Since taking a film reviewing class I have found that I really do have a greater appreciation for films. Since taking that class I've made it a point to go to the movies at least once a week, normally on the weekend. This weekend was no different.
I had be dying to see "Pan's Labyrinth" for the past couple of weeks. I saw one 15 second commerial about it and I was hooked and had to see it! I tend to like films that are overly creative and very different from what the general public likes (for example my all time favorite film, which people always question is the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre). This film seemed to fit all of my requirements.
So, needless to say my friends and I went to see "Pan's Labyrinth" Saturday night. If you can sit through 2 hours of subtitles (because it's all in Spanish) that I would definitely reccomend it to anyone. I loved the story behind it, the graphics and special effects were beyond amazing, and the cast did an outstanding job, especially three of the (what I would say are) the main characters. Ofelia, who was the little girl. Captain Vidal, who as much as you hated the character, you loved how the actor portrayed it, and Mercedes, a servant to the Captain who had more courage in her pinky finger than most of the female roles today.
Though, I have to admit, it was a very violent film. Between scenes of war, and scenes when a person's mouth is getting slit (almost a Chelsea Smile), it can make anyone cringe, especailly if you're not used to watching stuff like that. I however, found those parts to be just as intriguing as the rest of the film.
After watching this film, and watching one of my friends cringe several times, I thought about how I must have a high tolerance for violence. I guess years of watching gore/horror films has made me, I don't want to say more comfortable, but maybe resilient to it.
Another aspect of the film that I liked is how Pan was portrayed. In case you didn't know Pan is faun, who is supposedly the son of Zeus in mythology. The portrayal of Pan was amazing, and he really did look like a faun, or like many of the pictures you could look up of him. Everyone's interpretation of Pan is different, but this one, for me at least, was a great portrayal.
In general I would go see this film again in a heartbeat. It was just that good.
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Monday, January 29, 2007
MSNBC
Honestly, I do not think that I have ever visited this site until this point. I probably would not have ever visited this site either. But now, since it's part of an assignment I had to. I haven't been to this site mainly because I stray away from all news related sites. But I discovered that MSNBC isn't just a "news" site.
In comparison to CNN.com, MSNBC.com had a lot of the same features. For one, it offered a variety of news on a variety of different topics. CNN.com had areas of news that covred entertainment, politics, health, etc. MSNBC.com had many of the same features offered, however it have even more features. Like a feature on Blogs, on Travel, and even local news. Also, MSNBC.com offered certain areas of the site to it's television shows like Dateline or the nightly news. CNN.com did not, at least I didn't think so, feature it's alternate television station. Another aspect of the site was the fact that the front page featured the most important, or even "breaking" stories as did CNN.com. I think MSNBC.com covers all the bases, and it's something that it does do very well.
However, I do feel that offering too much information can also be a bad thing. I think it could be bad because sometimes a person may only want/need a small amount of information. When too much information is offered a person can get overwhelmed by it, or even confused, and can simply go to another news related site for that information. Not only that, but MSNBC.com offers a place to find one's horescope, classified ads, quizzes, message boards, etc. all of that could be too overwhelming for a person, and especially for a news related site. I would have to say that it's abundant amount of information is also something that isn't the greatest feature of the website.
MSNBC.com seemed to be a bit more interactive than CNN.com did. Even though CNN.com did offer a portion of the site to viewers to write their opinions, share videos, it did not offer (at least I didn't see anything) message boards as does MSNBC.com does. People visiting MSNBC.com could also take part in fantasy sports, another option that CNN.com did not offer. I think this interactivity helps make the site more appealing to people who may be viewing the page, and it makes up for the fact that there may be too much information.
In comparision of CNN.com, MSNBC.com did not offer as many links as CNN.com did. When I read several stories it did not offer links to other sites it may have mentioned within the text. Also, it seems that a lot of the news stories come directly from the Associated Press, whereas CNN.com featured a lot of news written by a reporter or by someone else. The only links that I did find on the site was through advertisements, and through the classified ads that the site offered.
