W E B S I T E S

L E S S O N O B J E C T I V E : T O L E A R N A R A N G E O F M E D I A T E R M I N O L O G Y R E L E VA N T T O T H E A N A LY S I S O F W E B S I T E H O M E PA G E S . T O I D E N T I F Y T H E C O N V E N T I O N S O N VA R I O U S W E B PA G E S .

T H E P U R P O S E O F W E B S I T E S

Some websites provide information and others are for entertainment. Many websites blur this distinction by presenting information in an entertaining and engaging way.

H O M E PA G E

A websites home page is usually the most important page, containing various elements that provide information in their own right or offer the audience the opportunity to interact with the page, navigating to other parts of the page or the website.

Websites will contain a number of these factors:

S O U N D : U S E D O N M A N Y W E B S I T E S . Y O U M AY H E A R A S O U N D A S T H E

C U R S O R R O L L S O V E R S O M E PA R T O F A W E B S I T E . M U S I C I S O F T E N U S E D I N W E B S I T E S A S A N I N T R O D U C T I O N O N T H E H O M E PA G E . T H I S C A N S S E T U P

C E R TA I N E X P E C TAT I O N S F O R T H E V I E W T O E S TA B L I S H T H E T O N E O F

T H E R E S T O F T H E W E B S I T E

V I D E O : T H A N K S T O B R O A D B A N D , M A N Y W E B S I T E S

C A N S A F E LY G O B E Y O N D F E AT U R I N G T E X T A N D S TAT I C

I M A G E S T O I N C O P O R AT E V I D E O

I M A G E S : U S E D I N A L M O S T E V E R Y W E B S I T E - S O M E T I M E S U S E D A S A L I N K T O A N O T H E R

PA R T O F T H E W E B S I T E

C O P Y : T H E M A I N B O D Y O F T H E

T E X T

H Y P E R L I N K : T H E S E C A N B E E I T H E R W O R D S O R I M A G E S T H AT W H E N

C L I C K E D U P O N W I L L TA K E Y O U T O A N O T H E R PA G E

T H U M B N A I L ; I M A G E S A R E S O M E T I M E S D I S P L AY E D I N

R E D U C E D S I Z E . H O W E V E R A F U L L S I Z E C A N B E U S U A L LY A C C E S S E D

B Y C L I C K I N G O N T H E T H U M B N A I L .

N AV I G AT I O N ; A S E R I E S O F B U T T O N S , I M A G E S O R T E X T W I T H W H I C H U S E R C A N I N T E R A C T A N D

F I N D T H E I R WAY A R O U N D A W E B S I T E .

H E A D I N G : U S E D T H R O U G H O U T S O M E W E B PA G E S T O S P L I T T H E C O N T E N T I N T O

M A N A G A B L E S E C T I O N S . T H E R E M AY B E S U B -H E A D I N G S , W H I C H C A N F U R T H E R D I R E C T

T H E U S E R T O A PA R T I C U L A R P I E C E O F I N F O R M AT I O N .

F R A M E S : T H E C O N T E N T O F T H E W E B S I T E I S U S U A L LY B R O K E N

D O W N I N T O F R A M E S . T H I S M A K E S T H E C O N T E N T M O R E M A N A G E A B L E

A N D E A S I E R T O R E A D

V I D E O G A M E C L A S S I F I C AT I O N

I N S T I T U T I O N :

S C R O L L I N G T E X T : A R E A S O F T E X T W H I C H T H E U S E R C A N

S C R O L L T H R O U G H . S C R O L L I N G T E X T I S U S E F U L

B E C A U S E I T A L L O W S A L A R G E A M O U N T O F T E X T T O B E

P L A C E D W I T H I N A R E L AT I V E LY S M A L L B O X .

N AV I G AT I O N ; A S E R I E S O F B U T T O N S , I M A G E S O R T E X T

W I T H W H I C H U S E R C A N I N T E R A C T A N D F I N D T H E I R WAY A R O U N D A W E B S I T E .

L I K E : I N T E R A C T I V I T Y W I T H FA C E B O O K A N D S U G G E S T S

P O P U L A R I T Y T W I T T E R : A U D I E N C E

R E A C T I O N

S H A R E ; A S E R I E S O F B U T T O N S , I M A G E S O R T E X T W I T H W H I C H

U S E R C A N I N T E R A C T S H A R E C O N T E N T F R O M T H E W E B S I T E

I N S T I T U T I O N :

S E A R C H B O X : U S U A L LY A B O X I N W H I C H T H E U S E R C A N T Y P E A W O R D S R E L AT I N G T O

T H E C O N T E N T T H E Y A R E T R Y I N G T O T Y P E .

C R O S S P R O M O T I O N :

L AY O U T A N D D E S I G N

Consistency in design and layout in any website is important. In the case of music bands/ artistes it helps to build an awareness of them with the audience. The colours, text, logo and general design become familiar and easily recognisable to the audience.

H O W W E L O O K AT W E B PA G E S

Web pages are not just thrown together. The placing of each element is carefully considered by web designers to give maximum impact and to make a web page user friendly. Over the years a set of conventions has developed that underpins website design. This has, in part, been influenced by repetition of design, but also in part by research that suggested particular patterns in the way we view the website.

T H E PAT T E R N T H AT O U R E Y E S F O L L O W S A S W E C A N A W E B PA G E

T H E P O S I T I O N I N G O F E L E M E N T S T H AT M A K E U P A W E B PA G E

According to the viewing pattern, the first place that the audience will look when viewing a website is near the top left hand corner. This is where the Amy Winehouse logo is to be found on the homepage. This serves to anchor the meaning of the website and reassure the viewer.

Moving on, the next area of a webpage that our eyes come into contact with, according to the research, is the link buttons. These are the main elements of interaction to other pages.