Monday, 13 April 2009
How to bring a long-established TV station in the 21st century?
www.bbc.co.uk was in 2008 the third most popular website in UK after Google and Microsoft. How they did it? IPlayer is the answer but before it was made to work it took BBC some years, a lot of money and Anthony Rose. He is the technical head that (eventually) lauched it in 2007 and brought it to see a huge success in just one year. Moreover, Rose is also preoccupied of how to make it even better and he is now thinking about make it possible to start watching a TV programme on TV and continue it on an IPhone (this is brilliant!!!). IPlayer is considered to have revolutionesed BBC and brough it in the new media age. Take a look and you will find a complete guide to BBC TV channels and radios with the possibility of wide access.
Sunday, 12 April 2009
Top unis' websites
Following the weekly task I decided to take a look at other unis' websites and make my own top. Some of the best ones that I like for the simplicity and the easiness to use are:
- Conservatoire for Arts and Drama http://www.cdd.ac.uk/
- King's College London http://www.kcl.ac.uk/
- The Courtauld Institute of Art http://www.courtauld.ac.uk/index.html
- Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts http://www.mountview.org.uk/
The ones that I think still need improvement especially in terms of writing to increase the level of trust are :
- Scittels, School Centred Initial Training in East London Schools http://www.scittels.co.uk/
- London Electronics College http://www.lec.org.uk/
- London School of Commerce http://www.lsclondon.co.uk/
- London College of Management Studies http://www.londoncms.com/
Now if it were to decide where to go and study based on the unis' websites and a compatibility for the courses offered where would you go?
- Conservatoire for Arts and Drama http://www.cdd.ac.uk/
- King's College London http://www.kcl.ac.uk/
- The Courtauld Institute of Art http://www.courtauld.ac.uk/index.html
- Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts http://www.mountview.org.uk/
The ones that I think still need improvement especially in terms of writing to increase the level of trust are :
- Scittels, School Centred Initial Training in East London Schools http://www.scittels.co.uk/
- London Electronics College http://www.lec.org.uk/
- London School of Commerce http://www.lsclondon.co.uk/
- London College of Management Studies http://www.londoncms.com/
Now if it were to decide where to go and study based on the unis' websites and a compatibility for the courses offered where would you go?
No one can ignore the online marketing and the unis the least
In the competitive and challenging educational environment the universities have to follow the trends in new media or why not initialize some? Bellow are our reflections and recommendations for Coventry University website together with its constitutive elements:
Coventry University Main website
1. Design
The website design has a deep design meaning the pages are arranged in such a way that one leads to the other rather than having links to all pages on the home page.
The home page is designed in an attractive, functional and easy access way which contributes highly to its main objective of attracting potential students and marketing the University to them. Tabs for each of the major inner pages such as International, research and courses, enable the user to navigate straight to his area of interest. However the cascading nature of the main tabs makes them hard to chase as they are sensitive to the mouse pointer movement.
A consistent design is maintained throughout the pages but each section has a distinctive colour which enables the user to quickly identify which page they are on.
Links to other parts of the website are marked at the top and bottom of the page but are dominated by the other page elements, which makes them hard to see due to their small font size.
2. Trustworthiness
University logo appears on all pages. Terms and conditions of use as well as privacy policy statement are placed at the bottom right of the home page. Awards granted to the University and testimonials add to the credibility of the website. Contact information is also clearly available. All these factors contribute to raising the trustworthiness of the website and add elements of intention, behavior, system and disposition trust. http://www.emeraldinsight.com/Insight/viewPDF.jsp?contentType=Article&Filename=html/Output/Published/EmeraldFullTextArticle/Pdf/2640310504.pdf
3. Interactivity
Due to the nature of the website and the fact that it is designed for first time users or potential students, it does not require a high level of interactivity; however it demonstrates some interactivity in the online application section which is an added advantage especially to International Students. http://www.emeraldinsight.com/Insight/viewPDF.jsp?contentType=Article&Filename=html/Output/Published/EmeraldFullTextArticle/Pdf/0600170303.pdf
4. Performance
The website loads quickly and navigation within it is fast too. No incidents of broken links have been observed.