I think that both CNN.com and MSNBC.com used about the same amount of multimedia. Both sites offered videos about many of the stories that were featured on the site. MSNBC.com also had a section that was solely used for featured photos. That was one thing that this site had over CNN.com.
I think that both of the sites are good places to go for information and especially for news. Both have a lot of good features, and both have the share of not so good features. I can't say that one site is way better than the other.
In comparison to CNN.com, MSNBC.com had a lot of the same features. For one, it offered a variety of news on a variety of different topics. CNN.com had areas of news that covred entertainment, politics, health, etc. MSNBC.com had many of the same features offered, however it have even more features. Like a feature on Blogs, on Travel, and even local news. Also, MSNBC.com offered certain areas of the site to it's television shows like Dateline or the nightly news. CNN.com did not, at least I didn't think so, feature it's alternate television station. Another aspect of the site was the fact that the front page featured the most important, or even "breaking" stories as did CNN.com. I think MSNBC.com covers all the bases, and it's something that it does do very well.
However, I do feel that offering too much information can also be a bad thing. I think it could be bad because sometimes a person may only want/need a small amount of information. When too much information is offered a person can get overwhelmed by it, or even confused, and can simply go to another news related site for that information. Not only that, but MSNBC.com offers a place to find one's horescope, classified ads, quizzes, message boards, etc. all of that could be too overwhelming for a person, and especially for a news related site. I would have to say that it's abundant amount of information is also something that isn't the greatest feature of the website.
MSNBC.com seemed to be a bit more interactive than CNN.com did. Even though CNN.com did offer a portion of the site to viewers to write their opinions, share videos, it did not offer (at least I didn't see anything) message boards as does MSNBC.com does. People visiting MSNBC.com could also take part in fantasy sports, another option that CNN.com did not offer. I think this interactivity helps make the site more appealing to people who may be viewing the page, and it makes up for the fact that there may be too much information.
In comparision of CNN.com, MSNBC.com did not offer as many links as CNN.com did. When I read several stories it did not offer links to other sites it may have mentioned within the text. Also, it seems that a lot of the news stories come directly from the Associated Press, whereas CNN.com featured a lot of news written by a reporter or by someone else. The only links that I did find on the site was through advertisements, and through the classified ads that the site offered.
I think that both CNN.com and MSNBC.com used about the same amount of multimedia. Both sites offered videos about many of the stories that were featured on the site. MSNBC.com also had a section that was solely used for featured photos. That was one thing that this site had over CNN.com.
I think that both of the sites are good places to go for information and especially for news. Both have a lot of good features, and both have the share of not so good features. I can't say that one site is way better than the other.
Friday, January 26, 2007
I'm scared I'll get scared and I swear I'll try to nail you back up
Way back when the year was 2004 I had my own, I guess you could call it a zine. It's was a little webzine that's main focus was music. I have to say that I was very proud of this. I met some really great people, met some really great bands, had the chance to check out some really great (and not so great) music, and gained more experience doing that that anyone could ever imagine. And because I went to college I had to give it up, for many reasons. The main reason being that I did not have much time to dedicate to it, and I did not find it fair to let one thing slack off because I had something else, something bigger and a lot more important on my plate.
That thing...that was bigger and more important than my zine was my education. I made the clear decision that it was in my best interest to put the zine on hold for a while and focus on one thing at a time. Normally I can juggle several different things at one time, but I found out the hard way that it isn't good for me.
Now that my college career is almost over with, I really really want to start writing again, and I don't mean writing research papers, or news stories, I mean I want to write about things that are important to me, I want to write about the one thing I love most...music!
I realized today that I really miss going to shows and reviewing them. I do go to an abnormal amount of concerts, but I go for the fun in them (and of course the music), not to write about them. I want to write about them, not just because, but because I have a reason to. I miss listening to a CD and tearing it to shreds or praising it to the high heavens. I miss getting out there and interviewing some great bands with real talent, not like most of the music found of MTV (oh wait, that's right, MTV doesn't play music!) or on the radio.
