Web Site - Web Research Guide - Essay Example

WEB SITE EVALUATION INTRODUCTION The Internet plays host of millions of web sites all around the world, which look so different from eachother similar to the truth that no two persons are alike. Likewise, with respect to humans, we also like to say that some people are good looking, attractive and beautiful, intelligent, charming etc. than the rest. Similarly, one needs to design a web site keeping in view the effectiveness & usefulness of the web site as also the appeal. This is so because in many cases the appeal of the web site determines the success and usually gets the maximum number of hits from visitors. In the current paper, it is proposed to evaluate one such web site on the basis of certain aspects and criterion that will be used to determine the effectiveness and appeal of these various features. The web site that is proposed to be evaluated is unique in its own sense in that it plays a crucial role by attempting to teach ancient Vedic philosophy to members of the younger generation using modern digital media techniques. For designing this web site, a lot of attention has been provided towards using requisite animation techniques that are known to draw young minds. THE EVALUATION Basically, the web site will be evaluated for a set of seven criteria that will be used to prove the web site's worthiness. All these factors that have been assessed will be discussed one by one in detail: Accuracy of Web Documents: The first aspect that will be used to assess the web site happens to be the level of accuracy that is maintained in the web sites. This part of the evaluation will determine whether the author who wrote the web page would be available for contact. The purpose for having published the document, as also the reason for producing it should be elucidated. Lastly, it is also deemed appropriate to determine whether the person is qualified to write this document. Firstly, the web site hosts an online forum wherein all those people who posts their messages would be able to see each other's contact details through the use of hyperlinks. This is shown in the figure following this paragraph. Secondly, the reason for having designed and produced this web site is to provide the younger generation an alternate medium to imbibe philosophical thinking in them so as to enable them to follow the righteous path. The author of this web site has been studying Vedic literature since a long time and is well-versed with its teachings. In addition, the author happens to be a graduate student in Digital Media production, which would imply that he is aware of the latest animation techniques. All these capabilities on the part of the author simply point towards the fact that he is a right person to take up the job. Fig: The online Forum. Authority of web documents: under the authority of the web documents, it is to be ascertained whether the person who published the web site is different from the Webmaster (Deitel & Deitel, 2006). Therefore, this part aims at establishing the credentials of the creator of the web site. The domain that currently plays host to the web pages of the site under study also need a mention in this section. To be specific, the URL (uniform Resource locator) of the web site that currently supplies the web pages on demand is to be mentioned here. For the present web site, the author is responsible for maintaining the website (therefore, he is the site's Webmaster). The web site has been hosted under the domain name-http://www.rupinpatel.co.uk/vv/. Objectivity of Web Documents: by evaluating the objectivity of the web site, it is meant that the goals/objectives for designing the web page are being discussed under this section (McDougall Littell, 2006). It will also be noted whether the information in the web page is posted in a detailed fashion. Whether the author has tried to express any views/opinions would also be discussed (LaJean Humphries, 2005). This is because the web page could be biased, usually with the intent of advertisement. The prime goal of the web site is to teach Vedic literature in a lucid & simple manner to young people. The use of flash for the purpose of delivering Vedic ideas ensures that knowledge is shared in an attractive manner. In addition to teaching philosophical ideas, the web site is also characterized by a gallery that unfolds a series of pictures that attempt to convey the message of philosophy (not Vedic necessarily as the galley consists of paintings from the western world as well). When talking about the detail of the information in the web site, it has to be mentioned once again that providing detail has been directed towards conveying philosophical ideas through the use of pictures. Therefore, one can find thoughts being conveyed through pictures such as the image 7 in the gallery. In this, Lord Krishna unveils the supreme form of the universe before Arjuna that signifies that the entire power lies in the hands of god alone. Thus, it can be seen that whole ideas can be conveyed through the use of pictures. The author has only tried to deliver ancient teachings through the use of modern media. Therefore, there is no scope for saying that the author expressed his opinions or is using for advertising purposes as nothing commercial has been found in the website in its entirety. Fig: The use of Pictures. Currency of web documents: This section will aim