New York Times Web Site example essay topic

Introduction The New York Times company delivers to millions of people all around the world. They are one of the worlds leading English newspaper retailers, and can be compared to big names such as The Washington Post. However, being one of the top retailers is not enough for these newspaper article writing guru's. They wanted everyone to have access to the articles, and spreading free newspapers would be way too expensive and time consuming. How could they fix this problem with out spending trillions of dollars? Well, they hired a group of web site developers and made an Internet web site (web).

On the web site they feature headline articles as well as articles written in the past. Will people find this web site effective though? People might find it hard to find just what exactly they are looking for. On the other hand, people might find this web site to be the best thing in the world, even better then the actual newspaper itself! Accuracy When it comes to picking out what newspaper you want to subscribe to, accuracy is a key factor that every person will look for. The New York Times is a well known newspaper company, and I would assume that they wouldn't hire just anybody to write the articles for them.

It would ruin the companies credibility if the information was totally bogus and unverified. They have spent many years building up a reputable position in the newspaper industry, but they still make it a pet peeve to verify the validity of the information. "A picture is worth a thousand words", so in addition to the textual support the web site gives, they also back up almost every front page article on this web site with photos. Although the information they use may be well verified and photos are used to further enhance this information, problems can always arise. Typographical errors might be made when transferring the articles from the newspaper to the web site. The author (s) of the articles in The New York Times may not always have reliable sources of information.

In general, no newspaper is one-hundred percent accurate, but over all The New York Times does as good a job as any other newspaper does. Authority Behind every article, lies a normal person with an identity and a life. I would assume that every writer for The New York Times has had a lot of writing experience. The New York Times does not simply display article after article with out displaying who wrote it, on what date, and at what time. They try to make sure the viewers know the "who, what, where, when, and how" of every single article available to you online. It is also possible to write a letter via e-mail or "snail mail" to The New York Times to get the information on a writer or a certain article.

The bad part is that's the only way you can receive information about the writers who are not featured in the small section of biographies. Currency This web site is a big construction project that will never be completed. It is constantly updated twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. It is updated nearly every hour, with up-to-date information on what is going on in the world.

All of the newest links are on the main page when you first enter the page, and the old links are kept well archived for anybody who would want to see them. As soon as you enter the site the latest news is available at the click of a mouse. According to the web site FAQ, you can get free articles that are up to eight days old. However, after that you get charged for any old article you want, as cheap as eighty cents per article. That's a small price to pay for a site as well maintained as this one. Coverage When it comes to writing articles, The New York Times goes up and beyond the call of duty.

Not only do the discuss the subject thoroughly in the article, but it's also the side bar that is full of links related to this article. We have a map of Afghanistan under the Multimedia section. Other related articles complete with photos, conversations, and even a photographers journal related to this article is there for you to read. They probe even deeper with the links by going "In Depth". These links are dated so that you could tell when the article was created with out even opening up the link. Overall, the tone of the articles is totally unbiased.

They do have editorial columns where they give their opinions about the subject of the article, but for the most part they base all their articles on hard core facts. No rock is left unturned in the articles written by the writers of The New York Times. Visual design and arrangement Considering the fact that this is a web site based on a newspaper, it doesn't get much more exciting then this. The developers of this web site kept the graphics small for faster loading time, which is a definite plus. It's not only visually pleasing to see the pictures load up quickly, but it also keeps the users coming back as long as they have no trouble with the web site. Links are everywhere, and after testing most all of them out I found out that all of them are indeed functional.

How they organized the online newspaper is by sections; Classifieds, News, Opinion, Features, and Services. If you click any one of those links on the side they then open up to a new web site and give you more sub choices below the main choice. If you then click the sub choice then you should find the most current article there is out up to this date about whatever your selection was. However, The New York Times web team did not leave you with a web page that couldn't be modified to meet your needs or standards. If you fill out a small online form, you can become a member of The New York Times online. Most people would not like filling out a membership form for a free service by The New York Times, but if you fill out this simple form then you can make web site fit all your needs.

If you do not want to see the stock window that is at the top right of the screen every single time you enter, you can erase it. You can mix and match the many options they offer you at the set up screen to make it show only what you want to see every single time you log in. It also has a feature where it saves your username and password, so after you do the editing you can enter the site without every having to type anything. The power is in your hands to make The New York Times your ultimate home page URL. Web-methods The New York Times doesn't really have anything that goes up and beyond the call of duty when it comes to how they display their information. The oldest but yet highly acclaimed way to get a message across is the political cartoon.

After I looked around the web site for political cartoons, I found a couple so they aren't lacking in orthodox was of getting the message across. However, I wanted to see if The New York Times had any other innovative ways of distributing the news or a message; then it came to me. The New York Times also has the capability to offer streaming audio and video for the people who can take advantage of this wonderful service. On September 11, 2001, the Twin Towers went down one after another due to terrorist attack. The New York Times web site offered live, up to date streaming video of the towers as they took the fall. They did everything in their power to keep the public well informed of the happenings at New York.

In addition to the many movie clips that The New York Times offer, there are even more things that The New York Times have available on their web site. They have sound, pictures, interviews, and transcripts. I think those are excellent ways to back up an article to give a person viewing them a real understanding of the article by seeing more then just text. The New York Times web site is such a good web site because it has so many things available to you with a free subscription to The New York Times online. Interactivity The most important thing a web site should have is a chance for the user to interact with the web site. The New York Times wanted to have a lot of interaction, so they made many ways for the users to interact with the web site.

One of the main things you can do is sign up for your own personal account at their web site. It's really easy and you can do it in three easy steps. Once you sign up for an account you have a lot of options that you can do. You can change the front page, and change it so only what you want to see shows up as soon as you log in. It's a really creative way for the user to personalize their experience every time they log in to the web site.

There is also a place on this web site where you can offer your opinion about articles, and other general life related stuff. This comes free with your subscription to The New York Times online. They have people standing by to answer your questions, and normally your questions will be answer by either a well informed individual, or someone who works for The New York Times. Another there where people can go shopping is at The New York Times online store. The things they have are available at the right picture.

It's possible to buy photos, books, reprints, posters, front page, publications, videos, other products, crosswords, or cards. They also give you the option to buy a subscription to The New York Times. Conclusion web is a well organized website. All the links are functional, and a site index is given for people who are having trouble finding anything. It is however confusing because it's meant for the more educated user, so if you are not really trying to find something on this site, you can't find it. The main reason they made this site was for people to keep up with the news who couldn't afford the actual newspaper being delivered to their houses.

However, it is a overall good web site that does a good job of always letting the user be involved..