I'm honestly sick and tired of Britney Spears' getting more press than actual talent because she wears no underwear. I can't even believe that people like Lindsey Lohan have a record deal when there are many bands struggling to make a name for themselves...the good old fashioned way...by touring in a beat up vans for months, even years on end, building up a fan base, and giving it their blood, sweat, and tears. And I'm sick of Fall Out Boy, and how Fall Out Boy isn't about the music or the band anymore, but Pete Wentz and his overexposed pictures. And I'm sick of Panic! At the Disco, just because I simply don't like them and feel that unlike most bands in the genre of music they play have not earned their position in the "scene" (I use that term loosely). They went from like 0 to 100 in a matter of minutes! And I'm sick of going to shows where I'm the oldest person playing (with the exception of the people on the stage). I'm only 23, I'm not that old!
I'm not saying that the music I listen to is the best music out there and should be plastered all over MTV. I'm not saying that there is anything wrong with anyone who likes any of the above mentioned people. All I'm saying is that people need to stop giving press to people who don't wear underwear. Do you know how many "regular" people don't wear underwear everyday? You don't see them flashed across every news station, every music station, and every gossip magazine out there, do you? And not for nothing Brityney is just GROSS!
I swore to myself a long time ago, when I first wanted to start my zine in 2004 that I will try my hardest, as a writer, to write about all those bands that I feel are overlooked. And that's what I'm going to do.
That thing...that was bigger and more important than my zine was my education. I made the clear decision that it was in my best interest to put the zine on hold for a while and focus on one thing at a time. Normally I can juggle several different things at one time, but I found out the hard way that it isn't good for me.
Now that my college career is almost over with, I really really want to start writing again, and I don't mean writing research papers, or news stories, I mean I want to write about things that are important to me, I want to write about the one thing I love most...music!
I realized today that I really miss going to shows and reviewing them. I do go to an abnormal amount of concerts, but I go for the fun in them (and of course the music), not to write about them. I want to write about them, not just because, but because I have a reason to. I miss listening to a CD and tearing it to shreds or praising it to the high heavens. I miss getting out there and interviewing some great bands with real talent, not like most of the music found of MTV (oh wait, that's right, MTV doesn't play music!) or on the radio.
I'm honestly sick and tired of Britney Spears' getting more press than actual talent because she wears no underwear. I can't even believe that people like Lindsey Lohan have a record deal when there are many bands struggling to make a name for themselves...the good old fashioned way...by touring in a beat up vans for months, even years on end, building up a fan base, and giving it their blood, sweat, and tears. And I'm sick of Fall Out Boy, and how Fall Out Boy isn't about the music or the band anymore, but Pete Wentz and his overexposed pictures. And I'm sick of Panic! At the Disco, just because I simply don't like them and feel that unlike most bands in the genre of music they play have not earned their position in the "scene" (I use that term loosely). They went from like 0 to 100 in a matter of minutes! And I'm sick of going to shows where I'm the oldest person playing (with the exception of the people on the stage). I'm only 23, I'm not that old!
I'm not saying that the music I listen to is the best music out there and should be plastered all over MTV. I'm not saying that there is anything wrong with anyone who likes any of the above mentioned people. All I'm saying is that people need to stop giving press to people who don't wear underwear. Do you know how many "regular" people don't wear underwear everyday? You don't see them flashed across every news station, every music station, and every gossip magazine out there, do you? And not for nothing Brityney is just GROSS!
I swore to myself a long time ago, when I first wanted to start my zine in 2004 that I will try my hardest, as a writer, to write about all those bands that I feel are overlooked. And that's what I'm going to do.
The MU Experience
It's funny how everyone says that college is the time of your life, and how it's the one place where you will meet and make all of your lifelong friends. If that's the case, that what happened with me?!?!
