Go Putin! Go Lada!

The articles for this week focus on Vladimir Putin driving through Siberia in a yellow Lada Kalina. The articles come from the UK and the Australian news websites: news.com.au (on your left) and uk.news.yahoo.com (on your right).

 

                                            

 

It is assumed that the story that is named “Putin to conquer Siberia in yellow Lada” will be complemented by a picture of the Prime Minister in this yellow Lada. However the Australian website fails to provide any visual aids to the article, not even a general picture of the Prime Minister or of a yellow Lada.

On the bright side, the article can be shared on twitter and on Facebook and you do not have to search for this option. Besides there’s a box of the “Related coverage” on your right hand side where you can access the articles about Putin by clicking on their titles.

The UK website does a better job in representing the story on-line as they do complement it with the picture. The picture shows the Prime Minister fuelling the tank of his yellow Lada. It is a nice action shot that helps to catch reader’s attention. The image is fairly small and comes on the left-hand side of the article. However there is an option of enlarging the image for those who want to see a close-up shot.

There is also a good summary lead that is put in bold straight after the title of the article. The word “Russian” is hyperlinked in the article. If we click on it, it will take to the Russian News on the yahoo UK&Ireland website, which is an effective way to access information for the interested audience. Besides the option of sharing the article on Facebook or Twitter is visible and straightforward.

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/18/20100827/ten-putin-drives-across-siberia-in-yello-9700fcb.html

http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/putin-to-conquer-siberia-in-yellow-lada/story-e6frfku0-1225911116297

A whale Man

The following articles in the Australian and in the SMH focus on the Russian Prime Minister who seen shooting darts at whales on Kamchatka Peninsula. Both stories are very similar in terms of their content however they are slightly different in their on-line layout.

First of all both of the papers use the headlines that will be good for Search Engine Optimisation: “Macho man Putin wields crossbow to shoot darts at whale” (the Australian) and “Putin fires darts at whale from crossbow” (The SMH). Words like Putin and whales will be ideal for the search on this particular topic.

The Australian (on the left) is more creative with its heading, calling Putin – Macho man. The heading is followed by a close-up shot of Putin on a boat in the middle of the sea holding a crossbow. This picture is not of the best quality but we get to see the Prime Minister really close. The picture is also cut, so we do not see other people on the boat, which makes the article more Putin-oriented.

The Australian also offers to click on the left-hand side offer to browse through the gallery that features “Action Man Vladimir Putin. This is a small side bar that does not distract attention from the article, however it offers us to look at more resources. Moreover The Australian gives us the option of recommending the article to your friends on Facebook by one simple click.

 

Unlike the Australian the SMH (on the right)  gives a short video of Vladimir Putin on a boat right after the heading. Then there’s another picture in the body, which is a general shot of the whole crew with Vladimir Putin on the boat. It’s a good idea to break up the article by giving different visual aids: a video and a picture. However there is not a big chance that people who are browsing news from work will actually watch the video. There’s an option to share the article on Facebook, but you have to search for it, so it’s not that straightforward.

 

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/macho-man-putin-wields-crossbow-to-shoot-darts-at-whale/story-e6frg6so-1225910546615

http://www.smh.com.au/environment/whale-watch/putin-fires-darts-at-whale-from-crossbow-20100826-13skl.html?autostart=1

Putin vs. Forestry Chief

On-line articles that are examined this week come from the Australian (The SMH) and the Russian (The Moscow News) websites. The story itself is about the sacked Russian Forestry Chief and it is not the most exciting content. Admittedly there is not much that can compliment this particular story. However I managed to find a couple of different on-line layouts of it.

First of all, the SMH (on your left) has a better title for the story as it is more explanatory. However the story itself is not complemented by any visual material at all which is hugely disappointing. The only distinctive feature of the article is the on-line advertisement that appears right in the middle of the article and does not add to its appeal at all.

The Moscow News (on your right) came up with a more creative layout for this relatively boring story. Straight after the headline there is a picture of Putin and Alexey Savinov, the sacked Forestry Chief. The shot is done in a way that Putin appears to be in the shadow (his face is almost unseen in the picture), however he is still powerful. Great picture to show that the Russian Prime Minister is still a powerful player on the political arena.

The only disappointing layout feature in the Moscow News article is the spacing. The paragraphs seem to be over spaced, therefore it is difficult to read it. Whereas the SMH has a nice clear layout with no additional spacing which makes it easier for the audience to read the story.

The Moscow Times also gives an option of commenting on the article. However this service is only available to the registered users and the comments that have been made are not visible to non-users. Unfortunately it is not particularly appealing for further interaction.

http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-world/putin-sacks-forestry-chief-over-fires-20100821-139a1.html
 
http://www.mn.ru/politics/20100823/188001244.html

Welcome

The following blog is for my Online and Mobile Media Course (MDIA 5006). As a part of my assessment each week I will be reviewing 2 online articles coming from major world newspapers. These articles will be dedicated to Vladimir Putin, the Russian Prime Minister.


I will not concentrate on the content of the articles. I will rather be examining how their content is complemented by their structure and at the on-line appearance. For example the use of visual aids in on-line articles: picture galleries, videos, links, ads etc.

Enjoy!)