Evaluation: In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

My website

Similarly to my newspaper, I tried to conform to most, if not all of the conventions of newspaper websites. As I have done with both the newspaper and the poster, I included the same masthead into the website creating an association with each other so readers will know the 3 pieces are related to the same newspaper. Instead of having the masthead in the centre of the page like it is on newspapers, I placed it to the left-hand side in a similar fashion to how it is done in other local newspaper websites. I also included a list of navigation links running underneath the masthead as well as a menu of links down the left hand side of the page. These are common conventions found in most websites to help visitors to travel around the site with greater ease. I didn’t include a large advertisement underneath the masthead like many local newspaper websites have because there wouldn’t have been enough space to include everything else I needed and the advert isn’t an integral convention that needs to be followed. I did however include an advert in the top right-hand corner of the web page as there is always an advert in this place on all other local newspaper sites. To make the advert more realistic I used a different advertisement on the linked page as the advert regularly changes as the reader navigates around the site. I included a drop down menu underneath the masthead as most websites give its visitors an option of finding the story they want either through the use of drop down menu or search bar. In the centre of the page I put a small section of the story that I used on my newspaper and attached a link underneath it. This is reminiscent of a newspaper where part of the story is on the front cover and the rest is found on a different page inside. By clicking the link underneath it the reader will be navigated to another page of the site where the rest of the story will be. This is a common convention among newspapers site and so it was important that I included it. Next to my story put a small image of my newspaper. This is regularly found in local newspaper sites as a way for the visitor to read the newspaper online. This is an integral example and new media strengthening old and it was again important that I included this as it is a common and key convention I needed to follow. Above the image of my newspaper there is a login in point for members of the site. I found this was on most local newspaper site and so I included it to make my site look more authentic.
I also created a second page of my website which would be the location the link underneath my story would take the reader. The two pages are very similar as many of the fixtures of the site would not change while the reader moves around the site for example the masthead and navigation links are all exactly the same. This is common in most website as these things are permanent fixtures of the site and so I wanted to make mine the same. The main change that occurs is that the image of my newspaper and the login point for members is gone and are replaced by the rest of the story from the front page. As the reason the visitor would click the link is to read more of the story, the story takes main focus on this page.