Just like capital or any other form of investment, a good website is a significant asset in any organization. The website is a representation of the business on the internet and how it is brought out really matters in terms of benefiting the organization. Therefore keeping and considering this, it is important that some fundamental factors be addressed by the website so as to achieve the desired results.
The main purpose of the website has to be brought out clearly so as to avoid ambiguity and unnecessary suspense in the minds of the visitors.
This paper gives a critical insight into this website while examining the main purpose of the website and a thorough investigation into how the website brings out the desired objectives.
To begin with, the main purpose of this website is to advertise and inform people about the existence of the largest and most popular museum in the world.
It relays information concerning the existence of this worldās largest museum and how it is uniqueness and why visitors should be attracted to the powerhouse museum website.
It is also designed to reveal the kind of resources that can be found in the museum and the opportunities which include employment and volunteer activities. There also exists in terms of opportunities chances for sponsorship and cooperate membership.
The website also focuses on demystifying its origin plus how it is managed. This is brought out in āour development sectionā. A detailed history of the museum has been provided on the website plus a section indicating the most frequently asked questions about the website.
The museum is located in Australia and it is unique in its own identity.
The website does not mean everything or anything but it brings out its purpose clearly and specifically.
Planning for the audience is fundamental to good business and technical communication.
In my view, this principle has been adequately observed on the website. The aim of this website was to reach the majority ranging from children to adults.
The target audience of this website was critically analyzed and that’s why they have achieved a lot in terms of reaching out to a variety of audiences. It is important to point out that there is a difference between knowing about the audience and knowing the audience. ( Floreak, Michael J. 1989) The audience of the website has been clearly defined and I think the design was focused on meeting the needs of the visitors. Whoever designed this website gave critical thought to whoever is going to be interested in visiting the site.
It therefore fully caters for the needs of the visitors. This has been achieved after an intensive evaluation of user needs and patterns of the targeted consumers of the powerhouse museum website.
It reveals to the visitor clearly what is required while making use of the website.
With entertainment the site is very objective for instance there is a section for viewing the best photo of the day obtained from the powerhouse museum gallery.
In terms of content, the website has fresh content. However, the website lacks interactive forums such as public-facing blogs which assist the users to communicate with the administrator. Opinions and views of consumers would therefore take a long time to be addressed than if these interactive forums were present.
Information concerning the history, developments and future prospects of the museum is very clear and logically organized. When information is clear and logically organized it becomes very easy to convey the message to the audience. There this contributes a great deal towards achieving the main purpose for developing the website.
Besides the content is fresh and updated we also have additional information which forms the value-added content. This strategy is important to keep visitors coming back to the website. It includes news and other unrelated materials which can excite the visitors.
Furthermore, the website is very easy to use for instance navigating through the various sections is straightforward and simple. Finding information from this website is hustle free in fact the visitor is easily enticed to continue navigating through the various sections.
The multimedia features such as animations have been adequately utilized in the power museum website. Apart from enhancing the appearance and giving a good visual impression, these features assist in highlighting key elements like the various resources and exhibitions plus photographs of things found in the museum.
In terms of readability, the information found on this website is easy to read with background colours used are complementing and pleasing to the viewer. The spaces between the text and the images make the information even more visible.
If I talk about credibility and authenticity the website meets this criterion because in the about us section the website clearly tells the visitor a brief overview of the museum when it started and various developments it has made since then.
Contact information has also been provided on the website for visitors who wish to get in touch with the museum. This is very important for the purpose of getting feedback concerning the website. The feedback is important for the purpose of website development so as to address the needs of the majority of the audience, therefore, helping towards achieving overall objectives.
In terms of being comfortable or not, I can note that the website is easily viewable sizes of the screen. I do not need to scroll vertically or horizontally to view the hidden details.
This contributes significantly to ensuring that the main objective of the website is quickly achieved immediately after a visitor log in. This also prevents unnecessary delays as one scrolls horizontally or vertically. The visitor quickly captures the information provided.
Writing meaning full information is very important towards achieving the main purpose of the website. Content in this website is not only attractive but relevant.
Concerning security issues, the website is committed to protecting the privacy of the visitors who view this website. This is achieved by a clear privacy statement at the bottom of the page. This confirms to the visitors that their personal information cannot be disclosed whatsoever to a third party. This guarantees or gives an assurance to the visitors that confidentiality has been observed and they do not need to fear anything concerning privacy.
However, it does not spell out clearly the legal issues involving the use of information provided on the site. Visitors can therefore wonder if it is allowed to download or copy information from this website. This is a very important aspect of information that has been overlooked by the developers of this website.
In conclusion, a good website should be fit for use by the consumers. The website has to address important issues which matter to the consumer. This issue includes user information search or even consumer transactions. (Pairin 2002)
A website that considers all the above-mentioned factors is fit for use by consumers. I, therefore, view it as a very educative and informative website.
This is the kind of website that is required to communicate effectively with the visitor thus achieving the overall objectives of creating and developing internet communication.
In my opinion, the powerhouse museum website meets most of the requirements to become an effective tool for advertising and communicating business information.
Reference
Locker, Business & Technical Communication Pack, 3rd, McGraw Hill, Sydney.
Floreak, Michael J. 1989. āDesigning for the real world: Using research to turn a ātarget audienceā into real people.ā Technical Communication 36: 373-81.
Barnum, Carol M., and Saul Carliner, eds. 1993. Techniques for technical communicators. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company.
(Pairin 2002) Framework of effective web site design for business-to-consumer Internet commerce. Web.
Robert E. Sweeney, Nebraska Business Use of Information Technology, 2001. Web.