WEBSITE ANALYSIS

In this essay, I am going to be critiquing fashion based website, Vogue.co.uk. I plan to analyse many areas of the website including their demographic, usability and structure. I will therefore be using websites like alexa.com which will provide me with facts, figures and statistics in relation the Vogue.co.uk. I intend to finish off by summarising how compatible this website is as an overall.

British Vogue online is a website dedicated to daily fashion news, catwalk photos, trends, fashion highlights and designer looks. It is a well-established online company that is highly reputable not only for their magazines, but for their online content too. As technology is forever expanding, the demand for accessible online websites is important for those who prefer a quick and efficient online experience. Vogue is known to be ‘Bible of Fashion’, so I am expecting a lot from the website.

The audience for vogue.co.uk according to alexa.com consists of a very definitive response. Alexa states ‘Based on internet averages, vogue.co.uk is visited more frequently by females who are in the age range 25-34, have no children, are graduate school educated and browse this site from work.’ It also mentions how they have a very respectable income. Having online viewable content for Vogue.co.uk makes it easy and accessible for those who want to browse this website on a quick and instant basis. The website focuses and advertises on luxury brands rather than high street which is probably why it is more approachable to women with well-paid jobs. Not only is Vogue.co.uk trafficked at 27.4% by the United Kingdom, but is also looked at by other countries like the United States with a percentage of 15.7%, and Germany with 4.2%. This makes the online British Vogue a globally viewed website.

Key rivals for Vogue.co.uk is Elle.co.uk, Marieclaire.co.uk and Harpersbazaar.co.uk. Like Vogue, these are known for being reputable and highly knowledgeable for fashion news and trends. They focus on similar attributes like luxury brands and are just as influential as Vogue.

The British Vogue homepage seems very basic yet easy to navigate around. The background is white and the lettering appears in black, which makes it legible to read. This also allows the viewer to skim and scan the page for a brief insight. The page is broken up into different sections; for example, at the top of the page is Today’s Highlights and Breaking News, followed by Latest Features, etc. There are few pictures that coincide with the links that not only add a touch of colour, but also allows the viewer to recognise the celebrity or event without reading, making them want to read on. The homepage also features ‘The Vogue App’, which is very relevant and modern with modern technology to those with an iPhone or iPad .

There are links at the top of the page that navigate you to your chosen page. When you scroll over these headings, it reveals further content to the topic. Not only is this neat, but it is modern and easy to navigate around. One thing that I find extremely frustrating when on a website, is when you scroll to the end of the page and have to scroll all the way back up to navigate to another page. Vogue.co.uk however, have put another links menu at the bottom of the page to avoid this frustration, which again, makes it quick and accessible.

In Eyetracking Web Usability it states ‘When a menu is positioned and styled in an unexpected way, users can employ selective disregard and ignore it when they don’t need it. But when menus disappear, change erratically, or even look very atypical, users often waste fixations on them.’ This is why it is important to structure a page well. I think this goes for all content.

One thing that I do not really like is that the blog listing seems long, which makes the homepage look a little scruffy and unstructured. To rectify this, they could just have a Blog heading which when you scroll over, reveals all the available blogs.

It seems you can subscribe to daily news by email, but I cannot see that it is compatible for mobiles or see that there isn’t any connection to social networking sites like Facebook or Twitter. The problem with this is that Vogue.co.uk will be missing out on advertising to a bigger audience.

You can access the Vogue Media Pack at the bottom right hand corner of the page, which gives you media information and demographics for their magazine. This provides me with specific information like telling me their average magazine buyer age is 36.

There is an RSS feed you can subscribe to but it was only by chance I came across this option when I went on the Blogs link. Again, if this were on the homepage, it would give users a chance to subscribe. I personally couldn’t find any comment boxes or anywhere for viewers to leave feedback and maybe this is because Vogue.co.uk is well established.

Personally, I think the site is especially beneficial to those who want to look at the site quickly without any fuss. The links and news are easy to find and the website is easy enough to navigate around. Unfortunately, I think it lacks excitement because it is so basic. I think if there were a little more colour and structure, the site would look more attractive which would catch the eye more from the viewer. However, I understand that maybe they don’t want to distract the viewer from the content that they want to view. I just feel for me, it didn’t connect with their magazine status.

