Brief Three: Website Analysis

Introduction:

Dlisted is an American-based website that is based on critiquing the celebrity culture on a daily basis. Michael K, the writer of Dlisted, created this website as an outlet for his unique opinions of today's pop culture. Dlisted not only follows the life of the rich and famous, but also pokes fun at hot topics in society on a daily basis. The website currently has three official writers in order to provide different p
erspectives on subjects headlining the news. The writers' comedy-style perspectives have only increased the amount of readers since the website's official launch back in 2006. The colour, external links, images, headlining links and the website's layout all play major roles in how the Dlisted website is percieved by readers. These can either attract a larger audience if planned well or keep readers from regularly browsing the website if the design is not user-friendly.

Colour:

the colours used for the Dlisted website are basic and can be considered bland, which ensures that the readers are focused on the content of the website. The use of black and grey colours on a white background draw attention to the content written and also bring out the colour of images. The colour of advertisements linked on to the website distracts from the images provided by the writer, particularly considering the fact that the size of the adverts are generally just as large as the images accompanying the headlines.
According to  the use of black font on a white background can symbolize a sense of rebellion, which fits the theme of the Dlisted website (Posadas, 2004). Although this is the default colour scheme for most websites today, it is likely that the website administrator also decided on this for a cleaner look, rather than scattering bold colours, to keep the reader focused on the content of the website.

External Links:

Dlisted allows users to access many other websites through links provided on the right hand side of the webpage. The theme of these links are related to the stories written about on Dlisted, therefore intriguing the website's target audience in to also viewing the external links. This works well for the website and the publicity that it may draw from readers. There also external links to advertisements provided on the upper and left part of the home page, likely due to companies paying for advertisement spaces on the Dlisted website. This not only takes up a considerable amount of space on the home page but also leaves the reader in a near-struggle to differentiate between advertisements and the images provided by the website's administrator.

Images:

Every week the Dlisted website changes the images displayed at the top of the home page according to what is considered a popular headline at the moment. This is done by assessing which stories have been commented on the most by readers in order to help the viewer keep up to date with the most interesting headlines currently available. The top of the website shows images which the writer chooses in relation to the particular story. The chosen headlining images are not accompanied by their paired titles at a first glance, however, readers will find that a speech-bubble of the title appears when hovering their mouse over the images. This is likely done in order to give the website a cleaner look. The website administrator has done this in order to avoid the possible clutter that would occur if the headlining titles were to appear all at once.
The 'BE VERY AFRAID' banner located at the very top of the Dlisted website implies that celebrities often being written about should beware of the writer's likely-offensive opinions on today's pop culture. This tagline also draws readers to the website as it raises the question of why the website administrator chose these warning words.
In the words of Wysocki, “photographs are often used to bring a sense of immediacy and reality to a layout” (Wysocki 2004, p. 132).

Headlining Links:

The Dlisted website provides the headlining links at the very top and bottom of the home page. Despite readers navigating through the different pages of the website the theme remains the same as the headlining bar appears on every page. The 'dlisted' logo and the 'BE VERY AFRAID' bar is located at the top of the pages, drawing the readers to see  these at a first glance of the website. The headlining bar also has a search bar for readers' convenience should they feel the need to quickly find an article. Warnick backs this up, stating “Consumers expect to have their questions readily answered” (Warnick, 2006).

Layout:

The layout of the Dlisted website is presented in a blog-like manner, with readers able to view older articles by scrolling down the page. This is particularly useful and convenient for frequent users of the website who want to read the latest articles that the writers have shared their opinions on. At the bottom of every article entry there are options for the reader to share what has been written through social media including Facebook, Twitter, Google and email. This not only generates more publicity for the website, but also helps to keep the readers updated with any changes that may occur through-out the website.
The layout of the website is also incredibly important as the target audience is highly likely to trust a well-functioning and easy-to-use website rather than a buggy and crash-prone website (Nielsen, 1999).

Conclusion:

There are many websites available today which allow bloggers to express their opinions on today's celebrities and pop culture and many of these websites generally use bold colours and themes to stand out, however, Dlisted uses subtly in order to showcase the content of the articles. This not only shows class, but also draws attention to any images accompanying the articles. The website's design is not only user-friendly, but also advanced in regards to social media, while also staying true to it's subtle design as a way of letting the content speak for itself.


References:

Wysocki, A. F. (2004). The multiple media of texts: How onscreen and paper texts incorporate words, images, and other media. Mahwah, NJ, Lawrence Eribaum. Retrieved 24th May, 2011.

