Blog 4: Evaluation of a Website

In evaluating USM’s Professional Development and Educational Outreach page (http://www.usm.edu/profdev_edoutreach/), I found many problems on it. First, the most disturbing thing to find on an informative website is a broken link or a link that does not work.  The amount of broken and non-working links on this page is rather surprising to me. Although there are lots of weaknesses on this page, there are also a couple strengths as well. One of the strengths is the information that the site provides. But, what good is the information when it is difficult to get to. This department’s purpose is to persuade and inform individuals, specifically working professionals, about courses available at USM that could help improve their skills in their career. In order to successfully do this, information must be readily and accurately accessible. 

The text is visible to the eye and rather easy to read but the alignment is off a bit. Some headers are right-aligned, others are left-aligned. The main menu bar headers at the top of the page are extremely too long. One header is around 50 characters long. To make the headers more pleasant to the eye, it would be a great idea to put “Programs” there and have drop down menus or links to each individual program. Most of the headers’ links work. But, when one is clicked (ex. Click Education), there are more titles added (Mailing List Subscription and Request Info are added). But where does “Faculty/Staff Noncredit Programs Assessment Reporting” go? I have no clue. In addition to those two links being added, it is even more aggravating to find out that they do not work.  I also found an irrelevant link. When I clicked on the “Science and Technology” link, nothing pulled up. There was no information available. Wouldn’t it be appropriate to just get rid of this link altogether?

Other problems with this website are located on the left menu. There are six non-working headers on that menu (Business and Industry Customized Training, Career Resources, Financial Assistance, Frequently Asked Questions, Certificates, and Employment Opportunities). These are problems that must be addressed on this website. There are a lot of people who would much rather view the website rather than to call or come to the office to find out more info about these programs. 

The problems with the site are at a minimum. They are not major problems. But it is hectic to viewers who are trying to find information about these programs and courses. If I could revise this site, I would decrease the amount of menu buttons. I would also include drop down menus. This could eliminate a lot of the space used in the menus. I would also pick another design. Simple is always “just enough” but adding a little flavor to it could be a great thing. The most important revision I would do is to fix all of the broken links. It would also be a great idea to include a link to specific sections from their related college or department; for example, putting a link on the College of Business website for the Human Resource Management certificate. This could help with locating this site because it is rather difficult to find. These problems can easily be fixed but because it is so difficult to find this site, no one has probably said anything about it. 

As I mentioned earlier, the information that is available on the site is good information but other information that could be needed is lost inside broken links. When creating anything, it is important to keep the viewer/reader interested both visually and mentally; being able to successfully complete both of those things leads to a great website created by an even greater webmaster.

Blog 3: USM's College of Business vs USC's School of Business

“USM’s College of Business vs. USC’s School of Business”

In creating this blog, I chose to look at two different universities' departments. I chose our own, University of Southern MS's College of Business (http://www.usm.edu/business/) and the University of Southern California's School of Business (http://www.marshall.usc.edu/students). Neither of the websites was horrible but USC's was far more interesting and effective. I love the way that USC grouped their different programs in the school of business which made it easier to navigate. Whether you were an undergrad, grad, or doctoral student, all of the information was right there and accessible for you.  Some strengths of USC's School of Business site are listed below:

• ·        Easy access (one-click access from main page)
• ·         Smooth navigability
• ·         Ability to identify its readers
• ·         Pleasant and consistent design
• ·         Easy to read font
• ·         Perfect amount of contrast
• ·         Alignment created accurate connections
• ·         Acceptable amount of graphics (clear and crisp images)

As usual, improvement is never a bad thing. But, in my opinion, there are no weaknesses on their site.  It is simple but interesting at the same time. It keeps my attention without overwhelming me. The navigation is clear and fail-proof. 

On the other hand, I chose USM’s College of Business because its website is quite overwhelming. There is so much clicking involved until it sometimes becomes a hassle. Also, it’s clear that they are targeting their page at prospective students because of the curriculums that are present on their page. In order for me to view my curriculum, I would have to go to SOAR or look at the bulletin.  Although I went to Quick Links>Current Students>College of Business>Undergraduate Programs>Management (Human Resource Management)—BSBA>Degree Plan, I was still navigated to the most current bulletin’s curriculum. In fact, I clicked quick links in an effort to make it to my destination quicker but instead I navigated through six pages in order to get to the page I desired. It is important for webmasters of college websites to know that most students do not like to read and do a lot of looking. They must create their websites in a way to catch the students’ attention almost instantly. We all know that the attention span of younger individuals and/or students is relatively short. But there are a few strengths on USM’s website. They are listed below:

• ·         Consistent design
• ·         Easy to read font
• ·         Accurate alignment
• ·         Visible contrast

“Defining My Own Objectives”

In creating my own website, I know that I must first define my objectives. In order to do this, I must figure out my purpose, determine who my readers are, understand my situational analysis, become familiar with the reader’s tasks and attitudes, determine who my stakeholders are, and be aware of any constraints.