To start with the link towards the CU Portal is situated at the bottom right of the Coventry University Home Page being little visible.
1. Design
CU Portal is consistent in terms of colours and layout which contributes to the development of a unitarian aspect and adds to the building of the identity. Furthermore, there is no difference between the other pages of the website and that of the portal. On the other hand, there can be identified a series of setbacks: the content and the sections are not well divided, the CU Portal home page is crowded in information with no specific point of interest defined which makes it difficult to follow and decide on the priority. In addition to this the information on the CU Portal home page is not dated which produces difficulties in knowing at a glace which things are still actual. The general division of the page is not fitted to the way the information is followed. For instance, important aspects such as the hot links are not visible from the beginning so the user has to scroll down to reach it.
2. Trustworthiness
The access to the CU Portal home page does not require any identification through user name and password but if the user wants to go further it has to log in. In this respect one setback that can be identified is that it is not said who is the author and when was the last time the information was updated. Thus, it is difficult to say which information is still available and who is the contact in case of wrong information. For the ‘Discuss your Portal’ section the posts are the author’s name so as to know who to contact in case one wants to discuss privately the same issue.
3. Interactivity
The portal provides the users with an interactive space: ‘Discuss the Portal’ section. On the line above one can find useful buttons for quick access to sections such as: Coventry University, eLibrary, Module Info. Directory, SOLAR, CUOnline, Online Store, Web Mail and CUSU. On the left hand side there are also buttons for an easy access. In conclusion, it can be said that the CU Portal has a high grade of interactivity with the consequences of usability and accessibility.
4.Performance
There are no technical problems with the loading of the page (it uploads quickly) but with a view to the qualitative performance in terms of readibility some aspects need to be mentioned. CU Portal has problems in reaching its final purpose which affects its performance because it is a crowed page and it is difficult to follow the information. Another setback of the page is that it does not have a calender with the latest updates so it is again difficult to follow the events. Despite the fact that the information is clear, accurate, up to date, timely, easy to find, personalised, relevant, detailed the portal’s deep navigation structure has negative consequences on its performance.
CU online
1. Interactivity
CUonline ‘s main objective is for interaction between students and staff(lecturers)from announcements of all sorts to exam timetable, tuition fee loans etc. The most important part of cuonline is the module page which gives the student all the information they need regarding each module from the teaching plan to submission of coursework and even forums where students can discuss issues regarding assignments and coursework. It is very interactive as any student of the university can log on and search for information without having to come to the campus.
2. Trustworthiness
It is very trusting as the as the student must have a name and password to have access to it. The university logo is there which gives the student a sense of security that all their data cannot be viewed by anyone else except their tutors
3. Design
The design and layout are simple. Because there is a lot of information that needs to be gotten across to the students, the important information and links are placed at the top so it would not be difficult for the student to locate them. There is ease of reading through the page. The module page layout has a lot of clutter and students sometimes get lost when trying to locate information
4. Performance
The performance of cuonline is slow in terms of speed. It needs to be enhanced because students and staff use it on a daily basis. Because the intranet is designed for students to access it even when they are not on campus, it needs to be very fast and effective it is very slow and in some instances crashes. This needs to be upgraded
Solar
It is designed for easy access to personal details, the links are listed and useful shortcuts are provided for easy access to all areas of the webpage. With a plain white background and fonts in blue readable size it is very straightforward and easy to browse.
1. Trustworthiness
Username and password are required to access the solar webpage so students are guaranteed that no one else can access their information.
2. Interactivity
Links are provided for different problems that may be encountered while accessing this webpage. It is a fast way to communicate with the student centre as students can order student confirmation letters etc.