Warnick, B (2006). Rhetoric on the Web. Peter Land Publishing Inc., New York

Nielsen, J. (1999). Trust or bust: Communicating trustworthiness in web design. Retrieved 1th
June, 2011, from http://www.useit.com/alertbox/990307.html


Posadas, S (2004). The Meaning of Colours. Sibragraphics. Retrieved 23rd May 2012 from
http://www.sibagraphics.com/colour.php

Cultural/Religious Practices VS. Health and Safety (For Health and Safety)

Cultural traditions have been practiced throughout the world since the beginning of mankind, however, only in recent years have some of these acts come under fire due to the health and safety risks they pose. Infections, mental problems and even death are just some of the common outcomes of dangerous traditions still occurring in today's world.
Although many can argue that free will plays a large role in regards to these practices, it is important to note that many recipients of these acts are children and in most cases medical intervention is rare in case of emergencies. It is partly due to these points that some of today's westernized society looks down on the idea of certain cultural traditions, particularly if religion is involved. The internet and social media's popularity has allowed those with first-hand experience of dangerous practices to share their stories and raise awareness in hopes of reducing risks that could prove to be fatal.
There are multiple reasons as to why people see these practices necessary in their culture or religion, however, the most common include proving their dedication to a particular faith, marking the development from childhood to adulthood or to raise social statuses in a society.

(Image Reference: http://theothermystery.blogspot.co.nz/2012/06/exorcism-of-anneliese-michel-real-story.html)

Perhaps one of the most controversial cases of religious practices was the exorcism of Anneliese Michel in the early 1970's. Although exorcisms occur frequently, Michel's case became a worldwide topic due to the severity of her disturbances, which included the consumption of insects, barking like a dog while sitting under tables and becoming convinced that she had been possessed by demons. Anneliese Michel's mental health continuously deteriorated over the period of eight years and due to a lack of medical intervention, Michel died at twenty-five years of age. Following her highly publicized death and lawsuits against the priests that performed the exorcisms on Michel, doctors and experts came forward with their personal and professional opinions in regards to the possible cause behind what ended up killing her. Popular opinion is that Anneliese Michel was suffering from Schizophrenic symptoms and could have been helped had her parents allowed medics to intervene, however, their strict Catholic upbringing resulted in priests frequently performing exorcisms on Anneliese Michel.
The case of Anneliese Michel could have been prevented had her parents not had such strong views and dismissed medical help when they had the chance. Unfortunately her mother still stands by her decision to use exorcisms and believes that nothing else could have helped her despite her daughter's pleas for medics to intervene.

(Image Reference: http://www.waronline.org/en/terror/suicide.htm)

Suicide bombing has become a popular method of protests in society today and is particularly common in religious areas such as the Middle East. It has become so common, in fact, that suicide bombings are starting to lose shock-value in the public eye due to the media's constant reporting of these incidents. The latest suicide bombing occurred on the 22nd of September, this year in Peshawar, Pakistan. The Muslim extremists killed 78 innocent people as an attempt to get the American government to pull all militants out of Pakistan, risking fatalities that could have reached well over one hundred victims. Unfortunately people living in countries under attack, particularly in the Middle East, insist on taking matters into their own hands and the irony is that they cause more harm than helping the situation. If communities could be taught how to deal with dangerous environmental changes, such as war and famine, it is likely that many suicide bombers would not turn to such drastic measures in order to be heard. Instead, people choose to remain ignorant and live in fear and in turn, this leads to more discrimination and hate between cultures and religions.

 (Image Reference: http://www.ladybud.com/2013/07/30/body-modification/)

Foot-binding has been practiced since the tenth century in Imperial China and it is a process that requires young females to have each toe broken and their feet tightly bound in order to keep a small cone-like shape. This was common in China as it was believed to attract males. Foot-binding resulted in restricted movement and the ability for a woman to leave her home was practically impossible. Most women also succumbed to multiple disabilities later in life, including infections, rotting flesh and broken bones due to lower bone density.
Adeline Yen Mah, author of 'Falling Leaves', tells the story of growing up in a traditional Chinese upbringing and her experiences with foot-binding in the early 1940's.
Mah writes in her autobiography, "Women were in effect crippled and their inability to walk with ease was a symbol of their subservience", proving that not only were women forced to succumb to a cultural practice that risked their health and well-being, but were to do to remain in an oppressed society.

