No matter which type of media communication that is released, it is important
that the information is
sent to the correct audience. For example, a company’s
annual report would probably be lost on the average teenager who is more concerned
about Justin Bieber.
TIME
Magazine boasts a conservative media kit. The median age of their audience is
47.8 with a median household income of $74,951. Most of their readers are
college graduates, working in a professional/managerial capacity. TIME also gives
the statistics for their other publications such as TIME.com and TIME Style
& Design. By accessing the ever growing
digital market, they also explain the easy use if one downloads the TIME
Magazine app. TIME for Kids is targeted toward kids; discussing the issues as
kids face such as bullying. The
visual and written elements are easy to read, not too flashy, but
conservatively laid out. No pop up ads to distract from what one is looking at,
the white background and the font makes the website clear and concise. The
media kit is based upon facts, not flashiness. The pictures that are displayed,
do not detract from the site, but enhance it. This could be something that a
businessman or woman would utilize.
Seventeen
Magazine has been around since 1944. Who did not want to be a “Seventeen Cover Girl"? I know I did. Famous Seventeen cover girls include Cybill Shepard,
Brooke Shields and before she became a legendary songstress, a teenaged Whitney
Houston. The articles have changed from where in 1944, a girls’ only dream or mission
was to how to gain a husband, to one of empowerment; where you too can have a
successful career. Admittedly, some of the articles still focus on how to turn
your crush into your boyfriend, but it is not the main focus. By focusing on
fashion, hair and makeup articles, what to and what not to wear to prom, music,
and celebrity pictures and interviews, Seventeen hits the mark for its intended
youth target. I do like that although
they have articles on working out, the focus remains on staying healthy, not
being skinny.
When
I was heavily into hip-hop music, I used to read VIBE Magazine more than I
would read my Bible. VIBE Magazine highlights hip-hop and r &b artists,
existing and artists to watch out for. What I remember in the actual print
magazine was not anywhere near what is online. The audience is not defined;
anyone who shares a love of hip-hop and all things “urban” would enjoy the
online version of the magazine. Articles are as diverse as Diddy winning an
Oscar at the Academy Awards for his documentary “Undefeated”, a day out with
baby Blue Ivy Carter with her famous mom and dad Beyoncé and Jay Z, to a “famous”
stripper in Miami retiring after she fell off of a dancers pole. To me, the
website had too much going on: pop up ads throughout the website, stories where
you had to go to another website in order to read the full story, videos that
did not load; everything just seemed clustered and cluttered together. Maybe I
am past the magazine’s target demographic. My 17 year old son had no problems
navigating through this website. If this is a representation of who and what
VIBE has become, I would rather read the print magazine.
Recommendations/Enhancement/Revisions
ReplyDeletePurpose – Your stated purpose is “to vent what may be on my mind in a humorous fashion and hope that I have followers!” At this point, your 5 posts are consistent with your purpose.
Design – Love the changes you made to the design and the font. You must have applied them while I was reviewing your blog – I went to refresh the site, and voila! Everything was different! Areas to watch include formatting of first paragraphs (no indent inconsistently applied), and one from thebacklight – the elements of your blog should be aligned…for example, adjust the space around your logo to make it align with your body text. A great picture of this is seen in point 6 at http://thebacklight.com/blog-design-tips-for-non-designers/ Lots of other great ideas there, too!
Content – Your content is varied and falls in line with your stated purpose. I really enjoyed your post on Maya. One suggestion is to carefully proofread for grammar and punctuation (the suggestion applies to my writings, too). One quick and helpful tip: With only one exception, commas and periods belong inside the end quotation marks.
Functionality, chronological order – your posts appear in reverse chronological order. Seems like a logical ordering, to me.
Places for comments - (located close to initial post) – Yes, I am responding in the comments box, easily navigated to and the link is close to the post.
Clarity – I assume this refers to clarity of message…if this is the case, your posts are well-thought out with an appropriate title, and your message is clear.
Relatively short in length – Here’s where I struggle – my posts are too lengthy. Your Threads post, your lengthiest, is over 1700 words in length. Maybe you could tighten-up your writing a bit (advice I would be wise to observe, myself!). Additionally, I would have loved to see a picture of Maya in her shop, and perhaps one of her doing her threading.
Detailed headings (clearly separated) and topics – Yes, good here. Keep up the good work!
Overall, I think you are doing a great job! If you continue to post professionally-related material, you might consider a second blog, leaving the whimsical and of-general-interest posts to your Diva blog.
Thanks Susan for the feedback! I love telling a story! I will work on not being so wordy. Overall, I'm having fun with the whole blogging experience, I will definitely create a separate blog for the humerous postings.
DeleteJeanine,
ReplyDeleteWow! I think I need to have you tutor me because you have got this design thing down to a science! Your blog was beautiful to start with but I simply adore what you have done to it recently. The colors are warm and inviting and compliment the title and the feel of the blog. The fonts, the text and box colors, and the spacing are so easy on the eyes and encourage one to read further. Your posts are interesting and entertaining to read, and are perfectly fine-tuned to your audience. I need to practice design this weekend. I am inspired by yours to do better with mine. I wish I knew how you posted your reading list. I tried to do something similar but it was not successful. I am also was also inspired enough to Google Pearl Cleage and will be adding her to my library wish list for when I have time for pleasure reading. Excellent job!