My first impressions of the two websites (thisisreality.org, and americaspower.org) were quite different even though the themes discussed in them are supposedly compatible.
The target audience of the two websites seemed to be geared toward entirely different viewers. The reality site forces the viewer to keep perusing the site in an unorganized manner by forcing one to keep clicking in a seemingly random pattern for further information. The trendy nature of the site gives the impression that this site is meant mainly for a curious consumer passing time and not necessarily someone looking for clear concise information about coal emissions. This site provides facts as if they were merely trivia to be used in arguments against using coal for electricity production. Thisisreality.org has a very trendy and even, I venture to say, youthful appeal to it's layout. The color scheme of the deep gradient grey and the stark, almost sickly caution-tape, yellow work in a manner that makes the content of the site appear bold. Also, the animation of the dying bird posed with the stark facts works to emotionally appeal toward the viewer. I found myself going "aww" watching the cute little thing "croak" before my eyes in front of a towering fact over the danger of carbon emissions concerning the environment.
America's Power site had a rather different approach in dealing with the conveyance of similar information. My first impression was that this site was geared toward people looking for concise reliable information concerning the issue of clean coal production. The site's navigation is extremely clear and organized a manner that is friendly to visitors. The entire theme of the website's layout promotes a feeling of clean. From the crisp green and blue accents to the sans-serif font used, I gathered the feeling of a professional, yet environmentally friendly site. I found the logo of this site site to be clever; the lump of coal with the power cord extending from it was an interesting concept for the subject matter.It was not until I began to delve into discovering the sponsors of the two sites that my opinion of them changed somewhat. I did not realize the ACCCE (American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity) was composed of various energy companies who may have ulterior motives for wanting to promote a clean coal platform to the general public. Environmental issues have become increasingly trendy in society lately therefore energy companies, who are in general not necessarily environmentally friendly in their productions, feel the need to promote a clean image to their consumers, the public at large. On the other hand, thisisreality.org is sponsored by environmental groups such as the National Wildlife Federation who also may not be completely reliable in their motives. I do not mean that they do not mean well, but rather that they are concerned with environmental issues in the extreme that may not support economic functioning at large. Coal is necessarily, at least for now, in order for electricity to function in our society. We have become so dependent on this technology that devastating consequences would ensue if we were to go without. Initially, I found ACCCE site to be more informative, but now I am not sure which one holds more credentials based on their respective sponsors.
After reviewing the sites, I agreed with many of the points you brought up. I felt that the reality.org site did have a more youthful feel to it and was directed towards a younger audience. I felt they did a better job at capturing your attention from the start with the dying bird that made you more emotionally engaged in the site. The American Power site was much more organized and seemed to provide more reliable facts and data and was much more precise. However, I felt that the site would not hold my attention for very long and found myself looking at the reality.org site more. I completely agree with your statement that it had a more professional feel to it and was probably for those searching for facts and statistics. I did however feel the same way when I saw who their sponors were however. The fact that they are sponsored soley by energy companies does make it seem like the site may be biased and providing only one sided information. I lean more towards the stance of that of reality.org, however, I do feel that regaurdless of their sponsor, American Power seemed more crediable and seemed to have researched the issue more extensivly.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you in your comments. I too thought the Americas Power website was rather legitimate and informative until I looked at the sponsors and realized that the site was put out by the very people who are trying to push the idea of clean coal energy. With this fact it seems to me that the site is not necessarily putting out false information, but they are not going to be willing giving out the bad statistics. A truly persuasive argument shows all sides of an argument and then shows that one way of seeing it is more persuasive than the other. I feel that Americas Power lacks in that when trying to make their argument.
ReplyDeleteThe "This is Reality" site did have a page of information, it was just really hard to find, and they laid out the facts in a very nice and concise way. However, when you read their fact page, you realize how condensed and biased the fly-by quotes are. I also think that because the "America's Power" site is sponsored by coal companies, and the coal company controls those "facts" that it may be less reliable then it seems. Also, the "This is Reality" site has citations, which was nice, even though I didn't look them up to see if they were reliable. It was nice to have the option.
ReplyDeleteWe seem to have a very similar take on the two websites. Being that we are both creative majors, it's funny how the visual aspects and design of the websites seemed to stick out to us the most. I agree with you that the design of This Is Reality is very trendy, and perhaps maybe appealing to a more youthful audience. However, I did find the navigation of America's Power to be a bit too cluttered, but i suppose it was manageable. When I saw the sponsors of the two websites, like you my opinion changed. I like that you pointed out our dependency on coal, regardless of it's negative effects. It has to be said that while power companies using coal as their main resource seem to be looked at in a negative light by environmentally aware individuals, the United States is entirely too dependent on coal to do anything suddenly. It's websites like This is Reality that will gradually help us be aware of the problem, and perhaps lead to more studies in an alternative resource.
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