A Review of Two Websites
February 2, 2014
The two websites that will be reviewed in this blog post are Slavery and the Making of America and The Primeline Midi Library. Even though they both are of a historical theme they cover very different topics, the first deals obviously with slavery in America and the other deals with historical music.
Purpose of the Website
Slavery and the Making of America is authored by PBS and serves as a website that presents information that coincides with the idea that slave labor shaped America into what it is today. There is a ton of different information ranging from everyday life of the slaves to “did you know?” facts. There are even prime sources in the form of recorded stories from former slaves. The website features loads of information that can be used for an academic purpose or just to broaden one’s knowledge of slave life in America.
(photo from http://www.pbs.org/wnet/slavery/index.html)
The Primeline Midi Library is quite different from the Slavery and the Making of America website due to the fact that there isn’t much information, but it serves as an archive of historical music, mainly classical and ragtime. The selection is not exactly vast, but its lack of vastness is expected when venturing onto the site, so it isn’t such a let down.
Credibility
Both websites appear to be very credible; Slavery and the Making of America is obviously credible because it was created by PBS, and The Primeline Midi Library does indeed have the music that it claims to have. so, there is no need to fear being deceived when venturing on these websites.
Aesthetic Appeal
Slavery and the Making of America is simply organized in the best of ways. The colors of the website are very earthy and go beautifully with the content of the website. The website is very easy to navigate making learning and obtaining information very easy for the user.
The Primeline Midi Library may be one of the ugliest websites on the internet. It looks like it was made in the early 1990’s, but it is easy to navigate thanks to the navigation tool bar at the top of the homepage.
Overall Thoughts
Overall both websites serve their purposes very well and can be taken advantage of by the academic or regular user of the internet that may be interested in the content of the websites.
One Response to “A Review of Two Websites”
February 4th, 2014 at 9:59 pm
The music website is definitely one of those “early ugly” ones, but it certainly seems to take advantage of the technology that was available at the time! I wondered how its credibility stood out to you. Was the material documented? Was the creator of the website evident? And music is tricky–does the website author properly provide citations to the music that’s included?