“Overall Purpose”

I am creating a website in an effort to persuade readers to consider becoming a major in Human Resource Management. The reasons I chose to create this website are because 1) it is a required assignment 2) to inform and persuade current and prospective students about the greatness of becoming a human resources major. In creating this site, I hope to bring more students into the human resources field. At the same time, my readers are looking to get valid information that could make them interested in the human resources field.

“Reader Profile”

My main reader would be my teacher. This is also her relationship to me. She is a doctorate student and she has a background in education. I’m not sure if she knows anything about human resources but once she views my site, she will know plenty. I will use formal and professional communication with her. After all, this website will consist of factual information. I’m not sure if other people will be able to see this site. I would think so since we will publish it. But, in the event that it does become available to the entire world, my readers would be everybody. I am looking to pull any type of person into my field.

“Situational Analysis”

I know that my goal in creating this website is to be able to persuade a person into wanting to enter in the human resources field. In order to do this, I must deliver outstanding information that will not only catch the reader’s attention but also keep them interested. I will not focus on any type of information that cannot be proved or that is not factual. My own opinion should not be a part of this site because a person’s opinion does not make their information right.

“Reader’s Task”

In reading and viewing my site, the reader will probably ask questions like:

• ·         How can this field interest me?
• ·         What kind of career path is available in this field?
• ·         What type of money do people in this field make?
• ·         Are Human Resource Managers scarce?
• ·         How can this field make me love my job?

The reader would more than likely, but not limited to, be interested in things such as those. The answers to questions such as these will be available throughout my website. When my reader finds the answers to their questions, they will compare and contrast them to their current major or career. They will be able to figure out whether changing to human resources will benefit them or cost them.

“Reader’s Attitudes”

I am hoping that when the reader comes to my site, he/she will have a clear and open mind. I would also hope that they would have a positive attitude towards me. If my reader is in a bad mood, their perception about my website will more than likely be negative. Or they may not even thoroughly read and interpret it.

“Stakeholders”

The stakeholders in my communication are other human resource majors as well as people who are already working in the human resources field. 

“Constraints”

The main constraint that I have is that this is a school project. It must be created in accordance to that. Although I am writing about the human resources field, I am also representing my school. So it is important to create a website that is respectful of it.

Blog 2: Rhetorical Analysis

                One item that I was required to read in my major was an article on unions. I cannot remember where I acquired this article from or even the author’s name, but I do remember the article’s contents. This article was about how republicans believe that union members are being paid ridiculous salaries and over-the-top pension plans. The author also believed that the union is, in some part, the reason for the recession. Although it was heavily an opinion-based article, it did include some factual information. It also brought some important things into consideration. Labor unions are a huge debate in America right now because the money they make and receive from the government affects everyone. When this author chose to publish this article, he knew of the political debates it could arise. The union’s response to this article was that the republicans are always trying to be a bully to the union.  The following link is an article (not the article talked about in this analysis) about how the union believes that the republicans are trying to take them down:  http://thehill.com/business-a-lobbying/145605-labor-unions-prepare-for-battle-they-are-trying-to-take-us-down.  The picture below depicts a cartoon photo of how the union believes that the republicans are attacking them.

                Although I do not remember where I got the article from, I do know that the writer was either a republican or disliked unions, maybe even both.  His audience was the U.S. general population. He did not target a certain group because he wanted everyone to see the issues that he believed occurred from unions. His call to write was obvious. The tone of his article was rather aggressive which drove me to believe that he was an active advocate against unions (especially since he had the guts to publish it on the web) and he wanted to be heard. One thing that he stressed heavily in the article was, according to him, “the ridiculous six figure salaries that some union stewards made when sometimes they go for two or three years without doing any significant work.” He had a strong belief that the unions were responsible for the U.S.’s deficits and recession. So, his call to write was to get his voice heard on this issue which is both social and economic. According to Ken’s lecture, this could be described as a passion for a situation or interest. It was clear to me that his purpose was to ultimately get rid of some, if not all, government funding to unions, especially the members’ pension plans.

                Next, I will analyze the goal of the author and his reasons for writing and publishing this article. His goal, as I indirectly mentioned earlier, was to diminish government funding to unions.  His tone of writing tells me that he is trying to persuade America to believe in these issues. He attempted to persuade as well as inform in a slightly aggressive manner. He also, in my opinion, possibly assumed that his readers will take heed to his article and make an attempt to change or bring light to these issues.

                In my opinion, the writer somewhat achieves his purpose in a small fractional portion. One reason why I say this is because recently we all saw in the news how the Wisconsin teachers were on a strike because they were asked to pay a portion of their pension. There are also a lot of other issues going on that are putting union executives on their toes. But, in my opinion, the government will continue to fund the union and it will never become obsolete.

(Also, I apologize for not being able to locate this article, but hopefully the link I posted and my analysis will help you to understand this more. After all, I only had to prepare a verbal analysis for this article in my Labor Relations class, but I do remember it because the class is very controversial and so is the topic of “unions”.)

Thank you!!!