Ok, so we have just got back to uni, new term, new assesments.
This term we have two parts to our assement, the first part is to create a group website and the second to design our own websites, with whatever theme we chose.
Right now, we are working on our group assesment. We decided as a class to re-purpose our student paper, 'Canvas', into student paper website.
So, to help us with understanding how student paper sites work successfully,or perhaps unsuccessfully, Jim set us homework, which was to anaylse different University, student paper sites.
So, here I am doing my homework.
Cherwell 24, is the first sight I looked at. It is the web edition of Oxford Universities popular Cherwell rag. This website in my opinion looks very professional, it's clearly laid out and easy to navigate around.
The website has many different sections including, News, Features, Culture, Lifestyle, Sport and Science etc, giving viewers a larger variety of things to read and learn more about, as well as providing the team who puts the site together more to write about. The website takes full advantage of the webs potential by including video links and flash.
It is updated on a daily basis and features news within the University, as well as both local and national news. The site also includes a Podcast as well as more unique sections such as, 'User comment of the week' and 'Most emailed', which I feel makes the website more interesting for the viewer, as it allows them to feel more personally involved with the site, while it also gives other the chance to read about what other students think.
Gair Rhydd, Cardiff's student paper website, in my opinion looks extremely professional. Once again, as with Cherwell rag, the layout is both clear and simple. However, in comparison this website appears much tidier and clean cut, which in some senses takes away the feel of it being a student paper, as it looks more like a professional papers website.
Similar to Cherwell the website has a lot of content. The home page main content is posts of the most recent news that takes place during the week. It also includes information and work produced in subjects that are studied at the university, ie creative writing, media, politics and science & enviroment etc. As well as a website that showcases the student paper the website also has an 'about us' section and a 'contact us', which gives the impression that this website may also be the universities main website, which will of course lead to more people visiting the site.
On the home page at the top the website clearly invites students of the University to help improve the site, by giving the students the oppurtunity to post their comments regarding any issues they may have about the website, as well as a place to debate about issues raised at the university. This I feel is a good idea, as it allows the students to become more involved and gives them a chance to have their say, which will of course keep the student viewers coming back.
Lastly, the website also includes a section that allows viewers to look at past editions of the student paper, which again is a successful idea because it gives people a chance to look back at issues or stories that they might have missed, as well as giving them the opportunity to identify the changes that the paper makes throughout each edition. Plus, if the website excludes anything, which is featured in the paper it gives viewers a chance to see it.
