The two sites that stuck out to me most in this weeks viewings were the Planet Takeout site and the Triangle Fire site, each for different reasons. The two kind of seem like total opposites.
Regarding the Triangle Fire site, I found the site itself to be a little dull. Its got a lot of writing about something that I don’t know anything about, but nothing to really draw me in to make me want to know about it. After exploring it a bit deeper, I learned about the history of the Triangle Fire, but it still didn’t really provide me any reason to care. I don’t mean to sound insensitive. I think its really sad about the tragedy that happened, and its cool that people are trying to commemorate it in the name of social justice for all. But I just have to be honest and say that I didn’t really care for the site that much. I think part of it is that is feels like the context is outdated. This is about something that happened in 1911. How is this important now? I understand that they are trying to encourage active social engagement around this, but I don’t really feel like it works. What I think would help the site is if on the home page I saw something that would draw me in, maybe some human aspect that I could relate to like a picture of someone’s face or something like that, and then maybe a quick statement about how what happened then relates and is relevant to what they are trying to do.
As far as Planet Takeout, I loved this site. Everything about it was great to me. The page layout is fantastic. I love that it is a video in the background with little icons that pop up to draw you in. It is extremely creative, and very user friendly. And the content is relevant, current, and interesting. What a genius idea to make the story menu look like a Chinese menu! I think this is my favorite site that we’ve looked at yet.
Hi Summer – I felt TGE same way about both sites; I didn’t really understand Triangle Fire and I LOVED Planet Takeout. Triangle Fire felt too ‘floaty’ a and I couldn’t tell if it was a virtual online museum, several locations it in one area. I also agree with your suggestion on how to make it better. Because all the Witkin that’s gone into this site deserves more support.
Connecting with an audience needs to have a compelling or unique audience. I wonder what their angel could be if you or I, or someone else were to rebrand their site?
Wow – sorry for the typos. I’m typing from my iPhone. I CAN TYPING!!! Lol.
Can you imagine how 9-11 will be memorialized in 100 years? Again, I would say, form follows function and the Triangle Fire Archive for me is a model of slow media and restraint, which is designed very specifically to speak for the voices of this historic event that triggered the American Labor Movement. So much came out of the deaths of the women trapped in that terirble fire in Manhattan…activism to change labor laws and OSHA policies, the rise of women anarchists and socialists fighting for women’s workplace rights…etc.
Why do I know a little bit about this? I combed through this site, and realized there are so many new and inventive ways to “present” our hidden histories!