Basketball Discourse
nbahooptroop.com vs. hoopshype.com
This is a blog to compare and contrast two basketball related websites that are very popular and commonly used. Their domain names are www.nbahooptroop.com and www.hoopshype.com. These two websites have very many things in common, but there are still some noticeable differences.
www.nbahooptroop.com
www.nbahooptroop.com
The first website i'm going to discuss is nbahooptroop.com. The purpose of this website is to provide NBA news, share exciting videos, and play fun games while learning about basketball. The target audience is NBA fans, basketball fans in general, and especially young kids who like basketball. You can tell that young basketball fans are their target because they have implemented cartoon characters, games, and a fun atmosphere into the website. I am very much a part of the target audience just because I love basketball and especially the NBA. This website has a difficult time attracting new and different audiences because it solely focuses on the NBA and young basketball players. If a person doesn't fit in one of those categories then they are most likely not going to be interested in this website. Although, it is a great place for a person who does not know much about basketball and is eager to learn more about it to go. The content plays a very big role in determining what the target audience is for this website. It contains cartoon characters and kids games which gives its users the expectation this this site is for young basketball fans.
The terminology is simple considering the fact that their target audience is young people, but there are some fundamental basketball terms used that a person uneducated about basketball most likely would not understand. This website interacts with the online community a lot. They are often sharing stats, stories, and videos with other websites. They get all of their information from substantial sources. This site is designed to make itself fun and easy to use. It is very well organized and kept simple. They put the most recent and interesting things on the homepage so they are the first thing that users see when they go on the site. The way the site is designed can greatly dictate the way it is used. When there is information, a game, or a video that they want their users to see, they will either put it on the home page on make it stand out from everything else to ensure that users will look at it. The design is playful and fun which fulfills the users expectations that the website is intended for young basketball fans.
The terminology is simple considering the fact that their target audience is young people, but there are some fundamental basketball terms used that a person uneducated about basketball most likely would not understand. This website interacts with the online community a lot. They are often sharing stats, stories, and videos with other websites. They get all of their information from substantial sources. This site is designed to make itself fun and easy to use. It is very well organized and kept simple. They put the most recent and interesting things on the homepage so they are the first thing that users see when they go on the site. The way the site is designed can greatly dictate the way it is used. When there is information, a game, or a video that they want their users to see, they will either put it on the home page on make it stand out from everything else to ensure that users will look at it. The design is playful and fun which fulfills the users expectations that the website is intended for young basketball fans.
The next website to discuss is hoopshype.com. The purpose of this website is to give NBA basketball fans detailed stats, analysis and news of the NBA. The target audience for this site is serious NBA and basketball fans. The target audience can be determined as that because the site contains a large amount of detailed and complex information. It gets straight to the point and gives serious fans the information they are looking for. I am part of their target audience because I am very interested in what is happening in the NBA and I love to have the detailed analyses. The website does a poor job of attracting users outside of the basketball community because it uses complex terminology and statistics that these people would not be able to comprehend. Its content directly determines their audience due to the highly detailed straight forward analyses, stats, and information that only serious basketball fans would be looking for. The content gives users the expectation that they are going to find the information they need with no distractions.
This site uses a large amount of terminology that is only understandable to people that belong to the basketball discourse community. This site has a lot of interaction with other websites. They get their information from credible sources and they share it through statistics, analyses, and videos. It is designed to help its users find what they're looking for quickly and easily. It is divided into detailed sections and categories. The design facilitates usage by putting the most important and recent information on its homepage in order to entice its users to look at these things. The design fulfills the user's expectations because it makes things quick and straight to the point.
This site uses a large amount of terminology that is only understandable to people that belong to the basketball discourse community. This site has a lot of interaction with other websites. They get their information from credible sources and they share it through statistics, analyses, and videos. It is designed to help its users find what they're looking for quickly and easily. It is divided into detailed sections and categories. The design facilitates usage by putting the most important and recent information on its homepage in order to entice its users to look at these things. The design fulfills the user's expectations because it makes things quick and straight to the point.
So what do they have in common and what makes them different?
These two websites have very many things in common as you could imagine, considering the fact that they are both basketball websites that revolve around the NBA. They both share a similar purpose to share NBA information with their fans. They both use basketball terminology that is only familiar to people who belong to the basketball discourse community. Also they obtain and share information, statistics, and videos similarly. Lastly, they both have their websites organized into sections and categories the same way.
Despite all of the similarities between these two websites, there are some major differences. One difference is that hooptroop.com targets young basketball fans who mostly want to play game and see cool videos, while hoopshype.com targets more mature fans who want to know the details of what is happening in the NBA. They differ in content as well. Hooptroop.com contains fun games and cartoon characters that are appealing to kids and hoopshype.com has much more information and statistics.
By examining these two websites closely, I feel that I have a better understanding of how I want to put together my website for the major writing assignment. I noticed that fun pictures and videos work really well in attracting audiences of all types. Likewise, too much information that is not appealing to the eye can be very ineffective. In my own design i want to include good videos and pictures. I also noticed that good organization and balance are crucial to a good website. So I will try to organize my website to the best of my ability.
Despite all of the similarities between these two websites, there are some major differences. One difference is that hooptroop.com targets young basketball fans who mostly want to play game and see cool videos, while hoopshype.com targets more mature fans who want to know the details of what is happening in the NBA. They differ in content as well. Hooptroop.com contains fun games and cartoon characters that are appealing to kids and hoopshype.com has much more information and statistics.
By examining these two websites closely, I feel that I have a better understanding of how I want to put together my website for the major writing assignment. I noticed that fun pictures and videos work really well in attracting audiences of all types. Likewise, too much information that is not appealing to the eye can be very ineffective. In my own design i want to include good videos and pictures. I also noticed that good organization and balance are crucial to a good website. So I will try to organize my website to the best of my ability.
Bullet list of my observations
Dominic Driggs
English 101 sec 055
Leandra E. Binder
September 9, 2013
LSA #2 Observation Bullet List
www.hoopshype.com
www.nbahooptroop.com
Dominic Driggs
English 101 sec 055
Leandra E. Binder
September 9, 2013
LSA #2 Observation Bullet List
www.hoopshype.com
- · The genre of this website is informative, professional, and sporty.
- · Its purpose is to give NBA fans statistics and information.
- · Its audience is mature basketball fans that want detailed information.
- · Its content includes stats, analyses, and exciting videos.
- · The task is to further its users knowledge of the game.
www.nbahooptroop.com
- · The genre of this website is informative, fun, entertaining, and sporty.
- · Its purpose is to share interesting videos and stats.
- · Its audience is young basketball fans who are interested and want to learn more about the game.
- · Its content includes fun games, videos, stats, and other NBA information.
- · Its task is to inspire kids and teach them more about basketball.