Christopher Michael Shellis unleashes the world’s most expensive heels…

Whilst listening to Heart Radio in the Easter Break a particular story caught my attention. Now, my interest in fashion has always been a big love of mine. From shoes, to clothes to jewellery, I have always felt an urge of anticipation and escapism towards it. Something along the lines of ‘a gob smacking £140,000’ etched through my ears. And for what? It was revealed that the most expensive shoes in the world were on sale for this staggering amount. When you think of how many things in the world you can buy for this six figure price, you can only imagine the quality and the significance these shoes must have. (I’m thinking along the lines of a small house, an Audi R8 or few holidays to say the least!) So through no coincidence, it is apparent that these shoes have yet to be sold according to the online Telegraph. These magnificently beautiful heels are said to be made of solid gold, and encrusted with an estimated 2,200 diamonds, which totals to around an impressive 30 carats. Designed by British jewellery designer Christopher Michael Shellis, he has been quoted on the online Telegraph to have said: “The aim of this was to create a unique form of jewellery which you can wear on your feet. It's a bit like if you found these on an archaeological dig in thousands of years’ time, they would be regarded as a treasure - a treasure of the feet.”

These sparkling little numbers have caused such a statement, that on the 16^th April 2011 they were said to be exhibited at the Artbox, in the Mailbox exhibition in Birmingham for a 360 degree glimpse. Even though my love for fashion will always be existent, and these gorgeous shoes look magically fit for a princess, I personally could not justify the hefty price tag. To blow all that money on a pretty pair of shoes seems very absurd, and I’m almost certain replicated designs of these shoes are somewhere to be found for a much cheaper amount of money. Don’t get me wrong, I love the glamour, the luxury and how these are lovely to look at, but that’s all I think they’ll be worth doing. So paying that £140,000 may buy you something to look at, but using that money on various things amounting to that price could bring you a lot more.

Student cuts are a part of hisTORY

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg vowed to cut University costs, yet our Tory government have plans to see the rise of fees of up to £9000 per year in 2012.

Since gaining political power in May 2010 on a five year fixed term basis, David Cameron and his conservative lead party have imposed this increase for less than a year’s time.

In recent weeks, the streets of London and throughout the UK have witnessed the sights of outraged students protesting against this sanction. Thousands of students from the likes of Southampton Solent, Huddersfield, and Belfast took part in these mass protests in which were set out to rebel against the increasing cuts for our future degree students.

Nick Clegg leader of the Liberal Democrats and now deputy prime minister repeatedly publicly announced his views on scrapping tuition fees last year during April 2010 in a bid to win over the public votes. This has not impacted on the views, even under this coalition government of fellow colleague and Prime Minister David Cameron.

Matthew Wells, a union representative for the civil service said: “I think this is a backwards step for our society. It will turn the clock back to a time when further and higher education was the preserve of the wealthy. Certainly education for most will be reduced to a rudimentary provision of the skills needed in the workplace, which for most of us will be to perform menial tasks.”

Matthew studied at Anglia Polytechnic now renamed as Anglia Ruskin in Cambridge, and did not have to pay fees during his time at university under the newly labour government.

He added: “I was the last intake to receive fully paid fees and a full grant by the local authority. This was free and was around £1500-£2000 a year. This was still not enough to live on so I had help from parents, a part-time job and loans.”

Year after year, Student Finance provide fees, loans and grants to millions of students borrowing money who are not financially stable enough to pay their way through further and higher education. This is putting them in thousands of pounds worth of debt at just the start of their career.

The Tory’s plans to get the country out of this ‘huge’ deficit are proving difficult as debts are increasing and people are losing jobs. Is it just the business man surviving through this painful time? And whilst students are already facing themselves with mega amounts of debt now, it can only get worse with the fees plummeting through the roof.

“This will undoubtedly discourage many from less wealthy backgrounds and saddle those who pursue an education with excessive debt. This will mean that those who go through further and higher education will have an even more difficult start in life,” added Matthew.

Chloe Thornton, an 18 year old Law and Politics student who studies at the University of Essex does not believe that student fees should be free. She said: “Unfortunately, although this would be beneficial to a lot of students less fortunate financially, I believe that this would encourage a lot of students who do not particularly want to study any more, to just go out of education being free. This would further cut off students who are interested in wanting to study having less chance to exceed the entry requirements because of the higher demand of students.”

