Site Analysis

Due Date: Tuesday, September 28

Submission Name: <lastname-analysis> (Word file)

For this assignment, you will locate a corporate or organizational website and analyze it for both rhetorical and structural features we have discussed so far in class.

Specifically, I'd like you to address the following four topics in writing up your analyses:

Audience Analysis - what primary or secondary audiences does your particular web site seem to be addressing? What are the information needs of these particular audiences? In what context would they view this site, and what reading and educational levels do they have? What professional experience do these audiences have?
Rhetorical Features:
- Pathos - how well do the site designers appeal to the above audiences and their information needs? What techniques do they use (if they do) to meet these needs?
- Ethos - following our in-class discussion, examine your site and describe in some detail what type of digital ethos the corporation or organization is attempting to portray. How do the designers go about constructing this ethos?
- Logos - what parts of the site correspond to the rhetorical concept of logos? Is the writing style clear and to the point? Are the pages constructed consistently across the site?
Information Architecture - is the structure of the site logical and does it support the information needs of the audiences identified above? What type of organizational scheme does the site use (if any)? What parts of the LATCH acronym do the designers rely on?
- Labeling - what type of labeling does the site use in the title of its individual pages and for its navigational aids? Are they written in terms that the target audience can easily understand?
- Navigation - what type of navigational devices are used on this particular site to help audience members find the information that they need? Hyperlinks? Pulldown menus? JavaScript menus? Utility menus?
HTML Coding - what type of unique HTML coding did the webmeisters use in constructing the site? You DO NOT have to be exhaustive in your description of the code, but a general description of unique coding tags to achieve special effects would be nice. If you wish, include sections of the described HTML tags to make your points clear.

To help with your analysis of XHTML code, you might consider downloading at least part of the website's XHTML and .css files to your hardrive and importing them into Dreamweaver. Here's how to do it:
- Download and install SiteSucker for the Mac, or HTTrack or WinWSD WebSite Downloader for Windows.
- Using the above program, download your site’s files down to the second level of the file hierarchy.
- Create a new site in Dreamweaver using the files from the above download process.
- Use Dreamweaver to examine the downloaded XHTML and .css files.
- Continue working on your site analysis.

Your analysis should be 8-10 pages of typed, double-spaced writing using 12-point type.

Your name, class title, assignment name, and date should be in the upper left-hand corner on the front page, and your last name and page number should be in the upper-right hand corner of all subsequent pages. You should also provide the URL for the site somewhere in the opening paragraph.

The assignment should be submitted in electronic form only, with your Word document submitted into the course Moodle assignment area. All electronic submissions should be named accordingly:

yourlastname-analysis

DO NOT, by any means, submit assignments electronically during the semester without your last name in the file name.