a wider range of readers and also shows that the writer does not stereotype readers of such articles as geeky science people.

Blog 1: Student Profile

My name is Shamekia Woods. I am currently a junior Biological Sciences major, and I hope to go on to pharmacy school after completing my undergraduate degree here at USM. From there, I hope to become a pharmacist or obtain a job doing some type of pharmaceutical research. In my major I write scientific reports regularly for labs. In high school I did some fictional writing for the school news paper on a few occasions. These documents consisted of short stories in the various genres of horror, drama, and romance. I really enjoy writing fiction. It has been a hobby of mine since I was a very young child, and I used to dream of having a career in fictional writing one day. I do not particularly like to write argumentative or persuasive papers because I find it difficult to backup my claims. I am never sure of what exactly is considered as a sound reason to support a claim. I cannot think of a time when writing "broke down" for me. I have always been generally good at using my writing to communicate and get across my point. By taking this course, I simply hope to improve on my writing skills in general. I am not focusing on any particular part of my writing that I want to improve. I feel that I am already a good writer but I certainly believe that I can improve in areas. By taking this course, I hope to accomplish a greater sense of confidence in my writing.