3. Performance
The performance can be sometimes slow but it largely depends on the speed of the Coventry university website as it is a part of the services
E-library The e-library
1. Interactivity.
The library through its online format keeps up-to-date the students and the members of the staff with the events concerning their own library accounts so as to diminuish the number of occassions when they are late and have to pay a fine. In addition to this, students may see what books are available and also locate them in the library. Furthermore, they can both request a book online in order to pick from the premises when it is made available and extend online the due in date.
2. Trustworthiness
For further access to the e-library (e.g. databases or books available just online) basic identification criteria need to be fulfilled. Thus, both an username and password are required for use it.
3.Design
The way of writing corresponds to the Western type. Most of the information is concentrated in the left side as this is the most common way of reading. A good and balanced structure with corporate identity elements easy to find (e.g. consistent font and colour) can be observed.
4. Performance
In terms of how well technically the e-library works there are no complains to make since it uploads and searches fast or in a reasonable speed range. In addition to this, the number of crashes is very low, close to none and it is always announced by e-mail.
Coventry University Main website
1. Design
The website design has a deep design meaning the pages are arranged in such a way that one leads to the other rather than having links to all pages on the home page.
The home page is designed in an attractive, functional and easy access way which contributes highly to its main objective of attracting potential students and marketing the University to them. Tabs for each of the major inner pages such as International, research and courses, enable the user to navigate straight to his area of interest. However the cascading nature of the main tabs makes them hard to chase as they are sensitive to the mouse pointer movement.
A consistent design is maintained throughout the pages but each section has a distinctive colour which enables the user to quickly identify which page they are on.
Links to other parts of the website are marked at the top and bottom of the page but are dominated by the other page elements, which makes them hard to see due to their small font size.
2. Trustworthiness
University logo appears on all pages. Terms and conditions of use as well as privacy policy statement are placed at the bottom right of the home page. Awards granted to the University and testimonials add to the credibility of the website. Contact information is also clearly available. All these factors contribute to raising the trustworthiness of the website and add elements of intention, behavior, system and disposition trust. http://www.emeraldinsight.com/Insight/viewPDF.jsp?contentType=Article&Filename=html/Output/Published/EmeraldFullTextArticle/Pdf/2640310504.pdf
3. Interactivity
Due to the nature of the website and the fact that it is designed for first time users or potential students, it does not require a high level of interactivity; however it demonstrates some interactivity in the online application section which is an added advantage especially to International Students. http://www.emeraldinsight.com/Insight/viewPDF.jsp?contentType=Article&Filename=html/Output/Published/EmeraldFullTextArticle/Pdf/0600170303.pdf
4. Performance
The website loads quickly and navigation within it is fast too. No incidents of broken links have been observed.
To start with the link towards the CU Portal is situated at the bottom right of the Coventry University Home Page being little visible.
1. Design
CU Portal is consistent in terms of colours and layout which contributes to the development of a unitarian aspect and adds to the building of the identity. Furthermore, there is no difference between the other pages of the website and that of the portal. On the other hand, there can be identified a series of setbacks: the content and the sections are not well divided, the CU Portal home page is crowded in information with no specific point of interest defined which makes it difficult to follow and decide on the priority. In addition to this the information on the CU Portal home page is not dated which produces difficulties in knowing at a glace which things are still actual. The general division of the page is not fitted to the way the information is followed. For instance, important aspects such as the hot links are not visible from the beginning so the user has to scroll down to reach it.
2. Trustworthiness
The access to the CU Portal home page does not require any identification through user name and password but if the user wants to go further it has to log in. In this respect one setback that can be identified is that it is not said who is the author and when was the last time the information was updated. Thus, it is difficult to say which information is still available and who is the contact in case of wrong information. For the ‘Discuss your Portal’ section the posts are the author’s name so as to know who to contact in case one wants to discuss privately the same issue.
3. Interactivity
The portal provides the users with an interactive space: ‘Discuss the Portal’ section. On the line above one can find useful buttons for quick access to sections such as: Coventry University, eLibrary, Module Info. Directory, SOLAR, CUOnline, Online Store, Web Mail and CUSU. On the left hand side there are also buttons for an easy access. In conclusion, it can be said that the CU Portal has a high grade of interactivity with the consequences of usability and accessibility.
