Week 5: Your Target Market

After looking at the two diaper websites, I couldn't really notice a specific tie to any demographics. I did notice that Econobum was geared more towards people that are more environmentally conscious and that Just Cheap Diapers was geared towards people that want good diapers at a cheap price. 

The founder of Just Cheap Diapers tried to appeal to parents that have multiple children by mentioning that they themselves had four children that they needed to provide with diapers. In a way, they were implying that by using Just Cheap Diapers, the user wont have to go through the struggle the founder did. Again, they also provide a giant link announcing their monthly special offer and the buyers opportunity to save money. On the other hand, Econobum is really trying their best to appeal to the buyers desire to help. They provide personal anecdotes and explain how they are giving back to the environment and people in need. That, I believe, is their main form of appeal.

The design of both sites is also very different. They are offering the same basic product, but are going at it in very different ways. Just Cheap Diapers has a very vibrant array of colors while Econobum has a very pastel colored focus. In a way this adds to their focus. Just cheap diapers is vibrant perhaps in attempt to incite excitement from the viewers and call attention to their giant "Save" button, while Econobum is pastel green to bring a sense of ease and tie back to the environment.

Although they are trying to appeal to two different groups of people, one being towards people that wish to be environmentally friendly and the other towards people that are more focused on low prices, they both advertise that purchasing their product will save the buyer money in the long run. If users find their pages interesting enough by the design or state of purpose, they also provide their social media platform links.  

Week 4: Aesthetics, Design, & Branding

http://www.pennyjuice.com/ 
There appear to be many things wrong with this site. The first would have to be that you have to navigate further into the website to find out what it even is. The concept is not made clear in the beginning. The color scheme and contrast are very chaotic. There is no hierarchy to the page and everything just seems to be clumped together. The typography is not helping the chaotic and unorganized appearance either. The page seems to have been thrown together without first having a well thought out concept. 

In my opinion, it would be better to scrap this page and start over. This time they should take the time to formulate a plan and style. The main idea and purpose should be achieved in the opening of the page which will hope fully be designed with a proper color scheme that does not hurt the eyes.

http://www.roverp6cars.com/ 
The moment this page is open, it gives of a cluttered and overwhelming feeling. There is too much packed into such small space. The images used are low quality and makes the page appear unprofessional. The color scheme is also very disorganized. The links they provide share the same typography with some of the other content, which is very confusing when they are clicked and nothing happens. The whole page is just too cluttered and unappealing. 

Some improvement to this page could be better pictures. There are some nice ones layered in there, but the rest just seem too obnoxious. They should create some sort of hierarchy to their page so that viewers can know what they are looking at. The fonts and colors should be focused to tie related things together and for ease of navigation.

http://www.stonebrewing.com/ 
This page is just amazing. The organization is very precise and reminds viewers that they are on the Stone Brewing page. The images they provide enforce their desire for users to examine their beer. The page is easy to navigate and they remind the viewer of their services and beer variety in every page with images.  

This site was very obviously created with a clear concept in mind. Their use of images and format is very appealing. The constant Stone Brewing logo shows pride and confidence in their company and services.

http://apple.com
This page has a very clean layout and is very easy to navigate. The color scheme is appealing and makes the page seem professional. The images provided are crystal clear and relative to the topic. There is a clear order to the page setup with their main options on top and other available services clearly listed in an organized manner at the bottom of the page. Overall, this is a very appealing site. 

This page is very aesthetically pleasing. It is clear and precise with no extra distracting content. The logo is always at the top which reminds the user that this is an Apple product or service they are viewing. The clarity of the page helps instill a feeling of order in their product and is very inviting.

Week 3: Communication-Business & Consumer

I think everyone has experienced some sort of difficulty communicating with a business at some point. Most often I see these sort of problems happen with larger businesses that experience a large customer pour in. I have had trouble before contacting stores and customer service in general because of high traffic times and crazy policy that often seems to work against the customer. 

I would think that having social media would make it easier to get ones problems noticed and or solved. Mainly because the issue would no longer be private between the individual and business and is now visible for all to judge. This can result in the business gaining either a positive or a negative reputation depending on their timely response and manner of correcting the issue. 

I personally have never contacted a business through social media. I always use the customer support page or number. Mostly because there can some information that I just don't want to be made public or put up for display. Contacting directly seems more personal and hopefully receives a speedier response.

If it were my business on social media, I would try to be as professional as possible. Responding in a timely manner and a way that respects the others opinion by not disregarding their concerns would be my attempts at a response.

My experiences have mostly been positive. I have yet to encounter any sort of disrespect from customer service and honestly felt like I was being helped. I know this is not always the case but hopefully it does become so. 

Week 2B: Blogs I commented on...

Shawn Kaufman
https://csit155s17shawnk.blogspot.com/

Laura Mcintire
http://mabelslights.blogspot.com/

Brent Reyes
https://twigged2.blogspot.com/

Week 2: Overview Of Social Media Use

It seems that the most common social media platforms that are used for personal use right now are Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Tumblr, and YouTube. I say this because users usually post personal information, social updates, pictures, and pretty much anything that displays a point in time of their lives. These help people stay connected with one another through sharing. Usually the content shared in these situations are not always appropriate or relating to any sort of business. Although they are most often for personal use, they can also be used professionally in a business setting.

I have seen businesses use platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram. These are all mentioned above as well because content and structure depends on the persons intended use and purpose. For example, there is a bakery in London called Crumbs and Doilies whose owner has a very active YouTube channel. In this channel, she post videos explaining how to make some of their popular desserts. This attracts new customers and can improve or create potential relationships.

I believe that many social media platforms can be used for person or business use. It all mainly depends on the type of content the user wishes to display for their intended audience.

Week 1B: Blogs I commented on...

It was really interesting reading everyone's first post and I look forward to seeing more from each of you.

The blogs I have commented on are the following:
Madison Burns
http://madisonaburns.blogspot.com/
Alexis Holley
https://csit155wk1blogalexish.blogspot.com/
Brent Reyes
https://twigged2.blogspot.com/

Week1A: My Template

Honestly speaking here, I have no idea how to do this whole blogging thing. I am really new to it. Actually, this is the first time I have created anything of this sort. 

Although this whole process is new to me, I did enjoy customizing my blog page. I was scrolling through the possible templates and none of them really appealed to me. I was hoping to find one related to video games but there were none. Instead I chose this book pile one. Out of the two options relating to books, which I love by the way, I decided to go with this one because it is really colorful. I just love the contrast between the background color and the book hardcovers.

I may not have found the template I was looking for, but I am quite happy with these books for now. I love both of these things. No harm done. Hopefully as time passes, maybe later on, I will learn how to work this and customize it completely to my liking.