 (Image Reference: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1204699/Pictured-Horrific-baby-dropping-ritual-India-sees-toddlers-thrown-roof-good-prosperity.html)

Baby throwing is a common Indian ritual that sees babies thrown from buildings sometimes over fifty feet high by priests. Those that participate in this dangerous practice believe that babies will become more intelligent, luckier and healthier if they survive the fall.
The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights' Lov Verma has spoken out against this ritual, stating "I'm absolutely shocked by this. It's not simply the government's job. We need to educate all those who take part in this barbaric practice - the temple priest and the community".
Meanwhile worshipers are angry with the backlash from westernized society and claim that what they practice is their right. A worshiper by the name of Shankar attempted to defend the baby throwing ritual and stated "Our religious beliefs pull many of us to this ceremony every year."
However worshipers choose to view this ritual, the risks involved outweigh the positive outcome. The dangers of this ritual include the baby not being caught, the physical trauma a baby may suffer due to the impact of the fall, and the extreme fear that the baby feels can lead to emotional trauma later on in it's life.



These are cases of rituals that have occurred throughout mankind and unfortunately cannot be stopped completely. When people jeopardize health and safety for rituals that could be avoided, governments and leaders should step in and not only ban the practices, but educate communities about the horrific consequences that can occur. For example, many Chinese women only realized that foot-binding would lead to a life of pain and misery after many years of suffering, and refrained from speaking out against the practice or informing their children of the outcome. Had mothers refused to allow their daughters to have their foot-binding performed, the ritual could have died out much earlier and caused much less damage than it eventually did.
The case of Anneliese Michel could have also been avoided had the multiple priests that performed the exorcisms voiced their concerns when she first began to show signs of disorientation, and talked to Michel's parents about exploring other options should her mental health deteriorate.
Rituals like these that pose risks to people's general health should be talked and taught about more, particularly in communities that follow leaders, such as churches and schools.
Today's society also has the advantage of using the media's influence by raising awareness in the prevention of these rituals publicly.

Five APA Referenced Links:

*Gray, L. (2013). Muslim Bashing in the Wake of Boston Bombing.
National Geographic. Retrieved from http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/13/130426-boston-marathon-bombing-racism-hate-anti-arab-muslim-tamerlan-dzokhar-tsarnaev/

*Landeplage, T. (2012). Religious 'Baby Throwing' in India. The Richard Dawkins 

Foundation for Reason and Science. Retrieved from http://old.richarddawkins.net/discussions/645549-religious-baby-throwing-in-india

*Lankford, A. (2013). The Truth About Suicide Bombing. Global Public Square. 

Retrieved from http://globalpublicsquare.blogs.cnn.com/2013/02/14/the-truth-about-suicide-bombers/

*Schiavenza, M. (2013). The Peculiar History of Foot Binding in China.
The Atlantic. Retrieved from http://www.theatlantic.com/china/archive/2013/09/the-peculiar-history-of-foot-binding-in-china/279718/

*Carpenter, J. (2005). "God told us to exorcise my daughter's demons. I don't    regret her death". The Telegraph. Retrieved from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/1504158/God-told-us-to-exorcise-my-daughters-demons.-I-dont-regret-her-death.html

Comments Made:

*http://mjesspark.blogspot.co.nz/2013/09/draft-same-sex-marriage.html?showComment=1380450852004#c6813749971675084914

*http://katiesiwrite.blogspot.co.nz/2013/09/capital-punishment-inthe-height-of.html?showComment=1380451156027#c6773887288196809357

*http://abbeylee23.blogspot.co.nz/2013/09/new-zealand-has-notorious-drinking.html#comment-form

10 Links

http://www.oddee.com/item_98514.aspx

http://all-that-is-interesting.com/seven-most-unusual-religious-rituals

http://www.unexplained-mysteries.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=98629

http://roadtickle.com/most-painful-cultural-beauty-practices/

http://listverse.com/2010/07/17/10-incredibly-painful-rites-of-initiation/

http://www.nytimes.com/books/first/m/mah-falling.html

http://listverse.com/2007/08/12/top-10-bizarre-traditions/

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=faith-and-foolishness

http://www.theguardian.com/society/2001/may/02/socialcare.mentalhealth1

http://www.advocatesforyouth.org/publications/521

New Assignment: Logical Fallacies Argument

For our next assignment we are to choose a topic in relation to a sociopolitical issue and make an argument either for or against it with 10 links of research.
At this very moment I am trying to decide on a topic and am currently looking through the listverse website (www.listverse.com) for inspiration. This particular website publishes lists that aspiring writers or everyday people create on subjects that they are passionate about, (eg. Top 10 Reasons You'll Never Go Back In Time). Not only do I love reading interesting topics and opinions, but these also generally inspire me to look into my own opinion in regards to the specific list.

