Module 5

Part I - Poor Headlines

Headline 1:

Original: Colleges' Land Lines Nearing Silent End

This is a pretty good headline, but it doesn't mention the main reason land lines are in trouble: cell phones are quickly becoming the primary way students call home.

New: Cell Phones Threaten College Land Lines

Headline 2:

Original: Bloomberg Goes Both Ways

This headline is extremely vague and would only serve to confuse some readers.

New: Bloomberg's Support Waivers on Same-Sex Marriage

Headline 3:

Original: Pluto Keeps Its Secrets 75 Years After Being Discovered

This headline does a great job leading into the story, but it seems a bit wordy.

New: Pluto Still Mystifies Scientists

Part II - Lists

Headline: Experts Urge HIV Testing for Almost Everyone

This article was very informative and presented some alarming statistics about the HIV/AIDS epidemic that the United States has been experiencing since the 1980s. With the CDC recently issuing a warning about a new strain of drug-resistant HIV that rapidly develops into full-blown AIDS, the article could offer readers an attention grabbing list that is easily read and relays the importance of this article.

• 40,000 new HIV infections occur every year in the United States.
• Out of 950,000 people infected with the virus, 280,000 do not yet know.
• Routine testing would cut new infection rates by 20 percent each year.
• Early detection can add an average of 1.5 years of life for infected patients.
• Medications work best in conjunction with early detection.
• The epidemic is growing with the increased use of methamphetamines.

Part III - Model Web site

For years, I have been using cnn.com as my primary source for online news. I admit that I sometimes become bored by using the same sites over and over again and that I have recently started using msnbc.com as an alternate source. For the purpose of this section, I have decided to use what I know best and to feature cnn.com as my model Web site.

Content

As far as content, cnn.com does a great job of providing detailed headlines that give the readers an adequate understanding of what the news story will entail. As well, the headlines serve as hyperlinks to the full news stories and are categorized into content appropriate sections.

After the reader follows a link to access the full story, the content is chunked into appropriately sized sections of one idea per paragraph. The combination of the inverted pyramid style of writing with the use of headlines, lead-ins, headers and subheads allows the reader to scan the story for sections that are of great interest to him/her.

Navigation

The site's navigation is easy to understand and helps to keep the user from feeling lost. The tabs linking to the main sections of the site are found along the left-hand side of the screen and can be found on each individual page. As well, there are links to more news stories within that specific category and links to the top news stories along the bottom of the page.

vertical scrolling is sometimes required, but kept to a minimum and no horizontal scrolling is necessary. Advertisements are displayed, but tend not to get in the way of using the site for pertinent information. As well, additional resources are easily found if the reader chooses to follow the links for more detailed information.

Thrills and Frills

I enjoy the use of bold, rich colors on each page and think that it gives an element of strength to the site. In instances where there is breaking news, cnn.com will provide a red banner along the top of the home page to notify readers of the developing information. The site also allows users to register for e-mail alerts pertaining to the specific category of information that is designated by that individual.

The addition of streaming video (for registered users), photo galleries, information about what is happening on cnn's television broadcast and quick vote polls makes the user feel more connected and even adds an element of interactivity. Links to Time Online Edition, SI.com and Fortune are also provided to offer a more detailed perspective of certain stories.