For me, Monmouth is the place where I get my education. It's not the place I party (not that I party, because I don't...it's against my lifestyle you could say), it's not the place I turn to when I'm bored and need something to do, it's not even the place I go to to meet up with my friends. Since I transferred in, I've always treated Monmouth (as well as my education) as if it were my career. Even though my education, which means Monmouth University, is a big part of my life, it isn't all of it.
I think a lot of that has to do with the fact that I'm a commuter student. My life does not revolve around Monmouth and the happenings at Monmouth University. I have a whole life outside of school that people don't think I have. And as far as friends are concerned I've made my lifelong friends while in high school. I gotta say though, I lucked out there!
In many ways I think of all of this as something good, because it has shown me that there is more to life than just college. Also, because of it I'm not dependent on Monmouth University. For example, as scary as graduation is (I think it is for everyone, and anyone who tells you differently is a total liar!), I'm not afraid of life outside of college, because in many ways I've alreay had so many experiences outside of college, or a college campus, because I don't live on one.
I guess, you're probably thinking that I didn't have much of a college experience. But in fact I did. I feel that college is what a person makes of it. If you plan on making your college experience all about lifelong friends, and getting smashed with those lifelong friends than that's your own college experience. For me, the college experience was coming to a good school, and getting the best education that I could possibly get. I got that from Monmouth. Overall I had some great, some good, and even a few not so good professors while at Monmouth. I've also experienced a lot of change. I think I've changed a lot for the good since transferring into Monmouth. Above all I got the education and the skills to go out into the work world once this college bit is done and over with.
For me, Monmouth is the place where I get my education. It's not the place I party (not that I party, because I don't...it's against my lifestyle you could say), it's not the place I turn to when I'm bored and need something to do, it's not even the place I go to to meet up with my friends. Since I transferred in, I've always treated Monmouth (as well as my education) as if it were my career. Even though my education, which means Monmouth University, is a big part of my life, it isn't all of it.
I think a lot of that has to do with the fact that I'm a commuter student. My life does not revolve around Monmouth and the happenings at Monmouth University. I have a whole life outside of school that people don't think I have. And as far as friends are concerned I've made my lifelong friends while in high school. I gotta say though, I lucked out there!
In many ways I think of all of this as something good, because it has shown me that there is more to life than just college. Also, because of it I'm not dependent on Monmouth University. For example, as scary as graduation is (I think it is for everyone, and anyone who tells you differently is a total liar!), I'm not afraid of life outside of college, because in many ways I've alreay had so many experiences outside of college, or a college campus, because I don't live on one.
I guess, you're probably thinking that I didn't have much of a college experience. But in fact I did. I feel that college is what a person makes of it. If you plan on making your college experience all about lifelong friends, and getting smashed with those lifelong friends than that's your own college experience. For me, the college experience was coming to a good school, and getting the best education that I could possibly get. I got that from Monmouth. Overall I had some great, some good, and even a few not so good professors while at Monmouth. I've also experienced a lot of change. I think I've changed a lot for the good since transferring into Monmouth. Above all I got the education and the skills to go out into the work world once this college bit is done and over with.
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
A Few of My Favorite Things
My Favorite CD's At The Moment:
1. "The Devil And God Are Raging Inside Me" by Brand New
2. "Alls Well That Ends Well" by Chiodos
3. "Colour Revolt" by The Color Revolt
4. "Split The Country..." By Kevin Devine
These, out of all the music I listen to have to be my most favorite at the moment. I say at the moment because my favorite cds always change. But the one I know that will remain a constant has to be Brand New's "The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me". For me, everything on this album is amazing, from the music to the vocals, right down to the lyrics. I honestly can't find one song that I do not love on this album, from the moment I listened to it I was hooked.
Chiodos was introduced to me a few months ago when a friend of mine burned a copy of their CD and told me I NEEDED to listen to it. To say the least I did, and I fell in love with mainly the singer's (Craig Owens) voice. Its a bit more higher than most male vocalists I listen to. The CD is amazing and has some amazing lyrics and breakdowns...always a plus!