Currently I am looking into possible subjects in relation to:
* Today's Orwellian Technologies
* Religious/Cultural acts vs. Government/safety (eg. exorcisms vs mental health help, sacrifices vs human security, cultural practices vs. safety)

I remember being read an autobiography by a primary school teacher called Falling Leaves, written by Adeline Yen Mah. It tells the story of a young Chinese girl's turbulent childhood during China's civil war and her abusive environment. Throughout the story, she recounts being forced into having her feet traditionally bound in order to preserve a small and 'attractive' foot appearance. While this was seen as the 'norm' during those times in China, Mah has come across physical issues she has had growing up with the effects from having her feet bound.
This is just an example of religious/cultural versus health and safety.

Another example is the famed exorcism of deeply religious Anneliese Michel, which inspired multiple Hollywood films such as The Exorcism of Emily Rose, who started to show detrimental signs of schizophrenia and rather than her parents getting their daughter medical/psychiatric help, they insisted on having her exorcised multiple times. Due to their beliefs and possible ignorance, Anneliese Michel eventually succumbed to her illness and died.

After talking to James, he told me that I may be somewhat limited with how much detail I can go in to or how far I choose to go while writing my final blog and I have realized that this can be considered somewhat of a blessing in disguise as I tend to go over set word-limits.

iWrite Final

When Alice fell through the rabbit-hole for the second time, she was certain that she was once again stuck in a seemingly never-ending dream; after all, she could not recount the events that had led to her fall.
"Oh no, not this dream again!", she cried.
Alice remembered the last time she had dreamed of falling through; she had awoken in a state of temporary insanity that eventually led to her admission into a psychiatric ward. Her humiliated father was so desperate to preserve the family name that he left soon after her release and told people that Alice had died in a tragic car accident.
Her perfectly fitting blue dress, ruffled and muddy and her wavy golden locks of hair now a tangled mess of curls.

Desperate, Alice began to pinch her arms in hopes of awaking herself.

"Ouch!", she exclaimed, "That really hurt. Why am I not waking up?"

Alice then spotted a brick pathway ahead and curiously decided to follow it, naively thinking that if she hurried towards the end of the path she would wake up, like what had happened in her last dream.

"I don't remember everything being so dark", Alice thought aloud, "Perhaps soon I'll find light".

Alice stepped over the dirty path of uneven bricks. Looking around, all she could see was a tree swaying side to side in the distance and nothing else. A shiver ran up her spine.

"I know! I'll sing a song", Alice nervously stated.

In the back of her mind Alice knew she was only being foolish but it was all she could do to calm herself.

"Soft kitty, warm kitty, little ball of fur...", she began.
"Happy kit-"
"I'm Popeye the Sailor man", a husky singing voice from a distance interrupted.

"I yam what I yam and that's all what I yam", the voice continued.

Alice became ecstatic; finally, a voice that wasn't her own. She hurried towards the voice and found a short man in a sailor suit sitting on the ground. An anchor tattoo covered his muscular arm and a tobacco pipe hung from the corner of his mouth.

"E-e-excuse me?", she stuttered, "But who are you?"

"Well how dare you?!", the voice angrily responded, "I am Popeye the Sailor man".

Alice noticed the needle sticking into his bulging arm.

"I do apologize, sir, but what is it that you're doing there?", Alice asked.

Popeye looked guilt-ridden and finally answered Alice's imposing question.

"How do you think I got these muscles? Think they just happened? Yeah, you and the rest of the world", Popeye responded.

"I'm trying to get to the end of this path", Alice ignored the man, "I'm actually in a dream right now and I'm trying to find the Queen of Hearts. She's the last person I saw in my first dream".

"The Queen of who? Have you've been smoking some of the good stuff? I stick to the wacky tabacky and nothing else", Popeye said.

"Never mind. I'll just have to keep walking", Alice muttered.

Alice soon noticed that the road ahead split in two paths. Popeye found himself feeling sympathetic for the girl dusted in mud.

"Take the right path. You'll come across a dirty blonde girl, much like yourself. Talk to her", Popeye offered.
"Oh, mister, thank you so much!", Alice beamed.

Taking Popeye's advice, Alice soon found herself standing in the middle of a sparkling atmosphere. Glitter surrounded her and as she looked around, a beautiful blonde lady in a blue gown appeared before her eyes.

"I", the woman spoke, "Am Cinderella. You must be Alice. Welcome, my dear".

"Hello", Alice nervously greeted the woman, "How do you know who I am?"

"My dear, soon you will learn that I know everything", Cinderella proudly stated, "I also know that you want to find your way home".

"I am trying to find the Queen of Hearts so I can finally wake up".