Chloe added: “With this, this does not mean that I am encouraging the increased policy. Student life is beyond expensive now, and I even struggle with my part time job. This inflation means that students will find it more difficult to survive and pay back their debt, and I find it very annoying that the government have failed to see this for the future students. This will certainly put off many students wanting to achieve through using universities, and I think that that’s a great shame”.

The Conservatives plans to increase this fee are set out to go ahead in September 2012. The fewer amounts of students applying next year will certainly kick up a storm with universities. “This is an extraordinarily difficult issue and I have been entirely open about the fact that we have not been able to deliver the policy that we held in opposition,” said Nick Clegg in an article from the Telegraph.

Love Virtually

30 year old Lucy Robinson played by Claire Wood sets out to find Love in Channel 4’s Love Virtually.

In this short 23 minute ‘documentary’, we glimpse an insight into the world of online dating, where five real women confess their very own cyber dating habits. We also follow character Lucy, a blogger for Marie Claire who reveals all her efforts through her online diary, and who is supposed to mimic someone who is deeply involved with datinghut.com, and goes on various dates yet is struck unlucky throughout almost every one.

Her peak point is when she meets Martin Walker in London. She said: “Martin had bad hair, a scruffy jacket, and even bought me a can of cheap lager. But, I knew almost straight away that I’d fall in love with him... And I did.” They soon enough become an item, and she uploads pictures of them on social networking website Facebook, to go ‘public with their relationship’. Lucy seems to become obsessed with him when he’s not around, checking out what he’s up to, to keeping his dating profile on lock.

Unfortunately for her, her quick romance is soon over when he tells her he doesn’t love her anymore. We then see the heartache and how she copes with the break up.

Whilst Lucy’s story develops, the four real women comment on the different relative parts of the programme just like a bad episode of Grumpy Old Women. Katy 29 said: “The moment you have to remove your ex-boyfriend as a friend is just, it’s almost like breaking up a second time. In fact actually I’ve removed my ex-boyfriend now twice!”

She carried on saying: “So you have access to the things that they are doing without the context around it. So every girl he became friends with, every party that he was at, I started analysing ‘Who is she?’ ‘What’s going on?’ ‘Are they having fun without me?”

Unfortunately for me, I really disliked this programme. Although we come to realise Lucy’s character is staged, it’s almost too staged to be true. Her acting is actually pretty terrible.

And as for the real women, they make women out to be clingy, obsessed, and an overall pain to deal with. They portray women to also have a compulsive addiction to social networking sites and the women who internet date seem to have a fast-track ticket to find love quickly.

I think because of the terrible staged nature and how badly women are portrayed, it has given me reason to really have a negative view towards it. Not what I expected from Channel 4.

MUSICAL THEATRE

Whether you're sad, happy or angry; these emotions can be chanelled into dance, acting or singing. I adore Musical Theatre. For as long as I can remember, I have loved performing. From being a little girl performing at Primary School as literally, 'The Partridge in a Pear Tree' wearing this hideous long green hat, to performing at the Queen's Theatre for the past couple of years. The nerves and anticipation that build up whilst you're waiting for that red curtain to pull open is almost magical, and all that practice and hard work has finally paid off.

My most recent performance was a production called Seussical which my college class performed at the Brentwood Theatre for our FMP in June 2010. Everything that happened on stage was purely directed by our class, and it was very emotional thinking that we had achieved so much after our last college performance. We were determined to set the standard high and that's exactly what we did. My quite strict dance teacher and head of unit, Sandra (or aunty sanje as my class called her) said, and I quote, "The best performance we have had from a Musical Theatre class yet." It was truly inspiring to hear those words. But we worked hard, and I think we deserved it. It has to be, hands down, my favourite performance yet.

College from 2008 - 2010 were completely two of the best years of my life. Working with passion hungry students filled with talent made my time at Havering College pretty amazing, and it makes me sad to think I have thrown a lot of hard work and dedication away to now study a degree in Writing Fashion and Culture.
It's weird I agree, that I've given up something I vow I'm passionate about to study an entirely different subject. The performing industry is hard to get into, and unless you have the right 'connections' or are just bloody damn fantastic, then I was scared I wouldn't get a job out of it. For some people, their drive and love for the business is just enough for them to perform in low key jobs, but for me, I wanted more...

Me and some of the girls backstage for Seussical

University - Should it be two years?

Freshers. Some have the perception that it's literally an excuse for a year of non-stop partying. Should university be a hardcore two years?