The Colour Revolt is one of those bands that you're forced to listen to because they are the opening act for one of the many concerts you go to. They opened for Brand New this summer, and from the first sound of the harmonica they blew my mind. It was like something I never heard of before. The Colour Revolt, I can honestly say is very different from most of the music I listen to, and the one band that opened up that I liked. Normally I hate the opening band. I'm a band snob, I go to the show mainly for the one band I really want to see.
Kevin Devine, reminded me a little of Conor Oberst/Bright Eyes. He seems very indie, but less drunk than Oberst. A part of the reason of why I started listening to Kevin Devine was because my favorite musician, Jesse Lacey, was featured in many of Devine's songs. "Split the Country..." is an amazing album, one that takes control of you in my opinion. It's very politically charged, which I normally do not like, but fits in with a lot of my own views. Another reason why I love this album is because of one song "No Time Flat" and one line in that song "You say support your troops, I do I want them all brought back" I can't agree more with that since I have a cousin who is in Iraq for the past several months, and I think that's the best way to support our troops, to bring them all home!
This list could go on forever....
1. "The Devil And God Are Raging Inside Me" by Brand New
2. "Alls Well That Ends Well" by Chiodos
3. "Colour Revolt" by The Color Revolt
4. "Split The Country..." By Kevin Devine
These, out of all the music I listen to have to be my most favorite at the moment. I say at the moment because my favorite cds always change. But the one I know that will remain a constant has to be Brand New's "The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me". For me, everything on this album is amazing, from the music to the vocals, right down to the lyrics. I honestly can't find one song that I do not love on this album, from the moment I listened to it I was hooked.
Chiodos was introduced to me a few months ago when a friend of mine burned a copy of their CD and told me I NEEDED to listen to it. To say the least I did, and I fell in love with mainly the singer's (Craig Owens) voice. Its a bit more higher than most male vocalists I listen to. The CD is amazing and has some amazing lyrics and breakdowns...always a plus!
The Colour Revolt is one of those bands that you're forced to listen to because they are the opening act for one of the many concerts you go to. They opened for Brand New this summer, and from the first sound of the harmonica they blew my mind. It was like something I never heard of before. The Colour Revolt, I can honestly say is very different from most of the music I listen to, and the one band that opened up that I liked. Normally I hate the opening band. I'm a band snob, I go to the show mainly for the one band I really want to see.
Kevin Devine, reminded me a little of Conor Oberst/Bright Eyes. He seems very indie, but less drunk than Oberst. A part of the reason of why I started listening to Kevin Devine was because my favorite musician, Jesse Lacey, was featured in many of Devine's songs. "Split the Country..." is an amazing album, one that takes control of you in my opinion. It's very politically charged, which I normally do not like, but fits in with a lot of my own views. Another reason why I love this album is because of one song "No Time Flat" and one line in that song "You say support your troops, I do I want them all brought back" I can't agree more with that since I have a cousin who is in Iraq for the past several months, and I think that's the best way to support our troops, to bring them all home!
This list could go on forever....
Sunday, January 21, 2007
Looking Forward
I think the next few months are going to be great, I have a really great feeling about them. Here's why:
1) I'm interning at a great magazine, Night and Day. I've only been there once and I already love it.
2) I'm going to several great concerts. March 24 Taste of Chaos Tour 2007 feat. 30 Seconds to Mars, The Used, Saosin, Chiodos, Aiden, Evaline, and many others (I'm mainly going for 30 Seconds to Mars, Saosin, and Chiodos of course). April 20 The AP Tour with Circa Survive and Cute Is What We Aim For (again, mainly going to Circa Survive). April 25 Brand New. This is the one show that I honestly cannot wait for. I may burst with excitement the day of. May 5 & 6 is the Bamboozle weekend. There are over 120 bands playing and I can't wait to stand all day in a sea of over 1000 concert goers. My Chemical Romance, Armor For Sleep, The Early November, and Paramore as (so far) the bands I'm really excited to see. May 26 Gwen Stefani at the Borgata Hotel/Casino in Atlantic City. I can't help myself, I've been a Gwen fan since I was like in 6th grade. And last but not least, August 5 the Vans Warped Tour. I haven't been to Warped in 2 years, but since Coheed and Cambria are playing it's a definite must go!