Cinderella laughed and Alice couldn't have been any more confused.

"Alice, this is not a dream. You are here forever", Cinderella set Alice straight.

"No, but this couldn't be", Alice stood in disbelief.

"Unless", Cinderella offered.
"What? What is it?", Alice begged, "Please, I'll do anything to go home".

"Well, I can help you find your way back home but first you must find my twin sister, Cindy, and poison her. She is the reason that I haven't inherited my mother's entire estate", Cinderella pulled out a vile of purple liquid from her pocket.

This was against Alice's morals but she hesitantly agreed.
Excitement consumed her and she started to list all of the things she would do when she made it home; she almost missed the sounds ahead.

"Shhh", the voice shushed, "She'll hear us".
The voices giggled and shushed each other and just then Alice was once again freightened.

"Who is it?", Alice asked, "Show yourselves".

Upon closer inspection Alice found two objects- a yellow sponge and a pink star.

"What are you doing?", she surprised the two objects.
"Nothing. We're just...I'm Spongebob Squarepants and this is Patrick", said the yellow sponge, "We're just...experimenting. Want some?", the sponge offered.

The pair seemed to be snorting a white powdery substance.

"No", Alice responded in a disturbed manner.
"I need to find Cindy", she continued.

"Why didn't you say so?", answered the wide-eyed star, "Continue straight until you see dust. You'll see her sweeping".

Alice continued walking until she found herself surrounded by dust, just like Patrick had mentioned.
"Excuse me, but are you Cindy?", Alice asked.

"Why yes, and you are?", said Cinderella's twin sister.

"I'm Alice. I'm sorry to trouble you but would it be alright if I joined you for supper today? It's just that I'm new here..."

"Absolutely. I love meeting new people", Cindy said.

Later that evening Alice offered to help with the cooking, making sure to add the purple liquid from the vile in to Cindy's soup bowl. Alice found herself overcome with guilt and as she watched Cindy swollow spoonfuls of soup, she sat quietly. Cindy talked for what seemed like an eternity, unaware of her fate. Alice then wondered what kind of a person would ever wish for such a loving woman's death. Second thoughts began to seep through Alice's pores and she realized that by the time she was ready to stop Cindy from eating the poison, it was too late. Alice soon found herself standing in front of Cindy's lifeless body. Her guilt turned to sadness and as her tears hit the still body, a shadow appeared. The animal's body became clearer with every step it took.

"I'm Eeyore", the donkey glumly announced, "I'm here to take you to your new home. Sorry I'm late. Well what do we have here?".

"I'm Alice. I met this lady, Cinderella I think her name was, and she told me that if I poisoned her twin sister, Cindy, Cinderella would tell me how I could get back home", Alice panicked.

"What have you done? Cindy IS Cinderella. Cinderella has had Multiple Personality Disorder for years. Up until now, everyone would just ignore her pleas", Eeyore said.

"Oh no, this is a disaster! I'll never find my way home", Alice sulked.

"Alice, while you have committed an unspeakable act out of foolishness, you must understand that you are bound to this kingdom forever. There is no way of returning home", Eeyore warned.

"I just want to go home", Alice began to cry.

Alice sat sobbing next to Cindy's cold body. Eeyore almost felt sympathetic for the ruffled girl.

"I can't get you home but I can help you make a new one", Eeyore offered.

Alice then realized the good in staying.

"Mr Eeyore, sir, do you think I could stay with you? at least until I get used to this place? I've been lonely since my father left me and I've met kind people here", Alice rambled.

"Just don't get in my way", Eeyore coldly responded.

It became the only real home Alice knew. From then on people cared for her. Two days following Cindy's death, Eeyore overdosed on Spongebob's drug stash and Alice kept her involvement in Cindy's murder to herself. After all, Alice did always appreciate a happy ending, even if she was the only one who saw it that way.




References:
Carroll, L. (1951). Alice in Wonderland (Through The Looking Glass).

Disney, W., Buena Vista Home Entertainment (Firm). (2005). Cinderella. Burbank, CA: Walt Disney Home Entertainment.

Hillenburg, S., Dohrn, W., Lawrence, Mr. (1999). SpongeBob SquarePants.

Milne. A. A. (1926). Winnie-the-Pooh

Segar, E. C. (1929). Popeye The Sailor Man. King Features.

Meyer, S. (2005). Twilight (The Twilight Saga). Little Brown and Company.


 http://www.fanfiction.net/s/9582750/1/Disney-s-Ghostbusters-The-Dead-End

 http://darlingdisneyfanfiction.tumblr.com/post/24833165099/life-in-america