From my old Word Press Blog

USAToday.com and video

September 16, 2009 at 4:56 pm

I didn’t understand USAToday.com’s use of video. I was browsing the website to get a feel for what types of features are offered. Seeing as video is one of the highest visited areas online, I was curious to see how they have incorporated video. I was highly disappointed to be honest.

When you click on “videos,” it takes you to a page where videos are just automatically streamed. Rather than giving readers the option to click on different videos of their choice, they begin by streaming the videos. You have to scroll down to then browse the options. As a web user, I like to be able to make choices, and I like it when they are listed in such a way that is attractive, easy on the eyes, and logical.

In addition, the videos were actually AP’s work, which is a common strategy by USA Today. However, I would like to see some more original looking work like that of the NYTimes.com that is eye-catching and shows us USAToday.com’s potential. This is not to say they cannot use wire news services, but some more original work would show readers that USAToday.com is a legitimate and well rounded, news source.

USAToday.com versus print at a glance

September 9, 2009 at 4:37 pm

When comparing USAToday.com and competing print papers, there is not a world of difference when it comes to the writing, however when taking a closer look at the details that come with the articles–photos and reader interaction– the online version of the articles have a lot more to offer. To exemplify this, I compared the way USAToday.com covered Obama’s “back to school” speech to how The New York Times, The Boston Globe and USA Today covered it in print.

Essentially the writing was the same, they stated the facts and the controversies, however there were a lot more “amenities” that came with the online version. On the USAToday article were a link to a video of the speech, a link to The Oval–a USAToday.com blog that follows the news about Obama’s administration–and finally, a link to Faith&Reason–a blog that deals with “conversations about religion, spritituality and ethics.” Those three links enabled the online paper to generate more talk about the much debated speech and faster.

The speech happened on Tuesday, the Tuesday print papers could only speculate that morning. The New York Times, The Boston Globe and USA Today all wrote about what would be covered (USA Today literally just published a trancript), while USAToday.com was able to create a forum and live blogging, reeling in more reader interaction. The speed of the internet though has always been an obvious advantage to online publications, so it comes as no surprise that USAToday.com could provide readers with speed and linkes. The print versions were able to involve readers, but only in their Wednesday edition of the paper, in the op ed column.