3) And the biggest thing I'm excited about is Graduation. I can't believe I'm finally going to be graduating! It's scary and fun and exciting all at the same time.
I'm trying to have the most positive outlook on the following months. And all of these things are going to make it be as great as I'm hoping its going to be.
1) I'm interning at a great magazine, Night and Day. I've only been there once and I already love it.
2) I'm going to several great concerts. March 24 Taste of Chaos Tour 2007 feat. 30 Seconds to Mars, The Used, Saosin, Chiodos, Aiden, Evaline, and many others (I'm mainly going for 30 Seconds to Mars, Saosin, and Chiodos of course). April 20 The AP Tour with Circa Survive and Cute Is What We Aim For (again, mainly going to Circa Survive). April 25 Brand New. This is the one show that I honestly cannot wait for. I may burst with excitement the day of. May 5 & 6 is the Bamboozle weekend. There are over 120 bands playing and I can't wait to stand all day in a sea of over 1000 concert goers. My Chemical Romance, Armor For Sleep, The Early November, and Paramore as (so far) the bands I'm really excited to see. May 26 Gwen Stefani at the Borgata Hotel/Casino in Atlantic City. I can't help myself, I've been a Gwen fan since I was like in 6th grade. And last but not least, August 5 the Vans Warped Tour. I haven't been to Warped in 2 years, but since Coheed and Cambria are playing it's a definite must go!
3) And the biggest thing I'm excited about is Graduation. I can't believe I'm finally going to be graduating! It's scary and fun and exciting all at the same time.
I'm trying to have the most positive outlook on the following months. And all of these things are going to make it be as great as I'm hoping its going to be.
Fabulous
I'm the kind of person that reads like it's her job to read. I will read almost anything that I could get my little hands on, that is IF I think its worth reading. But last year, when the semester started I kind of just stopped reading (most likely because I was busy with school related stuff). And honestly, that bothered me a lot. So I promised myself that for Christmas I would ask for a bunch of books and start reading as many of them as I could.
The first I chose to read was a book that I picked out on a whim. It was called "Fabulous Nobodies" by Lee Tulloch. I never heard of the book before, and I had absolutely no clue as to what it was really about, because the synopsis did not offer a whole lot.
So, what was it about? Basicallyit was about this girl, Reality Nirvana Tuttle, who was a nobody who thought she was a somebody. Well, she thought she was on her way to be a somebody. Her world revolved around her "frocks" and the door she worked at the hippest fashion based night club Less is More. At first you're thinking that this character is a real flake of a person because she only cares about her clothes and her job, if you could consider it a job (which her clothes eventually get stolen and she eventually loses her job for not letting Jackie O into the club).
I know it sounds like I'm bashing this book, I totally not! In fact I L-O-V-E-D it. I loved it because I realized sometimes a person needs not to care but to be carefree. And that sometimes a person does not need to be bogged down by all of the negative things that are happening in the world right now. For example, this current war the US is involved it. And the biggest thing about this book that I seemed to love is the fact that this book (even though it was written in the 80s) is that it proves on thing to be true and constant: fashion. No matter what anyone says fashion, how we look, how we dress, our own personal style is important. It's not just important to us as individuals, but it's important to 'us' as a whole because its those personal styles and our own unique sense of fashion that separates us and lets us be who we want to be, and not just mirrow images of everyone and everything we see.
At the end of the book Reality says something to the effect we are nothing without clothes and without fashion (whether you follow the latest trends or not) and I think she's right in saying that because the way we dress is an outward expression of who we are on the inside, as people.
