While looking for a commercial website to review, I stumbled upon the barbie website at http://www.barbie.com/. Though I initially brushed it off as a childish and irrelevant website, the bright colors and interesting designs peaked my curiosity. As I explored the website further, I was stunned by what I found, in what appeared to be a simplistic website was a plethora of interactive models, creative layouts and personalized stories. I was drawn into the interactive, " design your barbie" section and was duly impressed. Not only could I choose the skin, eye, and hair color of my barbie, I could dress her in a wide array of fashions, add accessories, and even give her a name. At the end of the interactive design, I was even given the option of loading my newly designed barbie onto my computer to set as a desktop image. This was extremely entertaining to me and I even went on to design two or three other barbies. The ease in which I could navigate the website was great, it gave me more to actually use the resources on the website as opposed to spending ten to fifteen minutes trying to figure out how to do various activities on the website. I was impressed by the wide array of options on the website as well, if I got bored with creating a barbie I could design a room, create a fashion show or give barbie a makeover. The graphics and music that they use is interesting and draws in a visitor for longer than a mere minute or two, and I must admit, I have even gone back in my spare time because I liked it so much. 
The second commercial website that I went to was www.amctv.com/originals/madmen. After seeing it in class I was curious to know more about the show and its characters. I was shocked to see how many resources they had the revolved around one show. When you get to the website there is a bar at the top with 24 different interactive and informative options pertaining to the show. As I explored further, I discovered that I could create my own mad men character, look up popular cocktails from the 1960's and even take a quiz which determined which mad men character I was most like; I'm Betty Draper. Fun and informative, the website gives in interesting glimpses into life in corporate America during the 1960's and it does a fantastic job of promoting the show without being overbearing or obnoxious. Another factor I found appealing was the iphone, facebook, and twitter options linked to the mad men website. By just linking up to the website via twitter or facebook, I can get updates about the show, cast, and more. In such a technologically driven society, a tool like that on a website can make your product or show mobile which allows the website to reach a much broader audience.
One museum that I have always wanted to go to in Florida is the St. Petersburg Holocaust museum. When presented with this assignment I figured it would be a great opportunity to check out their website and see what they have to offer. However, when I opened the link I was totally underwhelmed by the website. Not only is it in boring, monochromatic colors, their is no interactivity to the website at all. Though disappointed I figured that maybe through a more detailed exploration of their website I might be more impressed but I was sorely mistaken. The description of their exhibits are paltry at best, they are brief and most of them only had one picture and the picture offered wasn't even of the exhibit. The website as a whole is a totally let down and I think in order to captivate a larger audience, small museums like the St. Pete Holocaust museum, should use the web, particularly their website, as a cheap and efficient way to expand their visitor base and educate people about the holocaust.
First off, I think that the Holocaust museum should have a twitter and facebook component. Something this simple would give visitors an opportunity to become more connected to the museum and its events. For instance, this is the last month that they will have the Bielski Brothers exhibit, if they had a twitter and facebook option, they could send out a message letting people know that this really interesting traveling exhibit is about to leave town. They could also reach a younger audience by utilizing facebook and twitter which would help educate a younger age bracket. I also think they should have a brighter website, though the material is somber, something like a calming nature theme or a beautiful array of photos and quotes pertaining to the subject matter would be more visually appealing than the cold, sterile website layout they currently use. In order to captivate a visitor of their website, they should have more interactive components. Maybe they could have a interactive section in which visitors could click on a persons picture and get a blurb of who they were, what happened to them and where they are now. They could also have an interactive component to their exhibits online, allowing people to take a virtual tour of certain areas or be able to virtually explore the inside of the boxcar they have on display. These tools will allow the museum to draw in more visitors and get a better response online.
Though I still want to go to the museum, I am more apprehensive now because the website was so underwhelming and limited in information about what I will be seeing. In a technological time like this, there is no reason that a museum, even a small one, cant have a wonderful website that allows people to really connect with the museum and motivate them to come visit. Also, I think that a website is such a smart and economically efficient way to advertise a museum without a enormous budget. With so many t.v shows, corporations, movies, and other commercial websites employing interactive components to their websites and making them easy to navigate, I still don't understand why academia, specifically the museum world, has not caught on to this brilliant marketing and educating strategy.
