Online Discussion

Website Critiques Posted to the WebCT Bulletin Board During one of the class sessions held early on in our computer lab, students searched the World Wide Web for sites related to our course themes. Then each student selected one website of interest and posted a short critique to the class WebCT bulletin board. The goal of these assigned postings was two-fold: to introduce classmates to potentially useful websites and to begin considering the rhetorical elements of web design, since some students were already planning to draft WebPages for their major project.
Click here for website critique guidelines.a pdf document (Acrobat Reader needed for viewing)

posted by Stacie Janecki on Sun, Sep. 17, 2000, 22:29 Subject: website critique

1. http://www.shieldsethridgefarm.org/heritagefarm.html

2. This site describes the Shields-Ethridge Heritage Farm in Jefferson, Georgia. Established in 1800, the farm is on the National Register of Historic Places. The site provides information on the farm, buildings, preservation and restoration plans. The contents include the latest news, archived news, farm history, farm map, and great links. The historical aspect of the site is what originally caught my attention but there is also a lot of information about farming and life at the turn of the century. I feel that the site is very trustworthy since the original family still own it an live there. Also, many of the historical facts can be easily researched and verified. They also host seminars and tours.

3. This site is very pleasing to the eye. The title is green with a gray shadow in a nice script font. The different pages have a nice blue background. There are many color pictures of the main house and buildings from present day back to the turn of the century. The images give the impact of the quiet dignity of this stately old farm. The descriptions of the images are very detailed. The print is a decent size and easy to read. The contents and list of links are bulleted and separated from other parts of the site. As a whole the site is very easy to navigate. Other information that can be clicked on is highlighted in blue. I was impressed with the organization of the site.

4. This is a wonderful site for the study of our Rural Cultural Recovery Project. It gives a clear and detailed impression of what farm life must have been like in the 1800s to the turn of the century. The links are also resources for our project - like the Georgia Old Time Plow Club, ALHFAM (The organization for living history projects), and Mullins Tobacco and Rural Farm Life Museum. The farm even hosts Mule Day! I have a feeling that there is a wealth of historical information (pictures, journals, etc.) to be investigated since the family is still there and they conduct seminars and tours. A quote from the sight sums up the overall feel, "In an era when entertainment environments based on history are increasingly being developed, the Shields-Ethridge possesses what most of them do not: authenticity.

posted by Sarah Breede on Wed, Oct. 11, 2000, 17:45 Subject: Website Critique Little Five Points, an Atlanta City Neighborhood http://www.l5p.com This website is as fun and eclectic as the actual community. The site map highlights the main links of this web page, but if you spend some quality time to surf through site, you'll find that there is a lot more to delve into. From restaurants to entertainment, commerce to real estate, shopping to tattooing, you'll find an avenue of fun and interest to pursue in Little Five Points from this web site. The community bulletin resource is also informative on current events, news, and upcoming events as well. Check out the outer space view of Little Five too. There is something for everyone here.

Comments about the Class: The Final Bulletin Board Posting

Discussion of "Displaced in the New South" video