So my advice is two things: 1) Always pick up a book on a whim and judge it by its cover. 2) remember that fashion is all around us, in us, even if you think you are the most unfashionable of all people.
The first I chose to read was a book that I picked out on a whim. It was called "Fabulous Nobodies" by Lee Tulloch. I never heard of the book before, and I had absolutely no clue as to what it was really about, because the synopsis did not offer a whole lot.
So, what was it about? Basicallyit was about this girl, Reality Nirvana Tuttle, who was a nobody who thought she was a somebody. Well, she thought she was on her way to be a somebody. Her world revolved around her "frocks" and the door she worked at the hippest fashion based night club Less is More. At first you're thinking that this character is a real flake of a person because she only cares about her clothes and her job, if you could consider it a job (which her clothes eventually get stolen and she eventually loses her job for not letting Jackie O into the club).
I know it sounds like I'm bashing this book, I totally not! In fact I L-O-V-E-D it. I loved it because I realized sometimes a person needs not to care but to be carefree. And that sometimes a person does not need to be bogged down by all of the negative things that are happening in the world right now. For example, this current war the US is involved it. And the biggest thing about this book that I seemed to love is the fact that this book (even though it was written in the 80s) is that it proves on thing to be true and constant: fashion. No matter what anyone says fashion, how we look, how we dress, our own personal style is important. It's not just important to us as individuals, but it's important to 'us' as a whole because its those personal styles and our own unique sense of fashion that separates us and lets us be who we want to be, and not just mirrow images of everyone and everything we see.
At the end of the book Reality says something to the effect we are nothing without clothes and without fashion (whether you follow the latest trends or not) and I think she's right in saying that because the way we dress is an outward expression of who we are on the inside, as people.
So my advice is two things: 1) Always pick up a book on a whim and judge it by its cover. 2) remember that fashion is all around us, in us, even if you think you are the most unfashionable of all people.
CNN
So I'm not much of a news kind of person, but after looking around CNN.com I noticed a lot has to be said for the news and the CNN's website itself.
One of the main things that I think CNN.com does well, and that I like a lot, is the fact that it reports on almost everything. When you first go on the site you see: HOME, WORLD, US, BUSINESS, SPORTS, ANALYSIS, POLITICS, LAW, TECH, SCIENCE, HEALTH, ENTERTAINMENT, OFFBEAT, TRAVEL, EDUCATION, SPECIALS, AUTOS, I-REPORTS. I think this is great for one site to have because you can simply go to one place for all the information you need on almost any topic. I think CNN.com makes it easier for people searching the internet for news related material because they have everything in one place, people do not need to go to several different websites to get different kinds of news. CNN.com, I feel does this very well. And also, the fact that there is a lot of useful information on the site is something that CNN.com does very well.
However, I do feel that there are some things that CNN.com does not do well. One of those things is the fact that I feel that CNN.com is a lot like CNN on television and that it repeats the same news stories over and over again until something new happens. I think when a news station and its website is doing that that people will be less likely to visit the site or even the television station. I know that I myself am like that. I like to get the news of the day, or if its a big event of the moment, and continue on. I don't want to see, or in the case of CNN.com read the same news at night that I read earlier that morning. Another aspect of CNN.com that I think it does not do well, or rather I should say that I don't like is the fact that there are advertisements on the page. I know advertisements are important in their own way, but I feel for a site like CNN.com which is solely news bases why does someone need to know about Netflix. When I first went on to view CNN.com that ad itself distracted me from digging deeper into the site. In fact, it made me think to myself how I have to update my own Netflix list.
At first, not knowing that much about CNN.com I did not think that its readers could participate with the website. I thought there was very little to no interactivity on the site. But CNN.com proved me wrong. On the bottom of the site there is a button that says "Send, Share, See YOUR Stories on CNN.com" I like this a lot because it gives the readers a voice to what they think and feel to the issues that surround us in our world. But on the downside to this there are only two stories underneath that people looking on CNN.com can view. I think it would increase more interactivity if more clips, stories, and photos were shown.
