Week #4 DIG 315

Is it always a good thing??
I'm kinda on the fence with this one.......
Reasons it is good...It can be beneficial for business and personal reasons.
From a business standpoint, there is possible financial gain by getting your business known and out there for everyone and anyone to see.  It creates numerous opportunities for you and the consumer:

• Consumers can easily look-up and access your company
• Consumers also have the ability to purchase goods via your website to increase sales
• It can be used as a free form of advertising and a way to promote your products
• It is a good way for consumers to learn about your product and provide an outlet for them to contact your business

Examples of personal reasons:

• Allows for information or your expertise to be shared with a vast amount of people
• Provides an abundance of resources
• Allows for one to be creative and demonstrate self-expression
• Artist, musicians, etc. can share the beauty of their work at no cost to them or the reader
• It can be used to promote causes, do fundraising, and to promote knowledge about a specific topic

Reasons it may be bad:

• A lot of garbage may be put out there
• What are people reporting or promoting?  Illegal, harmful, or false information??

Overall, I generally think it's a good thing, it has tremendous benefits for the person designing the site and the audience viewing it.  All of the reasons it could be bad can be avoided--you get what you search for!! There are numerous ways to find out if a site is reputable and useful for a reader.  For the main reason that the internet is a tool where users determine their type of use, having the ability for anyone to design a website is a good, valuable tool. 

Advantages and Disadvantages:
Some of the most obvious advantages involve cost.....If you were to design a website on your own, it will more than likely be less costly than paying someone to do it.  It will also allow for first hand portrayal of your info; your expression, not someone else's.  Explaining to someone what you want or expect something to look like may not result in you getting exactly what you want. 
The biggest disadvantage is based on your level of knowledge and skill; this can possibly limit your creative abilities....you obviously know what you want things to do and how you want them to work and look, but do you really know how to produce that finished product?  Here's my thoughts on some of the possible dilemmas...

• Is what you're putting out there representing your information correctly and in a way that will accommodate your reader's needs?
• Could there be adverse effects based on your good intentions?
• The design process could be time consuming and frustrating, depending on the resources you  have available.
• It could also end up being just as costly designing your own website as it would have been if you were to hire someone to do it....would you have to purchase design tools, etc. ? (ex. software, cost of your time). 

Additional comments on readings...
I viewed the readings from Chapters 3&4 of the textbook and this week's articles as a review and reaffirmation of the interactive work we have been doing in class the past few weeks: learning what different web pages look like and how to create your own (changing text, adding images, different terminology that is important to know and remember, and how, when, and where to save). Chapter 4 did offer some new insight into the actual posting of a website and discussed strategies for the planning and execution process.

Usability and Accessibility
Usability and accessibility both revolve around accommodating the reader.  Usability can be described as making your website easy for your visitors to find the information they need when they need it; simple, readable, and fast to navigate.  It includes clearly presenting information, placing information in a manner that is obvious and easy to find, and accessing the information should be equally easy and obvious.
Accessibility makes the content of a website available to everyone.......who will be viewing the site and what are their potential needs?  It should be about removing barriers and limitations to make it usable for people of all abilites and disabilities.  Some of the common suggestions made to increase accessibilty include the use of authoring toools and evaluation tools when creating web content.  Usability and accessibilty are both important aspects of web design that coincide with one another....they both take little effort to execute, but often times are ignored in the design process.  When working with web design, the focus should be largely about the reader's experience.  Ultimately making sure that you include both of these elements will increase the likelihood that a reader will return to your site or choose to use your site above others.