at determining the date of creation of this web site. This is important as this can determine (at least in the minds of the user) whether the newest technologies have been used for creating the web site. It will also be mentioned whether the web site is constantly updated with new ideas and whether the links are indeed up-to-date (Joyce Valenza, 2006). Speaking in terms of links, the number of dead links that exist currently in the web page will need to be mentioned. The web site was first created on 15th May 2006. Since then, the author has been updating the web site at a rapid pace with the chief ones being the constant addition of more and more information in the form of images and text. Firstly, it needs to be mentioned that the web site has been updated all the while since the time of its creation where almost all of the dead links (which used to be everything barring one link) have been made active by populating the connected web page with the requisite information. The use if flash for designing the web page has been mentioned right at the start of the web page. On checking for the newness of the version of the flash software that has been used, it has been found that it is the newest one that is currently available in the market. Likewise, the links in the web site are up-to-date with each of them being populated with more and more information as time has progressed. Therefore, it can be assured that the website would become a fully operational one in the near future. Fig: The Home page that contains a web link to download Flash just in case. Coverage of the Web documents: this particular aspect for evaluating web pages is used for the purpose of determining whether any of the links provided that have been evaluated are found to be complementary to the web site's central theme (SBC, 2003). It is also aimed to ascertain whether the content is all images alone or a combination of text and images. It will also be determined to find whether the user requires having any specific software for viewing the web site, and how much of the information cannot be viewed in case the user does not have the requisite software installed in his/her system. Whether the web site is for the benefit of people or for commercial purposes also needs a mention under this section in addition to specifying whether the web site is browser specific. Fig: use of a combination of text and images. The major links that are present in the website are the following: Home. Teachings. Geeta. Gallery. Forum. The major software that are required for the software to run to exhibit all its inherent features are the following: Macromedia Flash Player. Any popular audio software. It has been found that the flash software is a very popular medium used for the purposes of creating and viewing animated documents (including web pages), which signifies that most of the viewers would have had the software installed in their respective systems. Secondly, some audio tracks have also been included in the website, which make it ideal for delivering philosophical teachings. The dependency on audio software is not that significant as almost all systems usually have one or the other form of supporting software installed. In addition, the web site is not an array of images and interactive pictures as one my have assumed it to be so all along. In fact, considerable attention has been given to using text both next to images as well as for explaining the real content of the Vedas. Therefore, it can be said that the web site strikes an almost prefect balance between the use of text and images in appropriate proportions. As has been previously mentioned, the web site has been created for purely educational purposes thereby the question of any commercial interests does not arise in any case. The web site has also been found to be independent of the browser that is being used to view the web pages. This is being mentioned after this aspect was thoroughly tested by opening the web site on different browsers. The clarity of the content has remained unaffected regardless of the web browser that is being used for the purpose of viewing. CONCLUSION In the end, it can be concluded that the web site has been created using some of the most popular animation software that is currently available in the market. Thus, the web site comes a long way in venturing into an area that has not been popularly explored all along by the web-development community namely delivering philosophical thoughts through the use of modern technology. The inclusion of audio and an extensive use of images for delivering philosophical thoughts can only be termed as a phenomenal innovation in its own sense that demands admiration and appreciation even though there is still some work left that needs to be completed in its design. REFERENCES 1. McDougall Littell (2006), Web research guide. Found at: http://www.classzone.com/books/research_guide/page_build.cfmcontent=web_eval&state=none. 2. LaJean Humphries (2005), How to evaluate a Web Site. Found at: http://www.llrx.com/features/webeval.htm 3. Joyce Valenza (2006), a web quest about evaluating web sites. Found at: http://mciunix.mciu.k12.pa.us/spjvweb/evalwebstu.html 4. SBC (2003), Web Site evaluation. Found at: http://www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/internet/web-evaluation.htm. 5. Deitel & Deitel (2006), Internet & World Wide Web. New York: Pearson. Read More