As far as links are concerned I noticed in a few stories that came from the Associated Press, CNN.com had a direct, I guess hot link, to the Associated Press's website. In another story I also noticed that it had a direct hot link to Pfizer and to charts that could be found on CNN.com itself. So yes, I would say that CNN.com does link other sites within their own site. Not only do they link sites but they also have links for the advertisements that can take its viewers to the exact site of the advertisement. For example, the Netflix ad. If you click on it, it will take you directly to Netflix.com. So, I guess that in itself is a form of a link.
CNN.com does use multimedia as a way of reporting news. They have plenty of videos that relate to many of the stories they feature as top stories and most popular stories. I also noticed that on the site it had CNN (Pipeline) which offered "commercial free videos" on a variety of news stories. So I think that yet again, there is a good and a bad to this. I think it is good because it gives people who may hate reading the chance to see and hear the news without having to look at the television and save time. But on the flipside, I think it is also just repeating the same news over and over again which could be a little redundant.
One of the main things that I think CNN.com does well, and that I like a lot, is the fact that it reports on almost everything. When you first go on the site you see: HOME, WORLD, US, BUSINESS, SPORTS, ANALYSIS, POLITICS, LAW, TECH, SCIENCE, HEALTH, ENTERTAINMENT, OFFBEAT, TRAVEL, EDUCATION, SPECIALS, AUTOS, I-REPORTS. I think this is great for one site to have because you can simply go to one place for all the information you need on almost any topic. I think CNN.com makes it easier for people searching the internet for news related material because they have everything in one place, people do not need to go to several different websites to get different kinds of news. CNN.com, I feel does this very well. And also, the fact that there is a lot of useful information on the site is something that CNN.com does very well.
However, I do feel that there are some things that CNN.com does not do well. One of those things is the fact that I feel that CNN.com is a lot like CNN on television and that it repeats the same news stories over and over again until something new happens. I think when a news station and its website is doing that that people will be less likely to visit the site or even the television station. I know that I myself am like that. I like to get the news of the day, or if its a big event of the moment, and continue on. I don't want to see, or in the case of CNN.com read the same news at night that I read earlier that morning. Another aspect of CNN.com that I think it does not do well, or rather I should say that I don't like is the fact that there are advertisements on the page. I know advertisements are important in their own way, but I feel for a site like CNN.com which is solely news bases why does someone need to know about Netflix. When I first went on to view CNN.com that ad itself distracted me from digging deeper into the site. In fact, it made me think to myself how I have to update my own Netflix list.
At first, not knowing that much about CNN.com I did not think that its readers could participate with the website. I thought there was very little to no interactivity on the site. But CNN.com proved me wrong. On the bottom of the site there is a button that says "Send, Share, See YOUR Stories on CNN.com" I like this a lot because it gives the readers a voice to what they think and feel to the issues that surround us in our world. But on the downside to this there are only two stories underneath that people looking on CNN.com can view. I think it would increase more interactivity if more clips, stories, and photos were shown.
As far as links are concerned I noticed in a few stories that came from the Associated Press, CNN.com had a direct, I guess hot link, to the Associated Press's website. In another story I also noticed that it had a direct hot link to Pfizer and to charts that could be found on CNN.com itself. So yes, I would say that CNN.com does link other sites within their own site. Not only do they link sites but they also have links for the advertisements that can take its viewers to the exact site of the advertisement. For example, the Netflix ad. If you click on it, it will take you directly to Netflix.com. So, I guess that in itself is a form of a link.
CNN.com does use multimedia as a way of reporting news. They have plenty of videos that relate to many of the stories they feature as top stories and most popular stories. I also noticed that on the site it had CNN (Pipeline) which offered "commercial free videos" on a variety of news stories. So I think that yet again, there is a good and a bad to this. I think it is good because it gives people who may hate reading the chance to see and hear the news without having to look at the television and save time. But on the flipside, I think it is also just repeating the same news over and over again which could be a little redundant.
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