Of the examples of online communities we were asked to explore for this unit, only a couple piqued my interest enough to really pull me in. Some of the appeal had much to do with content and my personal interests. For example, I stopped clicking around long enough to read some reviews at Television Without Pity because it looked hilarious...and, in fact, was. But besides a personal preference for content, there were a few other factors that contributed to my interest in that and other sites.
One big factor was layout. The sites that had a boring or confusing layout were harder to get into. It was especially difficult to be interested in sites when I wasn't sure what the point of the site was. For example, the purpose of Slashdot is not immediately apparent. The layout of The Simplest was also a bit confusing, without any explanation of it's features or purpose on the main page. Most of the other sites had interesting (or at least, not confusing) layouts, though in my opinion, The Java Ranch could use some updating, design-wise.
Simplicity of use is another big factor. If I can't figure out how to use the site, how to sign up, and how to contribute to the community, it's pretty much useless. A site might have tons of features, but if I can't find them or figure them out, what's the point of having them?
My favorite sites overall are the ones that have simple but engaging layouts combined with subject matter that appeals to me. TeenRC is probably my favorite of all of the sites, because: 1) It features teen fiction, which I adore, and 2) it's pretty. :) The site also manages to stay easily navigable while being pretty, something that many sites forget how to do. Another site that appealed to me was Duke City Fix. I have never lived in Albuquerque or even visited, but the layout and features of the site appealed to me. The layout was simple, it was easy to see the purpose of the site, and the content was updated and relevant. I found myself wishing that my local area had something similar.
Generally speaking, when I open up a new website, I check for two things. One, is it easy to use? Two, is it aesthetically pleasing? I find that for a good website of any kind, these two factors are vital. For the online community, these appeal factors, are more than vital. If the users don't like the site, there won't be an online community! So, I entirely agree with the fact that your favorite sites turned out to be the simplest ones with the most engaging layouts.
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