4.Performance
There are no technical problems with the loading of the page (it uploads quickly) but with a view to the qualitative performance in terms of readibility some aspects need to be mentioned. CU Portal has problems in reaching its final purpose which affects its performance because it is a crowed page and it is difficult to follow the information. Another setback of the page is that it does not have a calender with the latest updates so it is again difficult to follow the events. Despite the fact that the information is clear, accurate, up to date, timely, easy to find, personalised, relevant, detailed the portal’s deep navigation structure has negative consequences on its performance.
CU online
1. Interactivity
CUonline ‘s main objective is for interaction between students and staff(lecturers)from announcements of all sorts to exam timetable, tuition fee loans etc. The most important part of cuonline is the module page which gives the student all the information they need regarding each module from the teaching plan to submission of coursework and even forums where students can discuss issues regarding assignments and coursework. It is very interactive as any student of the university can log on and search for information without having to come to the campus.
2. Trustworthiness
It is very trusting as the as the student must have a name and password to have access to it. The university logo is there which gives the student a sense of security that all their data cannot be viewed by anyone else except their tutors
3. Design
The design and layout are simple. Because there is a lot of information that needs to be gotten across to the students, the important information and links are placed at the top so it would not be difficult for the student to locate them. There is ease of reading through the page. The module page layout has a lot of clutter and students sometimes get lost when trying to locate information
4. Performance
The performance of cuonline is slow in terms of speed. It needs to be enhanced because students and staff use it on a daily basis. Because the intranet is designed for students to access it even when they are not on campus, it needs to be very fast and effective it is very slow and in some instances crashes. This needs to be upgraded
Solar
It is designed for easy access to personal details, the links are listed and useful shortcuts are provided for easy access to all areas of the webpage. With a plain white background and fonts in blue readable size it is very straightforward and easy to browse.
1. Trustworthiness
Username and password are required to access the solar webpage so students are guaranteed that no one else can access their information.
2. Interactivity
Links are provided for different problems that may be encountered while accessing this webpage. It is a fast way to communicate with the student centre as students can order student confirmation letters etc.
3. Performance
The performance can be sometimes slow but it largely depends on the speed of the Coventry university website as it is a part of the services
E-library The e-library
1. Interactivity.
The library through its online format keeps up-to-date the students and the members of the staff with the events concerning their own library accounts so as to diminuish the number of occassions when they are late and have to pay a fine. In addition to this, students may see what books are available and also locate them in the library. Furthermore, they can both request a book online in order to pick from the premises when it is made available and extend online the due in date.
2. Trustworthiness
For further access to the e-library (e.g. databases or books available just online) basic identification criteria need to be fulfilled. Thus, both an username and password are required for use it.
3.Design
The way of writing corresponds to the Western type. Most of the information is concentrated in the left side as this is the most common way of reading. A good and balanced structure with corporate identity elements easy to find (e.g. consistent font and colour) can be observed.
4. Performance
In terms of how well technically the e-library works there are no complains to make since it uploads and searches fast or in a reasonable speed range. In addition to this, the number of crashes is very low, close to none and it is always announced by e-mail.
Friday, 10 April 2009
Good news for the e-marketers
In a context where the constant comments concerning the advertising expenditures are highly negative announcing gloomy days the respected online magazine e-marketer announces that 'The recession slows, but does not stop, online ad growth'(8th of April 2009). They demonstrate that 'marketers are spending more on Internet ads, while spending less on advertising in other media, such as newspapers, radio and magazines'. Why is it so? The answer resides in the easy and rapid capacity to evaluate/ measure the results from a financial point of view. In addition to this, David Hallerman, eMarketer senior analyst and author of the new report, US Advertising Spending: The New Reality thinks that 'successful Internet advertising creates a new paradigm for marketing on other media, namely search and relevance'.
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