Example #1 of a Good Site:
Last year, I took a poetry workshop that required a
lot of poetry reading. The professor recommended PoetryFoundation.org as a good
resource for published works. There are
a lot of competing poetry websites out there that can provide the exact same “Song of Myself” poem by Walt Whitman. But till this day, I still find myself referring
to PoetryFoundation.org when searching for any poem.
Why am I such a loyal subscriber of poetryfoundation when I can just google Whitman’s poem and grab it from any website that comes up? The content will most likely be the same. Whitman’s poem will always be Whitman’s poem. But why is Whitman's poem on Poetry Foundation better than any random website?
I choose to utilize PoetryFoundation.org because I consider this website to be a reliable website with “good writing.” Not only is the website a legitimate resource of published poems, but it also features articles, events, videos, newsletters, and blogs. These features are constantly changing and constantly being updated. Founder of Copyblogger and Scribe, Brian Clark states in his SEO Copywriting paper that there is a high demand for “fresh, compelling content.” Even though Whitman’s poem “Song of Myself” has remained the same since 1855, PoetryFoundation.org gives readers the opportunity to rediscover the poem through fresh new media. The blog that is featured on this website is especially successful because many blog posts “link out” and “link in,” directing the reader to different available content and providing legitimate sources to ideas being mentioned. At the same time, it invites the reader to engage in the content by posting comments.
Why am I such a loyal subscriber of poetryfoundation when I can just google Whitman’s poem and grab it from any website that comes up? The content will most likely be the same. Whitman’s poem will always be Whitman’s poem. But why is Whitman's poem on Poetry Foundation better than any random website?
I choose to utilize PoetryFoundation.org because I consider this website to be a reliable website with “good writing.” Not only is the website a legitimate resource of published poems, but it also features articles, events, videos, newsletters, and blogs. These features are constantly changing and constantly being updated. Founder of Copyblogger and Scribe, Brian Clark states in his SEO Copywriting paper that there is a high demand for “fresh, compelling content.” Even though Whitman’s poem “Song of Myself” has remained the same since 1855, PoetryFoundation.org gives readers the opportunity to rediscover the poem through fresh new media. The blog that is featured on this website is especially successful because many blog posts “link out” and “link in,” directing the reader to different available content and providing legitimate sources to ideas being mentioned. At the same time, it invites the reader to engage in the content by posting comments.
2.
Example #2 of a Good Site:
Another site that I find to have“good writing” is www.getintocollegeblog.com. It is a blog run by Steve Schwartz, who is a professional guidance counselor that provides students with tips to get into college. The “cornerstone content" as described by Brian Clark is clear and concise: "I'm a professional college counselor in NYC, and I post tips here every week. Get ready to get into college!" Blog posts are clearly outlined by topics, such as "5 Reasons not to be Discouraged by a Low GPA" This blog post is especially successful for many reasons: it allows sharing via twitter and facebook, the title of the blog is short and simple allowing others to easily reblog the content by "anchoring", it allows individuals to post comments and discuss. The constant activity within this blog makes this very successful. Media technologist and author, Deanna Zandt emphasizes the importance of "building a community" in a "progressive world" by participating and engaging in conversations that matter. She compares online activity to human interaction and relationships. For example, if what you say is good and compelling, a person would want to introduce you to another person, and then you meet that person and it continues until you get in touch with the right people who could help your cause or mission to an even larger extent. Steve Schwartz's blog has been getting a lot of positive feedback and comments, especially from his target audience, high school students.
Another site that I find to have“good writing” is www.getintocollegeblog.com. It is a blog run by Steve Schwartz, who is a professional guidance counselor that provides students with tips to get into college. The “cornerstone content" as described by Brian Clark is clear and concise: "I'm a professional college counselor in NYC, and I post tips here every week. Get ready to get into college!" Blog posts are clearly outlined by topics, such as "5 Reasons not to be Discouraged by a Low GPA" This blog post is especially successful for many reasons: it allows sharing via twitter and facebook, the title of the blog is short and simple allowing others to easily reblog the content by "anchoring", it allows individuals to post comments and discuss. The constant activity within this blog makes this very successful. Media technologist and author, Deanna Zandt emphasizes the importance of "building a community" in a "progressive world" by participating and engaging in conversations that matter. She compares online activity to human interaction and relationships. For example, if what you say is good and compelling, a person would want to introduce you to another person, and then you meet that person and it continues until you get in touch with the right people who could help your cause or mission to an even larger extent. Steve Schwartz's blog has been getting a lot of positive feedback and comments, especially from his target audience, high school students.
Example #1 of a Bad Site (with Good Writing) Is that a
contradiction?
blog.nominetwork.org/ is a blog created by the Nomi Network, a non-profit organization working to eradicate sexual slavery and the trafficking of women. (I know this because the organization was mentioned in my Urban Studies Class.)
blog.nominetwork.org/ is a blog created by the Nomi Network, a non-profit organization working to eradicate sexual slavery and the trafficking of women. (I know this because the organization was mentioned in my Urban Studies Class.)
The Nomi Network blog
itself is an example of an unsuccessful website. The blog posts are compelling and
inspirational, quoting important figures such as Martin Luther King Jr. and informing the public about important
matters such as human trafficking.
However, the blog does not provide what Brian Clark
describes as “cornerstone content.” Upon
arriving at this blog, I have no idea what the purpose of this blog is, or what
foundation it is built on. It lacks essential information such as keywords,
title tags, headlines. There is no "About Me" section or "Mission Statement." There isn’t even an
active link to direct me to
the Nomi Network ’s main website. So, if I were an individual who just happened to stumble upon this website, I wouldn't have immediately guessed that Nomi was a nonprofit organization attempting to stop human trafficking. In addition, it is clear that this is an
unsuccessful blog because there are no comments or visitors--no active
discussion. Essentially, there might not
even be anyone reading it at all. This
leads me to think, can online writing be any good if no one is reading it? The only way an individual can find this blog is if he/she is directly linked to it. It's a shame because the writing is good, and the public would benefit from reading it.
Example #2 of a Bad Site
I think www.mediabistro.com is a job search site that provides job openings for those who are seeking careers related to media. I'm actually unsure because this website is poorly constructed. There is no obvious “cornerstone content.” The home page does not inform me of the purpose or goal of this site. The content is disorganized, with news, blogs and newsfeed updates occupying the entire homepage. The other half of the homepage is occupied by advertisements. The most important part of the website is supposed to be the search bar and it is hidden in the top corner. There are links directing me to "Join Today" or "Log In" however it is not appealing to me at all. This website does not even have convincing reasons to "Join Today." Upon searching for a job in "marketing," a prompt tells me "Hi there, we still love you. Please log in or join today." My biggest criticism is that mediabistro.com won't even let users try the content before committing to it. Two thumbs down.
Example #2 of a Bad Site
I think www.mediabistro.com is a job search site that provides job openings for those who are seeking careers related to media. I'm actually unsure because this website is poorly constructed. There is no obvious “cornerstone content.” The home page does not inform me of the purpose or goal of this site. The content is disorganized, with news, blogs and newsfeed updates occupying the entire homepage. The other half of the homepage is occupied by advertisements. The most important part of the website is supposed to be the search bar and it is hidden in the top corner. There are links directing me to "Join Today" or "Log In" however it is not appealing to me at all. This website does not even have convincing reasons to "Join Today." Upon searching for a job in "marketing," a prompt tells me "Hi there, we still love you. Please log in or join today." My biggest criticism is that mediabistro.com won't even let users try the content before committing to it. Two thumbs down.
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