Day one: this being my first time on the site, I decided to get a feel for the layout. I observed a well-balanced appearance. I did not feel as if I'd wandered into a blizzard from so much white space, nor as if an individual's ADD would act up from an ambush of text and pictures. Often times, news sites overwhelm or underwhelm their visitors with one or the other (text/white space) and use insufficient photos to titilate readers. LA Observed perfects the online home page with easy navigation.
Day two: front pages of publications from Yahoo! News to the LA Times are plastered with varying angles on one story: the Aurora, Colo., shooting. LA Observed does not ignore the story, but places it respectfully in the "America" section. Other media outlets are milking the situation of every ounce, plastering photo after photo of Holmes with his orange hair and interviewing individuals who claim to have seen Holmes at bars on the evenings leading up to his shooting. The appropriate placement of the article pertaining to the shooting and restraint from flashy, dramatic stories emphasizes that LA Observed has one main focus- Los Angeles. Of course, the site includes stories focusing on national issues. I also observed a lack of a world news section, which piqued my interest as most publications, web or otherwise, contain at least a small dose of world news.
Day three: as usual, the site presents Los Angleles-centric news in the form of short blurbs that interested readers can pursue further if desired. These blurbs intermingle with photo and video in an aesthetically-pleasing layout. Also as usual, the site keeps news not pertaining to Los Angeles to a minimum, but includes the major national stories, generally found below the LA stories which take precedence.
Overall thoughts: LA Observed boasts a high readership, largely, in my opinion, due to the focus of their content. Anyone possessing interests pertaining to Los Angeles can find news tailored to those interests at the click of a button.
Day two: front pages of publications from Yahoo! News to the LA Times are plastered with varying angles on one story: the Aurora, Colo., shooting. LA Observed does not ignore the story, but places it respectfully in the "America" section. Other media outlets are milking the situation of every ounce, plastering photo after photo of Holmes with his orange hair and interviewing individuals who claim to have seen Holmes at bars on the evenings leading up to his shooting. The appropriate placement of the article pertaining to the shooting and restraint from flashy, dramatic stories emphasizes that LA Observed has one main focus- Los Angeles. Of course, the site includes stories focusing on national issues. I also observed a lack of a world news section, which piqued my interest as most publications, web or otherwise, contain at least a small dose of world news.
Day three: as usual, the site presents Los Angleles-centric news in the form of short blurbs that interested readers can pursue further if desired. These blurbs intermingle with photo and video in an aesthetically-pleasing layout. Also as usual, the site keeps news not pertaining to Los Angeles to a minimum, but includes the major national stories, generally found below the LA stories which take precedence.
Overall thoughts: LA Observed boasts a high readership, largely, in my opinion, due to the focus of their content. Anyone possessing interests pertaining to Los Angeles can find news tailored to those interests at the click of a button.
No comments:
Post a Comment